WORLD JUMP: el minha: eliana, a young girl.

[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 eliana, a young girl. You have all spent roughly three weeks in El Minha, and many of you have dug up plenty of information on what has been happening in the city. Most importantly, you have made a name for yourselves -- many of you have introduced your mission, your purpose, and why you are here. Most people seem skeptical, but you all have definitely made some kind of impact . . . if anything, people don't see you as a threat. But that is about to change. --- On the morning of June 1st, every single magical watch in the Circle will alight with a message. What sent this message is a mystery, but all over the city, the same message written in flyers and pamphlets will be posted. They will seem to appear overnight, with no trace of from who, or when. They will be nailed to any possible surface, and scattered in the streets, with the unmistakable sigil for The Syndicate on the back: a broken crown. The peace has been broken, the first innocent blood spilled. The Palace, nobility, and Crown’s Guards are corrupt, ignorant, useless, and cannot be trusted. We are taking back our city. Enough is enough. Eliana was four years old. We will not forget. At first there will be whispers, a slow building tension across the city, but then - as if on the stroke of a particular hour - it will be chaos. People will pour into the streets, wielding weapons, demanding justice for this young girl named Eliana. It doesn’t take long for sporadic clashes to begin with the Crown’s Guard, who look as surprised and caught off-guard by the turn of events as all of you. People are angry, people are furious, and within hours of the flyers being spread through the city, martial law has been imposed. a message appears. It does not take long, after the scattering of violence has begin, for a second message to pop up on your watches . . . but it feels more invasive, than that. This message comes into your very mind, a whisper in your ear, a quiet caressing of your mind . . . and to those who have spent time talking to him, it is clearly the voice of the sitting King Kathashun: his tone calm and quiet, but insistent in nature: People of El Minha. The murder of Eliana, a child in Syndicate territory, is an unspeakable tragedy -- but violence is not the answer. I understand your anger, and your frustration, and I know that this fury has been present for some time. Believe you me -- I want to bring the individual who committed this act to justice, but I cannot do so unless I have a name. I cannot help you unless you help me. Once that message disconnects in your mind, the surrounding people around you -- the citizens of El Minha -- seem to have . . . varied reactions. Some scoff and continue to take to arms. Some seem to take pause, looking uncertain. Most, though, regardless of how they react to the King’s beg of reason, have a single-minded goal: the Crown has got to fall. make your choice. he War has begun, and it is time to pick your sides. An inciting incident - the death of a child - has occurred, and The Syndicate has decided that enough is enough, and it is time to act. It has been enough of their corrupt politics, their unbiased arrests, the silent way they would rule through unfair laws, and ultimately, the wrongful death of a young girl, shot in the streets (allegedly) by a Guardsman. While the Syndicate has been ready, though, the Crown’s Guard has also been preparing - for this moment, for this war, you’re not sure. But while the Guard seem to be shocked at the sudden uprising, they are also ready to fight. They’ve been preparing weapons, anticipating something . . . and that something, apparently, has come to pass. You can try and discern what has happened, but the panic has already spread. Though some know the child Eliana, and will tell you stories of her wonderful smile, her curious eyes, her bubbly laugh. But, like it is with most orphans on the street, no one can really tell you where she lives, or where she’s been, or what happened. All you know, from both sides, is that a girl is dead. The Syndicate claims that a Guardsman shot her in the street in order to make a statement of power; the Guard denies this, and states that the Guard was under fear of his life from another individual who attacked the Guard from behind, and the girl was collateral damage from the ensuing struggle. The Crown’s Guard will not be able to talk to anyone: their higher ups always watching, barking orders, and anyone who attempts to interrupt a soldier may be clapped with a set of irons and taken to prison for temporary holding while they attempt to quell the rebellion. The ‘suggestion’ is to stay inside, get to your room, and wait for more orders. Should you talk to the people, however, they will voice their discontent. The Guard murdered a child, the King refuses to take a side, and the Crown must pay for these sins. The people, and the Syndicate, call for blood. King Kathashun’s head on a stake is a popular claim, though some members of the public (albeit a few) seem to be a little less thirsty for royal execution. They simply want justice for the girl who was killed. However, every member of the Circle will be given a choice- whether they are contacted by the Syndicate, or the Crown’s Guard, each side asking are for their support. These are dire times, both sides argue, and these Circle members have made absolutely no secret of their offerings to help the population. You want to help, they say? Pick up a sword and come to combat. What will you do? As a group, the Circle will be left to make a decision - do you side with the Palace and Crown’s Guard? The Syndicate? Or do you feel that as outsiders, you have no room to interject? Do you have specific ideas of what you would do, in this situation? Do you not choose a side, but do something else that may turn the fate of the city? The (potential) fate of El Minha is in your hands. VOTE HERE: LINK TO POLL mod's notes. (1) The official event log concerning the murder of Eliana will be posted on June 1st. Until then, you all have plenty of time to investigate whatever you wish to investigate . . . or, honestly, you could continue investigating it! Your character is by no means obligated to do anything with this plot, but your efforts in navigating the city may be impacted by what is happening as of June 1st. (2) If you do not vote in the poll, it will be assumed that your vote will count toward do nothing. (3) Voting will be closed by 12:00 AM EST on June 1st . . . but as the mods do, indeed, sleep, we may not actually check until that morning, so you late-birds or folks in different time zones have some extra time. ;) (4) Please drop comments below in the appropriate top levels in order to let us know what you'd to do, or what your characters have been doing/planning in the interim! Use this post to plot, to plan, to figure out what you all have been doing with the information you've been given, ask questions of the mod team, and try to figure out what your character would do when the shit hits the proverbial fan. (5) This is our first event post in the game, so we ask for patience and/or a willingness to offer a learning curve to your new mods. We promise we're working as hard as we can to provide a great playing experience! We are thankful for all of your involvement and excitement in the plot thusfar, and love how active you all have been! (6) Have fun (and also don't forget to turn in your AC, due May 31 by 11:59 PM EST because we love you and want you to stay in the game)!

Comments

MOD QUESTIONS.

[acatamods]

QUESTIONS THAT INVOLVE NPCS.

[acatamods]

Please use this top level to ask the mods specific questions of the NPCs and/or detail attempted interactions with them, either prior to the event beginning or in the first days of the event!

For example, if you wish to try to get ahold of King Kathashun before the event, drop a comment here and we will tell you what the result would be! We figured this would be an easier option to get quick answers to further plots. :)

Re: QUESTIONS THAT INVOLVE NPCS.

[foundafamily]

After Eliana's death, Firo's going to focus on talking to off-duty dealers at the casino, starting off with more small talky "wow, that's awful" and trying to feel out their general reactions. He'll try to steer questions more towards anything suspicious in the area recently, whether that's guard activity or strangers like the Circle.

He'll also try to see if any of the pickpocket kids hanging around the market will talk to him in return for some money. He's not going to bother being subtle about it with them and will point blank ask what they know about the area of the murder and what they saw the day of. Would he find anything out from these?

[theminotaur]

CAN ABIGAIL talk to the king? she is curious as to his position and thoughts on the killing and what he feels like should be done and she would probably make her decision based on... that.

no pressure, your highness.

[sunborne]

Daylight would like to know if there's anyone he can talk to regarding Eliana's funeral arrangements.

If arrangements have been made, Daylight will volunteer to guard it to make sure no one attempts to crash it or make some sort of grand speech for their cause. That is not the time nor place to do such a thing in his opinion and he will make it known if so.

If arrangements haven't been made yet by the time he asks, Daylight will offer his funding to have them arranged so Eliana's passing is observed and mourned properly. He'll let it be known that anyone can drop by the event to pay their respects to her long as it's to pay her respects. Anyone trying to make a point will get a word with a grumpy robot. Either way, Daylight will make a point of being at the funeral and he'll also keep a close eye for who visits and what's happening at the time.

And! Daylight has hung out a lot at the Fight Ring during his time here in El Minha and is curious about how it's changed in the wake of this event. When he visits the place after Eliana's passing and hangs around for a bit, what will the atmosphere be like and what sort of talk is being exchanged by the people there? (Especially in regards to the shadowy individuals who happens to be lurking about the area.)

[rootbound]

- If Vern sends back a telepathic reply Kathashun's way when he sends out the citywide message (something like 'hey we want to help but do you have any leads to START with dude'), would he get a response?

- Would the Circle be able to successfully track down the individual Vern mindread, assuming Vern noted their appearance at the time and where he encountered them? Would they have any new answers for the Circle or be a dead end?

[tranquilforest]

A couple questions that Jing should probably have asked before (and I'm assuming pursued before, except her mun is an idiot). I know I went a little crazy, so please just "pass" on any questions that were already answered elsewhere or that aren't relevant/can be discovered some other way.

1) Are the upper class/nobility clustered in a particular part of the city (separate from the Palace district)? Presumably away from the Syndicate-controlled portions?

2) While in the Palace district and around the Crown's Guards, who or what kind of people, if any, would she see traveling to and from the palace?
2) a) Ditto for her time spent in the House of Wisdom.
2) b) Is it obvious where they are headed if she does happen to see anyone interesting?

3) What is the supervisory structure of the Crown's Guards? She spends most of her time with the common soldiers, but I presume there would be some evidence of how their companies or squads are formed and run, who answers to whom, etc.
3) a) Is the head of the Guards an appointee of the King, of some kind of advisory council, or someone promoted from within its ranks?
3) b) Do they in turn answer to someone else, or do they have direct contact with the King?
3) c) Do they serve as the enforcement arm of any Justice or Law office or administrative bureau that deals with criminals, or do the lawkeepers have other people to handle that?

4) Is the Palace the center of government administration for El Minha, or is there another building (or buildings) that serves the day-to-day functions of keeping things running (not well) in the city (distribution of resources, law and justice, goods and services, taxes, etc.)?
4) a) Since the late unlamented King Kallathor imposed stricter laws, who was responsible for seeking out wrongdoers and executing them? Are they still in power (since it really hasn't been that long...)?
4) b) Is there a formal jail/dungeon in the city? - Actually this was mentioned, I just want to know if it's within the palace or off-site...
4) c) Are there judges, or are all determinations of guilt handed down from the monarch or some delegate?

5) I keep making jokes about this, but is there any way for Jing to find out how exactly succession works? Not precisely who gets the crown if the King bites the dust, but who is the point person/people when he's sick, or incapacitated, or out wandering around the city instead of making decisions in some capacity?

6) Does the House of Wisdom have storybooks or mythology around the First King and the origin of El Minha itself?
6) a) Is there a religious structure within the city that is notable/obvious, with corresponding attendants/priests?
6) b) How are people educated in El Minha - is there formal schooling, tutoring, some kind of academy?

...Actually after all this I'm not sure this doesn't just go in the Mod Questions top level. I was assuming Jing would just strike up a lot of conversations along these lines with the members of the Crown's Guard she's gotten familiar with, or with the chatty librarian at the House of Wisdom. Some of them seem like things that might be mentioned in passing by people she runs into now and again while visiting or working in the market as well.

[purrtagonist]

I'M SO LATE but better late than never--

After Eliana dies and the violence beings, Akira would probably immediately seek out the orphans in the Grand Market he made contacts with to ask a few questions! Mostly he'd try to see if he can get any information from them about who leads the Syndicate, or who can speak for the Syndicate. If asked why, he'd be up front: he wants the leader of the Syndicate to speak with the King so they can work together to find Eliana's killer, bring them to justice, and quell the violence in the city. Would his contacts with the kids give him any leads on this, or no?

Thanks in advance mods!

[bulletbiter]

Julius would like to find the king and where he is right now!

I'm assuming the info about the King being possibly locked up against his own will will be disseminated/become shared knowledge with the coven, upon which Julius will start actively looking for him and maybe snooping into the palace. He's not that good with hiding, so he might ask a few other coven members to see if they can get any leads.

If he can't find out info about where the king is from lurking around the palace, he would try to ask Jalin, since Vern received the instruction. he wants to convey to the king about the possibility of combining their magic for mutual benefit and to get the truth about the girl's killings from his point of view.

VOTES FOR THE SYNDICATE.

[acatamods]

Please use this top level to specifically state why your character is voting for this option; do not use it to plot, please, to avoid clutter! This is an information sharing post only.

VOTES FOR THE CROWN.

[acatamods]

Please use this top level to specifically state why your character is voting for this option; do not use it to plot, please, to avoid clutter! This is an information sharing post only.

VOTES FOR REFUSING TO INTERJECT.

[acatamods]

Please use this top level to specifically state why your character is voting for this option; do not use it to plot, please, to avoid clutter! This is an information sharing post only.

VOTES FOR OTHER.

[acatamods]

Please tell us and/or your fellow Circle members what your character is doing if you chose this option!

[rootbound]

Vern's suggestion -- which he'd be willing to float ICly to the coven as a whole -- would be to side with neither the Crown or the Syndicate, but to set the Circle up as a group that takes advantage of its status as a clearly neutral third party, and divide it to work in two fronts:

- One group (those with powers useful to this + more diplomatic temperaments) straight up concentrates on the city and focuses on stopping conflicts between Syndicate and Guard before they can escalate and tip things one way or the other, generally trying to keep things calm and giving the second group time to work.

- The second group (those with powers/temperaments more suited for sneaking around) go independently investigate Eliana's death, since it's almost certainly a premeditated setup. Vern has an active lead to track for the second group, and would suggest cornering and questioning this lead to start with -- I'm just gonna paste the info here from his eavesdropping and mindreading shenanigans:

If Vern does keep to primarily Syndicate-run territories, he will find much of the same gossip over the course of his stay. The young King is not fit to make the changes that are necessary - he is young and inexperienced and while kindhearted, it won't be enough. There will be a heavy bias towards everything the Syndicate is doing.

He will hear something interesting a bit later - ICly either [May 25/26] - in that he can notice, in one of the taverns, an individual speaking in much more hushed tones, and generally looking suspicious. While Vern won't be able to hear the conversation the individual is having, if he decides to read their mind, he will get a /Just a few days more, it's going to happen, I know it for certain. Just a few more days/. He will not be able to pick out anything as to what 'it' is.

He'd also recommend the second group investigate how much the general populace knows about the King's powers/blessing, since it would be helpful to confirm if the king's blessing IS the major source of water of El Minha or not, if the regular citizenry knows that might be the case, and if it is the case, whether the slant is towards someone trying to take control of the king/blessing (and thus the water supply) somehow. Or if there are other nefarious things going on, idk.

[spaceforged]

Shiro will suggest an investigation into the girl's death as well. So in this case he'll back up Vern's really wise decision. He'll point out siding with either side will tip things and ultimately the people caught between forces suffer.

[flyingsolos]

Rion would agree with Vern's suggestion, too-- to be a neutral party, but instead of doing nothing, working to solve the actual mystery. She would probably do best in the second group, if just because as someone who's been doing little performances all around the city, she's earned a bit of a fan following and "if she ever wanted to, she would have plenty of natives to ask for favors/questions of, as they have enjoyed her performances greatly."

While she wouldn't know much, if anything, about an active lead and wouldn't be the best at cornering someone, she could definitely speak to the natives about the King's blessing/Eliana/if any names have been dropped about the guard who allegedly killed her, etc. Ultimately, she cares about the populace here and she doesn't want them to get dragged into this.

ALSO the mod note she got said she's been getting enough tips to live rather comfortably, but she's been using what she doesn't need to buy food for those who need it.

Re: VOTES FOR OTHER.

[reeliable]

While Noct is going to be all for the neutral status, his personal feelings are caught between how much he sympathizes with the Crown and how empathetic he is for the people affected. He won't stand by to do nothing though and likely seek answers and probably want to go talk to Kathashun first if he can?

He did get a slight tip off that 'something big was going to happen' from hanging around the food kitchens, though it always sounded more like talk to him than something being outright planned (though now that a thing happened as a result of this, he will be trying to remember just who was saying so). The syndicate being the organization behind taking care of the poorer folk are going to be his main reason to not be against them - but he can't fully turn his back on the Crown either. Mostly because he is having trouble separating his own circumstances with Kathashun.

[smallprince]

At first he wants to do something, like finding out who was responsibly for the death of the girl, since this incident brings back the memories of a situation he wished he could forget. Therefore he's outraged at first and has to remind himself, that if he would do something bold, it could not only be dangerous for him but also to the Circle. So he agrees with Vern's suggestion that the Circle should be a neutral group. To bring the two fronts together and offer them a neutral place to talk would be a step in the right direction.

He can understand both sides. All the crimes the Syndicate had committed and the blood that is on theirs hand, made it a bit easier for him to lean more towards the side of the Crown. Subconsciously his royal birth might play a role too.

He could fit into both groups but I would place him into the second group. Mostly because he's used to eavesdropping and talking people into revealing informations but also to give him a chance to deal with how
Eliana's death and the circumstances of it has effected him.

GENERAL PLOTTING COMMENT.

[insubordination]

So I am planning on putting up a top level on the log for Roy detailing what he's doing here, but he's also going to be looking to get his squad together in order to get some core organization on the ground, particularly in convincing people to put down their weapons to avoid further bloodshed.

He has zero interest in fixing this politically, and he's not going to assist in any act of violence in the city. What he will be looking for are people with persuasive powers in order to convince people to stop killing people (especially the Crown Guard) and people with healing powers, to get some people back up on their feet. Any volunteers?

[sunborne]

Will be putting a plotting comment too myself in a bit but—!

Daylight will be more than happy to volunteer Meddy re: medical services. Meddy is trained to patch up wounds, minor to mild, so they can help out with bruises and cuts and the like should someone dump an injured individual in front of them. Anything major like broken bones and worse… Um. You may want to look to someone else but!! Meddy is here and they're ready to aid.

GENERAL PLOTTING COMMENT. (DAYLIGHT)

[sunborne]

At the moment, he’s more concerned about making sure the populace is safe from the clashes between two factions — Most especially the orphaned children in the wake of Eliana since he’s now been made painfully aware of how vulnerable they are.

He’ll be helping out in stopping conflict between the parties and establish a designated (and recognised!!) safe zone of sorts for the general populace if they happen to be neutral/want to stay out of the way. A place where they can go to hide from tensions until it clears up, stuff like that. The latter is something he learned from his stories while growing up.

Also Daylight will want to know if any funeral arrangements have been made for Eliana following her passing. He doesn’t like the idea of the girl not being given proper rites after what’s happened to her so he’ll poke his nose in this angle first. If not, he’ll be willing to use majority of his money — the original funding from Astoria plus his earnings from the Fight Ring — so that can happen. If there is, he’ll volunteer to guard the ceremony/funeral if its taking place so no one attempts to disrupt it be it Syndicate members or Crown guards or anyone else.

(Let me know if you guys are alright with Daylight doing the stuff I have planned re: Eliana! I don’t want to step on toes if there are different plans on what to do with Eliana’s body besides investigating the injuries/stuff.)

He’ll also be offering Meddy up for medical services to any Circle members who may need that sort of stuff. Meddy knows first aid and can patch up bruises and scrapes should anyone get that during fights. Broken bones and worse are out of their depth, however.

GENERAL PLOTTING COMMENT (JING)

[tranquilforest]

I haven't completely planned out Jing's approach yet but her skillset is: very high in diplomacy and politicking, (and also that coup she helped engineer one time and the assassination attempt she helped foil and also discreet poisoning if anyone thinks that would be helpful), she has close contacts with merchants, commoners, and the Crown's Guards (or DID, at least...), she has regular healing (but not a special healing ability). She's not especially good at investigation, but she does seem to stumble onto things with regularity. If any of these skills would be useful to anything your characters are planning, I would be happy to throw her in!

Also a party/discussion/war room invitation

I was planning this the day before the post went up, but would people find it useful to have an IC discussion post/log with dynamic summary headings for the different discussions? Jing was considering it before events came/will come to a head and has discussed it with some people ICly, but it would seem even more urgent now.

The concept would be a private room within the Sparkling Sapphire/a network post that people could use for discussions with one another or reading updates; the logistics setup would be two top-level comments for each proposed heading (one frozen, and to be updated periodically as characters reach conclusions for easier reading, and the other for the actual character discussions/information sharing/possible snack eating, no point letting these go to waste). People could also just "text" their information or conclusions in using the network if they want to share and don't necessarily want to discuss, so as long as they're within the vicinity of the appropriate top-level header, I can add quick summaries.

So, if two characters were having a discussion under an "Investigation of Eliana's Death" top-level, I would update the corresponding frozen top-level comment as new information is discovered so people could see at a glance what progress is being made.

[acatamods]

If you do decide to post this, please let us know and we will include it in the OOC plotting post so people can find it easily once the plot starts moving (and people undoubtedly use the comms more)! This is a great idea and we would love to include it as a "hub" if you'd like, to encourage player usage!

general plotting (vern)

[rootbound]

- I should ask: do you guys want me to make an actual post with Vern floating the suggestion of neutral conflict mediation/investigation once the plot goes up, to allow for IC discussion and Vern crankily pointing people at one group or the other? Or would people rather that part be handwaved as per their OOC comments in this post, so they can just jump straight into the action?

- EITHER WAY Vern will make an effort to arrange and coordinate the groups, but personally will wind up sitting in the investigation side of the Circle, because his idea of personal diplomacy is shouting THIS IS STUPID, STOP! at people fighting and that's just not good problem solving.

He's trying to avoid widely announcing he can mindread nearby people for a number of reasons (including...telling a Crown agent he couldn't do it...), but if Circle people sit down any interesting NPCs to ask questions about Eliana's death, he'd ask if he could possibly be included, and quietly tell them about his power if they ask why. It'd be a good way to pick up more information if the NPC being questioned isn't forthright.

[parttimes]

I'd love it if you put up an actual post for it, if you're not swamped! I think it'd be really interesting to see everyone discussing it and hashing things out

General Plotting (Tyrion)

[smallprince]

- He is eager to find out more about Eliana's death. Not only because it's an unspeakable crime to kill an innocent child but also because he suspects more behind it. To him there's a reason why the side who had committed the crime had chosen her. But then it this assumption is heavily influenced from a crime that's been committed in King's Landing when he had been Hand of the King.
So he would be found among the ones who want to investigate her death. Well and could need someone who would prevent him doing any bold move.
Could investigate on both sides - slight preference for investigation the side of the Crown. Mostly because he comes from a royal family and knows certain ways to make guards talk.

- He is aware that the Circle as a group of foreigners shouldn't take a side because that could be dangerous for them. But he's aware that there is not such a thing as completely neutral in this situation and leans towards one or the other side for their own reasons.
In his opinion the Circle has the purpose of helping the two rivaling sides to come together and negotiate a peace and find a solution to live together in the future.
If such a round would happen he could use his diplomatic skills and that he's open-minded and really listens to who ever is talking in such a round.

- He's interested in a peaceful solution since he doesn't want any bloodshed and tries everything to prevent it.

In general he comes with the following skills (including when he could use them)

Not shy about starting conversations with random people. Quite skilled when it comes to persuade people. Is usually friendly and calm but can turn into the opposite when enraged (hint: the murderer of Eliana would provoke such a reaction). Knows that a fair warning now and then is sometimes the only way that works.
-> Investigation / Questioning

The diplomatic skills are pretty self explaining.

I am not sure of how much use his gift, Astoria gave him could be. He can transform his shadow into the one of every living being he had seen. This power could be used as intimidating method.

general plotting (ryan dalias)

[brainthingie]

- Ryan is a surgeon from a military organization (think the Federation in Star Trek), who will be setting up a medical treatment center in a neutral zone for both sides to access. He has both magical healing and technical skill, and will be looking for people with healing/medical experience and people to guard the clinic.

- He is basically Switzerland, but is displeased that anyone at all used the death of a child for the purposes of starting a conflict. Ryan is used to staying in his lane as a military officer, and isn't really cut out for diplomacy, but he has very strong feelings about justice and will encourage other people to get to the bottom of these shenanigans.

- He will do a violence, or at least an imprisonment, against anyone who disrupts his clinic.

[theminotaur]

abigail is probably going to loiter in ryan's clinic for safety. she can be his nurse and pass him scalpels, stat, to warrant her continued presence. (what do you mean it's not like mash, what do you mean alan alda isnt there???) she's good at cleaning up blood :)

general plotting for stabigail

[theminotaur]

after her investigatory skills glean her hella knowledge she is going to be firmly on team dog loving king but opposed to his shitty nobility. mostly she wants to find him so while she will be washing her hands of the fighting itself, she will not be completely out of the fray?

also she wants to destabilize the nobility bc kill the rich and all she has is the ability to make gold at will so if someone smarter than me wants to figure out what that could do let's roll.