ironwood: (LANTERNS / glowing)
ɪʀᴏɴᴡᴏᴏᴅ ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ ᴇsʜᴀɪ ([personal profile] ironwood) wrote in [community profile] tushanshu_ooc2015-01-31 07:47 pm
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GAME ITINERARY | FEBRUARY 2015

Hello chelonauts! Here is our second itinerary post, and starting this month, the current itinerary will be the stickied posts at the top of the OOC comm, and previous months can be found under this tag.

Here's what we've got lined up for February:

Weather

Snowfall will remain consistent through Tu Vishan's proximity to the Evidet coastline, and will taper off once the turtle's bulk has drifted free of the continent. As it moves farther away, the cold will increase and become drier, with temperatures plunging through both day and night, although there will be little new precipitation. Beginning around the middle of the month, the temperatures actually become dangerously low, capable of causing frostbite on exposed skin within 30 minutes of exposure. The canals in the Water Sector also freeze entirely solid, as well as the system of aqueducts that have been built to help irrigate the new farming settlements on the shell.


Kedan/Foreigner Relations

The presence of the Bresilykian emissaries in the city seems to have caused a schism in the way the kedan are currently treating the Foreigners. Since all of the emissaries are treating the Foreigners as part of the Keeliai population, there's a sense that the kedan want to capitalize on that, and they're hesitant to alienate them in view of the Bresilykians. (After all, they're worried that there really isn't that much keeping them on Tu Vishan any longer!) But at the same time, the kedan don't want the Foreigners to get the wrong idea, and this leads to wildly inconsistent treatment throughout the month. Someone may get star treatment one day, only to return the next and find service refused to them.

The kedan are also taking this opportunity to show the emissaries the strength of their skills, and institutions like the College will have their public visibility scaled up, and shops will have their best wares put forward. Everything is focused on presenting the visiting Bresilykians with the very best image possible of Keeliai, in order to secure the best alliance possible. Foreigners who can aid in this PR campaign will be rewarded; those whose actions are a detriment to Keeliai's overall image will be strongly censured.

That being said, there is also a small percentage of kedan who have genuinely softened toward the Foreigners -- primarily Shangpar Race aficionados who noticed and appreciated Akito and Zuko’s participation.


Local Events

ICE SKATING
The freezing weather hasn’t driven every single kedan indoors. With the canals and the aqueducts freezing solid around mid-month, temporary stores selling ice skates will spring up in the Water Sector, and it won’t be uncommon to see a group of young kedan gingerly testing their skills out on the ice.

During the first week or so, the exploration will be exceedingly cautious. Kedan will work in groups of two or three with ropes tied around each other’s waists, the better to catch their comrades if the ice is too thin and cracks under someone’s weight. As the month goes on, and confidence increases, skating along the canals will become as common a method of transportation as walking or taking a cart.

By month’s end, entire markets will have sprung up in the middle of canals or on top of aqueducts, lit by the flickering lights of lanterns held far up off the ice. These markets will have a more spontaneous atmosphere than a traditional one, and Foreigners will be welcome to try their hand at skating through them - or wobbling dangerously through them, if skates aren’t an option.

Log Note: The ice skating will not have a mod-posted event log.


BONFIRE NIGHT!
Ice can be fun! … Up to a point. Nearer the end of the month, many of the kedan will have had enough of frostbite and flash-freezes, and decide to combat the cold with a festival-of-sorts. It’s too cold for any true festival, but in times of great freezes such as this, the kedan do have a tradition to lift spirits and share warmth.

Beginning in Fire Sector, an empty and old building slated for destruction will be donated for the source of the bonfire. This building will be set alight and carefully tended, to avoid fire from spreading. Food will be cooked in its embers, primarily great pots of soup and stew to make up for the lack of fresh resources, but also including fish and some cold-resistant vegetables. Though most kedan will bring their own food, most of it goes into the communal pots; in the cases of kedan cooking the food themselves, the results are shared around.

The ‘tradition’ part of the tradition will arise with the lighting of other, much smaller bonfires in other squares in other sectors. This is something of a solemn event, as kedan light torches from the central bonfire and take them through the streets, followed or escorted and frequently passing the torch from person-to-person, until nearly every square in the city is lit.

On this occasion the boundaries between Foreigner and kedan will be at their lowest; the founding principle is community and sharing warmth, and hugs and cuddles are not uncommon among strangers.

Log Note: The bonfire will have a mod-posted event log on 21st of February.




NPCs & Families

For the duration of the emissaries’ stay there will be something of a tentative alliance between the major families. Although some pettiness will be visible between them, particularly between Zanru and Yunxu, harassment and corporate espionage will be on the down. As well, Heojin and Zanru appear to have formulated several beneficial trades due to the visit to Bresilyk and the presence of the republic’ ambassadors, though this doesn’t seem to extend past pure business.

TU YUNXU
Thanks to the large amounts of money changing hands after the shangpar races, Yunxu’s in a good mood this month. Most of his winnings, however, are being donated to poorer kedan groups and markets and, in one unexpected case, the Healer’s Guild. Most of these transactions are as anonymous as possible, but a persistent detective could probably track them back to him.

While Yunxu goes out of his way to speak to Azehaiss -- the emissary with the military background -- as often as possible, his assistant Meisheng can more often be seen with small groups of Woodsmen in the city. She claims to be tracking their weapons under orders from Tu Yunxu -- or at least, the farming tools which could theoretically be used as weapons.


ZANRU
Zanru is grumpy. She hasn’t broken any promises, but she’s more caustic and more liable to fly off the handle over trivial things, enough that even the kedan around her have been whispering. Rumour has it that she lost a fair sum of personal money in the race, but the observant will notice that she seems to be avoiding Xuiyu, and that Xuiyu had a black eye for a good part of the second half of January. (Xuiyu will not answer any questions.)

Zanru will also be stalking the streets far more frequently, and those same rumours will note that she’s been seen at gambling joints -- trying to make up for her lost money, perhaps?

Where the emissaries are concerned, Zanru is being her usual brusque self. It hasn’t endeared her to some of them, but her propensity to cut to the chase to the work hasn’t alienated them, either, particularly given her position as head of Stark Industries. Her behaviour toward the Foreigners hasn’t changed.


HEOJIN
While Heojin himself is not any more visible than usual, the Woodsmen in general have been visiting the city more frequently and stay for longer than just their market days. Among them is one of Heojin’s personal escorts from the forum, Lin, identifiable due to his wildly coloured hair. They only do so in groups; you won’t find any of them alone. They’re also armed, but only with farming implements they can easily justify as needing for their trade even while selling (primarily utility knives, but there are an array of other tools visible). As the cold grows the market-days will become more frequent, with the Woodsmen trying to sell off their riper crops before the frost kills them and cause them to go to waste.

While not actively wooing the emissaries, the Woodsmen are nevertheless making themselves available. On the occasions an emissary chooses to leave the city the Woodsmen are making a good show of being courteous by offering escorts and tours, though they are still reluctant to display the details of their re-seeding tech even to the Bresilykians.

Due to Heojin’s conversation at the forum, the Woodsmen are also showing more of an interest in the Foreigners. Though they haven’t approached any directly, they’ve been asking questions of them from the other kedan, and even the emissaries themselves.

During the ice-over the Woodsmen will all but vanish from the city, due to their need to focus on ensuring their crops are properly watered and protected from the ice. If anyone tries to visit during that time they will find the Woodsmen grumpy, thin and focussing heavily on Bresilykian-style greenhouses.


MILYN
The Cherrywood Healer is content not to make too many waves in recent weeks, ever since she shook up the Public Forum by announcing she was deeding the Healer's Guild to Raine Sage. That didn't go over well with all of the Families, and couldn't have been a positive note in her ability to influence things in the Foreigner's favour. Most of the time, she can be found in her apothecary, particularly when it comes to offering canon updates for the Foreigners.


Economy

Produce prices have stabilised for the Foreigners, thanks to Heojin fixing the prices of the Woodsmen’s produce. It’s caused some grumbling among the merchants, who resent the fact that their prices are being controlled by one family (as opposed to their guild), but they can’t deny that as a result some of the fluctuations in the economy have stabilised, and it’s caused a ripple effect among many of the other stores. Although the Woodsmen’s fresh produce will grow scarce during the ice-over, the Merchant’s Guild will maintain the fixed prices, so while fresh-produce prices will temporarily rise, they will rise for everyone.

This is in spite of the presence of the emissaries; although kedan will treat Foreigners in wildly varying ways, charging them unfairly exorbitant prices is growing less common. Not exactly graciously, but still, prices are fairer now than they were.

There has been a boom in employment, thanks in part to the contract established with Tony Stark and wholly due to the Metalworkers’ sudden need for extra day-labourers in order to build some infrastructure across the turtle’s shell. It pays very well, due to some degree of hazard and particularly the icing-over.

The weather will slow down construction on all fronts, forcing the surveyors to return to the city rather than risk the cold out in the relative wasteland of the turtle’s back. The tram-line will continue apace, however, with Zanru deciding the weather is only an opportunity to spread the work around. The call will go out for ice-pickers, furnaces and, on a handful of occasions, the use of modified welding equipment to keep the ice from the developing tracks. Yes, she’s going to give some (highly responsible) kedan flamethrowers. Yes, their use will be heavily regulated.


Crime

The presence of the emissaries is also having a large impact on crime. The frequency of white-collar and lesser crimes like petty theft hasn’t changed from last month, and the black market always seems to be going strong no matter the circumstances. But it seems that even gang kedan have a vested interest in a strong alliance with Bresilyk; more trade benefits everyone, even and especially thieves. This means that the Snakes have limited their aggressive activity, and gangs have scaled back from public view as much as possible -- Foreigners can expect to walk relatively safely through back alleys of Keeliai for the entirety of the month.


Technology

Due to that contract forged with Tony Stark, there is now some construction occurring outside the city. The Metalworkers are building some consoles and infrastructure for the Woodsmen, and will be negotiating for specific areas of land on which to build some more permanent radio and video transmitters. This is a long-term project Zanru expects to last for some months, and involves teams which include Metalworkers, Foreigners and some labourer kedan unaffiliated with anyone.

Although anyone at the forum would be expecting the construction outside the city, most will be surprised by a great deal of it occurring just outside the city’s walls (and, in some cases, on the city’s walls, particularly over the gates). As the month goes on it will become clear that Zanru has proceeded to build tram-lines on land un-owned by anyone, circling the whole city. Though it will leave the interior of most of the city uncatered, it will give the Woodsmen access to quicker transport and at least render kedan able to move around the outside of the sectors with much greater ease. This construction will take place over the course of the next several months.

If anyone asks, the official word is that Zanru got tired of waiting for Yunxu to scratch the itch up his ass, and if anyone wants to know when the city interior will receive tram-line they should ask him. Yunxu thanks you ever so, Zanru. She says you’re welcome, buttface.


International

EMISSARIES
None of the emissaries make it a secret that their goal is to secure passage on Tu Vishan. They'll remain in Khatronma until permission from the family heads is granted, and then they'll be moving back and forth between Khatronma and Keeliai, making it possible to speak with any of them at either location.

Azehaiss (MILITARY) A shrewd man of indeterminately late-middle age and a decorated naval commander, he seems glad to be out of the capital city. He was "promoted" unwillingly to an administrative job, which he finds boring. He understands the need for the position, but he'd much rather be at sea, an opinion he does little to hide from the kedan and Foreigners. He finds the current lack of formalized law enforcement on Tu Vishan disturbing. He will be seeking out Foreigners with battle experience, particularly on a large scale, and keeping a careful eye on the Snakes, as they are the current martial law of Keeliai. He generally took the lead on speaking with the Khatronmian mayor, but his primary focus is getting a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of all Tu Vishan's divisions: the kedan and the Foreigners.

Eiryam (TECHNOLOGY) is young man who has mastered the art of talking a lot without saying much at all. Since technology is Bresilyk's most carefully guarded element, he's exceptionally good at deflecting questions when they get too probing. He's a tinkerer himself -- and in fact will be inclined to make small mechanical gadgets for the Foreigners if they're interested -- but his background is actually in patent law, something highly respected in Bresilyk. He'll be especially interested in speaking with the Metalworkers and any of the technologically-inclined Foreigners.

Ingsthya (COMMERCE & TRADE) A young woman who has recently been appointed to her post, Ingsthya is eager to prove her prowess in arranging formal trade between the two nations. She treats each negotiation as a game to be won, but the other emissaries will confirm that she is holding these negotiations with the backing of the Republic. She's less interested in the Foreigners than the others, but only because they don't seem to have much presence in Keeliai at this time. If any want to prove that incorrect, they would certainly earn her considerable interest.

Eiryam and Ingsthya can often be found together, and spend more time in Keeliai than in Khatronma; as the two youngest members of the group, they have something of a friendly rivalry going and tend to bicker as much as they investigate. Both of them are highly interested in having dealings with the Families, as well as any Foreigner who can give them insight into those factions.

Khayleof (CULTURE) An elderly woman, Khayleof has only recently moved to Lichoyras. Prior to that she lived in Phorezton, and was present when the fires took out part of the settlement a few months before the Foreigners arrived in December 2013. She is kind, but takes her responsibility as an ambassador of Bresilykian culture very seriously. She wishes to speak with Foreigners who have landfalled at other continents, and is the one most interested in Tu Vishan's current unknown status. She prefers to let chance dictate her interactions with the kedan and Foreigners, because her bones are old, she's fond of saying. Despite this, she's actually quite spry, and not afraid to rap someone over the head if they're not being respectful to their elders.

Nandzinra (AGRICULTURE) A motherly, middle-aged woman, she is a horticulture scientist in one of Lichoyras' leading hydroponic associations. Due to Evidet's polar climate and the fact that its year-long growing seasons are sometimes decades apart, artificial growing fields are rigidly maintained and subject to extremely strict oversight by the Republic -- they are literally feeding the continent. As such, Nandzinra is always very aware of the image she projects, and rarely says anything without careful consideration, traits that make her an excellent, if somewhat hard to read, diplomat. She is very interested in agricultural practices used in the Foreigner's worlds, and will probe for that information to make very detailed notes for her own records. She also spends much of her time in Keeliai, or more appropriately, outside Keeliai. It's most common to find her in various locations on the turtle's shell, examining the state of its regrowth. She also carries around quite the suitcase of testing equipment, and isn't shy about taking samples.


MYSTERY TRANSMISSIONS (CONTINUED)

The encoded radio transmission continues to broadcast uninterrupted and unchanging. For those who have deciphered it, the kedan will be able to tell them that Kerro Raris is a continent north-east of their present location, and that it's a blasted barren wasteland, and that no one's had contact with those who lived there for centuries, at least. No one's quite sure what to make of the "mother" or "blue eye" turn of phrase.

However, the radios aren't the only thing picking up transmissions. This month, the consoles will randomly glitch with a series of coloured pictographs: a red square, a blue triangle, a yellow arrow, a green cross, an orange hexagon, and a purple star. These pictographs will flash down in the lower corner of a video console, cycling through the set, at random intervals. The order they appear in is different, depending on which sector the console is in.

FIRE: Yellow arrow, purple star, blue triangle, green cross, orange hexagon.
WATER: Red square, purple star, blue triangle, yellow arrow, orange hexagon.
EARTH: Blue triangle, purple star, green cross, orange hexagon, red square.
METAL: Orange hexagon, green cross, blue triangle, red square, yellow arrow.
WOOD: Purple star, green cross, orange hexagon, yellow arrow, red square.

Consoles installed in Central Keeliai, curiously, do not receive these glitches. Consoles installed outside of the city limits receive all six symbols, but they're in black and white.


So that's our outline for the month of February! If you have any questions about these happenings, please use the Questions comment below. Otherwise, this post is free space for monthly OOC plotting.