Ren Island
Thirty years ago, Yinha Ren defeated the Kartalians and Ren became an independent state. On a balmy spring evening, the celebration of the fateful battle begins. The farmers and villagers who live on the outlying sky islands pour into the city of white stone to join the fun. Even Renesians who spend most of their time abroad—merchants, scholars, explorers—come to see their families and take part in the festivities. And a few lost travelers from different places entirely may find themselves on one of the ships rising to the Sky Islands from the sea...
Renesians of all walks of life are seeing what the carnival has to offer this year. The streets are filled with booths and outdoor stages, all bedecked with red and gold. The Ren family is hosting a massive gala at the palace, complete with a grand ball and the best Renesian cuisine has to offer. Those who can afford the price of admission (all proceeds go to charity) have access to the ballroom, banquet hall, and gardens. Otherwise, they are welcome to join the more rambunctious parties going on in the bars and pubs throughout the city. Those who prefer peace and quiet may find refuge in Phoenix Park.
Quick Facts
- Ren City is made almost entirely of white stone. Buildings are characterized by round windows and gabled roofs. You'd be hard-pressed to find a building, shop, or home without either a rooftop garden or a garden out front, and many have both. Orchids and miniature trees seem popular.
- Renesians are generally fairly dark-skinned with dark brown or black hair and brown eyes, but shades vary greatly. On this occasion, most of them are in traditional garb: red and gold robes with minimal decoration.
- All residents can use magic, and skill level varies greatly, but law enforcement is made up of the best mages in the city. Arcanoconductors, vaguely rose-shaped devices capable of storing energy, are carried by everyone, but many adults have contracts with Manifestations, which reduce dependence upon the devices. Children and weaker mages are heavily reliant.
Locations
◊Street Fair
Typical (and of course, nearly always rigged) carnival games can be found everywhere (but don't even think about looking for goldfish scooping games—there's too much respect for the precious creatures). Souvenirs are for sale everywhere. On stages, everything from works of renowned Renesian playwrights to reenactments of Yinha Ren's battle to reclaim her state are being performed. If you get hungry, you'll be able to pick up all kinds of snacks from the food stalls. Most of them are fried or floating in a rich broth. Vegetarians looking for anything that isn't dessert are practically out of luck.The police are on alert for any trouble, but there's a lot of people around, and they can't be everywhere.
Phoenix Park
An enclosed area near the palace, meant to be an area of meditation. Anyone being too disruptive will soon be evicted by the gardeners, who aren't as mild-mannered as they look. For the most part, nature is in control, but they make sure all the plants are healthy and that no one's throwing trash in the ponds or trampling the orchids and whatnot. If literally hurling you outside is the only way to stop you, they'll definitely give it a try. Keep in mind that if a gardener isn't taking the night off to enjoy the festivities, they're probably even less tolerant of noise and general unpleasantness than most. They're steering clear of Taiyin Ren, who is sulking on a bench under a willow tree near the center of the park.Governor's Mansion
An art museum in a wealthy residential area near the palace. You may find silk tapestries, portraits of historic figures, and watercolor paintings of nature that seem a bit abstract, but with their subjects still recognizable. Porcelain vases and figurines painted with great attention to detail stand on rosewood tables with intricate carvings. Everything has a neat little label beneath it with the artist's name and some brief background on the piece.
The entire Ren family is present, except for Taiyin the mind reader (much to everyone's relief). They are more open than you might expect nobility to be and are always ready to chat, but there is an unspoken rule to leave politics at the door—it's a night meant for fun.
You will have to pay a fee before being admitted. If it's any comfort, all proceeds go to cultural museums and the Scholar's Guild.
Gardens
Unlike Phoenix Park, everything in the palace gardens is meticulously arranged and calculated. If Seilaan Ren thinks you look bored, she'll come to give a lecture on the mathematical beauty of every geometric pattern formed by the grey and white paving stones, the shapes of each pond, and the structure of every fountain—with actual memorized numbers. If you get tired of that (which won't make her shut up) you can also admire the many breeds of fancy goldfish kept in the ponds, the orchids that Seilaan personally tends to, and the multicolored pixies that follow you around to provide light.
Ballroom and Banquet Hall
Decoration is actually more austere than you might expect. The gilded wall inlays of exotic birds and flowers are the most lavish things you'll be able to find. Carved into each wall is the Ren clan's patron animal, the Cloud Fox that, according to legend, guided the clan to the Sky Islands. It appears to be an ordinary fox, except for its longer hair, standing on a cloud. All furniture is mahogany with red velvet cushions.
Laid out on several tables in the banquet hall is a fantastic array of food, kept well-stocked by the servers hurrying in and out of the kitchens. Grab a plate and help yourself.
Characters
- Seilaan Ren: Heiress of Ren, who has recently returned from an excursion to the ruins of Geier with a new metal arm. Lately, she's been a little less sweet and charming than usual and more... terrifying.
- Agnesi: Avatar of the Executioner. Currently contracted to Seilaan Ren.
- Taiyin Ren: Seilaan's older brother, who was moved down the line of succession for reasons people generally avoid discussing. His ability to read minds without consent, constant monotone, and lack of decorum don't exactly endear him to others.
- Lady Yinha Ren: Seilaan and Taiyin's mother and Ren Island's most beloved war hero, known for sharp wit and a fiery temper.
- Tempest: Lady Ren's Manifestation. She seems to emulate her partner's personality.
- Lord Matthias Ren: A member of the Fenrir family who married into the House of Ren. His pale skin makes him stand out, so he's generally self-conscious and nervous, but is still more approachable than his wife.
- Balto: Lord Ren's Wolfram companion. For a giant wolf, he has very good manners, but he's a bit skittish.
- Lieutenant Jinsui Feng: A young soldier who is clearly more at home in the battlefield than at the gala.
- Senator Jinhei Feng: Jinsui's haughty older sister and Ren Island's youngest senator.
- Colonel Xue: A no-nonsense military officer who's dealing with an unusual amount of shit tonight.
- Marianne
(Aqueos) The human goddess. Currently on a small break from her palace. - Proseda (Aqueos) : An incubus and servant to the elven god.
- Tanis (Blackfire667) : Princess of an interstellar empire. Doesn't get out much, especially not to new dimensions. Came to Ren Island to explore trade and diplomatic options.
- Valerion (Blackfire667) : A fairly charismatic young man; Tanis' bodyguard and romantic partner, though neither of them will readily admit to that.
- Midina (Blackfire667) : Another of Tanis' bodyguards. A bright young woman from the same place as Tanis and Valerion, though with brown skin, as opposed to her Caucasian compatriots.
- Vinicio Acquati (Crystal Glacia): Eli's father, though there seems to be some tension between them. Has come to the Sky Islands with Marla for some inspiration regarding her 'flying temple' predicament.
- Elijah Cline (Crystal Glacia): A handsome, eccentric artist, he met Seilaan long ago in his dreams.
- Marla Kunstler(Crystal Glacia): A young, mostly self-taught magical engineer who has gotten to hang out with her hero.
- Lise (Crystal Glacia): Vince's devoted pet Samoyed. Unbeknownst to him, she has nearly human-level intelligence.
- Iveya ul'Uelshu vash'Toresh (Killer Clowns): A young mage, not fully in control of her power, brought along by Nore and Solin.
- Nore ul'Alitoth (Killer Clowns): A young goodwill ambassador from the Uelane Magocracy. Intelligent and well-educated, but occasionally absent-minded and (like most Uelane) judgmental.
- Solin ul'Oriyith (Killer Clowns): Nore's skilled but socially awkward bodyguard and platonic confidante, he sometimes noticed things she misses.
- Kokabiel (Killer Clowns): An ancient and temperamental AI taking the form of a deathly pale woman.
- The Enlightened (Killer Clowns): A brutal Elasane warrior-monk of superhuman might, whose destroys magic itself with The Power of Hate.
- Maël (Master of Chaos): A man from the country of Utona. He travels with his servant, but forces him to wear a hood for reasons unknown.
- Maël's servant (Master of Chaos): A hooded man who works for Maël. He rarely speaks, but when he does, it's only a couple of sentences.
- Baster (Sonzai): A miniature magical rabbit who probably has a lot more power and personality than he's currently letting on.
- Shinako (Sonzai): A mysterious, apparently human woman who is currently evaluating the situation to determine the route to maximum entertainment.
- Morgan le Fay (Yomegami): A witch under the service of Uffern.
- Uffern (Yomegami): A sentient Hell with uncertain goals.
- Se Ytruck Gjinchar, or Se (Night): An apparently immortal "construct" who will readily admit she's not using her real name, and will describe her purpose as both "before diplomacy" and "homesickness".
Guidelines
- This is not officially a casual thread, but it is heavily implied that violence and bullpucky are not tolerated in the main areas. You simply can't expect the police to ignore that at a street fair, the Phoenix Park gardeners to allow it in a place of meditation, or the palace guards to be okay with it disrupting the party. If your characters end up starting shit for some reason, just don't be surprised when the police show up.
- This page gives you a general idea of the setting's aesthetics and what certain areas look like. If you wish to, say, enter a building or some other area that the wiki page does not adequately describe, make sure it's clear what it is (bar, hotel, restaurant, etc.) and add some basic details (run-down, crowded, possibly haunted, high-class). That will let the host fill in more specific details. For example, if you end your post with your character entering a busy, high-class restaurant, the host will follow up with a post describing the interior of a busy, high-class restaurant typical of this setting, as well as the behavior and fashion and whatnot of the people inside. The host will then post that description of the specific place on this page in the "Locations" folder, so if anyone else enters a place similar to it, they can save some time by consulting that description.
- Just like in regular threads, you can control basic actions of native characters that are waiters, servants, cooks, shopkeepers, etc. In other words, if your character is ordering food at a restaurant, you don't need the host to post for the waiter unless you ask him a specific question or there is anything else he needs to react to.
