abraxasooc | EVENT #17: EPULUM

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!

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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:

A sudden increase in guards around the event's perimeter.
A distressed woman wandering the promenade in tears.
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.

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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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EVENT #17: EPULUM - OOC POST

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