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

[poisonparadise]

[A]The Grand Market

[The heat barely bothered Valerius; he’d been in deserts before, and this one brought with it a strange, nostalgic feeling. This new world reminded him vaguely of the lands of the fire goddess Hestis back on his own world…

He hums a little nameless tune as he makes his way through the stalls, not looking for anything particular at first. A pale, long-nailed hand makes to unbutton his waistcoat and shirt a little. Briefly, he commends himself for preferring lightweight, billowing shirts. Ridiculous as they were, they kept him cool.

One stall in particular fascinates him. A jewelry stall is lined with a rainbow of different gems, all hitting the disguised fiend with a barrage of memories. He smiles fondly as he lets a hand hover over a familiar milky-colored stone, streaked with brilliant aqua. A moonstone, how lovely. And it seems there are little jeweled charms about too….Perhaps he could acquire a couple to hang off of his sword…

He’s soon jolted out of this train of thought by a hard bump at his left shoulder and looks up immediately. Someone looked to be in a hurry, or perhaps pushed into him? Ah, that gave him an idea!

He takes one of the display pieces of jewelry and tugs the one who bumped into him close. Holding it up to their neck, he grins widely, teeth gleaming]

I do hate to trouble you, but would you try this on for me? I think it would complement your eyes beautifully...

[B]The Sparkling Sapphire

[The tavern’s little tables are a welcome sight after he’s spent hours of wandering aimlessly through the city. The market in particular was endlessly distracting with all the sparkling wares for sale. He only bought a couple of jeweled charms that seemed faintly magical, but he didn’t care regardless. They were beautiful, and they reminded him of home. That’s all that mattered.

His room key lay nestled in the palm of one hand, his glittering prizes in the other, held close to his chest. Sitting in a middle table, he briefly asks for a drink, offering the amount needed in return. With his drink in front of him, Valerius slips his room key into his satchel and removes a pair of reading glasses, looking to a menu placed on the table. For

For a few moments, he closes his eyes and listens to the noise, bustle and chatter. He focuses briefly on the minstrel, then opens one eye to begin watching people. Valerius wears a serene smile on his face as he eyes one of his charms--set with moonstones. A chair across from him shifts, and he focuses on the source instead]

Yes, by all means take a seat. I’ll be here awhile…

[C]The Fighting Ring

[As refined as Valerius likes to make himself out to be, he is a beast at heart. In his purest form, he exists to devour and destroy, and enjoying the sight of violence was certainly part of that. While these talents aren’t his reason for being pulled into the circle, he refuses to forget that he has them. It was all part of his pride.

And so he finds himself shifting past a crowd into a front row seat. How fortunate it is to find one, right where he can practically smell the bloodshed. It gave him a sadistic sort of glee to be so close to what he’d assume is the flames of wrath and pride...perhaps greed as well? Ah, if only he could see them. His imagination would do at least.

Valerius leans forward as one fighter falls to the ground, swearing that he felt blood spatter on his face. Or perhaps, that’s just his bestial nature slipping out in the form of macabre hopes. That sigh of his, dreamy and wistful, is also quite strange. But he’s most certainly not the only one to enjoy the sight of people kicking the crap out of each other, right?]

[D] [Wildcard! Hit me up on Discord at Sineral#7421 or Corronum on plurk if you wanna plot something in particular :D]

B

[courtpainter]

[Narsus smiles politely as he settles into the chair he's pulled out.]

I do apologize if it's an intrusion, but- [He looks out over the busy room, in which every table has at least one person already seated] as you can see, there simply isn't much choice.

[He could have sat with someone else, of course, but Val looked like he might be interesting conversation.]

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius regards the man with a dismissive wave of his hand and a shake of his head] Hardly at all, darling. I agree that the crowd is quite dense. One would assume some great event is being planned here.

[He laughs lightly, then leans on one hand and glances around the room, blue eyes narrowing] Though I find that fun as well.

[It’d be -more fun- if he had his full powers restored, but the little hints from his visual empathy aren’t too bad either. He knew he could make use of it.]

[courtpainter]

Well, I'm sure it doesn't help that all of us are being given space here. [He surveys the room.] ...I wonder if the king often sponsors large groups, or if our...benefactor spoke with him as well. Or perhaps it's something to do with wanting to be sure of stability with the recent leadership change...

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius is only half-listening. His gaze is transfixed on a purple gemmed charm that he’d procured earlier. He’s utterly fascinated by its sparkle in the light, and shrugs briefly when Narus presents his thoughts.]

I haven’t the faintest idea which it is...I just find it amusing that one little inn is holding our entire group. They’re awfully bold to do so, aren’t they?

[courtpainter]

Bold, or under orders. [He shrugs.] It doesn't much matter - I expect a city like this one is used to surges of people coming in from time to time, with wares to sell and coin to spend.

[He glances at the bauble Val is holding.] You seem to have found something worth spending on, yourself.

[poisonparadise]

I’m thinking about it, yes. [He turns the item over a couple of times and glances over it hungrily, as though he wanted to devour the gem inside]

There are so many lovely things in this market, I can’t blame anyone who might want to kill a few hours here…[He chuckles softly, licking his lips] I certainly will be. To browse, of course. Though if I had additional funds...

[courtpainter]

[He's definitely acting like the gemstone makes him hungry, and that's weird. It's unsettling enough that Narsus is both a little bit on guard, and intrigued despite himself.]

That is the trick, isn't it? It shouldn't be too hard to find some kind of work in a city like this one, but... [He glances at Val's outfit, then his own, rather pointedly.] I'm not really inclined to do heavy lifting except as a last resort, and you don't look like you are either.

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius closes his hand around the gem and smiles brightly. Back to being a real person, he thinks to himself. It’s best not to let his...bestial nature get too out of hand]

I’ll admit I do have the upper body strength for manual labor, but you’re correct in assuming that I lack the drive. In my own world, I was three things: a mender, a scholar, and a teacher of magic. Neither of those things required physical strength. And to be quite honest, I only built it to help sharpen my mind.[Heaping pile of bullshit #2]

But what of you, sir? [He leans forward on his hand, eyelashes fluttering and brows raising curiously] What exactly did you do before being dragged into this...task?

[look]

Not a lot of tables left.

[ Or, that's the explanation Will offers for why he just sat down. There is a big eight-seater trestle as yet untaken, but if he sat there by himself he might end up sharing anyway. Better to just sit with the guy who looked in his own placid reverie, probably unlikely to bother him, than get caught up in some rowdy group.

For his part, Will is also people-watching. If he has to be in a busy city then that's an enjoyable enough occupation, even if he'd prefer to be somewhere distant, alone. ]

Don't let me bother you.

[poisonparadise]

Oh, but you’re not at all.

[Valerius only briefly glances up to his new table mate. He takes out his little pouch of money and shakes it a bit, then opens it gently and goes through the coins. He should have enough for a little lunch…The man gingerly takes another sip of his drink, only vaguely distracted by the noise around him. A brief glance scans Will, then Valerius returns to his menu and chuckles. Despite what he really was, he tried his best to maintain an approachable mask. It was best while in a human shell, after all. He makes a small gesture with one hand, the charm glittering in his palm.]

I can’t exactly blame you for the lack of space, now can I?

[look]

No.

[ Looking away, not meeting his eyes... but still watching in his peripheral vision. For all he intended to people-watch, plural, the guy at the table with him is pretty interesting in his own right, even just with such simple movements as counting coins.

Will's brought a drink with him, just a mug of whatever simple beer they had on tap, cool and refreshing in the city's heat. He sips it. ]

Spending Astoria's little allowance already? So generous of her to just hand us money like that.

[ There's something sharp in the words: evidently he doesn't trust the witch's generosity. ]

[poisonparadise]

[And there’s a flash of something similarly sharp in a brilliant color that Valerius notices around Will. He can’t quite place the emotion attached to it just yet, as he’s still getting used to his power. He shrugs one shoulder]

I see no harm in acquiring a souvenir or two. Her little tasks seem interesting anyway, so I’m willing to play along for now. The traveling aspect is familiar to me, at least.

[Val smirks as he leans back in his chair, spinning the little charm around his index finger] You, however seem...skeptical about her and the work she’s giving us. What do you suspect, if I may ask?

[look]

Just a skeptical guy, I guess.

[ Will shrugs minutely, shoulders lifting, looking down into his drink. ]

She seems nice enough. Little naive. But she must have a lot of power to be able to do what she does, and naive people with a lot of power scare me. Means she's either new to it, too stupid to learn from it, or faking... none of which appeal to me.

[ He glances around the tavern once, then leans in. ]

Especially not if she's just going to just drop us in the middle of a politically volatile situation.

[poisonparadise]

[ooc:I am so sorry for being late augh]

[Valerius leans on clasped hands as he listens to Will intently. He offers a couple of nods as he runs down just what Astoria could be. He leans in with the other man, and gestures flippantly]

I’m willing to bet she’s not as air-headed as she appears to be. This is probably some kind of game to her, if anything. I don’t know much about witches, but gods usually take great pleasure in messing with mortals.

a!

[mcskittles]

[—oh. Well, then. He had expected someone demanding an apology, not... this. Whatever "this" is.

McGillis is not a fan of being pulled around, but whatever. He could play along, and so he does.]

No trouble at all. My apologies, by the way. It seems as though someone was in a bit of a rush.

Re: a!

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius leans against the stall and looks to the necklace in his hand, the one he would’ve gladly put on the other man without another throught]

No need to apologize to me. I can tell this will be happening quite a few times while we’re in this world.

[He tilts the gems in the necklace slightly, grinning as he admires their sparkle. He hums a little tune, then looks up to the other man curiously.] I couldn’t see who it was, did you?.

[mcskittles]

I'm pretty sure it was a child, but I'm afraid I didn't get a look at his face. [He doesn't seem too torn up about it, though. Worse things could happen.] There seem to be a lot of children running around here.

[He couldn't say he was surprised, though. He knew how kids could be. He'd been one, too, after all.]

Interested in jewelry?

[poisonparadise]

No matter then. [The thought is immediately discarded as he smiles, and turns back to the display.]

But yes, Anything that sparkles, really; Stones and minerals in particular always catch my eye. [He answers with a distracted tone, setting the necklace down and pointing through other pieces that catch his interest. He gestures to some in hues of purple and blue, twinkling alluringly in the sun.]

These colors here, they remind me of the focus gems that spellcasters in my world would use. Their colors, however, recall to mind a certain plague that I studied while wandering those lands.

[mcskittles]

Oh?

[He looks down at the jewels in question. Even though they're obviously in a different world, it's still a bit jarring to hear about people talking about things like that, other worlds and spellcasters and magic. But it's not a bad thing at all, just different.]

Your world sounds like an interesting place. I fear that magic is not something I'm terribly familiar with. You seem rather well-traveled, though.

[poisonparadise]

[Valerius gives a quiet chortle behind his hand at the insinuiation] Well-traveled...you could say that.

[It gave him a spark of glee to see others react so drastically to his own world, or stories of those he ‘visited’] Travel’s a bit of a hobby of mine, among other things…[He tilts his head, eyes wide and bright]

But tell me more about your world, if you don’t mind?

[mcskittles]

I don't mind at all. Unfortunately, I can only compare my world to this one, but that should be sufficient enough.

[He hadn't seen a lot, obviously, on account of being a new arrival himself, but the surface worked well enough for the comparison, so...]

There are places like this where I'm from, but they aren't very common anymore. Technology and machinery are extremely advanced, and so a lot things are artificially created, including the places that people live. There's very little left in the way of natural resources anymore.

[poisonparadise]

Curious...I never thought I’d hear of such a world. [He looks thoughtful, tapping a finger to his chin.]

Mine isn’t quite so advanced, but it was getting there. What technology we do have is powered by magic--the energies of the land, that is. Little markets like this, however, only exist in larger cities...where the citizens actually have money to spend.