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1.0 game launch log
1.0: Game Launch
Patch Update
Maybe you’ve been getting settled in for a little while now, maybe you just arrived yesterday. Either way, a big change is coming! All Dodo residents will receive a city-wide broadcast on their phones:
> Thank you for your patience with our construction, city-goers! As our month of pride celebration has wrapped, all our streets are once again open. Hope it sets your hearts aflutter for 🤍 White Day! 🤍
The streets of Crane City have opened, and what glorious streets they are! Decorated with gently blooming white flowers, ivory streamers hung from building to building, and floating snowy balloons, everything seems to be elevated with a touch of elegance. What’s that? It’s looking a little bridal? Now you’re getting in the spirit! The city is abuzz about an upcoming celebration...
Meanwhile, Duocaeli has also become the loveliest storm. It’s a tornado of silks, a cyclone of chiffon, ribbons as far as the eye can see - that’s right, it’s time for a parade of princesses. Avis Isle is tittering with gossip, airship after airship coming to land as royalty gets to enjoy the fresh air and roguish sights of a guild town. There’s princesses from faraway lands, kingdoms large and small, excited to rest before they depart soon to their next destination—some kind of royal slumber party? rich people—and they’re so excited to be here! Some are children, others as mature as their late 300's—once a princess, always a princess.
Avisle is excited for their business too! ♥ Looks like everything’s a little more expensive around these parts (know your audience) but there’s also better service and rumors of special treatment for those of blue blood pedigree, or their staff. Why don’t you slide on in? If anything, you might want to teach your friends how to pass for royalty, lest they get mistaken for a worker!
Speaking of roleplay, it seems like there’s an abandoned chest in one of the roadways, likely fallen off a carriage in the chaos… Inside, characters will find gorgeous adornments, including lovely gowns, crowns, etc. The criers looking for royal customers ring in the back of your mind – “Princess business welcome!!” – do you do the proper thing and look for the owner of the chest, and see if you can get a reward? Or is it time for royal cosplay? (Though should you return it, and the shopkeep may ask you to wear some garments as advertisement anyway...)
Alternatively, in your plain clothes, or... most clothes, it’s easy to be mistaken for a page. Well, they’re all awfully young ladies–have a sense of humor! Don’t let it rankle you too bad... or do?
Guild business is in high demand now especially, with most specialties being sought after by a monarch-to-be for one reason or another.
♔ Crafters are highly sought after, especially those who specialize in adornments. Won’t you make them some hair ornaments that bloom just like true roses?
♔ Warriors are being asked to fulfill more bodyguard roles. You know! Just like in their romance novels…
♔ Scholars are being asked to fulfill divinations—how good are you at fortune tellings? The future of their kingdoms are prosperous, aren’t they? Aren’t they?
♔ Wanderers are being requested as tour guides and escorts. They have a higher chance of being mistaken for pages. Sorry.
♔ Menders must clean up after everyone’s messes, as usual. Stained gowns, broken hairpins, the occasional sprain of a princess fallen out of a tree (we told her not to!)—you name it.
♔ Warriors are being asked to fulfill more bodyguard roles. You know! Just like in their romance novels…
♔ Scholars are being asked to fulfill divinations—how good are you at fortune tellings? The future of their kingdoms are prosperous, aren’t they? Aren’t they?
♔ Wanderers are being requested as tour guides and escorts. They have a higher chance of being mistaken for pages. Sorry.
♔ Menders must clean up after everyone’s messes, as usual. Stained gowns, broken hairpins, the occasional sprain of a princess fallen out of a tree (we told her not to!)—you name it.
1. Questboard
The quest board at the guild hub has been updated with the latest patch! Excited players are gathered around to collect new bounties, which are open to all. The guild hub also provides a useful bestiary, which is readily accessible by guild members via crystals.
2. Dungeon Crawl - Guild Hub Catacombs
Welcome to your first limited time domain! Princess Andalina is the belle of the ball, and the one organizing the royal slumber party... when she's suddenly attacked by robed figures in the Guild Hub! It's your job to escort her safely through some secret underground catacombs so that she might be smuggled aboard an airship and escape–though naturally, there's a catch.
Task: Escort Princess Andalina Quartzrosen Pili Majesteria the Third
Reward: Daiya, diamond jewelry of choice.
Chamber 1: Once Upon a Time...
Right in front of your eyes, the exhausted Princess suddenly transforms… into a beautiful diamond? Housed in a necklace, it seems that this icy stone is her dormant form, and is entrusted to players for safekeeping. Dungeon party members will be given roles in the first chamber: knight or princess. Knights will be in charge of defeating foes; princesses will have to wear the enchanted stone and keep it intact. If princesses are hurt, the stone will be damaged. If they're grievously injured or killed, the stone will be destroyed outright.
Additionally, knights will find themselves buffed overall and invulnerable to damage. But it's not that convenient–princesses will sustain any injuries meant for their knights. In RPG terms, princesses serve as the HP for all members of their parties.
It's imperative to keep moving to avoid the incoming assassins, though that's easier said than done: some of the hallways are incredibly narrow, there's constant forks and uneven terrain, and the darkness is thick and suffocating. It'll be easier to stay close–or maybe even get a piggyback ride? A princess carry, if you will? It's easy mana!
Chamber 2: A Sticky Situation
The catacombs are damp and stale–and of course, in their neglect, they're teeming with danger. The pitch black corridors make it easy to stumble into giant spiderwebs, which are nearly impossible to escape alone, though they can be burned or otherwise destroyed with some help. The webbing itself is weaved with magic, and will quickly drain the mana of anyone trapped within.
But where there's spiderwebs, there's bound to be… spiders! Careless knights and princesses may find themselves kidnapped and carried away by these hunters, which can attack with sharp barbs and acid that lingers on every surface. Knights are invulnerable, but can still be incapacitated by webbing–be careful!
Chamber 3: Sins of our Daughters
The light is at the end of the literal tunnel, but one obstacle remains: the young leader of the assassins who introduces herself as Nina.
Nina doesn't attack outright, instead first explaining Andalina's crimes against her kingdom, and her desire for justice. Proudful and grieving, Nina will only accept Andalina's death, but nevertheless offers the players a choice:
Destroy Andalina: By deliberately injuring a party's princess, Andalina's crystal will be destroyed, and she'll be killed. Nina will thank the party and slip away without another word, looking wearied.
Save Andalina: Protecting Andalina will cause Nina to attack, leading to a boss battle.
BOSS: Nina the Emerald
HP: 10000
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Weakness: Water, despots
Resistance: Earth
Attacks
Defeating her can be as "simple" as beating her in a fight before the party sustains too much damage, but there's also a large, deep lagoon in this chamber. If you can make Nina sink like a stone, the water might be enough to dispatch her permanently…
HP: 10000
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Weakness: Water, despots
Resistance: Earth
Attacks
- Crystal Cage: Summons giant, emerald shards to create walls, isolating party members.
- Shatter: Anything her knives touch turns temporarily into crystal, including limbs and portions of flesh. Nina will often throw these knives, though she can also be turned to stone using them. Payback's a bitch!
Defeating her can be as "simple" as beating her in a fight before the party sustains too much damage, but there's also a large, deep lagoon in this chamber. If you can make Nina sink like a stone, the water might be enough to dispatch her permanently…
G̴̮͇̽ĺ̶̻͉̓͝i̷̜͓̙̊t̵̤̄́̏c̶̝̘̃̉̀h̶̯͓͘i̶̖͙̭͆ń̷̻̦̘g̶͐͒͜ͅ: Occasionally throughout the dungeon, including during this boss fight, the role between princesses and knights can switch without warning! Don't get too comfortable.
In the end, only one of the two girls can survive. While others may view this as just a cutscene in a game, to PCs, something about both these women feels quite real. Claim your reward, and step into the glowing portal that will teleport you back to the dungeon entrance. Players may thread any number of outcomes, but can only report one of their threads here for rewards!
OOC Notes
March's OOC Event Plotting Post is also here for your reference!
Please look forward to our next gamewide mingle for Dodo's Doki Doki White Day Auction on Friday, March 17th.
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duocaeli duologs duolingosTaken / Applications / Hiatus & Drops
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no subject
rin may have never personally done it, but she's pretty sure mages suck. for example, the ones who would set traps at school and try to eat the souls of the students one by one. that's pretty terrible. and it's not like rin exactly wants to be counted as one of those people, shitty as they are, but there's an opportunity right in front of her.
so she smiles beautifully, canting her head as she turns to fukawa]
That's right! And then I'd collect their teeth for necklaces, and their eyes for earrings. A whole ensemble.
Is that what you'd like to hear?
no subject
No! I'm n-not disgusting like you! Stop messing with me!
[This is going swimmingly. Fukawa growls and takes a marked step away from the other girl. There's enough space, they can walk with space for Jesus between them.]
J-just keep all that creepy witchcraft stuff to yourself.
no subject
[the way rin is just being a fucking gremlin right now. fukawa deserves so much better than this.
eventually she just laughs though, still carefree as she glances over to the other. she tilts her head, now openly curious.]
Jeeze, why bring that stuff up if you're going to be so spooked by it?
no subject
Pretty? [Her whole face rumples in the disbelieving sneer.] Tch. N-now I know you're full of crap. If you t-try anything I'll claw your face off!
[That laugh feels like another barb, but she's certain it's all shits and giggles to this despicably beautiful girl. God, she just hates these types. It's bad enough when some idiot is too stupid to realize her own sex appeal. Being smart and pretty is a deadly combination — for women, beauty is better ammo than bullets.]
Wh-why wouldn't I? [She gives a derisive toss of the hand to this general dungeon thing. Revolting.] It's the r-reality we're being forced to contend with. Maybe mystic garbage is all fun and games where you come from, b-but it's pure bullshit for me. So, now I'm at a m-m-massive disadvantage, no matter how you look at it. If anything is possible, th-then...then you can m-meet any kind of twisted end, with no warning whatsoever! Maybe we'll trigger a curse and all our skin will m-melt off. Or that crystal is j-just going to suck the soul right out of you, and that nasty princess bitch will snatch your body for her own.
[Fukawa shudders. Her imagination runs wild on the thinnest of margins, so of course she's getting lost in the magical macabre. It's freefall into a pit with no end.]
Isn't reality vile enough on its own?
no subject
still, rin is confident:] Then it's good that I'm here, isn't it? Even if a curse triggers, I can disarm it. If this jewel tries to rebel on me, then I'll tame it. Or if it wins and tries to eat my soul, then you just get to kill me. I wouldn't count on it, though.
[there's this clear certainty in her voice that such a thing won't happen. the tohsaka family prides itself on its ability to transfigure energy - it'd be embarrassing to be bested by a gem.]
If you feel like you're at a disadvantage, then isn't the answer to get stronger?
no subject
Oh, wow. I'd n-never thought of that! Just get stronger! It's so simple! [She huffs and rubs at her arms, feeling a creeping chill in from the musty air.] Do you also tell homeless people to just stop being poor?
[Actually, she could see it. The girl has a certain look that implies money. Even more infuriating.]
It's a bit late for that now, isn't it? We're already in a stupid crypt, no d-doubt crawling with monsters and bugs and ghosts...shouldn't have agreed to this at all...why do I let these things keep happening...wish Komaru was here instead...
no subject
[rin absolutely has a certain look that implies money - but that's curated, like everything else about her. the line between what's genuine and what's fabricated is blurred often, but it's not like she's without sympathy.]
You could even conjure up some now, if you wanted. Fire to light the way, wind to push monsters away. Focus instead of complaining and give it a try.
[it's almost like a lesson - rin has a tendency to explain and guide, even when she doesn't mean to be helpful. but she also figures there's no time like the present.]
no subject
[As a woman of brittle ego, mild rebutle is hard enough to weather. As a lauded literary prodigy, unsolicited criticism is even worse. Fukawa is red in the face, hands clenching on thin air and teeth bared in indignation.]
Practice?! In front of you?! F-forget it! If you want cheap laughs go p-put a bag on a cat's head! I'm not your court jester!
[Besides, what use is a starting lesson going to be when they're already in the thick of peril? There were literal assassins on their heels, like hell they would wait while Fukawa double checks her stance and stutters through foreign incantations.]
I c-can't do any of those things anyway. And trying a new trick now would just get us both killed. It's b-better to rely on what we already have than resort to half-baked "sorcery."
no subject
so as far as she's concerned, it's pretty Do or Die. she shrugs even as they walk further in, and rin is fairly sure she can hear the sound of something skittering up ahead. she reaches into whatever hidden pocket she's got in her miniskirt to pull out a handful of gems preemptively]
All I'm hearing is that you'd rather whine in your mediocrity than actually try to do better.
For the record, you're half-baked. I actually know what I'm doing. [a toss of her gems in the air, as if making a point] But I also don't want to deal with dead weight all the way through this, so I'm trying to get you to be better. Am I supposed to just accept you sinking and dragging me down with you? Why would I want to deal with that?
[there are so many nicer ways to say this, but rin is unfortunately not nice enough to extend patience toward someone so grating
but she will try to keep her alive, at least]
no subject
Nope. Humanity still sucked, and there remained happy mediums between golden retrievers and shifty charlatans who forgave your sins because they've done worse.
Han Sooyoung.]Sh-shut up! You don't know anything about me! If y-you're so damn capable, give me the stupid rock and you can throw yourself at all the monsters you like! Or are you hoping I'll get g-ground up in the jaws of some slobbering beast, so you can take all the credit?
[That skittering sound returns, loud enough for both girls to hear. There's a chitter thereafter that raises gooseflesh on her neck. Fukawa shuts up at once, shoulders hunching in. Her eyes flick to the gems in the other girl's hand. What was she planning to do with those? Channel...something? Would they explode if she threw them? She hopes not, they're underground, and she flat out refuses to die in a cave in. She's narrowly missed doing so once already. Never again.
Besides, if this bitch is actually combat-savvy and not just a bobble-headed blowhard, then Fukawa doesn't have to use her last resort. Her time in Towa City had softened her hesitations about Syo, but after several sour incidents in Stygia she has reason to worry anew. People were more forgiving in times of war than peace. No matter what happened "online", their core reality now was humdrum Crane City. If Syo lashed out too forcefully they could land in jail for good this time.
Wouldn't that just be the cherry on top of this shit sundae?]
no subject
at fukawa's suggestion, rin turns to her and smiles. it's a pretty, horrific, and pretty horrific thing. that's the terrible part about goading her on when she still feels as overconfident as she does - why not push someone a little further?
so with a flick of her wrist, she tosses one of her gems through the air in an easy arc that she hopes even this whiny coward can catch. it's an an emerald about the size of a quarter, catching the dim light and reflecting it.]
Is this the rock you meant? [she knows it's not] Go on, let's see it. Focus your energy and throw it. We might die if you don't save us, you know.
[ - which is about the time that the skittering stops as their spider enemy comes into full view, already holding onto barbs and getting ready to throw. wow! who'll go first! seems like a race against time and rin doesn't seem like she's going to lift a finger.
yet.]
no subject
Oh sure, Rin's toss is gentle and sure enough that even a girl who's failed every gym class can catch the gem. There's a round or two of hot potato, but she clasps it in clammy palms at last.]
Wh-what the — [Her face blooms red, the colour sprouting dark in irregular patches over her cheeks and down her collar.] Why you...y-you manipulative piece of—
[No time for epithets. Thing in the darkness emerges in the wan light, and Fukawa's heart seizes. Monstrous and malevolent, wiry hairs as thick as quills sprouted on black chitin. Eight blank marble eyes, mandibles dripping with thick venom, polearm legs that skitter and and scramble in manners unnatural, in speeds too great for its unholy size.
Fukawa's seen man made horrors of every kind. But magical sorts, these bestial monstrosities?
She screams, the sound as piercing as fangs through flesh. She raises her hands as if to block the sight. The gem falls free and strikes the ground.
The blast rends the echo of her own shrieks. There's a great plume of dust and a rumble of rock, thudding, clatters.
And as the dust clears, Fukawa is no longer by Rin's side. She's limp against a wall, unconscious, her costume seared and ripped to rags. The spider has shrunk back, but sees better opportunities now. One girl down, one to go.]