lostcarnival | ⇨ GREYSOL

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 155 - Day 169
Where: Greysol
What: The carnival resumes its tour, this time heading to Greysol, a city tied deeply into the fabric of the multiverse. Here, everyone has an animal companion from birth that is the second half of their soul - and thanks to the Ringmaster, so do you. (Remember,

joysweeper is our guest event runner for this location, and location specific questions should go to them.)
Warnings: Individually marked!

THE CITY OF GREYSOL↴

The carnival arrives in a manicured park in the center of a big city that sprawls out along where the river reaches the ocean. It’s spring, early enough that nights are chilly, warm enough in the days that people and their souls savor the weather, and sometimes shelter together from the rain. Greysol was designed from the bottom up to accommodate the human-dæmon bond. Go out and see!

► THE SHAPE OF YOUR SOUL: The dæmon-forming spell kicks in at about four in the morning. Most characters will wake up with their souls in some small form, curled against them. Even if they were awake, they became dazed and unfocused while their souls were being drawn out of their bodies and have little memory of how it happened.

Until that evening every character's dæmon is able to change shapes, and children and some teens will continue to do so. Most will settle on their permanent forms by evening. Characters without dæmons will just look on, and the few who are thousand-pound bears have to handle being really big.

► IT’S GOOD TO SETTLE: Elaine Tavis Aracari, sixteen-year-old daughter of two actors and a moving pictures sensation herself, just ‘settled’ - her dæmon Tavis stopped changing shape - as a stunning blue peacock. Settling is a major coming of age milestone and celebrated as such in different ways all over the world. She and her family are throwing a massive party in the central park and inviting the public to join in! Enjoy easy access to free catering, live music and showings of moving pictures, and displays of mostly trivial magic. There are also form readers from across the country setting up booths, happy to accept a small fee to inspect your dæmon’s settled or most favored forms and tell you what they mean. Is there anything to these analyses? Eh, maybe, but they’re flattering and fun.

► WITCHING HOURS: Characters who are clearly witches for this event will often be assumed to be in town for a lover, and people, witches and not, may want to know who that is. Humans usually regard them with wary respect and interest. Real witches living with their human families or on business quickly suspect that something’s up, but without clear and present danger take a relaxed wait-and-see attitude. Wait for long enough and any possible decision will come around again, they believe.

There isn’t time to learn much witch magic, but witches, real and carnival-made, have an inherent power: the ability to fly using branches of “cloudpine”, an attractive soft-needled tree common in the park. Witches usually ride large branches as if they’re steeds but can use even short sprays, and you’ll probably see the few witches in the city coming to the park to do so. Why not try?

► BEAR PUN: Human-panserbjørn relations have historically been troubled, but have warmed in the past century. It’s the 65th anniversary of the breaking of the Siege of Bertin, a much-mythologized time when Spectres flooded Greysol and a company of panserbjørn arrived and directed efforts to get the survivors out of the city. A statue is being erected and many florid accounts of the story are being told. If you’re in a panserbjørn shape for the duration of the visit you will probably get thanked and celebrated by people trying to hide their nervousness of you. Expect someone to ask if your dæmon would be a human - it’s a common supposition.

► KERNER ISLAND: From the harbor you can see a wooded island. Although there are no rocks to speak of it sports a tall lighthouse, and nearly all boat traffic avoids it carefully. On a clear day someone with binoculars or a particularly sharp-eyed soul can see loads of trash, birds and various other animals that don’t seem local, and… children? Adults and settled teenagers will see tall vague shapes moving about too.

When asked about it the most important thing adults will tell other adults is don’t go there. They’ll hold their dæmons close and tell you that on that island are things that eat souls. They may also admit with mixed pride and shame that it’s been a source of wealth and innovation for the city. There’s a facility there that can open windows into other worlds, and the children who can reach it can cross through and bring things back. Many of the children are recruited by research and development teams on the lookout for items they can use, but there are also kids out to have adventures or who’ve run away. More on this later.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's what we thought. [So evidently they're all on the same page...she does frown though.] ...The people at the docks didn't agree though...

[Not that it stopped her from going to that island at least once anyway.]

Asking around this is for several reasons some more controversial than others. From what I take of it they are able to suit you to your advantage. They can fly for you, swim, scouts, steal if need be and defend you with larger forms.

[To contradict his usual nature and tone in his voice he'll produce a few candy drops from his pocket and hold it out to her.] Children shouldn't have to put themselves through hardship and danger but it looks like you're needed for something or so the island seems to beckon of you.

Yeah... ...They think because they're changing all the time that he can't do that properly I guess. ...Or be big... [Baby dragons are still, well, dragons though, y'know.

Her eyes light up significantly as candy makes an appearance however, and she beams while gently taking the few.] Mnh..!! Thank you..!

...I found someone who said he can take me, but I have to find some 'change' first, he said.

[Just enough for his lunch, basically. He'll even wait to bring her back!]

Maybe yours is just a little conflicted but you're still young. It's just like growing up. You have to make choices. But you, you should stay small and gentle as long as you can.

[He smiles down at her when she takes the candy to seem as nonthreatening as possible. He doesn't want to alarm her in any way even if he occasionally glances over at her dæmon. Morticia is examining it rather closely in a prowling way just to examine it on all sides.] Mmhmm.

Money. Money is usually the answer. Have you stole any yet?

Umnnn...You think so? ...Everyone was acting like they don't see daemons do this ever...

[Small and gentle doesn't seem to be on her Daemon's mind after he says that though, and instead there's a few near-eldritch infants shuffling through the air in succession.] ....I got a little bit.

...Also this. [Hello Morticia, and would either like to see this Very Valuable Amber scrylense she's pulling out of her pocket?

It allows you to see dust.]

I've seen a few children and I do admit I have not seen them change this rapidly. Every few minutes or so maybe.

[But not like this. It's so rapid he's having a hard time focusing on it. Morticia will sniff at the other dæmon with a bit of curiosity but her head turns towards the Amber in her hands.] Where did you get that child?

[She seems to know what it is far more than Tyki does given his need to now bend down and take a closer look. It definitely looks pretty and quite valuable.] Now that's something.

...I took it from someone, [Reira explains simply, blinking at the object.] ....They were looking at the sky with it, and when they put it down, I took it away.

...It seemed important.

[Morticia is close enough to peer at the object inches away from her maw and she almost wants to take it but she doesn't.] It's very important. I would keep it away from prying eyes.

[Tyki himself is not expecting that kind of answer and he'll poke it with the edge of his fingertip.] Well, if they were looking at the sky with it perhaps you should as well. Test it out. Explore a little. Hand it over to the boss whenever we find one.

Mn! I've been keeping it in my pocket... ...But when you look at the sky, there's lots of gold things, [She adds, holding it to Tyki to see for himself.

It's dust-all the dust that gathers into daemons and then humans, gathers around creativity...and forms the angels above.]

[He won't take it given how little he knows about it and the way his powers have been manipulated by the Ringmaster. Still, he's leaning in as she turns it so he can look upwards for a better view.

His eyes narrow a fraction at the sudden Dust he's able to see and his hands are up around it so others walking by do not see what he sees. Oh, he's heard of this. Now he understands just how important this is.] I see it now. Can you see it around me as well?

[Well...she peers through, and nods.] Mnn! I can see it mostly around her though.... [Reira explains.] ...Like she's made of it.

[She kinda is.]

Morticia? [His hand moves back to move over her head as he can see the way the Dust gathers around Reira's dæmon right into her. It's a strange thing but fascinating. He almost wants to take the object for himself.]

Remarkable. I find that when someone mentions anything out of the ordinary it is shunned. I might not ask about this directly to anyone.

The girl speaks the truth. It is the same for her. I could ask the other dæmon's.

Mmnnh...! ..Yeah... [There it goes.... ....though hmm. If he can't ask, can...she? Reira blinks, and looks at the panther.] ...it won't be weird if you ask when he doesn't..?

It's less of that fact that I'll ask outloud as much as I'll ask quietly while Tyki distracts the dæmon's person.

Still, that runs the risk of the dæmon telling them of the conversation later. I can't be entirely capable of what my dæmon says over what I won't ask. [Or so the con will go.]

Yeah, you're supposed to be the 'same', so you know what the other knows, [Reira agrees. But...] Umn-if you have ideas though, I guess it's okay...

Precisely but if I am not the one to ask then it may seem less of a probing question over my dæmon's outburst of a curiosity. It reflects better that way. [A little dodgy but Morticia is willing to take the blame for a lot of things if only to gain more information.]

It makes me stand out just a little less than if I were to ask directly. Or, that's the plan. [He's done looking at it and will rise back up onto his feet fully.] Just keep it safe.

[She's not sure she gets it................. ...but maybe it's just something she'll figure out eventually. Reira finally just nods, and through her confusion, a well wish comes out more a question-] ....Should... ...I say good luck..?

[He laughs a little at her choice of words. It is almost as if she doesn't understand and he'll offer her another candy.] Yes, good luck is the proper response. Good luck to your 'acquiring' as well.

Right..!

[Time to go their separate ways for now, then.]

⇨ GREYSOL

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