FFD6: a Fountain of life or death?

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

Landing, Tarrian reports what he saw.

"So...we aren't getting past unseen. There's scavenger camps all through that way. Anyone have any preference on the diplomacy/intimidation axis?"

[Dramesh]

Lyle

"We go for diplomacy and if this fail we switch to intiidatiob, if this fail too, then we'll have no choice to use brute forc3e, or magic in my case"

[BlackestOfMages]

OOC: sorry, thought I had posted

You approach the front of the factory, past lines of empty crucifixes* as you near the fencing around the power plant. When you draw near, you are met by two men advancing forwards from their guard posiions, both of them with rifles trained on you. They are dressed in what appear to be an attempt to combines robes with body armor. "Hail, what brings you to this derilect corner of the foul beasts lair. Do you see the light and wish to join the church of avalance and defend the planet from the despoilers?"

* I ust noticed this could seem rather religously intolerant. it's not intended to be (why did a relgious have to take an impliment of torture and execution as it's holy symbol...)

[Dramesh]

Lyle

"We are not here to join the church. Only to be sure that anyone here is not in a immediate danger. There are strange activities in the ancient reactor. We came as a team of scientist and their escort to check it out. We are not your enemies, we want that everyone is safe from an explosion or the spread of another disease like we had."


OOC: No offense taken whatsoever.

[BlackestOfMages]

"Worry not, weary pilgrims, for we faithful are in no danger. The fountain of life is a portent of the Mother, a sign that we are truly loved. That you sek the fountain is but proof that the Mother watches over us, for she summons her children to her resting place." The guard seems a little ferverent, passing over your insistance that you do not wish to join the church, but otherwise seems freindly enough "Please enter, Father Anders has instructed us to give pilgrims saftey, and to guide them to mothers gifts. Come, come, please follow me."
The guard motions to inside the reactor, and from where you stand you can see the entrance to the building has been covered with handmade tapestries, the ShinRa logo smashed off.

OOC: everyone, make an awareness roll.

[BlackestOfMages]

well, no more waiting for everyone else

Lyle

Spoiler

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You can hear the faintest sound in the background. it sounds like the scrape of metal and metal, and the wet thud of flesh on metal. You swear you can hear muffled screaming. Your ears can detect it coming from behind the nearest wall. y focusing, you think you can spot what looks to a leather coat, just like what the scavenger you met before where wearing.

Ray/Ibisia

Spoiler

Show

You can hear the faintest sound in the background. it sounds like the scrape of metal and metal, and the wet thud of flesh on metal. You swear you can hear muffled screaming

[Dramesh]

Lyle

Hearing and seeing strange things, Lyle ask innocently to the man: "You talked about despoilers, what are they? did they came often and what do you do with them? As I see your Mother is wonderful, are there enemies of her? I really want to know more about your church"

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Lyle has no intention of joining but seems interested only to know more about these people.

[Mono Vertigo]

Ibsaia groans as she notices the smashed off ShinRa logos. She's trying to put up with them for the sake of the team, but she's obviously angry, and very tempted to just tell the guards to mind their own business and stop badmouthing her organization. She's only putting up with it because her teammates are making the effort to have a somewhat open mind.

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

Tarrian orders Cenereo to stay close, but out of sight if at all possible, before following.

[BlackestOfMages]

OOC: sorry it's taken so long to reply. life has been pilling up far to much recently.

"The despoilers are, or they appear to be, humans. But inside, they are hollow, their souls swollowed by the black shards they carry. They want nothing more than too kill and destroy, to see our world reduced to a barrn wasteland; they are monsters lower even than the greed of ShinRa. When we find them - if we find them, for they hide amongst real people - we try to cure them, to seperate them from the black shards. oten they fight back, and we are forced to kill them. You should have seen the remains of those monsters outside. the corruption on them is most palpable, is it not?"
The robed man brings you to the entrance of the powerplant, the guards there slowly opening the door for you. "And it lifts my heart to hear that outsiders are intrested in the curch of the mother. The mother is the spirit of our planet, she took corporeal form to fight against the demon Jenova - aiding the great heroes of avalance - and her hand is the one that stoppedMetor, and that cleansed the geostigma. And now, her blessing spills from the earth around us, showing us all we are truly blessed."
Inside the power plant, you can see the unmistakable green glow of mako enrgy, and peering inside you can see much of the factory floor has been pulled up, and pools of the stuff cover the lowest surface of the floor. "Please enter, enter. If you are pilgrims to the mothers gift, then you should meet Father Anders. He will guide your steps."
The fanatic gestures to a man atop a scrap pulpit surrounded by plucked flowers. he is dressed in a much more ornate version of the robes the other are.

Around the room, you can see the door in the power plant have all been left open, with sunlight streaming in through a large missing section of the roof, all dors but one, howevr. The door leading to the warehouses storage for the powerplant is locked and barred, with armed guards stantioned outside of it.

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

"Meaning no offence, I am curious. You surely know that another individual has spoken very dearly of his "Mother". His devotion was misguided and we all paid the price for it. What makes you so sure you're not also on a wayward path?"

[Dramesh]

Lyke

I would be honored to talk to the Father, can you call him here ?

[BlackestOfMages]

The cultists simply smiles at Tarian's comment, a look of gentle resignation on his face, though the ex-soldier can see something beneath his eyes "we seek not to destroy the planet, but to save it. We follow the mother, the spirit of the planet that opposed the calimity, the false mother you mentioned, and if she where as much a monster, would she have risen against the monster, would she have cured the stigma? you of all people, blessed by one of the mothers gifts, should surely see the truth, no?" the cultist finishes, gesturing towards Cenario. "but this discusion is for another time, as you wish to see the father as he wishes to see you."

The Cultist moves away from you, climbing up the makeshift podium to the "father". the two of them whisper to one another for a moment or two, before Father Anders steps down towards you. "Greetings, messengers of ShinRa. What can this humble servant of the planet do for you? or perhaps, what can we do for one another?"

Looking at Anders, you can see he is old, but it does not burden his shoulders as it might. He is still stood tall and proud, the touches of grey in his otherwise black hair lending him a refined apperance. his face is worn and weahered, yet he wears an easy, experianced smile. finnaly, his eyes have a pale, near ethereal blu glow to them.

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

"If you say so friend."

As Father Anders appears Tarrian notices the glow in his eyes.

"Please tell me you had those eyes from the old days like me, and you haven't been showering in the stuff coming out of the ground.

Regardless of the man's answer, Tarrian settles down on a nearby stool/bucket/wall/etc., rests his hands behind his head and continues with a small smile.

"Either way, if you know who we are then you know why we're here, so so how's about you skip straight to telling us what you want in exchange for us getting the data we need on the fountain?"

[Dramesh]

Lyle

For once Lyle step back and let his companions lead the talking, he went against a wall and wait and listen.

[BlackestOfMages]

"Worry not, my freind. These eyes of mine are old - I'm grateful for the mothers gift of life, but I'm not yet crazy enough to go for a swim in it." the ex-soldier turned priest smiles ruefully at you "though as for toying with the creations of the planet, you're one to talk Tarian - we may not have been in the same company, but enough stories got around of the young soldier with his pet WEAPON.
As for what I want, well... I want to make it easy for anyone to journy to the mother's spring - which currently, it is not. The tainted have made the journey dangerous to those who wish to bask in the mother's gift, or even stay within this city we once called home. I also with to try and smothen out relationships beween the people of the ruins and ShinRa; there may be some extremists within the flock who hold shinra responsible, but most of us know it was the white heared demon who brought ruin to the world and our lives, not those that first gave him his wings.
"so, do we have a deal?"

[Dramesh]

Lyle

Before we agree on a deal, can you explain it ? You want the clearing of the tainted but what do we gain from that?

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

Tarrian sits up & coughs when the priest mentions Cenereo.

"You're lucky I told him to keep his distance. If he heard you calling him a pet, there'd be a Mako spear through your chest by now."

Once the moment of panic passes he listens to the man's words some more.

"Well, I admit, you're a lot more reasonable than I expected you crater-dwelling folks to be. Yeah, I think I could work on that premise."

At Lyle's question:

"Well he wants everyone to be able to access the Mako well, so I imagine we'd be welcome to do some research there too."

Turning back to Anders.

"I don't speak for the team, but I'm personally happy to work with you in this. Obviously though I'll need to confirm it with ShinRa, so if you have any estimates on the monster quantities & power levels, I'd appreciate them so I have some news to pass on."

He'll then get out the phone he was issued & do just that.

[BlackestOfMages]

"you get help getting to the well, a roof over your head if you want it, and you get to help keep our home safe." Father Anders says to Lyle "You also get a guide who can show you through streets and hopefully past the tainted."

Turning to Tarian, the ex-soldier continues "from what we know, there's a large gathering of third class and lower monsters, along with a small hand full of second class. For reasosns we don't know, but we suspect the influence of the tainted, they make their nest around the fountain. There's also been wild rumours of a behamoth prowling the ruins, but I highly believe such a beast could have found its way into the ruins.
The main problem, and what we need help with, would be a large cult of well armed tainted have occupied the well, and were last seen dumping something into it.
And, as you correctly assumed, we want everyon to be able to bask in the Mothers gift, and as such we would be happy to let you investigate the well so long as you do not seal it off yourself."

[Kobold-Bard]

Tarrian

Snapping his phone closed, the ex-SOLDIER returns to the scene.

"Well they're happy for us to work with you in exchange for scientific access without hostilities. They were also pleased to hear about your desire to try and build bridges. When we succeed I expect you might have a "diplomatic party" (aka. PR team) as your next guests.

Assuming nobody objects, I say we head out ASAP, I'd like a decent efficiency rating on our evaluation."

Placing his thumb & finger at his lips, Tarrian will then whistle a single, short blast, signalling Cenereo to descend. Once the critter has landed it's glowing Mako wing will retract and vanish, and Tarrian will climb aboard.