synodiporia_ooc | Lightside/Darkside jaunt info

Lightside/Darkside
a clockpunk/fantasy jaunt
September 15-October 25

Tensions are brewing in the elven city of January, renowned for its intricate clockwork technology. Long ago, a plague struck, leaving in its wake a unique cultural divide between day and night; Lightsiders, those on the city streets from sunrise to sunset, have no night vision whatsoever, and Darksiders, their nocturnal counterparts, are so light-sensitive that the slightest bit of illumination renders them blind. At dawn and twilight, both groups can see equally clearly - which is ‘not well at all,’ but it’s better than nothing, allowing an hour or two of overlap, if necessary.

This division has by no means prevented communication or even connections across communities, by way of codes, couriers, or sound-carrying vents and grilles, nor does it stop the most adventurous from exploring as best they can, but only foreigners or Dusklings, rare members of the community seemingly unaffected by light levels, truly have the freedom to move about as they will.

But rebellion is forming on the edges of this strictly divided society, and the recent establishment and expansion of a Duskling district isn’t exactly helping matters. The cause is unclear, but many people blame the sudden influx of Dusklings for loss of land, among other problems. If these two separate-yet-not communities don’t learn about each other quickly, January may be done for at any time of day or night…

World Info | Skills | Casting Call | Investigator Roles | Calendar | Locations | Infiltrator Directory | Map | Questions | Plotting

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The elves of January are not the elves with access to Questing Country; although they are also a rather long-lived species. Average elven lifespan is five to six centuries; many ‘young’ infiltrators may still be well over 100. The plague, an airborne disease with symptoms similar to leprosy, struck about 1200 years ago, so very old residents of January may have had grandparents who survived it.

It is rare, but not impossible, for members of the same family to have different light sensitivities. In these cases, the incompatible children are either adopted out or given over to caregivers on the appropriate side. (It is apparent no later than the time the child starts solid food.) Likewise, it is also possible for Dusklings to be born to a Lightside or Darkside family. Dusklings are a necessary feature to the two sides of January communicating with each other, if not exactly popular.

In order to maintain peace in the community across the circadian divide, the January city council is in fact two governing bodies functioning as one - a committee of Lightsiders and a committee of Darksiders, communicating via courier service and very occasionally meeting in person to ensure local laws are well-balanced and suit the whole city’s needs.

Magic is used as a power source and form of clean energy, but is not accessible for people to throw spells around.

Edited 2016-09-07 08:16 (UTC)

Elven Form/Elven Features: Retain an elf’s pointed ears and other features. These may include taller stature, heightened auditory and/or olfactory processing compared to baseline human standards, or slit or oval pupils. Elven features allows you to pick and choose what you want to retain. Elven form requires you to keep all elven features but you can also manipulate mana (aggregate life force.)
Light Sensitivity: Lightside light sensitivity allows baseline humans to tolerate light levels that might otherwise blind them, while Darkside light sensitivity grants excellent night vision. You may only keep one or the other, and each sensitivity leaves you vulnerable to the opposite light condition. Outside of the jaunt, this skill may be turned on and off at will.
Blind Maneuvering: The ability to navigate spaces even when you cannot rely on sight to do so. In general this does not appear as natural as sighted movement.
Clockpunk Tech: Keep one to two pieces of local clockwork technology.
Clockpunk Tinkering: The ability to repair and design small pieces of clockwork technology.
Inherent Time Sense: Knowledge of precisely what time it is according to the local clock.
Parkour: The ability to freerun across obstacles and structures of all sorts.
Morse Code: The ability to understand and send messages through the Morse code alphabet.

All skills save Elven Form/Elven Features will be teachable after the jaunt. Investigators will have the opportunity to learn Light Sensitivity, if they would like to keep it.

Edited 2016-09-21 08:45 (UTC)

To allow plot-important infiltrators time to plan with others, please sign up HERE by 11:59 PM CDT on Thursday, September 8.

TWILIGHT HALL MANAGER -- The child of a Duskling land magnate, they’ve just been given the job of managing their parent’s new acquisition. Semi-oblivious to any of the larger issues facing the society. Their life is fine--isn’t everyone else’s?

DUSKLING COURIER -- Seemingly nothing more than one circadian courier among many, this Duskling has turned their employment as a messenger between darksiders and lightsiders into an robust smuggling business.

DUSKCROSSED LOVERS -- A pair of lovers, one Darkside and the other Lightside, who met during tryouts for the Dusk Opera. Neither got in, given their respective sensitivities, but they were intrigued by their counterpart and have been conducting a romance over messages and secret twilight liaisons. (Can be signed up for individually or in pre-arranged pairs!)

CONSPIRACY THEORIST -- The truth is out there, man, and this Darksider conspiracy theorist is the only one that knows it. And the truth is that we’re all going to be in deep, deep shit and there is no way out. Well, at least if you believe them.

HOMELESS DARKSIDER -- Formerly the manager of the Moonlight Lodge (now the Twilight Hall), they lost both home and career when the building was folded into the Duskling Quarter. Angry and heartsick, they’ve thrown their lot in with the rebels at the Ideograph Cafe.

LIGHTSIDE ADVENTURER -- By day, they’re just another Lightsider, but at night they use their mastery of blind maneuvering in order to creep around in the dark, exploring the other half of their city. Able to pass themselves off as a Darksider or Duskling, they’re starting to get a hint that something is wrong in January--and rebellion doesn’t sound like such a bad idea anymore.

TITHE COLLECTOR -- Every seventh Samhain, January chooses a single citizen to send away from the city--to hell, it’s said, but who really knows for sure? A junior member of the City Council, this Lightsider has been given the task to secure the tithe--and they plan to make sure that this Samhain’s tithe truly deserves it.

Edited 2016-09-06 04:57 (UTC)

Investigators will be perceived by locals as Dusklings, and ushered into housing in the new Duskling district accordingly. They will ‘look native’ (mainly, pointed ears) so as not to arouse undue suspicion - well, at least as far as whether they’re native to this world. Anti-Duskling sentiment won’t necessarily preclude them from making friends on one side or another of the daytime divide; please ping a mod if your investigator looks likely to be staying with a Lightsider or Darksider for a week or more.

Fruitidor (September) 15th: eviction/Duskling district setup
Fruitidor 23rd: dusk concert/talk of rebellion in the cafes
Vintagearious (October) 1st: Tinkerers’ Faire
Vintagearious 9th: city council meeting
Vintagearious 17th: Samhain
Vintagearious 25th: return to liminal

Ideograph Cafe -- Where rebellious types tend to congregate. A mixed establishment, open around the clock. Despite being a cafe, they serve as much alcohol as they do coffee and tea.

Dusk Opera -- A Duskling cultural institution, about a hundred years old. (So… not all that much of an institution yet.) Darksiders and Lightsiders are free to attend their dusk and dawn shows if they can get there, but the company itself is pure Duskling--not that the occasional Light-or-Darksider hasn’t tried to change that.

Twilight Hall - Formerly Moonlight Lodge, this lovely boarding house lies at the border of the Dusk Quarter and a Darksider District. Investigators will be getting rooms here.

Tinker's Square - The location of the monthly Tinker's Fair.

Central Council Chambers - Contains the room where it happens. Located in the center of the city.

(Players may feel free to make up whatever other businesses, homes, etc exist in January.)

Edited 2016-09-06 02:21 (UTC)

to be filled in once everyone's got their plotting set

A. Ideograph Cafe
B. Dusk Opera
C. Twilight Hall (Formerly Moonlight Lodge)
D. Tinker's Square
E. Council Chamber
F. University District
G. Guarded Facility

Edited 2016-09-12 10:01 (UTC)