new zealand ♔ when lies turn into truth i sacrificed for you | you say that i'm frozen

[lissatrinall]

♬ where i can never be - gary numan

WHO || Lis'sa, Kenzi, Bo, Klaus, Rebekah, Mars[Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a mysterious carnival that may be linked to some magical winter weather
WHERE || New Zealand
WHEN || August 11th [forwarddated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Strange winds have blown in, bringing on an unusually chill winter in New Zealand. The ground crunches underfoot with snow, the days growing shoter and stars holding court in the darkness reigning above. An unnatural cold permeates the town, and the river's jubilant voice is frozen under the ice. Birds abandon their nests for warmer climes, their songs silenced by winter's grim embrace. But the frozen riverbank now hosts a shimmering respite from the gloomy cold in the form of garish tents, joyful shouts, and sumptuous smells. Vaale's Carnival has come to town.

Gaiety and laughter cut through the cold wind, and even the sky-shy sun peeks its face from around the gathering winter clouds. Children squeal with delight and gasp in awe at the sights, sounds, and smells of Vaale's Carnival. The Titan's Wheel creaks and groans as a burly lumberjack tests his might wit a hefty spin, a family rushes giggling into the sprawling ice maze to the north, and dozens of happy skaters flit about the rinks atop the frozen river. Carnival dolls are handed to wide-eyed townspeople as prizes and a menagerie of freakish creatures and glowing lights beckons the curious. Garish skirts and scanty veils call others to a different breed of voyeurism altogether. Treats and wonders abound for young and old to enjoy, and for a time, the harsh winter is forgotten in joyful revelry. There's nothing to indicate any sinister going on whatsoever, as the group surveys the happy smiles of the crowd.

* Please make a list of all items your character is carrying in an entry in their journal before tagging into this post! They are free to have requisitioned any equipment or weapons they desire beforehand.

Comments

[lissatrinall]

[ they press on past the sled, coming to a small cove of wagons and tents wrapped around a rickety three foot high wooden stage, cobbled together and precariously balanced on stacks of unmortared bricks. The stage planks creak and moan in time to the prancing and posturing of a dozen or so freakish humanoids as they perform their comically grotesque displays. A dough faced huckster preaches to the crowd and flails about a cane to pontificate the shows details.

Chained to a stool, a dog faced little girl in a charming yellow and white flowered dress mournfully howls at them as they pass by. Propped on a stool sits a two gallon glass jar filled with a murky yellow liquid. Suspended in the liquid, a deformed infant shaped creature bobs slowly. Its tiny hairless form is dwarfed by its oversized head from which two sickly colored amber eyes stare hauntingly.

A bulky bald headed man proudly displays hundreds of wounds running across his torso, arms, head, legs, and face, all stitched shut with thick black thread.

A young man with flaky, scaly skin steps on to the stage as the barker shouts "Behold the terrifying human fish!" To the crowd's dismay, the man unfolds a straight razor and proceeds to bloodily slice gills into his neck. Next, two muscular men seize him and thrust his head in a large tub of water. He thrashes about as if drowning and the crowd screams in terror. ]

[asuma]

[That last one was amusing, at least. Klaus will have to remember the terrifying human fish scenario for personal use on some unsuspecting sap who crosses him later on. But he's largely unfazed by the freak show. He's seen, and done, a lot worse.]

I see they've spared no expense with the entertainment. [Throwing shade like a giant redwood tbh.]

[easily]

If you can call it entertainment. [Rebekah wrinkles her nose a little. Okay, the last one was kind of amusing but overall it's all...a little low class for her taste. To say the least. ]

[lissatrinall]

[ lis'sa narrows her eyes at the spectacle, seeming off-put by it all and kind of irritated.

the ringmaster sweeps off his hat and lowers his head, asking for a moment of silence as the man goes slack.

moments later, however, the fish man's hands and feet begin to tap a lively rhythm on the stage and the barrel. the stage freaks start to clap and stomp along, and soon many in the crowd join in. finally, the fish man jerks his head from the barrel and dances offstage to applause. ]

It's likely that many of these acts are simply Shadowkind. [ she says it flatly, her own reptilian eyes sweeping across the delighted (and mostly human) crowd judgmentally ] Come on. I don't think this is what we're looking for.

[asuma]

I suppose they can't be blamed, in that case. It's likely this is the only sort of employment they could find in which to capitalize on their particular "talents."

[You know the world is fucked up when Klaus of all people is speaking up in the defense of others.]

Given the way that most people in this world are prone to treat outsiders, those who would turn to this line of work are likely the ones who couldn't conceal what they are.

Though, with that being said, a large group of disenfranchised shadowkind sounds like they might possess good enough motive to attempt some manner of retaliation against their otherwise unaware oppressors.

[lissatrinall]

I wonder how many of them are working here by choice, and how many have been coerced into it.

[ an obscenity of lard and folded flesh sits atop a tiny groaning stool as the "fat woman"'s greasy sausage-like fingers dive nimbly into the huge basket of dumplings upon which she gorges, while people jeer and openly ridicule her or exchange disgusted laughs with their friends. lis'sa shakes her head, and nods up the path. ]

[easily]

And I wonder if we can really call it a choice if they had little other option for survival left.

[Rebekah frowns as she watches the people mock and jeer the obscene sized woman. It doesn't settle well with her, somehow.

But she instead focuses on following lis'sa]

[lissatrinall]

[ in the field before them as they head up the path stands a towering windmill disguised beneath mountains of papier-mache to resemble a giant titan. a large plastered head with bulging eyes and a long tattered beard covers the roof, while two muscular arms jut from the side of the building and clasp posts raising a banner that reads "The Titan's Wheel". the windmill's blades have been replaced by a massive fifteen foot diameter metal wheel painted in nauseating spirals of lime green and orange and threaded with flapping rainbow streamers.

before the wheel, a gap-toothed carnvy woman with a wispy shadow of facial hair barks loudly through a sawed off yak horn. 'Step right up, folks, and spin the Titan's Wheel! Prove your strength to the ladies! Wow all the jacks in the cutyard! Come on folks! Show 'em what you're made of!' ]

[asuma]

It's probably best that we keep up appearances and participate in at least a handful of these little events. After all, we are supposed to be patrons who are getting their money's worth.

[Let's be real he just wants to show off after letting old man winter intimidate him earlier. So Klaus will step right up this is happening. Someone should probably stop him, this is a bad idea right...]

[lissatrinall]

[ the gap-toothed hawker yells at him to step right up. "Grab the rungs of the wheel and give it a whirl, son!" lis'sa raises an eyebrow, folding her arms where she stands next to rebekah. that'll be a strength check for klaus. ]

[asuma]

[Klaus grabs the rungs of the wheel as the lady with the facial hair instructs him and attempts to give that shit a whirl ... without over-doing it because that might be kind of dumb in hindsight (Strength: 19).]

[lissatrinall]

[ the wheel churns wildly while terrifying howls of laughter echo from the titan's great plaster head. after a few rotations, the wheel clicks slowly to a stop, at which point the emcee pulls two tickets from the base.

"Why, you have the strength of four men! Your tickets, sir. Good for free beers in the beer tent." said beer tent appears to be down the path to the left. otherwise, the docks are to their right, where more activities are taking place. ]

[asuma]

[Klaus will take those two tickets, thank you very much, before joining his companions and holding them out for them like he just won them both stuffed prizes. Suddenly his ego is no longer compromised.]

Shall we?

[easily]

[Rebekah smiles, taking the ticket. She likes people giving her prizes okok. ]

We shall.

[lissatrinall]

[ lis'sa takes her wordlessly, glancing at it as if to see if it's of any interest before sliding it away into her pocket. she nods towards the beer tent, and they head that way.

the clank of glasses and roars of laughter swell from this bustling tent filled with sweaty lumberjacks. casks of ale are stacked nearly fifteen feet high behind the tent. the thirsty patrons here down pint after pint as they carouse, tussle, guffaw, and stagger about. ]

I'm not certain how good of an idea it is to imbibe anything of their making. If there's some sort of magic at work here-- [ she leaves that thought unfinished ]

[asuma]

I'm inclined to agree. [Which is why he handed the tickets off to y'all js.]

[easily]

Which is why you pawned the tickets onto us. [She knows you okay Klaus.]

[lissatrinall]

[ a very drunk lumberjack stumbles through the crowd, spitting out a slurred comment in lis'sa's direction: "'ey lookit that one! Must've escaped from the freak pen! Think she's got a forked tongue?" he splits his fingers into a V and makes a lewd gesture to his buddies who erupt into laughter. lis'sa turns to glare at him coolly, but says nothing, jaw tight. ]

[easily]

[Rebekah, fiery little feminist that she is, finds her face contorting in anger at the remarks and lacking better judgement makes her way over towards the lumberjack.]

Do you really think you can speak to a woman like that?

[lissatrinall]

[ the man chortles, looking down at her. "She ain't no woman," he says. "And what are you gonna do about it?" ]

[asuma]

[You're welcome. :/

But then Rebekah decides she wants to be emboldened by sisterhood or whatever it was that sparked her intervention, and Klaus finds himself rolling his eyes. Time for a little role reversal before this shit gets out of hand because he just nat 20'd his will save not to slaughter a bitch. He follows after his sister, if only to keep her from tearing the man's throat out and causing a spectacle.]

Come now, Rebekah. I think it's clear based on their insulting appearance alone that these men have yet to encounter, and therefore would have no idea how to properly speak to a woman. [For he is Klaus, king of hybrids and indirectly throwing shade.

He snatches the free beer ticket from his sister's hand and shoves it at the man's chest (strength: 23), in an effort to get Grizzly Adams to back the fuck off before he is forced to roll another will save.]

There we are. Why not have another drink. My treat.

[lissatrinall]

[ the man looks back at his friends as klaus pushes him backwards slightly with the ticket, and then with a sideways sickened grin, brings his fist around, swinging wildly at klaus' head. (his attack is an amazing 13 :D so it misses... by a mile) ]

[easily]

[And then the man takes a swing at her brother and if there was any chance of Rebekah not letting this escalate quickly it's gone now. So much for keeping a low profile. She makes a move to grab him by the throat (grapple: 24) where he makes a swing at her but misses. Her grip tightens into a choke hold (melee: 27) and rather quickly he passes out (damage: 12). That being done with she tosses his unconscious body aside now, wiping her hands on her clothes as if it to try to get his gross sweat off of her.]

Some men can be so disgusting.

[asuma]

Well, I suppose that settles that.

[Like it ain't no thang, even if Klaus' smug little smile seems to say "proud of u, gurl."]

Let's move on to the next event then, shall we?

[lissatrinall]

[ yeah, the guy's buddies back away quickly, turning their attention to their beers so as not to be identified with this mess. lis'sa tries and fails to suppress a little smile as rebekah turns back to them, and she even looks openly grateful. ]

Perhaps for the best. [ just beyond the pavilion where jacks swill ale like gasping fish sits a pair of nondescript tents. the closest one emanates the soft rhythmic music of shakes, clay drums, and tingling bells. in front, a cross-armed orc stands at the tent's entrance with a look of fierce determination. ]