JANUARY MINGLE

[stellafortunamods]

January Mingle: A Ballad in Goblets
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
You open your eyes to an unfamiliar sight. A cool breeze flits through rustic buildings and sunny streets, carrying the smell of flowers and wine. The very air itself seems charged with mana, the warm pulse of the land palpable beneath your feet. This is a new world, a world where the elements compose all of reality. Before you is a bubbling fountain, and a key is entwined between your fingers. And that weight on your hip? A sparkling bauble that you've never seen before, yet it feels natural, as if it had always been there.

Asking around nets you the name of this world - Teyvat - and the name of this city - Mondstadt, blessed by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. Your new home is accessible with the key placed in your hands, though this also brings to mind another question. How will you get money? Food isn't free, after all.

Luckily for you, there's plenty of jobs available for the enterprising Traveler. Be it taking requests from the Adventurers' Guild, or working part-time at one of Mondstadt's many food establishments, Mora is to be had when hard work is involved. The cuisine of Mondstadt is best paired with its wine, served at bars or enjoyed in private with a few friends.

And about that shining gem. locals will tell you that it is a Vision, a sign of favour from Teyvat's elemental gods. With the Vision on hand, you find yourself capable of commanding one of the seven elements. What will you do with this newfound blessing? Use it for good... or for evil?

Mondstadt's liveliness doesn't diminish when night falls. Bards sing through the wee hours of the night, and the lights of the city help keep most evildoers at bay. All seems peaceful, a pastoral idyll of a life that seems more at home in a storybook. Yet for those Travelers who venture out beyond the city's walls and into the ruins dotting the landscape, they may discover hints of a bloodier past now forgotten.

Glancing at any of the calendars in the city will tell you the current date. August 10th was the day you arrived. As soon as the last minute of August 16th slips away, the world around you changes. A blink, and time itself rewinds by seven days. Looking outside, the mown lawns have regrown, the windmill needs fixing again, and the well is once again full. Just what is happening here? It seems only you, Traveler, remembers the week that never was.

State of the World

For the first two weeks of the game, IC time will be looping from August 10th to August 16th. It's currently late summer in Mondstadt, and the trees are just beginning to turn out their autumn colours. The weather is cool and pleasant, with light showers on Tuesday (11th) and Friday (14th). It's also a good time to go out gathering berries and nature's bounty from Mondstadt's forests and valleys.

These two weeks will let us trial out our commissions and regains system and craft improvements for February onwards. There will be no activity requirements for January, so all threads started during this time period can be used for regains!

For all questions regarding January's mingle and events, please head over to our OOC post.

Comments

[eolja]

[It's times like these that Seonho is reminded just how broad the scope of Zhongli's life must be, not only as the man standing in front of him, but as his true self. And it's that realization that prevents him from thinking that the terms of the contract are too harsh.

Is it harsh, or is it only necessary? The price has to be high in exchange for the duty of protecting others.]

Is it truly necessary to ask for your help then, if you are already bound by contract to provide it?

[If Zhongli's duty is to protect humanity and to the world, then would he not already be willing to help? Seonho hesitates, then his expression shifts as a sudden realization dawns on him --]

...Is this a contract you made with yourself, or with a different, higher power?

[pragmatism]

Seven gods walk the earth on Teyvat at the behest of Celestia. They decree the fate of the world from their lofty seat in the skies.

[ Zhongli's voice is calm, factual, as if he is narrating a story. It's difficult to tell how he really feels about his employer. ]

Archons such as I act as their intermediaries with humanity. They grant us power beyond what we already possess. In exchange, we must ensure that the world progresses according to their plans. As for the gods who refuse to obey their rules... Celestia decrees their death or banishment.

[ Morax ended or sealed many of them during the Archon Wars. But that's not something he wants to talk about unless necessary. This brings to mind a notable thing, though: ]

Celestia is notably resistant to the idea of foreign influence. Your presence here would mean that your summoner is shielding you from its perception.

[eolja]

...I assume that Celestia would not be so kind as to merely send us back home then, if it discovers our presence here.

[If this Celestia can destroy and banish gods, then why would it be any kinder to mortals? his brow furrows, but Seonho doesn't look as upset. This is merely another problem for him to figure out, like the one they had in South Sister. He wonders if it's better or worse not to have someone claim responsibility among them. But no matter, he'll find something. One way or another.]

I will try to find out more about -- if not the summoner, then at least the reason why we were brought here. And why they asked you for your help, despite the risk.

[what if zhongli is PUNISHED for trying to HELP these INTERLOPERS???]

Speaking of risk, [he pauses for a moment, then] are you in danger, Zhongli? If you are bound to Celestia even now, then does that not mean it will discover how, and who brought you back?

[pragmatism]

[ Zhongli nods. Seonho is putting everything together, which is good. It would be ineffective if the outlanders dissolved into infighting amongst one another. Seonho has the potential to lead, so if he could put that to use... hmm. ]

That is a good question.

[ Setting aside his tea, he rolls up his right sleeve, revealing black letters covering his skin. The seal's verses move in real time, circling his body like some sort of restraint. Which it is. ]

I discovered that our mysterious host has conveniently given me a seal upon arrival. While the seal is in effect, much of my divine power is suppressed. It would be easy for Celestia to believe that I have chosen to go into seclusion instead of governing in the public eye. As long as Liyue is at peace, my contract will continue to be fulfilled. I am unable to enact significant or powerful feats for the nonce, but I can still be of some trivial assistance.

[ There is of course the other, more dangerous possibility: that Celestia does not see, because this was orchestrated by one of their own. Zhongli doesn't say that, though. ]

[eolja]

[Seonho leans in to look more closely at the seal, but he doesn't have nearly enough experience to make any educated guesses about it, besides the conclusion Zhongli has already come to. He does look worried though, at the idea that their summoner has power to suppress Zhongi, of all people, and that Zhongli has to adapt himself to this restriction. So even if Zhongli isn't exposed to whatever danger Celestia might inflict, he has to contend with the dangers he wouldn't have had to deal with if he had his full power...

Seonho sits back, brows still furrowed with concern. but he manages to make his voice sound light.]

Any assistance you decide to provide is invaluable, Zhongli. Just this conversation alone has told me more than what I could have discovered on my own. ...You have my thanks.

[no matter if Zhongli decides to keep other things to himself -- Seonho knows that in some situations, more information is not necessarily a good thing. Also, since Zhongli has been so transparent with him...]

...I would also like to be honest with you. Shortly after I arrived here, I met someone from my world. [he pauses. it's hard to speak of Hwi, after Seonho's trained himself so well not to back in South Sister.] He was not in South Sister with the rest of us, and he was not aware of my disappearance from our world when I asked. ...His name is Hwi. If you ever require assistance, then he would be happy to help. He's a skilled hunter and smith, and his capacity for kindness is far greater than mine.

[no matter if Hwi's mostly focused on getting to return home, Seonho knows that he's the last person to refuse anyone else in need of his help.]

[pragmatism]

[ One secret shared is to see another returned. Zhongli did not expect Seonho to obey this creed, so he's pleasantly surprised to be offered this information in return. ]

I see. I shall seek him out, then. A friend of yours is a friend of mine.

[ Most of the time. Zhongli chooses his allies carefully, so he can say this and have it be true... probably. It would be wise to encourage cohesion and cooperativeness between the outlanders, and Zhongli sees this as one of the things he has to actively foster.

Though: ]

The fact that he does not remember your disappearance is intriguing. When I returned to Teyvat, I found that barely a day had elapsed since my last memory before departure.

[eolja]

[AHHH DON'T CALL HIM HIS FRIEND DAD!!! but wait he's distracted]

Truly? So the time we spent in South Sister... [doesn't reflect the time they've missed back home? Seonho can't recall if something like that had been asked or explained back in that town... But he's undoubtedly surprised at this new piece of information.

Does that relieve him or discomfit him, to know that if he returns, then it will be as if nothing has ever happened? That should comfort Hwi, Seonho thinks, before catching himself. ugh.]

It may be that time did not pass -- or that he had no reason to notice. [Seonho's managed to be honest thus far, but this next part is...] We do not spend much time in each other's company, unless it was necessary.

[they're not friends zhongli it's fine ]

[pragmatism]

Is that so?

[ Zhongli peers at Seonho, looking him directly in the eyes. Surely there must be a reason that Seonho cares about Hwi enough to tell Zhongli about him. If Seonho is trying to lie, there's still time for him to correct himself. ]

I see.

[ This means he should probably ask Hwi about Seonho once he has managed to befriend the other young man. There's definitely more than a simple dispute or feud here, but Zhongli has plenty of time to untangle it. ]