Bang Up To The Elephant

[polymods]

✖ 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...

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

[patchricide]

[Meanwhile, on the other side of the dumpster...]

Quiznak. Where did he get to?

[He obviously did not keep running this way, since there wasn't enough distance between them to duck out of site. Besides, she knows a trick when she sees one.]

[There's hiding spaces ahead, but nothing that would completely block him from sight — as soon as she caught onto the ruse, it would be up. So, the only way to slip out of sight would be...]

... he slipped past when I jumped, didn't he?

[And sure enough, when she turns around with a huff — there he is, looking like he's landed in more trouble than he bargained for.]

[She pushes the dumpster aside — with some effort, but not nearly as much as the situation should call for — and approaches him, scowling.]

All right. Could you please explain to me what this is about, now?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Her words are echoed almost verbatim by two unformed men that are approaching from Darin's other side. And for a very brief moment, Allura might catch a flash of genuine panic in his eyes beneath the hood. In fact, he hasn't really registered her approach.]

[He pulls the hood tighter as he takes a step back, towards Allura.]

Look, I know what this looks like...

[He's had more than his fair share of run ins with guards and other keepers of the peace, and he can tell immediately from the looks he's being given that judgment has already been passed here. He knows that look far too well.]

[What could he say here? That he was running from a princess? That doesn't sound suspicious or anything.]

We weren't looking to cause any trouble...it's just that...well, uh...

[Dammit, if this were his world he could make up something well enough. He knew the laws, knew how to play people. He was out of his element here.]

[patchricide]

Excuse me... [... she says as she steps past Darin. However, it could be pointed at any one of the three men here, as she then pointedly asks the two lawmen,] Do you mind?

[Her unamused tone and expression quickly take the wind out of their sails.] Ah, well, beggin' your pardon — we saw that this bloke was causin' you some trouble, and...

And what, exactly? If I needed anyone's help, I would have asked! [The other man starts to protest, and she insists,] Look, he owes me something. Beyond that, it's not any of your business. You can go.

[And she even does a little shoo, shoo gesture with her hand.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin's expression is a little...well, unreadable. On the one hand, he hadn't expected her to step in like that. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd prefer to watch him stew a bit.]

[...On the other hand, this talk of 'owing her something' made him outright grimace. He wasn't a fan of owing anyone anything but he also couldn't deny that she was helping him right now.]

[With a very pointed sigh, he straightens up.]

She's right, I'll be making sure she's given what's owed. There's no trouble here.

[One of the peacekeepers fixes a glare Darin's way]

Oi, see to it that y'do. We'll be keepin' an eye out.

[He nods to his partner and they give a little bow before dismissing themselves.]

[Once they're out of ear shot, Darin crosses his arms once more. He can practically hear the smug look on Allura's face right now.]

[patchricide]

[Hey, she's not going to gloat about it. She's just going to be very proud of herself for resolving that so easily. What better way to demonstrate that they can help each other?]

Now then, if we're just about done with this nonsense...

[She turns to him, smiling sweetly. ... maybe a bit cheekily.]

I believe it's about time that you gave me your name.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

...

[He sighs. There's no point keeping this up. She's not going to let this go and...as much as he hates to admit it, she did help him out.]

[He reaches up and pulls back his hood and shakes his blue hair free.]

Darin. Darin Altway.

...Thanks. I guess.

[patchricide]

[When he drops the hood... she gives him a curious look. Inquisitive, almost.]

You know... from the way you were covering your face, I thought you would have more to hide.

[Because really, doesn't he look like a fairly standard human? The hair color doesn't seem to match their usual tones, but it's not outlandish enough to make him look like he has any sort of alien parentage. Perhaps it's a dye.]

Anyway — was that so hard?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

What I choose to hide and why are my business. You wanted my name, not my life's story.

[He glances at the entrance to the alley and pulls his hood up again. Maybe not as tight as before, but he makes sure to tuck as much of his blue hair away as possible.]

Why did you help me?

[patchricide]

You owed me your name, with all the fuss about introductions. That doesn't mean that's the only thing I'm curious about.

[Really, all this deflection just seems so unnecessary. If he didn't make such a big deal about covering anything up, she might not even wonder about it.]

[But if he won't talk, then she won't push the issue further. ... for now.]

Why wouldn't I help you? Even if you're being obstinate, that isn't a crime. [A beat, and then she adds...] ... at least... it's probably not. I can't say I know much about the laws of this world, but...

[forgeabettertomorrow]

It's safe to say that the laws are similar to anywhere else with a few caveats. In my experience, people tend to come to the same conclusions about needs and structure anywhere you go. And since this place doesn't seem like a lawless ruin, it's safe to say most of the standard laws apply.

Basically, don't cause trouble to anyone and you'll be fine.

[He sighs.]

That said...you're not really one to take no for an answer, are you.

[patchricide]

Not without a good reason to back down, no.

[Again, it's a little too literal. As if she didn't realize it was a rhetorical statement.]

And now I find myself wondering how many places you have gone. The more peoples I've encountered, the less consensus I've seen about what's important in their society. I can think of several that would arrest us just for having this conversation, and none of them for the same reasons.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Where I've been hardly matters.

Look, as much as I'd love to sit down and debate sociology and the like...

...That's a lie. I wouldn't like that at all. Is there anything else you need from me? Or am I going to have to get used to the idea of you hanging around?

[patchricide]

[She huffs again. Hadn't he gotten them onto the subject in the first place? All she did was admit that she didn't know a local law.]

What about my offer, of working together to learn more about... well, about all of this? Have you properly considered it yet?

[You know, at this point, it would probably be far easier to go looking around for others. But it's the principle of the matter.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Look, I'm honored, Princess. [Somehow, that sounds very sarcastic.]

But I don't do well in a group setting.

[patchricide]

[No, really?]

So because you don't work well with others, you refuse to try to work well with others? That seems awfully self-fulfilling, doesn't it?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Sure does. It's almost like I prefer to keep to myself.

Whoa, do you think...?

Wow, Princess! You've solved the mystery as to why I don't like being bothered!

Bang up job! Glad you were on the case!

[patchricide]

See, that? That's just proving me right!

Because my point is that — if you were to try getting along with others, you might find you actually enjoy their company! You can hardly blame others for the problems you make for yourself!

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I'm not! I'm literally telling you, to your face, that I want to be left alone! And yes! I act like this so people will leave me alone! You did it! Another brilliant deduction! I'm doing this on purpose!

[patchricide]

Fine. [For the briefest of moments, it seems like she's about to just leave it there, but...]

[She stops herself just as quickly, unwilling to concede the point.] You do know that you can keep to yourself without being so antagonistic? In fact, you might find it easier, since you draw more attention to yourself this way.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Remember when I tried that and you followed me anyway?

[patchricide]

As I recall it, I was asking for your help, and you harshly turned me away! You had it in your mind that I was some sort of problem from the outset.

Is that really your idea of common courtesy?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

And look at that, I was right! I love it when that happens.

Look, Princess. I've got some harsh truths for you. Not everyone is nice.

[patchricide]

[Her expression and tone become a degree more stern as she points out...]

If you think I'm being a problem right now, then you should consider how easily I could call those officers back over here.

[Truthfully, she's still trying to reason with him, to get her point through that thick skull. But really? It just sounds like a threat.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

You really don't want to do that.

Believe it or not, I've been 'nice.' If you're gonna pull that card, don't think I don't have trump cards of my own.

If you care one bit about the safety of others, you won't force me to do something I really don't want to do.

[patchricide]

Wh— I am not forcing you to endanger anyone! Are you quite serious, that you would start attacking the people here before you even consider being less hostile?

And if you're trying to convince me not to get the law involved again — threatening to commit crimes is a terrible place to start!