⇨ GREYSOL

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

[Krios spots Yuya before Rita does. He nudges her with his antlers and then points his nose in the boy's direction. Rita follows his gaze, but by then Yuya's already approached and greeted her.]

Oh... hey, Yuya. [She lifts up the shopping bag, as a sort of answer to his question.] Looks like this town actually has some good stuff. I found enough books to keep myself occupied for the next while.

And what've you been up to? [Her eyes follow the movements of his daemon. She's never really seen an animal like that before... but then again, most animals around here are pretty weird.]

[hippocarnival]

[Rita's probably not seen an otter, but Yuya definitely knows deer. He gives Krios a wave as they approach.]

More books? [Probably magic books? He should have expected that.

He bounces closer before settling flat on his feet, and Koemi twists around his shoulder so she can lean over to peer at Krios.] I was just taking a walk. My performance is as night and I didn't have anything else to do.

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita nods.] There's always lots to learn when encountering new systems of magic. And... these guys seem to be made of some kind of magic, too. [She looks between Koemi and Krios.]

[Krios just tilts his head around in some sort of weird deer-shrug. He doesn't seem too bothered at being talked about like he's a new research specimen.]

[hippocarnival]

Made of magic? [He and Koemi look at each other, like they're not sure what to make of that.]

I think the Ringmaster did this, so that makes sense. [Because, like, everything she does it magic.] I didn't really think about it that much.

[anti_nonsense]

Well, there's that too... but I'm talking about all daemons, even the ones from here.

Supposedly they're composed of, and bound to us, by particles called Dust. I'm not sure of the specifics yet, but it could be that Dust is a sort of magic substance, similar to aer or mana.

[hippocarnival]

Those are different kinds of magic? [Like fae magic? Yuya can't tell, no matter how much he stares at Koemi or Krios--he can't even see the magic there, so he's just taking Rita's word for it.]

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita nods.] Apparently, there are even instruments that allow people to observe Dust through a simple lens. Might be interesting to see if I can borrow one, see what it reveals.

[She may be able to see a lot of things with her third eye ability, but she can't trust that she's seeing the full picture until she's familiarized herself more with the type of magic present in this world.]

[hippocarnival]

... You know, Mr. Strange is really into magic, too. Do you ever talk to him about it?

[This is maybe subtly testing the waters if Rita still hates his guts, given Portland. Also because Strange probably is a better conversationalist for magic that Yuya.]

[anti_nonsense]

Hm? Sometimes, yeah. We've been exchanging notes lately. [She's downplaying how incredibly nerdy and invested the two of them get when it comes to those exchanges, but at the very least, it's clear she doesn't totally hate him anymore.]

You're going to show him what you've got written for that book you're working on, aren't you? [Krios chimes in.]

Huh? Well... probably, yeah. [Again, trying not to sound like she's getting too friendly with the other carnival workers.]

[hippocarnival]

[That's a relief--he's glad they don't have to dance around that particular awkwardness anymore.]

You're writing a book too? [Yuya and Koemi look up, awed at that. Rita's gotta be around their age and she's already a super accomplished magician and writing a book like some professional?]

You're really smart. [Yuya's not shy about praising his friends anyway--and Rita has to be smart if she can manage all of this, while he's still just dreaming of being a professional in his own hobby.]

[anti_nonsense]

It's no big deal. [Rita waves a hand in a dismissive gesture, but...]

She is the genius of Aspio, after all. [False modesty doesn't last long when you've got a talking soul willing to do the bragging for you.]

[hippocarnival]

[So modest, Yuya just starts to grin with amusement.] It's still pretty impressive! It's going to be a book about magic, right?

[Of course it's going to be a book about magic.]

[anti_nonsense]

Naturally. I've published a few things before. Research papers, mostly. This'll be my first attempt at something more broad, a full-length book meant to cover a larger, general topic.

[Krios clarifies:] She's going to write about blastia.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya nods. He definitely remembers their talk about the blastia and how important that is to Rita.]

I bet it'll be a great book. [Because she seems really good at this 'school' and 'research' stuff, since she talks about it so confidently, and also, Yuya is not.

He leans over to Krios.] So what's your name?

[anti_nonsense]

Krios. [He holds his head up proudly, which is accentuated by his large antlers.] It's the name of an ancient titan, according to myths.

[Rita shrugs. Mythology isn't really her thing, so she feels the need to explain herself.] It's sort of an Aspian naming tradition. [She gestures at Koemi.] What about your... whatever that is?

[hippocarnival]

I'm an otter! [Koemi puffs up slightly. Just don't ask what kind of otter.]

She's Koemi... Is Krios a really important name?

[Since ancient titans and traditions, that sounds important.]

[anti_nonsense]

Well, yeah--

Not really. It's just something I saw in a book once. Most of those stories probably never happened, anyway.

[Krios gives her the best pout a deer-face can muster. His name's important to him, at least.]

[hippocarnival]

Huh? But I still want to hear it. [Krios seems really proud of the name, so he'll give him the chance to brag about it.]

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita rolls her eyes, but Krios leaps at the opportunity.]

According to the tales, he was a mighty titan with the power to move the stars. He was part of a great uprising, a war between gods...

[And Rita interjects with some realism.] Might've been people attempting to describe a conflict between two factions of Entelexia. Back then, when people saw powerful beings they didn't understand much about, they'd call them gods, embellish stories about them, maybe even worship them.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya leans over with a smile as he hears Krios out, because even if it's 'just a myth', that can still be an interesting story, like a fairy tale or fantasy novel.

And then Rita interrupts and he looks at her and furrows his brows. 'Entelexia' means nothing to him, so to him this might as well all be fiction anyway if that's what Rita believes it is. Still--]

Okay, but it can still be a good story, right? Even if you don't believe in the spiritual part of it...

[Why can't he just listen to the damn story, Rita.]

[anti_nonsense]

[Krios nods eagerly.] Yeah. Actually, Rita liked that story, too.

The hell I did--

Especially the part about how he acted as a scribe for the gods, and forged the constellations to tell their stories. She used to love reading books about constellations when she was little.

[And now Rita's grabbing one of his antlers and shaking this deer, who's wearing what vaguely resembles a shit-eating grin.] Shut up already!

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya and Koemi exchange looks with each other as Rita starts to argue with her daemon. They both look back to them with confusion.]

Uh... We just wanted to hear the story, but you don't have to tell us.

Why are you so embarrassed?

[anti_nonsense]

I'm not!

She just doesn't want people to think she's interested in anything outside the realms of science and practicality.

Yeah, well, I'm not, really.

[hippocarnival]

Constellations aren't science? They make us learn about them in class... [They don't learn about all the western myths associated with them, however.]

Weren't you reading about that kind of stuff were reading when I was in bed? [He remembers something about gods and not being her usual faire, which just makes him more confused why she doesn't want to talk about it.]

[anti_nonsense]

[The book she was reading when he was in bed...?] Well... yeah, but that was...

Oh, yeah. That was when you were feeling really homesick, wasn't it?

[Aaand Rita gives Krios a swat to the back of the head. She then winces slightly, feeling the daemon's pain as if it were her own. She knew that would be the outcome, but it's hard to break old habits.]