Of dreams and nightmares [Group A]

The world of dreams, or as it is more commonly known by its inhabitants, simply 'here'. Its exact origins are unclear even to the most learned of scholars. By all accounts, it seems to have simply popped into being when the first of the eventual multitude touched the first of the artifacts.

As the histories of this place will attest, it was little more than a blank slate laid before the first of the arrivals. Whether the world itself existed at the time, or only the impression that one could make a world is never discussed in great detail, though many great minds of this new world have written books containing their theories on the subject. Regardless of the exact beginnings, one thing is made abundantly clear: the world was - and still is, to some degree - malleable, able to be shaped by the whims of its inhabitants. Some say that this is where the Taint came from; the corrupt imaginings of a depraved mind. Others believe it was the inevitable result of too many conflicting ideas, a confused mass of wishes and wants, perverted over time into the deadly form it now takes. Whatever the case, the Taint is as real as anything here, as are its twisted offspring, the Skarra. Woe betide any who venture unprotected into the Taint, lest their minds and souls become corrupted, and their bodies given a new, horrifying form.

Despite the conditions of the world, cities still pepper the landscapes, wished into being by those desperate to avoid the Taint. They are one and all surrounded by towering walls to keep at bay the hordes of Skarra that roam the landscape. Great crystalline monoliths reach toward the sky near the heart of each city, their very presence enough to keep the Taint at bay, if only in an area little larger than each city. The monoliths are very nearly alive, and some of those whose minds have been touched by them claim to feel a latent power within, an untapped resevoir of strength that can be drawn upon by those with the proper skills. Few posess both the strength of will and the necessary devotion to the monoliths, but those who do speak of extraordinary boons bestowed upon them, albeit temporarily.

One such city is Salira. Its white marble walls shelter a great many thousand people, most of whom live out lives similar to those they had before coming here. Others take up take up new mantles, joining the ranks of the guardsmen who watch vigilantly for wandering Skarra and repel any bold enough to approach, or else studying magic in the hopes that enough arcane power will allow them to succeed in escaping where so many others have failed. Still others devote themselves to maintaining the monoliths, a task requiring a great many participants. The constant effort of repeling the Taint clouds the crystals and drains their power, and the primary duty of their keepers is to refresh them with their own vitality.

This is the world in which you have found yourself living for the past year, and where you will continue living for the foreseeable future. Some succumb to hopeless despair; others rise up and champion causes they would never have dreamed of before. What will you do?

Between the feet and wheels and boots, the hustle and bustle of a busy street from a foot above the ground, a black cat with hateful turquoise eyes dances to avoid the clumsy bigfolk, grinning to itself. Tatter knew that soon, she'd be rid of the annoying human woman, and she could go back to her nap.

Sitting cross-legged under a small aperture, a bald, tattooed, athletic human man with tan skin sips at a small cup of tea. Breaks from his duties were few and far between, not that he complained, but he certainly enjoyed any amount of time he could spend simply observing the phenomenon of life around him, even here in this strange place.

If it were not for the shirt of mail he wore and the tall spear with the oaken haft leaning against a wall nearby, one might mistake him for a simple beggar or monk. Those that knew him called him Jat. He was one of the many keepers of the crystal monoliths, a task viewed by some with ambivalence, others ignorance, and a precious few with appreciation.

After finishing his tea Jat stands and stretches. He picks up his spear and leaves the shade of his chosen nook, to make the walk back to the crystalline monolith under his care.

(ooc: is the annoying human woman Bree?)

A tired-looking human woman carrying a morningstar and a light crossbow slung over her shoulder, is on her hands and knees. There are dark shadows around her old eyes and her blonde hair is matted in dreadlocks. She peers through the legs of passersby. "Tatter, tatter," she coaxes. "I be havin a bowl of whipped cream for ye."

Her silver holy symbol of a sun above a humanoid traveler dangles down from her neck, touching the ground.

A black cat comes streaking out of the crowd, malevolent eyes eager, but checks itself, and saunters over feigning indifference. It glares up at Bree for a moment...and just seems to shift into a little girl in black. There's no shimmer in the air, no twist, no stomach-bending hybrid halfway. It's like she was always there, and you just hadn't noticed before. "You fool. Always treating me like some pet. I'm a person too, you know. But...I suppose I'll have to take it off your hands, since otherwise it would just go to waste..." Coming from Tatter, that was like a tearful, sobbed thank you--there was only one insult, and it was mild.

Eyes rolling, face delirious, Jaime sits on top of a building, arms and head hanging over the edge like a drug addled vagrant, as colors and flashes of light dance before him. His head lolls, as he goes over his day. He had struck once again that day, draining a young girl still asleep in her bed. She didn't even feel it, slipping away into death quickly enough, before she could awake and start. And she felt so good...

Seeing that she has Tatter's attention, Bree finds an empty spot of ground next to a wall. Crouching down, she gives the bowl of whipped cream to Tatter, then watches the crowd warily.

Mumbling half to herself and half to Tatter, she mulls over what she knows about the taint and the crystals. "What be we knowin .. an what ta be done about it?"

(ooc: What does Bree know about the taint and the crystals?)

Knowledge: history/planes [roll0]
Knowledge: psionics [roll1]
Lore skill [roll2]

Tatter accepts the bowl from Bree with an imperious nod, and began to lap it up with vigor...an unusual sight, since she hadn't bothered to return to cat form. Ahhh...now I see why I keep her around... She looks up, glaring at the passersby with her malevolent turquoise eyes. "What are you looking at? Oh! Do I have something in my teeth? Go on. Get moving. Next person to stare loses an eye..."