Very quickly the trek to Braphine's temple in Nekyia becomes quite... sandy. And hot. You soon find yourselves in a desert village at twilight with the sun and moon hanging in the sky at perfect equilibrium. Instead of where Braphine's temple usually sits appears a foreboding stone palace in its place.
The village bustles with the sounds of everyday life. Children play as their mothers gossip. Few dogs and cats roam free. People barter in the market for food and various other items while guardsmen patrol the roads with baboons on short leashes. In the distance you see a river bank where various fishermen tend to their nets. It seems peaceful. The people here are happy. But none of this would even exist unless something wasn't very, very wrong.
Welcome to the capital of the Black Lands and seat of Pharaoh Atem's power, the City of the Specter.
[ Well, there's something very wrong with the setting here - that being it exists at all in the first place.
As for Argenti, he stands out in his armor, and even though it is hot for a normal person with or without armor he doesn't look like he'd be infinitely more inconvenienced than some. Though he will be sweating a little soon.
He takes a look around to begin somewhere. Let's make headway to the river bank, shall we? ]
As Argenti reaches the river bank, he may hear three of the fishermen speaking as they work.
"No good... We still haven't caught a thing," says an older fisherman as he pulls an empty net to shore with three others who are assisting him.
"It's been like this for weeks! What are we to do when the flooding comes and our rations are thin?" Asks one fisherman, annoyed.
"I heard other villages along the Black River haven't had much luck either," chimes in the third fisherman.
"This is precisely why a sparrow shouldn't sit in a falcon's nest," the annoyed fisherman says as he sets the net again.
"Do not speak ill of the Pharaoh, Heni!" The older fisherman says, aghast at the words of the annoyed fisherman, Heni.
Heni clicks his tongue and shakes his head, "what good does it to speak praises unto his Pharaoh? You know as well as I that the Lord of the River is punishing us for that child's insolence."
[ Wow, this is almost like home. It's weirdly relieving? Sunrise takes her shawl and wraps it around her head like a headscarf.
...She will try and overhear what some of those ladies are gossiping about. Did Mr. Day say something about how it pays to listen to what people are talking about? ]
"My oldest daughter hasn't left the palace in weeks... The Pharaoh's wages are fair for her hard work, but I wish more than anything to see her face again," says a distraught mother to her friend.
Ah, it's warm! [That's a rare joyous exclamation from Shalem, before he removes his jacket and stretches. Flexes his arms, sleeves straining with his muscles. Is this the first time many people have seen him without some sort of outerwear? Well, now you know he's jacked as shit.
He is quite pleased, obviously. Of course, this is indeed hot, but to someone like him? Oh he's going to soak up the sun for as long as he can, especially given what the temperatures are like in the Nekyia proper. Sorry guys. He's just being a snake.
But he'll pull his weight-- time to investigate! He's heading off to strike conversation with the fishermen.]
...Well, at least you won't have to worry about [what did he say it was again??] brumation? This place is a lot warmer than Yoon's palace.
[He might be alarmed by the muscles but at least he's polite enough not to stare directly at his biceps for this entire conversation. Anyways he's shuffling off to the market haha byeeeee]
The fishermen are hard at work, though they're bringing empty nets back to shore. Shalem may overhear some fishermen complaining about it. Others seem quite upset.
Edited (NOT ME REPEATING WORDS) 2024-09-29 19:43 (UTC)
The market appears thin on bread, fruit and vegetables, but abundant in pottery.
"I heard Iy's daughter hasn't returned from the palace in weeks," says a man tending stall to another woman who's bartering for fresh fruit.
"It's not just her. I haven't seen a single servant leave... And the guardsmen stationed through the village say they aren't able to pass the palace gates."
[ local kid that tries to hide his bandages is punished severely by the desert weather. though summers in the mountain are warm, the altitude was his savior as it made even the hottest summers fairly mild.
he'll take a moment to go hide somewhere so that he can take off his turtleneck shirt, revealing underneath a regular t-shirt. he'll put his sweater back on, however. even though summers were mild in the mountains, he knows the dangers of sunburn all too well. it's good to stay covered.
he'd try to investigate somewhere but...in all honesty, he's too terrified of how different his surroundings are. what the FUCK is that giant monkey? ]
[... oh. It's hot, and having multiple layers is not pleasant; unlike some of the others, however, Richard makes no move to take anything beyond his cape and outer cropped jacket off, folding them up neatly to drape over his arm.
That done, he decides to wander a little closer to the guards to see if he can overhear anything interesting, putting on a show of being enchanted by their baboons as though he's never seen anything quite like that before (he hasn't, to be honest).]
[Good thing she's the type to wear clothes that bare her midriff, apparently. Though she's still sticking to the shade, wouldn't want to burn in this heat.
Can she overhear any gossip from the mothers watching their children?]
[ Falin made a full stop in the city, immediately pulling off her jacket and tying it around her waist. She carefully rolls up her sleeves to reveal her feathered arms and neck.
She sighed as she fanned herself. Where to look first? Hm. ]
Something seems odd...not just the sky.
[ She had since learned not to approach any beings in the palace. They might be shadows...sighing, she fanned herself again. She begins to mumble to herself... ]
As you make your way down the hallway, you eventually find Atem, Jesse, and Soujuurou.
Seems like Atem isn't very interested in attending court... He'd much rather bring you all to his extensive library instead. Which he does, by the way.
The library is full to the brim with rare scrolls and papyrus.
Feel free to check those out or speak with Atem! Because you guys found him first. Yay!
Eventually you come upon the dining hall and kitchen. Servants are hurrying left and right preparing for tonight's feast. Unlike the village, there's almost an over abundance of food laying around: fresh fruit such as figs and pomegranates, honeyed bread, cheese, and barrels of wine.
Feel free to help yourselves! Or you can even ask the servants what's happening.
Sadly, it can't all be fun and games, though Atem would prefer that right now. He grants everyone permission to wander the palace grounds without the guards or Priest Set (the grumpy fellow from before but I am not playing him longer than that post) bothering them.
There are some servants wandering the halls in a hurry, still preparing for dinner time. If your character tries to approach someone, flip a coin (or roll 1D2) and bold the result in your reply.
The courtyard is open to explore. It's like a little garden with a large open pool where various water lilies float on the surface. Some servants mentioned you may find the Vizier, but he doesn't seem to be around. If you choose to explore this area, please roll a Perception Check (1D20, result greater than 11 is a success).
You may also return to the throne room and try to open the large doors. Apparently that's how you reach the basement. If you choose to explore this area, please roll a Strength Check (1D20, result greater than 11 is a success).
And for whatever reason you if want to wander in the hallways, you'll find another mural.
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phase one
♪
Very quickly the trek to Braphine's temple in Nekyia becomes quite... sandy. And hot. You soon find yourselves in a desert village at twilight with the sun and moon hanging in the sky at perfect equilibrium. Instead of where Braphine's temple usually sits appears a foreboding stone palace in its place.
The village bustles with the sounds of everyday life. Children play as their mothers gossip. Few dogs and cats roam free. People barter in the market for food and various other items while guardsmen patrol the roads with baboons on short leashes. In the distance you see a river bank where various fishermen tend to their nets. It seems peaceful. The people here are happy. But none of this would even exist unless something wasn't very, very wrong.
All roads before you lead to the palace.
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As for Argenti, he stands out in his armor, and even though it is hot for a normal person with or without armor he doesn't look like he'd be infinitely more inconvenienced than some. Though he will be sweating a little soon.
He takes a look around to begin somewhere. Let's make headway to the river bank, shall we? ]
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"No good... We still haven't caught a thing," says an older fisherman as he pulls an empty net to shore with three others who are assisting him.
"It's been like this for weeks! What are we to do when the flooding comes and our rations are thin?" Asks one fisherman, annoyed.
"I heard other villages along the Black River haven't had much luck either," chimes in the third fisherman.
"This is precisely why a sparrow shouldn't sit in a falcon's nest," the annoyed fisherman says as he sets the net again.
"Do not speak ill of the Pharaoh, Heni!" The older fisherman says, aghast at the words of the annoyed fisherman, Heni.
Heni clicks his tongue and shakes his head, "what good does it to speak praises unto his Pharaoh? You know as well as I that the Lord of the River is punishing us for that child's insolence."
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...She will try and overhear what some of those ladies are gossiping about. Did Mr. Day say something about how it pays to listen to what people are talking about? ]
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I guess we have to find the ruler around here who's keeping servants way too long.
[They sound like so much fun already.]
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He is quite pleased, obviously. Of course, this is indeed hot, but to someone like him? Oh he's going to soak up the sun for as long as he can, especially given what the temperatures are like in the Nekyia proper. Sorry guys. He's just being a snake.
But he'll pull his weight-- time to investigate! He's heading off to strike conversation with the fishermen.]
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...Well, at least you won't have to worry about [what did he say it was again??] brumation? This place is a lot warmer than Yoon's palace.
[He might be alarmed by the muscles but at least he's polite enough not to stare directly at his biceps for this entire conversation. Anyways he's shuffling off to the market haha byeeeee]
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he's not opposed to doing a little window shopping but otherwise he's also going to try and eavesdrop on the local gossip. what's good fam. ]
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He's mostly looking at the cats and dogs than the market stalls themselves, though. aminals...]
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"I heard Iy's daughter hasn't returned from the palace in weeks," says a man tending stall to another woman who's bartering for fresh fruit.
"It's not just her. I haven't seen a single servant leave... And the guardsmen stationed through the village say they aren't able to pass the palace gates."
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This is clearly a differnt sort of thing, so Jesse is going to approach somebody at the market.]
Yo. What place is this? I'm new, just got outta the desert.
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he'll take a moment to go hide somewhere so that he can take off his turtleneck shirt, revealing underneath a regular t-shirt. he'll put his sweater back on, however. even though summers were mild in the mountains, he knows the dangers of sunburn all too well. it's good to stay covered.
he'd try to investigate somewhere but...in all honesty, he's too terrified of how different his surroundings are. what the FUCK is that giant monkey? ]
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That done, he decides to wander a little closer to the guards to see if he can overhear anything interesting, putting on a show of being enchanted by their baboons as though he's never seen anything quite like that before (he hasn't, to be honest).]
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He's going to find some shade to hide in before he overheats. Probably a stall. And while he's there, he'll talk to whoever is at the stall.]
It sure is hot today, isn't it?
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Can she overhear any gossip from the mothers watching their children?]
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Anyway, slowly dying of heat stroke aside, Fray's immediately making his way to the palace. Is there anything of interest to stop him on his way?]
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She sighed as she fanned herself. Where to look first? Hm. ]
Something seems odd...not just the sky.
[ She had since learned not to approach any beings in the palace. They might be shadows...sighing, she fanned herself again. She begins to mumble to herself... ]
This is the worst time to be part dragon....
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You may as well share with the others what you've overheard, you bunch of eavesdroppers.
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group one
Seems like Atem isn't very interested in attending court... He'd much rather bring you all to his extensive library instead. Which he does, by the way.
The library is full to the brim with rare scrolls and papyrus.
Feel free to check those out or speak with Atem! Because you guys found him first. Yay!
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group two
Feel free to help yourselves! Or you can even ask the servants what's happening.
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There are some servants wandering the halls in a hurry, still preparing for dinner time. If your character tries to approach someone, flip a coin (or roll 1D2) and bold the result in your reply.
The courtyard is open to explore. It's like a little garden with a large open pool where various water lilies float on the surface. Some servants mentioned you may find the Vizier, but he doesn't seem to be around. If you choose to explore this area, please roll a Perception Check (1D20, result greater than 11 is a success).
You may also return to the throne room and try to open the large doors. Apparently that's how you reach the basement. If you choose to explore this area, please roll a Strength Check (1D20, result greater than 11 is a success).
And for whatever reason you if want to wander in the hallways, you'll find another mural.
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