EARLY STORY CHECK-IN

[highsteaks]

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GHOSTS HERE?

[Chie's handwriting is a messy Japanese scrawl that nonetheless all of the Readers should be able to, well, read.]

Right, sorry, this is Chie Satonaka? Sumire said that last time there was a story, she accidentally did a check-in for everyone in the journals, so I thought maybe I could do one on purpose. Maybe we can pool information about who we know is a story character and who we know is still normal? And figure out what we're here for.

So I'll start. I'm Chie and I'm myself and so is Sumire—we ended up going into the book together and came out in the same place. I think maybe the girl fairy is a story character? I saw someone who looked like she might as a human working at a stall at the festival, along with some other guy I don't recognize in a witch hat. Also Nabiki is definitely a story character because I found her at a booth for one of the gods and she's like nearly twice her regular age and has reading glasses.

OH also Claire is here playing music for money and she asked me if I was a Chosen of the Librarian and I think that's a really good question for us to use to signal we're us if we think we see people we know in the story.

Comments

[noonlight]

Illumination here.

I've a stall in the Market, so if you need any clothing fixed up to look period appropriate or you need a glamour, come see me. Given that I am still quite tall, purple, and have horns, I'm sure you'll find me easily enough.

I haven't yet found anywhere that could be easily 'claimed' for Readers, but I'm working to get some basic wards up on a loft over a mews. It stinks of horse, but it's a start.

[aetherweaver]

This is Nara'a. I'm myself - I'm getting some looks, I guess they don't have miqo'te here...

In any case, there seem to be other paladins here so I'm going to probably say I'm one of them. ... I don't know what to say I'm a paladin of, though... since a lot of people here seem to be dedicated to one god or another.

[There's a frustrated little scribble. Ugh.]

I should be all right on my own for a while, but if anyone needs anything I can likely help?

[shakenit]

It is definitely better to have this on purpose. [Sumire hardly needs to announce her presence to Chie, but this way anyone who might want to talk to her has an opening to do so.]

No one in particular has stood out to me yet, but I'm still trying to get the hang of what's happening.

[defyingreality]

X here, and it seems I'm a traveler from a far off exotic land that's probably their version of Beijing. I haven't worn a hanfu since I graduated, so feeling awkward.

[grandparty]

[The response comes in very neat and very old fashioned looking written Japanese.]

This is Kinjiro Takehara. I am myself, though I refuse to discuss fashion at this time.

In some ways, I'm already a Chosen of Tega Sword and I feel like saying I'm a Chosen of the Librarian would be rude, but I guarantee I'm the only one here who would be saying anything about Tega Sword.

[keytarheroine]

I admit that I was inspired by the nonsense backstory that Montica came up with for me.

Claire Ryland, for the record. I'm going as far as to go by the alias Lucia Amaranth while I'm here and I am very glad I kept Ryefield's acting skills. If anyone needs help blending in, I'm your girl.

I'm going to volunteer at the church of the Advocate's soup kitchens - he's the god of lawyers, specifically defense lawyers, and they organize most of the mutual aid to the poorer parts of town; I figure it's a good place to gather information about the most vulnerable people here. I heard mention that the Advocate's temple took in those Chosen by a god that later died, the Thing With Feathers, a god of birds and of hope.

Which did not surprise me given the recommended reading, by the way.

[highsteaks]

Oh crap. Did they go berserk like in the reading?

[highsteaks]

Do you wanna check out the big fancy garden by the Artificer Temple with me to see if Denny the Garden Guy is there? I might be able to recognize him.

[highsteaks]

Maybe you can say that you're a paladin of the Librarian? I think there's some really famous library that's guarded by lions. Obviously you're a cat man because of the god's blessing.

[highsteaks]

I'll go look for you later, I guess. What's a mews?

[highsteaks]

Okay! So if a guy says something about Tega Sword he's definitely you. Got it.

[highsteaks]

Yeah, Sumire and I are both in yukata. I think the story was trying to do the same thing with us.

[shakenit]

I didn't realise there was a specific Garden Guy around, but sure.

I've also just been watching some of the crafters at work. There's not a whole lot of that in the city.

[highsteaks]

In Tokyo? I guess not, huh. Back in Inaba we still had this one smithy left, run by Old Man Daidara.

[shakenit]

Really? What was it like?

[defyingreality]

I guess it makes things a little easier if we need to find each other.

[keytarheroine]

I’m going to check. If they did, it’s probably a very sore subject.

And, uh, mix on using the “Chosen of the Librarian” shibboleth. Someone looking a lot like Sigrid’s human form said “oh, send them to the Galanos clothing tent, my husband studies different gods.” Maybe we shouldn’t have a large, suspicious population claiming to follow the Librarian.

[curzed]

I have to agree. Painting a metaphorical target on all of us when inevitably something goes wrong seems to be unwise.

[curzed]

[All this runic writing can be mapped to Curze's previous messages, he's not giving his name again. Oops.]

Attempting to discern what lies in our future has instead granted me a better idea of the past. I do not approve. But it seems to line up with the gossip at this festival. Their so-called gods are in conflict with each other, but why is a mystery. Like the recommended reading, this story's Saint of Steel, the "thing with feathers", died, and all its followers went mad or fell into a coma. There are few left, and are seen as unstable. They may be dangerous, but while the Saint of Steel was a war 'god', this bird-god was a creature of hope.

If this Story is following the pattern of that one, then we'll have a leading couple for romance (again), royals jockeying for rulership and an assassin leaving grisly trophies in dark places. I'll keep watch for the latter.

[keytarheroine]

We’re going to need to find another way to signify we’re Readers to each other. This check-in might do, honestly.

Also, yes, Sigrid Galana is Siobhan Greenwood. The town of Goodfort near Salmon Lake and the Greenwood Forest are all remixes of Beauforte, the Lachfuss and the Verdholtz, the same way I somehow did security for the Laurelthirst in Montica.

[curzed]

This checkin will do. Other than that perhaps start a book club. Involving false gods in a place that believes in them, when there's a conflict going on between said 'divines', is a very poor strategy.

None of those locations mean anything to me. Are they relevant to the Story at hand or merely a "fun coincidence"?

[keytarheroine]

They’re taken from Siobhan’s history, but probably not otherwise relevant. The action will happen in the city of Two Rivers.

[curzed]

If it's not relevant then I don't care. If we have a Story based on her and her reality then this will prove relevant and dispense knowledge then. Before then, it's meaningless clutter; focus on what is relevant: our predicament, identifying each other, and finding our wayward Editors trapped in other lives.

[grandparty]

Tega Sword's chosen, anyway. There's a guy here asking about gods who had some questions for me, and I did tell him a little bit, but I don't think any harm was done.

[unsheathedfromreality]

Have taken up a position as one of the Veiled Lady's lay priests newly transferred in from a port city upriver.

Not in my usual shape so don't look for me by the stripes. Found this to wear:

[A scribble of a brooch roughly like his eye-and-feather personal symbol follows.]

Have reason to suspect one more god will die before the end of the Story. Recommend we plan for that with any Editors we know became Chosen.

Worse comes to worst and we need to put them down they'll be back in the Library in a few days. Can get back there if you need me to check on someone who's been killed.