Outside 48: Hotter than Inside

[Shadowcaller]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"Then accept your judgement." Cerabella flicks thinky away and they disappear in a flash of light, though still have the time to wave before blinking out existence.

The angel then turns to face Ilpholin. "With that done... as long as we both honor our agreement I think this will work out just fine. If I get any relevant information from the other seekers I will share it with you. Furthermore, if you have any questions regarding the demons organization please feel free to ask. We have fought them in the past and we have a lot of insight into how they operate."

[Reinholdt]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"Shouldn't be a problem," Ilpholin assures the angel. "Organization? I mean... I guess it would be easier to eradicate them if they lost their leadership first." She was just going to kill them all regardless of their hierarchical structure!

"We know that Sargon is in charge. But very little else aside from their blanket desire to destroy all that is good and pure. What can you tell me?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"I don't know a 'Sargon', but their individual names mean little to me. What I do know is that they organize themselves in networks called 'legions'. Instead of actual individual souls they all share one another's foul spiritual matter through it which makes them share everything they are to one another. Imagine, every thought you ever have shared to everyone around you who in turn share theirs to you, a network which includes even the lowest of beasts. It's an abomination." Cerabella eye's turn eyeful even discussing the topic.

"The only ones within this network allowed any individuality are those connected directly to the center of the network, the pith. We call those 'nodes'. However, they themselves have all sort of titles as there is an hierarchy among them based on how close the nodes are to the pith. My guess is that these leaders you describe are the nodes highest up in their hierarchy. So the higher the node destroyed the more chaos within their network. However, while destroying them causes great disturbance destroying the pith itself would collapse the entire network. Unfortunately, they are extremely difficult to destroy as unlike the nodes they aren't beings per say. We don't know how they work but if you seen their black essence, the physical manifestation of the network, imagine that but blue. That's how it manifests itself." That might sound familiar to Ilpholin...

[Reinholdt]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"That..." Demons as some kind of... hive mind? Ilpholin doesn't recall anything like that when she was a demon. It could have been one way. They were influencing her where she couldn't hear. It was their fault all along, manipulating her mind in unforgivable ways.

Her fist clenches tightly for a moment before easing. "I've seen it before. The source. The pith. One of them at least. There were two, embedded in staffs created by gnolls. The first was destroyed in a rift where Watchtower once stood if you wish to see it. I have a map to where the other one went."

[Zefir]

Spider Cave

The first insect freed is the beetle. It's far lighter than it should be, and if it's dropped the shell will shatter. It's empty, hollowed out, except for some wires and circuits. Somebody had turned it into a remote listening post, so whilst it isn't a trap it does imply that somebody here is doing something they want hidden. And the probably know that Kurt and his skeletons are on the way, unless the device wasn't working before it was dropped.

Spider Cave

The skeletons just cut the web so the shell drops immediatly after. Karl has kept some distance just to make sute it's not hostile to him, but as he sees the empty hull he looks over it.
"What a strange thing here. Let's check the other, too."

Karls not so much into tech, coming from a world which is pretty much in the general fantasy setting so no TVs or other complex technologies are there. He will with the skeletons free the other creatures thought he assumes a simular outcome. Empty with this strange wires.

[Divine Fire Pit]

The pixies likely weren't guards. No one would trust a pixie with that sort of responsibility.

"I'm still only asking for information and we still have a understanding of exchange, yes?" Cerabella points out. "But as you don't know where the demons are located yet I have another course of action in mind. To be able to find and cleanse them from this world we need to establish a stronger foothold here. A few seekers won't be able to do much against what has managed to destroyed several places like this already. So now I'm actually going to ask for your help Ilpholin as I need to seek out more groves like this one. Any place where what you call 'the fey' are strong. With the knowledge of these demonic activities at my disposal I could request the creation of a bridge strong enough to transfer over more than enough forces to win this war."

[A meeting place]

"Ah, it's understandable that a man such as yourself would think that but this is at another level. They're an scientist working on several weapon projects at a level far beyond that of the rest of the nexus. Not counting you and, ah, other gifted scientists of course." The pumpkin moves up and down almost as if it's attempting to shrug. "But ultimately it's up to you. I'll have a person send you some contact information in case you'll get interested. May I have a phone number? Would make it easier to contact you."

[A meeting place]

"Sure, do as you like." He flicks over a business card with his office numer. "Not handing those out much, but if I am not reachable just tell the clerk your name and she will solve the issue."

[Shadowcaller]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"'Gnolls'?" Cerabella doesn't seem to have heard that word before but her immediate concerns does not lie with them. "Why in the heavens name would anyone do that? I'm glad that a pith have been destroyed but the fact not only one but two were in this world first place only to be used as tools is highly disturbing.
No wonder this world is so corrupted. We haven't found a single pith for so long and now all this?" The glow within the angels eyes have intensified. "Please, Ilpholin, show me this map. While I'm not sure I could destroy it on my own at least I can inform the rest of my kin of this. It seems giving this world our attention was not a mistake. We have to deal with this."

[A meeting place]

"Excellent, I will inform them of this. Now, is there anything else to discuss or can I take my leave? I'm sure a man such as yourself have a great of other things to deal with today after all." Helios inquires.

[Recaiden]

[Passing By]

Oh. Oh dear. Nim's eyes go wide and he holds up a hand.
"Um, if it's all the same to you I think moving worlds and emancipation really aren't necessary. If you want to show me something just knowledge o things or people or food or something like that would be fine." he says as quickly as he can, before she decides that his molecules don't need to be held together or something.

His molecules don't need to be held together. If they truly belong with each other, they'll stay.
But that's not what's happening today. Although Nim's request came a bit late, and the magic cannot be stopped entirely, it can certainly do something less dramatic.

Everything goes black, except for the mists. Everything goes silent, except for the waves.
There is a sensation of distance. There is a moment where he dreams Echo's dreams, feels the cold betrayal of the burrowers by the tyrants, the abandonment and spite when Measurement ended then later coming to understand it.

The mist clears away, and Nim should find himself somewhere completely different.
Broken bricks go tumbling by, above and below is an empty sky where the stars are few and the darkness between them deeper than any night he knows. In a field of ivy he stands, before the toppled ruins of a cathedral whose spires are now almost horizontal. To the left, a winding road of ancient flagstone stretches, unsupported, into the distance. In most directions, scraps and islands of forested earth drift through the ether, hanging at whatever angle they please. From one of the nearer ones, smoke rises, and cinders - that must be quite a fire burning, somewhere over the hill. There is a cool wind blowing, bringing the scent of pine needles and tea leaves.

Our half-elf will feel very light on his feet; gravity has retreated from this realm. Surely he could hop to the top of the cathedral wall, or leap over the gap to the island with the fire.

Perhaps a nearby pool of water catches his eye - are his ears a little pointier? Did his reflection just wink and run out of view?! Well, no, there it is again. Perhaps he notices that in the reflected sky, there are far more stars.

There is no further sign of Echo, nor Mei.

The burrower has not moved a world.
He has simply moved Nim.

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Nim blinks, and suddenly is elsewhere. Well. Of course. He must remember the hazards of asking eldritch entities about their powers. He runs a hand over his head, which does seem to be a bit different. He's a biologist, not an anthropologist, but he does think he should check out the cathedral first, so he does. Fire implies civilization of some kind, and he should know who he might end up talking to before he does. Sadly a highly forested area doesn't tell him much about the prospective peoples. Forests are the homes of many. Humans, elves, serpentfolk, satyrs, centaurs, aviankind. Normally he might expect people more at home leaping or flying with the floating structures but the seemingly universal lessening of gravity would mean it is not so necessary. He wishes he had ever read a study on what kinds of people develop in low gravity. For now, he can only hop up to the cathedral ruins and hope the locals had at least a picture of themselves and pray for something more helpful than that.

[Earl of Purple]

Spider Cave

The giant dragonfly is an actual dead giant dragonfly. It hasn't been hollowed out and replaced with circuitry or electronic components. It has been sucked dry and desiccated, so it may have been eaten by giant spiders.

Speaking of spiders, two are approaching from the cave now. They're large; Alsatian-sized, or thereabouts, with black metallic-looking carapaces and gleaming red eyes. They approach quite slowly, trying to remain silent and unnoticed. When they are close enough, they jump for the closest skeleton, aiming to knock it over and start to cover it with thick white silk extruded from spinnerets upon the end of their abdomens.

[Reinholdt]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"Dog-like humanoids. Their lust for power is matched only by the depths of their depravity. They continuously summon demons to this world to do their bidding. Even if we take care of the Pith, we'll have to eradicate them to ensure they don't find some way to create a third." They almost certainly would too. Ilpholin's brow furrows.

"I suspect we should still try to open a bridge or two before going after the pith. If the demons haven't gotten their hands on it by now, I do know they are looking and it's unlikely our own search will go unnoticed. Reinforcements would be of great help. Still, the map is at my home. Come with me and I'll show you," She motions for Cerabella to follow her as she turns to leave the ashes behind.

[Shadowcaller]

[Divine Fire Pit]

Cerabella nods. "Knowing that there once were two pith legions here, I can only agree. Those things attracted them like moths to light so there has to be a significant force here. Indeed, even if pith's are destroyed they can leave hordes of monsters in their wake. Rabid animals that either attack everything in their path or are taken control of by beings such as your gnolls." Then she proceeds to follow along. "But while travel I'm going to discorporate, just so you know. I will however leave a light so you can tell where I am."

The angel then flickers away like a fading illusion which is reduced down to a small wisp of light that tags along as the nymph returns to her means of transportation.

[Recaiden]

Nim blinks, and suddenly is elsewhere. Well. Of course. He must remember the hazards of asking eldritch entities about their powers. He runs a hand over his head, which does seem to be a bit different. He's a biologist, not an anthropologist, but he does think he should check out the cathedral first, so he does. Fire implies civilization of some kind, and he should know who he might end up talking to before he does. Sadly a highly forested area doesn't tell him much about the prospective peoples. Forests are the homes of many. Humans, elves, serpentfolk, satyrs, centaurs, aviankind. Normally he might expect people more at home leaping or flying with the floating structures but the seemingly universal lessening of gravity would mean it is not so necessary. He wishes he had ever read a study on what kinds of people develop in low gravity. For now, he can only hop up to the cathedral ruins and hope the locals had at least a picture of themselves and pray for something more helpful than that.

Since the cathedral is on its side relative to this scrap of land, all of its furniture has fallen down to the 'left side' and been smashed to bits. Amidst the rotted wood there are countless shards of mirrors, each painted black (before the mirrors broke, judging by the patterns of paint). Before the cathedral fall, there were entrances left right and center. Now one is buried and the other way up there.
Lining the nave are six alcoves where sturdy statues of burrowers still stand (seen in full, they're something like a turtle, and something like an isopod with, as said, six wings along their sides rather than being on their back. Lines along their carapace like strips of lights or portholes on a ship). The ceiling was painted with splendid frescoes showing: cats, bees, snakes, walking trees, folks with little horns and bright eyes (like tieflings but even less demonic), white robed figures with flowing hair covering their faces, quite a lot of flowers, and a recurring motif of two identical interlocking crowns. Where the altar would have stood is a hole in the floor. Or perhaps the altar was always a pit?
There are two smaller wings of the building near the far end. From the lower one comes a sound of shuffling and wooden creaking.

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Well. Certainly a lot of information, but not anything conclusive. Nim snaps a picture on his phone and has to move on. His hands still ache from Mei's scales. He really hopes he won't have to do any fighting. He can barely hold his knife with his injured hands and any native will outpace him with their experience with these gravitational conditions.
Nim hears the sounds, slowly walking toward it but also positioning himself near a spot where he has plenty of room to jump clear.
"Hello? Anyone there?" he calls.

[Rebonack]

[Nightmare Forest]

"If words won't move you then the art of violence will!" Lapis retorts as she draws in a deep breath, the scales on her breast parting as searing light streams between them. And then with a single, crystal clear bell-like note she exhales a blast of pure radiance toward the puppet!

That's about it, really.

Nothing terrible complex going on.

Just a coruscating, coherent beam of the Searing Light of Truth. A pinprick through the firmament allowing the pitiless brightness of heavy to pour through.

Hopefully it does bad things to the puppet.

It'll be a while before Lapis' internal stores of glory build up again, so she's hoping that leading with her big guns will blindside the entity.

[Cloud Nine]

"Oh! Or we could try learning how to pan for gold!" Geneva suggests. "Like the old gold rush miners our West! That would be a little less claustrophobic than spelunking."

It would also involve quite a bit more splashing around in a riven together.

[Deathkeeper]

[Cloud Nine]

Nick nods. "Definitely less likely to break a wing." he agrees.
"But we'd still need to find out a good place." You can't just check any old river and expect gold!

[Earl of Purple]

Nightmare Forest

Makuro's also going to jump in, but she's going to wait until after Lapis' beam hits. Then, if it's still standing, she'll punch and kick with her enhanced strength and reinforced bones. If Lapis' beam of Truth doesn't harm the puppet, Makuro is uncertain what her feet and fists can do... But maybe she can distract it whilst the others move their more potent weaponry into play.

[Recaiden]

A set of huge wooden fingers reach up around the doorframe from that lower room, and weightlessly lift up a featureless wooden face that's several feet tall.
It watches Nim silently for a few seconds.

So, yes, someone's here.

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Oh, dear. A golem of some kind? Or something else? It hasn’t done anything hostile at least.
”Oh, ah. Hello. I don’t suppose you could help a lost traveler, could you?” he asks, inching a bit further towards the side of the exit.

[Reinholdt]

[Divine Fire Pit]

Cerabella nods. "Knowing that there once were two pith legions here, I can only agree. Those things attracted them like moths to light so there has to be a significant force here. Indeed, even if pith's are destroyed they can leave hordes of monsters in their wake. Rabid animals that either attack everything in their path or are taken control of by beings such as your gnolls." Then she proceeds to follow along. "But while travel I'm going to discorporate, just so you know. I will however leave a light so you can tell where I am."

The angel then flickers away like a fading illusion which is reduced down to a small wisp of light that tags along as the nymph returns to her means of transportation.

[Divine Fire Pit]

Was this light how the angel planned to tag along? Not what Ilpholin had initially imagined. This works out even better really. With an accord reached, she makes her way to where she can pull out her hoverbike in a box and head back to Riverside with Cerabella in tow.

[Recaiden]

Oh, dear. A golem of some kind? Or something else? It hasn’t done anything hostile at least.
”Oh, ah. Hello. I don’t suppose you could help a lost traveler, could you?” he asks, inching a bit further towards the side of the exit.

The golem, or whatever it is, reaches out a vast hand towards Nim. Specifically, towards Nim's first aid kit, which it does its best to pluck away from him.

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Nim cringes in and goes perfectly still, ready to jump and-
Oh, is that all it wants?
"Uh, you need some help with something medical, friend?" he asks it, not expecting a response.

[Recaiden]

The golem(?) reaches up another hand from the room it's tucked into and starts rifling through the first aid kit, discarding anything without writing on it, keeping labelled bandages, tubes of ointment with ingredient information, and so on.
Then it starts slinking back through the doorway.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Nightmare Forest

Quin crouches low as Lapis attacks, readying his blade for a strike, shield up. As soon as Lapis' beam ends, he'll rocket towards the entity and make an overhead slash at the creature. He can't actually fly when using this style, instead, his leg thrusters allow him to "skate" over the ground and enhance his jumps and lunges, which is how he'll be making such a fast assault in this case. He's hoping Lapis' attack will have stunned the entity long enough that he can connect, and that Excalibur's virus-purge functionality will have some kind of effect on the entity. After all, all of his other data-affecting abilities have changed since he entered the Nexus, becoming able to affect actual reality, so perhaps Excalibur will live up to its reputation as the "Holy Sword" after all...

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Nim scoops up the discarded gauze and chases after the creature.
”I’m sorry but unless there’s an injured person in there you don’t get to just rob me of my supplies. Hello?” He does kind of hope there’s someone else in that room. He would really appreciate someone who can talk to him.

[Ashen Lilies]

[City out of Time]

The door opens easily enough. What's inside looks like a police building, or perhaps a military one. Behind the door is a large hall with a map table in the middle of it. There are many other smaller tables, spread out unevenly across the floor. Some of them are knocked over while others are broken. The walls are lined with weapons - from common to strange and intricate. Some of them are heavy crossbows, bows or even firearms, but all look like they were designed for small folk.

Another feature of the room are trophies. An array of preserved heads and bodies are displayed among the weapons. Some of them belong to monsters, while others are disconcertingly people-like. All of them seem to be fey, however.

After a moment, they might notice a strange discrepancy to the hall. Some parts of it look pristine, if empty, like the rest of the city. Others look old and worn-down. They're not evenly spaced; half of a table might look new while the other looks old. The exception is the map table. This one appears to be as it used to be in the city's heyday, with what appears to be a map of the city's surroundings and a great deal of miniatures on it.

The map table is also surrounded by a buzz of voices. Faded outlines of people seem to crowd around it, like the shades they've seen in the streets, but more... alive? Animated? It's hard to tell for now.

[City out of Time]

Electra enters first, motioning for Cass to stay close, looking around carefully and doing her best to stay to areas that seem to match the time of the area outside. She's not sure what effect it would have on her to enter the "past" areas, but given that the last time she ran into timey-wimey shenanigans, it gave her a massive headache, she's not about to try for a second round if she can help it. She gestures towards the map table and speaks quietly to Cass.

"What do you think? Should we try to go over there, or are we going to get sucked into whatever time-stop thing they've got going on?"

[City out of Time]

"Hmmm... I can give it a test," says Cass. "Let's see what happens if I..."

She reaches into a pouch, and pulls out a small rubber ball, which she tosses towards the map table.

[Zefir]

[Divine Fire Pit]

"'Gnolls'?" Cerabella doesn't seem to have heard that word before but her immediate concerns does not lie with them. "Why in the heavens name would anyone do that? I'm glad that a pith have been destroyed but the fact not only one but two were in this world first place only to be used as tools is highly disturbing.
No wonder this world is so corrupted. We haven't found a single pith for so long and now all this?" The glow within the angels eyes have intensified. "Please, Ilpholin, show me this map. While I'm not sure I could destroy it on my own at least I can inform the rest of my kin of this. It seems giving this world our attention was not a mistake. We have to deal with this."

[A meeting place]

"Excellent, I will inform them of this. Now, is there anything else to discuss or can I take my leave? I'm sure a man such as yourself have a great of other things to deal with today after all." Helios inquires.

[A meeting place]

" I think we are done here." Arkant replies. "I'm looking forward to do more business with you in the future." he bows formly and then takes his leave as he assumes helios will do as well.

Spider Cave

The giant dragonfly is an actual dead giant dragonfly. It hasn't been hollowed out and replaced with circuitry or electronic components. It has been sucked dry and desiccated, so it may have been eaten by giant spiders.

Speaking of spiders, two are approaching from the cave now. They're large; Alsatian-sized, or thereabouts, with black metallic-looking carapaces and gleaming red eyes. They approach quite slowly, trying to remain silent and unnoticed. When they are close enough, they jump for the closest skeleton, aiming to knock it over and start to cover it with thick white silk extruded from spinnerets upon the end of their abdomens.

Spider Cave

The skeletons are on their guard, but since some are busy to cut things free they are ambushed by the spiders.Karl steps back as he sees and immediatly reacts. "Go get them!" he says and the remaining 4 skeletons go in trying to overrun the spiders while they web the others. So one spider will met a sword and a spear aiming at it while the other one got an axe and a spear. the webded once are sword and axe user.

[Recaiden]

Nim scoops up the discarded gauze and chases after the creature.
”I’m sorry but unless there’s an injured person in there you don’t get to just rob me of my supplies. Hello?” He does kind of hope there’s someone else in that room. He would really appreciate someone who can talk to him.

The room that the wooden creature has retreated to is stacked with books, papers, scrolls, flyers, all sorts of written things. Hymnals, holy texts, letters, advertisements, inscribed stones, stretches of tattooed skin, boxes, etc.
The wooden creature looks even more unfinished when you can see the whole thing. It has a head, shoulders, arms, yes, but the head has no features, and below the ribs it is rough bark and tangled roots, like it was never finished being carved. It ignores Nim's words and busies itself slotting the stolen medical supplies into the proper place in its collection.
There is something else here. Inside a little shining bird cage there is a burning sigil of emerald light, a living word which buzzes around, looking for- it stops suddenly and flashes at Nim purposefully, though exactly what it means is probably unclear.

[Earl of Purple]

Spider Cave

One spider is stabbed, the spear puncturing its abdomen and the sword cleaving its thorax. The other has legs hacked off by the axe as the spear impales it between its fangs.

Some more oddities for Karl and the skeletons to consider- the spiders are not spiders. Their corpses do not bleed, they link hydraulic fluid and oil. Pistons move their limbs, not muscle, and their metallic carapaces are, in fact, metal- thin and light, not armour plating. Inside, there's computer chips and circuits, a set of batteries and a radio transmitter/receiver.

There's no immediate response from further in the cave, but this is not what the farmers thought was going on. The longer he dithers, the more likely something will be prepared against him.

[Deathkeeper]

[Passing By]

Nim frowns. Robbing people and now imprisoning some sort of spirit? This has clearly gone too far.
While the wooden creature is busy and distracted with its collection Nim goes over and tries to open the door of the cage, moving swiftly but quietly.

[Recaiden]

Don't be silly, Nim. Half-elves have no legal right to own works of writing, and so cannot be robbed of them.

The cage door unlatches easily and opens smoothly and silently.
The spirit, if that is what it is, flashes and zips out of its cage, climbing up and out of the room through the air. It seems that it turns to face Nim as it goes. Or perhaps it can only be seen from a single angle.

The golem continues to ignore him.