Entries tagged with location

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⇨ New Location: THE WYLDLANDS

PREPARATION↴
On Day 132, preparation for battle will be in full swing. With the reminder that both Miracles are currently at stake, both halves of the Summer Court will be putting together plans to reach the Huntsman. In the meantime, carnival members will be taken back to the Summerlands to get their shit together.

On Day 134, the mission will begin. Those willing to come from the carnival, the Summerlands, and military from the Summer Court will be brought to the Wyldlands to begin their search. The Wydlands are enormous and constantly shifting in geography, which means that finding the Hunt to begin with will be a challenge, let alone without giving an unnecessary amount of advanced warning. That's where the carnival comes in.

Faerie presences are very loud, and easily detected. Too many of them getting close to the Hunt's territory will alert the Huntsman to the scale of the attack, which is not in thier favour. Instead, the suggested plan is that the carnival travel ahead as scouts, alerting the Summer forces of enemy positions, enabling them to dive in as a strategic ambush. Their lesser auras and Wyld Fae essence will allow them to blend in - with some additional magical help, they may even be able to appear as members of the Hunt themselves. With the power of the entire Summer Court at their disposal, a lot of things are possible.

A few Summer Fae will be sent along with them - most notably Ignatius and Gild. Those from the carnival that ran with the Hunt will also have the key advantage of being able to sense the Huntsman's will, leading the rest in the right direction and anticipating the Hunts movements. As long as they can avoid falling back into the Hunt's sway, of course.

SETTING↴

The Wyldlands are a massive and mostly uncharted territory of Arcadian land that lies between the two faerie Courts. Historically dominated by the Wyld Fae, it has also periodically become the stomping grounds of bouth Courts armies, and is considered a no-mans-land where dubious or secretive operations take place. Obviously, the Wyld Fae have never been a huge fan of this, and Court military is generally considered to be an unwanted nuisance. The tension has only grown thicker since the days of the Great Beast's uprising, with many Wyld Fae caught between the tyranny of the Huntsman and the disregard of the Courts.

You can find any imaginable biome within the Wyldlands, and their locations constantly and gradually shift. A desert may develop into a rainforest within a period of a few weeks, and the only stable places are powerful Wyld Fae have set up their dens, grounding the territory into reflecting their own nature. In general, the landscape is somewhat surrealist in nature, with impossibly large trees being commonplace, along with floating islands, bizarrely shaped mountains, and other alien landmarks.

All of this makes it very difficult to navigate, but also perfect for hiding out in.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: POLARIS

PREPARATION↴
With the Ringmaster defeated and claimed by the Huntsman, the ownership of everyone she has contracts with will have defaulted to the Huntsman himself - which means he is capable of forbidding everyone the use of their magic and powers. He does, of course, but it turns out he has little interest in keeping any of the Ringmaster's left over belongings. Soon after taking her egg, he passes off ownership of everyone else to an assembly of Winter fae that have been patiently lying in wait.

The leader of the fae in question? The Mother of Invention, a notoriously unorthodox magical scientist and researcher. While the Ringmaster is carted off to places unknown, the rest of the carnival is being whisked away to a place called Polaris for the indefinite future.

NOTE: If your character contracted with Ignatius, special rules will imply regarding their ability to use their powers. Right at the start, they will still mostly lose their ability to use powers, but as time goes on, their contract will conflict with the Mother's ownership of them, allowing minor uses of their abilities on a case by case basis.

SETTING↴

Polaris is a magical laboratory complex in Arcadia, floating just above cloud level. It belongs to the Mother of Invention, and is used by her and her technicians to study and develop magical theory. While stealing away mortals to this complex is a common practice, those taken from the Ringmaster's care are here under special circumstances.

All items, pets, and clothing will be confiscated on entry and locked away, followed by everyone having to go through a 'decontamination' process that mostly involves all the things you'd expect it to. You get scanned by various things and then sprayed with magical water vapor that feels very cold but apparently cleanses. Then, you are given new clothes - that are applied magically rather than being something you physically put on - and taken away to be individually interviewed. Please fill out this form as each of your characters, following the rules as explained. This interview will determine some things about how your character is treated during the event.

The new 'clothes' are actually just weird bodysuits in a shade of charcoal grey, with a texture somewhere between leather and silicon. It's flush to the skin and flexible enough to stay that way, but thankfully the material is thick enough that it isn't unduly revealing. You will mysterious find yourself not needing to eat or produce waste while wearing it. It's also basically impossible to take off on your own. If you are weirdly shaped, or have a lot of fur, feathers, or foliage that would get in the way of this, then the suits are custom applied and can be modded to accommodate such things. The design will endeavor to cover as much as possible while not being completely impractical. They generally won't cover things like tails or wings.

Characters will be locked up in compact cells during the night, either alone or in pairs. If your character is big they will be put in a somewhat bigger cell to accommodate their size, but there will still not be much leg room. The layouts are approximately like this, so if you have a roommate, things will be pretty intimate for your stay with them. Housing is functionally random and may change daily, irregularly, or not at all. Who you room with is your OOC choice, but in game characters are being assigned by the technicians.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: SHABONDAMASHII

PREPARATION↴
On Day 92 the carnival will have fled from Eden to a new rest location. NPCs will have been dropped off in the necessary places, and then the Ringmaster is settling everyone into a space vacation while she works on dealing with the aftermath of her fight with Lilith. More specifics will be incoming, but this is what you need to know.

SETTING↴

Shabondamashii is technically a bathhouse, but the name is also used to describe the small city surrounding it. 'Shabon', as often called by foreigners who are bad at pronouncing things, predated the community surrounding it - over time, the rest of the city has built itself around the famous bathhouse's existing prosperity. The city is incredibly dense, and mostly filled with things meant to appeal to tourists. In this case, 'tourists' also includes beings from many other worlds. It's a universal nexus of a more frivolous variety, and both employs and is visited by a large variety of unique species.

The owner is a powerful being, and as such, many employees are 'paid' via room and board, plus broad magical favours similar to what the Ringmaster would offer in exchange for service. Helpfully, everyone is there willingly, and are allowed to keep tips as a secondary income source. Service tends to be excellent, given the worker's desires to earn as much wealth as possible before returning to their homes.

The layout of the city is incredibly dense, and overflowing with content. In terms of what you might see, it's pretty much anything you can imagine being in the world of Spirited Away, primarily defined by Japanese and other east-Asian culture. It isn't exactly like the earth variety, but it's close enough, and will be recognizable to people who come from those backgrounds. For the most part, as long as you aren't making up resources for your character to stockpile, if something fits the setting it's probably safe to assume it exists. The specifics of this location super don't matter.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: EDEN (SPECIAL EVENT)

PREPARATION↴
On Day 79, full preparations to enter Eden will be underway. This isn't like past events where you'll just wake up in the new setting - the Ringmaster absolutely needs everyone's understanding for this. There are two major things that need to be taken care of before entering - blending in and knowing the context you're in.

According to various sources, Lilith barely visits Eden at this point. The whole set up has been spinning its wheels since nearly the beginning of time, and at this point, Lilith likely only shows up every few thousand years to see if there's been any progress. She also shows up to add more animals to the population, to replace the ones killed or outcast, but the residents all know to deal with this as a standard procedure.

This means that everyone is going to enter under the premise of being a freshly made Honorable - which means, in turn, that they will have to be in the form of an animal, and fit with the status quo. The Ringmaster will be handling the animal part, and will try to block out all of people's spiritual radiation with essence of Beast to make them blend in. There are also herbal mixtures that will suppress the carnival's auras, making them easier to hide their faerie natures. For the most part, people will have to settle on one super power that they will be able to use publicly, and the rest will have to be kept a secret. If you don't have any powers, the Ringmaster will lend you one for this mission.

Once everyone is transformed and everything has been explained, the carnival will enter Eden and pretend to be a new batch of beasts. They will integrate into society and, somehow, they will find the Silver Mirror.

SETTING↴

Eden is a realm created by the Nephalem Lilith, populated entirely by highly intelligent animals. Only beasts are allowed within its borders, and any form of 'man' (that is, humans, elves, or anything that is a creator of civilization in their world, even if they are furries) is forbidden to walk free. The alleged purpose of Eden was to create the 'Perfect' being, one pristine beyond the traditional ideals of good and evil. According to Lilith, only this being would be fit to rule the multiverse, and all other ruling species are sorely lacking.

The backstory of Eden can be found in these passages, discovered in the Athenaeum and available for viewing: The Silver Mirror, Eden, and The Serpent.

The majority of Eden is comprised of idyllic forests punctuated by beautiful architecture and art installments. The animals of Eden spend most of their time creating, whether that be building structures, designing art, or experimenting with the heights of music and theater. Essentially, they are all very cultured when it comes to the arts. However, their rate of output, and the fact that there is nothing to do with the things they make, tends to result in their creations being ritually destroyed just as quickly, as offerings to their Goddess Lilith.

Otherwise, the beasts act about the same way you'd expect people to. They have hopes, fears, interpersonal dramas, and everything else. The primary different is that they know no life beyond this one, and their pious devotion to Lilith is strictly upheld - even at the cost of their lives.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: CAMPING GROUNDS

PREPARATION↴
On Day 63, the carnival will arrive a new world, filled with vast forests, and the Ringmaster will promptly kick everyone out. You guys are going camping, while she tears the carnival realm apart and expels every single thing the Faerie Courts could be tracking them with - if they go after the Silver Mirror, they can't risk being followed. So, instead of spending the week in trailors, the Ringmaster will dump a wide array of camping equipment onto everyone, including appropriate food and recreational drink. She says this place should be totally safe, but knowing the irony of that statement, she is issuing a number of safety precautions as well.

Characters are encouraged to camp all in the same area, but it's possible to slip away and be a loner. At least until the Security Team gets on your ass, anyway. Otherwise, you're advised to take some time to recover. This place could be considered pretty idyllic... even with the odd local inhabitants.

SETTING↴

The Camping Grounds are set in a vast alien forest, complete with waterfalls, lakes, and unreasonably big trees in places. The local animals are mostly benign, but on the strange side. There are various plants and insects with fluorescent qualities, including some over-sized mushrooms. There are also edible fruits and berries - the Ringmaster has provided the kitchen staff and Nightrunners a list of which ones are poisonous.

There is no high civilization here, so there won't be any performing necessary. Some of the creatures nearby come close, but fore the most part it's pure wilds. Also, notably, there are few local carnivores - the primary source of meat is fish, and most of the animals feed on insects or plants. As a result, the ecosystem is of the peaceful sort. Unfortunately, those fish also have fur.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: THE ATHENAEUM

PREPARATION↴
On Day 47, the carnival will find itself merged with the new location, the grounds moved from their usually dimension right into the middle of the Athenaeum. This mean everyone will be waking up to a carnival surrounded by bookshelves instead of trees - the major things being left behind are the forest, lake, and menagerie, which can be accessed through a convenient tree portal made by the Ringmaster. Otherwise, it's book time now, welcome to book city.

SETTING↴

The Athenaeum is a city sized library realm comprised of absolutely nothing but hall after hall of books. Some rooms are well organized, vast and carefully categorized, while others are simply enormous piles of tomes with no rhyme or reason to their contents. Many cannot be read at all. The ones you can read, however, are a sampling of literature and history from all over the multiverse, in quantities beyond your comprehension. The catch? The only true way to find what you're looking for is to trust in fate. Literally.

The books are cared for by a pair of celestial beings called the Curator and the Scribe. The Curator focuses on collecting and sorting books, both fiction and non-fiction, from all over the multiverse. Their idea of organization is esoteric to say the least, so finding your way around can be more than difficult. The Scribe, in contrast, is primarily a writer - they have penned millions of volumes of true stories from the multiverse, covering a random array of subjects from the beginning of time to the daily anecdotes of mortals in backwater galaxies. In fact, there are almost certain a few stories about you.

The real challenge is finding them. You could spend and eternity here without finding what you are looking for. Magic meant to find specific items is non-functional, and brute forcing the process is impossible. All you can do is follow the whimsy of the Athenaeum's stores and find what you were meant to find.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: SPACE OLYMPICS

PREPARATION↴
There's not much preparation to this event. At the start of Day 30, characters will wake up to find the carnival on a distant planet, underneath a biodome. In the carnival, they'll remain their normal selves but once they leave, they'll find themselves transformed into a more alien form (more details on that below!).

The Ringmaster will give the carnival members a brief overview: welcome to the Space Olympics! For the first week, the Carnival will be performing for the athletes in the athlete's village. But for the second week, the carnival can actually compete in the Space Olympics. Characters can compete in one event, with the exception of Space Beer Pong. The Ringmaster is going to get that gold medal herself, dammit.

SETTING↴

You stand on a distant planet
Skyline of red plateaus
Strange air and vegetation
You're a winner!
Welcome to the Space Olympics! The year is 3022. This year's host is Zargon, which is only hosting because the four previous hosts all dropped out. Still, Zargon's put lot of time and money into developing a complex perfect for the Space Olympics. Floating above the planet's atmosphere is a large spaceship turned athletic arena, obviously named Olympic Spaceship. Stadiums are on every corner, there's swimming pools every other block, and a large racetrack surrounds the city. Places in Olympic Spaceship that aren't arenas either cater to athletes (training facilities, locker rooms, medical facilities, saunas) or cater to those watching the games (concession stands, shopping malls, merch stands, quiet rooms where people can just sit down). Space public transit can get you from one end of the ship to another in mere seconds.

The athlete's village is on Zargon, as well as the carnival. People can either stay at the carnival or in the athlete's village. Though Zargon doesn't have any oxygen, a combination of biodomes and terraforming technology have made it so that all athletes can breathe comfortably on Zargon, no matter what their species! Just stay inside the biodome. Space shuttles go from Olympic Spaceship to Zargon at regular ten minute intervals. Those staying in the athlete's village will get a junior suite: basically a small, hotel room type set up with queen sized bed, microwave and refrigerator, and an attached bathroom. The Ringmaster will cover minor incidentals—so keep your ass out the minibar!

The Space Olympics comprises literally every sport that people can think of, both summer and winter. There's track and field, ice skating, luge, and beach volleyball, but there's also more alien sports: three dimensional chess, pod racing, space poker, mechanical bull riding but the bull's some sort of weird Doctor Who type alien, and so on and so forth. All sports inexplicably have the word 'space' in front of their name. There will be plenty of opportunities for characters to try out any kind of sport when the arena is not in session! Any fake games from character's canons will not be represented, but if you ask around you can find suspiciously similar substitutes. Want to play a game of Space Muel Donsters? How about a round of that popular card game Space Schment?

( I FORGOT THE CUT TAG )

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⇨ GUARDIANS & HARBINGERS

STAR GUARDIANS↴

► COLOURS: White/Gold/Accent Colour (Accent Colours are based on one's Soul Colour.)
► STYLE: Bright, fashionable, star-motifs, modern aesthetics, a tendency towards mini skirts and tall boots. Sometimes, inhuman features appear based on their familiar.
► MAGIC: "Spark" based power, manifested in the form of a magic weapon, a familiar, a familiar that turns into a weapon, or some mixture of these elements.
► TRANSFORMATIONS: Full of colours, lights, and anime nudity, they are a wonder to behold.

Historically speaking, most Star Guardians are women, but that is not exclusively the case. Magic uniforms tend towards being feminine, but are largely based on the Guardian's personality, and so can manifest as appropriately masculine when needed.

The "Spark" is a magical focus that comes from the soul - all souls have the capability of manifesting a Spark, but it is a rare few that manage to fully harness their capabilities with the aid of Creation. A Spark is a passion, skill, or interest that becomes enhanced to the point of being almost godly. For example, a skilled musician could manifest their instrument as a weapon, and use their magic to sway the hearts of a crowd, or perhaps use its pitch to shatter stone. A lover of animals could use their bond to communicate with the wild, or summon magical beasts to their aid.

The possibilities are endless, each Spark leading to its own realm of potential. The more skilled a Guardian, the better use they will get out of their Spark, and the more it will enhance their general capabilities, such a speed, strength, and endurance. The powers of a Spark are mostly only in effect when the Guardian is transformed, which they can do but summoning the Spark from their soul and allowing it to manifest as their uniform and weaponry, in a magical light sequence that seems to both take a long time and no time at all.

Familiars can be created by the Spark or uplifted from mundane (or not so mundane) animals that the Guardian kept as a companion. While the Guardian is transformed, that familiar will become able to speak, and will be endowed with a small amount of wisdom from Creation in order to help guide their choices.

A Star Guardian's power is based on their creative potential: on the amount of light inside of them, metaphorically speaking. Those with the most to bring to the world around them will have the most to bring to the team as a Guardian.

HARBINGERS OF VOID↴

► COLOURS: Black/Gunmetal/Accent Colour (Accent Colours are based on one's Soul Colour.)
► STYLE: Gothic, elegant, formal, old fashioned, cloaks, cowls, robes, gowns, jewelry with no particular iconography or symbols, armor pieces. Sometimes, inhuman features appear, like horns or spikes.
► MAGIC: Corrupted "Spark" based power, manifested in the form of a magic weapon. They can have familiars also, but they don't have the connection required to have the familiar/weapon combo. They use their magic as a tool towards an end.
► TRANSFORMATIONS: Badass, creepy, and sometimes a bit traumatic, these sequences often involve some mild body horror and general discomfort - but boy does it look metal!

Like the Star Guardians, most Harbingers are women. Aesthetics come across as a bit gloomy and concealing - while Star Guardians dress confidently and openly, the Harbingers hide behind clothing like a shield. Though they can use familiars as mounts and attack dogs, they lack the connection to fully utilize them as a spiritual weapon.

The Harbingers also tap into their Spark to attain power, but in this case the power of that Spark is inverted. The Harbinger's intention is to destroy reality, and they are willing and ready to destroy their own Spark along with it. A Harbinger of Hope will use that hope to destroy hope. A Harbinger of Dance will use their rhythm to take away joy. That most inner part of their soul has been corrupted, and redeeming them can feel impossible at times, even though it isn't.

Even if a Harbinger signed on to the Void willingly, being made into one corrupts them more deeply than they might have anticipated. The Void will find reasons within them, ways to turn them against the Creation from which they were born. This can make them temperamental or irrational at times, but they are aware of what they're doing. Their personality and desires have simply been changed to accommodate the Void's goals. They can be purified with great effort and willpower, but it's no easy task. Most Harbingers were never truly given a choice.

Harbinger familiars cannot speak, unless they could already, though they can be corrupted out of existing creatures. Much like Star Guardians, Harbingers are chosen for their creative potential - a great inner light is sought, because they greater the light, the more violently it can be inverted. The light of a powerful Spark collapses like a dying star, creating the Void inside them.

OOC INFORMATION↴
► AVAILABLE SLOTS: There will be 12 Guardians recruited willingly, and 12 Harbinger corrupted unwillingly. (Or willingly, if your character is a freak, but that will probably be seen as treachery against the carnival.) You may only submit one character for this purpose, unless there end up being left over slots, in which case you can choose a second.
► IC RESPONSIBILITIES: If you take a slot, it is expected that you will have the ability to be reasonably active in this event, since you are taking a position that is in limited supply. If you are uncertain about your ability to keep up, consider waiting before grabbing a slot. Not every recruit will be constantly required for plot to move on, but the mods will be unhappy to see slots getting wasted.
► SLOT CLAIMING: Slot claiming will open up on Friday. If more than 12 of each apply, then you will have the opportunity to guarantee your entry with AC points via a bidding system. The remainder will be chosen from the list of applicants via RNG.

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⇨ New Location: WISMUTH

PREPARATION↴
On Day 1 of the new season, the carnival will depart from their lunar vacation and return to the regular carnival grounds. New arrivals will be given their official trailer assignments, and veterans will be asked to go over their trades with the newbies, to get them ready for the next touring location. Performers will be expected to put together some new performance routines, security and nightrunners will be asked to do some military training, etc.

Then, on Day 6, the carnival will enter its new location. Rather than integrating itself with the new world, the carnival will be connected via portal to a central park area in the city. Of course, the "vibrancy" effects mentioned below will still be allowed to leak into the carnival itself through this connection. The intent will be to spent a couple days exploring before going into Performance Week, but the carnival will be interrupted part way through their tour by the firm hand of plot.

SETTING↴

Wismuth is a large coastal city on the east shore of what would usually be the United States. The world it's part of is an Earth variant, meaning that while some aspects may be different, overall it will contain a similar look and feel to Earth many are accustomed to, including some overlapping celebrities, corporations, and technologies. Its most notable feature is that this planet is a part of what is called a 'Pillar of Creation' - a focal point of Creation's energies in the multiverse. The significance of this term will be explained in more detail as the plot moves on.

The immediate effects of this trait are that everything in Wismuth, and in the world surrounding it, is filled with an unusual sort of vibrancy - colours seem brighter, sounds seems to resonate more deeply, and all other physical sensations will strike visitors as oddly intense, including their own emotions. It's a subtle effect rather than anything that will be overtly disorientating, but it's almost as if everything is more "real" here than it is anywhere else. Obviously, the locals have had plenty of time to grow accustomed to this. On the bright side, as a tourist, you have the opportunity to experiment with this sensation as a form of recreation.

Wismuth won't read as overtly magical to anyone sensitive to such things, but magic will seem to flow with particular ease while you're here. It won't necessarily make a mage considerably more powerful, but it will put less strain on their efforts, and will somehow feel more "natural." While some realities may fight the presence of magic, this world seems quite the opposite.

Technology is somewhat more advanced here, allowing for better medical care, a healthier planet, and other mostly idyllic additions to society. Though the current year is still 2018, the qualities of this place seem to have resulted in things developing more quickly and positively. Make no mistake, though - people can still be assholes.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: THE MOON

PREPARATION↴
On Day 6 of Winter Break (aka B6) the carnival will be... well, mostly staying where it is. Technically speaking, at least. While other times they've left the Ringmaster's realm for vacations, this time they are going to do something a bit differently. They don't have the best personal safety record when it comes to travelling for outside entertainment, so this time the carnival is staying home! Or, at least, it's staying in the same realm. The actual location they are going to is one of the carnival's two moons.

As it turns out, the moon is not actually moon sized. Instead of being a moon sized orb very far away, it is actually a much smaller orb unreasonably close to the surface of the earth - surely this would wreak absolutely havoc on the environment if magic wasn't responsible for it. According to Ringmaster, it's actually possible to fly to the moon by wing, if you're prepared to fly straight upwards for over an hour. Weird.

Lucky for you, she'll be creating a portal for everyone to go through instead. Workers will be allowed to visit the carnival grounds at any point during the vacation, but are asked to try to spend most of their time on the moon, in order to better encourage the spirit of celebration. What are they celebrating, exactly? Well, it's a bit hard to define, since everyone in the carnival comes from completely different seasons and universes, but according to the Ringmaster they are approximately celebrating the Fae holiday called the Lunar Solstice. However, you're also welcome to see it as Christmas or Hanukkah or New Years or whatever you prefer.

It's the Lunar Solstice, though, so they're doing it on the moon. Get it? Like, there are other reasons, but that's the best one.

SETTING↴

The Moon apparently has some kind of ski resort built on it now, so that's neat. Apparently it is a relatively new addition, made entirely for the occasion - practically speaking, it is frosty mountains with various cozy looking cabins scattered across them. Towards the center, there is a more densely populated area, with a number of larger buildings and living spaces built together like a little vacation town.

The temperatures are just low enough to keep snow on the ground, and never get oppressively cold. Day or night, it always feels like a perfect winter afternoon, good for a stroll as long as you have a coat or heavy sweater on. The small size of the moon is apparent from the horizon by its heavy curve, but thankfully the area the cabins are built in is facing up towards the sky, and not facing the carnival grounds down below, which would probably cause most a fair bit of vertigo. Of course, you can take a hike to the other side of the moon if that's your jam.

For most of this vacation, no work will be necessary, besides any voluntary training or practice. Food and cleaning are being temporarily handled by a commissioned group of allies called the World Walker Caravan, a merchant group whom the Ringmaster has helped out on a few different occasions. For once, the party is coming to the carnival, and not vice versa.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ Special Event: BEAUTIES AND THE BEAST

PREPARATION↴
On Day 170, the Ringmaster will announce that she will be leaving the carnival for a visit to an 'ally', and that in the meantime everyone should just stay in the carnival grounds and wait for her to come back. She will shrug it off as being a simple matter, and say that it shouldn't take much time at all, and that it is something for the good of the carnival.

Of course, a few hours later, she will return with another announcement - actually, her... "ally", has "requested" that all of her underlings join her in visiting his castle while they negotiate the terms of a potential agreement. She will insist that it's a diplomatic affair, and that while really all that is required of everyone is to behave themselves and to not provoke the Prince's ire, it's extremely important that they listen to her this time. This announcement will be made by radio.

The evening of Day 170, everyone will be brought to an enormous manor house, apparently suspended in some kind of twilight void. They'll all be randomly assigned rooms in pairs of two (OOC RNG time!) and instructed to arrive for breakfast at 8AM sharp. Follow the schedule, be polite, and everything will be great.

Right? Right.

SETTING↴

Heartstone Manor is a spooky looking cross between a castle and a monastery, floating in the middle of realm filled with nothing else but empty twilight. Specifically, it is the home of a High Fae called The Prince - or so the Ringmaster will explain. He's one of the Wyld Fae, like she is, and when he fled from fae civilization eons ago, he hid himself away here to live in solitude as he saw fit. No one and nothing else lives here except for the Prince and his servants, and there is no visible sun - only stages between twilight and darkness.

The Manor itself is a massive stone construction, filled with old fashioned looking architecture and filled to the brim with art. Frescos, statues, and engravings line every hall, ranging from classical to abstract. The subject matter is almost always that of beautiful humanoids - in the form of fae, angels, and the more seductive forms of demons. The servants mostly appear to be traditionally beautiful as well. This seeming obsession with beauty is tied directly to the desires of the Prince himself.

While you are in his home, formal attire is mandatory. He will be gracious enough to provide everyone with appropriate wardrobe - that is, formal wear that could ambiguously fit anywhere from the 1500's to 1800's on Earth.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: GREYSOL

PREPARATION↴
After leaving the previous location, and a few days before coming to Greysol, the Ringmaster puts a massive spell on the souls of every member of the carnival. Greysol is in a world where the souls of every human or sufficiently humanlike person takes the physical form of an animal. Plenty of characters wouldn’t qualify, but what’s the point of going to a dæmon world if not to show them what their inner selves look like?

The spell causes dæmons to form for most characters. They will wake up, either from sleep or a daze, with what appears to be an animal pressed against their hearts or equivalent important symbolic organs, but they will almost immediately understand that this is not an animal. This is part of them.

As dæmons are souls made physical they will have some element of characters’ soul color. At minimum their eyes are that color, and they may reflect some carnival changes, angelic/demonic nature, etc. For about a day their forms can change instantaneously into those of different animals. Children will remain like this, though there will probably be several preferred forms rather than randomness. Adults will ‘settle’ by the time the carnival arrives in Greysol, the number of forms they take dwindling until they become fixed on a single one. Look to the first comment for a more thorough explanation on dæmons.

The spell doesn’t work completely evenly. Some souls are more heavily insulated and do not become external. Players can opt out of dæmons this way and have a few options for their characters. A glamour butterfly in their souls’ colors can follow them while they’re in Greysol. Alternately, they become witches wearing bird pendants to symbolize dæmons supposedly far away. Characters with significant animalistic aspects may take the forms of panserbjørn - slightly anthropomorphized polar bears.

(If you don't want to type out dæmon - d & a e l i g ; m o n - all the time, daemon works too. It’s pronounced “demon”.)

SETTING↴

Can you imagine my astonishment at learning that part of my own nature was female, and bird-formed, and beautiful?

Greysol is a large coastal city that seems to roughly equate to late 20th century Western culture and mores, with a vaguely Victorian teslapunk-influenced aesthetic and somewhat uneven technology. Horse-drawn vehicles and just plain horses are common, but horseless automobiles and strangely 21st century-looking bicycles don’t cause too much of a stir. There are paved streets, skyscrapers, and electricity even if they call it "anbaric lighting". Hot air balloons and dirigibles can be seen in the sky. There are many moving picture theaters, black-and-white and with somewhat questionable sound, but small portable radios are common. Watches that bear a suspicious similarity to smartwatches are all the rage, though they are in fact simply watches and require winding.

Every human and witch in this world has an external soul which most cannot go more than about twenty feet from, and non-consensually touching someone else’s dæmon is tantamount to assault. This presents some logistical difficulties in a big city, but humans have built Greysol to accommodate their other halves. Doorways tend to be wide, stairs broad and shallow, there are huge freight elevators in most buildings, and sidewalks are quite broad with human and dæmon lanes, though small souls are usually carried and flying ones can easily just stay above. Slick floors are never seen without hoof-friendly traction rugs and the like. Some of the street traffic consists of people riding their horse or similar dæmons, and you may see a giraffe soul at a lope, keeping pace with the carriage carrying his body. City life is harder on people with especially large dæmons, but they manage okay.

( MORE BENEATH THE CUT! )

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⇨ New Location: THE SUMMERLANDS

PREPARATION↴
This time, there is no preparation. When the Severing was broken, the Ringmaster immediately returned everyone to the carnival, no matter their earthly location - only to then drag the carnival's realm all the way to the Summerlands right after. As the workers arrive, they will have been scattered around the carnival grounds, back in their original bodies - including their old faerie changes, of course, plus perhaps a few new ones. Bodies and memories will return to what they were before Portland, and while the life they lived there will stay with them as memories, they will only now be left to fully contemplate what they just experienced.

SETTING↴

The Summerlands are an idyllic realm of glorious mountain-top cities and vast fields of flowers and grass. It is inhabited almost entirely by the Summer Fae, a faction of the Summer Court which broken ties with their Arcadia homeland a long time ago. Veterans that have been with the carnival since the vampire's first attack will remember staying here for a couple months while everyone was recovering. The fae here will remember those workers as well, with an accuracy that is sometimes eerie.

There is plenty to do in the Summer Fae's city - though there is far more space than there is people, given that there are only a few hundred fae present here. There is no shortage of good food, music, and dancing - with plenty of other amenities like waterfall-side pools and gardens filled with small miracles. All workers will be offered rooms they can stay in within the city if they prefer, but they are also welcome to stay within the carnival grounds if that makes them more comfortable. There is magical wildlife of various sorts, but none of it is particularly aggressive beyond basic predatory tendencies.

The days and nights and both of pleasant temperature and weather. It's only major downside is that the peaceful and unchanging nature of civilization can come across as unsettling to those unaccustomed. Once you have been welcomed here, it's like you never left.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: THE TOURIST TRAP

PREPARATION↴
Events leading up to this location will be as normal. After Mainframe, the carnival will go into its usual travelling/transitional period for a few days, with no particular warnings or expectations. Normally this would be where I explain how the characters will entering the setting and what they will immediately see, but this is not a normal occasion.

Mostly because no one will have any idea how or why the carnival entered this universe - in fact, they may not remember entering anywhere at all.

SETTING↴

Portland, USA is similar to the one of our modern earth in many ways, even if some of those are purely superficial. Importantly, it is the urban fantasy equivalent, meaning that standard city life is underlain with a complex civilization of 'supernaturals,' whose actions have the tendency to shake the world in unseen ways. It's a common formula in the multiverse, and some carnival workers may even come from a world much like it. The major difference here is this world in particular has managed to pull the carnival into its snare in an unprecedented way.

From the start of this visit an onward, the carnival will be rewritten into this world's rules - and in more than just a superficial sense. On day one, your characters will find themselves having awoken into completely new lives, with potentially no memory of anything that came before. How exactly this transition took place will start out unclear, and this will be a plot heavy narrative centered around investigation and the discovery of what has happened, and how those trapped here can leave.

Twenty five years ago, this world underwent a process sometimes know as "the Severing", in which a magical ritual of great power was used to severe the ties between earth and a number of otherworldly realms that had been cross-inhabiting it. The realms of faerie, heaven, and hell were disconnected entirely, stranding many of their members on earth with no way of returning home. The details of this ritual and its purpose are elusive, but its effects have spanned the globe.

Most supernatural stuff in this world is simply referred to as "magic", which is built upon an animistic reality in which all living creatures and all objects have some essence of "spirit" that can be interacted with. Casting and ritual magic is primarily centered upon esoteric means of interacting with these spirits in order to invoke various effects, while the magic of many supernatural creatures are considered to be innate traits of their species.

NOTE: This is a setting where magic is basically a "known secret", in that many people are factually aware of the supernatural, but it doesn't get talked about in public. Most people have probably seen something weird at some point in their life, but the supernatural is not officially recognized in society. Most of humanity does its best to try to pretend it doesn't exist, in order to avoid gaining the wrong kind of attention. So, you couldn't talk about doing magic on live TV, but there are a lot of places where you could get away with people seeing your supernatural traits if you keep to the 'underground.'

( A LOT MORE INFO TO FOLLOW )

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⇨ New Location: MAINFRAME

PREPARATION↴
Only a small amount of preparation will be necessary for this visit. Early Day 90, everyone will be given a circular badge by the Ringmaster, who will tell you that you'll need to wear it if you plan on travelling to the new touring location. Where you wear it isn't important as long as it's accessible.

Later on Day 90, the Nightrunners will be sent out to do a quick security check of the new location - so, they'll be discovering all of this sooner than anyone else, and it will be their jobs to report on it. There are a few security concerns, which will be outlined OOCly for them in the comments below. As well as whatever can be gleaned from this general info post.

Entrance to the new location will be done with the transition portal through the woods, out through a "forested" area filled with weirdly low polygon trees. Glamours will be in effect, though the appearances of the locals are variable enough that appearances will not have to significantly change in a lot of cases.

SETTING↴

Mainframe is a city inside of a computer. No, not like the Matrix - as opposed to a virtual reality simulation that the denizens think is real life, it really is a civilization of programs that know what they are and live accordingly. In contrast, the local's perception of any world outside of the Net is very hazy, and "the User" (IE, the beings that actually use the computers they live in) is seen as either a god-like entity or malevolent demon, depending on who you ask. Either way, the User is most often something the inhabitants of the Net are forced to combat rather than cooperate with. Life within the Net is the only world they know, and the Ringmaster will advise that you leave it that way, or else they'll probably get all weird about it.

The Net is actually a real, physical plane of existence for those inside of it, so visitors from the carnival will be under the same threat of injury or death that they would be otherwise. The programs have very different biological features (or a lack thereof), of course, but the glamours will be able to conceal these differences as long as no one does anything really weird like bleeding all over the place. This also means that you'll be able to take objects back into the carnival as souvenir, and that they won't just poof into metaphysical data when you leave. Weird, though.

This isn't the exact Mainframe as in the show, to be clear. There is a different Guardian and different viruses at play, for those familiar. Aesthetically and culturally, however, it is very familiar - though about three times the population size. Ostensibly they are without those 90's animation budgets.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: ALOLA

PREPARATION↴
On Day 73, what remains of the Nightrunners will be asked to enter the new location first, to do a cursory security check. The Ringmaster isn't very concerned about this location for various reasons, but she will mention that there are a number of potentially powerful creatures that may or may not cause a fuss, so that they should check out the area to see if anything has been happening recently. In particular there are the guardian dieties that protect each island, and extra planar creatures called Ultra Beasts, but there shouldn't be any problem with either of them in the present timeline.

On Day 74 the new location will be open for visiting by the carnival workers. There will be a gateway through the trees that allows entry and exiting, and since the populus here is primarily normal humans, those with inhuman features will be disguised with a fae glamour that makes it so they will not stick out. Usually this means that the locals will see them as something fitting to their environment, while to other carnival workers they will appear the same as usual. For humans with fae traits, they will generally appear as they regular human forms, and for those that are more exotic their glamour image will usually end up as the closest approximate.

SETTING↴

Alola is a series of four islands on a planet reminiscent to but still fairly distinct from Earth. The most notable feature of this planet is that it is the home of a highly variable species of elemental creatures called Pokemon that live and work closely with the human natives. Pokemon take many forms, from something as simple to pigeon-like birds to something as grandiose as powerful elemental gods. Though the humans are very similar to the humans of other worlds, the culture of Alola and the other geographical regions tends towards the ideals of cooperation and kindness. Pollution is insignificant and scientific phenomenon like global warming have completely failed to occur due to scientific advancements and the civilization's predisposition towards problem solving.

While technology is more advanced that modern Earth, with things like cloning technology, hovering vehicles, and subspace storage in common usage, life among the general populace has remained simple and often quite picturesque. That isn't to say that the humans and Pokemon of this world are unfamiliar with concepts such as poverty or war, but they are less common than average from a multiversal perspective. Importantly, the people of Alola tend towards being friendly and helpful no matter who you are, and have a tendency to give out gifts to strangers for no reason what-so-ever.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: THE CELEBRATION

PREPARATION↴
As Day 57 comes to a close, it would seem that no one has taken the Ringmaster's time of weakness against her - and boy, is she thrilled out it! Her explanation of those events will be covered by an IC post, but suffice to say, she was touched by each and every show of loyalty and care that she received from her workers during that time. It surpassed even her wildest expectations! As such, she will announce, she is going to take the carnival somewhere she personally considers very fun, as a reward for their service and to celebrate the end of the second full month of the carnival's new season.

There will be a couple day's journey between dimensional locations, during which the Ringmaster will take the opportunity to get into some further nonsense with the supervisors that will be handled in another post. After that, on Day 60, the carnival will sync itself to a new dimensional realm, one that she claims of the home of an endless party that has been going on for centuries. Whether or not that sounds awesome probably depends on your personality, but once you've been escorted from the carnival to the Celebration's grounds, you'll discover that it really does have something for everyone.

Workers will be free to enjoy all of what the Celebration has to offer, leading up to a grand masquerade ball at the end of the week. That said, they should put costume shopping on their list of things to do - thankfully, free clothes in many exciting styles are one of this location's key features.

SETTING↴

The Celebration is apparently some kind of pocket dimension, passingly connected to many realms but not fully part of any of them. The entirety of its universe lies within the walls of some kind of grand resort - organized and run in a way similar to a cruise ship, to anyone familiar. Of course, in this case, there is no ocean and there are no tourist stops. It's just glamorous hall after glamorous hall, filled with fine liquor, fine food, and luxury, luxury, luxury. Rooms are pristine, messes are cleaned up before you can call for a maid, and all the Host asks for in return is your enjoyment.

Pretty sweet deal, right? Right.

Upon entering the Celebration's realm, the wait staff will be ready for you. Carnival members will be escorted to their rooms, in the pairs already determined by their trailer park arrangements. They'll be able to bring whatever belongings they wish along from their trailer, but after they've arrived there will be minimal travel between the carnival and the Celebration grounds, so you better pack smart. You're going to be in for a trip.

Not least because the gilded exterior of Celebration life hides some troubling realities which the Ringmaster may be too damn fae to notice.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: ATLANTIS

PREPARATION↴
There isn't actually a lot of preparation leading up to Atlantis - at least not on the part of any of the workers. The Ringmaster, it would seem, has been preparing for it on her own, and the first anyone will be hearing about it is when they wake up with the carnival inexplicably underwater on the morning of Day 44. Also, they will have magically mutated into having fish parts, mermaid style.

Just what kind of fish parts they end up with is infinitely variable, and doesn't even have to stay restricted to fish, technically speaking. Any aquatic creature will suffice, whether that be dolphins, seals, crabs, shrimp, eels, squid, or anything else that would fit beneath the ocean. Even if you choose to base your mutations on a mammal that regularly requires air to survive, they won't need to go above water in this case. Everyone can breathe underwater equally, and so other physical changes will be mostly aesthetic and/or just affect the way they swim.

Character cannot ICly pick their mer forms - what they change into and how much they change is entirely an OOC decision. You can go for the full fish tail, or just webbed digits, gills, and a swimmer body. It doesn't really matter, as long as they function in the ocean.

Naturally, the suddenness of all this may be quite alarming, and it will seem that the decision to come here was very impulsive on the Ringmaster's part. Even if your character doesn't usually sleep, they will find themselves having drifted off during the transition period between there being water and no water. The Ringmaster will explain to those concerned that everything is safely waterproofed via enchantment, and all of the carnival equipment will work the same as it did before. It's just... underwater now. Huh.

SETTING↴

Atlantis is an underwater city within that the Ringmaster has describe as a "primordial ocean realm" that has no surface and no land above the sea. It is apparently connected, in small amounts, to many other oceans across the multiverse, and ships and other ocean vessels have a tendency to sink into it, Bermuda Triangle style, allowing the merfolk there to gather sunken treasure from across all of existence. The city itself is shockingly grand and elaborate for something that was apparently constructed underwater.

The Ringmaster has indicated that merfolk are some distant cousin to the fae, and the magic within the place will feel familiar to what exists within the carnival. Along with the merfolk inhabiting it, there is a large variety of other sea creatures and monsters that live in the surrounding areas. It's not clear how far the ocean stretches, but it feels effectively infinite. The carnival has located smack-dab in the middle of a beautiful underwater park within the city, and has physically merged with the local realm as opposed to remaining separate as it usually does. Tall underwater plants have replaced the barrier of trees.

( MORE PLOT DETAILS BELOW )

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⇨ New Location: THE MATRIX

PREPARATION↴
There isn't much in way of special preparations required for this visit, as the Ringmaster will do most of it herself. After three travel days, on the morning of Day 22, there will be a selection of wired phone receivers hanging organically from the trees lining the carnival's entrance. Entering the Matrix is simple, the Ringmaster will explain. Just put the phone to your ear and then let it ring.

She will give people the general rundown of what the Matrix is, and the situation between the robots and the humans, not that she seems to think it's her business to help out. Yet, at the same time, she's all too willing to provoke people in trying to help the natives give the opportunity. The next week is a vacation week - for now, people are free to experience this digital version of modern Earth as much as they please.

► NIGHTRUNNERS: The Nightrider's crew will be allowed into the Matrix at the same time as everyone else, but the Ringmaster will be giving them a particular mission. While everyone else goes to do their thing, she wants the Nightrunners to get a read on the activity of the Agents and Resistance members within the Matrix, and keep an eye on how close they are getting to touring carnival members. It is the Nightrider's job to try to keep things stable, and to bring the fight to the robots if they need it.

SETTING↴

The Matrix is a digital world created by the robotic overlords of a dystopic future version of Earth. It was created in order to imprison and enslave the human race as living batteries - the virtual world within the Matrix is meant to stimulate human minds into creating an energy source with the power of their brainwaves, because that is apparently how it works in this universe. Humans are grown and implanted into this virtual world from birth while robots rule the Earth on the outside. Only a tiny fraction of humanity lives in the real world, a small guerrilla army that lives deep beneath the Earth's crust and fights for human freedom in both the physical and digital realms.

( SPOILER: THERE IS NO SPOON )

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⇨ New Location: THE REALM OF DREAMS

PREPARATION↴
► DREAMCATCHERS: Starting on S1:D8 the Ringmaster will be urging people to turn in any dreamcatchers they’ve made, as they’ll be needing them soon. (Which can be done here as a quick reminder!) To clarify, how long your activity sample needs to be in order for the dreamcatchers to count for the reward is entirely reliant on how many you want to turn in. To turn in 5-9 dreamcatchers, anything will do, even if it’s just one or two tags. To turn in 10-14, you’ll need a bit more, like in the 5-10 range. Any more than that (say 15 or 20, at a maximum) will require multiple valid threads adding up to at least 15+ tags from you.

Most importantly, please do what is realistic for your character. The tag requirements are mostly just to avoid having people arbitrarily claim their character has made several dozen of them, when realistically these characters have other things to be doing. (Since IC rewards are on the table.) However, that doesn’t mean mod judgement is going to be super harsh, so don’t stress about it too much.

► THE NIGHTRUNNERS: As of S1:D7, Nightrider Mari and her crew will be sent out to the new world to verify its safety for the carnival. As the Ringmaster will explain to them, it’s not expected to be a problem - she is already familiar with the ruler of this realm, a being called Morpheus, and they have been expecting the carnival’s visit. The mission will be mostly based around checking things out to ensure they have not become unduly dangerous, and to meet with Morpheus and inform them that the carnival has arrived. All of the Nightrunners will be aware of the setting information in advance of anyone else. If you want to thread it out, you are welcome to make a log for it as well. If your Nightrunner character will be looking for anything in particular, you can ask those questions by any of the available mod contacts - these can be questions directly asked of Morpheus, as well.

► THE SCHEDULE: From S1:D8 to S1:D10 no patrons from the Dream Realm will be entering the carnival, and the only contact will be from carnival workers willingly choosing it tour it out of curiosity. There will be a gateway available near the main entrance of the carnival that can be crossed simply by willing yourself to. As of S1:D11, the carnival gates will be opening, and the inhabitants of the realm will be entering to enjoy the sights as part of the first Performance Week! Hopefully everyone is ready to perform their roles, because the time has come to put into action.

SETTING↴

The Realm of Dreams is a place that makes very little sense geographically, and that is constantly changing in appearance and form.This is because it is not, in fact, a physical reality - instead it is a psychic realm made from the dreams of beings all across the multiverse. Not all beings dream here, finding this particular dream realm is actually quite rare, but with the endless possibilities of visitors comes a seemingly endless population. Completely different pieces of scenery can be seen blending together with little rhyme or reason, and for those unused to this kind of thing, just existing within it can be a bit of unnerving headache.

( LONG POST INCOMING )