Quest Log: APRIL 2021

[faileas]

Quest Log: April, 2021

CITY-WIDE QUESTS Quest #1 - Part-timers Wanted! (Aefenglom) - The following places are looking for part-timers for the month. Duties vary by shop, though all are paying 500-cunes per hour, five days a week. Amicable Arrangements - A flower shop in the shopping district is looking for part-timers to help with arranging flower bouquets. Anyone with an interest and willingness to learn is welcome. Training includes learning all about the Language of Flowers and their meanings. 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 Quest #1 - Out of the City (Aefenglom) - The Coven is once more taking volunteers to venture outside of the Bright Wall to aid those in the Outer City. Trained in magic or otherwise; those without any formal training, or with very little formal training, will be overseen by a more experienced Witch. Miss Nerissa Bell asks all who are able to do any of the following to lend a hand to those our wall cannot currently protect: Medical aid (taking care of someone, healing, administering medicine in syrup, pill, or shot form, etc) 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 Quest #1 - Wilders Training (Aefenglom, Dorchacht) - As ever, The Wilders -- Witches and Monsters who scout into the Cwyld-infected lands beyond the city's Wall -- continue to train, recruit and bolster their numbers, as their work is never-ending. Pairs would be preferred for this exercise, but groups are not rejected; Wilders will be taking those willing to test their mettle into a contained part of the forest in order to pit them against various infected messing up the area either in the Wilde around Aefenglom or Dorchacht. 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.

Comments

[turmoiling]

[The naga is silent for a few moments, the thick tar of resentment bogging down this malformed Bond between them, even though that faint trickle of old fondness flickers for a moment. Myr's words not but a few moments ago are not forgotten -- the man has his own fears and concerns, it's clear. But he doesn't have any idea what it's like to be so scorned that one touch of a hand to someone he cared about was enough to prompt others effectively storming out. Problems where there was a clear solution, and all would have been well if a couple people simply weren't there.]

I understand what you are saying, but I really had no intention of disturbing the nature of your own Bond. There are often things that can't be foreseen. If only you hadn't overheard and thought to relay it, none of this would have happened at all.

[faithlikeaseed]

[Myr's own experiences with having to sneak around his own feelings for others were not so crushingly personal as the Naga's; any opprobrium or censure he'd suffered for his affections had little to do with him, personally, and much more to do with what was expected of a mage.

Circle life--Circle restrictions--made finding solutions for such problems vastly more complicated. At least it had taught him lessons for keeping the peace in an insular community that none of its residents could leave; while the level of wrong Guangyao had done him was far worse than anything Myr had suffered at the hands of his Circlemates (bar one exceptional case), it isn't the first time he's had to settle with someone he'd been hurt by. It's not the first time he's had to swallow pride or fury for the common good.

Except the Void-damned Bond between them makes doing that all the harder. Feeling that unkind, misplaced resentment directed toward him is altogether worse than knowing someone might bear him ill will; it makes it so much harder to have his attempt at compromise thrown back in his teeth and the blame redoubled.

He stomps a hoof, fur bristling up on his neck again.]

No. No, you will not push that on me, [he grits out.] You had a choice in what you did, even if it was to do nothing to hurt someone uninvolved in your stupid conflict. I will not take responsibility for you.

[Look what you made me do was a level of immaturity he hadn't expected from someone as poised as the Naga, and that broken expectation hurts, too. A hurt that quickly compounds into an awful, aching pity as Myr thinks on it, because it wasn't an uncommon attitude among Circle mages...and he knew the circumstances that gave rise to it.

Ordinarily, decorum would keep his mouth shut on that revelation.

But pity can be a weapon, too.]

Maker's breath--whatever happened to you that you'd hand others so much control over your life?

[turmoiling]

They really can't be seen making a scene again. But the emotional tide rises high, and Jin Guangyao's hand clenches inside his sleeve.

As much as it's almost gratifying, in a way, to feel that pity...
that question asked by Myr only highlights in his mind how even in his previous life, had gone astray from one too many people given a little trust, and having it betrayed.]

Don't tell me you are entirely immune to the influence of others. Besides which, I only mean there are things that can happen beyond one's knowing as the world moves around us. How can anyone be expected to know the full consequences of any action?

[He says pleasantly enough, recalling Myr's notion of being 'broken'... even if that awful melting pot of emotions simmers still, golden eyes darting back and forth at a few passers-by. It's not entirely honest, though -- even if no one can truly know, he's made a reasonable guess once or two.

At least it doesn't take too much longer to reach the Coven proper, and it's only a matter of finding a witch who seems skilled enough to fix this grievous Bond.]

[faithlikeaseed]

["Don't tell me you are entirely immune to the influence of others."

Myr snorts, fur still bristling; he's still angry, but he lets the words (the feeling they can't make a scene that's not all his own) soothe the edges of it back into bitter humor.

(One of the things he hates most about being a Monster is how labile he's become. Not much to be done about that.)]

Hardly. Look how much influence one fellow with gifts had on me.

[Then he jerks a hand in a brief, angry gesture at the rest of it.]

You'd have a case if it were only the--the mess with Linden, [not the other parts, not feeling his sanity slipping away from him, he's not bringing that up again because to do so was to consider an abyss he'd been standing on the edge of for too long,] that had hurt me.

You tampered with me. You intended to! You--

[The sound of nearby footsteps and someone clearing her throat in a very harried-sounding way cuts him off. He winds up the cuffs of his own robe in his fingers to keep from fidgeting, or gesturing(, or putting a hand on his Bonded for reassurance).

"Do you two need something?" the Witch asks, when it looks like the Faun's not going to erupt on her; his Naga companion, at least, seems to have control of himself.]

Yes. We're Bonded and we don't want to be. We need it annulled.

[turmoiling]

I'm afraid it's quite unclear how it occurred. [Jin Guangyao attempts to explain with a mildly embarrassed smile to the witch, unable to offer much more explanation -- though with the Bond in place, no doubt it's easier to see the signs of small cracks in that gentle and mild facade where stress creeps through.

After some puzzled discussion, they're led off to a room in one of the Coven's buildings, left to stand before the witch as he completes the spell to dissolve a Bond with less hardship. Jin Guangyao's tension and anticipation is clear through the bond... waiting for something that doesn't happen.

The witch looks at them expectantly for a response, and in turn Jin Guangyao looks back at Myr with an unreadable expression. It's no just the witches at the Northern Outpost, then.]

If... my unfortunate Bonded agrees, even a less gentle attempt to break it would be fine, I think. Our personalities do not always agree so well.

[faithlikeaseed]

[Our personalities do not always agree so well. That's putting it mildly.

The look on Myr's face--as the Naga turns to him--is somewhere between disgruntled and pensive. Yes, he's very unhappy to be Bonded to Jin Guangyao; yes, the other man's only been making that unhappiness worse--but a Bond that's gotten stuck is a problem for more reasons than just who it's gotten stuck to.

Magic isn't supposed to work this way on Talam.]

Whatever you're willing to try that won't kill us, I'll allow, [Myr affirms.] And if that means taking us in for longer study, I'll consent to that, too. We can't be the only ones this has happened to.

[turmoiling]

[Not only is magic not supposed to work this way, but this isn't the first time it's happened to Jin Guangyao either. The sense of foreboding between that and what was seen in the tunnels underground is weighing on his mind, though not nearly so much as the immediacy of the problem at hand.]

I'm glad we do concur on that much.

[He offers with a wan smile mostly for the witch's benefit; he's still not happy about how any of this has fallen out.]