lostcarnival | ⇨ EDEN

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 79 - Day 85
Where: Eden
What: Everyone arrives in Eden with their new animals forms - unfortunately, the welcoming party is a bit more intense than expected, with a ritual called 'The Anointment.' Better get this place figured out before anything gets any crazier.
Warnings: Hopefully no ritual sacrifice!

FLAME OF INSPIRATION↴

So it begins. After everyone has been given their new animal form and have had about an hour to readjust to it, the Ringmaster begins the infiltration. You don't see a lot of the specifics of the magic - all you know is that Pru's sword, the Hand of God, is somehow involved. It alone can tear through the wardings of Eden's realm, and once that entrance is made, the teleportation is instant. Everyone will find themselves in an open grassland overlooking a dense forest, with buildings and lights poking up out of the leaves. Behind you, there is a darker place - the barrens, the Ringmaster has explained. It's were the Outcasts are sent after they're banished.

You are scattered across the area as if you've been dropped in with nothing. You've been given specific instructions - act as if you have no memory besides the vague life of being an animal. None of you know each other. You don't know how you got here, you've just been suddenly found yourself enlightened. Hopefully feigning ignorance will be what the residents are expecting, as what information the Ringmaster could find suggests it should be.

Before the beasts of Eden come to claim you, you'll see the Ringmaster once last time, in the form of a giant serpent. With a nod of her head, she slithers away towards the barrens - she'll be in touch.

► THE WELCOMING: It's not long until you're discovered. The first to find you is a pigeon, who seems rather surprised. She'll ask the first few new arrivals she sees a couple questions - 'did you just get here?' 'did you meet the great Lilith?' Regardless of your answers, she'll hurriedly say she's going to go get help, and will fly away back into the forest. A short while later, an entire welcoming party of different animals will have come to greet you, sweeping out to find every straggler and explaining that you are the newest of the chosen. After they are sure that nobody is being left behind, they will invite you into Eden.

► THE GARDEN: Eden is a beautiful place. Every street, every structure, is surrounded by flowers and vibrant plant life - every bit as idyllic as its mythos would imply. The architecture is ambitious and creative, as if the residents have been perfecting the art for thousands of years, which they almost certainly have. There is the sweet smell of perfumes and incense on the other animals are you are led into the city. This is your home now, the locals will explain. You have been chosen by the Creator to serve Her cause. You will become one of the Honorable, one of Her artisans working towards the Divine Clarity. But first, of course, you must be sanctified.

► THE ANOINTMENT: On that first night, everyone is brought to a vast cathedral, covered in unknowable writings in a shining script. You are brought in through several gorgeous hallways lit with shining crystals and blue flame torches, only to emerge in a great hall built around a circular, sparkling pool of water. There are several braziers around its circumference blazing with fire, with sets of tools hanging out of them, like iron pokers. All of the new arrivals are gathered into the grand hall, and scriptures are read in the background that you can't really make out the specifics of.

You will all be made to stand around the outside of the pool, and the local animals will gently explain to you what needs to be done. To become a new Honorable, you must be Anointed with the Flame of Inspiration - that is, they are going to brand you with the metal pokers they have heating up. If you go along with it, they will burn the mark into a highly visible part of your person (they have smaller brands for smaller animals), and then cool it off in the pool of water, where you are encouraged to bask until you are comfortable again.

There are obviously a couple concerns with this. The biggest one is that it's sketchy as hell. The second one is that the brand is definitely made of medium grade iron. While the painful difference it makes won't be super obvious from the outside, long-term veterans and those with superlative fae qualities will find it very uncomfortable, and it will blister for a fair while afterward, which is seen as unusual. If your character refuses, or tries to get around it somehow, please explain in reply to the post down below.

► THE DAYS AFTER: After everyone is branded (or isn't, as the case may be), you'll be given the opportunity to dry off and head back into town. All of the fancy structures here are communal, they will explain, and you can choose wherever you'd like to sleep. There are a few buildings that are mostly empty that newbies seem welcome to hole up in, though the locals assure everyone they will be nearby in case they need help.

In the days that follow, everyone will be welcome to explore Eden and find their bearings, and begin to discover what gifts the Anointment has bestowed on them. Whether or not you were good at a creative pursuit before, you will find yourself filled with inspiration for something - any artistic talent will do. It's like a creative talent will have been born in you overnight, or like an existing talent of yours has been boosted to near perfection. This effect will last as long as the characters are in Eden unless you are told otherwise.

You won't feel the need to eat, but there is breakfast available, if you'd like it. The locals are very courteous, though they seem a bit confused. Something about your entry seems to strike them as different than usual.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Shura expected him to notice the brand. She had also hoped he wouldn't comment on it, but she really should have known better. If that kid could poke at a open wound, he would.

"They did, didn't they~?" Shura wasn't as sly as some of the others who could bullshit their way out of being branded in an obvious spot, especially not when so many others had cause a scene before her. In another world, she could have tried for sex appeal, but how was she supposed to be sexy as a lion?? Her tail is lashing out behind her, something Shura still hasn't quite figured out how to control. It's his fair warning. Even if she's tolerating how close he is now, she won't let him pry and sniff her at the same time.

He ducks, paw over his nose much like he'd normally slap a hand over his mouth--he knows he said too much, but sometimes he just can't help himself.

"Er ah.. well hopefully it ain't causing ya too much grief there, haha. I can't feel anything except my ear on that side of my head..."

It really is too bad one of Shura's go-to weapons is completely useless here though. The animals of Eden seem to have a taboo on sex in general which--y'know given how like half of art is about sex normally, it kind of stands out even to a novice. Which is weird enough to notice when also everyone is animals. Shima's just gonna not think about it too hard (for once).

It'd be so easy to rest her big paw on his little head and just shove his face down and rub it in the dirt. So easy. It might even make her ego feel just a bit better. But then she would probably offend Shima, and he probably hadn't meant much by bringing it up.

"That's clever of you, gettin' it put there. And it ain't like anyone's gonna bite your ear off here." Well, not so long as he kept his mouth shut. "Find your feet yet, or you still explorin'?"

She should find Rin and Yukio, she knows she should. But right now she's still too sulky to handle any potential problems from those two."

"Almost wish someone would, except it'd still hurt!" He's gotta get a little whining in.

"Still lots ta see and plenty of beasts ta talk to though, so who knows what types I'll run into. Not ta say I'm planning ta look for trouble." Which of course means he totally is. But look, that's his job now, he's gotta.

"Nyaa, maybe you should be lookin' for trouble." Another flick of her tail--she needed to get that under control. "Trouble's the kind of thing that finds you when you aren't lookin', after all~. Somethin' as small as you ought to be careful. Even if we're supposed ta be gettin' along doesn't mean everyone's good at playin' nice."

She actually means it. It's a weird way of saying be careful, but it's there. Kinda.

Shima can at least tell Shura seems to assume responsibility for things despite her own reluctance so he knows she's being a little soft on him against her own judgement. But that's what he finds funny (and CHARMING) about her.

"Ehehe, don't worry, I'm great at taking care of myself either way. But I'm just gonna go around ta show off a bit. Seems like I picked up something fun--look."

He pats a patch of grass with his paw and it turns bright red.

Please never say that out loud, Shima. She'll puke.

But what he shows her is impressive. Kinda. Considering that he couldn't do that before and that wasn't normally the kind of thing people could just do. Was it just that red, or could he do other colors as well? She's not so disinterested or agitated that she'll blow him off when he's trying to show her something.

"Hn. Gonna use that on yourself if you get bored?" A pink tanuki... that might be funny.

⇨ EDEN

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