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Quest Log: APRIL 2021
CITY-WIDE QUESTS
Undermael College Library - The college's library needs more assistants to help organize books and papers, especially with the influx of new research as more breakthroughs are made regarding understanding the Cwyld. No need to be a student to apply. Spring Cleaning - The Aefenglom Beautifying Committee, a volunteer-run organization, is looking for new members willing to help clean up the city for spring. Snacks are provided, but the only payment is that feeling of pride and satisfaction you get when the streets are trash-free! Quest #2 - A Haven Memorial (Aefenglom) - The Mirrorbound Council -- a "seat" for in Parliament representing the Mirrorbound, which is open to all who would participate -- has put forth an ambitious project starting this month. A memorial obelisk is beginning construction in the Haven, honoring those Mirrorbound who have since vanished from Geardagas. It will be a place for remembering those who are no longer in the city, as well as potentially a community-oriented space for Mirrorbound as a whole. (ooc: please feel free to plot among one another regarding this player-led initiative in the player plotting post linked above! Any of the additional features are possible, so please just let the mods know how the plot is progressing and we'll keep things updated!) Quest #3 - Seeking Healing Vibes - Inkchanted is looking for volunteers to test a potential new healing spell. Discount available to testers! Inkchanted is your local enchanted tattoo parlor, delivering simple spells, wards, and other services as temporary tattoos and skin paintings — ever since we started, we have been receiving requests for a tattoo design that would administer a self-healing spell. Figuring out how to make that work has been our focus for quite a while! We might be close to the breakthrough, and for that, we need your help! Self-healing spells work differently on Monsters and Witches. For example, even the type of magic proficiency for the latter seems to factor into how the spell works... That's where you come in. Anyone wishing to test the healing spell can get it painted on (with a bonus magical battery for the Monsters, allowing them to use the spell even without magic of their own), and get a special discount on a tattoo of their choice. All we ask is for testers to take notes. Did the healing spell work as intended? How many times did it work? Were there any unexpected side-effects? The discount voucher will be provided upon receiving the notes — Submitted Cú Chulainn (ooc: the spell can heal one larger injury, or up to three-four smaller scratches, though it can also fail and heal only one scratch and disappear entirely after that! The side-effects can be of a wide variety, from itching or tingling on the healed area, to more supernatural-like glowing, changing colours. There's also a risk that using the spell, aside from healing the wound, will cause the character in question to temporarily grow something matching the type of the Monster they are Bonded to (so a small dragon horn, scales, feathers etc), or get a side-effect similar to the magical signature of the Witch they are Bonded to (for example, ice-cool touch for Ice Witches). Feel free to play with the side-effects, and to providing the notes to anyone on the Inkchanted staff (either through inbox, or poking at a top-level/catch-all). Current Inkchanted staff consists of Cú Chulainn, Waver Velvet, Iskandar, Yona, Soren and Alex Benedetto.) 🌶️ Quest #4 - The Dark Desires Café & Club (Aefenglom) - A new establishment is opening at the very edge of the Entertainment District, where it borders the Aristocratic District -- The Dark Desires Café & Club. Funded and founded by Lady Adelaide, an older noblewoman well known among her peers as an eccentric lady who delights in pushing boundaries and questioning norms, the Café is made up of two parts: a coffee and tea shop, which serves the expected beverages as well as some pastries and lunch items, and the exclusive club and stage that are open to members, catering to more sensual desires and providing a safe space for those interested in exploring a kink-friendly community. In collaboration with the Bonded pair owners of Worse Dragon, The Dark Desires Café & Club have started inviting members of the Mirrorbound who may be interested, especially those who have previously shopped at related establishments. Come check out the coffee shop by day, stay for the shows, workshops, and other fun in the evenings! The atmosphere of the establishment is elegant and refined, but strives to feel safe and community-oriented at the same time. The building itself is large, in an older style, furnished finely with a theme of dark cherry woods and black or wine-red curtains and trims, embellished with tasteful nude statues and paintings in a classical style. Club shows feature stage shows and demonstrations from various performers, with features this month including the esteemed rope artists, ladies Liliann and Hildegarde, a Bonded pair who have a show focused on artistic shibari, dancing, and acrobatics. Rope workshops can be signed up for after the show and will be held throughout the month. Tomas, ex-actor and Lady Adelaide's partner (also a Witch, slightly younger than her with silvery temples and black hair), is in charge of management and can be found bustling around the premises in charge of hires, sign-ups and the club's calendar. Now hiring open-minded individuals with exceptional personalities from all walks of life for the following jobs: - waiters to serve the cafe's fabulous coffee, tea and sweets - hosts and hostesses to entertain the guests - musicians to provide atmospheric background - those with experience and interest in hosting kink-positive workshops - burlesque dancers and other performers comfortable with sensual themes - backstage professionals ranging from lighting work, choreographers, stagehands and stage managers Mirrorbound who have shopped at Worse Dragon or other adult establishments around the Entertainment or Shopping districts recently may find invitations slipped into their shopping bags, or flyers around the Haven advertising the new club and inviting anyone interested in a casual, supportive atmosphere for adults, or advertising some of their burlesque shows or kink workshops. (Suggested by Ran.) |
WILDE QUESTS
Entertainment (singing, dancing, acting, story-telling, playing an instrument) Fight (hand-to-hand or with a weapon; magic can potentially bring more harm than help) Donate (toys, books, food, time, etc; or gathering any of the former) The Coven asks you be careful when interacting with infected individuals; though they're still within their right minds, becoming infected is a very real danger. We ask you wear gloves and a face mask when interacting with those showing symptoms of the Cwyld. Quest #2 - Cwyld Research Part II (Aefenglom) - The Coven and Undermael College are teaming up on researching the recently-discovered phenomenon of some of the population being resistant to the Cwyld to some level. Although it is possible for natives to develop a resistance after interacting on a regular basis with the Wilde and the Cwyld, it does seem that the data points to Mirrorbound as having the highest rates of resistance so far. Those Mirrorbound who spend a lot of time near the Cwyld, whether that is in the Wilde fighting infected beasts or in a research capacity, have a slight resistance to infection. The Coven and the College are especially interested in individuals like this! They are looking for volunteers among both the native populace and the Mirrobound to see if they can establish how often such an immunity builds and how long it might take. This test will run for several weeks or even months, depending on each person’s preference; the healers of course appreciate long-term data. You will be asked to wear an enchanted bracelet (generally a plain beaded band, though somewhat customizable) that will measure Cwyld exposure and any potential immune responses. You will be given a map and asked to spend time in marked areas outside the Bright Wall, in groups or alone, following predetermined trails through nature. Of course, the healers aren’t asking you to run into heavily infected places or directly interact with Shades, so please don’t wander beyond the marked areas unless you're prepared for the risk! At the end of each volunteer session, blood is drawn and several magical tests are done with a device similar to a blood-pressure cuff. Naturally, volunteers are also compensated for their time with cunes, and will receive healing whenever needed. (ooc: Some characters may find a mild immunity if they spend a lot of time in the Wilde. Either way, characters may experience mild side effects per player discretion, such as temporary skin or hair discoloration, feeling sick, feverish, etc. Note that Witches are more susceptible to these symptoms than Monsters, unless the Monster is a Fae or Dragon. The healers are keeping a close eye on volunteers, so if anyone has a reaction worse than mild, which is possible, they will be taken out of the study.) Quest #3 - Topsy-Turvy Teleporters (Anywhere) - A mishap with some teleportation circles set up by a small group of ambitious Fae means brave adventures are needed to lend a hand! As many folks know, some Fae have an affinity for teleportation magic and can set up fairy circles to teleport themselves and one or two other persons from Point A to Point B. A handful of entrepreneurial Fae decided to make a business of this, teleporting customers a few miles across the city or even into the Widle... though anyone with any sense would tell you that teleportation into or out of the Wilde is risky business unless it's via a well-established, Coven-tested teleporter! For a little bit, their business was going well enough, but then the Fae friends got more ambitious and wanted to transport customers longer distances. Now, they're posting up Help Wanted signs all over the city, asking for assistance in reclaiming their, uh, slightly misplaced customers. It turns out that the teleportation circles the Fae set up in the Wilde have been disrupted by a mix of foul weather and animal or Cwyldtid interference over the last couple of months-- or at least, that's their best guess as to what could have gone wrong, though it's also possible there's another reason.. Takers of these quests will be tasked with trekking out into the Wilde in search of folks (and their Fae guides) who have used the teleportation magic to uncertain results, sometimes ending up stranded and lost in the forest, or stuck up high in trees or even in canyons or holes in the ground. It's recommended to go in teams when possible, since the Wilde is always dangerous. Bonds, temporary or permanent, are always encouraged. |
HIGH RISK QUESTS
Dorchacht's Wilders are running a similar recruitment and training drive, though the dangers in their neck of the woods, so to speak, are often quite different from around Aefenglom's and their wildlife sometimes stranger. Characters are welcome at either location. You're free to make up some dangers to deal with as you please -- aggressive animals defending their territory, Cwyldtid that have grown to large sizes, monstrous plants, etc. ⭐ Quest #2 - Underground Unpleasantness (Underground) - This month, there's a request for help posted around The Haven and addressed to Mirrorbound only. It comes from a surprising source some Mirrorbound may remember from many months ago: a settlement located in the caves and tunnels beneath the ground near the Northern Outpost, which is only known as The Underground. A group of desperate velvet wormipede farmers have reached out somehow, probably with the help of the Wilders in the Northern Outpost (or perhaps they even asked some Mirrorbound who have ties to the Underground directly). Since the Mirrorbound have made efforts before to become allies to the denizens of the Underground, the farmers hope there'll be some among them willing to help. Their plea is urgent. A strange disease has been running rampant through their herds of velvet wormipedes -- horse-sized, soft-furred livestock of a variety of colors that the Underground relies on for everything from meat to clothing to transportation -- and causing unpleasant effects. Some think it might be the Cwyld, but the Underground has generally been well-protected by their veils of Cwyld-resistant moss, and their Matriarch doesn't believe anything infected could have gotten through. Nevertheless, the wormipides have been getting sick in unnerving ways, some presenting black spots and oily skin that destroys their fur, others losing limbs or even growing extras, their bodies warping and twisting, sometimes growing to immense proportions far larger than any normal wormipede should be. Though usually docile creatures that only get aggressive if their eggs are threatened, affected wormipedes suddenly act enraged and distressed, becoming relentlessly violent until they have to be put down. Considering these livestock are what clothe and feed most of the population of the Underground, the farmers need to find the cause of this problem fast, before it wipes out the rest of their herds. Finding answers may require delving deeper into the tunnels outside the protected haven of the city below - proceed with caution. |
Welcome to April's Quest Log! We're trying something different this month and providing a log you can use to thread OR to post links to your own catch-all logs. We are also no longer tracking sign-ups, which is why the April Quest Pickup header is frozen.
To keep everything in one place, we ask that you bring your quest-related questions to this thread, and you're welcome to use this header to plot among yourselves! Please note that this is not the month's event (check out the Calendar for those dates!), just a new way to present the quests that we hope will make it easier to find people to thread with.
To keep everything in one place, we ask that you bring your quest-related questions to this thread, and you're welcome to use this header to plot among yourselves! Please note that this is not the month's event (check out the Calendar for those dates!), just a new way to present the quests that we hope will make it easier to find people to thread with.
Yona | Witch
[ Yona had found out about the special Inkchanted was running the morning it went live. Which made for more than a bit of scrambling, but at least she was somewhat familiar with the healing spell Caster and Iskander had been trying to sort out. She also knew it was still not quite perfected, so she was a little worried about this venture, but she supposes it's safer to test it in a controlled environment than hoping it held up in dangerous times and have it fail.
Either way, she comes to the tattoo parlor a little early this morning, just in case the advertisement they'd put out drew in more attention than they'd been prepared to handle, and can be found there quite frequently over the next few days. ]
2. Topsy-Turvy Teleporters
[ After her time in this land now, Yona is growing very accustomed to her ventures out into the Wilde - and she's lost track of how often it's been because someone got lost out here. Today seems to be no exception, even if the cause is a little more unusual than she'd expected. Fae magic gone awry, it seems, but as she's got a particular interest in that sort of thing these days, she's out here trying to find the misplaced travelers.
Although even she knows that venturing too far into the Wilde alone is just asking for trouble, so she'd made sure to bring someone with her today as she traipses through an overgrown area near where the teleporter was meant to deposit its travelers, looking for tracks or any sort of hint that they'd come this way.
Glancing over her shoulder, she looks to where her companion for this particular quest is doing the same. ]
Have you found anything?
3. Underground Unpleasantness
[ The moment Yona had heard the Underground was in need of aid, she'd set out straightaway. It had been a few weeks since she'd been back - the whole mess with the cult had kept her occupied within the city and missing a few of her frequent trips down to the Underground settlement, where she'd been cultivating relationships and striving to ease goodwill between their peoples. Although the Underground was still firm in only trusting Mirrorbound within their borders, Yona hoped that one day soon they'd be able to open up more options for the people both below and above.
But hearing there's a sickness spreading among the wormipedes is alarming for a number of reasons. She's not overly fond of the large creatures herself but that doesn't mean she isn't aware of just how important they are to the economy in the Underground. So here she is, deep underground and wandering among the corrals and 'pastures' as it were, where many of the wormipede stock are kept. She spends her time checking over the creatures herself for anything odd and talking to their handlers to hear of the ones that have gone out of control or needed to be put down.
She's looking perplexed, so when she sees another Mirrorbound approaching, her expression brightens a little, at the very least for another brain to pick for some causes here. ]
Oh, good, you're here!
4. Wildcard
(( Yona is available for a few of these other quests as well, so feel free to leave me a prompt if there's something else specific you'd like to do, or hit me up at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
chaneystarr with questions/ideas! ))
Healing Vibes!
The tattoo had been Styx's idea, and with him gone there is no reason for Alice to follow through for his sake. After all, the original reason she agreed to getting a tattoo in the first place was to prevent him from getting their business logo permanently inked onto his skin. For obvious reasons, that's no longer a pressing concern. And she would be lying if she said she didn't have reservations about the process.
Yet here she is, standing awkwardly outside of the establishment and working up the nerve to step inside. The idea of a protective or healing spell being placed onto her is more appealing than ever after everything that's happened in the past couple of months. Having a memento of Yuri is more appealing, too. And, most importantly, she hopes they can cover or remove the mark that the Evergreen Circle placed over her heart.
It would be nice not to have the constant reminder that she was once theirs.
Alice takes a deep breath to steady herself and finally steps inside the shop. She gives the first employee she sees--a young, red-haired woman--a small, nervous smile.]
Hello. I was hoping to talk to someone about getting a tattoo?
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Yona can understand that. She'd felt nearly the same way the first time Caster had brought her here. But Yona just gives her a bright, reassuring smile as she hastens to greet her. ]
Of course! I can try and help you with that. Do you have an idea of what you want?
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I don't have a final design or anything in mind, but I'd like for it to incorporate this. It's... personal, for me.
[The nice tattoo lady doesn't need her sob story, she figures.]
I was originally thinking it could be for protection, but I hear you're testing healing spells?
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We are, yes. Although we're starting out with those as a temporary thing, until we see how they work in regards to each person. The healing spell reacts differently to different witches and monsters and I believe they're still narrowing down the finer details of why and how to make the spell more reliable as a whole. [ Hence the testing. ] Would you like to try that route before committing to something permanent, or attach a different kind of enchantment to this tattoo instead?
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I'd prefer this one to be more permanent, if that's all right? When I first thought of it back in January, a friend told me I could have some sort of protection spell incorporated into it. Is that possible?
[After a pause, she quickly adds:]
I'm still happy to test for you, though. It's the least I can do, and it sounds like such a nice thing to be able to offer once you all perfect it.
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teleporters
It is the sound of their partner's voice that makes them snap out of it and realize they need to be productive.]
Hmm...no...
[They turn around halfway to look at her.]
Have you?
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No, not a single track. How far off course could the spell have sent them? At this rate, they could be anywhere...
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Perhaps we have to go deeper into the forest.
[They do not know this young woman and in a way, it is a bit of a relief. They don't have to answer questions about the friends they've lost or the loneliness creeping up on them from time to time.
And looking at her makes it easier to focus on the problem at hand, the mission they signed up for.]
Have you brought a weapon with you? In case we might encounter anything infected.
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I did. I wouldn't risk coming out here without one. Some of these monsters out here can be resistant to magic, so I try to bring options of defending myself with me beyond what I might normally use.
healing vibes
But finding allies on the fly who has healing magic was proving more and more difficult these days, so the prospect of having something that could handle the healing for him... Actually sounded pretty handy? So he has become one of the customers offering to test out this tattoo.]
Umm... Is this gonna hurt?
[He has absolutely no idea what to expect here at all.]
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Since you're here to help test the healing spell for us, not at all. Until we get it perfected, the enchantment you'll be wearing is not permanent, so I can lay the rune onto your skin a different way. Should it work the way you want it to and you'd like to make it more permanent, then we will ink it in as a normal tattoo - that can sting a little, but it's more an irritation than outright pain.
[ Then again, that probably depended on your pain tolerance... ]
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Huh... Okay. Lay it on me then, Yona!
[He's got himself psyched up, so he's ready to go.]
So what do you need me to do?
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Well. Do you know where you'd like to have it inked? And would you like a particular image or symbol connected to it, or just the simple spell rune we have for the healing enchantment itself?
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[He honestly thought he was going to just come in here and get a tattoo slapped on him and be done with it.]
Umm... Maybe we should keep it simple. I can always put that kind of thought into it if I get the real deal, right?
[Tattoos are a serious commitment, who knew?]
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topsy-turvy.
Since they both agree it's better to go as a team if they're picking up the same quest (and, Ciri makes sure, the reward is the same for both of them rather than split), they wind up going out in the Wilde together. This place is still very new to Ciri, which she isn't shy about admitting, but it also means she's quite curious about it all. If Yona is talkative, Ciri has probably asked her a bunch of questions by the time they get out to their destination, marked by the Fae on a map of all the teleporters provided by their none-too-reliable service.
Now, Ciri is crouched close to the leaf-strewn forest floor, examining some flattened leaves and cracked twigs. She looks up, back to where they came from the outskirts of the shabby cottages of the slums beyond the Bright Wall. ]
Someone passed this way recently, but by the direction of the footsteps, they were heading out of the forest, not into it.
If it's our target, he probably already made his way back. But it's just as likely to have been one of the villagers.
Where is the teleporter supposed to be again?
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At Ciri's answer, Yona gives a dismayed sigh and straightens, glancing around her as she tries to get her bearings once more. ] I believe it should be off to the west there - there's a clearing the fae described that I've seen before. We're not far, but if they'd teleported out into the open I think someone would have found them by now. Or they'd have made their way to the nearby outpost - it would be visible from there. So I have to assume, wherever they landed, it was far enough that there was nothing familiar enough around them to orient themsleves.
[ ...Where that was, however, was the mystery. And the Wildes were vast. She'd hoped they'd find signs somewhere in the areas surrounding that clearing, but she had no idea how far the faulty spell could have flung them. ]
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[ Ciri straightens up, tucking a stray wisp of her ashen-grey hair behind one ear, and looks around, staring out beyond the trees further into the Wilde. ]
It would have been helpful to have more to go on, but we may as well start by finding that clearing and searching for clues there. Unless you've got another suggestion?
[ She turns back to Yona expectantly, the question genuine even if her tone has a natural, slightly haughty ring to it, as if she's already made up her mind. ]
You're a sorceress. Do you have any familiars to scout ahead, or a way to commune with the wildlife in the area to our advantage?
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Ahh... I'm not really that sort of witch. I know a little about making a connection like that, but I confess, I haven't practiced it very much outside of the actual study of it. [ And she'd left Ao at home today, for her own safety. ]
I thought we might scout out the surrounding area near the teleporter since they never landed in the clearing - whatever spell the fae did somehow sent them off-course, but they had little enough to tell us about how far that might have carried them. Although one would assume, if the same level of magic was used to send them... it wouldn't be much farther than where they were originally meant to land.
[ She hoped? ]
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[ Ciri gives her a faint, sheepish smile and a shrug before turning back toward the looming trees. ]
Your suggestion sounds logical enough to me.
I think we may have better luck if we split up to scout out in expanding circles around the teleporter, but I wouldn't leave you potentially in harm's way on your own in the Wilde. How confidently can you use that bow?
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4. Wildcard
On his way, he happens across Yona busying herself with design drafts. From his position halfway behind her, he can only catch a glimpse of what she's creating, a glimpse of her face drawn in uneasy concentration. That latter part indicates a problem. Soren slows his pace to a standstill, maintaining a comfortable distance between them; having someone butt in to breathe down his neck while he's trying to work is a source of annoyance to him, and he levels the same basic respect he would want for himself to others. ]
Is something troubling you?
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Just having trouble making this design come out the way I want it to. There's something about the shape of the design that's conflicting with the rune spell I'm trying to enchant into it, but I haven't pinpointed just what the cause is yet.
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The top half is covered with the rune for the spell in particular - protection against fire, actually - done in careful lines and different flourishes for design. To one side is a rough sketch of the tattoo's design she's trying to incorporate the lines of the rune into. And the rest of the page is various attempts of working them together in various combinations, trying to find the best way to merge the shape of one into the lines of the other. ]
I've tried half a dozen different combinations now, with it intertwined in the design in different ways, but each time it either weakens the protection spell or somehow negates it altogether and I can't figure out why. [ She sounds a little frustrated with her lack of progress, actually. ]
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[ Soren's quick reptilian eyes take in each detail of each draft. The spell is one he's familiar with, since warding fire is not an uncommon desire. Just as she described, each etch aspires to vanish seamlessly into the artwork, but in the end it always seems to work against the runes. After several beats of consideration, he offers a suggestion. ]
Try flipping the design itself. [ He taps a pointed nail to one of the drawings. ] Arrange them in the same location that you have presented here. That should give you better results.
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