[August] State of the City

[rubycitymods]

STATE OF THE CITY
August 2016

GENERAL OOC INFO:

Welcome to August, and the year is moving on fast! Things have moved a little into the background in terms of shuffling and moving the game forwards, and some of the mod team have been dealing with things in their their respective offline lives, but we have definitely not stopped. Some excellent feedback has been given and we are keen to put it to work (more details below).

Please note that we are always open to suggestions on how we can make this game better for you. Comments here are screened, so there need not be any concerns about raising something that another player may not agree with and we will address anything that you feel needs to be brought up. There is also a plot submissions page with a new addition to make it easier for everyone to submit the kinds of events that they would like to see.

Our general CR meme is up again this month, slightly late (as is this bulletin). We saw it getting some good use last month and we hope that it will happen again. If you didn’t get any responses last time, don’t be disheartened! And if you didn’t post, please do. You never know what great new CR might come out it. Tag around and let people know that you would like to play with them!

Finally, the test drive is up, and already playing host to several interesting characters! If you are able, please take a look and make any potential newcomers feel welcome.

GAME INFO:

NPC Profiles

WHAT'S HAPPENING
☆ The game history page is still in progress. We hope to have it fully up to speed by the end of this month.
☆ Following up on some advice received from one of our players, we are going to look into ways to make venturing outside of the city walls more appealing.
☆ Additionally, we are doing further work into the background to add more of a sense of grounding to the overall ‘plot’ of the game. This will be reflected in future events having more grounding in the game and offering more focused challenges to the characters, and bring better cohesion overall. We hope that it will be something that you all enjoy!

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In July’s activity check, Wrath won out by a narrow margin. Although Kindness is still ahead overall, continuing the uptick in food supplies (and oddly shaped fruit), it would appear that some weaponry has made its return to the relevant stores. This month, people may find themselves feeling a little short-tempered at times for reasons that they cannot ascertain, with those already predisposed to such things are hit all the worse by it.

The youngest overseer, Chassie Barrows, is still missing. Though some contact has been made and her absence has been noted, she has still yet to make any reappearance. If Tim’s enigmatic comments are anything to go by, she is keeping away for a very good reason.

EVENT LIST FOR THE MONTH:
August 07 - August 13 Standing and Breathing

It begins with a beagle.

It roams the streets and wags its tail cutely at passers by, sniffs and licks their fingers when petted, and runs the moment anyone makes any attempt to take it in. You know the kind. Tan and white, floppy, soft ears. Cute.

Extremely cute.

But soon, they appear again. In small numbers at first, much like the first time, the Strangers dawdle on street corners and gaze blankly into shop windows and into your windows, forming statuesque, aggravating and mildly disturbing barriers to sunlight and the passing of people who need to get somewhere, because we all need to get somewhere, don't we?

They stand and breathe, their stance rigid but casual, empty eyes fixed on nothing, smelling faintly of compost and giving the overall impression of grey and little more. As they stand and breathe - audible, even breaths - it seems that they don't move at all.

Except for when they do.

They reach out, fingers extended, grasping, but when did they move? Did you look away? Did you blink? At its best it is unnerving. At worst, you are followed as you take a quick route home. One is waiting for you at the far end of a narrow alleyway. You turn, but another has appeared behind you, cold eyes burning into yours, hands outstretched.

'What do you want', you may shout in a desperate need to understand, and the answer is a hissing, wheezing breath of 'nothing' that rattles not out of their throat but their entire being.

The days wear on, and the presence of the completely average, unremarkable, audibly breathing but otherwise silently standing figures increases. They cannot be seen entering a room and no door opens to announce their presence. Locks and barriers don't stop them, and that shadow you glimpse in the corner of your eye upon blearily waking may be far more than a simple trick of the light.

First instincts are, of course, to lash out and rid the place of this new and strange invasion, but touching the figures begins a chain reaction of entirely new problems.

"Who's a good boy?"

They ask the question in a heavy, forced monotone, every word pushed through teeth that do not part to allow the words full form. The words are like a barb, stinging through the minds of those that hear them and settling there as a dank seed that quickly takes root. Any doubt, any crack in a person's sense of self provides all that this infection requires to thrive.

The transformation, when it occurs, is first marked by a draining of purpose from the affected individual. They become listless and unmoved by the words of those around them while their consciousness claws in vain attempts to gain traction against the slope it has been placed on. They may fight as they turn, as they drop inevitably into the void, but how does one fight something which one cannot understand?

Then finally, they understand. As the last of what makes them slides away, they understand that all these strangers want is nothing, for there to be nothing, for everyone and everything to turn to nothing. From there, they join the ranks roaming the streets with inexplicably slow movements, wearing a familiar face but unfamiliar eyes. A faint spark may appear when they are spoken to, and they may try to speak, but such efforts are fleeting and marred by a dragging pain that makes talking near-impossible.

"They're no longer coming, they're here, and we cannot stop something that wants nothing."

If certain criteria are not met, the event will end with the sudden and entirely unexplained disappearance of the Strangers, save for those residents who were turned into Strangers themselves. These individuals will require recovery time and some regaining of a sense of self, but the after-effects of what they endured will not be quickly forgotten.

Criteria to be met for the event to meet a more active end are as follows;
⇒ Active effort to repel the Strangers. This may result in more people being 'infected'.
⇒ Attempts to discover how to cure 'infected' people.
⇒ Communication and networking during the course of the event, both in person and not.

We will be keeping an eye on things as the event progresses, but if you wish to tell us in advance if your character is likely to proceed down any of the above paths, do so in the comments! We are more than happy to work with you.

Those turned into Strangers will be left with an odd grey mark somewhere on their body, the shape of which is unable to be properly defined. It may occasionally itch.

August 21 A Warning

The fires near the forest were noticed, and though certain parties were indeed informed that it would happen, they did not all agree with the majority. A warning in the form of a patch of scorched grass and earth near the outside of the city wall can be found, with a single cut flower placed deliberately in the centre of it.

Evidently, someone has been upset by something… but is it a threat?

August 26 - August 29 I Remember You

First, you hear the music. A tinkling, tinny tune with no name that comes from nowhere and with no discernible source. Then, the flashes start. Fuzzy and unclear to begin with, but sharpening over the few days that it lasts, people in the city will begin to see small snippets of a past life that they might clearly remember… and a future one that they may not.

Though they begin as simple images, the sharpening of them comes along with intense, associated emotions, scents, sounds and other sensations. It could be easy to believe that you were actually there, for those few moments, or minutes, or more…

The only thing that every single ‘vision’ has in common is the music, heard before they begin like the herald of a fade-out into a flashback. If investigated, it the tune can be traced to a music box in the possession of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Opening the box and listening to the tune directly acts as a powerful trigger, but anyone attempting it should take care that they do not become lost in what they see.

STATE OF THE CITY:

Weather Report

WEATHER:

Continuing with the theme of a hot and humid summer scattered with occasional thunderstorms, August begins bright and warm and looks set to continue in much the same vein. Those used to hotter climes will feel the benefit, while those more accustomed to temperate or cooler weather are likely to feel increasingly uncomfortable as the month progresses. One way or the other, it is time to break out the short and t-shirts… unless you don’t want to, and that’s okay too.

The thunderstorms, when they arrive, bring deep purple clouds and bright flashes of lightning, punctuated by rolling booms of thunder. It seems that they are being magnified by some outside influence, if not produced by one...

FLORA AND FAUNA:

Thanks to the actions of one particular elf, the warg population has dwindled considerably. Whether it is through their mortality being proven by fire, or simply being driven away, only time will tell. They are certainly not intelligent enough to consider revenge, or to remember just who set the fires and why. Several corpses may be found across the plains where they expired from their injuries - they appear to have already been scavenged, with any inspection showing neat cuts and closer still revealing that certain organs have been removed.

The rate at which fire lizards are hatching on the beach will ease off through to September, but it is still not too late to investigate, should such a thing appeal to you.

Spirits residing in the river appear to be feeling particularly mischievous of late, and will splash anyone passing by with handfuls of water, disappearing quickly after. They are not at all biased over who they choose to target - everyone is a good mark - and are very adept at making sure that their intended victim gets a good soaking.

Around the mountains, the white dragon has ceased its circling for the time being. Occasionally, puffs of dark smoke can be seen rising from one of the peaks.

STORES AND SUPPLIES:

The supply situation appears to be improving, and though what is on offer is still very basic, searching to the backs of the shelves will turn up a few boxes of herbs and spices. While the strangely shaped watermelons that appeared last month are still available, they are steadily replaced by those of a normal shape and size as the stocks refresh themselves.

Occasionally, a jar or tin might be prised open to find that what is inside is not what was expected. These ‘surprises’ range from the potentially delightful, right down to whatever your terrible dreams desire.

MOD CONTACT:

Fiona hardtostarboard || AIM@LittleBritTeacup
Kitten GrimmKitty || AIM@SilverCrusnik
Ingrid togamint || SKYPE@Taekotogami
Duck rowaduck || AIM@rowaduck

Moderator Plurk: rubycitymods

PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Suggestions Post

Permanent Links
Phoenix Wright’s Records
Spiral Training School Information

Anything you want to let everyone know about? Let us know!

CLOSING STATEMENT:

Short and sweet once again, since we are already late! We hope that you are enjoying the improved focus in the game in general and we intend to continue tightening up loose corners until everything is where it should be. We also hope (and believe!) that, given time and patience, we will begin to see a rise in player numbers. There is still a little way to go, but all of you here make this game what it is, and we appreciate you!

The activity check will go up as usual on the 5th of the month, but do remember that as long as your post or thread was started before the 5th, you can use the activity period to get it up to the length that you need it to be. Please also note that if you are on hiatus, your hiatus period must cover two weeks within the check period (6th - 5th) for you to be considered exempt from the activity check.

Thank you for sticking with us, we appreciate each and every one of you. Until next time!

Comments

[rubycitymods]

Direct contact would be fastest, but over time anything will work. The further removed the contact, the slower it would take to spread :)

[arken7]

Ah, okay. Makes sense.

So, he'll be affected [eventually] if he takes up arms no matter what he uses, since he doesn't have enough bullets for them to be a viable option.

Thanks!