EVENT #17: EPULUM - OOC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #17 - OOC Plotting

IC Event Log ⦁ Coordination Post ⦁ Nocwich

Although Nocwich - and Luna - have opened their doors for over a year, Ikorr has remained more isolated...until now. At the start of February, the Summoned will receive a letter inviting each of them to attend a grand street carnival the vampires call Epulum, held every 1-2 years based on how Ikorr perceives the movement of the Arcana. For this year, Epulum will be based on The Tower. The decision has heightened tensions between Ikorr and Luna, though Luna has not taken action thus far.

The event will take place over two days between FEBRUARY 24-25. Characters will arrive on the 24th to settle in, and the carnival and parade itself will be on the 25th. A giant communal tent will be provided for characters to rest. Don't worry about roommates! Everyone will be all in one place...and there are no walls or privacy screens. If you're shy, it's luckily just for one night!

Of course, not all will be as it seems. As the night progresses, a mystery will unfold that the Summoned are urged to investigate. The very fate of Abraxas could rest upon what happens next.

While this event will contain mingle and festival aspects, its driving force will be the crime that takes place midway. Although characters are not required to participate in the investigation, the majority of the IC Event Log will be focused on uncovering the culprit and the outcome that follows.

Characters will also be tasked with a choice once the stolen artifact is recovered, one that must be made in the heat of the moment. Every decision will have a consequence and there are no right answers, so don't stress what you pick. Choose what feels most in-character!

Jump to section

Introduction ⦁ Crime & Investigation ⦁ Notes ⦁ Questions & Answers

Epulum

Summoned who attended the ball at the Nightbloom last year may expect an air of refinement out of the vampires. During other times, they'd be right. This vibrant street festival, however, is about indulgence and letting go. Here, the vampires forgo all decorum and social expectations. Revealing outfits and overstated costume pieces are common. As the night goes on, some shed their clothes altogether. A parade will also be going through with magnificent floats.

Characters attending won't be expected to be as comfortable in their own skin if they're not, but they'll be encouraged to let loose as much as possible. Drink, feast, and enjoy all that the night has to offer.

Wondering if your character can afford an outfit? Not to worry! Ikorr will provide attendees with a giant closet in their tent, filled with clothes and accessories they can borrow for the evening. Local attendants will be on hand to strongly encourage characters to wear something on theme. They can, of course, choose to purchase their outfits, as well.

As for the February weather, don't fret about that, either! Ikorr will provide all guests with a warming potion, so you can stay nice and toasty without having to layer up.

Activities & Areas

The festival square is divided into three areas, plus the vault that will open up once the crime is discovered. Each area will have its own theme and activity. They can be visited outside of the investigations and returned to during them. Players may further make use of the properties available in the prompts to aid with their investigation if they wish. Improvising is encouraged!

◎ Sanguine Promenade
◎ Key aspect: Transformative masks

Blood-infused wines are available throughout the festival, but here is where guests indulge to the fullest. The promenade is lined with large tents, some for more private activities and others for socializing. Mind-altering substances and aphrodisiacs are available. Live feedings are also common. The majority of participants are the Draconae, who are notoriously impossible to enchant or subdue, so characters can rest assured that it's all consensual. Characters will also find a wall of masks that will imbue them with a particular transformation.

◎ Feasting Quarter
◎ Key aspect: Induced emotions through food

Blood is not all that the vampires enjoy consuming. They're also fond of a variety of regular foods - the richer, the better. Custard pies, cream donuts, and thick slices of lamb shank or stuffed squab fill the area. Characters can eat what they like, free of charge. Scattered around the Quarter are tables that serve samples of candies which give an emotional boost. This may have a unique, unintended effect on the Summoned.

◎ Blood Moon Ring
◎ Key aspect: Revealing mirrors

Encircled by blood-red orbs that resemble, well, blood moons, this is where seemingly death-defying performances take place. Sword swallowers, fire jugglers, and acrobats will showcase their spectacular talent in a variety of shows that rotate throughout the night. Nearby is a dressing room where the talent prepares and rests in between shows. There's also a hall of mirrors that'll reveal your character's inner self, as associated with their Arcana Sign - which may be awkward if your character is with someone else.

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A Crime Committed

Partway through the night, characters will notice some strange activity. You can choose one of three scenarios to facilitate your character's discovery of the crime. Characters may investigate the odd activity in pairs or groups. The full description will be available on the IC Event Log, but you can find a brief outline below to help you plan:

1. A sudden increase in guards around the event's perimeter.
2. A distressed woman wandering the promenade in tears.
3. One of several lost (costume) skulls scattered throughout the area.

While Ikorr had no intention of involving the Summoned, they'll request the help of anyone willing. The missing item is not only valuable, but it can be extremely dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. To prevent panic, they ask everyone involved to be discreet. This doesn't mean characters can't be clear they're investigating something important on behalf of Ikorr, but it'll be wise to consider when and to whom you do so.

How characters discover a crime has occurred is up to players. You can use any one of the reasons above or you can have another character tell them. While it's not necessary to play out the thread, players are encouraged to do so. You'll be able to take control of the NPCs involved in the scenario to add flavor.

Once characters make the discovery, they'll be given a brief overview of the crime. We'll provide those details on the IC Event Log. Please ICly delay characters making public Network announcements listing out these details in full so that others have the chance to discover things organically in-game.

Asking questions or noticing an oddity is encouraged, however, and feel free to share any investigative details revealed afterwards via the Network.

Stolen Artifact

The stolen artifact itself will be revealed on the IC Event Log. Ikorr claims it contains a link to a mysterious power that could prove disastrous if it escapes or is damaged in any way. Recovering the artifact is vital so that they can once again store it safely into the vaults.

Investigating the Crime

Characters will have a few avenues of investigation. Specifics will be available on the IC Event Log.

Rank can play a factor, but this doesn't mean a higher rank is automatically beneficial. For example, spying as a lower-rank character will be more successful than a higher one, but a higher-influenced character might be able to convince a witness they're trustworthy. How your character earned their reputation can also be important.

◎ Scenes. Characters can investigate specific aspects of various "Scenes" to uncover clues and evidence. Characters can work together to compare notes. Each piece of evidence will be tailored for you and your group, so you're welcome to explore freely without worrying about overlapping with everyone else.

◎ Witnesses. Each area will contain NPC witnesses that can be questioned or spied on. Characters can work together to compare notes regarding what they find out, and they can return to follow up or pursue a new line of questioning based on what they learn. While characters won't know this upfront in-game, the culprit will be one of the four witnesses. As players, your job is just to narrow it down to which one.

◎ Evidence. Evidence you can gather will fall under one of three categories. You'll need to investigate a Witness or a Scene first before you can discover the evidence. As noted, everyone will receive a single piece of evidence that can be "yours," meaning you won't need to coordinate who might've "taken" it first. For example, more than one person can find a letter since each one will receive a different letter that contains a different set of clues.

◎ Horizon. One aspect every Summoned has access to is the Horizon. Here, they can create a centralized meeting point, discuss evidence or suspects without the locals listening in, and even recreate evidence or crime scene scenarios. Think of it as a sort of "mind palace" to help solve the crime. Players can coordinate how information exchanges hands based on their preferences.

This event will make use of Investigations similar to the island investigation and previous events. Investigations for this event will unfold on a smaller scale and will provide information and physical evidence.

A Coordination Post will be available. Due to the time-sensitive nature, we recommend ensuring you can reply within 24 hours when beginning an investigation. Delayed responses may increase the likelihood of hitting a dead end. Not to worry, however! Your contribution up to that point will still hold importance.

Taking a Side

Whether the culprit is caught or not depends on how the investigation unfolds. However, the artifact will be recovered - either taken off of the person responsible if caught or simply found discarded for reasons unknown.

Recovering the artifact doesn't end the trouble, though. Luna has caught wind of what's happened and has sent word to the Summoned that they believe the artifact must be destroyed. They state that drastic action may be taken against Ikorr to ensure that this happens. Meanwhile, Ikorr refutes Luna's position, claiming that destroying the artifact would unleash a terrible power, and they'll do anything to defend this.

As the situation escalates right in front of them, characters might feel compelled to intervene before the conflict snowballs into outright war. They may believe one side is right over the other, or they may just want to do what'll best keep the peace. Although Ikorr and Luna will not ask the Summoned to step in, they are willing to listen to them - and what characters say could make a difference.

More information will be revealed on the IC Event Log, but how your character responds will determine what happens next. Abstaining will count as a choice and will carry consequences of its own. This means characters who refuse to get involved will still influence the outcome.

For the choice to count, players must submit at least one thread where their character is participating in the event. Characters who are absent from the event altogether will not be part of the tally. OOC, this will be handled as a majority vote. In-game, the process will be much less formal.

Please hold questions regarding this scenario until the IC Event Log, as you might get your answers from the write-up. If you still have questions then, you're welcome to ask us below!

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Notes

Event Organization

In addition to the IC Event Log, we'll also put up a Coordination Post. Due to the amount of OOC communication that may be required for this event, there will be a separate post for players to use for investigations.

The Coordination Post will also feature a section for network-style in-person threads for anyone who wants to play out scenes that may not be logistically feasible to do as a log thread. This can include large group meetings, a multi-person argument, or anything of that nature. The purpose is to let multiple players interact and progress a scene quickly without the expectations or pressures that might come with a standard log thread such as posting order or tag length. Threads of this type will be considered Network threads if used for Activity Check.

More details will be provided on the Coordination Post, but we wanted to give you an idea of how the event will be organized so you can factor it into your plans.

Event Schedule

To allow room for players to get things started, the event post will be going up before the actual in-game date the event occurs. This event has been forward-dated more than usual to reduce the gap between player knowledge regarding the outcome and when characters would know the outcome in-game.

The IN-GAME EVENT will ICly take place February 24 - 25
The EVENT POST will go up February 16 for players to participate in.

There will be NO WRAP-UP POST for this event. To give players more time to progress their investigations, we'll reveal the consequences during the PRELUDE. The aim is to post it early March, though the date may be flexible depending on the speed of investigations.

Ability or Transformation Gain

While there is no ability gain for this event, we realize it's been longer than usual between characters receiving an event Reward Gain. We wanted to signal that April's event will allow characters to request a more powerful gain than standard. We hope the wait will be worth it!

In the meantime, characters can learn magic and progress their studies on their own to obtain new spells and abilities.

Plotting Form

You can use the plotting form below to make plans.

<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Territory:</b> <b>Rank:</b> <b>Activities:</b> (What will your character be doing?) <b>Scenario:</b> (What scenario are you interested in for discovering the crime? Do you want a partner to play it out with? Do you want another character to tell yours instead?) <b>Investigation:</b> (What skills will your character bring to the table when investigating? Will they focus on witnesses? Would they prefer to spy or eavesdrop? Would you like some friends to help you?) <b>General plans:</b> (Anything else!)

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Questions and Answers

If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!

What does "associated with their Arcana Sign" mean for the hall of mirrors?

We'll provide more detail on the Event Log, but essentially, characters will see something of themselves in their reflection that's linked to the reason you chose that Arcana Sign for them. This can manifest in multiple ways. A character might see their child self at a defining moment in their life or they might see themselves transformed into a figure they're afraid they'll become. The effect doesn't need to be negative, though it can be. For instance, someone who has The Lovers could face a reflection of the person they're deeply loyal to. Someone with The Emperor could see themselves as an unfeeling conqueror if they have doubts or fears about their role as a leader.

Will there be rapid IC exchanges available on the Coordination Post again?

Yes! Players are encouraged to use that section to speed up any IC investigation threads or discussions.

What are rapid IC exchanges?

Rapid exchanges operate similarly to an informal IC network thread done in person, where character reactions, snippets of dialogue, and other details can be quickly played out and concluded in-game without committing to a full log thread. Use this option if you have an interaction you'd like to play out, but setting up a standard IC thread would be impracticable. For example, if your character wants to speak to several people about an event they witnessed together, you might want to do an IC exchange.

I'd like to participate in an investigation, but I'm not sure about the time I can commit to it. Will there be consequences for not finishing an investigation?

There won't be any negative consequences, but you might not uncover as much information or your investigation path may be shortened if your responses are delayed past 24 hours per reply. Since the event relies on characters making progress, any stalled leads will be opened up to another group or we may bring in some NPCs to complete it as necessary.

Can my character still "investigate" without doing a formal investigation?

Of course! Characters can use the investigation avenues as prompts to thread with other characters without formally submitting anything. However, they won't discover any clues that will contribute to the outcome.

My character isn't much of a detective, but I'd still like to participate. What can I do?

Investigations won't just require typical detective work. Other options include: providing a distraction so others can sneak into places, stumbling over important evidence accidentally, being an encouraging (or intimidating) presence to gain information, offering niche expertise for a clue, or providing magical skills to unlock or examine pieces of gathered evidence. Finally, characters can just enjoy the party without ever realizing a crime has occurred!

Do I need to reach a certain stage in my threads before continuing the investigation?

Not necessarily! We encourage you to play out the thread alongside the investigation, but we won't ask you to submit proof of it in-game before you can receive information. You can proceed with an investigation independent of any threads you do, so don't feel like you have to wait before continuing.

Can my character still vote even if they didn't take part in the investigation?

Yes, the vote will be a separate occurrence from investigations. All characters can take part in the vote if they've attended the event.

Is there a minimum comment count for the linked participation thread?

We won't establish a set comment count, but we are looking for sincere participation rather than putting down a comment or two at the last minute just to squeeze in a vote.

What information will characters be given to make the vote?

Characters will only know what Ikorr and Luna are saying. They'll have to do the best they can with what they've learned.

How long will they have to make a decision?

They won't have long to think about it. Ikorr and Luna will have a tense confrontation so characters will need to make their decision on the fly with only a few minutes to consult with each other.

Will territory officials have a say in this?

No, officials will not be a part of this, though the consequences may reflect on the character's residing territory afterwards. Depending on what happens later, characters may have to answer for it in the future.

Are characters doing the investigation while dressed up in their party outfits?

Yes! Characters will likely be investigating the crime while wearing their bright, feathery outfits unless they take the time to change - but it may be a good idea to try to blend in!

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Comments

Questions

[abraxasmods]

[durge]

quick question: would the vampires react in any way to someone who has very obviously been feeding a vampire on the regular or not?

Dee's Trio

[divinityfrompain]

Istredd | Thorne

[magicalarchaeologist]

Character Name: Istredd
Territory: Thorne
Rank: 5

Activities: Istredd will be dressed accordingly (tits out) and be very uncomfortable about it as even in season 3 he still was wearing a low cut shirt. It'll probably look something like this. He'll be curious about everything he sees and looking for information about Ikorr because nerd.

Scenario: Istredd will immediately be concerned and get in the middle of this conflict. The fact it's an artifact involved makes him want to see the artifact, please and thank you. He will question it, I'm guessing he reacts seeing guards or increased security. He'll probably go with scenes over witnesses first though, he's better at looking around than he is at people.

Investigation: Istredd is a powerful telepath and knows how to be secretive about it, so he may test the waters gently about this. He can hide what he's doing with his illusion powers and also detect illusions if there are any in the investigation. He's very perceptive and good at picking up details in a scene.

General plans: Istredd will likely be firmly in the 'we should not fuck with an artifact' camp. He would be worried it's associated with a god and who knows what would happen from there. He will state his opinion (probably on the coordination post) to argue on that side of things.

NOTE: I do prefer to plot on Plurk but will obviously reply here for people more comfy with it! feel free to add me tho

Julie Lawry | Free Cities

[princessvegas]

Character Name: Julie Lawry
Territory: Free Cities
Rank:3

Activities: Getting wildly drunk, eating a lot of custard donuts that she keeps calling Boston Cream, and playing with all the wild vampire games like the masks and the mirrors!

Scenario: Someone can inform her if they want, or she can just have overhead. She is not interested in the crime or investigation at all, so this doesn't really need to be played out.

Investigation: The only skill she would bring is an offer to seduce someone as a distraction, because that's very Bond girl and cool. The caveat being that she will probably be very drunk and/or impaired on vampire drugs by that point.

General plans: It has been so long since Julie has gotten to really have fun, please throw your ideas at me! She has very loose morals when she's really partying. Like, "watch people get brutally murdered as entertainment" loose. (It's fine, it was normal back then.) So she is here for antics.

[itookashot]

We haven't played them in FOREVER, they should have a grand old time together drinking and eating and ignoring things.

jay's magical menagerie

[ancunin]

Astarion | Free Cities |

[ancunin]

Character Name: Astarion
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 3 SOMEHOW

Activities: OH GOOD VAMPIRE THINGS HE'S SO EXCITED (he has mixed feelings)

Astarion will be lurking wherever blood stuff and feeding is happening. He'll drink all your bloodwine if you don't want it. In the beginning of the event he will be a little skittish, but calm down over time (and then probably get annoyed again when the crime happens).

I think it's funny if the mirrors don't work on him so if you wanna see that happen to him...

He will be avoiding magic masks bc wtf he doesn't need that in his life, but he'll watch other people mess around with them.

Let him judge your outfit lmao. He probably won't be showing too much flesh, which may surprise people.

Scenario: He'll need a partner, he really doesn't care until it becomes clear shit might be dangerous.

Investigation: Very very good sense of smell, mostly for blood but also dead things, blood related curses, etc etc...

General plans: UP FOR WHATEVER, probably gonna top level him

ammay's two in desperate need of therapy

[durge]

haelva lueltar (dark urge) | solvunn

[durge]

Character Name: haelva
Territory: solvunn
Rank: 2

Activities: she will take one look into the MIRRORS and walk right back out so if anyone wants a look at uh, Extremely Good at Murder Haelva that's your chance! also going to FEAST and maybe pick up a MASK, though her experience with masks isn't great, so it would depend on her company whether or not she actually puts it on.

Scenario: either the DISTRESSED WOMAN or the MISSING SKULLS, she does have a tendency to see other people's misfortune as something she can help with (#protag issues) and she loves skulls, so. you know.

Investigation: A GOOD INTELLEGENCE SCORE otherwise nothing except for the ability to ask rather pointed questions with various levels of rng success. She would probably focus on witnesses because she thinks everyone else will deal with the investigation -- and i'm totally down for her to have friends to help her/have her compensate for their lack of people skills.

General plans: not that i know of just yet, i'm pretty flexible with all of this so if you have ideas and want to throw them at me i'm game!

noa's old men in wigs

[gynvael]

geralt of rivia | free cities

[gynvael]

Character Name: Geralt of Rivia
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 5

Activities: Geralt is not technically here for any rambunctious activities, but he can be dragged into things, esp since it looks like the partying is...everywhere. He will probably drape some feathers or beads over his neck and call it a day, and you cannot convince him to put on any more of a costume than this.

I'm debating the mirrors if we wanted to get that CR rolling, but I'll limit how many of these I'm doing just so it isn't overwhelming for him!

Scenario: I'm leaning towards the increase in guards! Geralt will probably pick up on the guards the quickest, since he's usually aware of his surroundings, but the crying woman will ping him, too.

Investigation: Investigating supernatural crimes is what Geralt does! He would not have been interested if this was a regular old theft, but since there seems to be a lot of ~forces~ around this object, he'll want to make sure it's found. Geralt can sniff things out, he has a pretty good sense of when people are lying to him, and his ability to piece things together is fairly solid.

However.......deception is not his thing, and he can maybe only put up a (bad) act for, like, 2 minutes max. And only if he has to. So he could use other ppl who are better at this!! Geralt tends to be straightforward when he's questioning.

He can also offer Intimidation Points if you need a large man to loom.

General plans: Unless something very strongly pushes him one way or another, Geralt will not be involved in whatever goes down at the end. It really depends on if lives are immediately at stake or if it's mostly political handwringing.

Otherwise, Geralt will be out and about! I'm happy to throw him at anything. I think the emotional food could be fun, if it fucks with him briefly. He will be extremely annoyed afterwards.

em's depression squad

[righteously]

Dean Winchester | Free Cities | The Lovers

[righteously]

Character Name: Dean Winchester
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 3

Activities: Solving mysteries! Failing at date night! Dean will be actively working on figuring out the crime because it's the other half of his day job, and he's sort of missed doing the more procedural parts of hunting.

Scenario: A distressed woman wandering the promenade in tears; he might be doing a buddy cop interview with Geralt on this one.

Investigation: Like half of what Dean does for a living involves pretending to be a cop or FBI and doing a procedural investigation featuring witness interviews. He's perfectly skilled for this kind of thing!

General plans: I plan to do open top-levels with all my guys this event. If I don't write a prompt you can work with, gimme a ping on discord or plurk and we can hash something out!

Alucard / Castlevania / Free Cities

[cryptsleeper]

Character Name: Alucard
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 7

Activities: Al will be taking in absolutely everything that Ikorr has to offer, as he's been wanting to observe vampire culture here as soon as he heard about it. While he will probably keep to the feasting quarter, he will be observing the sanguine promenade with an anthropological hat on. He may appreciate a friend or two for this part just in case, especially if they are already aware of some of his problems. That said, I'm all down for transformation too!

Scenario: Al will likely notice the missing costumed skulls scattered throughout the area. I'm happy to have him help others notice it and otherwise explore!

Investigation: Al is great at hearing and sniffing things out, so he may be best suited to working a scene with others and using that to discover evidence! He'd prefer to stay outside of the Horizon for the time being and allow for others to take care of the coordination.

General plans:
- Al has a lot of affection for the Luna folks, so he will definitely feel A Way about the debate over the artefact itself. He's happy to discuss this with others, especially those newer to the game.
- Yes he's going to have his tits out, don't worry about it. Not that this was probably going to be in doubt.
- He'll be especially invested in connecting with other vampires (both Summoned and native) to make sense of just, everything here, especially since it is in such sharp contrast to the last time the Summoned were permitted into Ikorr.
- I'm open to most things here, so please don't hesitate to reach out!

[gynvael]

I am not sure what exactly, but I do feel like tits out Alucard is a good time for Geralt to join up with him again. Plus, I think in general Geralt might poke in on him since he knows Alucard has been interested in the vampires here for a while!

nebula 👾 mcu 👾 solvunn 👾 death

[furibund]

Character Name: Nebula
Territory: Solvunn
Rank: 0

Activities: Questioning why she came here
- Probably causing some kind of scene about stupid outfit choices! (thank you dice roll)
- Please I love emotion boosts especially if it's dealing with things not anger! Terrorize her.
- Mirrors???? Her arcana is due to her diligence to trying to kill her father but these days specifically trying to make Knowhere a home for others (children). So while the former angle is possible... Knowhere.
- Interested in the masks but I'd like to see what the transformations include first before deciding!

Nebula mostly will be going to try and see what's outside of Solvunn more, so it's a desire of information more than anything. She's probably barely ever been to a carnival - if she has - and thinks it's all silly! Especially with the amount of fanfare but... She's here now and will be curious how their little crime plays out. Personally, I'm down for playing with any of the elements and happy to do any kind of CR helping along with these kind of status events!

Makes her more relaxed (no)

Scenario: She'll probably overhear/notice more than anything and if she sees anyone else huddling will ask them. I'm always happy to bring people in OOCly

Investigation: Persistence... Under her father she would have had some kind of spying skill for time I guess. Technically the What If? Nova Corps is MCU Nebula from early on so she's smart enough to put together pieces of evidence.

General plans: I kind of went over some of it above, oops! While I would like the first part of the event to be about CR building/gathering/and loosening a bit I think her getting involved over feeling stupid being there would happen... So she would keep an eye on/help investigate things. But let's highlight potential for stupidity too.

Always feel free to add me on hopewillbloom or dm me on discord (deadlynadder) for any plotting you might like!

[thedreamer]

Causing a scene about stupid outfit choices — what a perfect time to have the trinket he bought for her shoved forcibly in her face!!

...kidding!

Emotion boosts could be interesting for them potentially. I see potential with mirror things or possibly even the masks, depending on what we find out when the full event details drop!

terra's dummies

[theidlemaiden]

hilda goneril | free cities | the lovers

[theidlemaiden]

Character Name: Hilda Goneril
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 5

Activities: Hilda will probably be there enjoying the sights and participating in the revelry! I'm happy to handwave anyone that might need help with some dressing up or a hype woman to tell you that you look great in whatever it is you're trying on? She's your gal!

There could be some fun things we can cook up in the wall of masks since she was given a watered down version of Fear during the rift event (there's an illusion of a Demogorgon head where hers should be when heightened emotions come into play) that I'd like to play more with depending on what info comes out in the event post.

The hall of mirrors and the feasting quarter would be interesting to either deepen cr or kick it off too!

Scenario: A distressed woman would definitely draw her attention as would the sudden increase in guards!

Investigation: Hilda doesn't think she has two brain cells to rub together but she can be incredibly charming when the time calls for it. I'm still not sure how involved I'd like her to be, but if you need someone with the gift of gab, she can help out with that (or cause a dramatic distraction).

General plans: Hilda is here and ready to clown. Not certain about open TL's for her yet so I might stick to closed or just tagging out.

Jonathan Crane | Free Cities

[restingstitchface]

Character Name: Jonathan Crane
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 4

Activities: Crane will not have a fun time with the costumes on offer: he will need convincing attending this party in normal attire is a bad idea. He will investigate the masks and encourage people to live a little. The mirrors will reflect various aspects of his inner self depending on who is around.

Scenario: Crane will encounter the distressed woman: those who know his true identity may find this suspicious.

Investigation: Crane is not a detective but possesses analytical and psychological expertise. His career involves dissecting speech and body language for exaggeration and inconsistency. This makes him useful for questioning witnesses who might be lying. He will abstain for the vote.

General plans:

Expect one reflection to be Batman.

viktor | free cities | death

[techmaturgy]

Character Name: Viktor
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 8

Activities: lamenting the fact that he JUSt had to go to a party and now there’s another party

Jk he has a slight affinity for the vampires, so he’ll be glad to get to visit them for real, even if he is not going to be a huge fan of the celebration. He’ll be a (mostly) good sport about things, especially around friends, and I personally am interested in the mask and mirror scenarios, both for close CR and new friends!

He will probably need help with an outfit.

Scenario: He’ll notice increased guard activity and probably go from there. Once he figures out what’s going on, he’ll be very interested in the nature and abilities of the artifact and focus any of his investigation on that in an attempt to determine exactly how much trouble they’re in if it’s not recovered. He’s generally displeased with the Summoned’s inclination to destroy things before they’re fully understood, so he would want to garner as much information as he can about it so he can make an informed decision.

Investigation: Viktor is probably too well-known to effectively eavesdrop or otherwise spy, but he’s here to lend legitimacy and call in favors for anyone who might need it. If there is a technological angle he can exploit, he’ll be all over it. That said, the political aspect doesn’t really interest him—only the artifact itself. He’ll be available for teamups, and is happy to assist if another character needs it.

General plans: Top leveling but also hoping to tag out and meet new people/catch up with cross-faction CR in person! I imagine I will have more specific thoughts once the actual content of the event is available, especially with regards to the masks and things. You can hit me up on plurk at whitticus to chat!

Sylvain Gautier | Free Cities

[philancer]

Character Name: Sylvain
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 3

Activities: Sylvain will mainly be focusing on the celebration portion of this event, unless someone would like a partner. Or a distraction! He's great at being that. He would be the first to say he is NOT the brains of this operation and leaving the heavy lifting of the investigation to who he feels are the smarter/more involved characters. But that isn't to say he would turn a blind eye to someone needing help or someone in distress, because he is very much a helper, even if he wouldn't instigate much investigating on his own.

things I'd like to play:
- he definitely wants to explore the street festival. I haven't decided on his costume yet, but it's probably going to be ostentatious and over the top because this type of celebration is absolutely his favorite kind and he'll go all out for it.
- SANGUINE PROMENADE. probably where he'll spend the most time for the event. He is all about the indulgences and he may play a little with the masks I haven't decided yet. also you had me at "Mind-altering substances and aphrodisiacs" and "live feedings" Someone please come keep him from making too many poor life choices. Or join him in making them, he is a great terrible influence.
- FEASTING QUARTER. Sylvain had a love/hate relationship with the vampire feast last time (WHY does all the wine have blood in it, really???) so he will be venturing here when necessary. The emotional boost candies sound like a fun thing to explore, especially the hint at their unique, unintended effect on the Summoned. Who wants to experiment? >.>
- Hall of Mirrors! he is a Sun, so there's not a lot dark and dangerous to reveal here for him, but I'd be fascinated to play with something unexpected or turn the signs on their head somehow. I just love the arcana concept in general and always love looking for excuses to play with it!

Scenario: The only scenario likely to really get his attention is the distressed woman wandering the promenade in tears so if someone would like a thread partner for that part, feel free to grab me! The other options increase in guards because that... would actually alert him to something being wrong and heighten his wariness and paranoia, thinking shit might be about to go down. Just because he hasn't needed to use his battle instincts as much here in Abraxas doesn't mean they've dimmed any. >.>

Investigation: He's mostly here to offer other people help if they need it, jump in and lend a hand wherever its needed. he wouldn't head up much himself but he doesn't mind joining someone who might need backup. Or a distraction, if someone else needs to do some sneaking. I'm a little at a loss when it comes to getting him involved in this aspect of the event since he'd be more inclined to hang back and let the "smarter people" handle it.

General plans: feel free to hit me up at chaneystarr or on discord (also chaneystarr there) if you want to do your plotting elsewhere!

[aquaveiled]

Himeka is here to help him make poor choices

sansa stark | thorne

[theladyofwinterfell]

Character Name: Sansa Stark
Territory: Thorne
Rank: 0

Activities:

Sansa is going to do the Hall of Mirrors (she'll see herself dressed like Olenna Tyrell, the ultimate secret keeper and nosy person of Westeros haha) and she'll get dosed by the wine so Sandor can carry her away to sleep it off. Otherwise, she hasn't been to a party where no one died since she was a kid (probably) so she will hopefully have a little fun? Maybe?

Scenario: Spying on the witnesses. I'm up to having a partner for this!

Investigation: Sansa will definitely be eavesdropping on conversations as she always does. She's not likely to come forward with any information publicly unless pressed to do so by an authoritative party because she thinks secrets = value so if she gets something valuable she's going to want to just note it for herself and possibly slip it to someone she trusts (aka no one rn). She will be interested in the fact that Luna wants to destroy the artifact and Ikorr does not; she will likely hear both sides and choose with however the majority sways for this round in order to prevent war which would likely have repercussions on the other factions (at least as far as she knows).

General plans: You can contact me at tessituras if you want to work something out!

[ordinar]

Wilhelm can make sure she has some fun. Maybe they could end up in the hall of mirrors together?

[ordinar]

Character Name: Wilhelm
Territory: Thorne
Rank: 3

Activities: He'll be interested in checking out the festivities, though he might regret it. Trying out potions, transformative masks, the hall of mirrors. He is very committed to dressing on theme, though this will definitely push him outside of his comfort zone.

Scenario: I'm open to any scenario! I'll probably pick when the event log goes up. I'd love to have a pal to thread it out with, swinging from goofy partying to oh no.

Investigation: I have two thoughts... One, Wilhelm has dark magic that would allow him to blend in with the shadows easily and eavesdrop on people. He could also enshroud others in magic darkness, though your character would not be able to see what's happening outside of it unless they have magical means to do so. Two, he could use his age to his advantage in order to get info, playing the naive innocent youth who couldn't possibly be up to anything. Trust him...

General plans: Up for whatever!

[itookashot]

Wilhelm and Jesper have to hang out I don't know what yet but something will come to us.

PEARL — LOKI + URIANGER

[bathrobed]

Please feel free to hit me up for further plotting on Plurk @ horrology any time!

LOKI

[bathrobed]

Character Name: Loki
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 0

Activities:

🐍 If there's red wine, Loki will be there. Open invitation for any other bitchy wine drinkers to fall in with him and join him in being catty and judgemental about people's taste in outfits
🐍 He'll be enjoying the food while also complaining about how it all pales in comparison to Asdgardian fare, but this is largely because he hates admitting that other people are actually good at things 8')
🐍 Live feedings??? Yeah he'll be watching, he hasn't had too many run-ins with vampires and he's kind of fascinated
🐍 HALL 👏 OF 👏 MIRRORS 👏 I would LOVE one or two people catch sight of Loki's inner self! The creature in the mirror will be some kind of cross between a Devil-goat and a Jotunn, the latter of which is something he'd much prefer to keep from others. I think it could be a good foundation for some new CR as well as great for castmates to catch, although please do expect him to be cagey and bitchy about it 8)

Scenario:

I'm easy with all the scenarios although my personal preference would be the skull masks! A partner would also be great, so hit me up if you'd like to partner up with this idiot.

Investigation:

Loki excells in eavesdropping, spying, and interpreting physical evidence, and I'd love to get him teamed up with a couple of people! He's very interested in what this "terrible power" might be and will spend some time focusing on that, because he will be low-key trying to come up with a way that he might 1. Discover who stole the thing so that he can 2. See if they might be worth temporarily joining as a way to 3. Take it for himself.

Obviously this won't actually happen, but just a heads-up that that's very much his angle!

General plans: Looking to start some new CR and bother castmates!

Koby | Free Cities

[kobes]

Character Name: Koby
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 0 lmao

Activities: While a quintessential wallflower, Koby won't be able to resist the allure of a new place to explore, and will definitely end up dressed all fancily. Interested in the mirrors and general fashion hijinks, since his idea of high fashion is...a military uniform. He'll be extremely shy and awkward about the shared quarters, too, poor thing.

Scenario: The increased guards will immediately ping Koby's interest, and he'll set about investigating literally immediately, he's so damn nosy. He'll also try to loop any and everyone in to help him, as muscle or distraction or whatnot.

Investigation: Like I said, this guy is NOSY he will eavesdrop and sleuth and theorize and strategize and completely forget that he's at a festival. Here for people to either rein him in and get him to focus or encourage his wild mass guessing! Koby is SMART too, so he'll put together that something is up pretty damn quick, but being a little tiny guy means he'll seek out someone(s) to back him up!

General plans: General mingling and CR please, since Koby is brand new and knows like 3 people.

[itookashot]

Jesper is here for the fashion side! Let him dress you up. Everyone needs to deal with Jesper fashion expertise at least once as they get used to Abraxas.

Jaina's dudes

[sketchycharacter]

Altaïr Ibn'La-Ahad | Assassin's Creed | Free Cities

[aquilus]

Character Name: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 2

Activities:
-He will be Very Uncomfortable with the ritual feeding and mind-altering substances, but will likely check out the sanguine promenade just to get a bead on what's up with this shindig. The transformational masks are definitely a possibility, ooh what's up with that
-He is MUCH more into the talent on display in the blood moon ring and the food in the feasting quarter, although he'll also be uncomfortable with any emotional boosts or internal reveals with the mirror. Fuck him though because I think that stuff sounds fun.

Scenario:
-He will absolutely notice the change in guard count. It's basically second nature. Spying, eavesdropping, beating the shit out of dudes interrogation are all things he's comfortable doing.

Investigation:
-He's comfortable working alone but is smart enough to know they'll be more effective with combined efforts.
-He also has an item-tracking ability but I assume the stolen object will not qualify for it. But he'd still ICly try if it's at all feasible.

General plans:
Voting's gonna depend on the specifics of the scenario we get.

Also he is just gonna resign himself to his tits hanging out again. Sigh.

the doctor | free cities | the fool

[thedreamer]

Character Name: The Doctor
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 0 (sobs in i still need to submit for this.)

Activities:
Per his usual, he will be everywhere! He can be dragged into things with no prompting, will enthusiastically drag others into things. He enjoys dressing up so...consider the most outlandish, fun, vibrantly colored outfit and that's him. May or may not match! He wouldn't straight up walk around with clothes optional for very long (ignoring late season 7 stuff lol) but he can for sure lack propriety so if you wanted to catch a brief show, he wouldn't have any qualms stripping down to change outfits in front of people.

Definitely interested in things with mirrors, indulging in food with an emotional boost, and anything with masks if you want to grab him for something here!

Scenario: All of these would ping him but I could see the guard aspect being one of those belated things for him given his distractibility with other goings-on!

Investigation:
The Doctor will be investigating with Julia and then he's wide open for anything else! He has abilities that might potentially come in handy with investigating: very good hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, he can detect things like age and chemical composition about an object by tasting it (yes this is as dumb & silly as it sounds), other things less relevant to this particular event.

Eavesdropping would be easy, down for chatting up witnesses, finding clues, cataloging everything in his head, etc.

General plans:
On voting - have to see how things play out with more details, but the Doctor has Opinions and is Here to Help but he's also a big walking paradox lol so I can't say anything for sure here until we know more. Outside of any closed things planned, I'll put up options for customized open top levels too!

PM me, grab me from the discord server, or hit me up on plurk if you wanna plot more: geekorthodox

[divinityfrompain]

Doctor-Companion investigation adventure! It was meant to be.

diana prince | dceu | free cities

[monomachy]

Character Name: Diana Prince
Territory: The Free Cities
Rank: 4

Activities: Diana loves festivals!! She will be taking part fully, as she's very curious about the culture and people of Ikorr since they are the group she knows the least about. She'll be delighted to see the Draconae again as well, since she felt immediate kinship with them when she visited their land. She will definitely indulge in the emotion-boosting food and depending on what they are, the transformative masks. As a fun treat, the mirrors will show her an look at her inner self as The Empress! She will definitely be available in all areas of the event.

Scenario: Diana is definitely the type to notice an increase in guards, and considering the otherwise festive air, she'll be curious about why and may do some snooping. I'm definitely down for her to have a partner (or several!) for this.

Investigation: Diana hasn't really developed many investigative skills yet, and spying isn't her area of expertise. But if anyone needs a distraction, that's definitely something she can provide. She could also take a shot at talking to any witnesses, if someone needs a gentle hand in that.

General plans: I'm finally done with my 3+ month work project so I am back for rp, babey!! Please let's do stuff. Feel free to pm me at this journal or add me on plurk at watchet!

steve rogers | free cities | the hierophant

[assembles]

Character Name: Steve Rogers
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 4

Activities: Steve won't be too thrilled by all the merrymaking, and he'll probably keep his outfit as toned down as it can be, sorry to say. He doesn't mind spangling a little but he's less into revealing outfits. I know, a tragedy. Someone is free to spill some wine or something on him and force him to shed his top.

I think it might be fun to mess around with the emotional food depending on what it does. Once Steve realizes what the mirrors do he's likely to avoid them but I could probably swing a thread or two there, and whether or not he'll mess around with the masks depends on what exactly they do. I'm sorry, he's the worst at letting loose and having a good time.

Scenario: He would definitely notice the increased guards because he's tuned into that sort of thing, and I'd love to thread out him and someone else noticing!

Investigation: Steve really isn't much of a spy most of the time, so he'll be much more likely to just question witnesses directly or to investigate scenes in search of any evidence rather than doing any sneaking around or sleuthing. Steve does have enhanced/super-human senses that could potentially help out. He might even be able to discover one or two of his Horizon-granted powers through this event, who knows? Either way, I'd love some buddies to investigate with, this is the part of the event I'm most excited to thread out!

General plans: How Steve votes probably depends a lot on what information we get, if any, but I think he might find it suspicious that Luna intervened when this is something hosted in Ikorr. How did they even find out, etc etc. Whether that makes him lean toward it being a real threat that the werewolves were able to sense, or if he'll find the werewolves' actions suspect probably depends on how everything is presented. But he will probably be decisive once he makes his mind up, because abstaining just seems like the worst option.

Also feel free to bug me on Plurk at demonology if you want to discuss anything further!

[bathrobed]

Investigation trust building exercise?

thancred waters | strength | thorne

[funbreaker]

Character Name: Thancred Waters
Territory: Thorne
Rank: 4

Activities: Thancred is willing to go with the flow and dress in something revealing, so he'll probably be tits out to some degree and doing his best to mingle with the vampires and do as they do for the sake of the gathering.

The mirrors are likely to show something to do with his daugther Ryne and his other Scion friends from home (as well as Himeka and Urianger, of course), since his arcana rating comes from his need to keep them all safe. It might show something about how much he's willing to sacrifice himself for that as well, so it would be a good option for anyone who wants to poke more into his motivations back home.

I'm down for doing threads with the masks and emotional food as well, depending on what their effects are! He'd be curious to check everything out within reason.

Scenario: Honestly, I could see him noting any of the three provided options, so I'm down for anything there. He wouldn't hesitate to approach the crying woman, and he's perceptive enough to pick up on the other things as well. I'm happy to thread out noticing what's up with someone!

Investigation: This is Thancred's bread and butter, as spy/espionage stuff is what he's trained in. He's very good at blending in, hiding and eavesdropping, spying on people, etc -- and he has both abilities gained here and from home to help him with that sort of thing. He can go for a more deceptive approach as well.

He'll want to investigate and figure out what happened and will be dedicated to all of that as soon as he realizes a crime has been committed. I'm very down for teaming up with some investigation buddies!! How he votes yet is unclear, I think it depends on if we get any more info.

General plans: If you want any random shenanigans in the communal tent thing where they're staying, that's fine by me too! I'm down for whatever and you can bug me on Plurk at demonology if you wanna discuss further.

Triss Merigold | The Witcher | Empress

[newwayforward]

Character Name: Triss Merigold
Territory: Solvunn
Rank: 0

Activities:
- eating food in the corner and wondering wtf is happening

As her first bigger event, Triss likely will just be watching and taking things in. She's still learning about this place having just arrived. Clothing style will likely get some looks. Why what short skirts those are... She'll be looking for something with a higher neckline to keep those burn marks covered for the time being. And probably fidget with the hem line of her own clothes as I am leaning towards a shorter skirt.

She will likely be curious about the warming potion and how it works. Might see if she can take a spare one? Is that allowed? Let's see!

Won't drink that much as she wants to stay sharp. Will eat, so fine with induced emotions. Revealing mirrors, still trying to figure out what she would see, but open to her seeing others.

Scenario:
Likely the sudden increase in guards. Distressed woman might have a passing look and she'd just assume people were up to something (sex) if she finds clothes. Likely would just pick them up and put them somewhere for someone to find. The guards though? That would get her attention and her curiosity as to why.

Investigation:

No rank~ Newer, so can play that card as a distraction for someone else. She is genuine enough that she likely could babble someone's ear off with sincerity and ask questions or pretend to be lost, loose something. Might question people, as she can likely do it organically and see if she can get information. Not exactly one for too much guile.

Likely try to look for evidence in a scene. She is intelligent enough and has something of a scientific mind so will work around.

Would lean more towards not destroying the artifact and want to have more information/have it studied, before taking such an action.

General plans: Will probably top level but I am just as fine tagging into others if they have any interest in meeting her.

wanda maximoff • solvunn • the hanged man

[carmesi]

Character Name: wanda maximoff
Territory: solvunn
Rank: 7

Activities:

in general, being able to explore ikorr! i would love this opportunity to also meet up with new characters from other territories. i'm interested to have wanda have a go at the masks and the mirrors. the death-defying performances will certainly delight her if nothing else.

Scenario:

i'd love a partner to join wanda in noticing/finding the distressed woman.

Investigation:

wanda will most likely serve best in scenes to use high-magic scrying, telepathy, or divination to gather evidence. she may also be able to invoke upon her patron god's assistance for guidance if there happens to be something of interest to the old god lying about. let's get stupid with some magic shenanigans in the process. as far as witnesses goes, down to have her team up with someone to go up to an npc to ask questions, rank-permitting, and thus share notes with others. alternatively, down to lay some spy-skills. covert baseball cap and all (or whatever the equivalent for that here is).

General plans:

not sure what she'll be voting on yet! i'll read more into it when the event proper drops. again, would love this opportunity for wanda to cement more cr and get to know newer summoned. maybe emote @ other telepaths while side-eyeing the whole situation. can't have a single nice party without the threat of the world exploding, huh.

as always, i'm obsessed with finding outfits. wanda will sport something like this; just a lot of mesh and low-collar cuts. she'll be accessorized a million different ways, glitter makeup, etc. any fashionable girlies/friends wanting to be involved in the process, please! i love a dose of slice-of-life. she's also happy to help out any clueless or shier individuals.

let's solve some mysteries gang

[thedreamer]

may i steal a spot on your dance card for mirror things with them potentially?

claude von riegan | free cities

[godshattering]

Character Name: Claude von Riegan
Territory: Free Cities
Rank: 5

Activities: I feel like I say this every time, but everything! I'll probably have some prompts to cover things from light to more serious, but as for some of what stands out to me from what we've got here:
- Fashion! He'll probably have an outfit in mind, but if someone needs help choosing what to wear (or being convinced into wearing something) he'd do it. Do you need a shopping buddy
- Sanguine Promenade! Really interested in the transformation part of the masks 👀 But also the mind altering substances... I'd be up for this with either existing CR or new CR if we wanted them to meet that way.
- Feasting Quarter! He loves a good feast and celebrating whatever the occasion is, and I want to put him through whatever the emotional boosts are. If there's something that'll encourage characters into expressing something they wouldn't usually I'm also up for that since a 2024 goal for Claude is to get him to, you know, actually open up more. Alternatively if these are also like the glowing candy around that's Potent I'm totally up for silliness with this!

Scenario: The sudden increase in guards will likely catch his attention first! Claude's pretty observant and tends to have an eye on what's going on around him at all times, but thinking back to their initial visit to Nocwich and how things went for the delegates will be in the back of his mind this whole time. That plus the distressed woman in tears would put him on alert that Something Is Happening. I'd love a partner or a group to play any of this out with! If we'd like to combine this with a thread starting on one topic initially and then the notching of everything going on happens I'm also up for that.

Investigation: Claude likes to investigate a good mystery of any kind so I'm thinking he'll absolutely be curious about everything going on and not have any hesitation in getting involved. He's good at talking up others and reading into what they may or may not be saying! He's also not above either spying or eavesdropping to gain information he wants to know, and as mentioned I'd love for him to team up with others. When working with others his best skill would probably be being the one in charge of the distraction while someone else does the sneaking around part.

Also, whatever he (and any partners) might learn will be things he shares with the other Summoned since he'll be interested in what they know and how they can put it all together. If anyone's putting something together in the Horizon for characters to reference he'll drop notes in there!

General plans: As for the voting, I'm not sure where Claude will land on that yet. He has fond memories of Luna from that first visit plus the Summoned's visits other times, so he'll definitely put some weight into what they're saying while also being well aware there's more going on since, gestures to Abraxas. He'll likely have something to say about this and would be prone to intervening before things get too heated, but I'm still thinking this part over.

Besides that, I plan to do open top levels this time around and once the log details are up I'll have a better idea of what those will look like. I'm happy to write closed starters at any time too so definitely don't be afraid to ask. I'd love to catch up with cross faction CR for this in person opportunity. I'm always up for new CR too and either silly or serious things, or combining both. Feel free to hit me up at indech or grab me from the game discord to plot if you'd prefer either one!

[thedreamer]

/slides over from CR meme!

Up in the air until we have more details and I'm not entirely sure how this would work out in realtime, but the voting isn't going to be a straightforward thing at all for the Doctor and I think he'd value Claude's insight/background given how long he's been here.

I'd love something that could play on that a bit more, bring to the surface their respective backgrounds/experience and potentially turn into conversation about ~gestures~ all of this. I know I'm very "throw everything at the dart board" haha but thinking there might be stuff in the event to use to bring them closer in that regard. As more info comes out with the transformative masks and the emotion boosting food, perhaps there's something that could come of that?