Outside 48: Hotter than Inside

[Gullara]

This place is just as it sounds. It's Outside!
Want a change of scenery? Go Outside.
Always wanted to visit the beach? Come Outside.
Looking to have a climatic fight on clifftops? Attempt Outside.
Secret meetings being held where there's no cameras? Try Outside.
Want an ambush without nasty base defenses? Yep! Outside.

Any and all are welcome in the wild expanses beyond the reach of civilization. Who's going to keep you out? That's right, no one. You're already out!
Here lie vast expanses, dense forests, towering mountains, dizzying canyons, treacherous dungeons, encroaching jungles, roaring waterfalls, endless wastes, blistering deserts, mossy cliffs, illusionary oases, eldritch moors, flowering bosques, infested hills, cyclopean ruins, weed-tangled gardens, crumbling glaciers, peaceful glades, bubbling tar pits, rumbling volcanoes, teetering hoodoos, honeycombed caverns, dripping grottos, inland seas, grassy knolls, overgrown battlefields, creepy boneyards, guano-covered caves, and so much more!
The sky is truly the limit, and sometimes not even that. If you can imagine it, it's here, and something super cool is probably happening there.

And most importantly, enjoy Outside. That's what this is all about.

---

Rules and Guidelines

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There is very little you can't do Outside. However, like always, please follow the forum rules and general rules of conduct. Respect that a scene may be private or that a plot shouldn't be interrupted. When in doubt, ask someone involved in the OoC thread or by PM.

There are many areas Outside, and people can be in multiple places outside. In order to keep areas Outside separated so there's no confusion, consider bolding your outside location at the start of each of your posts, like so:

[An Epic Cliffside Battle]

The creepy eyed squirrel looks on at the raging battle with contempt! Contempt that only a squirrel with particularly creepy eyes can muster.

[The Beach!]

The menacing craps are not only menacing today, but frustrated. Their every attempt to menace the non-existent duck has met with failure. Some might ask why the crabs are trying to menace nothing, but those people would get viciously pinched.

Note the creepy eyed squirrel and the menacing crabs do not interact because they are in different areas Outside. They could interact, if the squirrel moved to the beach. Of course, various things like telepathy help bypass this.

Archive

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Outside 47: [Insert seasonal phrase that will be outdated when this thread ends]
Outside 46
Outside 45
Outside 44: Baby it's cold outside
Outside 43: Where the sun hurts your eyes and burns your skin
Outside 42
Outside 41: Inside Outside, outside Inside
Outside 40: It's all downhill from here
Outside XXXIX
Outside XXXVIII
Outside XXXVII
Outside XXXVI
Outside XXXV
Outside XXXIV
Outside XXXIII
Outside XXXII
Outside XXXI
Outside XXX
Outside XXIX
Outside XXVIII
Outside XXVII
Outside XXVI
Outside XXV
Outside XXIV
Outside XXIII
Outside XXII
Outside XXI
Outside XX
Outside XIX
Outside XVIII
Outside XVII
Outside XVI
Outside 15: There used to be a silly pun here, but it wouldn't fit
Outside XIV: More animals than you can shake a stick at. Yes the PCs.
Outside XIII: Spores of Corruption Dance in the Wind
Outside XII: We number things correctly.
Outside XI: Bugs are Eating the Landscape
Outside X: The Rotting Corpses are starting to Smell
Outside IX: There are Mosquitoes
Outside VIII: We cater birthday parties
Outside VII: Open longer than a 7-11
Outside VI: Now with Locations!
Outside V: More civilized than Inside
Outside IV: The Creepy Eyed Squirrel's Domain
Outside III: Beware the Non-Existant Duck
Outside II: Now with Menacing Crabs
Outside

[Earl of Purple]

[Triple B]

Reinholdt gives a small wave and smile of his own back to the halfling. She seemed... Out of place. Unless she was a were, or a vampire, or any other of the many monsters that only sometimes looked like monsters. So basically, no way to tell.

"Uh, do you need orange juice? You look a little drained," Reinholdt suggests. It would probably be better for someone than a gin and tonic after what appears to have been a blood donation.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. It was only a little nibble. Apparently, I taste like strawberries, and... uh, they... didn't like strawberries when they were alive." She thinks a moment, puts her drink down, and orders an orange juice anyway. "This place is great, right? Well, mostly great. Lots of people keep looking at me rather funny, but I've danced with two mermaids, a vampire, a very muscular centaur and a lady whose lower body was a gigantic millipede." It's just a pity she didn't notice what gender the vampire was. "Let me finish my drink, and I'll dance with a faerie, too." She winks, but she's not in a hurry to finish either the juice or the gin.

[Reinholdt]

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. It was only a little nibble. Apparently, I taste like strawberries, and... uh, they... didn't like strawberries when they were alive." She thinks a moment, puts her drink down, and orders an orange juice anyway. "This place is great, right? Well, mostly great. Lots of people keep looking at me rather funny, but I've danced with two mermaids, a vampire, a very muscular centaur and a lady whose lower body was a gigantic millipede." It's just a pity she didn't notice what gender the vampire was. "Let me finish my drink, and I'll dance with a faerie, too." She winks, but she's not in a hurry to finish either the juice or the gin.

[The Triple B]

"Ah. Well. That's good. I think." Depends on how much she wanted her blood to be sucked? Rein tries not to think about it.

"Oh?" Reinholdt starts looking around for the faerie nearby she could be referring to. After a moment, he realizes and points at himself, mouthing 'me?' at her. He is really not used to being called a faerie in the slightest. She may actually be the first. "Well alright. But I should warn you, I have nominal experience dancing with two feet. How anyone stays balanced without a tail is beyond me."

[Tauron's Temple]

The temple appear unchanged, though as Ilpholin reaches the entrance she can see that two white regal-looking golems are positioned on each side of the large double door leading inside the temple. Without a word, they open the door for her as she approach.
Inside the temple looks just the same as before. She can hear Tauron's voice coming from his workshop. "Whose there? I'll be with you in a moment!"

[Tauron's Temple]

Walking past the golems without even thanking them, Ilpholin stops just outside Tauron's workshop. Though she does try to steal a glance inside if she can manage it without opening anything.

"It's Ilpholin."

[Earl of Purple]

The Triple B

"You aren't a fearie of some kind? Huh. I coulda sworn you were. I mean, you've got the unearthly beauty thing going on. I guess you don't have antlers or green skin, but you do have pink eyes and I thought that was your tell. Does that mean it's safe for me to introduce myself, or no?" She takes a sip of her gin, followed by a deeper draught of her orange juice.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp replies. "Of all xenos, you should know where are you, human." Depending on the translator's vocabulary, it may translate "xenos" as "aliens," "others," or "strangers." "This is [UNTRANSLATABLE] research station 2 substation 16 in the sector designated Violet Expanse. You do not recognize my kind either? That is impossible. Your humans have been by force driving us out of this space rightfully ours for the past galactic cycle!" The other wasp says something to her compatriot, which appears translated, "Perhaps he is no imperial human. There are other humans."
"They are all either visibly different, or allied with the empire. Why would they come here anyway?"

[Reinholdt]

[The Triple B]

"I guess I'm sort of a faerie ish maybe? Except not really. This isn't even my final form. Either way if you tell me your name the only thing I can take from you is your heart. So it should be safe. I'm Reinholdt, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire." Reinholdt performs his flourish.

"You seem to know a lot about this place and the people here. I'll buy you a drink if you can answer a question for me."

[Recaiden]

The spider thinks a report. Seems there's nothing too interesting.
Looks like a standard arrival to the Nexus.
Wound, Blade, stand down. Swords, we'll split on exit?
Of course.

Moschu does sidle around so that she can use the lens directly.
"Somehow, your station has arrived in a completely different realm, very far from your Violet Expanse. There is no human empire here. Later, you can get proof of this. For now, you must simply believe me. 'Kay?"

[Earl of Purple]

The Triple B

"I'd better not tell you my name, then. I like my heart where it is." And indeed, she doesn't, though she does grin.

"Oh, I'm not sure on that. This is my first visit. I reckon I'd come again, though. See if I could dance with a mermaid or something, I can't see any here today." Which is a bit disappointing, but not too surprising.

The Old Wood

For Benedict, 'xenos' is translated as 'strangers'.

"My name is Benedict Beaulieu, son of Lord Percival Beaulieu, younger son of Earl Aethelred of Wight. I am a citizen in exile of the Kingdom of the England and Wales, not part of any empire. There was a spike of complex energies, and now you are in the reality called Nexus, which is easy to enter and hard to leave. I believe you have done so unintentionally, and quite possibly without realising what you have done." As his father's title is honorary, Benedict does not have one of his own. As far as he is aware, space travel is impossible; his version of Earth is not as advanced as our own, particularly with regards to transportation and communication.

[bc56]

Old Wood

"This is... not your doing? I will trust you, for now." The wasp is pausing between phrases now, seeming to breathe deeply in between. She turns to her companion. "It becomes hard to breathe. Get the cloaks." Without a word, the second wasp rushes back into the chamber they came from.

[Recaiden]

"It is not our doing. We only observed your arrival."
Moschu doesn't introduce herself; it hardly seems like the time. Silly Benedict.

One question seems particularly relevant, "What do you need to breathe?" but she keeps her eyes on the doorway that the one wasp is going through, in case these cloaks are a trick.

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict was trying to prove he had no links to the empire the wasps were worried about, so they were put at ease.

He also allows the wasp to leave, though keeps an eye on the door. He holds a hand up, ready to start sketching the symbol he's picturing in his mind, if it seems like he'll need to do so. He doesn't start drawing it, however.

[Shadowcaller]

[Tauron's Temple]

Walking past the golems without even thanking them, Ilpholin stops just outside Tauron's workshop. Though she does try to steal a glance inside if she can manage it without opening anything.

"It's Ilpholin."

[Tauron's Temple]

She can't see anything until the door actually opens and Tauron comes out. The construct doesn't appear to have changed at all from what she can see. She might catch a glimpse of the workshop itself from behind him however. There are various contraptions on the table, most notably a collar that Tauron seems to have been tinkering with.
"Ah, you return! Perfect! I have some important information for you, Ilpholin. Do you, perhaps, have the same for me? I assume you didn't just return for a, eh, social call?" He nods. "You look brilliant by the way. I hope the world have treated you well since you left."

[CosmicHobbit]

[Ruins of Old GLoG]

In the middle of the ruins of old GLoG, there sits an egg, white with dark purple dots across it, standing at 10 feet tall. On this day, the egg finally hatches. A skeleton steps out, though this is no normal skeleton. It's eyes glow with a wine purple fire within them, and it peers around with an intelligence not found in normal undead.

A catgirl zombie, hearing this noise, begins shambling toward the skeleton, who glares at it with disdain. Holding up a hand, it causes dark smoke to coalesce into a revolver made out of dark steel and wood. Pointing the weapon at the zombie, he loads 4 magically charged bullets into it, causing it to drop to the ground.

[Morty]

[Ruins of Old GLoG]

Someone else seems to be coming through the ruins, but upon hearing gunshots, they cease all movement and wait.

[CosmicHobbit]

[Ruins of Old GLoG]

The skeleton moves the barrel to it's mouth and blows away the smoke left by the shot. It hasn't noticed the other person here, at least not yet. It glances around the ruins, searching for any other hostile creatures.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp returns with a pair of heavy garments made from a black, leathery material. Both wasps take a minute to pull the full-body clothes on and seal them tightly. Once she's fully covered, the wasp responds to the question. The suit does not impede her language, at least not in atmosphere. "We breathe the same gasses as the humans. This atmosphere is too cold and thin for us."

[Reinholdt]

The Triple B

"I'd better not tell you my name, then. I like my heart where it is." And indeed, she doesn't, though she does grin.

"Oh, I'm not sure on that. This is my first visit. I reckon I'd come again, though. See if I could dance with a mermaid or something, I can't see any here today." Which is a bit disappointing, but not too surprising.

[The Triple B]

Rein looks a little quizzical. How does one dance with a mermaid except underwater? "Oh. My mistake then," Reinholdt says, sounding and looking quite disappointed. "I'll have to find someone else to ask then." And only they get the free drink.

[Tauron's Temple]

She can't see anything until the door actually opens and Tauron comes out. The construct doesn't appear to have changed at all from what she can see. She might catch a glimpse of the workshop itself from behind him however. There are various contraptions on the table, most notably a collar that Tauron seems to have been tinkering with.
"Ah, you return! Perfect! I have some important information for you, Ilpholin. Do you, perhaps, have the same for me? I assume you didn't just return for a, eh, social call?" He nods. "You look brilliant by the way. I hope the world have treated you well since you left."

[Tauron's Temple]

Ilpholin doesn't know why she bothered stealing a glance. Most of this stuff is over her head. It'd likely excite Mister Squiggles in ways she couldn't understand.

"You do?" Ilpholin sounds surprised. "Well that's, uh, good. I actually come with news. The world's been... Alright. I've only dipped my toes back into it a little."

"But I came out pregnant, so I guess the world agrees with me."

[Shadowcaller]

[Tauron's Temple]

Tauron just stares at her for a moment. "That..." He eventually beings. "Does that mean you're about to reproduce or that you might reproduce? In either case, that must be great news, right? Though please clarify in case I'm being dumb. Biological reproduction is not my forte."

[Recaiden]

Benedict was trying to prove he had no links to the empire the wasps were worried about, so they were put at ease.

He also allows the wasp to leave, though keeps an eye on the door. He holds a hand up, ready to start sketching the symbol he's picturing in his mind, if it seems like he'll need to do so. He doesn't start drawing it, however.

The wasp returns with a pair of heavy garments made from a black, leathery material. Both wasps take a minute to pull the full-body clothes on and seal them tightly. Once she's fully covered, the wasp responds to the question. The suit does not impede her language, at least not in atmosphere. "We breathe the same gasses as the humans. This atmosphere is too cold and thin for us."

Next question.
"What did you research here?"
Moschu asks while stretching out a leg towards the paralyzed wasp. Better do something about that before they suffocate.

[Morty]

[Ruins of Old GLoG]

After some time, a figure emerges from the ruins. It seems to be a male elf. He's of medium height and fairly stocky build, with bald head and strange black facial markings. He's wearing a dark fur-lined jacket and carrying a satchel. He appears be unarmed.

"I didn't expect to find anyone else in here," he says in a conversational tone.

[CosmicHobbit]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

The skeleton scans the elf up and down, then, making his revolver disappear into smoke once more, says, "I didn't expect to end up here when I pulled that lever." Looking around, he says, "Did some sort of apocalypse happen?"

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

"Not as far as I know," the elf says. "From what I've heard, this is a site of an old battle, where the seat of an organization was destroyed, but the invading army perished."

[CosmicHobbit]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

"Hm." The skeleton gestures vaguely toward the now-dead catgirl on the ground. "Any idea if these were the invaders, or the organization?"

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

"I believe the name was 'Good League of Good'. Which sounds ridiculous, but there you have it." The elf paces through the ruins with a calm and assured stride. "The attackers, if the walking corpse you've dispatched is any indication, were some kind of beast-folk. Though far more human in appearance than most I've encountered. But it matches the stories I have heard."

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Too cold and thin for the wasps? Possibly a larger planet, or just deeper valleys and less seas? Either way, Benedict isn't too interested. He's more interested in how they work and possibly getting his hands on one of their swords, especially if they secrete that neurotoxin and it's not applied by outsiders.

He doesn't have any questions, and after Moschu's question is answered, presses his right hand against the translating lens in the air, temporarily repressing the translation so the wasps don't understand the next bit- or at least, can't read it from the window. "What do you think we should do with them? Kill them, or take them with us? They might know more about the knowledge within."

The Triple B

Seeing her chance for a free drink disappear, the halfling's quick to correct herself. "Well, I mean, I know this place better than you do, and you lose nothing by asking me first, since I'm right here. So why don't you try me? You never know, I might be able to help you."

[bc56]

Old Wood

"We researched the [UNTRANSLATABLE]." The wasp points to the bag of purple dust and replies before Benedict cuts off the translation.

Taking one of the swords would be easy; they're just floating atop the layer of water on the floor. Likewise, the paralyzed wasp can't exactly avoid Moschu's touch.

[CosmicHobbit]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

The skeleton seems to almost smirk at the name of the organization. "Yeah, real imaginative." Walking over to the body, it nudges it with it's foot. "I've seen these things before. Usually pretty chipper and cute though, as compared to undead brain-eaters."

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

"I don't believe they were undead when they attacked this place," the elf says, wandering over closer. "They came in a great army and attacked many places, or so I've heard. Eventually they just fell over dead. The accounts are conflicting."

[Reinholdt]

[Tauron's Temple]

Tauron just stares at her for a moment. "That..." He eventually beings. "Does that mean you're about to reproduce or that you might reproduce? In either case, that must be great news, right? Though please clarify in case I'm being dumb. Biological reproduction is not my forte."

[Tauron's Temple]

Ilpholin has to take a moment to process Tauron's question in return. "Uh... reproduction has happened and now we're just waiting the process out until it comes to term? I think? It has happened for sure though. That much is certain. I was actually hoping for your expertise regarding the baby's health and my upgrades. To make sure they don't interfere with each other or anything." Though her expectations on Tauron's usefulness in regards to being a doctor for this pregnancy has dwindled considerably.

The Triple B

Seeing her chance for a free drink disappear, the halfling's quick to correct herself. "Well, I mean, I know this place better than you do, and you lose nothing by asking me first, since I'm right here. So why don't you try me? You never know, I might be able to help you."

[The Triple B]

Reinholdt frowns, clearly dubious. "Maybe." He takes a quick swig of his rum before starting. "I'm looking for someone here that would have a spider and slash or a breeding fetish. I know a drider who is in season and pretty desperate to give a lucky woman some eggs. I promised to help. Know anyone like that?"

... He better finish off that rum and order another one. He's absolutely not drunk enough for this. Man, he wishes he had some of that stuff Faith had. That was the good booze.

[Recaiden]

"We should bring them along; they don't seem to be a threat any longer."

Moschu answers Benedict. Then the spider slides the wasp into the space between this hour and the next, vanished from the research station and frozen in time. She can stay there until the explorers are done.

If Benedict uncovers the translator anytime soon, she'll ask the wasps, "What is it? What have you discovered?"