acatalepsy_logs | WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

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WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

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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? :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ okay alisaie is really not the sort to ever walk away from a challenge, but she also knows when she is being goaded. narrowing her eyes, she turns to look into his face again, sizing him up. ]

I do not see why I should, when it is you who is all but chomping at the bit to get in there.

[ this won't be as easy for you as it is in nysa, prompto!! ]

[ He meets her gaze with a curling grin, and he's already stepping back from the railing, spurred on by the prospect of a challenge. He doesn't have Noct or Gladio with him to race right now, and Alisaie is mostly a stranger to him, but at least she's an acquaintance, someone he knows enough who might be fun to race against. He starts towards the racing box, turning to walk backwards so he can address her still. ]

Suit yourself! Guess if you want to save yourself the humiliation of defeat, that's your call!

[ He waves a hand cheekily before approaching the man running the races. He's officially throwing his hat into the ring! ]

[ WOW that is unfair!! she didn't want to ride these stupid fat lizards, ugh, but now she HAS to. this is foul play, she won't be forgetting this any time soon..

alisaie's tiny face scrunches up in fury, but she's not Big enough to turn down the challenge. she sputters angrily, then quickly jogs up beside him. ]

You will pay for this.

[ A grin splits his face as she runs up to join him. He didn't think that would actually work! Sure, he had to goad her into it, but it'll be fun, he's sure of it!

As the current race ends, the attendant pulls two of the beasts over for them. Prompto hasn't stopped grinning since they walked over, and he's all but dancing on his tiptoes now that they're committed. ]

If me paying for it means you having the time of your life, then sure, I'll pay for it!

[ He chuckles as he steps over towards his lizard. Saddle up, Ali. ]

[ it's not that she doesn't like the lizards - she does, look how cute they are! all fat and scaly. but she was looking forward to relaxing and watching them go for a little bit, okay, so she's grumpy and competitive!!

points to eyes, points to you.. ]

Should I utterly defeat you, we will revisit that.

[ snagging the reins, alisaie hops right into the saddle - it's certainly not at all like sitting astride a chocobo, it's so much lower to the ground.. ]

[ The lizards aren't so bad, but let's not go as far as "cute"! Don't be ridiculous.

He hops into his saddle as she does, settling into it and feeling things out. This is gonna take some getting used to...too bad they don't really have time for that. ]

We'll see about that, won't we?

[ Nah, he's probably going to get rekt, but so long as they have fun, that's all that matters!

With a tentative nudge, he leads his lizard up to the starting line. ]

Theeeere we go, easy there, buddy...

[ don't be such a snob, prompto, they're perfectly cute!! look how they waddle, it's adorable..

anyway, alisaie holds tight, hardly needing to urge the lizard on at all, it already knows exactly where it needs to go. honestly, this race is mostly going to be down to whoever has the better mount, probably, alisaie knows nothing about riding giant reptiles.

though that doesn't stop her from narrowing her eyes at prompto as they draw up alongside him!! ]

[ He meets her competitive glare with an eager grin, leveling her with a finger gun before he takes ahold of the reins with both hands once more and faces forward.

The attendant stands up on a platform near the side of the track, lifting a flag high. On your mark, get set...

Prompto leans forward in his saddle.

Go!

He kicks his heels into the lizards' sides, and off they go. ]

[ off they go indeed. alisaie hardly has to nudge her lizard at all before it's off like a shot - considering they bear so many strange riders, she supposes it only stands to reason that their mounts would know what to so without needing much direction..

anyway, it's quicker than she had expected, and keeping her balance on an unfamiliar creature is not easy - she cries out in surprise, leaning over the lizard's neck and holding tightly.

why did she agree to this?? ]

[ She agreed to this because she's a sucker for cute freckles. That surely must be it. Yep.

Prompto can't help a laugh as he hears her little yelp of surprise. Hears, not sees, because he is pretty well occupied with his own beast, tightening his knees around its flanks and his hands on the reins, his entire posture tense and bent low. The creature scrabbles so close to the ground that it kicks dirt up into his eyes and mouth, and he has to squint to even see without getting his eyes full of junk.

It's also probably going to wreck his hair, but...well, he hasn't realized that yet. ]

Hangin' in there, Ali?

[ Look, he's using the nickname a million years earlier this time. ]

[ that smug face is so infuriating!! and all she needs to up her game, really. alisaie narrows her eyes at him, renewing her grasp on the reins. ]

Oh, wonderfully.

[ pressing her heels into the lizard's flanks, alisaie surges forward in a flash. eat her dust!! quite literally. ]

[ Ah, there she goes...maybe he should have gone a little easier on the goading. But he can't help it. He loves a good race! It brings out the best (read: sassiest) in him.

Prompto sputters in the cloud of dust that swarms over him as Alisaie goes speeding past, but a moment later he's following suit, leaning lower on his lizard and digging in his heels to urge the creature to move faster. ]

Hey, you're a natural at this!

[ He leads his lizard to the inner-left side of the trade, trying to get the edge on her in the upcoming turn. ]

[ he's still talking, even now!! isn't he getting a mouthful of dust and sand? being so close to the ground on a mount is still so disorienting..

.. but wow she sees what it is that he's trying to do!! alisaie might not be able to turbo past him, but she certainly can make his life more difficult. easing her lizard to the left as well, she puts on a burst of speed just long enough to squeeze that fat lizard butt right in front of his, effectively blocking him.

she might not bother to say anything, but the cutting smirk she casts over her shoulder should be enough. ]

[ He sure is getting a mouthful of dirt and sand, but it will take more than that to get him to shut up! Even when she cuts him off he laughs, literally eating her dust — and coughing a few short moments later on that mouthful of dirtcloud. Gross...he's gonna need to brush his teeth immediately after this. He's going to have grit in his teeth for days!

He nudges his beast up, pressing low in an attempt to wedge himself between Alisaie and the inner side of the track. ]

Better check yourself before you wreck yourself! The drift is brutal on these turns!

[ And hopefully she's ready because the turn is coming up quick, and Prompto starts braking quickly to cut a tight arc rather than swing out. ]

[ she has no idea what any of those words even mean, is he speaking in tongues?? the moment it takes her to furrow her brow in an attempt to parse his nonsensical crowing, he squeezes in tightly, causing her lizard to skid on the turn. alisaie yelps in surprise, and only just manages to keep from flying right off of the track. ]

Ooh!

[ now she's pissed!! leaning over the lizard's neck, she puts on a burst of speed and surges forward like a crack of lightning. ]

[ Her yelp grabs his attention, a look of dawning horror wiping any hint of smugness from his features. Oh, shoot, did she almost fall? Is she okay?? But before he even has a chance to brake his animal and go over to make sure she's okay, she surges forward again, zipping past him with admirable speed. ]

S-sorryyyyyyyy! [ He shouts over the sound of beating claws on dirt, but even after that, he's still not going to roll over and give her the win that easily. Something tells him she wouldn't appreciate winning like that, anyway.

Once he's at her flank again, he asks: ]

Are you okay?!

[ though he means well with his concern, it seems to have the opposite effect, spurring the fire under her ass even further which is good for her, but not so good for him.

shooting him a hard glare through narrowed eyes, alisaie whips away to funnel all of her focus into the track ahead of her. this is it, the final stretch, and she will put her all into it - leaning hard, she all but stands in the stirrups and urges her lizard on, her braid whipping behind her. thoughts of prompto are out of her mind, all there is is the competition, the speed, this last feverish sprint to the finish!!

come on scaly boi we can do this!! ]

[ It's a shame he wasn't gifted with the ability to make other things go faster instead of himself, because it would absolutely come in handy here. But as it is, on this final lap, Prompto can wedge past her to gain the inside edge again, and perhaps he's a little nervous to try it again, too. Competition or not, he doesn't want to win badly enough to risk startling her off her mount again.

Besides, it'll be better for everyone if she wins, probably. Even if she turns out to be a sore winner, at least he got her to race, and she probably had a good time. Mostly. She's certainly into it now, anyway.

So though he pushes his beast to speed up as much as it can along the final stretch, he can't gain enough ground to close in on Alisaie. She finishes a whole lizard-length ahead of him, which is considerable once you account for their long tails. He tugs hard on the reins once they past the finish line, laughing warmly even though he just lost thoroughly and he's covered head to toe in loose dirt. ]

That'll do, lizard, that'll do. [ He pats his mount's neck as they slow, giving it the attention it deserves for putting up such a fight before he turns his attention to Alisaie. ]

Alisaie, you really kicked ass! Where'd you learn to ride like that?

[ oh. it's over. wait, she won?

well, that was unexpected. honestly, were there any real, professional jockeys in the ring with them she surely would have been thoroughly thrashed, but still she had expected prompto to pull ahead of her in the end, given his experience.

.. he didn't let her win, did he?? oh, she'll be so mad if he did!! >:( nevertheless, unlike Certain Somebodies who like to gloat and do endzone dances, alisaie is nor much of a sore winner - at least most of the time. with select people (alphinaud) things might be different.. anyway, she eases her lizard to a stop and pats it gently on the neck, it's done such a good job!! ]

Honestly, all the credit should go to this girl, here.

[ is it a girl?? who knows, with lizards. ]

[ It's probably a girl? There's a 50/50 chance, heheh. Prompto slips out of the saddle so he can scratch his lizard beneath the chin. They're actually kind of cute once you get over the fact that they're not chocobos, huh?

He glances at Alisaie as he continues to lavish attentions on his mount. ]

Hey, don't sell yourself short! [ His mouth quirks, but he chokes back a laugh. It's funny, because she is short, but never mind. ] Buuut I guess if you wanna give your lizard all the credit, we can just say I would've won if I picked that one instead.

[ He's just pointing it out! ]

[ wow is that a short joke!! you're not breaking any height records yourself there, shrimpy boy!! and look, she told you they were cute, didn't she? pinchy or not. they've been working so hard! they lead their trusty steeds back toward the side of the ring, and alisaie is sure to give her own a rewarding pat. ]

So, was it worth it?

[ she'd all but had to strongarm him into this!! ]

[ Excuse?? Who had to strongarm who into this again??? But he'll let her have it, because she won after being so reluctant and he doesn't want to sour the mood by pointing out that he was the one who wanted to do this in the first place. ]

Was it worth jumping on a giant lizard to get my ass kicked by you? [ He pauses, attempting a thoughtful, considering look, but he can't quite keep a lid on his grin. ]

...Yeah, I'd say it was. The real question is: would you do it again?

[ would she recommend to a friend, how many stars on tripadvisor ]

[ LOOK he was the one who wanted to race, yes, but he was too big a baby to jump into the ring, she'd had to all but shove him into it okay!! she didn't want to have to race herself, no, but whatever, that's different!!

anyway, his grin is certainly contagious, given how alisaie's own begins to bloom soon after. ]

Well, I suppose it was not too bad.

[ like 4 stars maybe even if it's not entirely her jam.. ]

[ He still may not really know her, but he knows enough about her to tell that that's a decent review, all things considered. And she's smiling now, which is really all that matters, that he's managed to bring a little more happiness to someone else's day. And he got to have a good time while doing it!

...Even if it would have been nice to win. Next time!

Prompto starts to trot off the track as the officials begin to ready for the next race. ]

You hungry? Reckon I owe you a bite after your scintillating victory. [ A beat. ] I-If you want to, of course.

Edited 2018-05-26 18:13 (UTC)

[ ah, farewell cute lizard friend, she hardly knew ye.. ]

Oh, that sounds lovely.

[ she chirps, eagerly - riding a giant lizard really builds your appetite. though she's not sure what he sounds so nervous about. ]

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