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balance_logs2020-01-03 01:32 pm
balancemod) wrote in balance_logs2020-01-03 01:32 pm
Field Mission 7: The Queen of Hearts, Part 1
  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... 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. [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.
 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 |
○ 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.
○ 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.
Pinocchio 2.0
Uh... [Church would be squinting at the piece of paper in front of him if he could.] These questions seem really...insensitive? Personal? Even I don't know how I'd answer some of these.
[He considers the list of Embarrassing Questions, looks around at the other Friendelia participants, and then...crumples it up and tosses it over his shoulder.]
So I'll ask my own questions! Where are you from? What do you do? How'd you get here? What's your favorite color? Do you like long walks on the beach? Have you ever been to a beach? Can you take me to a beach for an insignificant fee?
Why is the sky blue?
ii. noone would stop you, you're free to choose your own way
[Church has been in this city for entirely too long, he feels. But it's hard for someone like him to make it out there all on his own. His morning starts as usual--making a spectacle of himself on some street corner with a bag to toss coin into, and a sign on the side that says PEPPELFEN OR BUST.
He does the Robot. He does some self-slapstick. He breakdances in a way that only someone made of metal can (loudly, not as agile, very clangy, kind of impressive actually). He pulls himself around like a puppet sans strings. It's what he was brought here to do, and even though it's humiliating, he knows people will pay. Better the money go to him than the guy that dragged him here.]
Tip your waitstaff, folks, I'll be here all week.
[There's more he can do, though. Look at him. He's a metal man. He can do menial labor. Give him some work. Or maybe you happen to know of an angry fella looking for an escaped blue warforged and he's coming this way. Maybe, spare a pint of grease for a poor guy's joints? Offer him a ride to the islands?
Or laugh at the stupid stupid spectacle man, whatever, maybe it doesn't have feelings to hurt, or something.]
iii. don't be afraid of the choice you make, it's alright
Shh, Delta, I know what I'm doing.
[I'm so sorry for your croquet partner. Because it's Church, and he's talking to a cricket. And no. He does not, in fact, know what he's doing. If you're watching carefully, it seems like maybe his arms have grown a little? But surely that's a trick of the light.]
FORE!
[jesus christ So instead of anything reasonable, Church winds himself up and whallops his ball into next week, aiming to send it careening over the seemingly bottomless pit. So it, of course, careens into the seemingly bottomless pit.]
Huh. Didn't think that was physically possible. Why does the queen like suck a hard game so much? And...why are we playing it? Shouldn't she come down and play it?
iv. questions remain, they will linger on like memories (closed to Wash)
[Getting into the queen's castle was the surprisingly easy part. He kinda figured getting in to talk to her would be just...stupid hard? But no, here he is, wandering.
And wandering. Aimlessly, really. Where...do these strange geometries even go?
A cricket chirps in a quiet, echoing hallway.]
I'm not lost. [That sure doesn't keep his arms from gaining a little length.] SHHHHhhhhhhhhut up. Okay. So I have no idea where I am. [And back to normal they go.] Don't get smart with me. Smarter with me. Hello? I'll even take a guard at this point, so long as someone's around to point me in the right direction!
...
ECHO!
v. obligatory wildcard option a-go-go
[you know that there drill]
no subject
i
But she'll certainly answer what she can for him! She plays with her thick, thick braid that's almost brushing the floor as she sits. The only reason it's not is because she's pulled part of it into her lap. And as she does this, she doesn't notice her chameleon eyeing the cricket across the table. Lunch, perhaps? ]
I'm from a tower in the middle of the woods! It was really boring there, so there's not much else to say. And I got here by walking. It's the best way to see everything! If you take a carriage, you'll be traveling so fast you miss all the tiny details, and it's the details that make all the difference. My favorite color... hmm. I like pink, but I'd say blue is my absolute favorite. And I haven't been to a beach yet, but I'd love to go! Should we go together?
[ There's a pause for breath before she's at it again. ]
The sky is blue because blue light scatters in alllllll directions by the tiny molecules of air in our world's atmosphere. And blue is scattered more than other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves.
[ She's demonstrating this with hand motions. ]
I read a lot.
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Wow. You're a nerd! That's amazing! No wonder you read a lot if it was so boring in a tower. Just a tower? No castle or anything? What about family? Friends? Servants? Was it far to walk? Do your feet hurt? Oh! I'm blue! Do I look okay to you?
And we should definitely go to the beach! Actually, I've never been, either. But I want to. Well. I mean. I want to, to get to the ocean, so I can get to Peppelfen, so I can see the Wizard. But if you haven't been to a beach, then you don't know how to get me there. But we could still go together!
[And then, give him a moment to do a little more processing.]
...Do I scatter blue light from my molecules, and that's why I'm blue?
no subject
[ Oh well; moving on. ]
It's just a tower. I live there with my mother, but she only visits every couple of days. She's very busy. This trip I'm on has been the first time I've been away from home. And yes, my feet did hurt a lot at first, but I'm used to it now.
[ She nods at his question about being blue. ]
Oh, yes, you do! I haven't met any other robotic armor men before, so you're very unique to me! And I think that's how all colors work. The wavelengths are all different so some are absorbed and some reflect color.
[ And after all that, there's one last thing she focuses on. ]
Why are you going to see the Wizard?
no subject
I mean, I don't imagine he just hands out wishes for free, but still, if you could get any wish of yours granted, wouldn't you at least want to check that out for yourself?
[A way around lying so as to not bring up sensitive subjects: not technically answer the question.]
So are you planning on going anywhere special on this trip of yours?
no subject
[ That's of interest to her. ]
I'm going to see the floating lights! I'm not exactly sure where they are, but they're to the west of my tower, so I've been heading that way. They happen every year on my birthday, and I know this sounds silly, but— [ She leans in a little, and in a hushed tone, as if sharing a secret: ] —I feel like they're connected to me. And maybe if I see why they only happen on my birthday, I won't feel so... unfulfilled anymore.
no subject
...Why didn't you leave before? Sounds like you kind of want to see the world, couldn't you have left at any time to go take a walk?
no subject
My mother isn't exactly forthcoming about things. And I don't leave because... because she told me not to. She said it was dangerous out here. And there weren't any stairs, so I had to climb down my hair.
[ As one does. ]
no subject
Wait, then how does your mother get out? Did she just imprison the both of you? How do you get supplies, is there like a basket at the end of a rope?
no subject
[ She looks slightly embarrassed as he looks at her hair. Or maybe it's nervousness that he'll ask too many questions about it. Even she can't tell what she's feeling. Maybe it would be best to try and suppress her feelings and feign confidence? Her mother's always so confident. Christine could at least pretend to be. ]
She climbed up and down my hair too. [ She clears her throat. ] But now that I'm out here, there's a lot I want to see. Most important is the floating lights, but I want to see as much as I can. It's all so new to me.
no subject
But that means there's also lots of things I haven't seen, either. Like the lights. Or your tower. Or other towns and cities.
(no subject)
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ii
But he can recognize someone in need when he sees them. And though the state of the rags he's wearing suggests that he may need the money more than Church does, though he looks around furtively, as though afraid he'll be caught in the act, he hurries over, dropping two small coins - barely worth anything - into the bag at Church's feet.
He smiles, apologetically, eyes full of sorrow and compassion. ]
It's all I can spare. [ All he can afford to give away, or his stepfather will surely notice he's brought less change home from the market than he should have. ] I hope it helps.
no subject
[Yes, he would like the money. It's a debate with himself. It was given freely of the guy's own accord! But like...look at him.]
No, okay, no, c'mon, you need it more than I do.
no subject
[ He shakes his head, adamant, casting an embarrassed glance down at his clothes. ]
I know I'm ill-looking, but I have food and shelter, I assure you. Please take it.
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[ He hesitates, looks around once more as if still concerned about spies, and then leans in closer, murmuring low. ]
It isn't even mine.
[ There's a hint of excitement in his voice, and when he looks at Church his eyes are sparkling with a forbidden thrill. ]
It rightfully belongs to my stepfather. But he is a rich man; he'll never note the loss of such petty coinage.
no subject
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I shall certainly remember.
Good day to you, my friend, and the Queen's blessings upon you.
iii
Unfortunately, they're NOT weapons. However, Church has introduced an exciting idea of Hit The Ball as Hard as You Can, try to get it over the pit. So he takes a running start and SMAAASHes the poor croquet ball. It goes soaring over the pit. So does the head of his croquet mallet. The remainder of it hangs limply in his hands, splintered in two from the force of his grip.]
Seems alright to me. Pretty shitty equipment, though.
[Who IS this man?]
no subject
You, my friend, have some massive slabs of meat for arms. Maybe you can help me finish this game!
[He looks over across the pit where a ball now actually is. And then he looks back at Kenpachi.]
The rules of the game are an enigma to me, but I guess the Queen likes her mysteries.
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[Kenpachi looks from the pit, to the other side where his ball is, then finally to Church, looking vaguely perplexed.]
Rules? I ain't following any rules.
[Was this man even invited??]
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iii
[ There goes the ball!! Mira stares after it for a moment, then looks to her partner, the little wooden charms of her bracelet moving as she does. ]
I don't know... Do queens really have time to play games?
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[He gives Mira a once-over, not too interested in the details at first. Something niggles at the back of his mind when he gazes over the infinity pit. Did he miss something? What's--what's he missing here? He even raises a hand to shield his visor, as though there were sunlight blinding him. He's never made much of the bracelet on his wrist. It was a gift, wasn't it? From...his father? From someone in town? Maybe he picked it up somewhere? Surely that's it, he bought it with his own money for how cute it was. Where was he--]
...I have to admit, though, this thing doesn't seem physically possible.