let's set d o w n some (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
groundrules) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
westwhere2021-12-02 07:00 pm
groundrules) wrote in westwhere2021-12-02 07:00 pm
Entry tags:
- 2ha: chu wanning,
- avatar: zuko,
- harry potter: hermione granger,
- harry potter: lily evans,
- kingdom of the wicked: wrath,
- mo dao zu shi: xiao xingchen,
- mo dao zu shi: xue yang,
- oh! my emperor: beitang moran,
- persona 5: akira,
- star wars: slick,
- taravast,
- tian guan ci fu: xie lian,
- warcraft: anduin wrynn,
- warcraft: wrathion,
- watch_dogs: wrench
the coup
Hello to our last Big Event of the year, covering 2-22 December and also subbing as our test drive.
Current players can play here or make separate logs & network posts. TDM tourists are confined to this playground, but can include network prompts in their top levels.
If you’re trialling a character, you can apply them until 21 December without a game invite. TDM characters can participate in the sign-up quests without taking up a slot, but cannot vote for event outcomes.
Taravast’s civilians take to spirited protests and seize the Palace of the Doxe. They intend to redirect Doxe Bonaccorso Spina’s attention and resources to his people, livelihoods suffered in recent undead attacks. The Merchant sends ‘help’ to oust the Doxe.
Amid the chaos, Vannozza Spina seeks to apprehend her grandfather. Her cousin Macaluso, Bonaccorso’s prisoner, can be liberated. Outgunned, outmanned and outnumbered, Bonaccorso orders the city burned down.
TDM TOURISTS: THE BARREN BONES
You wake up in shallow water, other supine bodies beside you. The nearby occupants of a desert outpost greet you with a coarse translation and communication device and introduce you to their leader, the Merchant. He rescues otherworlders who were summoned to serve as weapons for warring undead factions, sending them east — where forgotten beacons can return them home.
A. A FRIEND IN NEED
Unconscious new arrivals are delivered every few days, recovered from the dunes. They are submerged in oasis waters. Some characters wake weaker of body and mind, struggling to focus their thoughts or their supernatural abilities — effects that recede within one-three days. Others are plagued by a drowning sensation for one-two days.
- ■ Help fellow newcomers as they regain their strength with sparring, a calming voice or a warm meal.
■ Newcomers must share tents and carry out camp tasks: hold the night watch, man fires, kill viper nests and excessively large scorpions or, fate help everyone if you’re related to Xie Lian, cooking.
B. A FRIEND IN DEED
Soon enough, the Merchant reveals more otherworlders are assigned in the nearby magical citadel of Taravast, which is on the brink of civil uprising against the ruling Doxe Bonaccorso Spina. Your fellows need you, cavalry.
The Merchant sends the fresh conscripts on a three-day journey to Taravast across a desert canyon, granting supplies, horses or seats in shared carts.
- ■ Fresh horses wait at specific landmarks, but some suppliers trade steeds for the better coin of rich merchants evacuating Taravast. If you end up stranded, find help.
■ Weather forecast: frequent, cruel sand storms that challenge even expert riders. Collect anyone who gets lost in the dunes — particularly near wild cougars.
■ Some Taravast refugees crowd or pretend accidents to loot your horses. A select few diplomatic convoys offer assistance, or try to confiscate your rides.
OLD TIMERS: THE STREETS, RALLYING
Dissenting necromancers, healers and civilians begrudge Doxe Bonaccorso’s failure to ensure their safety and distribute repairs funds fairly. Many believe that Bonaccorso has been manipulated by Macaluso and Vannozza.
The initially peaceful protests exacerbate into after several days: demonstrators frequently come to blows with city guards around the 20:00 evening curfew. Protesters carry sharp and blunt weapons, small explosive talismans or banners. Some are ghost-summoning necromancers, others are sorcerers who command a small array of elemental spells.
- ■ Protesters try to enthusiastically conscript passers-by to their cause. Some assume characters leaving the Doxe Palace are nobility and try to kidnap and ransom them for an audience with Bonaccorso.
■ Merchants and the last few of Macaluso’s foreign suitors begin their exodus from Taravast and ask you to serve as escort in exchange for compensation.
■ Palace guards retaliate with disproportionate violence when they catch crowds without magic users or experienced combatants. Rescue some demonstrators — but prepare to run — or scout the streets so they can escape.
■ The clashes separate some Taravast residents from food, commodities and healers. Be a friend.
■ In rare good news, protesters share with Wrathion and Slick their battle and coordination signs and passcodes.
■ Some crowd contingents are less spirited about this endeavour — try talking them out of this revolution business.
■ Characters without powers or weapons can resort to the arsenal Wrench and Aang recovered from looters: daggers, maces, swords, bows and five-six man-sized water serpents, who heed those who first summon them out of theirPokeballs.
ALL TOGETHER NOW: THE BARRICADES
Within a week of the first demonstrations, the protesters and Doxe Bonaccorso’s guards have devolved into vicious and regular violence. Civilian demonstrators have been joined by many necromancers wielding fresh corpses, minor sorcerers, healers and a handful of expert combatants, assigned by sympathetic gentry. Bonaccorso’s men conduct regular inspections and arrests. The demonstrators meanwhile set traps of magical ice and explosives.
Led by the lawyer Giacomo Zanardo and the healer Sebastiano Bianchi, the mob seeks to storm the Palace of the Doxe and persuade Bonaccorso back to his senses, which have surely been corrupted by his absent nephew Macaluso and niece Vannozza.
RISE ONE, RISE ALL
Existing characters are soon joined by fresh reinforcements. Everyone receives the Merchant’s transmission:
”It has emerged, vocally, that Doxe Bonaccorso Spina no longer serves the interests of his city, his people or our contingent. The most efficient recourse is to depose him. How, and whether you choose to instate one of his successors, is of no consequence to me. I send a wave of our new otherworldly associates to assist you. Fair fortune.”
- ■ Zanardo and Bianchi organise a last bout of midnight merrymaking before the Palace attack at dawns. Meet your reinforcements at a… large, cold, rudimentarily decorated warehouse in one of Taravast’s dodgiest district. Close your eyes and smell the salted fish.
■ Old and new characters can collect further plain weapons from rioters. Slick receives command of five NPC protesters.
■ Pacifists can scout the Palace of the Doxe to report back the watch patterns, or try to persuade servants to open the gates.
■ Come dawns, protesters seize the Palace, meeting fresh waves of Bonaccorso’s guards in the gardens before advancing inside.
■ The Merchant informs Eleven and Shen Qingqiu they are required back in Taravast. He cuts a deal with local warlord Anurr, who supplies two transporters orbs that will transport the duo immediately.
Because of overlapping timelines, your character can only be signed up for one of the three following missions. Each quest will be capped at 15 characters: first come, first served. You can vote on game polls irrespective of what mission your character pursues.
NOTE: TDM tourists can participate in the quests and do not need to sign up. They can include prompts for one of the parallel quests in their top-level prompts, or can tag around. However, TDM tourists don't qualify for the NPC RNG draw and cannot vote on Bonaccorso's fate.
A. LET IT BUUUUUURN, LET IT BURN
Counting the last hours of his reign, Doxe Bonaccorso Spina takes to the great balcony of his Palace to address the masses:
”My people, my loved ones. Twenty-two years ago, I came before you, a man ruined: my son and my daughter taken from me. Is there any pain greater than burying your children? Only today: to see the blood of your blood and the blood of your nation, united against you. To know your nephew made weapon of a blade and your niece of her gold, and your people are indiscriminate in their arsenal. You tear down my doors, sirs! You bloody my halls! And when you stand against your Doxe, you stand against Taravast. And why? Because I turned my eye from you for scant moments. Spoiled! Shameless! All I ever intended were more years in your service. For we must strike a permanent truce with the dead. To survive. Know that even now, I see you: you are strong, gifted, beautiful. How it breaks my heart to know I must bury my children again.”
After this, Bonaccorso orders the 20 court witches of Bessis currently at the Palace rain down fire from the northern and southern towers, unto the masses.
- ■ Current Bessis leader Margherita Moretti is instructed to call her sister witches to Taravast’s greater walls, where they might direct further fire upon all who oppose Bonaccorso.
■ Ten witches will climb each Palace tower, targeting protesters. Sign up and discuss how characters can slip the witches sleeping herbs with their water, kill them, feign fresh orders from Moretti, etc.
■ The witches of Bessis have historically received the patronage of the imprisoned Macaluso. Many recently retreated from court, embittered by Bonaccorso’s support for the rival Attaryl. Moretti is reasonable, if loyal, and possesses a conscience. She rides out to bring further Bessis assistance.
■ Team up, pursue and capture Moretti down the chaotic streets of Taravast. Two characters — chosen on 10 December through RNG draw from the signed-up crew — can participate in a NPC thread to talk her down.
B. OFF WITH THE OLD MAN’S HEAD
Informed by Wrath and Wen Qing’s faction that her grandfather prepared to possess her body, Vannozza Spina moves to apprehend Bonaccorso.
Following his speech, the Doxe holes up in his quarters, guarded by several dozen Attaryl witches — masters of illusions, telekinesis and mind control. They will try to briefly steal or dim characters’ senses, thrall them into seeing their allies as enemies and crumble walls and statues upon them. The witches are easily defeated through physical means.
- ■ Characters can charge in militarily or infiltrate by presenting as palace staff or Attaryl reinforcements. Those who previously assisted servants can receive spare uniforms and directions. Sign up here.
■ In-game characters can vote until 15 December to decide Bonaccorso’s fate. Two characters drawn via RNG can share a NPC thread for a short discussion with him. Wen Qing and Wrath can optionally have a separate talk thread, given their participation in Vannozza’s plotline.
C. SAVE THE HIMBO, SAVE THE WORLD
Macaluso Spina’s attempt to persuade his Doxe grandfather of the merits of retirement condemned him to house arrest, awaiting trial on charges of assassination. He is secluded in his wing of the Palace of the Doxe, guarded by two dozens of Bonaccorso’s men and by illusion traps devised by Attaryl witches.
Characters can hear footsteps, men giving chase, the muffled voices of Macaluso or their companions, all unseen. A mirrored hall leads you back to its beginning, as your reflection mocks you — until you break a mirror.
- ■ Characters who have helped Palace servants can receive tips on guard numbers and locations, or corridor shortcuts.
■ Sign up here. Two characters picked via RNG draw on 10 December can share a NPC thread to discuss Macaluso’s next steps. Alina Starkov can have an optional separate thread, for her involvement in Macaluso’s plot so far.
QUESTIONS
OLD TIMERS
no subject
It's amazing how different things are now. A part of Xingchen wishes he could go back to being ignorant. It goes against everything he believes in.
But it would stop hurting so much.]
If I strew those coins, I hope you will be able to discern which wrists are to be broken and which are to be spared.
[He takes a moment to listen to his surroundings, finally settling on a direction to take. There is a good amount of shouting from far off, though Xingchen fears it is far closer than he'd like. He steels himself and starts walking, confident that Xue Yang will follow unprompted.
As he does, though, something he said makes Xingchen speak up.]
You...really haven't killed anyone?
no subject
[It's a genuine question, really, because how to tell? If he had been no one all his life, they way he'd been intended, would he be good then? Only Xingchen would have never taken notice, so what's the worth of thoughts like this anyway?
He shakes his head as he walks with Xingchen, keeping an eye on their surroundings, on alert. He's promised to protect him, after all. Not that it would need a promise for him to want to do it.]
I haven't, no. No need.
[Wait.]
Do you want that? For me to not kill.
no subject
It...depends on the context of the situation. Right now, I can't let anyone get away with stealing. The money isn't mine and the family will suffer if they continue without food or proper shelter. Therefore, anyone who tries to steal from me should be stopped.
[This is common sense to Xingchen, but what he thinks is obvious has often not been shared by his current companion.]
If this money were my own and someone tried to steal from me, I would still try to stop them, because thievery is not the way to live if one can help it. However, if they were successful, then I would let them get away with it, not because they were talented, but rather because I can go a day without a meal. Maybe they couldn't.
[Xingchen falls silent, hoping something will stick with Xue Yang, but mostly keeping his ears open to the world around them. Xue Yang's honesty makes his steps falter for a moment, though. His honesty and his question. A few moments pass and Xingchen breathes out.]
Of course I want that.
[It's too late for all of Xue Yang's victims, but if any change can be made, why wouldn't Xingchen try to persuade him?]
no subject
[When he'd been young and on the street and when he'd started getting stronger and better than the rest. He had also fought and usually won, of course, but the ones that didn't fight? Why not share sometimes? Less for him to carry.
It's not a good deed when he doesn't mean to do good, is it? Can it not be evil in the same vein? Xue Yang doesn't bother thinking about it.]
Hm.
[He looks at Xingchen, then smiles. Something is happening, something he's not entirely comprehending yet, but he knows it will matter. Every word matters now.]
Then they'll live for your sake. I'll be good. For you.
[He laughs and turns around to look at him properly, not that it keeps him from being aware of their surroundings. Even if his focus is Xingchen. As always.]
Daozhang~
no subject
It doesn't feel like something the Xue Yang he knows would do. Sharing? Without expecting something in return? Just exhibiting simple kindness?
...Does he know any version of Xue Yang, truly?
Something twists in his stomach. It's not pleasant, it never is when Xue Yang is near, but it doesn't feel...quite the same. Xingchen doesn't like it. He doesn't like any of this, but this is where his life has led him.]
I will hold you to that.
[He keeps walking, trying to keep mindful of Xue Yang's presence so as not to run into him or even brush too close. This interaction is almost too much for Xingchen as it is; he can't imagine being any closer to Xue Yang.]
no subject
[He says it, whether in agreement or in askance. Of course, Xue Yang knows he won't be held in a physical sense, but isn't the not so literal sense worth a lot too? Worth even more? It ties them together, it's a connection that won't be easily severed.]
Ah, this is boring. Can't we walk through a place with more fighting?
[Well. Whatever he is, he still very much is that.]
no subject
Xue Yang!
[He has half a mind to turn around entirely and try to abandon Xue Yang, for all the good that would do. He'd just come running after Xingchen. So he takes a moment to collect himself, breathing in and out a few times.]
Can you take anything seriously for longer than a second? This isn't for your entertainment.
no subject
I am taking it seriously.
[With that burst of excitement dying down, Xue Yang sounds more as if he's pouting.]
Can't I be eager to protect you? Why is that bad?
no subject
[That is the opposite of taking this task seriously!
They reach a crossroads (literally) and Xingchen stops to listen. Everywhere is noisy, so it's difficult to really focus, but after moment he turns down a street that seems to be a little quieter.
Quieter and, hopefully, without fighting. Xue Yang will have to accept that.]
Do you want to protect me only when there's a chance you can get into a fight or do you want to protect me because I'm important to...
[The words spill out before he can stop them. Important. Important to Xue Yang? Is that how Xue Yang feels? Xingchen isn't sure.
Is that...how he wants Xue Yang to feel about him? That makes no sense, after everything that has happened between them. He swallow and stops talking, walking a little faster, walking away.]
no subject
[He says it in a tone that makes it seem obvious, as if there can be no doubt about it. Unaware of how contradictory his thinking there is, how hard to follow. Of course he wants to protect him.]
Important?
[He laughs, maybe coming across as dismissive again. Yet he's completely serious with what he says next.]
You are all that matters.
no subject
You have a strange way of showing it.
[Xue Yang has been the sharpest thorn in Xingchen's side for years. If they had never met, hisnlife would probably still be good, whole. Now, he's like this. Blind, alone, unsure of himself and so much of what he used to believe in.
It's Xingchen's turn to laugh, then. He's all that matters? Him?]
That isn't true. I wish you would stop treating me like this. Stop...obsessing over me.
[He's frustrated and getting worked up by every little thing Xue Yang says, which, coupled with his faster steps, means he's not paying as much attention as he should be. The city has been damaged, he knows this, but the toe of his shoe still manages to find a corner of some small debris, tripping him. Thankfully, he catches himself against the nearest wall but it's still embarrassing.]
no subject
Maybe it's a way of showing he listens. Who knows?]
Be careful, daozhang.
[That said he takes a step back, giving Xingchen the space to catch himself.]
I don't know how to stop.
[He doesn't want to either.]
no subject
And he doesn't, even backing away a little bit when Xingchen actually needs him to. It's frustrating that he can almost do the things that would put Xingchen at ease, but as he speaks its clear he doesn't understand his own actions.
So that trapped feeling returns, even as he takes a few moments to even out his breathing and calm down. He leans against the wall and feels Xue Yang near and remains stuck.]
I don't know how to convince you.
[Eventually, Xingchen pushes himself from the wall and orients himself again. Another moment passes and he hastily pats himself down, finding the little money pouch still on his person, right where he left it. Good. His little trip didn't leave him looking a complete fool. Just most of one.
Once he feels stable again, Xingchen tries to reorganize both him and Xue Yang.]
Does it look like we'll be able to find any supplies down this way?
no subject
When Xingchen pushes away from the wall, he moves as well, looking the way he indicates.]
I know there's stores that way. Might be abandoned, but-- I guess you can leave money. I'm sure there's something left you can take.
no subject
Then we'll see what we can find.
[He thinks back on that family, how frightened the father was despite trying to keep his voice from shaking. Xingchen still heard the tremor, of course, but he didn't say anything so as to save the man some face. It was obvious he didn't want to scare his wife and children more than they already were. Sometimes that kind of dishonesty is for the best.]
...There are three children. I hope we can find enough for even meager rations.
no subject
[One way or the other, at least. He's always been a little surprised at just how many of them survived all those years. Of course, none survived intact, but still. He may have lost all innocence, but he's still around.]
But I know the places they have things children like to eat. It's to my tastes, isn't it?
[He laughs, shaking his head.]
It's good, sometimes. When you have nothing else, to have something sweet.
no subject
[Sweets and candies are nice treats, certainly, but human beings cannot survive on them for long. And who knows how long this revolution is going to last?
Still, he...agrees. To an extent. Xingchen intends to find actual food for this family, but the children seemed young. They probably would like a sweet, or it could at least bring some ray of happiness to them in these darker times.]
...I will let you pick out a treat for them, then.
[Even as he says it, despite already having made this decision, Xingchen still feels...unsure. It's a kind of compromise between him and Xue Yang, but does the other man deserve it? A voice in Xingchen's head repeats no no no, but something deep in his gut holds back. Is it because he's certain that Xue Yang's words point back to his own history?]
Is...that why you enjoy candy so much? Because you grew up with nothing else?
[He shouldn't ask. It will only make him care more, but hasn't that always been Xingchen's problem? People have always tugged at his heart and he's never been able to resist lending an ear or a hand.]
no subject
[Xue Yang frowns at the question, perhaps less about the actual content than about Xingchen asking him a question at all. He ponders what to say, but what can he say to this daozhang from the mountain? Not much he can understand, he feels, when it comes to this.]
Nah. I grew up with nothing. I wanted candy.
[Maybe he should have wanted more, but perhaps he had been too stupid to strive for that. Or it was just so outside of possibility for him.]
I like when things are sweet.
[And does he not deserve it? Did he then? And if the only way for him to ever get more than nothing has always been to take whatever he can, then where are the lines? What can't he take? Nothing's ever given.]
no subject
[There isn't anything wrong with liking things, except...well. Xue Yang likes to kill people, doesn't he? It's best not to elaborate or try to argue that point. They've found some sort of strenuous peace for now and Xingchen can't bear to disturb it.]
I...am happy you can still find joy in something like that.
[Something innocent, something that won't harm other people. Maybe if he can encourage Xue Yang to find the good in other things of that nature...
He exhales. This is how he gets himself in trouble. Trying to find the good in others even though they may not necessarily treat him well on return. When has Xue Yang, of all people, shown he wants to change for the better? Why does Xingchen think he can really make a difference in any of that?]