CAT FIGHT
POSTING LOCATION: Tikal
DESCRIPTION: A distant cousin of... many creatures, but most recognizably (to some outlanders here, at least) a Coeurl or Displacer Beast, the Ixacatlapachoa's name is derived from the native word for "to mix someone up or confuse them." Known locally by its nickname the funky leopard, these typically solitary creatures will sometimes band together in large packs of seven to eight or more and hunt more like lions than leopards, which is precisely the problem the Jaguars have run into recently. Even on their own, these vicious jungle cats/birds/bugs are highly dangerous, able to stun and confuse prey with their facial appendages after stalking them silently through the foliage, unnoticed. Becoming surrounded by a group of them, therefore, is almost always a lethal situation to find yourself in. There have been twelve killings attributed to Ixacatlapachoa in the last week, and the roving pack is showing no signs of stopping. Jaguar, in an especially volatile mood regarding this creature in particular, has posted the mark calling for their extermination himself, and has even offered his services if needed to eradicate them. Alternatively (or in addition), he has granted the use of any and all equipment in the Jaguars storeroom to get the job done and is amenable to allowing these rentals to be permanent once the job is done.
REWARD: A highly overpaid job—10,000 gold pieces to anyone who takes out the lot. Their pelts are very highly sought-after as material for Jaguar warriors as well as general home goods, and anyone who brings one back is guaranteed an item of their choosing made from it (a blanket, a cape, leopardskin rug—up to you).
REPORT TO: Jaguar. OOCly, you may ping the mods to have Jaguar make an appearance in your log (this is not required to play out the quest, just an option if you're interested), but only on a first come, first serve basis due to mod time constraints.

THE ANCIENT PROVING GROUNDS
POSTING LOCATION: Tikal
DESCRIPTION: Discovered toward the end of February, after the incense near Kiichpan had thinned out enough to make its surrounding jungle more navigable, The Neltiya ruins begin in a winding maze with tall, stone walls that, unfortunately for anyone looking to explore it, still stand tall and sturdy even after a century or more. Its construction is stern, purposeful and stark, with next to no aesthetic quality to it, the reason for which becomes clearer after reaching the interior of the maze: because it was once an ancient proving ground, likely for military use. Many of the facilities are still perfectly usable, with an ample space for training, sparring, running laps, as well as a large number of massive stone structures that make up a challenging obstacle course. With a little upkeep and a few additions, Neltiya would be an excellent place to work out, rivalling even the arena in Tikal... if not for the wraiths. Ghosts, spirits, whatever you want to call them, these intangible beings with indistinct forms haunt their former training grounds and terrorize anyone who enter. Unable to be fought off, but also unable to inflict harm, the stout of heart would say they're a minor irritant at worst, but there's no denying the unsettling effect of their bereft howls, not unlike the banshees that occasionally rise from the dead and shamble toward the cities.

The Jaguars would like to assess whether this location is suitable for use, at which time it would be renovated and could serve as a better outfitted training facility for all of the coteries to utilize. In addition to gauging the threat in the area, mapping out the maze, and determining whether anything can be done about the wraiths, they would also like any able-bodied explorers to test out the equipment. Try the obstacle course, survey the open space, maybe have a few practice battles to see how things hold up.
REWARD: Nothing in particular at this time, however if anyone is able to find a solution to the ghosts, monetary compensation will be provided.
REPORT TO: Jaguar

NO STOPPING THE GREAT STINK
POSTING LOCATION: Coba
DESCRIPTION: A narrow temple built into the face of Coba's eastern mountains, to reach the Tepexitl ruins requires a trip from the outside of the city, as it isn't possible to scale the cliffs from inside the gates. Known colloquially as "the womb," legends surrounding its origins refer to it as very alarming things such as "the birthplace of chaos," "the maw of hell," and "the belly of the beast," among others. Funnily enough, the ruin itself is little to write home about. Once the climb is made to reach the entrance, a tight squeeze past the openings in the crags leave little to be discovered by way of treasure or history. Its style and construction are odd, particularly for the surrounding area, with very little in the way of traditional building materials and more the impression that it was simply carved painstakingly out of the mountain itself. Time, the elements, and humidity have caused the inside of the structure to appear pale blue or off-white, and the stone seems to retain moisture and slickness very easily, making navigation treacherous. Most pressingly of all, however, is how absolutely atrocious it smells—but that might be because of what's guarding it: a hideous, floating Malboro, awakened only after hapless adventurers have trapped themselves inside, at the mercy of its Bad Breath. This is a massive threat to Coba, as the area tends to be breezy and such poisonous vapors could easily drift into the city even with all their windmills hard at work, so it isn't any wonder most have steered clear until now.

Unfortunately, it wasn't an adventurer but rather a large flock of passing carrion crows that happened to light upon the mountain face during their journey elsewhere that awakened the creature. As it rises up into the sky, easily visible from inside Coba, panic and hysteria immediately break out among the refugees still living and settling there. The Eagles, oftentimes out on expeditions and not at home, are few and far between to help quell the scramble or address the threat. Eagle himself has insight on the Malboro, having faced it a few times in battle, as well as the nearby ruin it protects. No longer able to risk danger in or near his city due to the large number of civilians living in it, he briefs anyone available to fight and sends them after it straightaway. Characters will need to either scale the mountain or use ranged weaponry to attack it, and they'll want to do so quickly; Coba can only survive one or two expulsions of its Bad Breath before all their safety precautions will become overwhelmed and people will start to die from its toxic fumes.
REWARD: 5,000 gold pieces to anyone who fells the Malboro. In addition, the Tepexitl ruins themselves do house a particular reward: a shrine to an ancient war goddess, Minerva. The spear she wielded is up for grabs to anyone able to reach it. While it doesn't have any magical properties, it does have a long reach and exquisite crafting, making it a very formidable weapon indeed.
REPORT TO: Eagle

FOR A GOOD CAUSE
POSTING LOCATION: Kiichpan
DESCRIPTION: Hoping to bolster the economy and get back on their feet, the residents of not just Kiichpan, but other traders, craftsmen and merchants have rallied together to organize an open-market swap meet of sorts at the New Fire square. While it doesn't rival nearly the size or scope of the marketplace from prior to the city's destruction, everyone present is pulling out all the stops to peddle their wares and drum up business and, in some ways even more importantly, some life back into the weakened city. It is quite the lively affair: many colorful banners and stall awnings are erected all across the square, with vendors eagerly calling out to passersby to try free samples, test out their wares, and come visit just to chat. The offerings are plentiful, ranging from weapons and other items crafted from monster parts, clothing and textiles, street food, houseplants and herbs, and all sorts of bric-a-brac in-between. Migel from Tikal is here, offering custom work in exchange for materials as well as engravings, alterations and his usual wares, Isabella has come from Coba with offerings of mead and whatever the hell you call that braincell-killing moonshine they make over at Viento, and if you come at the right time, you'll even find all four of the coterie leaders.

Although they still can't seem to be in each other's presence for very long (depending on which configuration—some get along better than others), each have brought an item from their personal stash to auction off for the good of Kiichpan. Their offerings are as follows:

✶ From Salamander, a love potion. "Now, as we all know, love potions aren't real," she advises with a soft laugh, "but I've cast a little spell on this one." As coy as they come, she won't reveal just what kind of spell, but crosses her heart that it's harmless, safe, and mild. It won't drug anyone into believing they're madly in love with you for all eternity or anything concerning like that, but it will stir up some... shall we say... feelings in whoever consumes it. "It's a beverage best served shared together," she advises. The serving size is just enough for two people to have a sip. (Please don't go around spiking random drinks or using this item irresponsibly, and keep others' comfort in mind.)
✶ From Eagle, a wind glider. "Tis a funny little contraption I put together myself in my spare time," he explains. While similar in construction and appearance to the sorts of wind gliders one may have seen in ancient history, his is a little bit more fun: it attaches to the arms and around the body and, when you spread your arms out wide, it unfolds into what could loosely be described as wings. "I wanted to give the impression of soaring just like a bird!" he says delightedly, "And yes, I've tested it quite extensively myself." With this, characters can glide from high altitudes, at times bypassing a little bit of incense and threats on the ground.
✶ From Jaguar, the Obsidian Mirror. Remember this? In case you forgot (like the mods did), here's the description from November's event: A gods-touched relic, the obsidian mirror is capable of showing the truth to anyone who looks through it. This includes being able to see clearly through the haze of the incense while traveling, and also being able to identify a person's honest thoughts when looking at them through the glass (essentially a portable lie detector). However, prolonged use will cause whoever holds it to begin to "vanish" until they look away from the surface; should they continue using it anyway, they will eventually dissipate into black mist, similar to when a character dies, and will respawn 24 hours later. The mirror will still work even if it is damaged or destroyed during the battle, as Tezcatlipoca's essence dissolves back into its surface and repairs any damage done to it. "It was recovered and returned to me after the beast was eradicated," Jaguar says somewhat solemnly. "I have no need for it. Let it be of use to you."
✶ From Viper, an item known simply as The Claw. It doesn't look like much, but it happens to be one of her all-time favorite tools. "Climbin' up, climbin' down, beatin' the ever-lovin' fuck outta someone—this baby does it all," she says proudly of the little gadget. It does have a hefty weight to it, and she's even prepared to give demonstrations of just how much more quickly and easily you can scale up and down surfaces with it, testing herself with it in her hand versus a coterie helper without one. The difference is quite a lot, as it turns out. "I hate to part with it, but I know you lot'll get more use out of it than me," she says. "Besides... heh. I got wings. I'm good."

In addition, there remains plenty of space for anyone else to set up stalls of their own if they'd like. Got something on offer? Here's a great place to drum up some business. While most of the proceeds will be used to continue funding Kiichpan's restoration, that's not a requirement for outlander sales... although it would be awfully nice of you.
REWARD: None, but there's tons on offer!
REPORT TO: None ICly; IMPORTANT NOTE OOCly: only one character may receive each of the NPCs' items on offer. While we don't plan to set up a log for this, players are free to do so, and we encourage everyone to plot in incenseooc to discuss who might be interested in what and plan for a group log if there's interest in that (which is not required, but may be fun!). There is no need to reach out to the mods to request their character receive whichever item they'd like, and while this can be written out ICly on the coterie interact page, that's completely optional and can just be handwaved entirely. Just know we'll be keeping an eye out for dupes, so play fair!

RESTORHATEION
POSTING LOCATION: Kiichpan
DESCRIPTION: For many months now, the Viper Pretenders have been a constant thorn in Kiichpan's side. There have been numerous postings requesting apprehension of key figures and even elimination of certain oversized bases, which seems to have done little but stir up the hornet's nest further. Having reviewed many firsthand accounts regarding their actions during the events in January, Viper is now calling for their complete eradication. There is no question among the locals and the coterie that their actions exponentially worsened the conditions in the city, and their presence can no longer be tolerated whatsoever. This grim posting offers monetary reward for the eradication of all hostile pretenders, including a full sweep to ensure their ilk no longer have a foothold in Kiichpan. While she doesn't intend for a slaughter of fellow human beings, Viper makes it clear that attempting to restrain and interrogate them, as well as drive them out, has done little to make any changes. Hundreds died and the city is in ruins. Do what you will is all she can say. That said, they do have holding cells prepared for any captured pretenders should you wake up and not choose violence today.
REWARD: A bounty of 1,000 gold per head has been placed on all pretenders. Pay for apprehension and the like can be discussed at a later time.
REPORT TO: Viper