[Nexus] Inside 56

[Rebonack]

Flag of Inside, flown over all Remnant and Government Installations

Current Events: The sun is gradually going dark. Someone had better figure out how to fix that before everyone dies.

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

But what is this place, you ask?

Inside is everything within the City Walls. As opposed to Outside, which is everything without. This strange, whimsical city is the 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:The DOOM-Shield. Inside is currently equipped with a techno-magic shield that mitigates "global" effects to a survivable level. This is to prevent anyone from simply killing all the NPCs, or affecting the entire city. For example, a plot that envelops the entire city in sub-arctic temperatures, will find that the cold isn't as bad as it should be, and survivable.

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

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

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

Zones and Streets

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

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

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

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

Streets:

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Hodgepodge Street? The City of Inside also has a number of Streets. The Streets aren't a street in the literal sense, but rather portions of the City with a particular theme. While one can find anything anywhere in the City there are none the less areas were certain settings predominate. The Riftline monorail public transit system allows for quick and easy access between the many Streets of Inside. 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. If you're looking for amenities for people who lack hands or just feel like bucking the norm trot on by and enjoy some pony-style hospitality.

Locations

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The Red Zones (Player: Rebonack)

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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 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.

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: Harnel, 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.

Finders Keepers (Player: Reinholdt)

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[Gray Zone]

Sitting right near the edge of the Red Zone, a new shop has opened up. It's a basic looking office, part of a larger building. Out front is a sign,

FINDERS KEEPERS^*
We find missing people, kidnapees, deadtime victims and more.

*And no we don't actually keep them. It's just a name.

Inside, is a secretary typing away at a typewriter. She directs customers to wait until their turn, at which point she sends them back to meet the shop owner, one Heinrik Hurtz. He is most clearly not related to any superheroes whatsoever. This is a fact in and of itself, proven clearly by the fact that Heinrik wears glasses.

Hastings and Sons Mortuary (player: Kid Kris, 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 Kid Kris 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 (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.

NO Office (Player: Morty, Grey Zone)

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The building that serves as NO's de facto embassy in Inside is now open for business. 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 NO member is also usually on a shift in the building.

Sable Spire (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 flavored.
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 behavior 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 center 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 manequins 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 specialty 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 artesan'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 sizable 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 worshipers 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 worshipers 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, traveler. 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 Swordfish (Player: Ghar, 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 Sitar's Strings

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"By humans, for humans". This restaurant employees only humans and only serves human customers. It is a meeting place for the human supremacist movement. IC Owned by Brian Starling and managed by Jan Lamar. Non-humans with good disguises can get in without being challenged.

Players: (HT as owner/manager, C'nor as waitress Maeve, Mindfreak as entertainer Treb)

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.

This is a hidden location in the Grey Zone. Please PM Earl of Purple if you wish to interract there. The Temple is now open to the public.

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 enterpreneurs 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 colorful 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.)

Inside's Defenses, Remnant, and The Council

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Defenses

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

Remnant

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As stated before, Remnant 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 consists of hundreds of men, women, 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 Remnant 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. Remnant 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 Remnants patrol the streets "every so often" and should anyone need one, can interact with them(Please PM Wolfbane upon doing so, however).

As a note, Low-Level Remnants 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 PM Wolfbane to let him know, in case there is something that needs clarified. The Remnants can be godmodded to be killed on occasion, but if it happens too fast, too often, Wolfbane may step in and RP it out. Once again, please PM Wolfbane if you plan on killing a Remnant 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 Remnant NPC/PC
-Stealing Identities
-Destroying Remnant facilities

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

Council

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The Council is the "ruling" body of Inside. A small group of individuals reside on it, and decide Inside Policy. People can go here for diplomatic relations, trials, or other activities that may concern dealing with an actual government instead of a police force or army.

[Chaotic Bob]

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[Lascastle Community Center]

Well that hallway seems pretty well locked down!

Hill's little idea has eradicated a fairly hefty portion of the rushing horde, leaving behind a massive amount of frigid fog!
Which might pose a problem, since it starts drifting further towards the group as more of it builds up...

The group is welcome to continue firing into the cloud, but they're going to run out of safe ground fairly quickly.
They're going to need another idea on that front pretty soon.


Meanwhile, at the other end, Sunder charges the glowing eyes with all of the grace and delicacy of a rampaging elephant.

Most of the way to her target, the eyes narrow slightly as if scowling and adjust up just a teensy bit...
And then four sets of jagged spikes rush in around her from the darkened walls, blending into the non-light far too easily.

Something was camped out on the ceiling above, unseen, and as the pegasus charged underneath, it snapped its rather lethal limbs closed in a very straightforward intent to impale her from multiple directions.


A low rumble from underneath the room the big-monster and cultist had been in, growing lesser. Something's moving away, below.

[Red Zone Street]

"Hmm. Quick response."
She glances up again and then back towards the building.
"Sorry to disappoint, but things will probably be okay from this point out. Companion should be finishing up inside any minute now."

Hmm, beaten to the punch perhaps?


Spooky descends on the house!
Which isn't blocked really, but it seems more and more like a bad idea, the closer the entity gets.
An awful idea. A terrible idea.

The sense of foreboding looms up towards their mind and coalesces into something more concrete, a distinct will and intent.

They'll get as close as the building's roof before this will collapses towards them, seeking to invade and subvert their mind. Not replace it, but alter it.
Adjust that loyalty, obedience, towards a new purpose. A more aggressive, irrational one.

This takes a few moments.


From Noelle's perspective, that vortex of taint seems to focus, falling into itself and redirecting towards a rather specific point...

[Red Zone Street]

The ghostly entity is quite resistant to the attempt at subverting it, but that doesn't mean it's unaffected. Oh, no, it's running back away quite quickly, as that thing attempts to dig at its compound mind. Fortunately whatever created it seems to have lent it some resistance to that, or that would have been rather nasty.

It retreats back to the fighter. It tells Noelle nothing, but she can tell that something is wrong.

Oh dear. Noelle takes a moment to look over the building, trying to figure out what to do.

"Okay. I shoot, maybe something terrible happens, never know with these things. Or I don't shoot, and maybe something terrible still happens." Deep breaths, Noelle. "I don't like these odds."

She hits a few buttons.

"So let's stack the deck. Major Noelle Xanatov to all available Altaran Irregular and Remnant assets, requesting infantry support at my location for investigation into a possible source of this-"

"Understood."

"What? You're a dipl-"

"Overruled, and we're going to have a talk about this excursion of yours."

"...Suspects in the basement, Emms."

If there is nothing to stop it, first a scan of the building occurs by some high-tech systems, which are often quite capable of mapping areas, indoors and otherwise. Then, if that works, someone is going to try to transport/teleport/etc directly into that basement, in a shimmering column of swirling green light.

That's probably not the best plan, but it's a plan.

If it's blocked, well, that won't work. But if it does, there will be one Altaran Irregular official with a disruptor pistol, reinforced uniform, and fancy hat present. What N'alae of all people is doing intervening, I don't know, and I certainly don't know what she'll see.

[Lascastle Community Center]

"Back, back, BACK!" Hill does not seem to have taken well to the freezing cold in there, moving back...and probably seeing that thing up there, given the night vision.

He will proceed to try and blast it off the ceiling with that big ol' shotgun.

The other two retreat more slowly, giving ground to the cloud and firing into the horde as they go.

Community Center

Lyrina hears the sound of moving away.
OH NO YOU DON'T!
She flies to the room and tries to smash a hole to fight whatever's down there with a large laser beam.

[Red Zone Street]

The scan may also reveal the nine-foot man from earlier attempting to get into the building. He's quite adept at picking locks and subverting computer systems, and is very, very good at remaining unseen, but he's still visible to scans.

Shadow narrows his eyes, and makes use of one of his abilities. He should be able to see and hear out of any shadows in the building, and thus get a clear picture of what's going on.

Caelynn grits her teeth and fights the mental intrusion.

((Need Rebonack to drop a line in the Community Center.))

[Red Zone Street and Home]

Street and Above

Thankfully for Caelynn, there was no mental intrusion against her!
Hooray!

Just against Spooky, Noelle's little friend.

The vast majority of said intrusion falls to the wayside as the ghostly individual retreats, but a small trail seems to follow along, similar to those many rivers moving unseen through the city.

The woman in the armor gives a faintly impatient sigh and leans back against the door.
"Look, I said if things actually needed additional intervention, there would be a bigger sign or phone-call, or something."

Inside

Just because Shadow can poke around in the shadows of the building, doesn't necessarily mean he should.
The upper floor and its rooms seem mundane enough. Some unused bedrooms, a kitchen, closets, the usual house build
However, the lower floor, the basement...poking his awareness into that non-light seems to draw attention fairly quickly.

Not the good sort of attention, as another entity's will immediately moves to meld with his own.
It's almost identical to Spooky's situation (Noelle would notice a similar movement of the taint maelstrom), as some terrible power immediately seeks to drive a blind aggressiveness into the fellow.


The house scans from the ship would equally recognize that the house is fairly normal, other than the hole smashed from roof to basement.
Basement is fairly broad, probably unfinished, also relatively mundane other than the giant shard of ice rammed into the middle of the floor.
Stairs at the far end, leading up to the kitchen, are the only other particularly interesting thing in the room.

There's nothing barring a little warp into the room, although as soon as the column of light appears, the life sign Noelle originally detected wavers out of sight/notice.

Depending on how fast N'alae's sight follows into the warp, she can probably see the armored figure by the iceblock as shadows scatter its form across the darkness.
After that point, the only plainly viewed objects in the basement are a small globe of white light bobbing by the ice block, and a very faint glow from a crystal in the ceiling. Everything else is shrouded in black.

[Arkhosia]

Somewhere, Inside

For whatever reason, a large green crystal is here.
No idea why.

[Rebonack]

[Lascastle Community Center]

The one major downside to springing ambushes on Sunder is that nagging sense of prescience that she happens to have. When someone gets warnings of danger a few moments in advance that tends to translate to a pretty hefty Dodge bonus to armor class.

Now, changing direction really quickly when one has all that angular momentum is really tough. But accelerating explosively? That she can handle pretty well. There comes a sound not too different from a thunderclap and suddenly the pegasus is outside arcing upward into the unnaturally dark sky like a missile, beating her wings and straining her magic to bleed off the excess momentum as quickly as she can.

The wall of the community center down below looks like someone just shot a tank-shell through it. There's a pretty decent chance that whatever else happened to be in her flight path did fair much better.

Meanwhile, back inside!

Siegfried swears under his breath as there comes a reverberating BOOM and a hole in the wall appears at the end of the hallway where previously there was none.

With the spook cloud drifting closer the Inquisitor once more begins a litany, this time focusing on the area around them. Golden lines of radiant power begin etching into the ground, blazing with holy light. While the ward won't keep a monster from skittering across it should act as a barrier to their lethal breath.

[Chaotic Bob]

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[Small Solar Temple]

"So it would seem."
KR walks up to the altar, looking around the chapel. She takes a few moments to cast a minor divination to detect whether there have been any other visitors to the chapel within the past few months. It shouldn't give her any details beyond that, just being a simple detection spell.

[Small Solar Temple]

Mia looks less excited by KR's idea. Letting the one going in front with lesser combat experience. Well. if that's the case, she needs to send MDM in front. Making him human size so he doesn't need to crawl.

After they entered and MDM is not destroyed, Mia takes a look around.

"That's strange. It looks like this place is less abondoned then it looks from outside."

[Small Solar Temple]

There continues to be a rather depressing lack of anything awful happening at this point.
Or cheerful. Maybe cheerful is a better word than depressing.

The divination spell has a pretty quick result: Yes.


[Lascastle Community Center]

What did that wall every do to you, Sunder?
Punching through it doesn't seem to be much of a problem, but she doesn't really seem to catch much else in her charge.

A couple more things smash closed in her wake, though...

If Hill happens to look down the opposite hall, he will probably see a rather terrible thing on the ceiling.
Two others, as well, further down.

On a superficial level, it looks like a crab, stretched out and given an almost snake-like, two car length body. Hard angles, the multi-jointed limbs, a pair of eyes hanging down its front and pointed below...
At the moment, it has reset its limbs along the walls and is starting to slide closer to the main group.

Or was, until Hill shot at it.
A fractured sound of breaking ice and it falls from the ceiling, emitting a grating squeal, before it begins smashing against the walls of the hall and charging forward with a wild, noisy abandon.

Maybe it's good that the crawling mass from the other hall has more or less died down now, leaving behind a massive cloud of ward-repelled frosty death in their wake.
Still a couple skittering things back there...but they're hanging back now.


Then Lyrina decides to go charging off into the room, breaking a big ol' hole in the floor.

Almost immediately, what little light exists in the building vanishes like a candle in the wind (which will probably adversely affect Hill's nightvision, needs some light...), and even begins trying to devour the glow of Seigfried's wards. Not their magic, just their light.

Whatever was under the floor is quick, and seems to be already gone, only notable through the dull rumble it still seems to be emitting as it goes further still.

If Lyrina can still procure some form of light, vision, or other detection, she can note that there's a tunnel below the building.
It's full of roughly-carved ice, but it was constructed to be a portion of the city's vast sewer systems.

[Darkcomet]

[Red Zone Street]

Above, Noelle can do little but watch. For now.

Well, that and warn N'alae. "Whoever was in there just vanished, don't know where they went. Whatever's in there is trying to get at our ghosty friend, but he should be able to hold it off now."

N'alae does not reply at this point. She's busy, and rapidly piecing things together, at that. After all, she does have access to Hill's helmet feed, so she knows about the whole 'light' thing. And that's certainly light being snuffed out in here, and something Noelle spotted at that.

But, seeing as she has augmented vision, and has every reason to be a perceptive, quick-to-notice-things type, she does manage to spot that armored figure before it scatters.

She gives no indication of this, though. Instead, she comes to a different conclusion. If darkness enables this thing, and whoever's messing with it is hampering the light somehow (if the disappearance into the shadows is any indication, definitely someone who likes the dark), there's obviously only one option.

Let there be light.

"Major, divert all power from your gunship's laser cannon until it's nothing but an exceptionally blinding and precise light." N'alae, for her part, draws a disruptor, expecting retribution.

Noelle is doing precisely as ordered, moving into position and firing the gunship's laser cannon down at the crystal, thanks to that hole from the ceiling. No sunlight means they just have to use something else. In this case, a laser weapon dialed back until it's just a really fancy and powerful light, instead of a deadly anti-tank cannon.

[Lascastle Community Center]

Fortunately for the Irregulars, the blasters are semi-magitech and the bolts tend to put out some light, so there's something there, at least.

Hill uses those boosters to jump over the crab thing, firing off the shotgun in midair, down at it. The goons also turn their attention to it, backing away as much as they can without getting clouded and unloading on it with those blasters.

[Rebonack]

[Lascastle Road]

Well.

Since Sunder is clear of the building for the moment she pauses to take a look around. They've got a TON of people inside the community center and they were starting to trip over each other. And who knows who might still need help out here?

She'll keep an ear out for a summons by her friend.

Sunder casts her gaze about to see if she can't spot any more trouble going down.

And there's always trouble going down.

[Meanwhile!]

The Inquisitor decides to focus all of his effort on sheer, brilliant, aberration-burning holy light. This is no side effect of a spell. This is the real deal!

[Arkhosia]

Lascastle Sewers?

Lyrina flies after it, illuminating the passageway by summoning light.

[GrandDM]

[Red Zone Street and Home]

Street and Above

Thankfully for Caelynn, there was no mental intrusion against her!
Hooray!

Just against Spooky, Noelle's little friend.

The vast majority of said intrusion falls to the wayside as the ghostly individual retreats, but a small trail seems to follow along, similar to those many rivers moving unseen through the city.

The woman in the armor gives a faintly impatient sigh and leans back against the door.
"Look, I said if things actually needed additional intervention, there would be a bigger sign or phone-call, or something."

Inside

Just because Shadow can poke around in the shadows of the building, doesn't necessarily mean he should.
The upper floor and its rooms seem mundane enough. Some unused bedrooms, a kitchen, closets, the usual house build
However, the lower floor, the basement...poking his awareness into that non-light seems to draw attention fairly quickly.

Not the good sort of attention, as another entity's will immediately moves to meld with his own.
It's almost identical to Spooky's situation (Noelle would notice a similar movement of the taint maelstrom), as some terrible power immediately seeks to drive a blind aggressiveness into the fellow.


The house scans from the ship would equally recognize that the house is fairly normal, other than the hole smashed from roof to basement.
Basement is fairly broad, probably unfinished, also relatively mundane other than the giant shard of ice rammed into the middle of the floor.
Stairs at the far end, leading up to the kitchen, are the only other particularly interesting thing in the room.

There's nothing barring a little warp into the room, although as soon as the column of light appears, the life sign Noelle originally detected wavers out of sight/notice.

Depending on how fast N'alae's sight follows into the warp, she can probably see the armored figure by the iceblock as shadows scatter its form across the darkness.
After that point, the only plainly viewed objects in the basement are a small globe of white light bobbing by the ice block, and a very faint glow from a crystal in the ceiling. Everything else is shrouded in black.

"Oof... something in the basement. Trying to overpower me, make me aggressive. I'm pulling out, I don't know how much longer I can hold it off."

He shakes his head groggily.

"Now that is interesting. I've never been detected just through shadow-sight before. I wonder what it is... Nine, go take a look, would you? Can't be too careful."

Since you didn't mention any problems Nine's having in breaking into the building, I'm going to assume he succeeds and now heads carefully down to the basement. He's stealthy enough to be completely unnoticed by ordinary and even enhanced senses, as well as any mechanical or electronic sensors, but the supernatural senses the thing in the basement apparently has might well pick him up.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Gags and Giggles]

"Eleven o'clock will do just fine. Though, ah, perhaps I ought to buy something from you, at least to thank you for your interest," Stick says. While he already knows how to create veils, he'll look around for anything else that might prove useful to his magical studies.

"Well, I'm not gonna stop you," Uzume responds. "I mean, not like you have to, but, uh...if you insist, heh heh." There's no way to know if she has anything else that would appeal to Sticks. ((Feel free to make something up, if you like; I'm sure I can make it fit.)) Then again, her magic is of an unusual nature, so it might be interesting to learn how it works and how she uses it in her products.

((Yikes, I'm such a slacker. Sorry this is so late...))

[Zefir]

[Small Solar Temple]

While KR is using a spell, Mia is going around with MDM, checking the rooms(if there are any) for any sign of living, like the rest of a meal, a bed or anything else, even trash from a very new product might be fine.
Should the result be that she can't find anything, she will let MDM do a scan to find secret rooms.

[Arkhosia]

"Oof... something in the basement. Trying to overpower me, make me aggressive. I'm pulling out, I don't know how much longer I can hold it off."

He shakes his head groggily.

"Now that is interesting. I've never been detected just through shadow-sight before. I wonder what it is... Nine, go take a look, would you? Can't be too careful."

Since you didn't mention any problems Nine's having in breaking into the building, I'm going to assume he succeeds and now heads carefully down to the basement. He's stealthy enough to be completely unnoticed by ordinary and even enhanced senses, as well as any mechanical or electronic sensors, but the supernatural senses the thing in the basement apparently has might well pick him up.

Caelynn activates her gauntlets.
I'm going in.
She then enters the household.

[Shadowcaller]

[Aug Tower - Astrana and Valente]

"Boyfriend actually. I'm Valente. She's right, I'm just tagging along. I don't have any credentials anyway, so don't mind me." Valente says, sounding unconcerned. He's just here to check this place out with Astrana.

"It's nice to meet you, Astrana, Valente. If you don't mind me calling you so," Employment says cheerily. The black soldier will keep his hand out to shake, at least for this post, but it'll be withdrawn if she doesn't seem to understand the custom. Of course, it's possible her player merely missed that bit last time. "Now, Miss Astrana, we'd love to show you our facilities, but we must get more specific: what job are you interested in applying for?"

[Aug Tower - Astrana and Valente]

The player might have missed that, yes. Astrana will quickly shake the hand of the soldier. "I am a professional warlock, Been training since I was a child." The tiefling explains. "What I do is help people improve themselves by finding extra-planar entities and making pacts with them so I figured since you do the same but using different methods there might be some room for me." It was a wild shot but there was no shame in trying, the worst thing that could happen would be that you were denied.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Red Zone House]

Outside

"Oh no you aren't."
The moment Caelynn moves for the door, the armored woman steps slightly more in front of it, her radiant sword tilted up just slightly enough to be considered aggressive.

"This is a delicate situation. Until this house starts blowing up, I don't think you really have the authority to move on by."

Inside

There was nothing for Nine to pick, really. Probably could have hopped right into the broken window in the back.

Getting to the basement reveals a rather interesting scene.


As soon as the order leaves N'alae's mouth, the figure from before reforms only a short distance away.
This time, a burning ring of light flickers away behind their head, and a dripping halo of inky black spirals above. A man's voice comes from within still-slightly-insubstantial armor, and seems the type used to being the voice of authority.
"Repeal that order or everyone in this city will die."


[Lascastle]

Road

Oh Sunder, how right you are. There is always something going wrong!

At the moment, that particular something seems to be related to the fact that every sewer grate going down the road in a general thattaway direction seems to be spewing unholy frost clouds!
Most people seem to have decided that being on the street is a bad idea at the moment, but...that might not matter for too long.

Community Center

Oh boy.
Actual radiance.

Their one true enemy, and their one true fear.
Seigfried knows, he's paid this due before.

It has the simplest effect it could be expected to have: they are swiftly left alone. The remnant skittering creatures have decided to recoil away into the depths of their fog, and the crab-snakes further down the hall have retreated into side rooms.

All that remains is the one, seizing up under the light and becoming easy pickings for Hill and his subordinates. It's a large target that can't even seem to move right anymore.
They almost can't miss, and broad enough shots along its middle cease its protesting movements soon enough.

For the first time in a long several minutes, things seem become quiet.

Sewers

Darkness and cold.

Even summoning her own light, it's similar to sticking a flash-light under several blankets before attempting to use it.
The air itself seems to stifle the glow from getting much farther than a few feet ahead, just enough to keep her from ramming into a wall.

And the cold.
This is not a cold Lyrina should stay in.
The rumblings follow a straight enough path before her, and the farther along she goes, the more alive the cold feels.

Coating, seeping, clawing at her, trying to force its way into her flesh, her bones, and even her spirit.
It seeks to consume her, caring little for divinity or mortality.


[Small Solar Temple]

It's not much of an extra room, but poking around one of the corners does reveal an off-to-the-side dressing room of some sort.

A simple bar hangs off the wall, with a very worn looking white robe hanging off of it.
There's a small counter below it, with an empty bowl, but little else.

[The Bushranger]

[Below the TV Tower]

"Don't worry, I won't~" Hikari grins and winks.

~Fast Forward~

Gently pushing another door open, the magical girls step into a large area, several floors high. It's clearly intended to be a factory area, and many of the large machines are still left mothballed here. "Wow, this place is really big..."

Suddenly, a double-headed spear slams into one of the contraptions near Hikari as she jumps back. Whipping her gaze upward, she sees a heavily armored skeletal warrior, glowing with an eerie green light. It extends its hand, and the spear wrenches itself free and flies back to its hand.

"Well, good news is, we found the witch. Bad news is, we found the witch."

"Funny how it works that way, isn't it?" Mikani observes, pulling out her wand once more and settling into a battle stance. "I think this one we should probably blast into a bazillion tiny pieces," the Magical Girl declares, grinning. "On three?"

[ImpSyndrome]

[WAREHOUSE A303]

There are many storage spaces scattered across Inside, but this one is strangely empty. Of course, it wasn't like that an hour or two ago, but that was before Sanji Genkiro arrived and seized the place, ejecting the previous contents with great haste. The occupants might have protested, had he not threatened to burn them alive if they didn't allow him to borrow it for the sake of saving his world. Now, the pyro-happy yokai stands alone outside a massive, vacant warehouse, tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for the one person who has claimed to be capable of bringing him home...

[Baeleck]

[Warehouse A303]

And here is the woman in question. Niara Tarmikos can be seen approaching the storehouse at a leisurely pace, her coat pulled tight around her person, collar raised to cover her neck. Her hair is pinned carefully in place, effectively masking the fact that she spent last night sleeping against a countertop in Trog's.

Her drone is hovering by her side, keeping exact pace. Their slow approach should give the device ample time to survey the situation, hopefully garnering basic information about Sanji and, most importantly, whether there is some variety of trap awaiting Niara, unprovoked as it would be. Can't be to careful in her line of work.

Assuming everything is fine and dandy, Niara gives a polite nod as she steps up to the yokai, though no hand is offered to be shaken at this juncture. 'Sanji Genkiro, I assume?' Her tone is perfectly professional; her expression neutral.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Warehouse A303]

And here is the woman in question. Niara Tarmikos can be seen approaching the storehouse at a leisurely pace, her coat pulled tight around her person, collar raised to cover her neck. Her hair is pinned carefully in place, effectively masking the fact that she spent last night sleeping against a countertop in Trog's.

Her drone is hovering by her side, keeping exact pace. Their slow approach should give the device ample time to survey the situation, hopefully garnering basic information about Sanji and, most importantly, whether there is some variety of trap awaiting Niara, unprovoked as it would be. Can't be to careful in her line of work.

Assuming everything is fine and dandy, Niara gives a polite nod as she steps up to the yokai, though no hand is offered to be shaken at this juncture. 'Sanji Genkiro, I assume?' Her tone is perfectly professional; her expression neutral.

Sanji notes the approach of a woman in concealing clothing, accompanied by a strange object floating near her. At first, he mistakes it for a shikigami and its owner for an onmyouji, but as they draw closer, it seems to resemble some other odd metal artifacts he's seen around the city, so he only watches it with a cautionary eye for the moment. Its observations will show that there aren't any traps set by the yokai, although its analysis of himself will show that he's plenty dangerous even without them.

"You assume right," Sanji says shortly, obviously agitated. "Let's hurry it up; this crisis has a very short fuse. In here." With that, he lifts up the shutter leading into the warehouse and directs Niara inside; as rough as he may seem, he at least has some manners. Once she enters, he'll step in himself and let the thin metal barrier slide back into its closed position. Unless she has anything to say immediately, his first question will be, "So, how exactly is this going to work? Any potential complications I should be aware of?"

[Baeleck]

[Warehouse A303]

Niara doesn't hesitate to follow Sanji's lead, stepping briskly inside and taking a quick look around the place. Big, bare, empty. Assumedly a convenient empty lot, she supposes, not suspecting the forced ejection of whoever was utilizing it earlier.

'I can see you're in a hurry, so I won't go into deep detail,' Niara says, as she withdraws a small device from her right-hand pocket. 'I'll be commandeering a short-range portal that I know to already exist in this city. It's a simple procedure, especially given the pandimensional nature of the Nexus. You might know this already, but this world has the curious property of drawing all variety of different races to it, from a similarly diverse variety of worlds. Travelling the opposite direction is no less difficult, so long as you have the tools.' Which, one can assume, she does.

'As for complications, pandimensional travel can always be a risky business, though I aim to make all travel as safe as possible.' She gives a reassuring smile, though Sanji might be able to tell it's the same expression she gives whenever she speaks about the safety of her methods. 'The main issue you should be concerned with is where we arrive on your world. If there is no specific dimensional portal I can gain access to, then we will arrive at the point on your world that has the most link to this world. If there's some sort of crisis happening there, then there's a chance you may arrive in "enemy territory", so to speak.' She pauses, as she inputs something onto the device in her hand. 'With me so far?'

----------

[Hodgepodge Street, Grey Zone]

It's a busy day on Hodgepodge Street. Seems like most everyone is out and about, doing a spot of shopping or sightseeing - you know, general getting-in-the-way activities.

A bobbing head of white hair can be seen maneuvering through the crowded thoroughfare. The owner of said hair must be a good foot or so shorter than the majority of the citizens, and seems to be being jostled against his will in random directions.

The boy manages to find a vantage point, in the form of a metal statue of a faceless, top-hatted individual. He hops up onto the ledge around it, heaving a bulging duffel bag up after himself. The half-drow has greyish skin and a pair of sharply pointed ears, which twitch as he strains to drown out the chatter of the crowd. Looping one arm around the inside of the bronze figure's leg and leaning out over the crowd, his vivid blue eyes scanning his surroundings.

I have... no idea where I'm supposed to be going, he concludes.

[GrandDM]

[Red Zone House]

Outside

"Oh no you aren't."
The moment Caelynn moves for the door, the armored woman steps slightly more in front of it, her radiant sword tilted up just slightly enough to be considered aggressive.

"This is a delicate situation. Until this house starts blowing up, I don't think you really have the authority to move on by."

Inside

There was nothing for Nine to pick, really. Probably could have hopped right into the broken window in the back.

Getting to the basement reveals a rather interesting scene.


As soon as the order leaves N'alae's mouth, the figure from before reforms only a short distance away.
This time, a burning ring of light flickers away behind their head, and a dripping halo of inky black spirals above. A man's voice comes from within still-slightly-insubstantial armor, and seems the type used to being the voice of authority.
"Repeal that order or everyone in this city will die."

"Damn! Caelynn, try not to throw up. It tends to be rough the first time."

He grabs her, and suddenly implodes. She should be dragged with him. If all goes to plan, she'll suddenly be in a twisting, infinite realm of shadows, then back in the real world, falling out of a shadow into the basement of the building.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the creature blocks this attempt at shadow-travel.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Warehouse A303]

Spoiler: Interplanar Travel 101 by Niara Tarmikos

Show

Niara doesn't hesitate to follow Sanji's lead, stepping briskly inside and taking a quick look around the place. Big, bare, empty. Assumedly a convenient empty lot, she supposes, not suspecting the forced ejection of whoever was utilizing it earlier.

'I can see you're in a hurry, so I won't go into deep detail,' Niara says, as she withdraws a small device from her right-hand pocket. 'I'll be commandeering a short-range portal that I know to already exist in this city. It's a simple procedure, especially given the pandimensional nature of the Nexus. You might know this already, but this world has the curious property of drawing all variety of different races to it, from a similarly diverse variety of worlds. Travelling the opposite direction is no less difficult, so long as you have the tools.' Which, one can assume, she does.

'As for complications, pandimensional travel can always be a risky business, though I aim to make all travel as safe as possible.' She gives a reassuring smile, though Sanji might be able to tell it's the same expression she gives whenever she speaks about the safety of her methods. 'The main issue you should be concerned with is where we arrive on your world. If there is no specific dimensional portal I can gain access to, then we will arrive at the point on your world that has the most link to this world. If there's some sort of crisis happening there, then there's a chance you may arrive in "enemy territory", so to speak.' She pauses, as she inputs something onto the device in her hand. 'With me so far?'

All the technical-speak nearly renders Sanji cross-eyed; once she finishes her monologue, he brings his hands up in a 'please stop' gesture and pleads, "OK OK, I get it: lots of science-y hoo-hah, whatever. Ugh, sorry I asked..." After taking a moment to absorb all of that information, he says, "OK, I know for a fact that there aren't any portals in my world, so it'll have to be that other thing you said...a place of connection or what-have-you. That'd probably be the World-Heart...Excellent, that's exactly where I'm needed. I'm just hoping it's not 'enemy territory' already, or I'll have so much more to worry about than sticking the landing..." He crouches down for a moment, a bit tired of standing by now, and asks, "So...do I need to do anything to speed things along?"

[Baeleck]

[Warehouse A303]

There's the hint of a small smirk at Sanji's overwhelmed reaction, but she makes note not to get too technical again. 'Well, what I propose is we start heading over to this portal now, and we can continue our discussion on the move. Seeing as time is of the essence.' It seems a logical course of action, Niara thinks. 'While we walk, you can help me locate your world.'

With this, the device in her hand light up, projecting an intricate array of bright points around the two of them, small threads of light weaving between them. It's... a little mesmerising.

'Tell me a bit about your home,' she says, 'It will help me locate it on my handy map here.'

[ImpSyndrome]

[OUTSIDE WAREHOUSE A303]

There's the hint of a small smirk at Sanji's overwhelmed reaction, but she makes note not to get too technical again. 'Well, what I propose is we start heading over to this portal now, and we can continue our discussion on the move. Seeing as time is of the essence.' It seems a logical course of action, Niara thinks. 'While we walk, you can help me locate your world.'

With this, the device in her hand light up, projecting an intricate array of bright points around the two of them, small threads of light weaving between them. It's... a little mesmerising.

'Tell me a bit about your home,' she says, 'It will help me locate it on my handy map here.'

"Yeah...Yeah, good thinking," answers Sanji favorably. "I don't know much about the world above ground, but I could tell you a hundred stories about the Underground and the World-Heart..." He lifts open the shutter to the warehouse but nearly drops it in surprise when he finds himself face-to-face with a teenage-looking girl in shabby clothes. She seems to have been eavesdropping on their conversation, and by the look on Sanji's face, it's not the first time they've met. There's an intense pause before the girl backs up against the wall of the warehouse corridor, sputtering fast and incomprehensible apologies and pleas for mercy. Once he and Niara have stepped outside and closed the door behind them, though, he'll step forward and simply utter, "You're that ash yokai, aren't you...? What are you doing here?"

The thought that Sanji recognizes her sobers the terror-stricken girl somewhat, and she stammers, "You...Y-you remember me...?" After regaining some measure of composure, she manages to reply, "I...I just sort of...wound up here at random...I didn't think about it too much at first, but then I couldn't find anyone, and then-"

"Alright, relax," assures the elder yokai. "I'm kind of in the same boat right now...Actually, now that I think about it...you might be able to help us. Do you know much about the surface world of Other-Gensokyo?" When the girl nods assent, he continues, "Good, you've got the job. This woman is Niara, and she may be our ticket home. Tell her everything you can remember about our world: geography, locations, anything worth talking about." She obediently approaches, though she cuts Sanji a wide berth, and introduces herself, "I'm Sasha...Sasha Graymolt. Me and Sanji are from the same place...er, world...What do you want to hear about first?"

[Darkcomet]

[Red Zone Street]

"Belay that, but remain ready to proceed. If I die, do it." N'alae says, before deactivating the comm and raising the disruptor at the returned company.

"Why, tell me, should I believe you? You're in a basement clearly set up to keep that ice block exposed to light, I happen to know the minions of the entity responsible for this are no friend to such light, it is no large leap of logic to apply this to the entity itself, and something here is not only radiating some kind of corrupt metaphysical aura, but attacking the minds of others that approach, according to the intelligence I have received.

And here you are, someone clearly attuned to shadows and darkness, attempting to prevent me from dealing with the light problem." She lays it all out for that guy to try to counter, sounding ever-increasingly skeptical.

"Tell me, exactly, why I shouldn't believe you are the one allowing it to affect the world again."

Outside, Noelle belays, but remains in position to proceed.

[Lascastle Community Center]

"...I'm gonna go somewhere tropical after this, ugh. Where'd those other two get off to?" Hill glances about, probably a little annoyed that some of their support has decided to ditch them.

"Hey, we're not dead."

"Shhh, you'll bring them back."

Meanwhile the troopers talk to each other quietly.

[Baeleck]

[Outside Warehouse A303]

Niara watches the scene between the two unfold, making particular note of words that would be specific to their world - World-Heart, yokai, Other-Gensokyo. All the while, her little drone buzzes away, seemingly synthesizing this information.

'Ah, Sasha... nice to meet you, I suppose.' Niara gives a curt nod. 'Names of things are the most important - continents, geographical features, governments, historical events. Anything that would be recorded frequently in writing.'

She ushers the group to keep following as she heads away from the warehouse. 'Sanji, could we also discuss a price for my services?' Her tone is somewhat tentative. 'I'm not some sort of dimension-hopping samaritan, after all. Woman needs to make a living.'

----------

[Hodgepodge Street, Grey Zone]

There was nothing for it. Gritting his teeth, the boy makes sure his duffel bag is firmly closed, before leaping back down into the crowds.

This time, instead of being taken by the flow of bodies, people seem to pass around him, apparently against their will. There are various shouts of indignation as the little boy with the bag pushes people ever which way. Nobody so much as stumbles, however, the crowd merely rippling slightly in the wake of the half-drow.

Now out of the main crowds, he stands at the side of the road, breathing heavily, a look of worry spread upon his face. No, he wasn't lost, just a tad off-track. It had been a long while since he was last at the temple, but he was good with route-finding.

Inside had expanded since he was last here though. Significantly.

He's certainly not going to ask for directions. That would involve talking to random strangers.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Outside Warehouse A303]

Niara watches the scene between the two unfold, making particular note of words that would be specific to their world - World-Heart, yokai, Other-Gensokyo. All the while, her little drone buzzes away, seemingly synthesizing this information.

'Ah, Sasha... nice to meet you, I suppose.' Niara gives a curt nod. 'Names of things are the most important - continents, geographical features, governments, historical events. Anything that would be recorded frequently in writing.'

She ushers the group to keep following as she heads away from the warehouse. 'Sanji, could we also discuss a price for my services?' Her tone is somewhat tentative. 'I'm not some sort of dimension-hopping samaritan, after all. Woman needs to make a living.'

"I appreciate that," Sanji fibs, "but it's hardly my greatest concern right now. There's a major difference between 'making a living' and 'living, full-stop', and unless I get home and secure the World-Heart pronto, the people of Other-Gensokyo may not be doing much of either for much longer. What say we wait until after we save the world to discuss payment? Or is the knowledge that you've rescued an entire plane of existence from the brink of obliteration not enough for you?"

"Sanji, that's being too harsh," Sasha tells him. "She's offering us a favor - a very important helping hand - without having any stake in our world. The least we can do is guarantee her some kind of compensation."

"Oh yeah? How about this: she helps us save our world, and I guarantee that I won't just tell her to kiss my otherworldly buttocks when all's said and done. I honestly don't understand how the people of this Nexus can be so blind beyond personal gain that they can ignore the potential doom of an entire universe just because it lies beyond their corporeal vision. If it's that important to you, why don't you come up with some kind of reward? In the meantime, I'll focus on what matters: namely, safeguarding the homefront."

Sanji grits his sharpened teeth as he stomps forward, refusing to address Niara on the subject again if she tries to bring it up. Sasha lets out a sigh and tells her, "I'm sorry about Sanji. He really just has a one-track mind...Even without the fate of the world on his shoulders, he's just not a people-person; he was even more violent the first time I met him...Anyway, we don't have anything of much value here, but if you do choose to help us, I promise to make it up to you somehow." Should Niara agree to the tenuous arrangement, Sasha will start to fill in some details about her world, including some notable locations like the Shrouded Ocean, the Lotus Nurseries, and the Ashen Grove where she lives.

((I know Sanji's a hypocrite and a pain to deal with, but I promise that there's a good reason I want to hold off on deciding this so soon. If it's not asking too much, do you think we could figure it out later in the scene?))

[Baeleck]

((Of course, not a problem. I was half expecting this sort of reaction from Sanji, from the impression I had of his character so far.))

[Leaving Warehouse A303]

'If there's a world at stake, then forget everything I just said, for now,' Niara responds, upping her pace to a swift jog. 'I can't claim to be a wholly altruistic type, but I'm not going to just stand by in the knowledge that some sort of cataclysm is about to happen. Especially when I can help do something about preventing it. You'll have to excuse me for not knowing how urgent things were, but I... well, I did not know, explicitly.' She doesn't sound indignant about it at all, more disappointed that Sanji got snappy. She values level-headedness in professional dealings like this.

'It's fine Sasha. I've had ruder clients before,' she says, quiet enough so that Sanji hopefully doesn't hear.

As the ash yokai reels off more information, the projected map begins to shrink in on itself, many points of light flickering out simultaneously as the number of potential matches is narrowed down. The orrery works a bit like a search engine, one would guess - using a variety of filters on the details it has compiled on each plane.

[Zefir]

[Small Solar Temple]

It's not much of an extra room, but poking around one of the corners does reveal an off-to-the-side dressing room of some sort.

A simple bar hangs off the wall, with a very worn looking white robe hanging off of it.
There's a small counter below it, with an empty bowl, but little else.

[Small Solar Temple]

((I post, because I think it may be better for KR, since my post will include something for him/her to react))
Mia will take a look in the room to notice the worn out clothes and the counter. She won't head inside even if things seem calm. A cold shiver runs down her back as she imagine that the person shutting off the sun is there anywhere. She takes a deep breath befor going a few steps back. She waves at KR.

"I think I found something."

While she is calling for KR, MDM is guaring the door.

[Rebonack]

[Lascastle Road]

Horrible freezing doom fog everywhere.

This is one of those instances where Sunder is glad that she isn't ground-bound, otherwise she would be walking through that stuff. And that would be terrible.

Though...

The clouds don't seem to be the sort of thing she could do much about. Sure she could bust the clouds one at a time, but given that they would just keep seeping out of the sewers? She would manage to exhaust herself and not much else.

Hmmm...

Phone call time!

Meanwhile, inside the community center!

Siegfried's phone rings!

He puts away one of his pistols and pulls out the device, keeping his hand raised to ward off the darkness. "Yeah? Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

*beep!*

"We should finish sweeping the center and move on. If Llymic isn't here then we're wasting our time."

Search away!

[Deathkeeper]

[Temple of Cosiellio]

Arty arrives at the temple at a brisk trot, a somewhat nervous expression on his face. He'd waited a few days after he'd met Cos Bella's father before visiting, as he didn't want to jump to a temple's charity when he wasn't as destitute as some people likely were. But after thinking about it, he'd rather take the old rent payments and put them in the god's donation box if it's all the same. Even if he's not a very suave colt, he's still a member of a herd-minded species and gets uncomfortable when he's stuck living alone. The ease in meeting strangers was pretty much the only reason he hasn't tried to find some place outside the city to settle.
Anyway, he'll enter the place if there's an appropriately sized (and open) entrance, but won't go too far in until he finds someone. Don't want to wander anywhere he's not welcome in.