COTERIE INTERACTIONS (IC) - CHAPTER I

[treasuremap]

COTERIE INTERACTIONS

NAVIGATION

✶

RULES/FAQ

✶

COTERIES

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LOCATIONS

The leader of each coterie, all colloquially known by the same name as their group—Jaguar, Eagle, Viper, and Salamander—will play a major role in the story, oftentimes appearing in events and even, during major plots, accompanying the player characters on their quests. While having constant access to them in threads would be difficult to keep track of and may lead to unfair advantages for some characters, and they will never directly comment to any network or log posts made in incensed or incenselogs, we do want to offer the opportunity for characters to interact with them. Therefore, with the exception of the aforementioned event posts where the NPCs might appear, all direct interactions with the coterie leaders can be done here. Simply comment below with the leader you'd like to interact with and whether it is in person or via medallion/journal in the subject line.

Note that it is fine to handwave minor interactions with the NPCs, such as in the case of exposition or receiving their quest orders, and you do not need to thread that out here nor ask permission from the mods. Relationships beyond passing familiarity as leader/subordinate cannot be handwaved however—in general, characters will not "build CR" with their leader to the degree they might with other characters in the game. They will still get to know them well over the course of the story, though.

Please also note that the NPCs are played by the mod team and are subject to the same tagging speed or question-answering expectations. We will respond as soon as we can!

Comments

[treasuremap]

[ It's depressing to think there are new arrivals that never saw Kiichpan in all its glory, the Most Prosperous City, her pride and joy. But funnily enough, there're a lot of people who haven't, and a good chunk of them are Vipers. Irony sure is a big old bitch!! But this—this is a taste of what it was, and she's happy with that, actually sort of grinning while she lingers at the market stand, and just a little bit more when she gets called "miss" and "ma'am." ]

Just "Viper"'s fine. That right there, m'boy, is the one and only The Claw. [ The "The" is a required part of its name. ] It'll get you up'n over any obstacle in seconds flat. Wanna give it a spin?

Eagle, aroundabouts the end of February

[fallingsand]

[ Okay, okay, so Bruno never actually agreed to look into how any of the distilling in Coba worked for Silco, but there's something to be said about being curious enough now that the thought was in his head. If he was already passing back through Coba on the way to Kiichpan, what could it hurt to ask?

And so ask he did. Originally, he only meant to ask around at Viento, given it was the most sensible place to start asking about the distilleries in Coba, but it would be just his luck that one of the Eagles there he would ask would... literally be Eagle.

Look, he only knows what Viper looks like, okay? He can't totally be blamed for posing the question to the coterie's leader by sheer accident here, but whether directly or because someone else flagged their leader down to handle Bruno instead, it would be inevitable. ]

[abyssions]

[Well, hey. That's more than he was expecting, and the surprise is obvious on his face for a moment.]

Yeah, that could work.

[namestrees]

Yeah, I definitely don't have a hundred years to spend on that...

[Or. Wait.] Wait, how are you so old, anyway? Is that a curse thing? [DOES he have a hundred years...???]

[He doesn't mind the awkward hand holding after the end of the handshake, but does follow her gaze down when she seems to be surprised about the lack of anything.]

...No? Should I?

[treasuremap]

[ Taking her hand back, since she supposes it isn't going to do anything special after all, she looks Lloyd flatly in the eye. ]

It's a curse thing. I was aging normally before that. Now I just age on the inside. I gotta be at least a million in "over it" years.

[ Taking a seat back where she was, she picks up the old Jaguar pendant and twirls the little chain around her finger, only to let it fling off into the chaos that is the rest of her messy, hoarded room. She'll get rid of it properly later (if she can find it again). ]

...I was uncontrollable back then. Sure as hell couldn't manage a city... I could barely manage breakfast. But I thought, eh... embracing it was what I was supposed'ta do, and it turned me into a monster. That's what we're tryin' to avoid. Learnin' to take control of it is different than giving in, so that's what I'm angling to teach you. So if you had anger management problems before, well: welcome to therapy, lad. Congrats.

[treasuremap]

[ Inclining his head in assent. And... maybe in the world's most distantly recognizable thing from dry humor at the look on Yuri's face, but yeah, also that. ]

Then let it be done. For now, Jaguars. At a later time, perhaps representatives of all of the coteries can meet this way. If not in person, then with the medallions.

[treasuremap]

[ It sure would be. Eagle would've jumped at the chance to pester him anyway, but when he hears the siren's call of "someone with a medallion asking questions," there's no resisting it. He exercises his remarkable talent for Magically Showing Up and just so happens to be there at Viento when the questions start coming in, jumping in right on cue like this is all just a stage play.

If only it were. There's a tragic lack of theater here. ]

You know... they say the best way to really learn is to experience it for yourself. How about a tour of the facilities~? Perhaps you'll even receive a souvenir at the end!

[fallingsand]

[ Well, maybe one day Bruno will tell Eagle all about the world of telenovelas and they can start a supremely melodramatic theater troupe together but until that day comes...

There'll just have to be distillery tours. ]

Oh. [ At least the suggestion of a tour gets Eagle his full attention. ] Uh, yeah, actually. That'd be great!

[abyssions]

Better to start small so it doesn't get too messy. I'm in.

[namestrees]

[...Oh. He frowns.]

....I guess we don't know if I'm gonna be like that too, huh. [He's hoping she knows, but... well. She didn't seem to even be sure about how much of it he had received.]

I never had too much trouble before... Just like the normal amount, I guess? [Hot flare ups, but nothing that really lingered or lasted or caused a problem. Just hot blooded teenager things. Anyway, he tips his head back, trying to think about how he feels now. The hand that had grasped Viper's makes it's way to settle into Noishe's ruff, slowly ruffling it in though.]

But it's like... everything's kinda irritating all the time now. And I can deal with that much-- but even the smallest, stupidest thing and it's like my chest is on fire and I stop thinking right, and I feel like there's way too much energy in me-- [And then he either breaks something or punches a wall or explodes a thing. Whoops.]

I had a friend trying to show me how to like... breathe through it and calm my mind, but that was more annoying than anything.

Jaguar, just a quick note in the journal actually because translations don't work otherwise OTL

[fallingsand]

[ Sometime into March, a note about something interesting about the maze and its various ghosts is left for Jaguar via journal. ]

The wraiths in the proving grounds turned out to be affected by salt. It's considered an old bit of folklore about dissuading malicious spirits from entering homes back in my own world. They won't like coming in contact with it and a line of salt will stop them.

I don't know how useful that will be for helping make the grounds safer but anyone using it might want to consider carrying a pouch of salt just in case.

Hope that helps,
B Madrigal

[ It was essentially a drive-by note from Bruno. There's no real expectation of a response. ]

[treasuremap]

[ Silently, Viper nods while Lloyd talks, acknowledging and also seemingly agreeing with him in a that sounds familiar sort of way. By the end of it, there's a furrow between her eyebrows that tips past the point of concern into something... slightly more emotionally invested. In a frustratedly sympathetic sort of way, maybe. ]

Damn. Yeah. Sounds about right. Hard to say just how bad you got it until I see it in action—an' I will soon enough. But in the meantime, we're gonna operate like you're as much a ticking time bomb as I ever was and act accordingly. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, or... whatever.

[ Something something optimism. ]

I will say, I dunno how much is the curse and how much is the incense. Regular folk turn into monsters, too, yanno. And you were right to be ticked off, the hell you think breathing is gonna do around here? You need to know how to control it. Learn when it's taking hold of you and steer it someplace useful. Weaponize it, I guess is what I'm tryin' to say. Without lettin' it consume you.

[treasuremap]

Good. Then I expect you will have gathered participants for this meeting when next I see you. I do not care what time this takes place, so long as I am not out on the field, fighting.

[treasuremap]

[ He would absolutely love that. He also absolutely loves that simple "oh," smiling from ear to ear. Not introducing himself just yet was a strategic choice, although really, he could work with Bruno already having guessed who he is, given that there's very few elves here besides himself. Either way, he's saving it for the Most Dramatic Moment. ]

Wonderful, then we mustn't delay. Come along, come along!

[ Winking to the bartender, he gestures for them to head outside. Once they're past the door, he leans in, his voice lowered: ]

I didn't want to say this inside and risk upsetting sweet Isabela, but... I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps you're planning to open your own establishment? She's terribly competitive, you know. Oh, but don't worry, the distilleries are hardly a kept secret. I'm happy to share with you.

[fallingsand]

[ Eagle's "secret" is safe for now. Even if there are few elves here apart from himself, Bruno doesn't immediately leap to assuming who he is. He'll hesitate a second or two, tossing a quick glance around the bar, but then, with this being exactly what he was hoping for, he followed along. ]

Is she? [ Bruno shoots one more look back at the Viento now that they're outside. Well, that won't really be his problem, in the long run. ] I'm... not. Not me, I mean. A friend is but he, uh, he doesn't really travel as much, so. I thought I'd take a look for him.

[ Silco is not a friend but it's far easier to explain it that way than fumble over the entire 'well he's kind of a jerk but I've decided to help anyway' thing. ]

salamander, voice via medallion

[cyberlife]

Is this Miss Aminat?

...

Ma'am, my name is Connor.

(here we go.)

Initially, I was going to ask you a question about laundry, but I have since procured some soap. (he says, as though salamander were involved with his debate about soap versus detergent. now she can stop worrying about a non-issue she never knew she had to worry about!) I have something more important to discuss with you now—if, of course, you can spare a moment of your time.

[abyssions]

What, I have to send out the invites?

[He sighs.]

Fine, I'll take care of it.

Sorry for the delay!

[treasuremap]

Connor, yes, of course. I'm glad you've found the soap.

[ She sounds a little bit amused, but mostly really that patient, like she might actually mean it, too. ]

What can I help you with, dear?

Sorry for the delay!

[treasuremap]

Oh, yes, very!

[ It's hard to say whether he's serious or not, with the exaggerated way he says that. It's dripping with irony and he wears such a gleeful look on his face, but that could just be because he gets a kick out of conflict, or something? Who knows. Either way, he leads Bruno along to a building around the back and a little ways down the road from the bar itself. ]

But if it's not going to be here in Coba, you might be alright. Or your friend may be. Goodness knows the other cities on this forsaken continent certainly could use a proper tavern of their own.

[treasuremap]

It was your idea.

[ Now he's definitely messing with him. Even if he looks as stone cold serious as ever. Humor and camaraderie isn't his strong suit, okay... ]

no worries at all❤️ take your time!

[cyberlife]

(got called "dear" for the first time and is now extremely pleased......)

I'd like to know if any viable samples of the incense have been collected in liquid form. (here he pauses, sounding uncertain himself; connor has some healthy doubts.) The process I'm considering is "steam distillation," which would involve taking a cutting from an infected plant or monster, steaming it, then collecting the condensing vapour that's produced in a cooled aqueous state.

I'm sure you're already familiar with this process as you are the resident expert, but I have a specific goal in mind for anything I might be able to produce.

[abyssions]

Yeah, yeah.

[Yuri waves that away dismissively.]

You just want me herding the cats for you, and I can't even blame you.

[treasuremap]

Would they not trust your intentions more than mine?

[ Considering for a moment, he adds, mostly only for the purpose of demonstrating he has self-awareness after all (because it'd be stating the obvious otherwise): ]

I have made myself unpopular recently.

[treasuremap]

We... have tried something similar to what you're describing, but have yet to make it work. The incense, however it's collected, always manages to dissipate no matter how tight the container or what form it is in. We are always left with nothing, or an unaffected sample.

It would be a fair statement that we haven't tried everything and I certainly haven't ruled out it still being possible, especially with so many promising new minds to study it. What was the idea you had?

[abyssions]

Yeah, well, you had a hand in screwing this world up and then you dragged us into it without telling us what was going on. But this will be a good step.