Inside 69: Nice.

[Deathkeeper]

Current Events: It's cold, for now. The city is skinwalker-free, by some definitions. Happy [insert current holiday here].

The title is a misnomer, of course. No doubt the moniker of this place was settled on after a brief conversation that started with, 'Wouldn't it be funny if...?'. But now the name has stuck.

But what is this place, you ask?

Inside is everything within the City Walls. As opposed to Outside, which is everything without. This strange, whimsical city is the centre of a planar Nexus, a crossing point between all possible (and some impossible) worlds. One can find just about anything in this wondrous place, dreams that defy imagination and terrors that freeze the soul. People and whole places are regularly drawn into the Nexus, added to the chaotic melting pot of all realities.

The city is surrounded by defensive walls, with an artificially and accidentally created moat outside the walls, a moat that has been diverted into a river-channel for one many bodies of water flowing through Inside. A gap in the walls and a bridge allow for entrance into the city proper, the main gate opening up to welcome newcomers Inside.

Welcome, traveler, to the City of Inside. The only boundaries you find within are the bounds of your own imagination.


Rules

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Rules

1:Please Spoiler any Fanservice in this thread! It is accepted that there will of course be some, and that romance and curtains happen. However, please be courteous to others and spoiler any scene that goes on for a little while, and if it reaches the point, curtain. This is so you can stay within forum rules, as well as letting those uninterested in the scene, pass by. Thank you.

2:Godmodding is not permissible! As stated in the rules in the FFRP Central Thread,, godmodding is generally not allowed without permission. If you're shaky on what might be, and what might not be godmodding, please follow the above link.

3:The DOOM-Shield. Inside is currently equipped with a techno-magic shield that mitigates "global" effects to a survivable level. This is to prevent anyone from simply killing all the NPCs, or affecting the entire city. For example, a plot that envelops the entire city in subarctic temperatures, will find that the cold isn't as bad as it should be, and survivable.

4:Intersection. Please remember when doing any plots or large events, that even though it has it's own thread, Intersection - the Inside Police Force and Army - is located in Inside, and may respond to events, or may be asked to respond to them.

4:All Inside-Wide/Nexus-Wide plots need to be brought up in OOC first! We all want to have the entire city be cast into a frozen wasteland from time to time, but such things need to be brought up in OOC first, to allow players plenty of warning, and so people don't feel like anything is being forced upon them that they don't want to RP.

5:Inside is not Space! Anything involving massive spaceships, meteors, satellites, Lasers From Space, and the like, do not belong in this thread. Few PCs have the ability to fight off an orbital bombardment, so it is considered unfair to be able to call down such things inside Inside. It can be assumed that the Doom Shield prevents such things from occurring. The place for these sorts of things should be in Outside, or another thread all together.

Zones and Streets

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Zones:
In the Zone(s): The City of Inside is separated into three zones that represent the general threat level color coded for your convenience.

The Blue Zones are upper-class, well to do portions of Inside. You're pretty darn safe here.

The Grey Zones consists of the more traditionally urban parts of inside. Certainly no gated community, but it isn't immediately life threatening either.

The Red Zones represents the parts of the City that are degenerate, destitute, or downright dangerous. Sometimes all of the above. If you're poking around a Red Zone be ready to get jumped by Orks or ghouls or killer robots or something.

Streets:

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Hodgepodge Street? The City of Inside also has a number of Streets. The Streets aren't a street in the literal sense, but rather portions of the City with a particular theme. While one can find anything anywhere in the City there are none the less areas were certain settings predominate. The Riftline monorail public transit system allows for quick and easy access between the many Streets of Inside, as well as take your PCs to other popular locations within the Nexus. Best of all it's fast and free!

If you have an idea for a Street feel free to suggest it in the OOC thread.

Hodgepodge Street: The generically modern setting! Hodgepodge Street is perhaps the most plastic of the Streets, displaying a decent mix of all settings, though modern predominates. Generally speaking most locations without a Street name will be found here. The most commonly seen locations here are the Streets and the Slums. Occasionally The Rooftops if someone is feeling daring.

Steele Street: Need a Victorian location with all sorts of choking industrial pollution? Need an always-night urban landscape with superficial resemblance to 1800s London? Well Steel Street is by far the best place Inside to come down with Black Lung Disease! With spooky stinky fog, gross waterways, and the occasional murderer who may or may not be spring-heeled. Come for the fish and chips! Stay for the gritty atmosphere!

Arkham Street: Spanning 1920s-1930s style fantastic horror, Arkham Street is home of such spooky locations as Philip Memorial Library, the haunted Carter House, and Dunwich Park. Ah Arkham Street, where the clustering gambled roofs sway and sag above the attics where witches hid from the king's men in the dark olden days of Town. The Town is gone, but the witches are still here! And the monsters, and the cultists, and the regular folks just trying not to lose their minds.

Metropolis Square: It's Atom Age or Deco Punk or whatever you want to call it! 1930-50s era retro science fiction with ray guns and mad scientists and nuclear powered robots who just want to learn the meaning of love. This part of Inside is known for its slick hats, era cars, smooth jazz, a robotic workforce, and square-jawed heroes.

The Skyway: High up above the tops of the tallest skyscrapes one can find The Skyway! A high future urban cityscape of floating buildings of glass and chrome and steel and plastic. And a space port too, if you feel like leaving the planet for whatever reason. Think Jetsons with more foot paths. Riftline, of course, grants access to The Skyway to for those not blessed with flying cars.

[Burnt Chrome Street:] Need some cyberpunk action? You got some cyberpunk action! The gritty future of cyber-criminals clashing against government and corporate forces! With cyborgs and hackers and stuff! Grungy urban sprawl, a decaying job market, and an oppressed underclass mark this area of Inside. Burnt Chromes Street is the distopian counter-point to The Skyway's more optimistic vision of what the future holds.

Market Street: Market Street is the ye olde portion of Inside, complete with bards, fools, open market places, and the occasional damsel in distress. While products of any age can be found in the sprawling street booths everything is done ye olde style-e. If you need a chase scene to crash through a fruit-cart this is the place to do it.

Deadwood Street: The wild, wild west. Located on the edge of Inside this is the western part of the city. And that means any kind of western. From spegetti to steampunk to magical. Whether you need to hang around a saloon, have a duel a high noon, or go riding off into the sunset Deadwood Street is your best bet.

PokéStreet: By popular demand! This one should be obvious enough. PokéCenters and PokéMarts and PokéGyms and PokéParks and PokéNarwhals and everything else Poké-related! Great place to visit if you feel like watching some adorable animals beat the tar out of each other. Just watch out for the tall grass. You never know what might be lurking in there.

Carousel Court: So much pony. Carousel Court contains the majority of the City's pony population as well as a healthy helping of non-pony quadrupedal sapient races. Ranging from quaint thatched roof cottages to the towering mane offices of Roseluck Agrifirm to the opulent stables of the well-to-do Carousel Court has it all. The sweet tooth of ponies is absolutely legendary around Inside and if you're looking for a sugary treat, Carousel Court is the place to visit.

Locations

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The Red Zones

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Just because here are some nice quick descriptions of the various Red Zones that see some degree of use. Or at least the ones that I'll run NPCs in if I get prodded at or notice someone's PC poking around there. I don't control everything in these locations and other people are free to run things here, just keep the Lethality level in mind. Anyone exploring one of the Red Zones will find caches of magical or technological trinkets to make the danger worth their while. The higher the lethality rating the better the loot!

The Slums: (Lethality Level Low) Accessed from Hodgepodge Street. The Slums are a generally urban area of decay and disrepair. It's a pretty good place to run into muggers, thugs, vampires, random monsters, and other generically nasty things. People live in squalor here, but no one can really figure out WHY since the rest of the City is available for habitation and has fewer flesh eating mildew patches.

The Sewers: (Lethality Level Low) Accessed from anywhere Inside. The adventure Sewers are not to be confused with the gross functional sewers. Where the former are huge underground tunnels filled with relatively clean flowing water, ghouls, oozes, rats, and treasure, the latter are just filled with poo. Some portions of the Sewers are infested with far worse creatures, but thankfully those nasty things have been dormant for a long time. Or so they say...

The Mispelled Cemetary: (Lethality Level Variable) Accessed form Market Street. The Mispelled Cemetary is fully of the restless spirits of the unded who have been ripped from there eternal rest due to the endless propagation of spelling errors on the Internet. The unded in the cemetary proper are pretty week, but catacombs below the cemetary can be accessed through the various crypts on the surface. The deeper into the catacombs ones travels the nastier the unded get. Beware the Eternal Bone Horrers.

Midnight Park: (Lethality Level Moderate) This place enshrines a patch of forest so thick that light never reaches the ground. The smallest trees are wider than most people are tall, and the largest are truly awe-inspiring. The forest floor is a maze of twisting roots, fallen branches, and decaying leaves. There is never a breath of wind among the massive trunks, and the atmosphere is oppressive with fear and gloom.

Or...

At least it used to be oppressive with fear and gloom. Fear and gloom are still around, but they aren't nearly as bad.

Foot paths have been cleared through the forest and lanterns hung up that glow with cool silvery white light to keep the feral shadows at a distance from anyone who decides to walk in the cool of the shadows. Undead creatures that stray too close to the magical lanterns will find themselves illuminated by incandescent sunlight until they retreat back to a safe distance. Signs have been set up admonishing visitors to stay on the paths and warning of the unspeakable doom that will probably befall them if they don't.

Shadows prowl the darkness, their red eyes glinting in the gloom and the air filled with their hungry whispers, though they're loath to approach the paths. There's the occasional bodak or feral vampire spawn lurking around in the park as well, but they tend to keep well away from the paths since those areas are mostly commonly patrolled by the park's custodians.

The custodians, of course, being Team Nightmære. It isn't at all uncommon to find patrols of nightmære shadelings poking about, chatting with visitors, maintaining the trails, or installing new equipment around the park to make visits by the living more pleasant.

The Dungeons of Doom: (Lethality Level Moderate) Accessed from the Sewers. The Dungeons of Doom consists of a seemingly endless descent of themed dungeon floors filled with generally silly monsters and puzzles. But don't let the silliness fool you, the place is plenty deadly if you get too careless. Remember to pay proper respects to giant marble busts of science fiction and fantasy authors that might block your path.

The Radiation Pit: (Lethality Level Moderate) Accessed from Metropolis Square. The Radiation Pit is exactly what it sounds like. A blasted crater full of radiation and the sorts of things you would expect to arise in 50's era films about radiation. So mostly giant irradiated arthropods. The danger here, aside from the radiation mutants, is mostly from environmental hazards. Make sure to pack plenty of Rad-Away.

Bombed Out Zone: (Lethality Level Moderate) Accessed from Hodgepodge Street. A ruined urban landscape of burned out cars, shattered skyscrapers, and crumbling overpasses. It is the site of an ongoing three way battle between zombies, killer robots, and aliens. Getting caught between the factions is pretty dangerous, but scavenging the remains after a battle can yield some great loot.

Black Goat Woods: (Lethality Level High) Accessed from Arkham Street. Black Goat Woods is a park full of awful eldritch abominations. If you go in un-warded you will almost certainly die a horrible death if you're fortunate. With proper warding by the Elder Sign this Red Zone is just dangerous and maddening rather than a complete death trap. If you need to collect some tomes of forbidden lore or repulsive idols try snooping around here. Just remember that Cthulhu eats 2d6 investigators per round.

Everfree Park: (Lethality Level High) Accessed from Carousel Court. This is a wilderness within the heart of the City that hates you and wants you to die. The laws of physics and magic shift here chaotically and without warning. Powerful monsters roam the trees hunting for anyone foolish enough to stumble in. Everything that exists in this park, even the very air you're breathing, is a malevolent force that seeks your destruction. Enter at your own risk.

Azik's Enchantments(Player: Halae, Grey Zone)

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Those in the area will hear a rumbling as the Nexus begins pulling in something larger than just a single person. Reality bends, and the shape of portal opens above a certain street corner. For a sickening moment, nothing happens, but then things start coming out of the portal - all of them are bricks, building up finally to a door and a roof, with tiny windows built in. There's even a large chimney sticking out of the center of this strange, conical building that begins puffing rainbow smoke almost immediately.

A creature steps out the front door, though many wouldn't consider it a creature - He is a warforged, a living golem. Covered in what appears to be adamantine plates, he looks up and down the street, his longcoat catching in the breeze. as it flutters, one can see a multitude of wands, schema, and scrolls all attached to several belts around his waist and upper legs. On his eyes he wears a pair of blue tinted shades, despite his lack of ears, and the metal orbs that serve as his eyes glow green behind these spectacles. He looks up and down the street. He doesn't seem to be particularly disturbed by the change in location, but he does take the time to call out, in a metallic voice:

"Azik's Enchantments is open for business! Come find a potion, a wand, a scroll to fit any need! We have spellbooks for beginners and experts! Weapons of all shapes and sizes, and armor unlike anything you've ever seen! Come find what you're looking for here!"

And then he heads back inside. So much work, so little time. Inside is as strange as outside, with magic trinkets lining the walls on shelves, but all behind the counter, to keep any stupid kid with the idea to steal something from doing so. You can find just about anything magical here, and that which you can't find, Azik the Warforged can make within a more than reasonable timeframe.

Emergency Bunkers

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Eight bunker-like structures in a ring-like arrangement at about the midpoint between the walls (or the docks) and the center of the city have been completed.

The interior of each is rather dull, rather befitting a bunker, but there are underground areas beneath the visible bunkers. These are similarly dull and military-styled, but they also act as hospitals.

These are mostly designed with emergencies such as shelling in mind, and are usually closed.

Emergency Clinics

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Like the bunkers the clinics are spread through-out the City and are equipped with technology akin to a modern emergency room. Since there's no magical healing available the speed of recovery is going to be noticeably lower than what is available at one of Inside's many temples. However their availability makes them absolutely vital in the application of life-saving care.

Erin's Emporium (Player: The Bushranger, Grey Zone)

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Construction Gnomes have been hard at work renovating a small store along one of the various merchantile roads. Well, it was small. Now it's bigger on the inside.

And filled with every sort of weaponry imaginable, from across the multiverse. From blaster carbines to P-90s, surface-to-air missiles to ballistas, zats to nunchucks, they're all here.

Is that a siege crossbow sitting in the corner?

Evolution Industries Headquarters + Factories (Player: Darkcomet, Blue Zone)

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The headquarters of the company known as Evolution Electronics and Power is a fairly standard-looking modern-day tower in appearance, not quite reaching the level of skyscraper.

The company owns a large factory nearby, used in production of its MACE units, and potentially other products, should it be desired.

The company also possesses a number of other factories around the city, used for production of weaponry and other military materiel.

Retail outlets for Evolution's products are scattered around the city.

Hastings and Sons Mortuary (player: Ashen Lilies, Grey Zone)

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Near one of the older parts of the city sits a large and somewhat dour building of brick and mortar, built in the traditional sense, with a metal plaque by the door that reads (predictably enough):

Hastings and Sons
MORTUARY
For the preparation of the dearly departed.

And indeed, should one go in one should find all the trappings of a conventional mortuary, including several large visitation rooms, run by this guy:

Though of course, usually without the zombie there.
In recent times however, the true business of the resident Mortician has branched into a more heretical bent, offering certain services to the living impaired (more commonly known as the foul Undead). These start at simple healings and flesh grafts (the flesh occasionally obtained 'legitimately', when a body comes in for cremation and the Mortician gives them an urn full of wood-ash, but usually corpses are obtained through donations from customers or good old fashioned grave-robbing). But services can also range into body part replacement and augmentation for the undead who wishes his creator had seen fight to give him a giant lobster claw or retractable venomous spines, or even full body/flesh reconstruction for the self-conscious lich (or lich in disguise, though making your new flesh look like someone else usually costs extra) or the zombie in his golden years. These customers usually come in through the back door, where there is a plaque listing the full list of services. Though of course some are brazen enough to come through the front door anyway.

((PM if you wish to interact with the Mortician, as Ashen Lilies may not always check the thread.))

MagMart (Player: Lord Magtok, Blue Zone)

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An absurd mash-up of K-Mart, Wall-Mart, Target, and every other vile retail chain, MagMart is staffed by an unswervingly loyal Magbots, lobotomized talking cats that are too brain-dead to know any better, several voodoo spirits, and a pickle jar that everyone insists is a sentient being that only communes with those who truly believe in it.

Here you can find everything from curtains to carpets, macaroni to monkeys on motorcycles, groceries to zombies. The staff is always happy to help (or else), and if you aren't entirely satisfied with your shopping experience, you can pay a small fee to watch the MagMart employee of your choosing get fired out the MagMart complimentary employee morale cannon.

Magnificus Theater (Player: ThePhantom, Red Zone)

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This large theater is an attempt to bring culture to the city of the Inside. Plays are regularly show here, and if desired other events can be held here.

The walls of the theater are colored with three shades of blue in a wave pattern. Inside the theater are a pair of grand staircases, with the railing colored gold, while the stone of the stairs is white. The stage itself is one of the largest in the Nexus, carefully designed for the greatest enjoyment.

Rules: Please, no violence. If you must have some violent action in a theater, pm me first.

MERC Office (Player: Morty, Grey Zone)

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The building that serves as MERC's de facto embassy in Inside is now open for business (though there is a separate MERC thread that serves as a meta location to post in). It's a large, newly constructed office building with a very no-nonsense look to it. Its purpose is to do business, not more and not less.

Once inside, the prospective licensed mercenaries will be confronted with a large hall lined with tables, behind which NPCs work at filing and cataloguing the people who arrive to receive their certificates. At least one actual MERC member is also usually on a shift in the building.

Sable Spire (Player: Darkcomet, Blue Zone)

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A great, black-colored tower now stands at the highest point of the Skyway. Appearing mostly similar to a modern-day skyscraper, albeit more futuristic, reinforced, and armored. Upon close examination, some parts of the tower appear to conceal compartments of some sort, likely something along the lines of concealed defensive turrets. the top portion of the tower is rather different in appearance.

It appears as a truly massive hatch, similar to what one might see over a missile silo under normal circumstances.

This hatch opens into the landing area of the aerial aircraft carrier Sanctuary, the main asset of the Altaran Irregulars. Said landing area is set to act as an elevator, capable of moving up to the top of the tower or moving back down to conceal whatever is landed (usually the aforementioned carrier) under the heavily armored hatch.

The Spire, constructed by Remnant in an alliance with the Altaran Irregulars, is now a major base for the the latter, who currently act alongside Remnant in protecting the city. Their troops largely use the same equipment as Remnant's, but use the old Imperial black-and-navy color scheme to distinguish themselves.

The The Temperance Teahouse (Grey Zone) Owned by Artemis

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In an old section of the city stands a wooden building of ancient construction. From inside comes the sound of good conversation and, occasionally, music being played. The scents of exotic teas, spices, and good foods drift out onto the street. along with the scents and sounds come an aura of peace and comfort. It's a nice place here, you could definitely stick around for a while, to escape the general madness of the city.

Two wings extend out from the main building. To the north (the right side as you face the tea house) is an extension of the main structure, still made of wood, the architecture is slightly different and more brightly colored, and also noticeably newer. The west side of the building is surrounded by a stone wall, enclosing a garden. The garden ends at a low stone building running the length of the west wall.

[Restaurant]

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Inside the restaurant is filled with tables and chairs, spread out across the dark hardwood floors. Thick wooden pillars support the second floor and the roof, their tops carved with geometric designs. At the north side of the restaurant is a long counter, surrounding an open kitchen. Steam and smoke drift up from the fires and the woks used for cooking. A shelf along the back wall is filled with dozens of tins, each containing a particular tea or herbal blend. Interspersed among them are tea kettles, each one used to brew a particular type of tea.

The center of the restaurant is open to the second floor. Stairs lead up to more seating on the second level, which looks down on the restaurant below over carved wooden balconies. The ceiling above the open space is painted with a mural of a golden dragon floating through the clouds and circling the sun.

Seats on the west side of the building go fast, as they offer the best view of the gardens. The south and east sides offer views of the bustling streets below. The north side of the second floor has no windows and sits above the kitchen, so it is often darker and smokier than the rest of the restaurant.

Menu

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Drinks

Herbal Tea
Green Tea
Black Tea
White Tea
Yellow Tea
Red Tea
Blue Tea - Mentally stimulating.
Purple Tea - Very relaxing and slightly hallucinogenic.
Iced Tea - Served sweet or unsweet, with or without lemon.
Sake - Available chilled, heated, or at room temperature.
Lychee Wine - A rich sweet drink with a deep golden color. Pairs well with seafood. Served cold.

Food

Dim Sum
Sushi
Stir Fry - Served over rice or noodles
Noodles
Soup
Rice Cakes

Sweets

Ice Cream - Vanilla, Green Tea, Red Bean, and Mango flavoured.
Dragon's Beard Candy - A spun sugar similar to cotton candy.
Moon Cake - A dense sweet cake around a salted egg yolk "moon".
Sun Cake - A crunchy pastry filled with a sugary cream.
Tempura Fried Bananas - Served over ice cream.

[North Wing]

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The north wing of the restaurant is of newer construction. It is more brightly painted and more heavily decorated than the main restaurant. Two doorways on each floor lead to a U shaped hallway that runs through the north wing. Sliding paper screens from the inner walls, so that they can be slid aside and make the spaces much larger. The lower floor holds private rooms that can be reserved for larger parties or special meetings. These rooms typically have a long low table surrounded by cushions. The second floor rooms have more flexible floor plans. Most have tables and chairs, often used to host card or board games. A few can be rented out for sleeping quarters, but patrons are reminded that the walls are, literally, paper thin. Disruptive behaviour will have you evicted without a refund.

[Garden]

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The west wing of the tea house is a large garden surrounded by stone wall. A circular gate leads directly from the garden to the streets, as well as doors leading into the restaurant. The garden itself is carefully kept, trees and bushes trained and cut into pleasing shapes. Stone lanterns and statues decorate the garden. Two pools filled with koi fish sit diagonally from one another, connected together by a stream filled with river rocks. The sound of trickling water fills the garden. A winding path leads through the garden and over a low stone bridge. On the far side of the bridge, the path passes through another circular gate guarded by two stone dragons on plinths. the pair stare down at any visitors, questioning their intentions in passing through their gate.

Beyond the Dragon Gate the path becomes perfectly straight. On either side are large black stones surrounded by carefully raked white sand. The path passes under a red Torii gate before encountering the low stone building at the far side of the garden. The building runs the full length of the west wall and is open to the garden. Large prayer wheels line the opening and are turned by the breeze or visiting people. The walls within the building are heavily decorated and covered in hanging scrolls. At the centre of the building is a shrine, covered in candles. Behind it is a mural depicting scenes of a warrior, a golden dragon, and the sun. Sitting on the shrine a wooden statue of a warrior, sitting in meditation, his sword set aside. The wood is lacquered and carefully inlaid with delicate patterns in gold. From the statue emanates a strong aura of peace, which spreads throughout the entire property.

NPCs

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Hideki - A large man with a red face and a long nose, he is most often found in the kitchen, cooking up tasty things.
Hanako - An older woman, her black hair streaked with grey. She is Hideki's wife and most often found behind the counter serving tea.
Sakura - A lovely young woman and the daughter of Hideki and Hanako. She acts as a waitress and sometimes plays music.

OOC: Please Read. Important information.

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The Teahouse and garden are protected by an aura of non-violence. Violent acts cannot be committed here. You cannot attack another patron or do anything that would cause them bodily harm. Anyone who attempts it will find it extremely hard to convince themselves to do it. If a particularly willful person overcomes this compulsion, something in the environment will intervene, as if by seemingly random chance, to protect their victim as if by divine intervention. Because that's exactly what it is.

Needle and Thread (Blue Zone, Player: Artemis97)

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On one side of a wide cobblestoned street is a small shop. The sign hanging over the door depicts a simple spool of thread, pierced by a needle. No words were included, as a courtesy to those who could not read, nor were they needed. It was clear from the merchandise displayed in the two large windows on either side of the door that this was a clothing boutique. The right side displayed the latest in women's fashions, dresses and skirts in unique designs, all detailed by hand with beading and embroidery. The left window showed men's clothing, from a beautifully tailored three piece suit, cut from expensive fabrics, to the very best in adventuring style, rugged and sturdy, clearly built to last.

Inside, racks and mannequins display more clothing, split down the middle between men's and women's fashions. The back wall held rolls of fabric, some plain, others with obviously magical properties. A large, three-sided mirror sits in the back corner, next to a small changing stall. On the other side is a small counter holding a cash register, behind that the door that led to a small workroom.

The Needle and Thread is a clothing shop specializing in custom tailoring and speciality designs. It is owned and operated by Lillith Rock, and the kindly fiendish woman can usually be found behind the counter, or working on orders in the back workroom.

Pontius' Custom Constructs (Player: Earl of Purple, Grey Zone)

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The caravan of 6 wagons (I never said 3! Well, I did, but still.) arrives at a warehouse, previously for sale. The gnomes lead the golems and other constructs inside, and get to work. The warehouse has an open yard at the main entrance, and several golems, like crude figures of worked stone or wood, stand in the yard. A gnome wearing an apron over smart-yet-practical artisan's clothes and puts a sign up.


Pontius's Custom Constructs
Golems of Any Material* at Unbelievably Low Prices!!!**
You Won't Find a Golem, Gargoyle, Guardian or Homonculus Cheaper!!***
Come Now and Buy 1 Get 1 Full Price!!!****



*Flesh has an additional charge. **Define 'low'. ***Except at our competitors. ****Terms and conditions apply.

Sanctuary Fortress of Zoemaytare (Player: Rebonack, Blue Zone)

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Like so many other prominent buildings in Town, or not so prominent buildings for that matter, this place seemed to pop up out of nowhere over night.

Buildings are like mushrooms in Town. Probably spread via spores, too.

Regardless, here it is. A rather sizeable campus marble hewn from the mountains some distance away. Carved and hauled here near the edge of the slums where they were no doubt assembled. Though... no one can quite place a finger on when this happened.

Though the buildings aren't of only cold hard stone, no. There are timbers as well. Not what one might expect, however. They seem almost organic. As though they had grown into place rather than being hewn.

Oddness aside, the temple is arranged in a rather interesting fashion. Several concentric wall and courtyards ending in a central temple.

The outer wall is lower than the rest, each tier of the temple built onto higher ground like a wedding cake. Each wall is topped with a roof supported on the inside by pillars, creating a sheltered walkway. The exact use of these porches depends on the section of the temple one happens to be in.

Anyone is allowed entry through the first wall and into the first court, the Court of Meeting. Beyond the second wall only worshippers of Zoemaytare are allowed admittance to the second court, the Court of the Blessed. Beyond the third wall only the priests are allowed, where they carry out holy rituals within the temple itself.

The Court of Meeting is dedicated to service of those the worshippers of Zoemaytare dwell among. Food is prepared for the hungry here and given out without expectation of recompense. Those without a place to lay their head are allowed to sleep within the porch. The grounds beyond the porch are devoted to a wondrous garden boasting vibrancy and spectacular color. This are is always comfortably warm and brimming with life. Wounds heal faster as the body is refreshed. Undead creatures will find that remaining here is decidedly uncomfortable.

The sky above the temple seems to be perpetually clear, filled with pleasant sunlight in the day and cloaked with gossamer stars at night. Benches are set up here and there, under trees with hanging branches and above fragrant shrubbery. A lively stream flows endlessly in a circuit about the Court, spilling into several larger pools and meandering up a small outcrop of stone before cascading back down the other side.

This section of the temple is tended by members of the faith. Not priests, though devote. They can be found tending the garden and serving warm food. When in service to the temple these devotees wear a white linen ephod bearing the symbol of a willow tree, ornately rendered in blue thread. They'll be more than happen to answer any questions. Priests tend to have stricter ceremonial garb, including a blue tunic and white robe in addition to the ephod.

Welcome, traveller. May you be more blessed when you leave than when you came.

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New information that isn't readily noticeable at first glance at the temple will be added here.

The temple grounds are protected by a dampening field that blocks unauthorized teleporation and dimensional shifting. The place is something of a fortress after all. Being able to pop in and out at will would defeat the purpose.

Zoemaytare isn't a god of (fill in the black) but rather the patron and protector of her people. As such, her domain, if she even has one, is over all that her people do. The people in question are collectively known as the Zoeos, and this particular temple is their first major venture into Town. At present their stated goal is to set up trade relations and aid the city. This is ministered through the temple on account of the Zoeos government being a theocracy.

It just so happens that there's a dungeon under the temple, though the entrance to it is well hidden.

NPCs thus far:

Potentate of the temple: the head priest and administrator. He has yet to be seen 'on screen' though he has been referred to.

Regent Zachius: And elderly human with a coppery complexion and deep-set wrinkles, the sort of face one expects of a person who has spent a great deal of time in the sun smiling. He's a kind old fellow who is in charge of the Court of Meeting.

Regent Stephen: A younger human who smells rather distinctly of wolf. He's in charge of the dungeons of the temple and seems to be a rather caring and compassionate fellow. It's his job to bring the cases of prisoners before the Potentate.

Regent Thadeus: One of the priests who aids in minor upkeep in the temple proper. He usually isn't seen outside the temple and since his position doesn't put him in much contact with the common folk he tends to be somewhat aloof and judgmental. Also happens to be an elf. Those snooty elves!

Bognus Thundershield: a lay dwarf that operates the temple's teleporter, primarily from Trog's. Though people can be 'ported in from elsewhere as well. While it isn't commonly known, this device can send people over rather long distances, though it's somewhat inaccurate when doing so. Bognus is a bit gruff, though generally good natured. He speaks with a thick Scottish Dwarven accent.

The Statue of Vyrn (Blue Zone)

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On a hill near Evergreen Gardens at an previously empty lot surrounded by spot lights now stands an over 300 feet tall (100 meters tall to be exact) mitharal statue of Emperor Vyrn. Whoever made it seems to have tried to come as close to his likeness as possible on a white mithral surface.
The emperor is dressed in his most most archetypical attire, one fist raised to the skies and another clutching a sword held against the ground. His face perfectly stoic as he overlooks Inside's harbor.
The statue is actually hollow and small groups of people are allowed to take the elevator up to be able to see the city from atop the statues head. Otherwise security is tight around the statue with a tall fence, guards and security cameras there to prevent people from defacing it.
At night the statue is still clearly visible thanks to the many spotlights illuminating it, still making it visible for anyone approaching the city, by day or night.

The Swordfish (Player: Gulaghar, Grey Zone)

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A new shop has opened up in Market Street. The building is a simple affair. A brick building with a massive chimney that constantly billows smoke. On the inside a massive forge dominates the far wall from the entrance. All manner of smithing equipment is carefully placed around the large room that dominates most of the building. Lining the two side walls are many tools for his craft, while lining the far wall are the products of that craft.

Swords, swords of all shapes and sizes. Some brutally efficient, simple weapons and others pieces of art that are no less functional. Each and every sword is obviously the work of a master.

And the master is always present. A great robot moves around the room, always working and experimenting with its remarkable talent. The machine is a hulking, bronze coloured humanoid. The robot has a number of slides and doors, implying there's more to it than is immediately apparent. Finally, at its head is a glass dome, filled with water. Dominating the container is a great carp, as big as a man. It gazes at it's work with eyes that know little more than hate. Hate and its new inspiration.

Word travels quickly of this bizarre master swordsmith. Though it is quite fearsome, the quality of its blades are unmatched.

St. Guinevere's Sanatorium for Lunatics and Object Seekers (Player: Anyone, Gray Zone)

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This insane asylum exists for people questing after Objects from the Holders Mythos. Anyone can run an Object quest, but please look at the community agreed guidelines first as it helps keep things consistent.

If you want to use the Sanatorium for other uses, feel free, but expect it to be a house of unspeakable horrors.

The Temple of Dalachrech (Player: Earl of Purple, Grey Zone)

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The first room entered is a foyer. On the walls are red drapes with silver, two-tailed scorpions embroidered on to them, and next to the door is an ornate font. The granite font stands about waist height, and is a plinth with a bowl of unholy water. Winding around the font are carved centipedes. A door away from this chamber leads to the main prayer hall. This room also has drapes with the two-tailed scorpion device on the walls, and a red velvet carpet flanked by wooden pews leads to an altar at the far end. The altar is covered with red velvet, with a gold statue and red candles placed upon it. The statue depicts a demon with a centipede's body, a scorpion's tail with spinnerets next to the sting, a stag beetle's head and the claws of a praying mantis.

Please PM Earl of Purple before entering this location.

Trollfinger, Ironpick & Greencheek, Mining & Engineering (Player: Morty, Blue Zone)

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A run-down building near Trog's Tavern was bought by three goblin entrepreneurs with a large crew and now houses their mining and engineering company. Everyone who needs something dug, built, repaired or blown up is welcome.

Warwick Works (player: happyturtle, Grey Zone)

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In the industrial area, a building is rented and has a new sign put out front.

W
Warwick Works

The building itself consists of a small office area in front and warehouses in back. There is no indication of what sort of business this is, but a certain cyborg with a satellite might recognize the logo and name.

Witch Which's Wish Shop (Grey, Player: Haruki-kun)

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Welcome. If you have stepped into this store, it is because you have a wish.

The store is big, ancient and beautiful. It has a large garden with colourful flowers, a pond with fish and running water, and chirping birds. This is the outside of the store. The inside, however, is, to put it simply, gloomy. There’s burning candles and incense everywhere. From the hall where you enter you are led off into a side room with a low table and cushions around it. A tall, masked and unnamed stranger brings tea and snacks to the guests. The Witch sits opposite and rarely ever moves.

RULES (OOC):

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This is a Wish shop. Your character will only enter this shop if he has a wish. Whether the wish is granted or not is a different issue.
Witch Which is in charge of the shop and will grant wishes to everyone who asks, regardless of intent or alignment, as long as the appropriate price is paid. Under certain conditions:

Condition one: Witch Which will not haggle. She couldn’t lower a price or overcharge even if she wanted to. A balance must be kept in order for the wish to be granted.

Condition two: When a Wish directly affects another player’s character in a way that would be considered godmodding, the other player must agree first.

Condition three: The Witch may not reject any wish unless the price is too high to be paid. Wishes to take a life or to destroy the world, for example, carry a price higher than anyone can pay. ANYONE.

Condition Four: The Witch will never engage in battle. Be glad. The Witch is the very definition of True Neutral.

Condition Five: The store is not hard to access; in fact, there’s a big sign outside and everything. However, the store’s grounds exist in a special separate dimension, protecting it from anything that could destroy it, up to and including plot.

Condition Six: Haruki-kun reserves the right to alter the conditions if he feels they’re causing problems such as godmodding or similar issues.

(Haruki-Kun wishes for a PM to be sent to him upon someone entering the shop so he knows about it.)

Intersection HQ- LordDeathkeeper

Recently re-branded, this large but basic structure serves as the new HQ for Intersection, separate from previous Remnant associations. It's well-guarded but given a nice blue-grey paint job and is meant to look more personable and comforting than the stark look of the Empire. It is reasonably, but not heavily guarded. This building is where deputized Intersection groups may seek out the chief of police, Nick Richards.

Inside's Defenses and RemnantIntersection

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Defenses

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As stated above, the city of Inside is defended by the Walls, Moat and DOOM-Shield, but it is also defended by a more "mundane" force field that can be called upon in times of need, as well as a number of more conventional defensive capabilities, nearly all of which are manned and controlled by Intersection. These include things from Emergency Bunkers, Relief Stations, Anti-Aircraft Cannon, and the like.

Intersection

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As stated before, Intersection is Inside's police force, army, and main defensive body. It is made up of the remains of what was once the Acronymian Empire, and now has again become Insides's police force containing members from Remnant, the Altaran Irregulars and other Revived Empire units, and consists of hundreds of men, women, elves, ponies, bugs, indescribable organisms, and machines, both soldier and civilian, sacrificing their daily lives and time to make sure the city of Inside is relatively safe for it's citizens. There are Intersection Outposts all throughout the city, with the main HQ in Blue Zone, and less Outposts in Red Zone. These can be reached fairly easily, and allow people to report crimes, turn in criminals, collect bounties, and even ask to be recruited. Intersection controls most of Inside's defenses, but also controls Rapid Response Units capable of stopping fires, providing emergency medical aide, and even disaster relief to clean up debris and fix buildings and roads damaged by the day to day events of Inside.

Squads of Intersection patrol the streets "every so often" and should anyone need one, can interact with them (Please check in OOC upon doing so, however).

As a note, Low-Level Intersection officers can be Godmodded! They can be assumed to fight the fires that pop up, but can also be asked to provide basic information. This also means that they can be bribed for less well-known information such as someone's name and rank, or to look the other way for a small crime, such as theft. Anything more, please post in OOC in case there is something that needs clarified. The Intersection grunts can be godmodded to be killed on occasion, but if it happens too fast, too often, one of the Intersection players may step in and RP it out. Once again, please post in OOC if you plan on killing a Intersection NPC.

What is NOT Godmoddable:

-Getting Security Codes
-Accessing Secure Areas
-Killing off more than one or two NPCs at a time, or killing a Named Intersection NPC/PC
-Stealing Identities
-Destroying Intersection facilities

It is not impossible for these to happen, but with proper warning provided to a Intersection player, it can be RP'd out and attempted. However, it should be noted that only Low-Ranking Intersection officers can be Godmodded in this way.

[Rebonack]

[A Hobo]

"The new thread is here!" shrieks a raving madman standing on the lip of a fountain. He's all bundled up in old, filthy coats, wearing mittens that have seen years of service. His hair is ratty and disheveled, his gaze wild. Nearby rests a sandwich board with 'THE END IS NEAR!' written on it, though 'NEAR!' has been crossed out and replaced with 'HERE!'. "The end came and no one noticed! NO ONE NOTICED! NO ONE BUT ME!"

He's ranting at everyone filtering by trying to get their boxing day nonsense finished.

Just a harmless hobo, though, right?

Probably that guy who used to rail about how the end was near when Inside threads reached fifty?

The threads have slowed down over the years, so he hasn't been getting out as much. But then he dropped off altogether.

But now here he is at the beginning of a thread.

What's up with that?

"The end has come! It's come upon us all! UPON US ALL! THE END OF THREAD IS HERE!"

Obviously this guy is just crazy and this isn't some kind of awful portent with any additional meaning.

[Recaiden]

Stuck Square

Jack orders a basic black coffee, no milk and only one spoon of sugar. Also a biscuit to dunk in it. She'll pay for both drinks (unless Anchor insists) with a leather strip from which a number of square bronze coins with holes stamped in the middle.

And so they'll head to the dehydrated aquarium, possibly followed by their shadows. Depending on how social the shadows are feeling, I guess.

"Oh, thanks Jack. I mean, you didn't have to get me that." Anchor says, not insisting on paying herself. She appreciates it, even though the economy is just part of the veil of illusion that covers the world, and not really a big deal.
She sips the drink quickly as they head up the stairs and across the square.

Inside the Aquarium, a talking manatee in a tub behind the desk gets them their tickets.
In the first exhibit hall, one can see absolutely zero tanks full of water. Rather, fish, otters, dolphins, and turtles swim through the air, separated from the 'hallways' by nothing more than some rope queueing barriers. Some swim overhead (at least eight feet up from the floor). The walls are rock and sand and seaweed, as if the whole place were underwater. They're just lacking the water.

Anchor's shadow thinks an aquarium doesn't sound much fun. It's never been much for sea creatures. Why don't they check out the alleys and corners of this twisting square?

Hive Sewers - Captive

"Um, I got lost. I still am lost, actually." She gulps and is a little relieved she's moved away from the bottomless pit of probable death. She doesn't necessarily cooperate with the movement, though, so her feet are dragged. She winces as the knife is eaten; she swiped that from her first gang boss, when he tried to move her out of a thieving gang and into another line of work that he thought would make more profit- in the short term, at least, but gang leaders don't last long. The short term is often the only term they have.

Well, sometimes you exchange your keepsake of a past gang for a terrifying memory of being ambushed by sewer monsters. That's just the way of things.
The monster shifts its grip (possibly presenting an opportunity to twist away and run) to spin the Tineye around.
"This is the Kingdom of Eurus, beneath the endless battlefield. You were heading to the County of Art, which lies west-southwest of Trog's Tavern." Surely you know of that fixed and reliable landmark, Trog's Tavern.

The monster that caught her looks kinda humanoid, actually. Two arms, two legs, one head.
Sure, there's a pair of metallic tentacles above her arms and a pair of wings folded on her back, but tons of people have wings.
Sure, there's mechanical pistons and shock-absorbers emerging from the living skin of her legs and the wings' webbing looks to be plastic, but lots of people are cyborgs.
Sure, there's a catlike flash to her orange eyes and her skin looks like a poison dart frog, but weird-colored people, in the Nexus you can't swing a catgirl without hitting one.
Sure, she's got lots of spikes, an orange line running from between her lips and down the chin to her neck, and has a cluster of segmented antennae instead of hair, but that's basically just a fashion statement.
None of this is weird and the Tineye shouldn't be concerned by it.

"Tell me about yourself, lost one, and we'll decide what to do with you."

[Deathkeeper]

[A Hobo]

Nick ruffles his feathers against the cold. He hates the cold. All those troopers whining about patrolling the Mojave don't know what they're talking about. Still, he's not in a rush, so he's choosing to walk and window-shop instead of just flying home in ten minutes.
And yet he passes this guy, who gives him that strange, crawling feeling. Like he's saying something that is somehow true, to someone, or in some way. Geneva did it to him once, when they first met. Fortuna did it every day. He can't forget that feeling. It annoys him immensely.
"Hey, come on man. Do you really have to?" he asks, more to himself than to the man. He's not exactly expecting a coherent response from this guy.

[Chaotic Bob]

Spoiler: A Small Chapel

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[A Small Chapel]

Yes, but those rats had no training! And a few more seconds and the librarian would have spitted me! I was only hanging on because I was being helped! And I know you can’t do that for me all day. I could feel it. What am I supposed to do if I’m expected to do something for hours? I’m not physically cut out for this! I’m built for climbing trees! And I can’t even do that for very long! He mentally grumbles. He remembers the feeling the spear gave him. Like he could have been as big and strong as any hero on the cover of a trashy book.
No one would ever take a wimp like me serious as a hero.
Though he does admit. In the Nexus, there’s always a way to cheat at something.

Aw come-
Hero, you-

Both of the chattering voices are cut off rather abruptly, as if someone tapped Mute on their metaphorical channels.
Everything, really, seems to have gotten very quiet. The world is hushed and seems...blurred, a little. Like someone replaced it with a quality watercolor rendition of what it should be.
Moving his hand in front of himself will leave a smeary afterimage for a moment, that slowly fades away.

G'nichi. Are you afraid of dying, or are you afraid of being a disappointment?
The quiet item finally speaks, in a drifting sort of tone that seems to perfectly embody the watercolor smearing of the world around him. Unlike the excitement and boldness of the other two, this one seems utterly, perfectly calm.
This is the infectiously calm that rallies routing battles, soothes panicked crowds in disaster, and lulls children.

Spoiler: Golden Flock Orphanage

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[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Melissa blows a raspberry at the deepening shadows.

Just because.

Lucas notices the spooky effect and breaks off a garlic wedge. He tosses it into the darkness just to see what will happen.

"Do you think there might be some kind of extra mean ghost that was holding all those other spirits here?" Melissa wonders aloud.

"I really don't know too much about ghosts," Lucas admits. "But I did read that powerful spirits will slave other ghosts sometimes. Like what cait sith do."

The awful faerie cats gives a wistful sigh. "I just want a few pet ghosts of my own..."

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

”Lissa, what did I tell you about doing horrible faerie things to the souls of the undeparted?”
Isaac thought he was very clear that she couldn’t go around eating any old ghost! He’s barely comfortable with her snatching the dangerous and non-sapient ones.
”There probably is a master spook here. Wherever the ‘core’ of the place is.” With places like this it can be the heart of the building or the center of the damage.

The garlic bounces off into the shadows!
It sits on the floor, slightly harder to see.
Exciting.

Unless the group wishes to hang out and discuss things in here for awhile longer, there remains an exit towards the back or they can return to the front with its multitude of options (stairs up, two hallways lined with doors).
Or perhaps they do something else entirely. It's a mystery!

[Deathkeeper]

A Small Chapel

Calm.
G’nichi hasn’t felt so calm in ages. It’s-bizarre almost. He can’t help but marvel at the strange effect on the world around him. And the voice.
Oh. Well. I think you’d have to be crazy not to be scared of dying. Unless you’re very driven or just...ready. But um. I suppose I am more worried about the latter. I just...I am just...me. And that’s not what any of you should be dealing with.” he mentally whispers to the instrument.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

The voice's tone remains steady, expressing no disappointment or reprisal towards G'nichi's answer.
Being who we are is all that anyone can hope to be. You hurt only yourself with thoughts of unworth, severing yourself from the offered hands of others and opportunity.
There is no expectation that you will walk out that door today and establish utopia for all. You will be who you are, with the wisdom of others to nurture your talents.

Accept your fears and shames, but do not let them reign over you. We see you, G'nichi. You are worthy.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

G’nichi gulps.
Oh. Well. I. Appreciate it. Really. Um.
I hope you don’t mind if I still ask for help? I can’t imagine I’ll get anything done spending three years trying to get myself in shape. I...I do want to try to live up to all of this. I’m sure Lord Bahamut would not have sent you all to me otherwise. I just...think I need more prep?
Maybe he isn’t considering things the way an honorable person would. But he is just not keen on spending years prepping to do things half as well as he can with the weapons’ help.
Would the other two know?

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

Use that which is available to you and you will never be out of your depth.

And then the smearing sharpens into the normal view of the world, and with it sound returns to G'nichi's senses as well.
-d bat will probably lecture forever.
Be respectful. Ah, our hero returns. More inspired, we hope?

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

A bat? It seems like more of a rod. Or is it a bat like the animal? Bats are cute.
Um. Yes. I think. I was just discussing my...attributes. Well I think that I want to help, but I meant what I said that it’ll be ages before I think I’m physically capable of any of this without your direct interference. And fixing my image wouldn’t hurt. So...yes. If you have any ways for someone to get in shape quickly I would like to know.” If people can be turned into sheep and newts on a regular basis, he’s sure there’s some way to easily get in shape.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

It is our purpose to help you be the hero you are meant to be. Don't feel bad about accepting our help.
That is sort of the point of magical items, after all. To get cool abilities/perks.

But if you want something more fun to help you out...go outside and hold me up for a minute!

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

Oh. Well. There’s instructions so simple even he can’t mess it up.
And so follow them G’nichi will. He’ll have to explain himself to the little priestess but he doesn’t expect difficulty there.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

As expected, as soon as he leaves that small room, he'll attract her attention.
The little room is attached to a small version of the typical religious building room: a little podium for the leader positioned before a few rows of benches for attendees to sit in.
Currently, there's just the little girl chatting to a handsome eagle-headed bird fellow in a tunic, both of whom turn G'nichi's way when he makes an appearance.
"Heartening to see you awake, little friend."
The birdfellow makes a little bowing head bob, in lieu of a smile his beak does not permit, but the girl is not stopped from any such facial movement.
"All good to go?"

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

G’nichi bows his head politely to his living, breathing friends.
”Yes, thank you. Thank both of you. I shouldn’t need much guidance once I know where I am. I have some minor business to attend to anyway on my way back.” he explains cheerily. Not that he wishes to part from this nice girl so quickly, but the staff is already getting him excited.

[bc56]

A pickpocketing!

"Stop! Thief!" A shout rings out. The speaker, a disheveled, middle-aged human man chases after a young-looking gith woman in what appears to be a prison jumpsuit.

Why would there be a prisoner running around loose here?
Presumably because there's a prison nearby. There is. It's an older, privately operated penitentiary, a street or two over from here.

Anyway
Back on topic.
The gith has a crazed expression on her face, and she's clearly clutching the man's wallet in her fist as she sprints away from him and into a dark alley.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

The birdfellow does that odd head bow again.
"Gods willing, a future meeting will be under brighter skies. Warm winds guide you, little friend."
He seems like a nice guy.

"Well, I need to head off anyway, so I'll at least see you out the door."
G'nichi may not need to be walked home, but that doesn't stop this!

Ooooh. An audience!

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

G’nichi bows his head again and follows the girl out the door. He’s glad the bird fellow didn’t comment on the staff.
Speaking of, he has told hold this thing up, right?
”Excuse me a moment. The spirit in this staff asked me to hold her up once I got outside.” he explains hastily. He was going to wait until the girl left but the staff seemed to want her around to see the magic go off.

[Earl of Purple]

Creepy Victorian Deathtrap

Jack's too busy reading the note to notice her companion wander off, and then opening the package to find out what is within. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but nobody said anything about curiosity and crows.

When she looks up, her first reaction to finding herself alone is to leave the room and check the staircase. Finding it missing, she'll try the dumbwaiter.

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum

The glass and the locks on all the cabinets are alarmed, disturbing either will trigger a remote alarm- presumably in whatever office or control centre where the person who spoke to the unconscious oaf on radio is located. Possibly further afield, too. The alarms work so long as electricity is running through them, so if Larza wanted to risk it, she could possibly disable the alarm by following the wiring and cutting it where it enters the room. Alternately, the floors of the cases aren't alarmed; if Larza could manage to break in from below without disturbing either lock or glass, she might be able to avoid them entirely.

Stuck Square

"Oh, wow. This is pretty cool. No glass in the way of viewing the fish." Jack's lumping a lot under the 'fish' umbrella. She looks around in amazement. "And there's no murky water, either." The air may still be murky, however. Depends on if there's airborne plankton in the aquarium as well as all the animals of various sorts.

Jack's shadow agrees with Anchor's, and follows the other shadow further away from the lifelong companion that is Jack.

Hive Sewers- Captive

Without a knife, the Tineye doesn't want to run- she might bump into anything down here, and that's not great. She decides to twist away anyway, but by that point the opportunity's closed. She looks at the figure, who is rather scary-looking but (unless I miss my guess) is trying to manipulate her perceptions so she isn't scared- and this is something her anti-emotional Allomantic training is actually useful for, since it's trying to affect how she feels. She's scared, but aware that it's trying to appear less scary. "Um, well, I've been here a while. I found myself in Inside after the canal I thought would take me to Luthadel didn't. So... So I've been living the way I'm used to, with theft and burglary. That's why I came down here- it was an escape route from my last job." She's still got the rucksack full of someone else's belongings, so any lies she might tell would be caught out sooner or later.

[Rebonack]

[A Hobo]

"You!" the hobo shouts as soon as Nick comes within view. This prompts several people to glance briefly at the griffin before returning to whatever they were doing before. "YOU! This is all your fault! All the fault of people like you! It was never meant to be like this! It's all wrong! ALL WRONG! You ruined it! Ruined everything! But now the end of thread is here! No more threads for anyone! No more string! No more yarn!"

He begins struggling against his jacket ripping it off and throwing it into the slushy snow.

"No more threads for anyone! We will at last be free!"

Oh great.

Now he's trying to pull off his second jacket.

"We will be free of the great lie!" the hobo rants as he tosses his unpleasant smelling jacket at the griffin, revealing a hideous Thanksmas sweater below it. "This City is lie! You! Everything about YOU is a lie! Nothing but lies and strings all the way down!"

Yeah this guy is pretty nuts.


[Golden Flock Orphanage]

"You didn't tell me nothing!" Melissa insists before trotting off through the door in the back of the cafeteria.

Deeper in, it would appear.

Lucas follows, the sage still held aloft. He isn't sure how great it would work against a more powerful ghost but hey better than nothing right?

[Deathkeeper]

[A Hobo]

Nick casually bats the flying jacket out of the air with his wing before it can hit him in the face. And more importantly, his nose.
"Well, good luck with that, buddy. I'll make sure I send someone to pick you up if you're gonna keep yelling at passer-by. Don't freeze to death." Nick says with a shrug of his wings, trotting off. He'll have to find someone to this corner at some point. Can't have people throwing stuff at pedestrians.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Isaac rolls his eyes and follows the pair, retrieving the tossed garlick to toss back to Lucas. He's going to have WORDS with Melissa later.

[Ionbound]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

The young woman turns around when she sees the other end of the dumbwaiter to tell Jack that she'd found the other end, but when she realizes the bird-person isn't with her she swears and mutters, "Well...I guess we're dealing with this alone now." She shakes her head and walks back to the dumbwaiter, opening it to see if there's anything inside.

[Recaiden]

[Stuck Square]

If it goes in the water, it's a fish, right? *pushes Earl into the tank*

No real amount of plankton here, so the air's pretty clear.
"Woah, yeah. Not what I expected. Do you think they have special animals, or is it the air in here that lets them do that?"

Outside, in their wanderings, the shadows might find that each of the eight stairways supposedly leading out of the square wrap around different blocks, even when they should be two sides of the same location. Here's a stack of tenements, the stairs crowded with people of all descriptions coming and going - but somehow, almost all of them are climbing upstairs. Anchor's shadow races here to there along the walls; it looks less like her now, with wild wavy hair and a fluffy tail trailing behind it.
It waves a suggestion to Jack's shadow - could she become a bird's shadow and fly around this place?

[Hive Sewers - Captive]

That's right. The figure is a little annoyed that the manipulation of impressions doesn't seem to be working. It must have been done wrong somehow.

"Were you working with anyone else on your last theft? Any other lost burglars down here with you? Tell me about them. And don't speak so loud."
The figure waves a clawed finger disapprovingly at the Tineye.

The hound looks up from its snack and hisses.
"Do you have some special power? Tell me about it."
The stalker is smiling, eyes wide.

[Rebonack]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought her back.

Of course, cats have nine lives. How many do jackdaws have?

Opening the package Jack finds... something. Something not unlike the Icon she had discovered in the sea cave. There are differences, however. This one resonates with a different power, however. A different purpose. Where the other watched and comprehended and slumbered and desired this one grows. She can feel it growing right there in her hands, roots spreading across and around and through everything around it. It is, however, incomplete. It longs to be reunited with that which was broken asunder.

Maybe if she completes it...

It will allow Jack to leave the house?

Maybe that's what happened to everyone else. They weren't able to understand or finish the shattered relic's wants and so they were consumed.

As for the dumbwaiter, moving it isn't hard. But it can't be moved while ALSO being inside it. Hmm...

Meanwhile!

The dumbwaiter is opened down in the kitchen, revealing only the rope and pulley system that moves it. The box is likely still up in the servants quarters on the second floor.

Also?

Further down into the darkness, deeper in the dumbwaiter shaft, the woman can hear writhing.

The unsettling slurping, slithering sounds are drawing closer at an alarming rate.


[Hobo]

As Nick continues walking away the hobo continues ranting at him. Judging from the murmurs of passersby, it sounds like the guy has completely disrobed and is shrieking at the top of his lungs about an end to, and freedom from, threads.

He'll probably get cold really quick.

It's pretty nippy today!

Once Nick has moved about a block and a half away he may be surprised to discover-

"Repent! Repent for the end of thread has come! REPENT!"

Exactly the same hobo standing on top of a bench, but wearing a different outfit (as opposed to nothing) along with his sandwich board.

That's... kind of weird? More than a few pedestrians have noticed the same thing and are passing ideas back and forth. A few are filming the weirdness.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Hobo]

Well, Nick has one thing that a lot of people don't have.
Nick Richards can fly.
So he does! Up, a little past the top of the building. Is the guy really in both places at the same time?
Or did he just move when no one was looking?

[Earl of Purple]

Creepy Victorian Deathtrap

Well, that is worrying. Jack's going to check the other footlocker, just in case there's a piece in the other one. She's also unable to put the relic in her bag; she can't help but keep hold of it.

After, she'll head back out of the room and holds her relic in front of the other doors. She's hoping it'll vibrate, hum, or glow as she approaches another fragment, because that will make finding the rest easy. If not, she'll just go through the door furthest from the children's bedroom.

[Ionbound]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

On reflex the woman slams the dumbwaiter closed whens she hears the writhing. After a moment though, she opens it again and peers inside and down the shaft, morbid curiosity to see what exactly she's dealing with outweighing fear.

[Rebonack]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

We'll start upstairs first.

In the second foot-locker is a pair of skeletons dressed in a moldering servant's outfits. Judging from the way their skulls are bashed in it is pretty clear what the cause of death was. Something about the bones seems off, but it is difficult to tell exactly what at a glance. The relic, unfortunately, doesn't offer any clues regarding the whereabouts of the its lost fragments. It does, however, have a sense of urgency to it. The other pieces MUST be found. It could make this place so beautiful if only it were whole.

The south door leads into a rather fancy conservatory, the walls decorated with polished wood and carved alabaster depicting men and women, boys and girls, all in joyful dancing and singing. There's a large piano near the fireplace and a floor harp stands next to a lone chair. Upholstered chairs line the walls and diaphanous drapes allow plentiful sunlight to filter into the room. Sitting atop the mantle of the fireplace is a single silver bell.

Meanwhile, downstairs!

The woman's first impulse is probably a good one. The awful sounds stop as soon as she slams the door shut.

The woman's second impulse probably isn't quite so good. This time she isn't met by gloom and a pulley system. She's met by a dumbwaiter shaft crammed full of wriggling, ropy black vines covered in thorns that look more like teeth and horns. A single, huge sheep-like eye is staring back at her. For several awful moments it just sits there, staring at her, filling the air with the pungent scent of sweet incense as oil oozes from the edges of the dumbwaiter. Then? A mass of tendrils lash out of the hole in the wall, seeking to wrap around the poor woman and drag her down into the basement.

This is very likely a bad thing and she may way to avoid allowing them to do that.


[Hobo]

Nick takes to the sky!

From his vantage point he'll be able to see that, yes, the hobo appears to be in two places at once.

Wait... no. Three places. There's another standing in the flower bed of that garden over there.

Actually, make that four. There's another one ranting in front of a ruined toy store that had been setting possessed dolls and ended up getting torched by a group of vigilantes last week.

Hmm.

Either this guy has lots of identical siblings or something weird is going on.

[Earl of Purple]

Creepy Victorian Deathtrap

Huh, Jack's a little surprised the bones aren't home to a nest of weird mushrooms. But they do look weird; Jack has seen corpses before, and these ones certainly seem off.

Jack enters the new room and walks to the windows, running her finger through the harp's strings as she goes past. Her ultimate aim is to open the drapes, so she can see out of them and hopefully observe the outside world. She has a horrible feeling that what she will instead find beyond the drapes are solid brick walls, with maybe a painting on. Or possibly just more of the black vines and horrid mycellium. She's also glanced at the bell, since it's small and shiny.

[Deathkeeper]

Hobo

Well. This is.
Strange. And worrying. Nick doesn’t know how to look for the occult, and talking to them already didn’t work.
Time to call it in. Nick puts a call in and twenty minutes later an Intersection diviner is looking for the presence of something in this region of the city. Maybe they can at least tell if there’s a fae or a demon or CHAOS! Moving into the neighborhood.
Or maybe they’re just a bunch of angry clones and he can go home.

[Ionbound]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

The woman's eyes widen as she stares at the eye and tentacles. After a moment, she screams and as it begins to lash out at her she draws back and thrusts the sword directly at the creature's eyeball, hoping to disable it! Of course, this does leave her arm exposed so if it isn't disabled that could be...Bad.