⇨ ATLANTIS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: The morning of D44 and onward.
Where: The ocean realm of Atlantis.
What: The carnival abruptly arrives at an underwater realm, and everyone is transfigured into merpeople just as suddenly.
Warnings: Body horror, I guess.

THE CITY OF ATLANTIS↴ The visit starts without much warning, but at least there is a full week of free time before performances start. In the meantime, your characters will be given ample opportunity to adjust their acts for an underwater audience, get used to their new fishy appendages, or just spend the whole time enjoying the sights and sounds of Atlantis city. King Triton will not be immediately seen, but it's possible to gain an audience with him if you get in contact with the ambassadors of the kingdom. Just, make sure that you're not wasting his time. He's a lot less patient with nonsense than the Ringmaster is. ► FISH FRIDAY: You fell asleep, whether or not that's something you usually do, and the next morning you wake up as one of the merfolk. A few last additions may grow in after you're awake, but for the most part everyone will have a method of swimming and a method of breathing underwater transfigured into them upon waking. Don't worry about your belongings - everything is waterproofed, and technology will work the same underwater as it does above it. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty to get used to, though. ► GREAT BLUE YONDER: The ocean realm where Atlantis resides is enormous, and the depths seem to be unending. Despite the fact that there doesn't seem to be any surface, sun glimmers all the way down to the ocean floor. Atlanteans use creatures like whales and dolphins as rides and beasts of burden, and they can be seen swimming in and out of the city as constantly as roadways filed with cars in earth civilization. Beyond that, there's everything you would expect to see on the ocean floor here - huge reefs of coral, both familiar and exotic, enormous ocean plants, deep ocean trenches, and all kinds of weird critters living in them. There are a mix of mythical and standard ocean creatures, and are likely a combined populations of many oceans worth of beings. ► THE ATLANTEAN MARKET: The Atlantean market (aka the "merket") is a long trench between rows of buildings in the middle of the city, lit with bio-luminescent plants and rocks, and filled with all kinds of weird mer stuff that you can buy. There are a great many individual booths, mostly with hand crafted wares and objects that have been salvaged from various sunken ships. The Ringmaster has already traded a large number of goods to the merfolk here, and has taken the profit to award each worker with 100 Atlantean Gold to spend as they please. One gold is worth roughly five USA dollars, for a comparison of how much that is. There is a top level set up below in which characters can make their purchases, and you can also handwave the purchase of random common, necessary items (food, drink, etc) at your convenience. ► TREASURE HUNTING: Right now, the only major salvage areas are a few left over sunken ships that have mostly been picked over by the merfolk. However, you are welcome to head over to them and explore, and see if fortune smiles on you when it comes to finding anything that hasn't been taken yet. The current options are three similar looking brigantine that all probably came from the same world. Merfolk do not seem to consider them to be anything extraordinary, though magical items and gold have allegedly been found within them. Whether or not anything is left, is the real question. ► LIMELIGHTING: Merfolk are curious and generally socially forward, as a species. This mean that they find the carnival's workers to be a fascinating novelty, and also are unafraid to make that fascination obvious. Given the opportunity, merfolk will demand your character's attention for bombardments of questions and for general socializing, especially if they are particularly unusual for some reason. Don't be surprised if you get invited to stay at total stranger's houses, or dragged off to a merfolk bar to surprise party with their friends. They'll let you say no, reluctantly, but they will also be pleased as punch to get up in your gill. It's also possible to make some money, this way, if you're willing to do street performances, or are willing to sell your "skills" in a more private environment. Yes, there are opportunities to become a fish hooker if you are so inclined. Merfolk may also offer money to take you as arm candy to various public events, escort style. They don't consider this to be a particularly socially inappropriate thing to do, either. You can ask general questions about this setting over on the event post. There are top levels below for buying Atlantean merch, and also for making dolla dolla, if your character is inclined to try.

Comments

[fragileandsoft]

In contrast, for as awkward and fumbling Greg can be, he rolls with the attention like a pro. Sure, there's an awful lot of poking and prodding that's not ideal, but after a couple decades living with aliens a guy learns to accept people entering his personal space.

Where Greg's group has been drawn by his pleasant and open demeanor, though, Sans has gathered just as many on looks alone. Greg may not have seen the specific straw that broke the camel's back, but he can guess. Better to draw the mer to a more willing target.

"Yo! You all look savvy. I've been trying to find--"

"Another of you!" One mer brightens with bioluminesence, too pleased to listen. "You are friends, yes? Please make the chitinous one come back, we don't understand the game he is playing but I do not think he could hear us."

Greg waves a hand, doing his best to downplay the situation. "Ahh, best leave him be, he just needs time to recharge. I--"

"He cannot reach anything in the sand like that!" One mer raps at his shell, gently but insistently. "You will not find arge down there, friend! Come, I'll look for it with you! Tell me what it is!"

[osteothropy]

Holy shit, unbelievable. Sans would be laughing about these people if he weren't so annoyed - well, honestly, he still is laughing, just in a disbelieving and bitter kind of way instead of genuine mirth.

He can hear Greg up there, though, which is sort of encouraging on its own. If he can just get these guys off their tails long enough to take a breather....

He peeks out from beneath his exoskeleton, cupping his mouth to speak conspiratorially to the mer and Greg.

"Hey, I think I got a whiff of it down there. You guys got any tools to dig with? Don't know how deep down it'll be."

He rolls onto his side to reveal the spot he is suggesting they should dig up, like it is somehow relevant, which it isn't.

"You mean you found treasure here?!" one of the mer exclaims, in a loose interpretation of what he said.