The Carnival

Overview	Episode 1

“	We hunt. And feast? Must weave cloth.	”
–Alpha

The Carnival is a Syndicate composed of independent Tailors who consume humans to create silk and weave cloth. Most of them only speak short phrases between sentences with almost robotic-like sounds, valuing a polite and courteous tone. Their Reception covers the first encounter on the left-most column of Urban Plague.

Composition

Character	Description
Alpha	A courteous member of the Carnival who is the first to greet the group's visitors and customers. Wears an expressionless white face mask and a large grey robe, hiding mechanical tendrils and claws underneath with which Alpha uses to attack.
Beta	A curious member of the Carnival whose thoughts are easily turned to fine tastes and silk-weaving. Wears an expressionless white face mask and a large grey robe, hiding mechanical tendrils and claws underneath with which Beta uses to attack.
Gamma	A particularly anxious and cautious member of the Carnival. Wears an expressionless white face mask and a large grey robe, hiding mechanical tendrils and claws underneath with which Gamma uses to attack.

Story

Episode 1

Pre-Battle

The Carnival consumes a Sweeper

The episode begins with the three Carnival members ripping apart and consuming a Sweeper, as per a Prescript they have received. They all complain about its taste until Beta reminisces about a Fixer they once ate, with Gamma following along. Alpha states that they must hunt Sweepers for another week to fulfill the Prescript's demands and satisfy The Index.

Alpha fulfills the Kurokumo Clan's order

Shortly after, Yan approaches the trio and hands them a new Prescript, telling them to head to the Library. The Carnival questions this, especially because the paper they received was an invitation rather than a proper Prescript. They even question if they can eat the messenger. Yan dissuades them, noting that they must obey the Prescripts to avoid being shut down by the Index. The Carnival agree to carry out their Prescripts and Yan prepares to leave but is interrupted by the Kurokumo Clan, who have arrived to retrieve the Nuovo Fabric they ordered. Their leader Sayo debates whether they should seize the opportunity to get rid of the messenger, especially because a Finger Bow-Bell is about to begin, but ultimately decides against it. She proposes that all parties go their own ways, as they all must be busy.

Back in the Library, Angela wonders if this is an organization producing fabric, which Roland confirms. Quality fabric is a rarity, making Tailors as valuable as Fixers and Syndicates, though Roland is surprised that the Carnival is making silk out of humans. He explains to Angela that such fabric is not just for decorational purposes, as a suit made from Tailors' high-quality fabric can provide as much protection as an augmentation procedure. High-quality fabric is difficult to obtain because it often requires prerequisites other than hard money, such as reputation or membership in certain groups.

Angela complains about the rapid influx of information, so Roland changes the topic to the Prescripts of the Index, noting that being targeted by a Prescript could be disastrous for the Library. The Index is one of the Five Fingers, influential enough to rival even the Wings, and its members will stop at nothing to carry out the will of their Prescripts. Roland worries that things don't escalate too much, but Angela simply says that they need to do their best to receive their guests, regardless of who comes.

At the Library's entrance, the Carnival arrives, hungry and excited to spin new thread. Angela greets them, and Beta wonders if Angela could produce some wonderful silk, though Alpha states she would taste worse than Sweepers. Gamma points out that Angela is not human, and Beta complains they are tired of disgusting food. Angela, losing her patience, rushes her greeting and leaves. The Carnival comments on Angela's insincerity.

Post-Battle

Roland mimics the Carnival's speaking pattern to complain about his hard work. Angela has none of it and copies the Carnival herself to deliver a thinly-veiled threat, which immediately shuts Roland up. Angela asks Roland for his thoughts on what will happen in the future. Roland believes that the Library will eventually receive at least one of the Five Fingers. Angela is hopeful for the opportunity; Roland not so much, as he does not look forward to having to personally fight the Fingers, leading Angela to voice her appreciation for Roland's efforts.

Background

The Carnival is an underground Syndicate of Tailors, formed after taking hold of a former, now-collapsed Wing's Singularity. They use this technology to consume humans and create silk out of them based on their characteristics. Silk made this way is special, as it is stronger than ordinary thread. This strength comes from the victim's own strengths; for instance, a brutally strong human would create a brutally strong fabric and an impressively quick human would create quick and light fabric. Since the silk reflects the strengths of the human it is made out of, the ranges of silks are as diverse as the number of humans in the City. To the Carnival, there is more to being a Tailor than merely weaving silk; picking the right human to weave from is equally important.

The Carnival is not the exclusive user of the silk-consumption Singularity, as its patent has long expired. However, they are able to utilize the technology to create such high-quality fabric that they are widely considered to be high class Tailors. Their ability to identify the specific individuals who will produce the silk their clients require is the source of their prestige.

Tailors will usually belong to a Syndicate or an Office. Selling high-quality fabric takes trust, so Tailors will join these groups and create cloth exclusively for them, but the Carnival is different. Before taking Prescripts from the Index, they acted independently and managed their own business. The last Prescript the Carnival received before succumbing to the Library was L8372-#928: "Eat 15 sweepers and extract silk to make fabric out of them."

Key Page story

The Carnival’s Page

There are many important things to consider as a Fixer, and attire is one of them. A Fixer’s attire is the most effective way to signify the image of an Office. It’s important for an Office to show that it has formality and class; most Offices have set a dress code for that reason. As much as it’s necessary to choose the right attire according to the code, the most important factor is the fabric that clothing is made of. Quality fabric can offer better protection, lighten the wearer’s weight for quicker movement, or allow the wearer to carry heavy weapons as large as their body. Those who create and provide such fabric are called ‘Tailors’. We are Tailors who consume people and make silk out of them. Whether it’s melting people inside our belly and congealing them in a mold, or it’s unraveling humans into the thread they’re really made of, the fundamentals do not matter. This technology doesn’t originally belong to us. We merely took hold of a technology that came off patent when a Wing was broken. The only thing that matters is that silk made from humans has strength that differentiates it from ordinary thread. Only those who crave it visit us. Cloth weaved from human silk possesses various powers depending on the human’s strengths. Some humans may have a strong body, another may be fragile but wise, and yet another may flaunt incredible speed. Since the silk reflects the characteristics of the human it was made from, there are as many forms and powers of cloth as there are humans in this world. Therefore, there is more to being a Tailor than simply weaving silk carefully. Picking the right people to meet the demands of the client is the most important. Hastily making silk out of a human that looks courageous on the outside might end up yielding useless cloth that does nothing but bolster courage, so one must be careful with picking the right material. Not every piece of fabric is accessible, however. It takes more than cash to purchase high-class fabric; one must earn the favor of Tailors first and foremost. Many Tailors will only give their best fabric once the trust between them and their client has been established after complex turns of events. Because of that, Tailors who make high-quality fabric usually belong to an organization and create cloth exclusively for them. But we were different. Until the Index gave us a Prescript, we did our work without taking orders from anyone, unchained to any Syndicate or other organization. We were free, as some may call it. L8372-#928: ‘Eat 15 Sweepers and extract silk from them to make fabric.’

Battle Symbols

There is one Battle Symbol related to this guest group; see their reception page for more details.

Gallery

Cutscene sprites

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  Alpha
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  Beta
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  Gamma

Combat sprites

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  Idle
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  Moving
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  Slash
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  Pierce
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  Blunt
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  Block
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  Evade
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  Damaged
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  Key Page ver.