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expiationlogs2023-11-11 02:14 pm
{EVENT #5} ADVERSITY 3386435.8364
| MOD NOTES: Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. - This event is forward dated! The characters will be going to Rumpitur on the 17th, and the second part of the event will be going up on the 25th. - There will be a second part to this log! This will include some RNG sign-ups that will be affected by how the first part of the log shakes out. - Please note that for RNG sign-ups, for those who sign up, there is a possibility that your character could be injured or even killed. You will not know what you’re signing up for in advance, as there are several different ways it could go. Please be aware of this when signing up! - We're putting this event up a little early because we were unable to get the event done enough in time to outline it for everyone at the beginning of the month. If you'd like to do a plot with me with people, the post is here! The poll will be going up on Monday, which was the original day the event was to be posted. - We very much encourage questions for this event OOCly to the mods, as this is an exploratory sort of event. It's very important to us that everyone gets the information that they want! The various prompts are, of course, optional. |
The chilly November weather seems reflective of the chilly attitudes of Aldrip’s local population. With their fellows still missing, most of them aren’t warming to your presence at all. On the other hand, messengers from the nearby city of Rumpitur have arrived at Aldrip’s gates wanting to open a trade route and strengthen relations between the two towns.
Those who have been here a while have been to Rumpitur before, and remember the snake people as being welcoming and friendly. To get to the city, Chosen will have to travel through Pessiria Forest down to the coast. The road forks at this point: go one way and you arrive in Rumpitur. The other way leads to the mysterious walled city of Ketsora, a place that seems…well, a little unfriendly.
Aldrip’s locals seem more open to working with them than with the Chosen right now, so they readily agree to a trade deal. They even agree that the Chosen can be involved. Rumpitur locals offer to bring wagons to make the trip easier, and say they will arrive on November 17.
SHE'LL BE COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
True to their word, on November 17, a few Rumpiturians arrive to deliver several wagons, each of which can carry up to a dozen people. They weren’t using them anyway, they say–they were just gathering dust. Well, whatever the case, you don’t have to walk all the way to Rumpitur now with tons of stuff to carry.
Which is good. Because in spite of the fact that Mr. Expedition has poked his nose in to see what everyone’s up to, he adamantly refuses to help anyone travel.
”Absolutely not,” he says airily, ”you couldn’t pay me to set foot near that place.”
Why is he so wary of it? He…doesn’t say, of course.
That’s fine. Everyone has their thing, right?
Anyway, the wagon seems like it’d be faster than traveling on foot, but do take into account that the horses (or chocobos, for those who will) pulling them will have to stop for rests, because they’re hauling quite a load! The trip will take one full day, meaning you might need to camp out for the night near Pessiria Forest.
That’s also fine. Very, very fine.
THINGS'LL BE GREAT WHEN YOU'RE DOWNTOWN
The Chosen arrive in Rumpitur just in time to witness a big commotion happening at the center of town. One of their own, the renowned restaurateur Agantha the King of Spices (bold claim, but okay), has gone missing! Clues are slim, unfortunately, and the Rumpiturians urge their guests not to get involved. They’ll handle their own matters.
But…curiously enough, they mention something about a flyer, and a meeting the famous chef was interested in attending.
Rumpitur has changed a bit since the last time the Chosen came to visit. Before, it was a bustling city, full of life and seemingly at the height of success. Looks like they hit a plateau. There are “for sale” signs in the windows of various buildings, all in various states of disrepair. The Rumpiturians don’t exactly look like they’re having a great time: a little leaner and less well-groomed than last time you were here, they all seem a little like they could use more sleep and a chance to rest in general. There’s an air of nervousness in the air.
No wonder they’re looking for trade partners. Pickings in town seem slim.
They’re all excited to see the Chosen, and most regard them with friendliness and almost an overabundance of hospitality. In spite of the shabbiness of the town overall, the market is hopping, full of strange and exciting goods and trinkets. Jewelry, weapons, armor, books–all things that might pique the curiosity of those who like the finer things in life. They’ll be selling these things cheap, either for coin or trade. Food seems to be at a premium, here, getting you twice as much as you paid for.
Overall, Rumpiturian hospitality may remind the Chosen of what things used to be like in Aldrip. For the first few days, the inns in town offer rooms for free to those who will, and even once they start charging, they offer the same incredibly low prices and exchange rates as their merchants. If this gives you the impression that they can be taken for more, you would be correct. Rumpiturians are slightly desperate, especially for food and other staple goods. They won't argue any price the Chosen wish to take for it. Their distracted state means they make easy marks for theft, as well, for those who may be so inclined to use their five-finger discount.
Investigations about their missing person are met with uncharacteristic stonewalling, thoygh. They refuse to talk about it, for the most part; when pressed, they make vague accusations that this sort of activity is why they cut off trade with Ketsora ages and ages ago. Apparently they sent someone recently to try to negotiate a new relationship with the elusive city. It…didn't go well. Can't trust those shifty bird-worshippers, so they say. This is what they get for trying to mend old strife.
ii. STOP! HALT!
Hospitality aside, there are a few areas of Rumpitur that have been cordoned off, both with signs and with guards posted outside. What they’re guarding seems completely unclear; the areas look fairly average, with nothing notable about them.
The first area is the docks where Rumpiturians keep their boats. When asked why this area is off-limits, the guards will explain that they have recently run into trouble with bandits stealing boats in the night. They have no proof, but they seem to suspect Ketsora of meddling and taking their things. It seems the two towns don’t always, or often, see eye-to-eye.
The second area seems to be a block of warehouses and derelict buildings. With things being visibly worn-down, their explanation seems to make sense: with all the new people, they don’t want anyone wandering into a dangerous area where they might get hurt! It all checks out; you may even see a few stones falling while you ask about it. Still, for some reason, it looks like one or two buildings have lights on inside.
Those industrious and stealthy enough to manage a stakeout will begin to see weak spots in their watch patterns; when the guards change shifts, there is opportunity for infiltration.
TO BOLDLY GO...
After the kidnapping of their famed local chef, bad feelings from Rumpitur about Ketsora couldn’t be higher–not only do they suspect the isolated town of kidnapping their fellow townsperson, they also seem to blame the neighboring town for all manner of other woes that have befallen the town. A surplus of injuries keeping people from working, a poor harvest, shipments going missing by sea…it seems they’ve become more of a scapegoat to blame for everything that might go wrong.
Which is weird, because the whole town is walled off, and has been for ages.
Being very large snake-people, Rumpiturians aren’t exactly great at stealth: they’re slow-moving and can be a bit loud. So they finally relent to those Chosen who have been asking around and investigating. Their request? Infiltrate Ketsora and find their missing person. Please.
iii. NOT SO FRIENDLY
The road to Ketsora is fairly short, once you’re in Rumpitur. It only takes a few hours to get there, but you can see the wall even from a distance. It’s large and solid and very very intimidating, circling the enormous city like a barrier ring. Approaching the wall almost instantly seems like a bad idea: anyone approaching will be greeted by a warning arrow shot at their feet, with a threat of more if they don’t turn around and go back where they came from.
So much for hospitality.
Off the road to the north of Ketsora, Chosen can get a better view of the extent of the wall by way of a few large rocky hills. From what they can see, there seem to be archers posted at regular intervals along the entire top edge of the wall. The more daring among the Chosen might take the space between archers as a blind spot, especially under cover of darkness or when the archers change shifts. But getting to the wall is just part of the problem; after that, you have to figure out how to get past it. And the large, heavy gates at the front of the city don’t look like they’re opening any time soon…
Those who wish to investigate Ketsora should also be wary of local fauna. Specifically, monsters. They seem more prevalent here than in the areas around Aldrip, and unlike home sweet home, they don’t seem wary of the Chosen at all.
For now, this is as close as Chosen can get, unfortunately. Maybe some further investigation will reveal ways to get in…or maybe eventually they'll be willing to open their gates in the future.
Just because there’s not a prompt for it doesn’t mean that your character’s actions aren’t acceptable. If you wish to do anything that hasn’t been directly addressed by the prompts, leave a message for the mod team to say what your character would do. If you choose to go down this path, note it as a comment on the OOC poll when it goes up, and leave a link to your threads so that we can take all actions into consideration for the next State of the Game.
no subject
( but does this world carry anything like spray paint? there's paint sure but jinx had yet to see anything that came in a smaller can with a spray filter. maybe she could make a few, but that would be defeat the purpose of having someone else create the jacket for her. )
What about you? You need stuff for the winter?
no subject
[Maybe that was obvious, but he expected if she became too wrapped up in the details of what the outside would look like or the additions, she might skip over the entire point of commissioning a jacket in the first place.]
My jacket should be enough. It's served me well for many winters.
[Of course, that might change as this winter actually set it. He wasn't certain how cold it would become here from one day to the next.]
no subject
( because that should do it, right? it can be in crazy colors with all the graffiti as long as it's bulgy for the season. speaking of his jacket, jinx opens her eyes to take a gander over the stitching and the patterns of his coat. the pads of her fingers grazes delicately past the material -- testing the texture. )
What if I get a jacket like yours?
no subject
[His attention shifted from staring off around the city above her head down to examine the way that her fingers moved over his coat. It was warm enough for the current weather, but it was also rather fashionable for his purposes.]
It will keep you warm, and you will strike a more imposing figure or so I'm told.
no subject
( as if more people need more of an indication they are father and daughter. but maybe that's necessary, it's not like she's ashamed of him or their relationship. people should know that a bond between them can never break, no matter how many times they get tugged from either side or dump facts that were clearly fabricated due to jealousy. )
no subject
[He expected that he would let her decide and also show multiple options so that she had the benefit of choice. He wanted her to have what she wanted after all. If a few people mixed up their appearance from behind, he would be fine with that as well.]
no subject
( feeling another chill itching up her spine, jinx gingerly reaches over to her legs to rub to provide some heat to them. it's a little fruitless to do, but a little warmth is better than no warmth at all. )
— Don't forget: it needs to have inside pockets so I can stash my chompers in.
no subject
[He pulled her closer to the core of his body where it would be warmest. He doubted they would stay out too long. He was simply of the opinion that she shouldn't be out here alone.]
How many chompers do you expect to put in your inner pockets?
no subject
( possibly more than that, but jinx becomes a little distracted as he tugs her closer to his chest. she exhales a warming sigh and shuts her eyes again -- taking in this moment with him despite being chilly. )
What about you? I haven't asked how you're doing. I know you're not hurt, but... are you sore anywhere?
no subject
[And he'd seen some of Jinx's clothing choices and her ability to hook explosives to her person. It was quite impressive.]
Only in the usual places.
[His left eye was sore but the scarring was numb. His healed bullet holes twinged now and again, and he was getting older. Naturally there were aches and pains.]
no subject
( which saying so could be good or very bad. )
There's a hot springs back in town, y'know. How about goin' in for a little soak? Melt off all the sores and smooth out the wrinkles.
( it's times like these that being his daughter has its perks. because even she is aware if she was just some schmuck out in the streets, her tongue would have been removed in an instant. )
no subject
[He made a noise in his throat at her even suggesting that. He was well aware that she knew her advantage with him. He gave her a little squeeze to let her know that he was aware of it.]
Also, they are scars, not wrinkles.
no subject
( it's meant to be a compliment that she hopes he will take. opening her eyes again, his daughter peeks up at him then glancing around their surroundings. )
I think I've had enough air. I think my legs are gotta be frozen if I'm out here any longer.
no subject
[He was used to how his looks came across to others, and he didn't care for their opinions. He did, of course, care about Jinx's opinion.
He nodded when it seemed she had reached the limit of cold, and he rose to his feet with her still in his arms. They hadn't gone far from the house, and he intended to take her back there unless she protested and wanted to go on her own two feet.]
Warmer clothes over all then.