balancemod: (Default)
balance mod ([personal profile] balancemod) wrote in [community profile] balance_logs2020-01-03 01:32 pm

Field Mission 7: The Queen of Hearts, Part 1


Once upon a time...
NAVIGATION


Click here for the RNG thread!




The day is met the way all others begin: the sun rises from the eastern stretch of land facing the sea, as the citizens of Emberwharf awaken to a fish market brimming with life and splendor. The same sun is seen in Ok'talar, where its warchief watches, as is tradition for its leader to be meditating under the warmth of its warm embrace. The clans of the Highlands pick up where they left off just yesterday, squabbling over minor infractions of land, marriage, or deals that have fell through. And in the cold clutches of Orrenvia to the north, people are bundling up and preparing to visit the mines at the base of the Spine of the World.

The general news throughout the Kingdom of Fanelia is that today is a day of celebration. It marks the 110th anniversary of the coronation of its ruler, the Queen of Hearts. While some people around the outskirts of the citadel proper consider this as a day of mourning, many are called forth to partake in festivities, dining, and the accompaniment of the finest musicians from the far-reaching town of Peppelfen.

For the last 110 years, the Queen has kept order and, somehow, relative peace throughout the kingdom she rules. Although open defiance and protest is met with swift justice and sentencing, no one can overlook how crafty and careful she is. Her manipulations resonate throughout the annals of the history of Fanelia, present in every major brokered deal throughout its vast land mass and diverse population. Her benevolent guidance is felt by all... as is her tyranny. She is a monarch of paradoxes: obsessed with control, but only acting for the betterment of the realm's self-preservation. Every passionate declaration of "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" had been necessary up to this point; who else can steer and guide this world into prosperity than she herself?

The horizon in the far off distance swirls with its usual tumultuous temper. A dark cloud surrounds the continent where Fanelia is located, known to all as "The Expanse." Every year, the border closes a little bit more inward, narrowing the lands and threatening the civilizations that reside on the fringes. Its presence encroaches, and with it, a general looming sense of fear that one day only the capital city will be left standing, protected by a magical bubble of pure radiant light that allows only those permitted by decree to enter.

But none of you can remember your life before this illusion took hold. As far as you're concerned, you've been here your entire life. You don't notice that this farce, this world created by the usage of a Grand Relic, has only existed for a year. One whole year has passed since magic was cut loose from Faerun's fabric, and no one is any wiser that it's been gone at all.

You look down to your wrist, noticing the same three clouded, empty colored crystals that have always been there since the day you were born. Each one bears the shape of a heart, and it makes sense to you why Lucretia is known as...

The Queen of Hearts.





1. THE COURT OF HEARTS




A. ANOTHER MORNING, HOWEVER YOU SLICE IT

Good morning! Where are you right now?

Another day is creeping over the horizon, and your life as you know it is continuing down the path it always has. Wherever you are. However you're feeling. The crystals on your wrist, though you've managed to sort out at least one purpose for them by now, remain as dull and lifeless as they've always been.

Maybe you've long since figured out that not everyone has them — and maybe today is the morning that you finally heed a call to figure out why. The harder you think about it, the more questions you seem to have.

It's a wide world out there, and there are people you just might be dying to remember. Where will you go? Who will you run into?

B. NETWORK

Speaking of that one purpose you've stumbled upon: A series of messages that, if you choose to access them, dance across your mind as if they were your own thoughts. Over the years, the messages have ranged from confused — people on the other end wondering what this is, without really finding any answers — to just straight up sales pitches.

One day, though, a message under the name of Avalon appears:

Wandering fortune teller and adviser offering services.

Have a burning question you want answered? Do you wish for a quick peek into the void, to light a match into the unknown?

Giving out free samples now! Just message me ;)


[ooc: If you'd like a randomized way for a memory to begin unraveling, feel free to hit up the RNG thread for a fortune! Note: A low roll doesn't necessarily mean a failure to nudge your character in the right direction, it will just dictate how cryptic and/or troll-y the fortune actually is.

Or, feel free to come up with an unrelated fortune for a prompt.]


C. AROUND THE CAPITAL

One way or another, you may make your way to the capital city, the seat of the Court of Hearts. Whether you're here for answers, or whether you're here just to see the sights, here are a few ideas to get you started.

Chaotic croquet: Indeed, you will be discovering how the capital city plays the queen's favorite game. You and a fellow crystal-bearer/Reclaimer will near immediately be roped into a round and pitted against each other, with a rather stern reminder to follow the rules.

If only the rules made sense! Each path to the next wicket is more treacherous than the last — you may find yourself quite literally navigating the ball over a bottomless pit, or bumping it up stairs that threaten to send the ball right back, careening toward your face. There is also the Stone Golem guarding the final wicket to contend with.

It's a bit strange, actually. It's almost as if this match of the Queen of Hearts' imagining would prefer that the two of you worked together, rather than against each other.

○ We mentioned earlier that the castle, should you wander past the common areas, gets a little ... strange. It's labyrinthine in nature, with staircases, doors and hallways that lead to no where, or straight into the ceiling. The neat line of roses planted along the hallways begin to wither the farther you walk — almost as if nobody dared getting lost just to water some plants.

And then, you wander into an empty room, that quite literally transforms before your eyes.

It's the place you call home. Or ... is it? This is most certainly not your bedroom back in whatever corner of Fanelia you hail from. In fact, you don't think you've ever set foot in there before — it might be a bedroom with views into outer space itself. It might be a place from another world entirely, one that you definitely don't recognize.

But as time passes, and as you stand there, your sense of longing grows stronger. You should probably get out of there, before the guards find you.

○ The Queen of Hearts, in a recent twist (not unusual for her), has a keen interest in the relationships her subjects have with one another, whether it's romantic or platonic. And she'd like to see to it that the people of Fanelia are able to find those important people in their lives.

Enter: THE FANELIA FRIENDSHIP (OR SOMETHING MORE?) EXTRAVAGANZA


Yeah, it's pretty much a dating show, for both the amusement of onlookers and for your benefit! Or friendship show, as it were. Sign up, answer a brief survey, and showrunners will pair you with a fellow crystal-bearer/Reclaimer that they think you may be compatible with.

Let the dating begin! You may:
- Slay a monster together
- Take a nice long walk around the capital city together
- Be given a series of embarrassing questions to ask each other
- Cook a meal together
- The list goes on

Is the right person, or your new best friend, waiting for you in plain sight? Sign up and find out!




D. EXPANDED WILDCARD

As we mentioned in the OOC post, we highly encourage worldbuilding and creating your own scenarios to recover your character's lost memories! Outside of the capital city, the entire setting is yours to alter, and play in, as you see fit. Want to haunt the Enchanted Forest, or hunt wild boars? Want to follow your character's fairy tale story and have them work their way to leader of a clan, or of a settlement in Kingstown? Go for it! This is your story to write.

If you have any questions, feel free to hit us up on the OOC post.







blurb code by photosynthesis
quiescis: <user name=moes> (pic#11849220)

[personal profile] quiescis 2020-01-08 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[She lifts up the book so it covers her lips slightly.]

Something called the vorpal sword. Something very, very sharp.

[Yuri seems oddly happy to say that.]
hijumpkick: (ABORT ABORT)

[personal profile] hijumpkick 2020-01-08 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Holy hell is that a flying horse?? No, no time to gawk, Hayner's seen enough crazy things already. He waves at the person riding the horse as best he can.]

Yeah! Little help!!

[Better move quick, that giant looks aaaaangry!]
hijumpkick: (Yo!)

Capital

[personal profile] hijumpkick 2020-01-08 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Roxas may be gathering a bit of a crowd, but as he makes his way through the Capital, he'll here a familiar voice.]

Hey!

[He recognizes that golden hair and winged horse! Hayner grins, making his way over.]

Fancy meeting you here!
hijumpkick: (Wait... what?)

[personal profile] hijumpkick 2020-01-08 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[The goose honks at Yuri, almost in greeting. It waddles over, neck lowering as it seems to inspect her bag.]

[Whatcha got in there?]
hxppythxughts: (cheer♪ temperamental affection)

the little mermaid

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
♥ 1 - up where they walk; croquet! ♥

[This game makes absolutely no sense, but frankly Sayori is quite enjoying how absurd it is. The first few wickets of the game are pretty uneventful, but she laughs with delight as she sees the first strange obstacle over which they're meant to navigate the ball: a very deep pit with no bottom in sight.] Ooh! I know what to do!

[Does she??? She definitely doesn't know the rules at this point, but she does what makes most sense!

She points her finger with an awkward flourish of her wrist and levitates her opponent's ball across the gap. As she does the same with her own ball, she turns to them and grins brightly with her sharp teeth, clearly waiting for their approval.]



♥ 2 - up where they run; friendship game! ♥

[Oh, she does so enjoy making friends! And she even recognizes some of the people here! So she signs up for the game without hesitation, though without disclosing anything pertaining to her unusual background in the survey.

She claps a little and shifts on her toes as she's partnered up with someone, leaning in maybe a little too close to regard them with open excitement and curiosity.

Is that a frog on her head? It certainly is.]
Hello! Are you good at things like this?

[What is "this?" Whatever event they've been assigned, of course! Pick/RNG a task or tell me to do so in your tag!]


♥ 3 - up where they stay all day in the sun; poetry! ♥

[Sayori can be found in and around the capital city, of course, but she makes her way to various other locales too, excited to be travelling on her own for the first time. She can be found in pretty much any town, usually in taverns or other venues where entertainment is provided.

And she's performing poetry. Her performances are aided with gestures and flourishes that produce small illusions; the sound of waves, the smell of the ocean, her fingers drawing trails of light that dance as if on disturbed water and colorful fish hovering in the air around her.

Her repertoire of poems is varied, though the rhyme and meter are fairly consistent, and the themes of sunlight, storms, and the ocean are recurring if occasionally more abstracted. Sometimes she foregoes the illusions and performs entire poems while floating in the air, the movements of her limbs much more graceful than on the ground as they shift like she's treading water.]



♥ 4 - wish I could be part of that world; wildcard! ♥

[Check out her AU details here and feel free to contact me at [plurk.com profile] ceesawaseesaw or at cee#9435 on Discord if you want to plot!

The main things to note: she's very curious and so can be found in all kinds of weird places investigating stuff; sometimes her legs get fatigued so she sits to rest or levitates so she doesn't have to walk; she is sometimes not very subtly searching for information about a Sea Witch and transformation magic; and she can be found anywhere there's literature, reading and writing and wondering if Queen Monika might like this or that.]
hxppythxughts: (excitement♥ I frantically pull them)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
♥ 5 - darling it's better; finny fun! ♥

[After a fateful trip to the Enchanted Forest, an encounter that's more sweet but still a little bitter, Sayori is feeling in higher spirits. And she has a lot of swimming to do.

By pretty much any body of water that isn't just a fountain, you might find a travel backpack and a pile of discarded clothes, folded but not very neatly. Truffle the frog sits atop them, guarding(???) them. Venture too close to the water and—well, you're in the splash zone.

And you may very well get splashed as a mermaid dolphin jumps out of the water and spins in the air, giggling as she plays. It's tough to get a look at in that quick glimpse, but she does appear to be wearing most of her assorted jewelry.

Whether or not you've been splashed, she doesn't notice you until peeking her head out of the water again.]
Oh! [And she swims towards you, grinning and not looking terribly apologetic.] Sorry! I didn't see you there!
Edited 2020-01-24 20:46 (UTC)
menarefrom: (And I don't know what you're looking for)

[personal profile] menarefrom 2020-01-08 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Spike loves to listen to tavern music as well as bards of all sorts, and in the times he's had to witness Sayori's poetry, he's enjoyed it. The visuals don't let him sleep through as much of it as he might like to, but nevertheless, he listens.

It's after such a performance that Spike gets up from where he's curled in a pile in the tavern's rafters, arches his back, and then slinks down to meet Sayori where she's retreated post-performance.]


You've got a smooth style, little lady.

[The littler cat says, hopping up onto a chair to lean an arm against the table, tail swishing slowly side to side behind him.]
hxppythxughts: (laugh♥ echo,echo,echo,echo)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
[She's got a little table in the corner with some water and a local seafood dish, and she lights up as Spike claims a chair. She reaches out without hesitation to scratch gently behind one of his ears in greeting.] Do you think so? I've been told I'm a little clumsy!

[Understandably, all things considered.]
doubledsofjustice: surprise; eyes open wide with arms crossed and one hand lifted toward chin (icon_004)

[personal profile] doubledsofjustice 2020-01-08 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
At cooking?

[with every question, "Micah" needs to think of a new bluff. It might have been easier if Mia'd just not signed up for all this, but her curiosity about the crystals on her wrist- and the presence of those crystals on others in these games-- had one out over her fear of being outed to the Khura'in army. There's got to be a way to get more information without raising suspicion.

....it'd be a lot easier to do if Sayori weren't all in her face like this, though. Mia leans back and looks away, pushing her hair out of her face while trying not to let Sayori get too long a look at said face.]


N-no, actually, I haven't done too much of it.

[She lies, forcing the tone of her voice lower.]

What about you?
menarefrom: (And they're just time wasting)

[personal profile] menarefrom 2020-01-08 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
[As soon as Sayori gets scritching, Spike sets purring. It's a scratchy, gravelly noise, but it's a purr nonetheless, a rumbling undercurrent when he speaks.]

Clumsy... Maybe.

I'd say you're more like water.

[This.. Isn't even a hint of having to do with her being a mermaid, a detail he still hasn't uncovered. He's just a big kung fu nerd in any universe.]

Something stiff moves against the current, and it faces resistance. It falls over.

Your poetry is different; any time you stumble, you stand back up. You bend with the current and follow that flow.
hxppythxughts: (extraordinary♥ all rubbing together)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Sayori doesn't lean in further, but she also doesn't take the hint that she should lean back too. There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about this young man to her, except for the heart-shaped crystals on his wrist that match hers.] Oh, I'm awful at it! Fire's a little scary, don't you think?

[Why does she sound so happy about that...]
philoxenia: (could we try to reinvent)

2: cooking mermer

[personal profile] philoxenia 2020-01-08 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
Good? I'm kind of amazing!

[ Cooking and baking, those are the skills she has the most confidence in. Mira might be a princess, and might have been closed off from the world at large since she was a little girl, but she'd spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Baking is her strong suit, but cooking isn't bad. So she might be, you know, stretching the truth here...

But she's also so desperate for friends that she feels like she has to. Besides, she's not alone in cooking a meal here, is she? ]


What about you?
hxppythxughts: (sunny♪ when happy hurts?)

COOKING MERMER

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 08:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Sayori's excitement just grows at Mira's answer, her fingers curling as her hands come up closer to her face with enthusiasm.] I'm no good at it at all! I started a fire in the kitchens once.

[She seems totally unbothered by that turn of events.] But I'm a quick learner! If you're good at it, I'll manage!
philoxenia: (lead me to the edge of night)

c

[personal profile] philoxenia 2020-01-08 08:12 am (UTC)(link)
I think we're supposed to use these.

[ She kind of waves the mallet in her hands, but the wicket... it's pretty far away. Mira sighs a little and leans on hers. Her braids swing forward, the white streak in her hair more pronounced as she does. ]

I've never played this game before, though.
philoxenia: (chance to swing)

[personal profile] philoxenia 2020-01-08 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ ... Well, that is a little concerning!! But it's fine. Honestly, even though it perhaps should worry her a lot more, she finds she can't particularly worry. The window's open! So's that door! She doesn't have to keep her distance from the world anymore. And this is a potential friend.

So, she nods. ]


We'll work together! I'm sure by the end of it, you'll be able to whip up something really amazing. [ ... ] I'm not sure what exactly we should make, though.
hxppythxughts: (lucky♥ to help me out of bed.)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Like water. She can't help but fluster a little at the description, a few quick blinks as her cheeks flush pink. Does he know? It's no great secret if he does, really, but it's the rest of it she doesn't want to explain.

With her free hand, she spears a bit of fish on her fork and offers the whole thing out to Spike as she recovers with a bashful smile.]
Well, Mister Spiegel, sounds like you've got some poetry in you too! That was a lovely description.
doubledsofjustice: (Other_01)

[personal profile] doubledsofjustice 2020-01-08 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
...You won't have to worry about that, while I'm around.

[Douse flames it pretty useful! And exactly what she's focused on, and not that she won't let a spirited girl like this Sayori fail that hard while she's around.

'Micah' gives Sayori a gentle and reassuring smile.]


If we work together, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Ah, besides, there's-

[Mia reaches over their workspace to pick up the recipe they've been assigned. It's a pan bread with fish and vegetables, pretty standard fare.]

This. As long as we follow this, I'm sure it'll turn out.
hxppythxughts: (daydream♥ through my blinds)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 08:37 am (UTC)(link)
[This is a definite friend. Sayori claps again and leans back on her heels, returning Mira's personal space to her, and then turns to regard the little cooking station with consideration. Her frog familiar crawls down closer to her face to look at the offerings, as well.] Hmm. Well, what do you like to eat? I love to try all sorts of things so I would be happy to cook something you like!

[You know, inasmuch as she'll be doing any of the cooking...]
menarefrom: (That I'm unstoppable)

[personal profile] menarefrom 2020-01-08 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Spike gives no further indication on whether he knows or not, though his mis-matched eyes get wider at the sight of the fish. He has no shame accepting the offering, carefuk with his kitty teeth, snapping it up quick. He licks a paw to wipe his face, and replies-]

I'm just full of surprises.

[lick lick lick, rub rub rub.]

There's poetry in most things, when you're in the mood to find it.
hxppythxughts: (awesome♥ Inside my head.)

[personal profile] hxppythxughts 2020-01-08 08:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, that's a super cryptic statement, but it also sounded really cool so Sayori isn't going to ask what it means. She just watches Micah with starry eyes for a moment, at least until he draws her attention to the recipe.

Her eyes scan it and she realizes quickly that they're directions.]
Oh! Fish, wonderful! [She loves food in general, but fish does remind her of her old home.

She gives a determined nod as she clenches her fist.]
Yes, this'll be easy!

So— [And once again she's in Micah's personal space, leaning in to place a finger on the recipe and find the first direction.] First we have some things to prepare, right?
philoxenia: (keeping empty beds elsewhere;)

[personal profile] philoxenia 2020-01-08 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
Anything.

[ She's really not a picky eater. Mira taps her chin a little, then when inspiration strikes, she nods and brings her fist down onto her palm. ]

Something with pasta! It's not too difficult, but you can really get creative with it! And for dessert... something with chocolate. A lot of chocolate.
eudaimonikos: (proposition)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2020-01-08 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Seems like that's a weakness of most things.

[ugh, how drab, it's not even a silly one like garlic or silver]

And do you have one of those?
quiescis: <user name=moes> (pic#11849212)

[personal profile] quiescis 2020-01-08 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps this is a special sort of sharp...

[She frowns. Well she thought it was interesting!]

I have a knife with me.

[She pulls it from her satchel on her hip. Funnily enough it's the one Someone got her for Candlenights in another life.]
quiescis: <user name=moes> (pic#11849214)

[personal profile] quiescis 2020-01-08 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry but if you're looking for bread and tea I'm afraid I'm all out.

[She shifts and holds out a hand.]

I don't suppose geese like magic mushrooms though, Mr. Goose?
quiescis: <user name=moes> (pic#11849219)

[personal profile] quiescis 2020-01-08 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[Yuri looks up from her work, a touch of red paint smeared across her left cheek. She's not the neatest artist.]

Oh- Hello.

[What a lovely looking girl. Her hair is particularly pretty.]

Red is a much more interesting color than white, don't you think?

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