activity check + spookytober

[groundrules]

Hi folks! You can find the October activity check (AC) and admin below:

OCTOBER ACTIVITY CHECK

AC is done in-house, and you do not need to do anything unless your character is listed below. Please try to use character tags for posts and logs you tag into — it helps track your activity.

Regular activity requirements are one of the following during the AC month:

■ a network post
■ OR 10 text/network-style comments across at most two threads
■ OR five log comments across at most two threads

Activity can be carried out on either the game communities or character inboxes.

In September, I couldn’t find sufficient activity for...

Shen Qingqiu ( softheartedshizun ) — RECLAIMED FOR REGULAR OCTOBER AC
Vanya Hargreeves ( remugient ) — SECOND STRIKE | RECLAIMED FOR 1.5 x AC IN OCTOBER
Wen Kexing ( wenderer ) — RECLAIMED

Comment here or PM @ groundrules until 5 October if you want to reclaim your character, or if they have September activity that was missed! In an effort to tighten up on AC requirements a bit, this is the last month when characters with two consecutive strikes can be reclaimed.

OTHER ADMIN

■ Our resident Eleven player has put up a COMMUNAL DRAGON RESCUE LOG, if you want to party and play out the beast smuggling until 8-9 October. Thank you!

■ A CR meme will go up tomorrow. Also, if you folks ever want to post OOC memes, floor’s all yours too.

■ The October calendar has been updated — it’s leaner until October to give everyone a chance to unwind from the bustle and pursue their own plots for a change.

■ Do you guys want a scary/horror event to mark the end of October, or are we good with the current creepy levels? DROP YOUR VOTE HERE over the next week.

■ The Story So Far page has been updated with a summary of September plot events.

■ For a refresher on who's on #TeamVannozza or #TeamMacaluso, the list lives here.


PLOT ROLLS & QUESTS

Some pre-discussed quests or custom plot opportunities resulting from recent involvement below. Comment here if you’d like to request a plot roll (or quest) — but you must commit to playing it out, without handwaving. Please mention if you want a funny/wtf?, political or exploration plot roll.Those who received unrequested plot rolls can choose to neglect them!

■ Chu Wanning
■ Hermione Granger & Anakin Skywalker
■ Beitang Moran
■ Wrath

Comments

AC RECLAIMS

[groundrules]

REQUEST A PLOT ROLL

[groundrules]

To make sure everyone gets their turn, please give it a few days before requesting one, if you did so last month as well. Thank you!

PLOT & INFO ROLLS

[groundrules]

Some consequences and fresh rolls resulting from recent involvement...

CHU WANNING

[groundrules]

Following his time in don Bonaccorso’s wing, Chu Wanning is kept apprised of local gossip by the servants attending the premise. Some of the talk is innocent: don Bonaccorso has received an outlandish new gift from abroad, the old man is wearing the strangest mask fashions, the latest petitioners begging farm subventions are now making their plea in song!

Around 11-14 October, a servant can approach Chu Wanning requesting help and urgent shelter. She is heavily distressed and largely incoherent, her hands bloodied. She approaches Chu Wanning publicly, opening him to court scrutiny.

Does Chu Wanning agree to shelter her? As ever, careful with consequences.

HERMIONE GRANGER & ANAKIN SKYWALKER

[groundrules]

In the first half of October — please agree the date between yourselves, if you decide to take the plot roll, but ideally set it before 15 October — Hermione and Anakin will inadvertently find themselves embroiled in a bigger-picture ploy. They will each receive notice that they have ‘deliveries’ — cloth and modiste accessories for Hermione, and fresh sand for Anakin. They are welcomed together in the courier halls of don Bonaccorso’s wing and allowed to recover their merchandise.

Imagine the courier halls like a semi-supervised postal warehouse, guarded more on the outside. Slipped in with the merchandise that’s arrived for Hermione and Anakin — actual seamstress supplies and... sand — are two identical copies of a note:

Donna Rigarda takes today’s tea at four — the Merchant

If you get some of the palace servants to snoop with the attendants of donna Rigarda's private home, they will be able to convey that she has today made special, discreet tea arrangements with foreign dignitaries.

Will Hermione and/or Anakin barge into infiltrate or spy on donna Rigarda’s meeting? What’s their battle plan, if so? And, of course, feel free to drag other characters in.

BEITANG MORAN

[groundrules]

'lo and behold, it emerges that don Urbano has unfortunately perished during the recent drama at the tower of Bessis. Unexpectedly, he has been fire-charred — raising some brows, given his uniquely sophisticated control of fire and the reduced odds of a fully trained Bessis practitioner succumbing to flames.

The majority of don Urbano’s fortune and estate have already been given away as a donation to the order, but the witches retain enough decency to spare a small gift of money to his lingering family — the lady Wen Qing. As her alleged uncle and the one who facilitated their upcoming nuptials, Beitang Moran is offered 75,000 coins, full access and all the effects in don Urbano’s fleeting quarters. This includes the dreadful freezing owl. All of these possessions are to be stewarded in the name of his niece, Wen Qing.

Does Beitang Moran accept the triumph of the patriarchy and his niece's inheritance?

WRATH

[groundrules]

As part of Wrath’s ongoing investigation, he can find out the following, over the course of the month:

■ Macaluso and Vannozza’s parents perished within months of each other — one set of parents to a plague, the other to a fire.

■ Don Bonaccorso has raised his orphaned niece and nephew personally, greatly limiting their exposure to court and the extent to which necromancers, witches or healers could access them. Don Bonaccorso has made no secret that he believes the deaths of their parents was the result of plot or poison, and he has doted on his niece and nephew, sparing no expense to guarantee their safety.

■ There are no medical records available for either Vannozza or Macaluso during their early youth or adolescence, though they were known to have generally been in good health. The only exception is a great fever sickness that Macaluso suffered when he was aged twelve, while Vannozza was fourteen. The illness was an extensive and unclear infection, which healers attended to. It never resurged again. He has been in excellent health since.

■ Macaluso and Vannozza were very close, growing up. Some brows are raised and wriggled when that statement is uttered. They grew apart as Macaluso began exploring his foreign-friendly policies, while Vannozza became increasingly more ruthless and jaded.

SPOOKTOBER

[groundrules]

Do we want a horror-themed late October event to honour Halloween, or are we good this round?

Please +1 the option you like, one vote per person.

YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS

[groundrules]

NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[groundrules]

Re: YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS

[lancifolium]

+1 you know I'm here for spooky

[beitangmoran]

He absolutely accepts as is his right to compensation for such a disaster. he will most probably give at least half the coins directly to Wen Qing herself, and then the rest of the money and the owl will be punted to Xunxian for safe keeping.

[groundrules]

Ah, let's not make haste.

As it happens, as news of don Urbano's great succession spreads, the witches of Attaryl contact Beitang Moran requesting an hour alone in the deceased's quarters.

Does he grant them that?

[beitangmoran]

Sure, that can be arranged. He's too curious not to.

[groundrules]

Ahhh, to be clear: he doesn't get to go in with them.

[beitangmoran]

.... So they want to make him wait at the door while they give him supposedly all he's entitled to? Fine, but he'll make a bit of a stink about that.

Also, might one of Xunxian's animal friends manage to sneak in to get a peek at what it is they apparently don't want him to see?

+1

[reparo]

good day i am coward

[groundrules]

This is the witches of Attaryl who're asking for one hour of cruising through don Urbano's rooms alone. Urbano was with the Bessis, who are just handing off the goods without question.

[beitangmoran]

Oh oops, my reading comprehension is shot. Well.... sure, they can go in. It's only fair, given the history between the two.

The question about an animal friend sneaking in to see what's going on remains though, because he'd be curious anyway.

Moran is just now going to be great friends with all the witches in this town just you wait.

+1

[sankta]

please!!!

+1

[silverneedles]

give me a spooky event to return to!

[reparo]

hermione would accept because she has to play the game to get out of wherever it is she is (at least that's the vibe). and also impress karsa maybe, like even a little, would be neat.

she will likely use a disillusionment spell to make people not notice her while she snoops, but she will also carry with her the fucking corsets, in case someone catches them because. you know. maybe Rigarda would like to not have a rack attack.

[groundrules]

That... sounds incredibly risky and... therefore excellent.

Let's wait and see if Anakin's player also wants him to do this, and if so, you folks can thread out the magic.

Literal magic.

With.

Spells and stuff.

I'll give you (or both of you) the info shortly.

[groundrules]

All good!

One of Xunxian's animal friends could definitely go in, but I'll need the player to confirm they want that done!

+1

[valeas]

I've never clicked faster