acatalepsy_logs | WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

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WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

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? :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yeah, the monetization of water is something absolutely bizarre, and Kou's not sure what to make of that either--though he's mostly also focused in dumping his hoodie off to one side, rolling up his sleeves and running fingers through sweaty hair that immediately sticks up in all sorts of directions.]

...A coupla weeks, she said. That's how long we might be here.

[Yikes.]

This is going to be rough.

[Noct has to pause and think over those words though, because a couple of weeks - and the whole reason for their being here was that something was going to happen. This world was on the brink of a disaster, and they were sent in Astoria's place to do something about it. Frowning with an expression that hardly belongs on someone who looks his age, Noct nods absently, his hands slowing about cooling himself down.]

I wonder if that's why we were sent. [Is it as simple as the water being out and they need to find a new source? Gods, that would be a nice errand to run that doesn't involve people fighting each other.]

[It's possible. The water situation, the king situation, the difference in social statuses...]

Seems a hell of a lot more viable than somehow trying to change an entire social structure, right? It's not like we can just overthrow a monarchy, or that we should even if we could.

[Even he knows politics doesn't work that way!!]

There's a lot going on here.

[Noct is thinking about this way harder than he should, even if the words hit him well enough that he tries not to laugh under his breath. Moving again and sweeping the sweat off his forehead again to slick his bangs somewhat out of his face, he turns - just to see the sweaty mess of Kou's hair sticking up in various directions.

Okay, now he has to laugh, a grin settling on his face.]

There is a lot going on - but there's a lot going on with your hair now too. You've gained horns?

[Oh my god.

Kou snorts softly in return, but his expression is flat.]

Not like we've got any hair brushes or anything here.

[He does make a token effort to smooth out his hair, but it's just...a mess now...]

... Hm. [Hm!!] Guess I just have to look like this for the rest of forever now.

I'm pretty sure we could buy one from a merchant, they can't have nothing around.

[It's an effort that Noct ends up laughing more about, before he reaches over to try and get one of the more stubborn "horns" to at least look less pointy.]

Man, I wish I had a camera.

[Oh my god.

Kou's hair is definitely stubborn, but with Noct's help, they manage to get it to look...slightly less ridiculous.]

You're in another world and the thing you wanna take a picture of is my hair?

[NOCT PLEASE.]

[Slightly, even if Noct is sort of tempted to smear it up and make it into wild hair horn mess.]

I've seen some pretty crazy stuff, so consider it a compliment. [To be fair, he has dumber pictures taken of himself courtesy of Prompto - like wandering around a swamp looking for frogs. Or after some fire magic gone wrong while they're all charred and coughing. Or just some not great shot from under the chin making his nose look huge.

It's a list.]

[........ Well.]

You can't say that and leave a guy hanging, you know.

[Now he's curious!! What sort of crazy things!!

(Leave his poor hair alone!!)]

Ah... it's - sort of hard to explain? Roadtrips make you see a lot of stuff, you know?

[Hi I casually am traveling around my country gathering weapons from my ancestors graves and am finalizing pacts with Gods so I can call them to aid me in battle.

Noct's expression turns sheepish, even as he steps back to leave Kou's hair alone in the end, like that will make up for his inability to paraphrase his experiences in a way that might make more sense - and not really give away that he could be something important to his own world.]

[... Uh huh. He gets the sense that there's more to it, but he's not going to pry about it right now. They have other things to focus on anyway.]

... Well, yeah, I guess so.

[SURE.]

Anyway, what's on your plate next? Where are you gonna start with this place?

[He's grateful that Kou seems to just let it go, even if it isn't as smooth as he hoped it would be. Giving a thoughtful little hum, lifting the hem of his shirt to try and fan it off his skin a bit and get some air again, Noct doesn't look anywhere in particular when he answers.]

I was thinking... I'd check out any soup kitchens that might be running, in the more run down neighborhoods. I figure that's a good step towards hearing what some of the locals need around here.

Ah... that's a good idea.

[Kou's nodding along with that; he hadn't thought about it, but it seems pretty sound logic to him.]

Last time I had to try to gather info like this, I ended up poking around a club... it was useful though. Maybe I'll take a look at the casino and see what I can find. We can compare and contrast after.

Yeah, that sounds good. Just watch yourself there - or if you don't mind a tagalong, I'm at least good for getting out of a situation.

[Giving this little grin then, finally looking over as he quits fussing with his clothes, Noct leans against the cooler wall and decides he doesn't want to go outside for a few good hours. He might have a sunburn starting at this rate, even if this is one of the few times he's taken his jacket off since arriving.]

[Yeah, Kou's feeling much the same way; he's going to pretty contentedly lean against the wall and just...slide on down to sit against it on the floor. Breather time! Just for a moment.]

Yeah? I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I don't want to interrupt your investigating, though. I think you're onto something with the soup kitchen.

I'll be careful, how about that?

[Hopefully the shopkeepers don't mind - actually, they don't seem to notice, considering how busy it is further up to the storefront. Lots of people are buying fans, electricity to run the fans, paper fans, water, anything it takes to stave off the heat for just a little longer. Noct has a thought about buying a paper fan when he feels cooled off enough, but getting off the ground and away from the cool wall is going to be a problem when he has to leave.

Just because humans are like 90% water doesn't mean humidity should do what it does to them!!]

Just give me a call anytime. Even being careful sometimes calls for reinforcements. [Teasing mildly even as he slouches, Noct mentally starts to plan a route - he's got an idea of where to go at this point, but if there are more than one locations, he could do it by day.]

[It's nice that they've got a moment, at least; a moment to recover, recuperate, and plan out their next steps. Kou just snorts softly at that, but it's an amused noise.]

Got it. If I run into any problems, I'll let you know. Same to you though, okay? This can't be a one-way thing.

[They're friends, as far as Kou's concerned--or something close to it. That means they have to look out for each other in their own way.]

Alright alright, I promise.

[It gets a real smile on his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes when he raises a hand with a fist - but the reassurement that this is a friendship forming is something Noct can't help but be happy about.]

What do you think, we get some water and fans before we get to work?

Good. And don't forget it. [That's more dryly teasing than anything, and then he lifts a hand as well for a light fistbump before he hauls himself to a standing position.

Fans and water are a great idea.]

Let's do it. We can at least make sure we don't collapse from heat exhaustion before we even get started.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

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