tushanshu_ooc | GAME ITINERARY

Hello chelonauts, here is a fresh new itinerary post! Previous months can be found under this tag.

Here's what we've got lined up for September 2016 (2017 in game):

Weather

With the turtle still swimming eastward, the weather actually warms despite the advance in month, as they move away from the northern pole. The days are pleasant, and the overnight temperatures are slightly more chilled, but more than tolerable. The rains also seem to have retreated, and the majority of the month is sunny and clear. At night, the stars are brighter than ever, causing even the kedan to remark on their unusually vivid clarity.

The pivot and roll of Tu Vishan's swimming seems to have calmed to its old steadiness, as if the turtle has gotten his rhythm back. This comes as a relief to those who were suffering sea-sickness last month, and the symptoms abate in all but the most sensitive of the affected.

Kedan/Foreigner Relations

In the wake of the Dust-fueled riots which swept through Keeliai last month, the kedan are ill at ease with the Police Force and newly established governing body. Advocators for the Families to remain in power are quick to claim that such a thing would not have happened under the Snakes' martial law, but more level-headed responses point out that Tu Yunxu's policies on weapons carrying and gang suppression wouldn't have made any difference to the Dust-addled rioters.

And yet, rather than viewing it as a failure, the dominant attitudes amongst the kedan seems to be to cut these fledgling organizations some more slack, and hope that they can get things up and running a little better. Foreigners with political and leadership backgrounds especially will be asked to provide their opinions and suggestions for how to integrate the two sides more cohesively.

The Kin'nal have been doing their best to fit into daily life in Keeliai, and although they've been mostly successful -- a handful of them have come down with what seems to be pneumonia due to the cold and damp, those who insisted on working at night like they were used to doing -- there haven't been any serious issues to date. However, the ones who've been taken in by kedan and Foreigner households still seem to be chafing under the shared roofs... the Kin'nal are used to being only around their own kind when they're "off-duty", and many are feeling stressed at having to act a certain way all the time. It's pretty obvious that they're hoping for a communal space of their own, but are either too polite or too fearful to ask about it just yet.

Local Events

TU VISHAN’S AWAKENING PARTY

About a week into September, there will be a public invitation over the network, and a number of fliers going around for a celebration at the Midnight Hotel. Tu Vishan is awake, and after all the hubbub of August, it’s time for a chance to breathe.

Klaus will be setting up an extravagant feast for the 15th, and everyone is invited - there will be music, games out in the courtyard, and an open bar (though in keeping with the original rules of the hotel, no alcohol will be served). There will also be lighting lanterns in accordance to Kedan tradition, and a traditional Kin’nal celebratory dance. At midnight, there will be fireworks!

Log Note: Tu Vishan’s Awakening Party will have a mod-posted event log.

STARS IN YOUR EYES, STARS IN YOUR GLASS...

With the abundance of stars visible in the sky, some Kedan have made a point to grab some booze and get out of the city to go stargazing. These small parties are fairly frequent throughout the month (though some are rather, shall we say, private parties), and the Kedan encourage foreigners to grab friends or loved ones and go see the sights. Throughout the month, vendors will be offering several types of seasonal alcohols and liqueurs at a discount, and obviously capitalizing on the "quantity over quality" method. The most popular flavours are reminiscent of licorice, sour melon, burnt almonds, and strangely, pickled fish.

Log Note: The stargazing parties will not have a central mod-posted event, but can be used in player logs throughout the month.

NPCs & Families

There's a very visible shift in the city's power base beginning this month, as the Family heads are inexorably weakened from their previously unchallenged positions as the city's leaders, and as new figures take on prominence through the government council. This obviously leads to some tensions, particularly among the Snakes, Woodsmen and Metalworkers, but the assurance that the groups themselves aren't being dissolved so much as reallocated is helping... somewhat.

MILYN

The blitheness with which Milyn continues to run her apothecary and clinic in the face of probable criminal charges would almost be laughable, if those charges weren't for some very, very serious crimes. Yet largely, no one seems to want to make the first move in regards to addressing those, and the longer it goes unpunished, the less sense it makes to punish her for the acts... especially since, in at least one instance, she's been asked to make a repeat performance.

The Healer certainly isn't acting like she's expecting to suffer negative consequences for her actions, and is working on some side projects that keep her more often than not at her clinic til the late hours this month. She treated some of those injured in the Dust riots, both in patching up physical injuries and offering injections to help abate some of the symptoms, but if questioned about it, the kedan she treated will seem confused as to why she took several blood samples from them, before cheerfully sending them home.

AROYAN

With the last of the frantic rush of business concluded with their departure from Tavimbi's shores, Aroyan is taking it easy this month. He'll be more often found away from the Merchant's Guild than at it, and he's taking particular interest in the Foreigners' daily routines, sometimes even stopping them in the street if he notes them doing something... unique. He's also renewing his search for an assistant, something that fell by the wayside in the last few months while they were docked at Hatal.

USAYI

Being of the opinion that matters in the city are coming to a head in undesirable ways, Usayi has stepped forward from previous pointed lack of involvement with any organization involving Foreigners in any serious capacity. He's still blatantly uninterested in factions, advocating unity almost to a fault, and as such has put himself forward and into the new government body being formed.

He's a little hard to get a hold of for Foreigners, but anyone with a little determination will be able to find him at the College, or at his shop in the Sky sector, grumpy more often than not but still willing to talk about how to bring people together instead of driving them further apart.

ROSYN

The kedan may recognize a familiar face on the new government council, and be a little surprised, too. Rosyn has always made a point to be in the picture but not the main subject, and her stepping out into the public eye in this way suggests that the sands are shifting. While never a recluse, Rosyn definitely is spending more time in public spaces like the Courtyard and is generally open to talking with anyone who approaches. She’s announced open office hours at her establishment in the Fire Sector such that anyone - Foreigner or kedan - can speak with her about their concerns for Keeliai’s future and how the government ought to do things. Private appointments can also be made for those with more sensitive topics to discuss. Her office is on the ground floor of the brothel she runs, however, and Rosyn very pointedly uses this as a way to gauge the individuals she meets with. Her employees won’t make anyone uncomfortable on purpose, of course, and will be happy to show visitors in to see Rosyn.

KYDE

Generally one to stay out of the thick of things (or be kept out, really), Kyde has somehow managed to worm his way into more public forums of discussion. This eccentric Kedan is delighted by the awakening of Tu Vishan, and is eager to look into the goings-on post riot. As a rather prestigious name in the field of chemistry, he intends to bring his skills to the forefront and investigate the compounds of the ‘dust bombs’ as well as contribute to modernizing investigative techniques. He also intends to advocate strongly for continued foreigner presence in the legal system and government. Kyde can generally be found in his laboratory at the college, emerging sporadically for sustenance or to lecture at his students when he can be bothered to actually teach.

KUHIE & KIUEU

The sibling leaders of the Ban Om have a new project they wish to undertake: with the increase in adherents to their Great Turtle faith, they would like a temple built in one of the Sectors. Currently in discussion with Aroyan over the exact location, they've already put out calls for multiple types of craftsmen, builders, and general labourers to help with the construction (and destruction, if they end up buying somewhere that's already got a building on it!).

But they don't expect people to be working for free, and they're promising a hefty sum of juulan to anyone who signs up, whether they be Foreigner or kedan -- and by hefty, what one might make in a month is more than some people make in half a year! The offer is certainly tempting for many, and the siblings are making themselves readily available for those who have questions. OOC: If you are interested in your character participating, please drop a comment on this post OR send a PM to

irondawn

Economy

The slow stability of the previous month largely persists after the departure from Hatal, although tensions resulting from the riots and in particular the weaponized Dust cause a brief spike in prices for certain goods. Due to the cold temperatures of Tavimbi, less food was produced than normal. The current direction of the turtle’s travel will allow for some additional production, but the Woodsmen warn that food will not be plentiful come the winter months. There’s no real worry about starvation, but the prices of fresh produce will be on a steady rise.

The promise of a new, large construction project helps settle things a little, as does the more prominent presence of the new government council. With the temperatures warming some, the demand lessens for heating utilities to keep the Kin'nal warm. The stargazing parties prompt a stronger demand for all different kinds of alcohol, primarily those that are cheap and widely available.

Crime

While the cultists haven't officially claimed responsibility for the Dust attack and subsequent riot, and indeed are barely showing their faces at all, there's an uptick in the business of Dust, perhaps as a side effect of the quantities they needed for their testing.

Through the month there are a number of small clashes between various of the organized gangs, and kedan who must surely be among the cultists, but to a one avoid capture. Unease that was previously passive has become a little more active, in the wake of the riot and how many injured it left. For lack of any other viable party to blame, it's easy for some of the more volatile people in the city to make assumptions and take matters into their own hands.

Technology

With the departure from Hatal, there are fewer resources available and the development of new technology slows from the more frenetic pace of the previous months.

Work continues on the prototype portable network devices that Charako gave the Foreigners as a parting gift from Tavimbi. Getting the coding right is proving tricky, but it provides opportunities for experimentation and there is a rising interest in a new kind of computer science, particularly at the College. Upgrades to other parts of the network in an effort to create a unified system are also underway, but widespread implementation is a few months out. The Metalworkers are determined and confident that they’ll be able to harness the turtle’s organic power for the handsets with Charako’s code as a baseline.

In addition to the network upgrades, there is continued development of forensic technology at the College. Thanks to the assistance of some of Keeliai’s best shapeshifters, the researchers are more and more confident in their ability to match physical samples such as hair and skin, and are hoping to create field-kits for testing by the police force soon. Charako’s handset improvements will also be able to do still shots, meaning crime scenes can be photographed in the near future. There’s some question about the legal processes involved with all of the technology being used by the police force, but concerns are still greater over their carrying and use of weapons at the moment.

International

CHIHUELO

The military Chihuelans who were observing the Foreigners while in Hatal made no move to interfere or otherwise delay the departure of Tu Vishan the previous month, and nothing more has been seen of them since.

As for the Chihuelan raiders, there's been a distinct uptick in sightings in the more remote parts of the shell, likely due to the fact that provisions are low at the moment. With the Woodsmen's fields producing only a thin crop due to the months of cold weather, they're an obvious target for the raiders to go after. Despite this, any Chihuelans quickly disappear if they're spotted, long before they can be approached... if anything, it seems like they're going out of their way to avoid a confrontation.

OOC Information

1. We've updated our NPCs and Groups page to reflect the new NPCs incoming with our new modteam, and are phasing out the Family heads slowly. Please excuse our dust as we get the last of the writeups done for the page, and let us know if you have any questions, or spot any errors we've missed.

2. We are looking at having landfall in either October or November, or a cross between the two (late Oct into Nov, for example). If anyone has suggestions or preferences for duration and dates, please volunteer them here!

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