rubycity_ooc | State of the City

STATE OF THE CITY
january 2016

GENERAL OOC INFO:

Hello, and welcome to this (abysmally) late first 2016 edition of the State of the City. Certain life circumstances have conspired heavily against the completion of this post, but here we are, and thank you very much for your continued patience.

The past year has been a little tricky for our game. Mistakes have been made which will take some time to bring around and rectifiy without causing too much disruption, but things should start moving towards some real progress very soon and we hope to make the next year run much more smoothly as a result. Of course, we couldn't be here without all of you and we find all of your input to be completely invaluable whenever changes are made. In the short term, however, there will be some sprucing up of the general info pages. Some redundant creatures will be removed from the bestiary page, but we definitely still welcome new additions. These can be anything from creatures from your characters own world to ones that you would simply like to encounter (or see others encounter), just drop a comment onto the besitary page to have your suggestion reviewed. This also goes for the general locations page - some people choose to go outside of the city pretty often, and we are open to them discovering many things in their travels.

As ever, we also welcome input for event ideas. There have been a couple suggested to us that we look forward to using, but there is always room for a few more! You can drop these on the Plot Suggestions page and we will work with you to try and make sure that we can make it happen.

Finally, though they are also late off the mark, the CR meme and test drive for January are up and running, Please go ahead and use them as you wish <3

METAPLOT INFO:
So what's going on with the city as a whole?

The Rumor War events have far-reaching consequences that aren't only restricted to the few days or weeks following their conclusions. Each event, and those NPCs whose influence over the city itself changes as a result, cause permanent alterations to the way that the city functions and its general appearance.

RW #1 = Success by Charity granted all supplies a small temporary boost, from food to gardening supplies.
RW #2 = Success by Pride rebuilt a section of the city wall, giving some permanent extra protection from the beasts roaming outside.
RW #3 = Success by Kindness temporarily calmed the fierce nature of the more violent wildlife, as well as boosting the medical supplies at the clinic. There was also a temporary increase of stock at the hardware store to assist in the rebuilding of the damaged northern section of the city.
RW # 4 = Success by Diligence gave the restocking gophers the shot in the arm needed to keep food supplies at acceptable levels over the winter.

Several of the NPCs are still mistrustful of the people residing in the city for reasons not yet revealed, but some are open to conversation and even questioning, up to a point. A number of those whom are are being cooperative are making attempts to persuade others to do the same, with varied results. The benefits of success would, of course, be that the Virtues and Vices holding stronger and more reliable abilities will be more willing to be helpful. NPCs can be contacted using the NPC contact pages, but please be patient!

Some of them take longer than others to answer their watches.

EVENT LIST FOR THE MONTH:
A playbook for your PCs
JANUARY 11 - JANUARY 17 Season Effects

It's a new year, but it's the same old winter season and it looks like it will continue getting colder for a while yet. However, for some, the weather is going to feel as if it's becoming far too cold. This is an event of two halves, with one half being a chilly touch of winter that goes far beyond anything that the natural air should be able to provide. The other will pull from a season still months away, offering a bit too much of the taste of summer to those affected by it. The full effects are detailed below.

Touch of Winter, for those unfortunate enough to be affected, begins with a chill that could easily be attributed to the already chilly temperatures. What those hit with this will find, however, is that things only get worse from there. The chills, the cold extremities, the shivering as if a moment more might shake every one of your teeth out no matter how many layers you wrap around yourself. Though, stranger still, to anyone else it seems as if everything is entirely normal. Your fingers feel like they're about to fall off, but to any unaffected person, they feel completely normal.

Obviously you're just imagining it, it can't be all that bad...

Taste of Summer, as the name might suggest, provides a complete contrast. At first, affected people may simply think they're handling the cold far better than others (it's not that cold, what is everyone complaining about?). While this might seem to be a benefit, it doesn't take long before they start to feel a fraction too warm, until a roll in the snow outside is looking more and more enticing. The sensation of being in the middle of the Sahara desert (without the inconvenience of sunburn) isn't one that anyone can be expected to tolerate for too long, but what could you possibly do to get out of that dratted heat?

In the case of both, they will feel utterly normal to anyone else touching them, despite their protests to the contrary. Effects do not have to last the full week, and they can even swing between one and the other for added ~~misery~~ fun! Bear in mind, though, that while the cold/heat that they feel won't adversely affect them by itself, what they decide to do to combat it may have its own impact.

JANUARY 22 - JANUARY 25 Fairy Mischief

While most of the (sensible) sentient creatures of the wilds outside the city limits have decided that now is a very good time to bed down and sleep through the colder part of winter, a few are being disturbed by a small group of mischievous fairies who have decided that now is the best time in the world to start trying to tempt things towards the city.

While their intentions are to create a small amount of havoc, their attention span is very short, so it is only for the course of a long weekend that it may be possible to see creatures such as yetis, thestrals, spriggans and the ever-illusive unicorn wandering much closer to the city than they ever usually do. They seem confused, though will react as per their nature if approached or confronted (please see the bestiary for the usual behaviour of said creatures). The fairies themselves can be found here and there, tripping people up, raising ice under their feet and stealing/moving their belongings around the city.

It's just a bit of fun for them, after all...

STATE OF THE CITY:

Weekly Weather Report

WEATHER:

Cold and only getting colder, though it may be more miserable for some than for others. Fog in the early morning and late evening is likely to be a constant fixture for a while, but the fact that it is no longer attempting to grab on to people should at least be a small relief. The wetter days leave a thin sheen of ice over any and every surface that it moisture settles on, not helped by the antics of certain bored magical creatures.

The snow, when it falls, falls thick and fast and blankets the city in a cozy layer of clean white winter. Though the ruby Christmas tree is now gone, the weather maintains a somewhat festive air regardless. Still, minding your footing is advised, but don't worry too much. The clinic is well stocked and staffed in case of any... mishaps.

ANIMALS AND BESTIARY INFO:

Most creatures are either hibernating or conserving their energy in some way, though as always happens during the colder months where food is otherwise scarce, the more carnivorous and frankly more vicious creatures are finding themselves hungry and looking towards the city as a source of fresh meat.

Keep your wits about you, you never know what might be stalking up the street behind you.

STORES AND SUPPLIES:

Stocks are currently running at the low end of 'normal', with fresh meat and fish in short supply. Perhaps it's time to get out hunting and share your success with the rest of the city?

Or maybe you'd just rather hoard it for yourself and make them beg. Really, whatever floats your particular boat.

MOD CONTACT:

Fiona hardtostarboard || AIM@LittleBritTeacup
Kitten GrimmKitty || AIM@SilverCrusnik

Moderator Plurk: rubycitymods

PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Suggestions Post

Permanent Links
Phoenix Wright’s Records
Spiral Training School Information
Clinic Volunteers (TBA)

Anything to tell us? Let us know below!

CLOSING STATEMENT:

This will be a short one!

Fi-mod is very apologetic about how long this post took to put together, but is dealing with some unfortunate side effects from anxiety at the moment. This will (very hopefully) not happen again to such an extent.

As you have likely already noticed, there is no official activity check this month. Please turn your attention here for further details.

All other things are progressing at a slower pace than we originally anticipated (or would like), but there will hopefully be something concrete to present by the end of the month. Much love from your mods, you're all great <3

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Two questions!

1: Do these fairies also follow the bestiary rules that if you accidentally befriend one, it's removed from its colony and can never go back?

2: DO THE UNICORNS GET AGGRO AND MAUL NON-VIRGINS i'm not asking for me i'm asking for a character who has a lot of ancestors including but not limited to his great-great-grandmother in the city it is probably important to know if there is a chance of unicorns mauling his great-great-grandmother

1) Yes, they do! They are normal fairies, just having a bit too much fun.

2) IT'S VERY UNLIKELY but possible if they feel threatened.

State of the City - JANUARY

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

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PLOTTING