Inside 73: Holiday Rush

**Rebonack** · 2021-11-09, 11:57 AM (ISO 8601)

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. Except Seaside. And Riverside. And Skyside. And all the other Sides that have cropped up in recent years. This strange, whimsical city is the center 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: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. 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 ~~Remnant~~Intersection

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Defenses

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As stated above, the city of Inside is defended by the Walls, moat, and a 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.

**bc56** · 2021-11-09, 12:33 PM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
It's one thing to want to kill Lizzie. Many do. It's another to actually pull it off, and she knows that. In Miranda's mind like this, the only way Miranda could hurt Lizzie would be to kill herself, and that wouldn't even kill the intruder, just leave her bodiless again. She joyously lets Miranda know this through a series of images and emotions, silently laughing all the while.

**Recaiden** · 2021-11-09, 12:47 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Fenric

The thing takes notice of the light and while there are no visible eyes it clearly turns to face the pair. several black slimy tentacles rise from the water and it approaches much faster than one might hope: clearly a Black Ooze of some sort, probably from the outer wild caverns rather than anything that was ever intended to be here.

Omiko herself smirks. Yet another creature that's supposed to be fictional, right here in front of her.
"Cute!" murmurs one of the spare mouths.
Ignoring that, she aims her ray gun at the ooze, the weapon adjusts its setting to 'kill', and- 'zap!'

A little voice at the back of her mind notes-
Careful. Many attacks will just split it into smaller oozes.
Huh.

**Vahnavoi** · 2021-11-09, 12:57 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Hazel winces at the suggestion, her hand balling into a fist as she nearly impulsively decks Bunny then and there. Gross! How could she even consider asking that of her, knowing the first thing she was going to do was try to get in touch with her wife?! That cheeky little-

Hazel sighs and forces herself to calm down. It's not... really cheating exactly, is it? She's doing this because she loves Hana and wants to make sure she's okay. That made this pretty much the opposite of being unfaithful, then, right?

...Still gross, though.

"Is... is dat it, den?" Hazel asks. "We sw..." She makes a face and grimaces, trying to banish the mental image- or more accurately, sensation- from her head while she gets the words out, and finds that extremely difficult to do. "...We make out, an' you send me outta my body sos I can talk ta my wife?" She's still a little leery of the offer. In this prison, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Except, ironically, the free lunch. "...Whaddaya get outta dis?"

Bunny purses her lips and looks thoughtful. "Hmmm, what would I get out of it? Well, some things really are their own reward..."

There's a nefarious glint in the small woman's eyes. But she shakes it off and resumes a more neutral tone. "... but, in interest of mutual benefit, I have a boss outside. He can see ghosts. Look out for a guy who always hides his face and bears the symbol of a snake biting its own tail. Tell him Bunny sent you... and that you're really not dead yet, if he asks. It would be inconvenient if he prematurely sends you to Hell or something."

**bc56** · 2021-11-09, 01:33 PM (ISO 8601)

Fenric's Quest
Selekhael hops up to the wall and runs along it, pulling out a pistol which seems to be made from dried-out worm-eaten wood and fires a bolt entropic power from it at the slime. Just normal barmaid things... Riiiiight.

**Shadowcaller** · 2021-11-09, 01:49 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Rebonack

[Midnight Park]

Hug complete.

Can equestrians sew with their hooves?

Technically, yes.

Practically?

Unicorns and kirins are the ponies that typically get talents related to crafts that require fine dexterity. Being able to levitate objects helps quite a bit. But that doesn't stop some very talented ponies from other tribes from existing.

Regardless!

"Fine Thread just put it together for you," Lavender says as she offers the outfit to Jaahlyn. "He's in charge of making most of the uniforms and outfits for the po-err-people of the Court. He said your unusual figure made the work challenging and enjoyable."

And fast.

It's been... what?

Maybe an hour at most?

"Once you're dressed we can show you to your temporary quarters here in the palace," Sudsy says. "You'll have some time to get settle before your audience with the Princess."

[Midnight Park]

Jaahlyn takes the cloth and gives it a close inspection, her hands moving across its fabric gently as if she was afraid that her mere touch would cause it to fall apart.
She seems to like what she feels though. "I've... I've never worn anything this lovely." She bows so deeply that her forehead nearly touches the ground. "Please send my regards to Fine Thread for making this. I'm forever grateful for the chance to wear something like this."

She wasn't sure what they meant by 'unusual figure' though. Probably her tauric (that's what people called it, right?) nature. Usually people just made clothing for her upper half so if Fine Thread had made clothing for her lower part that was going to be interesting indeed.

"But- ah, that sounds like an idea then. I'm quite grateful for meeting the Princess twice in one day." The satyr chuckles. "She must like me."

**Fenric** · 2021-11-09, 01:52 PM (ISO 8601)

Where the ray hits the ooze directly, it burns a clean small hole that closes back up almost instantly: while nominally effective, this will take quite some time to destroy the thing. It does not seem to appreciate the sensation, though, and swings a thick black tentacle at Omiko with a surprising level of speed.

A bolt of entropy is simultaneously more effective, in that a section of the ooze shatters into a myriad of pieces, and less, in that each piece sprouts tentacles and shortly after a small swarm of them slimes their way up the wall toward Sekhmet! The ooze that was unaffected by the bolt is, well, unaffected - it flows back together and carries on as if nothing happened.

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-09, 02:03 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by bc56

Whisper on the Wind
It's one thing to want to kill Lizzie. Many do. It's another to actually pull it off, and she knows that. In Miranda's mind like this, the only way Miranda could hurt Lizzie would be to kill herself, and that wouldn't even kill the intruder, just leave her bodiless again. She joyously lets Miranda know this through a series of images and emotions, silently laughing all the while.

[Whisper on the Wind]

Shortly after making that declaration, Lizzie will feel her heart stop for a few beats, her lungs refuse to take in air, and a sharp, jerk-y motion in her jaw that seems to be an instinctual attempt at cracking open a cyanide pill (or some unknown futuristic equivalent) buried in one of her teeth.

It quickly becomes apparent that telling Miranda she could stop Lizzie with self-sacrifice isn't the rhetorical stopping point she would have hoped for.

Originally Posted by Vahnavoi

Bunny purses her lips and looks thoughtful. "Hmmm, what would I get out of it? Well, some things really are their own reward..."

There's a nefarious glint in the small woman's eyes. But she shakes it off and resumes a more neutral tone. "... but, in interest of mutual benefit, I have a boss outside. He can see ghosts. Look out for a guy who always hides his face and bears the symbol of a snake biting its own tail. Tell him Bunny sent you... and that you're really not dead yet, if he asks. It would be inconvenient if he prematurely sends you to Hell or something."

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

A snake biting its own tail.

"...Ouroboros..."

Hazel's eyes clear up and she turns to face Bunny. "Da name a' da symbol ya mentioned. Ouroboros." She sighs.

What were the odds that was a coincidence? She already knew GIN and ARC both had agents in the Nexus. Both used the Ouroboros as a calling card. And Bunny was clearly trying to help her; she wanted practically nothing in return, other than her meeting with this man.

This wasn't just a favor. This was a rendezvous.

"...Awright. Let's do dis."

**Recaiden** · 2021-11-09, 03:11 PM (ISO 8601)

[Fenric's Quest]

Originally Posted by bc56

Selekhael hops up to the wall and runs along it, pulling out a pistol which seems to be made from dried-out worm-eaten wood and fires a bolt entropic power from it at the slime. Just normal barmaid things... Riiiiight.

Originally Posted by Fenric

Where the ray hits the ooze directly, it burns a clean small hole that closes back up almost instantly: while nominally effective, this will take quite some time to destroy the thing. It does not seem to appreciate the sensation, though, and swings a thick black tentacle at Omiko with a surprising level of speed.

A bolt of entropy is simultaneously more effective, in that a section of the ooze shatters into a myriad of pieces, and less, in that each piece sprouts tentacles and shortly after a small swarm of them slimes their way up the wall toward Sekhmet! The ooze that was unaffected by the bolt is, well, unaffected - it flows back together and carries on as if nothing happened.

"Oh, catch one!" Those tiny slimes looks much more manageable.

Omiko is taken aback by how fast the thing moves, and is knocked against the wall. It doesn't seem to have hurt her too much - the slime would have felt that she was more spongy than humanoids usually are - but she's certainly disoriented.
That doesn't stop one of her spare mouths from stretching out on a pseudopod and trying to take a bite out of the tentacle.

**bc56** · 2021-11-09, 04:05 PM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
Lizzie's laughter just gets more uproarious. She sends to Miranda exactly what will happen if she goes through with this. She (Miranda) will die. And her friend, who owns this place, will find her corpse, and Lizzie will hop out of the corpse into the friend and the whole process will repeat. Miranda might as well give in now. That's how she could actually save everyone else from Lizzie.

Fenric's Quest
"What, why?" Selekhael grabs a little slime anyway and attempts to stuff it into her inventory. But in the meantime she's being swarmed and the creature are eating away at her flesh. She doesn't like it. She lets out a very inhuman roar, which should inflict crippling terror in anything that hears it, but are slimes even capable of feeling emotion?

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-09, 04:25 PM (ISO 8601)

[Whisper on the Wind]

Miranda stops stopping as what Lizzie is telling her sinks in. She's right; Vlad won't know not to get close to her body. If nothing else, he'd check for a pulse to confirm that she's just (apparently) passed out, which would put him touching her corpse. She's not sure how close Lizzie has to be in order to possess someone, but presumably that's close enough.

But giving up doesn't suit her, either. She's been in worse situations than...

Hang on.

She can't hurt Lizzie like this. But apparently, that cuts both ways; if Lizzie could just kill Miranda and take her body for her own, she would have done it. By the same logic, she probably couldn't force Lizzie out, either. But what about keeping her down, keeping her in? Then she could find someone who could deal with Lizzie more permanently.

What did the succubus have to say to that?

**bc56** · 2021-11-09, 08:47 PM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
Lizzie tauntingly invites Miranda to try. Bring her into the center of her mind and hold her there, in this fortress built through years and years of training. Does she even know how, psychically untalented as she is? Lizzie can think circles around her! This should be entertaining.

**Vahnavoi** · 2021-11-10, 01:47 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

A snake biting its own tail.

"...Ouroboros..."

Hazel's eyes clear up and she turns to face Bunny. "Da name a' da symbol ya mentioned. Ouroboros." She sighs.

What were the odds that was a coincidence? She already knew GIN and ARC both had agents in the Nexus. Both used the Ouroboros as a calling card. And Bunny was clearly trying to help her; she wanted practically nothing in return, other than her meeting with this man.

This wasn't just a favor. This was a rendezvous.

"...Awright. Let's do dis."

Bunny blinks and raises an eyebrow at Hazel's initial reaction, but such expressions quickly fade in favor of a conspirational smile. "Ouroboros. Yes", she confirms and gives a rapid glance around. "You want to do it right away? That's fine by me. But it's going to cause a ruckus when one of us drops. So, keep your eyes on the price. Your wife, I mean. Float away like a butterfly, don't look back, or you risk getting caught in the moment."

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-10, 08:07 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by bc56

Whisper on the Wind
Lizzie tauntingly invites Miranda to try. Bring her into the center of her mind and hold her there, in this fortress built through years and years of training. Does she even know how, psychically untalented as she is? Lizzie can think circles around her! This should be entertaining.

[Whisper on the Wind]

Challenge accepted.

Miranda starts by releasing a few of her less relevant secrets. Her mother's maiden name (Garcia), her opinion of her friend's favorite band (kinda trashy, honestly), her unconfessed shame at having managed only straight Bs in high school, that kind of thing. Making enough room to stuff an invading demon into.

Originally Posted by Vahnavoi

Bunny blinks and raises an eyebrow at Hazel's initial reaction, but such expressions quickly fade in favor of a conspirational smile. "Ouroboros. Yes", she confirms and gives a rapid glance around. "You want to do it right away? That's fine by me. But it's going to cause a ruckus when one of us drops. So, keep your eyes on the price. Your wife, I mean. Float away like a butterfly, don't look back, or you risk getting caught in the moment."

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Hazel nods and takes a seat on a nearby bench. Now that Bunny mentioned dropping, she's decided it might be safer if she has something under her; she doesn't want to come back to a concussion. Plus it helped with the height difference between the two.

Hazel takes a deep sigh and closes her eyes, bracing herself for what was hopefully the grossest thing she'd do today. "...Awright. Go."

**Fenric** · 2021-11-10, 08:56 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Recaiden

"Oh, catch one!"Those tiny slimes looks much more manageable.

Omiko is taken aback by how fast the thing moves, and is knocked against the wall. It doesn't seem to have hurt her too much - the slime would have felt that she was more spongy than humanoids usually are - but she's certainly disoriented.
That doesn't stop one of her spare mouths from stretching out on a pseudopod and trying to take a bite out of the tentacle.

Originally Posted by bc56

"What, why?" Selekhael grabs a little slime anyway and attempts to stuff it into her inventory. But in the meantime she's being swarmed and the creature are eating away at her flesh. She doesn't like it. She lets out a very inhuman roar, which should inflict crippling terror in anything that hears it, but are slimes even capable of feeling emotion?

The slime's surface is indeed corrosive and terrible, doing considerable damage to flesh but really eating any metal like you wouldn't believe. Said tentacle tries to wrap Omiko up after bashing her to the wall, as dissolving its prey is its main strategy... As to the mouth biting the ooze, it is very sour: the acidic taste completely overwhelms any other nuance there might be. Any teeth might fail to exist after this attempt...

Selekhael has no trouble putting the slime into her collection: + 1 black ooze (sm)

Sadly, the ooze hardly has a brain and emotions are far beyond its capabilities. The soundwaves from the roar do make the surface of the thing ripple, though. Normally, one would counsel against making too much noise in the underground parts of the world... but very few of the subsurface denizens would come anywhere near the ooze's lair (and fewer still would survive doing so), so it's probably nothing to worry about.

**Vahnavoi** · 2021-11-10, 09:36 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Hazel nods and takes a seat on a nearby bench. Now that Bunny mentioned dropping, she's decided it might be safer if she has something under her; she doesn't want to come back to a concussion. Plus it helped with the height difference between the two.

Hazel takes a deep sigh and closes her eyes, bracing herself for what was hopefully the grossest thing she'd do today. "...Awright. Go."

Oh, Hazel, you're such an optimist.

On cue, Bunny gives her what is likely the least erotic French kiss in her life - it's mostly she can just feel Bunny's tongue pushing something round, hard and minty past her lips. It lasts for a second or two before Bunny's lips fall away from hers. Hazel gets another five or so to wonder if that's all there was to it as the minty taste spreads in her mouth.

Then the world gets weird.

First, there's a painful yanking sensation, as if someone lodged a hook in the back of Hazel's throat and pulled hard. Second, the bench ceases to give any support to her, as if it's turned into bendy rubber. If this is enough to startle Hazel into opening her eyes - which she technically doesn't have anymore - for a moment, she'll only see darkness. That's because she's sinking through the ground of the exercise yard, somewhat like if the ground had suddenly turned into muddy water.

A moment later, her now disembodied consciousness coalesces into an ectoplasmic facsimile of her living body and she floats up into the nearest open space. Everything in the light looks blurry and indistinct, as if she's wandering in fine, white mist. She can see and hear other inmates nearby, but they do not react to her presence - some might even walk through her on accident, momentarily dispersing her ethereal body.

If she disregards Bunny's prior advice and looks around, she can see her own body - from the outside - apparently asleep on the bench, head hanging backwards. Bunny's gone completely limp and lies sprawled on her - on her body's - lap.

Then, Hazel's body raises her - its - head. It looks around drowsily, scanning the area - for Hazel's ghost.

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-10, 11:27 AM (ISO 8601)

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Oh, gross, spit.

Oh, gross, phlegm.

Grooooooss.

Ugh. Hazel could say without bias Hana was the better kisser.

When that nauseating set of motions is over, Hazel pats herself down and looks around. Huh. Would you look at that, it worked. Nobody seemed to notice her walking around. And she could even see her own body, that was n-

Wait. Why is it moving?

Hazel stares slack-jawed as her body lifts its head without her, noticing at the same time that Bunny wasn't moving, and draws the obvious conclusion.

"Ya little minx!" She snaps. "Dat wasn't paht of da deal! Leave my body alone!"

**bc56** · 2021-11-10, 12:04 PM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
Those secrets aren't even juicy! Miranda is a lame host. Lizzie slips quietly into the open space and begins trying to probe for other, better secrets and also for Miranda's memories and emotional connections, things she can use to manipulate her. She seems to be a typical sappy mortal, so it shouldn't be hard.

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-10, 12:26 PM (ISO 8601)

[Whisper on the Wind]

Most of the secrets Lizzie will find here seem to be more of the same. Miranda didn't like her boss's new tie but didn't have the heart to tell him. She once soiled herself during a track meet. She never actually read The Cask of Amantillado, even when she had to report on it. Some part of her actually liked her archrival and was thrilled he defected.

Wait. That one wasn't meant to come loose.

**bc56** · 2021-11-10, 02:05 PM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
Lizzie latches onto that last secret hard. That's the first really useful hook she's had within Miranda's mind. Did she like that guy, or did she like him? Regardless of what the original answer is, Lizzie will be trying to charge that particular thought with emotions in a particularly succubus-y way. She also begins spreading her grip into adjoining memories, related both to the rival in question and the circumstances of the defection.

**Vahnavoi** · 2021-11-10, 02:27 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Oh, gross, spit.

Oh, gross, phlegm.

Grooooooss.

Ugh. Hazel could say without bias Hana was the better kisser.

When that nauseating set of motions is over, Hazel pats herself down and looks around. Huh. Would you look at that, it worked. Nobody seemed to notice her walking around. And she could even see her own body, that was n-

Wait. Why is it moving?

Hazel stares slack-jawed as her body lifts its head without her, noticing at the same time that Bunny wasn't moving, and draws the obvious conclusion.

"Ya little minx!" She snaps. "Dat wasn't paht of da deal! Leave my body alone!"

For a brief moment, the creature in Hazel's body focuses on her ghost, meeting her eye to eye. Hazel's ghost can see something glowing through its - her own - skin and eyes. It's like her body is a furnace with a pale blue fire burning inside.

Then her body lowers its gaze to look at what used to be "Bunny". "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Didn't I tell you to not look back?", Hazel's body murmurs. To the other inmates, it looks like "Hazel's" talking to unconscious "Bunny", but Hazel's ghost can tell the words are meant for her. "Had you listened to me, I would've been gone before you got back. You would've done what you wanted without ever noticing, but now you've lost it, and it's going to haunt you. Far worse than you can haunt me."

The voice is all wrong. Or, Hazel can recognize it as her own, but who or whatever's speaking can't replicate her accent.

As Hazel's ghost watches, her body furrows its brow, slaps "Bunny" on the cheek a few times, then shakes her a bit, before standing up and lowering "Bunny's" lifeless body to the ground. An act, for the audience of the other inmates and prison staff. Someone may already be watching. Hazel could try fighting for her body - but then she'd have to explain all of this, and likely lose the opportunity to get anything out of it.

So what will she do?

**Recaiden** · 2021-11-10, 02:33 PM (ISO 8601)

[Fenric's Quest]

Originally Posted by bc56

"What, why?" Selekhael grabs a little slime anyway and attempts to stuff it into her inventory. But in the meantime she's being swarmed and the creature are eating away at her flesh. She doesn't like it. She lets out a very inhuman roar, which should inflict crippling terror in anything that hears it, but are slimes even capable of feeling emotion?

Originally Posted by Fenric

The slime's surface is indeed corrosive and terrible, doing considerable damage to flesh but really eating any metal like you wouldn't believe. Said tentacle tries to wrap Omiko up after bashing her to the wall, as dissolving its prey is its main strategy... As to the mouth biting the ooze, it is very sour: the acidic taste completely overwhelms any other nuance there might be. Any teeth might fail to exist after this attempt...

Selekhael has no trouble putting the slime into her collection: + 1 black ooze (sm)

Sadly, the ooze hardly has a brain and emotions are far beyond its capabilities. The soundwaves from the roar do make the surface of the thing ripple, though. Normally, one would counsel against making too much noise in the underground parts of the world... but very few of the subsurface denizens would come anywhere near the ooze's lair (and fewer still would survive doing so), so it's probably nothing to worry about.

Augh, biting this thing was a mistake; it looked deliciously smooth, but it's like a worse lemon instead! Awful. That mouth is for a moment busy spitting out specks of slime and melting teeth (quickly being replaced by new tooth, though).

Selekhael doesn't get an explanation, because Omiko is trying to get away from Selekhael, with her bones pulling one way and her skin pulling the other, and her claws extending themselves on reflex-
The ooze tentacle should have no trouble wrapping her up. But she's just...not melting? Well, one of her metal arms is melting through on the bottom, and her clothing might dissolve, but the person herself is fine. Just a bit of tingling, like the agony-laced water.
Hold on. These aren't normal feelings...

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-10, 03:11 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by bc56

Whisper on the Wind
Lizzie latches onto that last secret hard. That's the first really useful hook she's had within Miranda's mind. Did she like that guy, or did she like him? Regardless of what the original answer is, Lizzie will be trying to charge that particular thought with emotions in a particularly succubus-y way. She also begins spreading her grip into adjoining memories, related both to the rival in question and the circumstances of the defection.

[Whisper in the Dark]

Oh.

Oh my.

Miranda has a lot of unresolved tension with this man, it seems. Of exactly the sort the succubus would find interesting.

It's not just that she's physically attracted to him (though she is; he's well-built, well-groomed, and a snappy dresser). She also finds him strangely admirable, in most of the same ways he'd be repulsive.

He's confident, certain of himself (arrogant, condescending).

He's intelligent, cunning, (manipulative, psychotic).

He's very capable of compassion (so it's frustrating that he's so god-damned cold).

And when he defected, he strongly implied it was because of her. She'd changed his mind somehow. Mutual feelings?

Originally Posted by Vahnavoi

For a brief moment, the creature in Hazel's body focuses on her ghost, meeting her eye to eye. Hazel's ghost can see something glowing through its - her own - skin and eyes. It's like her body is a furnace with a pale blue fire burning inside.

Then her body lowers its gaze to look at what used to be "Bunny". "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Didn't I tell you to not look back?", Hazel's body murmurs. To the other inmates, it looks like "Hazel's" talking to unconscious "Bunny", but Hazel's ghost can tell the words are meant for her. "Had you listened to me, I would've been gone before you got back. You would've done what you wanted without ever noticing, but now you've lost it, and it's going to haunt you. Far worse than you can haunt me."

The voice is all wrong. Or, Hazel can recognize it as her own, but who or whatever's speaking can't replicate her accent.

As Hazel's ghost watches, her body furrows its brow, slaps "Bunny" on the cheek a few times, then shakes her a bit, before standing up and lowering "Bunny's" lifeless body to the ground. An act, for the audience of the other inmates and prison staff. Someone may already be watching. Hazel could try fighting for her body - but then she'd have to explain all of this, and likely lose the opportunity to get anything out of it.

So what will she do?

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

With as easily as "Bunny" could push her out of her body, and as poorly as she understood the possession mechanism, and the fact that she still had to check on Hana, Hazel doesn't make the attempt. She does, however, make a promise.

"I'll be back." She growls. "An' when I get back, youhe gonna be da ghost."

And with that, her "spirit" leaves the prison yard, phasing through the wall as she begins her search for her wife.

Meanwhile, the inmates are quick to respond to the sudden unconsciousness, then apparent death, of one of their own, especially since the one responsible is Reeverman. What did she even do? She was just a human, right? No venom of any kind? How did she kill that girl just by kissing her?!

And of course, while none of the guards witness the event firsthand, an apparent death in the prison is still a big deal. Especially one under such odd circumstances. Before the day ends, the warden will be sending an incident report off to Intersection, along with a formal request that someone be sent to look into it.

**bc56** · 2021-11-10, 05:09 PM (ISO 8601)

Fenric's Quest
Selekhael realizes that fear isn't the way to win here. She's losing a lot of flesh from being swarmed by these things. Quickly, she steps back out of reality and takes a brief fourth-dimensional jaunt over to near Omiko, just like any other normal barmaid could do (and definitely not an eldritch entity at all, nope) and, now that she's away from the slimes, takes a moment to heal her wounds, new flesh growing into the acid burns to replace what was destroyed. "Don't be frightened." She manages. Not quite a BE NOT AFRAID but hopefully it will calm Omiko down a little and help her get back in fighting shape.

Whisper on the Wind
Oh yes, this is perfect. Lizzie latches onto that unfulfilled desire and tries to exacerbate it. Miranda's never told him how she feels, has she? And she's constructed him into this perfect idol of a man in her mind. It's easy to sow doubt between those two ideas. If Miranda didn't already feel unworthy of him, she might now. And Lizzie won't offer to make her worthy. Not yet. But she's keeping that in her back pocket.

**Morty** · 2021-11-10, 05:17 PM (ISO 8601)

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Someone turns to be Michalson Barring, the half-elf occult detective with an accent weird even by Nexus standards. Supernatural occurrences aren't anything unusual in Inside, obviously, but this one is weird enough for the higher-ups to send someone who specializes in weird things. The detective arrives at the prison in the early evening. He's not happy about it but this incident must be investigated before the trail grows cold.

**Shadowcaller** · 2021-11-10, 06:01 PM (ISO 8601)

[Jim's Appartment]

There's a knock on the door and if he looks through the peephole he can see that Jaahlyn is standing outside it. She has called ahead so he would have known that she's coming.

**Deathkeeper** · 2021-11-10, 06:56 PM (ISO 8601)

Jim’s Apartment

Jim answers the door after about a 13 second wait. He’s dressed in his usual green outfit and collared shirt.
”Hello, Jaahlyn. How are you doing?” he asks, moving aside to let her in.
Something seems different, but he can’t exactly nail down what it is.

**Ironsmith** · 2021-11-10, 10:40 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by bc56

Whisper on the Wind
Oh yes, this is perfect. Lizzie latches onto that unfulfilled desire and tries to exacerbate it. Miranda's never told him how she feels, has she? And she's constructed him into this perfect idol of a man in her mind. It's easy to sow doubt between those two ideas. If Miranda didn't already feel unworthy of him, she might now. And Lizzie won't offer to make her worthy. Not yet. But she's keeping that in her back pocket.

[Whisper on the Wind]

Miranda... wasn't good enough? How? Why? Sure, Kl- this man was... kind of amazing, but wasn't she, too?

...No, not really. She was an okay operative, but she was only a match for him when she had a full, complimentary team backing her up. Pound-for-pound, he was stronger, smarter, faster, just all-around better. Compared to him, she was just a

Sucker.

It might take a minute for Lizzie to realize this last bit is directed at her. Or exactly why.

But then, it's almost obvious; Miranda excelled at pushing these thoughts deep, deep down into her psyche, where they'd have no influence on her whatsoever.

And Lizzie just mired herself in them.

Originally Posted by Morty

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Someone turns to be Michalson Barring, the half-elf occult detective with an accent weird even by Nexus standards. Supernatural occurrences aren't anything unusual in Inside, obviously, but this one is weird enough for the higher-ups to send someone who specializes in weird things. The detective arrives at the prison in the early evening. He's not happy about it but this incident must be investigated before the trail grows cold.

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

The warden will arrange for Michalson to be given the names of all the witnesses and time to interview them, as well as unobstructed access to the yard where the "murder" took place. More importantly, he'll also be given the chance to meet with "Hazel", since she's the only real suspect in this case.

Meanwhile, Hazel- the real Hazel- comes to an important realization: she has no idea where Hana is. So for now, she's just going to wander around town until she finds a lead, but in all likelihood, she's going to find a certain someone who can see her first.

**bc56** · 2021-11-11, 12:33 AM (ISO 8601)

Whisper on the Wind
And Lizzie excels at bringing buried thoughts and repressed urges to the fore and convincing her victims to act on them. Not to mention that she's the one in this duel, if you can call it that, with actual psychic powers. She's exactly where she wants to be. She can just keep exacerbating these memories until they overflow this mental container. After all, people aren't meant to keep all these negative emotions bottled up all the time.
Also is Miranda sure she doesn't have latent psychic powers? Because that whisper of self-doubt was relayed through Miranda's memories and emotions, she should have felt like she thought it up herself. She certainly shouldn't be able to taunt Lizzie about it. Lizzie isn't being vocal about what she's up to anymore. That would be counterproductive.

**Vahnavoi** · 2021-11-11, 03:54 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

With as easily as "Bunny" could push her out of her body, and as poorly as she understood the possession mechanism, and the fact that she still had to check on Hana, Hazel doesn't make the attempt. She does, however, make a promise.

"I'll be back." She growls. "An' when I get back, youhe gonna be da ghost."

And with that, her "spirit" leaves the prison yard, phasing through the wall as she begins her search for her wife.

Meanwhile, the inmates are quick to respond to the sudden unconsciousness, then apparent death, of one of their own, especially since the one responsible is Reeverman. What did she even do? She was just a human, right? No venom of any kind? How did she kill that girl just by kissing her?!

And of course, while none of the guards witness the event firsthand, an apparent death in the prison is still a big deal. Especially one under such odd circumstances. Before the day ends, the warden will be sending an incident report off to Intersection, along with a formal request that someone be sent to look into it.

For what it's worth, "Hazel Reeverman" insists it was totally not her fault, shut your stupid face. She even tries to perform chest compression resuscitation on"Bunny", but it's apparently futile. By time prison medical staff arrives, no signs of life are left on the smaller woman's body. They declare her dead on the spot and the body is taken to a morgue, to await post mortem investigation.

After brief accounting of eyewitnesses and checking that "Hazel" does not possess nor is under influence of any illicit substances, everybody is commanded back to their cells, to wait for proper investigation.

Originally Posted by Morty

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

Someone turns to be Michalson Barring, the half-elf occult detective with an accent weird even by Nexus standards. Supernatural occurrences aren't anything unusual in Inside, obviously, but this one is weird enough for the higher-ups to send someone who specializes in weird things. The detective arrives at the prison in the early evening. He's not happy about it but this incident must be investigated before the trail grows cold.

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

[Glass Lake Penitentiary]

The warden will arrange for Michalson to be given the names of all the witnesses and time to interview them, as well as unobstructed access to the yard where the "murder" took place. More importantly, he'll also be given the chance to meet with "Hazel", since she's the only real suspect in this case.

If Michalson requests for them, he can also get papers on the nominal victim. Not that there are many - "Bunny" appears to be one of those people who just fell down from the sky one day on Nexus (possibly literally). Her legal identity in Inside was constructed at the same time as, and basically for the purpose of, handling of her arrest and trial for her crimes (assault and robbery). Her autopsy is pending - if Michalson wants to make time for it, he can go watch it, but if not, he'll receive a report once there is such a thing.

As for "Hazel", she's back in her cell, scheming. The real Hazel unwittingly gave her just enough information to plot an escape out of this place. Now it's just a question of whether she can fool whoever's brought in to investigate long enough and well enough for things to return to relative normalcy.

Of course, it's possible Hazel's ghost will realize she has no clue how to do this ghost stuff, and comes back in time to get caught by the investigator, ruining everything. On the other hand, "Hazel" doesn't know if law-enforcement here has spiritually aware staff at hand, or jurisdiction over spiritual phenomena for that matter. Oh well. She'll find out soon enough.

---

[Elsewhere]

Originally Posted by Ironsmith

Meanwhile, Hazel- the real Hazel- comes to an important realization: she has no idea where Hana is. So for now, she's just going to wander around town until she finds a lead, but in all likelihood, she's going to find a certain someone who can see her first.

As Hazel wanders further, the more apparent it becomes there are a lot of someones who can see her. It's still spooky season and as the natural light grows fainter, the spooks come out to play. Most of them pay no attention to Hazel - there's juicier prey around than her - but it might be a shock to catch a glimpse of all the things she was previously shielded from by her lack of spiritual power and belief.

On the plus side, it means she has someone to ask for directions. There's a ghost of a little girl who died in a traffic accident few weeks ago, playing alone with a ghostly ball at an intersection; on an alleyway, two cats, each with two tails, are holding a conversation, wisps of blue flame dancing around them; on the porch of an empty house, the landlady who died fifty years ago is still sweeping ghostly dust; along one street, there's a church... okay, maybe don't go to the chuch radiating misery and horror where people chant "All hail Magtok Prime, our Lord and Saviour!". That sounds like bad news.

If she turns the right corner, Hazel might even find herself at Trog's, or some other place where helpful and spook-sensitive people gather. On the other hand, if she turns the wrong one, she might end up on Arkham Street, which would spell nearly certain doom. The darker it gets, the easier is to spot distant ghost lights coming from other spirits - and, she can surmise, the easier it gets for them to spot her.

Thread: Inside 73: Holiday Rush

Inside 73: Holiday Rush

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[Fenric's Quest]

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[Fenric's Quest]

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