WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players welcome to el minha. It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up and a semi-familiar voice will be heard. I hope you are able to help the people of El Minha! And oh- in case I didn't mention it already, water is very, very valuable here. And then you will blink, and it will be bright. Bright, and warm, as you are standing just inside the grand walls that protect the impressive city before you. At your hip there will be a small bag with a few bits of coin - nothing too crazy, and definitely not enough to last you the entire stay (which...you're not exactly sure how long it will be), but enough to get started. Your presence brings a couple of glances, a stare or two, but overall the city seems to continue on with its day. Welcome to the Red Desert, the city of El Minha. THE PALACE After a few hours of being within El Minha, the King has heard that a large amount of travelers are now wandering within the city limits. An audience is called in front of the Royal Palace, and King Kathashun steps out onto the dias. He is dressed rather plainly, for a monarch -- a purple robe, with some gold bangles and bracelets, but no ornate crown or anything like that. However, when he appears, the natives around you grow quiet, at the presence of their King. “I understand that there are a lot of new people, within our fair city. Welcome to El Minha, the Jewel of the Red Desert. Enjoy our culture, our people, our wares; we welcome you, and hope you enjoy your stay.” There is a pause, though, as King Kathashun seems to weigh out what he wants to say. “I normally do not spend my time greeting tourists to our city, as our Crown Guard typically handles educating our visitors on our ways,” he continues, folding his hands behind his back. “But the heart of our city has been heavy, in recent months, and I feel it is my duty as King to be clear, to be honest, and to speak the truth. Recently, we have been attempting to hunt down individuals who wish our city harm, who have harmed my family, and my people. The Syndicate has been active, as of late, and I warn all of you who are not familiar with El Minha to avoid certain areas of the city should you wish to keep your pocketbooks.” There’s a slight quirk of his lips, as he says that, before he tilts his head in a polite gesture of greeting toward the crowd. “Please, enjoy El Minha. And should any of you garner any information concerning the Syndicate, please do not hesitate to contact me.” For the duration of your time in El Minha, King Kathashun will be within his palace . . . or so the Crown Guard says, should you ask them for an audience. That being said, you might be lucky wandering the streets. The King of El Minha tends to mingle more with the common folk than the Crown Guard would lead you to believe . . . THE GRAND MARKET Welcome to the heart and soul of El Minha - a massive outdoor market in the center of the city. Covered by fabric stretched between the buildings, this market feels almost like a city, or living soul, in and of itself. It is constantly moving, constantly evolving. Anything you could imagine is for sale here - spices, jewelry, weapons - whatever you’re looking for, anything at all. While you won’t necessarily find specific items from your home, you can find any matter of similarly made or crafted ones. Think cheap knock-offs, or unnecessarily well-made versions, because they can vary widely. There can also be items of some level of magic, though nothing particularly strong or overly impressive. (feel free to ask the mods on the previous ooc post about if an item is too over-powered to be found in the market - and also know that there’s always the chance you could find it in the underground. It just depends on how determined you are to track it down.) Stalls can range from cobbled together boxes and goods to grand, incredible stands - it all depends on what you’re looking for, and how long you’re willing to look. There is no map here, so tread lightly! The merchants that work in the market are experienced, practiced sales people. They know how to sell to anyone, but especially tourists. Barter to your hearts content, but it will take a little more than a ‘please’ to get those prices down. They have expert eyes and will not take pick-pockets or thieves well. However, as experienced and watchful as the merchants may be, that won’t stop young kids on the streets targeting the tourists as well - so keep an eye out on your pockets! As long as you have coin, water, or something to trade you are welcome as long as you’d like to stay here in the El Minha Marketplace. However, if you loiter for too long, you might get a swift kick in the ass to either get moving or buy something - they’re not giving away anything for free, and that includes the shade. THE SPARKLING SAPPHIRE As the announcement from King Kathashun comes to an end, all members of the Circle will be communicated - in one way or another - the direction to the Sparkling Sapphire. Free housing, you’ve been told. All you have to do is go, give them your name, and let them know you are part of the group that King Kathashun has directed here. Here, as it turns out, isn’t too shabby of a place. A large building with plenty of rooms, it is clean and fairly busy, with a bustling tavern area and rooms upstairs. You can pick up your key from the older woman behind the front desk, and are directed to the staircase in the middle of the establishment. The rooms are clean, but plain, with one or two beds depending on your preference. Downstairs in the tavern you can find food served for both breakfast and dinner, which is included in the room. Otherwise, there is a small fee for food or drink, and the servers are talented and experienced and very, very friendly. It is in the tavern that you can find the hookah, and some strange liquor as well, but it’s up to you if you choose to drink it. The food is incredible, beyond incredible, and they can make almost anything that you’ll like, though it may come out a bit creative. The main room is comfortable - with a roaring fire but without the suffocating heat. There is a bard in the corner, who will sing or tell stories or simply play, depending on the feeling of the room. Have a drink! Or a meal! While most of the people here are indeed Circle members, there may be a couple of natives mixed in as well. Take a load off, relax, and enjoy the hospitality that only a King’s Coin can bring. THE FIGHT RING The ring itself is somewhat on the outskirts of town - a colosseum-esque collection of buildings that watch over a pit-like arena. The buildings protect the Fighting Ring from any outside eyes, or any unwanted attention, as this area is solely under the command of The Syndicate. Anyone is allowed inside, as long as you don’t cause any problems and don’t start any trouble. There are a number of what you can assume are Syndicate-employed figures that are constantly canvasing the area as well, so don’t expect to be able to sneak in unless invited or allowed. The Fight Ring is open for volunteers at any time, and once you’ve been checked for any fun business and told the rules (no magic, only weapons allowed are the ones provided, the fight will end once one side relents or is taken out of commission). If this still feels like your cup of tea, you are invited to take a spot in line. Perhaps, if you’ve shown yourself promising enough, The Champion may appear to protect their crown. Otherwise, you will find plenty of adversaries around. If you are looking for a less aggressive route, there are plenty of seats open to watch, as well as many other members of the city taking a break to watch the fights, and they certainly wouldn’t mind sharing some of their favorite stories of matches or victories. The Champion is the resounding favorite, but the stories shared will vary to the point that almost no useful information can be gleaned. Join in the festivities that surround the ring! Pick up some food, bet on some fighters, enjoy the competition, and maybe you’ll be lucky and catch a sight of The Champion, or any of the other legendary figures of the El Minha Fight Ring. THE GOLDEN PHOENIX The Golden Phoenix is the central location of the Syndicate . . . and locals will make absolutely no effort to hide that fact from the Circle members. However, people don't seem to be afraid to go, though you definitely need to have coin to get through the door. There are multiple tables where various dice and card games are being played, as well as old slot machines. There are multiple employees in dark uniforms wandering around, offering drinks to all those who are spending coin on the machines, free of charge. If you loiter too long without spending money, you will be asked why you're there -- not in a threatening way, of course. But the relationship between the Syndicate and the King isn't all that great, as of late . . . can't be too careful with spies. In the back of the Golden Phoenix, there's a tiny racing ring in the back where small lizards are being raced in a little track set on a table. You can place bets on any of the lizards and, who knows? You may win a prize, including a little lizard! How cute! (Be careful, though: they nip.) But out back, there's another lizard racing ring, though these ones are . . . well, they're certainly not tiny. In fact, people seem to be riding on them akin to horse racing . . . and jockeys are a dime a dozen, in El Minha. Fancy yourself the next Triple Crown winner? Step right up, step right up, and take a spin on the track outside! Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. There will be some NPCs interacting with characters as well, so keep an eye out for those as well! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the mod questions thread back in the OOC post from before! From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the political stasis and climate of El Minha. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover in this city will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :)

Comments

voice

[voidform]

[ Appreciating the time of day where would be naturally cooler than the morning, Rean had been near the Sparkling Sapphire, still taking in the idea that he's...definitely further away from home now. As strange as it was, being able to see others he normally would never had been able to felt more like an experience than a holdup.

Taking a deep sigh for himself, he raises his wrist as the communicator presents to him the incoming message. ]

--Oh, it's you. [ He'd recognize that voice from anywhere at this point. He was surprised; he wasn't expecting a message from anyone. However, he welcomed it. ] If you're talking about the King, he definitely seems to get down to the point. I gotta say, I'm concerned about what he said about the Syndicate.

[ "Harm" could mean anything, and the only information he was able to gather today was their creed, or motto. It was up to debate what the King could've meant by this. ]

...And to answer your first question, I could do without the unbearable heat. [ He lightly spoke. He could actually handle himself well, but it wasn't as if it was fun to do. Still, he could joke about it nonetheless. ]

[rootandbranch]

Oh, really? I like it.

[Geir's scaly body is only superficially snakelike, but that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate the opportunity to bask. he gets the feeling that he's going to more than miss rivers and lakes to roll in by the time they're finished in El Minha, but in the meantime, turkey-flapping out past the walls and spreading his wings until he's entirely flat on the sand for baking has been sheer bliss.]

I don't know if I like the King or not, though. So far, everyone here uses a lot of words, but doesn't actually say much.

What's worrying you about the Syndicate...?

[this guy's opinion on the hidden motives of the various parties here was what he was interested in, anyway. will they change who he wants to help, who he finds out more about? Geir wants to see this in action.]

[voidform]

[ Crossing his arms, he considers how to formulate his thoughts. It's an opportunity to get everything together, so he didn't mind answering, especially since Geir could easily challenge whatever Rean might've thought up for himself. ]

The Syndicate breaks laws to help the poor. That was all I could manage to find out about them, and whatever other secrets they wanted to keep, they were sure to keep it that way. I'm worried that they might be doing more than just stealing and other smaller crimes. The King mentioned that they were "harming" others, but I can't deny that that could mean anything. ...In the end, I just want to know what it really means.

[ He paused. ]

I decided earlier that I wouldn't get involved in El Minha's political problems. It wouldn't be right of me as an outsider. But, I want to help those who are struggling, and if it turns out the Syndicate is simply rebelling against a corrupt King...I can't turn a blind eye to that.

[ He...just hopes that the rebels are thinking of doing what's just. He's been in a similar position as them, so he couldn't write them off as just a criminal group, much like he couldn't just say the King is truly thinking about his people. ]

[rootandbranch]

The King guy says that the Syndicate killed his dad in his sleep. Left their markings all over the place where he got stabbed, and everything.

[Geir still sounds perfectly conversational about this, as cavalier as if he's discussing the weather rather than a grisly murder scene. sometimes family members get murdered! it's a fact of life.]

I s'pose that means they might have done it? I dunno. They were pretty stupid to claim it that way if they wanted to be sneaky, but they might have wanted to prove a point. "Our power is so much greater than yours that we can reach inside your halls and sound our horns without fear." It's bold.

[he hums thoughtfully between his teeth.]

Is that "harm" to you? What if the old King was an asshole? What if the struggling people are assholes? I'm trying to figure this out.

[it would be very easy for that to sound sarcastic, but unless the mystery voice (they never did introduce themselves properly, did they?) is a good actor, he's genuinely thinking about it.]

[voidform]

[ Unfortunately for Geir's whimsical ways of conversation, Rean's eyes widen when he drops the big one. His search on the Syndicate might've ended in nothing by the end of the day, but it looked like this mysterious voice had done their own, and found out something Rean would consider dire, important.

"They killed his dad...?" he thought, almost shaken to his core. Rean had...experience with this kind of behavior, moreso than he had ever considered. It hurt to listen to, hurt to think that the Syndicate might've done something like...

He doesn't speak however, until Geir finishes, even if his irritation with his tone slowly grows with every syllable. ]

...

[ He's silent for a moment, thinking of the best way to handle this, as well as how to formulate his feelings accurately. Although he's emotional to a fault, he can still examine things with a factual lens. How true was it, anyway? ]

Do you think the King can be trusted? [ Would he even lie about something like that? ] Could the King be trying to put blame on the Syndicate? Wouldn't it be possible that someone might've planted their signature markings after they killed him?

[ He couldn't very well hide his frustration. ] Until we know that, the Syndicate could easily just be a resistance group. ...Not full blown terrorists.

[ ...is what he would love to think, anyway. ]

...I'm not trying to defend them either. ...They could be terrorists too. But, I'd like to just know a little more before I can call them as such. If it turns out they are, then they're wrong, and have to be dealt with according to the laws of this world.

[ And it'd be at that point, that Rean would have to intervene to help. They couldn't run around freely if they were to "help" this world. ]

[rootandbranch]

[it isn't whimsy to Geir; just a bluntly pragmatic view, honed by a life and existence very different from Rean's. but he wants to learn more about how Rean is looking at the world, so when Rean reacts with frustration and an instant relaxation of his own stated policy of non-involvement, Geir listens carefully.

"did someone plant the Syndicate's signature after killing the King?" was the question he'd generated on his own. but the direction his own mind had gone was closer to "who would, why would they want to?" the whole thing sounded like one of Loki's plots, framed that way. would the current King kill his own father and pin it on the Syndicate for convenience? could someone want to independently stir up trouble between the new King and the criminals of his realm, for boredom or any other reason? where do the gold and prizes lie in this struggle?

that's not what Rean's thinking about.]

Why does that matter? And, is the difference between "resistance" and "terrorists" whether they killed someone? Where's that line?

[voidform]

...A resistance group could mean that they only disagree with the current King, and that this was their way to show it. On the other hand, they could be being used as an example.

[ Rean clarfies. He may be upset, but for the most part, it was for personal reasons he couldn't get over for himself. He tries to simplify, in hopes to get his feelings across. ]

The people may need an enemy to blame, and the Syndicate would fit that well enough for the King to use to his advantage. It would be even easier due to the nature of their group to begin with. Even the things they do now is wrong, but the moment they get their hands dirty is the moment they become no better than terrorists.

[ ...Although, he could still sympathize if the old King was just an asshole, to a certain degree. A sinking feeling of being "lost" would creep up to him. ]

I guess, the line would be more like a enclosed square. "Resistance" would be just that--a space that still has little bit of room. There's a lot of possibilities for how they came to be. But to take a life of someone in power that could cause a war to outbreak, just closes that square...

[ His tone darkens. Inadvertently, he's dropped his own mood on his own. He couldn't help but think back to his home world. ] ...more and more. It would be a crime they would have to pay for.

[ --Except in death. Rean was a bit of a hypocrite. If this were about someone close to him, it gets a little more muddled for him. While he would be aware of what they might have to take responsibility for, he would sympathize--to the point of seemingly ignoring their actions--if this someone they might've killed was what they deemed as "evil". He would still care for them like his own, and would want to deal with them himself, before the state would. He also thought that death was too strong a consequence in general--criminals must be dealt with without the lost of their lives. ]

[rootandbranch]

So, it sounds like it's about "killing," for you... or something that could get more people killed?

[how strange. it's a set of priorities that shies away from war, he supposes, with war the ultimate evil: a king who's "unjust" enough to hurt more people than a war should be resisted, but killing him and potentially causing one is a step too far. there are so many underlying assumptions here, about the desirability of war and the definition of a good king and a good society, that Geir doesn't feel fully equipped to tackle them by himself. is killing someone in power whose lost life could cause a war to start really something "wrong"?

with a flash of insight, he realizes that he can get Rean's opinion on that, but he has to make up his mind about it himself. for perhaps the first time it feels like an achievable goal rather than a hopeless, unclimbable mountain. he's killed people himself, he's sure; it'd be ridiculous to think that no one died during the escape from the government officials in Shehui. was it the right thing to do? he didn't think about it that way before, but this back and forth is giving him a bit of insight that part of why he felt so awful about it is he hasn't yet decided what he thinks.]

...I wonder what the old king was like.

[voidform]

...Me too.

[ He had settled down, just a tad. It began to dawn on him that, whoever this Mystery Voice was, they might've been curious, or wanting to learn more. He couldn't say for sure, but...it didn't feel hostile.

It was why he decided to answer his question a bit more genuinely. ]

No one should have to suffer because of another. If that choice could harm others, or get them killed, it's not the right choice to make. That's what I think.

[rootandbranch]

What if choosing not to harm others harms yourself? You're a person too, aren't you?

[that's very direct, but it's delivered with the same lack of hostility that Rean noticed earlier. he's questioning Rean's deepest beliefs, but it's as if he honestly doesn't realize how aggressively that could be taken.

he assumes everyone else has already thought all these things through, if they're going to take a position on them. haven't they?]

[voidform]

...

[ Certainly, Geir's words ring much deeper than he might be aware of. It was something everyone he's spoken to has said to him, in one way or another. His sister made him realize something that he couldn't forget--he was a person too, just like everyone else--just like the person who's talking to him right now. ]

One of these days, we've got to talk about how you can just ask these questions so..."matter-of-factly".

[ Of course, he's attempting to dodge the question here. ]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir might argue about the assumption that he, Geir, is a person. but in the meantime:]

Ummm... we can talk about that, I guess, but you're not answering. Does that mean I shouldn't ask?

[he has a very keen sense of when someone's avoiding a question... and, thanks to some bad experiences in the past, a tendency to anxiety about when he's overstepped. Rean was answering so well up till now! how was he supposed to know?!

it helps a little that he's never seen Rean's face or properly introduced himself -- it's easier not to worry about offending someone you haven't really "met."]