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Bang Up To The Elephant

✖ VICTORIA'S SECRET

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The fog that has blanketed the city for a month finally lifts a little - there are days with actual sunshine now! Not many, and the sky is still frequently thick with smog, but every so often light pours through the holes in the clouds. The river that flows from the sea into the city still smells foul, but maybe you’re starting to get used to it.

Walk the cobbled streets and you will find that the city is crowded and filthy, but full of merchants, pubs, and theatres. Vast wealth and extreme poverty exist side by side.

In the center of the sprawling city is a temple with towering gothic spires and huge stained glass windows depicting all manner of beings that might be gods or angels or monsters. You could look for hours and still be finding new figures plucked straight from books of myth and religion. Inside, the main chamber has a grand vaulted ceiling, and dozens of pews line the aisle up to the altar, which is oddly anticlimactic compared to the lavish surroundings: just a plain stone table with a lit oil lamp in the centre. Two hallways branch off on either side of the room: one leads to private baths and a communal kitchen, the other to monastic style chambers with thin beds. Not the most comfortable place to stay, but it’ll do in a pinch!

The High Temple has also reappeared at the edge of the city, with its considerably more comfortable lodgings.

Alternatively you can venture into the city and find yourself some other lodging - every Traveler has been supplied with some pocket money. Just be careful that it isn’t stolen by some street urchin. Travelers can also find an era-appropriate outfit that will fit them perfectly laid in the first sleeping chamber they visit.

Notes:
1. The High Temple and anything you may have stored there is available to all characters this month.

2. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

3. The city greatly resembles Victorian London, and the technology and general way of life is all of that era. Feel free to explore the city! These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

4. Most food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities. Most. Some of it’s going to be pretty gross or cooked improperly, so be careful.

5. The people in the city are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

6. Have fun!

Ⅱ. COME UNDONE
CW: dead bodies, archeological graverobbing.
Somehow, some way, you find yourself with an invitation card:

Lord Trewlaney at Home: the Unwrapping of
THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS!
Half-past Eight
Unwrapping? How saucy! Or perhaps you have an inkling of exactly what that means.

The invitation gets you entry to a well kept home on the more well-to-do side of the city. There are plenty of servants circulating with food and drink of which you are welcome to partake. Society’s elite chatter and mingle all around you; maybe you fit in, and maybe you don’t.

Regardless, you don’t have to wait very long for the main event. The host of this little soiree - presumably Lord Trewlaney himself, a little man with a weak chin and an impressive mustache - stands at the front of the room and holds his hands aloft.

“Ladies and gentleman,” he says in a clear voice. “BEHOLD! We shall now commence with the unwrapping of this, a fine example of Egyptian mummification, who was once called the Jewel of the Seven Stars!”

A wheeled table is brought forward, covered in a purple velvet cloth. Dramatically, Lord Trewlaney flings it back to reveal a body wrapped in ancient linen bandages. The crowd sighs, and Trewlaney’s eyes scan the crowd.

“Ah, you there!” he cries, pointing at you. Or maybe the person beside you.

“You folk there! Here, come up, my friends! You may have the honour of being a part of history!”

The crowd pushes you and your companion forward with excited murmurs. Soon enough the two of you are beside the mummy, and Trewlaney is handing you a pair of scissors. Up close the body smells of cinnamon and something else, something familiar.

“Reveal its face!” he urges you. And so, you cut.

Much to your surprise what is revealed is not a desiccated corpse, but your own likeness. Before you have time to react the mummy sits up and turns to face the audience, who oohs and ahhs.

The mummy’s lips part and it speaks. What does it say? Something extremely revealing; in plain terms, the mummy reveals something an aspect of yourself that you would rather have kept hidden.

Oh dear! You can shut yourself up, of course, but before you do maybe you ought to consider that interfering with a mummy was considered a surefire way to fall under a curse…

Notes:
1. What is revealed can of course be of any degree of seriousness. Murder? Or do you just secretly enjoy RomComs?

2. Shut the mummy up before it has its say and you will suffer the Mummy’s Curse: bad luck that will plague you for the rest of the month!

Ⅲ. IMAGINARIUM
The sign above the door simply reads Cabinet of Curiosities. How intriguing! And at the very least you can get out of the chill.

Inside there are dozens of wooden cases with glass fronts, each filled with shelves of all manner of objects. Some look expensive and exotic, while others are almost painfully mundane. There are taxidermied animals, wet specimens, fossils, glass eyes, rocks and crystals, pottery, statuettes… There’s a little of everything.

As you peer amongst the stuffed ducks and fossilized plants, you’ll spot something familiar. It’s an object that you recognise as personally significant whether because it’s from your life back home, or because it’s symbolic. It represents a dream or a hope you have for the future.

If you take the object out of the cabinet for a closer look, you and whoever happens to be standing nearby will instantly be transported to a hazy vision of what that lovely dream is. It won’t last forever - indeed, maybe only a moment. Depending on what that hoped for future is, you might have some explaining to do.

Notes:
1. All futures are something hoped for. They may be completely unrealistic and bittersweet, but they are something wanted and not feared.

Ⅳ. GARDENS
CW: mind altering substances.
If there’s one spot within the city where you might be able to find some refuge from the dank scent of ocean rot and the sour smell of body odour, then it’s going to be the Gardens. A jewel toward the west side of the city, you will find a greenhouse containing all manner of tropical plants, and a rose garden with over a 100 different types available for you to enjoy.

But why stop there? There are also areas where you can stop and have tea with a friend. They even have those little sandwiches with the crust cut off! They have cucumber, egg, and cream cheese. Each of these has a different effect: cucumber sandwiches will provide a mild sense of euphoria, while the egg will give you a lot of energy (and maybe some gas). Cream cheese will make you very relaxed and prone to oversharing. There are also perfectly regular cakes and biscuits available, as well.

Maybe you’re feeling a bit more somber. In the northeast end of the park there is a secret pet cemetery with over 300 tiny tombstones paying tribute to the tragic losses of many much-loved pets. The area is disused, overgrown with ivy and ferns. Sitting there evokes a sense of peace.

Prefer to see some living wildlife? Fear not, the park seems to attract several different types of songbirds which makes it a hotspot for birdwatching. There are binoculars available to use for that purpose. Or you could use them to peer into the city’s seamy underbelly. Just don’t get isolated and weird about it.

Sometimes I can still hear his voice...

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ii. come undone

[ Despite his misgivings about what any kind of unwrapping might entail, in inscrutable noble-speak, Anders has none whatsoever about partaking of free food and drink and whatever other lavish amenities might be available to esteemed guests of the manor holding this soiree. It may not take long, but he's already a few drinks in before the grand whatsit is beginning, and he shuffles along agreeably enough with the crowd, although it's most certainly with reluctance that he parts from the hors d'oeuvres.

Of course, the amusement with which he's watching the crowd and the pompous proceedings fades fast, when the dramatic reveal leaves them all staring at a corpse. He's still a little in shock when he's all but shoved out front and center, hardly noticing the other unlucky partygoer at his side as a pair of scissors is foisted upon him. ]

Well, I didn't think it was going to be that kind of party— [ He tries to laugh it off, feeling the pressure of the crowd hovering close around them more acutely by the second, thoughts of necromancy and shambling corpses already filling his head. Not good, but what else can he do? He cuts.

Predictably, the corpse awakens - not so predictably, it's not quite as corpse-y as he'd expected. Downright handsome, actually, but the next joke dies in his throat, when the mummy opens its mouth. ]

I was in love with him, practically from the moment we met! [ it announces to the gathered, in Anders' voice, and all that he can do is stand there, stalk still, gripping the scissors so tightly his knuckles bleed white. ]

iv. gardens

[ Anders may be used to the sort of sights and smells a city like this has to offer, closely as it resembles those he's glimpsed in Thedas, but that doesn't mean he can't tire of it all just as easily as the next person. (Maybe more so, given how much more enjoyable the strange and exciting locales they've visited have been than memories of home.)

The gardens are a nice change of pace, and Ser Pounce-a-lot agrees, living up to his name as he bounds through the grass, chasing after a glowing green wisp Anders directs with a wave of his hand. Perhaps it's a tad ironic, to find the both of them engaged in this lively game amidst the tiny tombstones and cobbled together crosses of the pet cemetery, but the peaceful aura the place exudes has taken most of the bleaker humor out of it.

Passersby may still get a kick out of a small orange tabby cat darting between their feet (or pouncing at their ankles) as it pursues its intangible quarry, though. Nor would Anders particularly mind the company - especially if they've brought some of that probably safe, totally normal picnic food along with them. ]

[Sephiroth is not touching the picnic food; he comes empty-handed, unless Anders has some vested interest in borrowing On the Origin of Species to read. He also isn't here with the intent of being social, as is clear when he finds a spot to sit down and opens said book.

...the cat is somewhat distracting, however. He doesn't seem irritated by it, but his eyes flick up to follow its movements whenever it comes near.]

[ Although a book wouldn't go terribly with this pleasant sense of wholly unwarranted contentment, Anders is most assuredly not looking for any reading so dry. He'll pass.

But no amount of inner peace can stop him from indulging in the impulse to annoy. He's fairly certain Sephiroth is either unaware of him or simply uninterested in acknowledging his presence. Either way, he quietly directs the bobbing green wisp nearer to him, as Pounce crouches down in the grass, wiggling with intent before proceeding to - well - pounce, right at Sephiroth's feet. ]

[Even if Sephiroth hadn't noticed Anders at first, the cat and the little magic light are extremely obvious clues to his presence.

But if Anders was hoping to annoy him, he'll have to work harder at it. It isn't as though the cat can scratch him through his boots, so it's fine. He does wonder about the creature's intelligence level.]

...you do know you can't catch that.

Don't discourage him!

[ Anders attempts to sound offended, calling from where he's sitting amidst the graves. But not very hard.

Pounce certainly isn't, distracted from his hunt for a moment anyway, as he stands up to sniff at Sephiroth curiously. ]

There are birds he could hunt.

[If he... wanted to? Sephiroth isn't terribly familiar with cats. Which is probably apparent when, instead of offering a hand to sniff, he leans closer over his book. Pounce could reach his face if he wanted. Or his bangs.]

He prefers fish.

[ And Anders would rather not have to deal with a bunch of dead birds lain in his pack. So it's a win all around, keeping Pounce away from them.

Although taking a swipe at those dangling bangs is certainly tempting, from a cat's perspective - Pounce opts for the more enticing target. That open book is clearly laying there waiting specifically for a cat to sit on it, so he's just going to wiggle his way on up there, thanks. ]

Fishing here would be--

["--a bad idea," is where he was going with that, but he cuts off, drawing back in surprise as the cat climbs up on top of his book.]

What is he doing?

[ Sniffing the pages as he makes himself comfortable, obviously.

Anders dismisses his wisp as he stands, stretching briefly before making his way over to get a look. ]

What do you mean 'what is he doing'? Sitting down, it looks like. All that hunting must have worn him out.

There is plenty of available space elsewhere.

[Sephiroth isn't removing the cat from his book, yet, but he definitely looks like he's considering it.]

You don't know much about cats, do you?

[ Obviously. ]

I've never owned one, no.

[He gives Pounce a gentle push first, trying to nudge him into motion.]

[ Sadly, the only motion he makes is to tuck his legs under himself as he lays down, a warm orange loaf of bread right in the middle of Sephiroth's book.

Anders takes a seat nearby, careful of the tiny graves scattered around them. ]

Perhaps you should consider it. You have a lot in common with them.

[It's not the first time he's heard that comparison, but he's also mostly heard about cats from people who don't like them. They are indifferent loners, whereas...]

Your cat seems rather friendly.

[He glances at Anders, wondering if he will offer advice on how to dislodge the cat.]

He's used to strangers. Always a lot of them coming and going around the Keep.

[ Anders is very pointedly not helping, actually, because this is almost as entertaining as watching Pounce frolic around the gardens. ]

Not afraid of anything, either. Few cats have braved the Deep Roads and lived to tell the tale, though, I imagine.

One can be used to strangers without being friendly with them.

[He returns his attention to the unmoving cat, which is clearly not afraid of him either.]

...what are the Deep Roads?

But isn't it more fun that way?

[ He does not expect Sephiroth to agree.

Anders pulls a grimace, though it's tempered by the peaceful aura of the cemetery. ]

Dwarves dug most of them, ages ago. Big underground cities all connected by cramped, half caved in tunnels, now overrun with deepstalkers and darkspawn and all manner of other dreadful things. Better left buried, the lot of it.

[Sephiroth does not agree. He throws Anders a Look.

His interest is piqued by "deepstalkers and darkspawn," but cramped tunnels are not really fun places to fight.]

And what was your cat doing in such a place?

[ It's only too bad Anders is not just immune to Looks but actively fueled by them. He just grins. ]

Well, I couldn't very well leave him behind. He goes everywhere I do.

Hm.

Small wonder he is seeking other company, then.

[Maybe he'll let it stay on his book another few minutes.]

[ What's this?? Not just a joke, but a funny joke? He's improving.

Anders laughs, reaching over to scratch Pounce under the chin (at which the cat immediately tilts his head back and begins to loudly purr). ]

That's not true! Ser Pounce-a-lot loves me, doesn't he? Yes he does, what a good little kitty.

[Of course he can be funny!

Sephiroth unconsciously leans away from Anders a bit, but oh, the cat makes noises.]

Is he... purring?

[Is this what purring sounds like?]

Of course he is. He likes having his chin scratched, too.

[ Anders pulls his hand back, gesturing to Pounce. ]

Give it a try and see.

[Sephiroth reaches under Pounce's chin with a gloved hand to give him a scratch, cautiously in case there's any sign the cat doesn't want him to. So far so good?]

...he's certainly trusting.

Not with everyone.

[ Although clearly that's the case, here. Pounce simply tilts his chin up, purring still as he rubs his chin against Sephiroth's hand. ]

Like all cats, he's an excellent judge of character.

anders | ota

iv

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