❪ introlog: #6 ❫ city of secrets

[natha]

You've spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Now, the time to put all your survival training into practice has arrived: El Nysa needs you, and you're here to help the planet thrive. Are you ready? THE DESCENT     All refugees on the station are called to the hangar, where a large-scale teleporter awaits. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait; everyone will be sent down to the planet together. Before they depart, all refugees will be given a cold weather survival kit with warm clothing, rations, and bedding. The arrays build into a brilliant wash of light, creating a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa, teleporting the refugees to the planet on an aurora. Once on the planet's surface, refugees receive one last message from Darma. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet we must ask you to brave further peril. Within Nadril are the secrets to how poor Ysverai's revival was hidden from our sight and how this disaster has come to our star. Find the first refugee from beyond this planet, a man named Magda. He will not speak to us, for much has come between us, but to you… If you prove yourselves, he may be willing to answer your questions. We beseech you, for there is a veil over Nadril that hides all within from us. There may yet be more untold dangers waiting to befall this planet. For the good of all who make this world home, we ask you to lend us your aid. There is yet one more favor we would ask of you. In warding off the Storm's encroachment, the physical aspect of ourselves that you call Thesa Station was damaged. We must remain to continue repairs to El Nysa and to deal with Ysverai, but there should be suitable technology within Nadril that could be used for spare parts. If you have the chance to find it and can return it to us, it would hasten— Darma's message crackles with static, another image overlaying hers — her broadcast is cut off and replaced with another. A more sullen and alien voice takes Darma’s place, overlapping on itself in an ominous reveal. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet you’ve only just arrived here. To say I’m not disappointed in your… generation would be to lie, and I am nothing if not an honest creature. But I suppose these have been unusual circumstances. You must ask yourself this — are you only here as Darma's lapdogs? I can assure you, it's not worth being on the Natha's leash. With time, that will be something you'll have to learn for yourself. If you're so determined to come find Nadril, then follow the path north, and you'll find the border. What awaits you is revelation, if you're up to the challenge. A FROZEN LAND     The refugees land on a literally frozen world, both in temperature and time. Curls of icy wind hold swirls of snow aloft and an uncanny silence is broken only by the crunch of hoarfrost underfoot. Only Darma's protection allows the refugees to move through this frozen world — and movement is very necessary. Bitter cold sneaks through even the thickest clothing and without warning, a snowstorm rises: unnaturally quickly, a wall of white howls directly in the refugee's path. Bizarrely, the way back is perfectly calm; it's obvious that this storm is no product of nature. Magda's challenge becomes clear: the only way to Nadril lies through this storm. Visibility within the storm is near zero, the whiteout hiding any landmarks from view and making navigation near impossible. The only guidance refugees have is a sporadic path of faint, greenish lights, easily lost in the raging storm. Refugees need all the survival skills they practiced on Thesa Station to survive, for getting lost alone is a death sentence. Luckily, those separated from the group can happen upon guiding lights Magda has planted throughout the tundra. These blue-white sparks cause frostbite if handled recklessly, but they also serve as directional anchors, turning into ghostly flames that lead lost souls back to the path to Nadril. The trek through the storm will be no mean feat and will last for the better part of three days. By the time the refugees reach Nadril's gate, most will find themselves exhausted and running on fumes. As the snowstorm dies away and a gap in the glittering forcefield around the city opens to usher the refugees inside, it's clear that Nadril is a different beast. A WARM(?) WELCOME     I. Despite the unforgiving journey, entering Nadril is painless. Once inside, characters will be greeted by their predecessors: the original refugees who made this advanced city. They'll immediately be offered medical attention, as well as warm cider and blankets. But it's obvious that the Nadril citizens prefer higher tech to fend off the weather: they also offer wristlets and ear cuffs that that double as mittens and earmuffs by creating warm bubbles of air. The earrings also feature a few quality of life programs, such as timed alarms and thought-to-speech messaging. However, both programs are in beta stages so it's not unusual for a stray thought to accidentally slip through or an alarm to accidentally ring at an inopportune time. II. Refugees are offered free lodging in a large, crystalline building crafted from ice. Despite the coarse building material, the ice is unmelting and surprisingly well-insulated, and the beds are as warm and cozy. The rooms are, however, small. The sleeping quarters house two people, and are some cross between an igloo and a capsule hotel. Though built for efficiency over comfort, all rooms are also outfitted with the latest Nadril AI, RoboAlfred, or Ralf for short. This helpful program is installed in practically all the furnishings: the closet tells guests to bundle up, the bathroom sink reminds them to brush their teeth, and the mirror offers helpful fashion tips. Ralf's personality matrix still needs polish, though: it may very well insult your clothes and passively-aggressively question your lifestyle choices for the entire stay. III. Though not as advanced as Thesa Station, the colony has technology far beyond the rest of the continent, such as rudimentary AIs and mechanical transportation. Nadril's skyline is a point of pride — refugees can take a (literal) lightrail that gives an aerial view of the colony, which is hewn almost entirely from ice and rock. Despite its tech, Nadril is much more sparsely populated than Olympia and Wyver, and its residents stay near a central hub: a Natha refugee drop ship, Central, which has crashed and long embedded itself into the earth. Central is similar to an older, smaller, grounded model of Thesa Station, in functional order with round-the-clock solar power. Within Central are lounges similar to ones on the Station, though many of the damaged areas have been converted. They include repair stations, different wings dedicated to science, botany, astrology, and mechanics, and a research and history facility, which has a smattering of technology from planets beyond El Nysa — including your own. The staff here don't mind if anything is sampled and studied, but objects cannot be taken from the labs. IV. On the outskirts of the central hub, many will find several curious looking bots with insect-like wings perched about high traffic walkways. Simply passing the bots will cause a dizzying flash before a series of photos print out. Upon closer inspection, people will find that these images reflect stills taken from their home worlds as they remember it. Unfortunately, these photos only last a couple of hours at best. At that time, they will revert back to regular pictures of the refugees. People will be encouraged to share these images of their worlds. The residents of Nadril comprehend the value of remembering one's origins, and will be pleased to see that people still hold memories of old homes close to them. RECREATION IN NADRIL     I. Small, mechanical creatures scampering through the city are a common sight. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that they come from a shop called Paws About Town. They’re very useful, as companions, gophers, and couriers (though the more mischievous will note that they’re just small enough to keep tabs on people without being noticed). Premade robotic pets are available on display inside the shop. They come in all shapes, but small sizes; one may be able to find robots that even look like miniature creatures from their homeworld. These are a part of a new, highly customizable line with programmable personalities. Customers have the chance to take pets for a one-day trial run. Those who don’t know how to program may want to enlist more knowledgeable aid, but the pets come with instructional pamphlets for basic personality traits such as obedience, helpfulness, playfulness, and bloodthirst. For returns, the switch to wipe the robot's personality to a blank slate is on the back of its neck, right between a switch to invert all traits, and a switch to have them learn by observing. Try not to press the wrong switch — you might wind up with a pet with a mind of its own! II. A. The Frosty Tap Cantina is a thriving hub of activity, but one of the major draws is the self-service bar: molecular mixology is wildly popular here. Playing with drink compositions can be a game in and of itself, and newcomers to the cantina will find that the bartender — a cheerful woman with lilac skin and three eyes — is always happy to give them a few tips on how to use the wide array of tools within reach of the barstools. All manner of drinks are possible — from glowing, layered cocktails, to clear drinks with colored, spherical bubbles and vividly-colored shots that give off their own smoke. There's a nightly contest in the cantina for the most creative drink created by a team — this may be as good a time as any to partner up with someone and see what can you come up with. Winner gets all their drinks for the night free! And, hey, even if you don't win, you get to drink whatever you make. The well-lubricated patrons of the bar are eager to challenge anyone nearby to a different sort of drinking game… Just how well can you hold your liquor? B. Holo-screens in the cantina are nearly always broadcasting some match or another of a game that looks very much like hockey, albeit played with sticks that light up and a puck that changes shape from time to time. Colonists here merely refer to the game as "the sport," and one of their favored pastimes is betting. However, they don't use currency — they wager dares. Nadril colonists are a tough, weathered lot, and they prefer to speak with actions over silver. Colonists will urge the refugees to take part as well. Common dares range from the ridiculous (lead a sing-a-long, attempt to make someone with a poker face smile) to the suggestive (kiss the person in the cantina you find most attractive, strip off a piece of clothing), to the outright reckless (venture out into the snow for a certain amount of time, and no one will judge if you find some company to keep warm). The colonists are unfazed by even the most insane or tawdry of dares — but you'll certainly be called a killjoy for refusing too often! Why not grab a friend and give it a whirl, or challenge a rival to a dare yourself? THE MISSION     I. On the outskirts of Nadril is the communications tower of the old refugees. This is where Magda resides, monitoring Nadril's technological protections, the extent of the Natha’s influence, and running his own personal projects for El Nysa’s technological advancement. It is isolated, filled with research labs and relics of the past refugees who have come to El Nysa — a living mausoleum of worlds swallowed up by the Storm whose peoples have refused to forget where they came from. Crew photos line the walls of the tower: pictures of alien families and friends, the refugees who came to Nadril before you. Each group of photos gradually becomes smaller in number, and the most recent of the pictures are from half a century ago. Magda's picture can be found among the first group of refugees, an unusually small cluster of photos dating back centuries in El Nysa's past. I have been on this planet for nearly two centuries. Life has come, evolved, and collided in an ever expanding culture. But Darma fears interference, and made this place a prison, with she our warden, stifling the growth of the creatures native to this world rather than encouraging them to flourish. She sent you here for answers in her stead because she knows I'll spurn her, and after seeing what that fool Raysc has wrought, I'll give you them — not for Darma's sake, but because I trust after all the Natha have done to you, you'll understand my decision. Mistakes were made, and I won't hide them. You've made it here so there's some mettle to you, and unlike the Orbiters, I'm not interested in hiding the secrets of the dangers we face. I gave Raysc what he needed to keep his actions hidden from Darma's eyes — what he needed to advance the primitive magics the Natha had doomed him to. It was old Natha tech, Darma's very own used against her. Hilarious, isn't it? Raysc learned of Nadril, and like you, braved the snow to find his way here. He proved his worth and his determination, and he spoke of a brighter future, El Nysa coming into its own, its people realizing their true potential, unhindered by the shackles that had been put upon them. I believed him. He had vision — or so I thought. In truth, he was a fool. A madman. He wasted the opportunity I gave him on his petty vengeance. But not everyone on this planet is such an idiot. Surely you lot aren't. The Natha are hiding things from us — about the Storm, about everything. And here in Nadril, we're going to find all those secrets. What's it going to be? Will you help us, or are you going to stay obedient dogs on Darma's leash? Magda isn't too talkative yet; after all, the new flock of refugees may just be here as eyes and ears for the Orbiters. But what he has said leaves you with plenty to talk about, and if you can earn his trust by helping out around Nadril, he doubtless has a great deal more to reveal. II. Central isn't the only Natha ship that made its way to El Nysa — another, crashed just outside Nadril's borders, is little more than a junk heap. It's here that you'll find the spare parts Darma asked you to retrieve for Thesa Station. What remains of the ship's hull serves as a windbreak, and snow has built up against it, turning the piles of old Natha tech inside into something of a snowy morass. Holes in the deck offer would-be scavengers passage to the ship's innards, barely illuminated with flickering lights — the tech is old, but hardy enough to withstand a crash landing, the severe weather, and the passage of centuries. Deep in the wreck are the remains of living quarters, research labs, VR arenas, mecha bays, cafeterias, and a host of other rooms, many of which may seem familiar from Thesa Station, albeit with a decidedly older feel to what remains of the smooth curves and sleek surfaces of the Natha architecture. Most of the ship's systems are damaged and the technology is nonfunctional, but that just means there's plenty of spare parts to be found. The wreck isn't in the best shape, its structural integrity damaged, and the drifting snow threatens to block off exit routes. Be careful while exploring and be sure to bring a partner. As it turns out, Darma isn't the only one interested in the wreck — Magda is also eager to get his hands on Natha technology. In his own way of taking some responsibility for Raysc, he's asking scavengers to bring him parts, muttering about seeing what he can do about Ysverai's curse. Bring him anything that looks useful, and he may have a chance to succeed, though whether he'll be more effective than the Natha Orbiters is up for debate... FINAL OOC NOTES     An AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 NADRIL REP POINTS may be submitted from this log. SUBMIT THE THREAD HERE BY AUGUST 5TH, 11:59 PM EST. As always, feel free to create your own prompts and explore the Nadril location page! There are a variety of activities made available, including fishing and cave exploration! Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ouch.

[Ianto flicks something of a smile at Prior, uncertain as to how much of what he's saying is an exaggeration really. He understands that the tone of it is, at least. And he understands that it has to be mostly for show, although to whose benefit is a good question at that.]

We do, though. Live together. Since the first day we set foot in Olympia, actually. I can't really remember whether he'd asked or whether I sort of just. Got swept along under his wing and never really left.

[He winces slightly at how that sounds, though he supposes it's not entirely inaccurate. John has been paying for the majority of the food and rent, he'd even been giving Ianto what basically amounted to an allowance. Ianto just handled his money far better than John himself, at times. And handled John himself far better, for that matter.

He meets Prior's eyes a moment longer, wondering how well the other man knows John and how much he knows of what's happened to him, recently.]

Someone's got to keep an eye on him, after all.

[The tone is light enough but he means every word of it even so.]

[stuns]

[ juno feels the tailend of the little shard coming out, enough to blink a bit harder than before, but not much else beyond fingers twitching a little. it's rare he lets other people touch him willingly, but the glass is just Enough to make him give into it. ]

It has its moments.

[ some days juno wishes he could screen exactly what would walk through that door, but that wouldn't be in the spirit of the business, now would it? he glances down when the last shard is pulled out and makes a "huh" sound. that wasn't so bad, was it? totally. looks a hell of a lot better now as he flexes his fingers a bit more. ]

Definitely don't think I'm cut out to work some desk job or a nine to five anymore anyways. [ a tilt of the head ] What kind of business were you into?

[givingback]

I always wanted to know everything. I wanted to be as smart as you and daddy.

[ Bree closes her eyes, because if there's one thing that will still get her every time, it's Claire running her fingers through her hair. It's always worked on her, and now - after the turmoil of leaving the ship especially - is no exception as she gets drowsier. ]

[givingback]

[ Bree fumbles her way through gloves and cold fingers to send a message to Claire, and the good news is there's a response right away. Leave it to her mother. ]

Are you from a world where things are...pretty advanced? Can you go to space, for example?

[ She asks that with a wry smile and no clue what to expect in response. ]

[givingback]

[ She isn't sure how or why, but Bree suddenly feels like she's been talking to someone she's known for a long time. maybe it's just the advice, maybe it's that last little bit he says. Either way, she tugs the coat more tightly around her shoulders and nods, looking up at him. ]

Thank you, for everything. This place...there's a lot to learn. But I want to be a part of something. I don't feel like I've truly belonged in one place in a while. Maybe here will be different.

[ She wants to help, wants to volunteer. Do the best she can. ]

[givingback]

[ She smiles and raises an eyebrow at his name. ]

Well. To the only Eggsy I've ever met.

[ A different glass, a different drink to sip not shoot, and she toasts him, doing just that before answering his question. ]

No, not at all. A week, maybe? I'm not even sure if it's been that long. Long enough to marvel at being in space before being chunked down here to the Arctic. What about you?

[givingback]

I do have one more question.

[ Asked as she stands as well, situating herself. ]

Is this the place we're always supposed to live and is it always like this? It's not what I imagined at all.

[givingback]

[ Bree shakes her head, then pauses, thinking. ]

Honestly? I don't know. I watched someone disappears right in front of my eyes, and according to history, she wound up two-hundred years in the past. But that could be magic or science no one gets yet. Who knows. Is time traveling a part of magic where you're from?

[givingback]

Hey, it's my first time in a new place, cut me some slack.

[ But yeah, she's not going to eat it so she lets it go, hoping for something bigger as she gets more bait on her hook. ]

How do you deal with the fact that the person who did that to you wandering around, free?

[ She only asks after a few moments of silence have passed, a nice segue, a transition into his offer to answer her questions. ]

[givingback]

[ Frank had loved her so much, hadn't he? To know she was someone else's and raise her and want her anyway. That was a sacrifice, Bree thinks. ]

I didn't know how much my mother loved me until recently, I guess. Because of things we've gone through at home. At least here we can try to...figure it out.

[ The awkward act of interacting with and getting to know Jamie aside. ]

[hellzone]

[ This is so cool!!! Yoshiko just can't help but stare, mouth a little agape as You explains her singing magical super power. ]

Can you show me how it works? We can go somewhere else if ya want, I just want to see what you can do!

[hellzone]

The group of radicals, [ Yoshiko explains, with a little frown. There's no need to laugh at her, geez Takasugi. ]

I'm trying to find out if someone I know was part of the abducted refugees.

[ukase]

Rumlow had been to some of the worst place on Earth, and he had seen the vileness of humanity first hand. There were good things too, but often, the atrocities outweighed whatever was good in the minds of people. He had even assisted in some of those terrible pushes for another war here or there.

"I've had worse journeys, but bedding down is a good idea," he said as the light was turned off. He almost laughed at the idea that the Lord would send him anywhere but Hell; however, that was a discussion for another time.

"Night night," he said and rolled onto his back, taking his time to get used to his surroundings in the dark before he even attempted to close his eyes for sleep. By then, he was certain he would wake before any manner of attack on him.

[rosebyanyother]

A sparkling recommendation.

[That could be catty, but he's clearly not insulted in the least. After all, he still has a smile on his face.

...He also has...very little idea what sangria is, but that doesn't particularly matter. Taking another sip, Peter hums.]

I think I might call it 'Beautiful Future'.

[For...absolutely no good reason!! Just because.]

[thedarkbond]

[At the very least, his effort to explain doesn't go wasted - Ren might be curling his hair around one finger as he talks, but he's paying close attention to the words being said. He did think that they'd come at a pivotal time, but perhaps it's pivotal for reasons he hadn't quite figured out yet as well.]

No, it's fine, I think I get it a little bit more now. But who is it they kidnapped? Surely they didn't think something that trite was going to change anything...

[Ren has certain opinions of certain uninteresting villainous actions, and kidnapping people without any real plan behind it is definitely up there on that list. That sort of thing needs thought put into it to pull off, and if everyone knows that the kidnappings were tied into all this, clearly it didn't have that thought in this case.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren can relate to the "bitter about losing" feeling more than he'd like to admit, but he can't help a laugh that he tries to keep a bit politer by hiding it behind his fingers as that's said.

What follows takes that amusement away pretty quickly, though.] The undead dragon, or another dragon? I don't know how common dragons are here...

[He hopes the undead one isn't the only one, because for one, that would be really lonely for it, and for two, dragons are amazing and he wants to see some himself.]

[thedarkbond]

[Well, at least it got brought up before they got hopelessly lost, so Ren will consider that a win. He shrugs a bit at the notion that they'll have to ask for directions, though.]

It's fine, I'm used to that. [It's in the same cheery tone as ever, but he immediately narrows his eyes into an unnecessarily obvious squint that's probably just making it harder to see. He's looking for people, he swears.]

Hopefully the people here are nice enough to talk to us, though. I don't know if that welcoming committee quite made up for the snowstorm...

[thedarkbond]

[That reaction makes Ren's smile even wider, and faintly amused, but apparently it's some kind of point of embarrassment or self-consciousness, so he'll roll with it. And set the information aside for later, maybe.

He can't hold a hand to his chin when he's busy touching Keaton's ears still, so he settles himself for an exaggerated thoughtful pout.]

Oh really? Maybe I was seeing things, then... [Clearly he's actually unsure and not just going along with the line of conversation.]

Would it feel good, though? [He can still ask the question, probably.]

[thedarkbond]

[That makes Ren droop his head to the bar in extremely exaggerated upset. He's heard plenty about the dragon already, so he'll take the route that's more interesting for him personally.] I wish I did, after all that...I never want to have to walk that far again.

[Let other things do that for him, like cars, or steeds. Or possibly other people if he's really desperate.]

Do you have something like that, then? [Seems odd to bring it up otherwise.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren, for his part, is good enough at reading people that someone actually doing something he can't make sense of is an interesting occasion, so it's harder for him to relate. But he's trying, and it's hard not to be a little curious at that remark on the gods.

He yawns widely himself before he responds - because seeing her do it infected him with the urge - raising one hand to cover his mouth.]

I don't think it would be as interesting if people weren't complex. Are the gods upfront about everything or something like that, or do they just move in routines?

[The complexity of people is what makes them unpredictable, after all.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren looks somewhat less perturbed by the idea of someone having a tooth collection than most people probably would be, though it does distract him from the topic of dares for a couple of moments while he looks vaguely up to the roof with a finger on his lip, as if he's thinking at length about something.

After that pause, he tilts his head and speaks absently. He still sounds pretty preoccupied with the whole thing.] What would you do with the teeth, though...?

[Because that's definitely the most important question about literally any of what was just said.]

[thedarkbond]

[Once he's done wiping the wound, Ren starts to unwrap the bandage - and almost drops the clip for the end of it out of the middle in the process, but it's fine, he catches it awkwardly between two fingers.

Ren nods firmly in agreement with the nine to five comment, holding part of the bandage between two hands as if checking where he should start wrapping it. Ren doesn't want to get too specific about his own world, but at the same time, talking in vaguer terms about it is somewhat comforting, in a way.]

Gaming. [It takes until he's laying the bandage over and checking how he can wrap it until it seems to occur to him he might need to elaborate on that.] Oh...tabletop gaming. We had some technology that made it a pretty big deal in my world, kind of like a sport.

[ukase]

"Could be an amateur up there," he remarked, glancing the way that the drink had come. Or maybe they thought that Venom had been fading and needed a boost. Either way, he thought that it was kind of funny, especially after the sorrowful conversation that they had had.

"You were a bartender? Really? I'm trying to imagine you with a hair-net actually..."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto really had been tired himself, and pretty much had slept like a rock once he'd actually let himself go. He wakes slowly, to the sensation of John's hand on his shoulder, warm and heavy, and the sound of him sliding out of the bed to the bathroom. It's comfortable, but foreign enough to keep him from drifting back to sleep and he hovers on the edge of consciousness listening to the other man readying himself for the day. Unable to help himself from smiling at his feuding with the AI.

It's harder to get himself up but John manages it with a hand on his arm and the murmured promise of, in John’s words, a nice hot breakfast. Ianto grumbles as he forces himself up and out of bed but he washes and dresses quickly enough. He's already missing the warm press of the blankets above him and John against his back but a sweater, boots, jacket and a scarf do well enough in a pinch he supposes. Also coffee. Coffee would be nice.

Ianto isn't certain he's fully awake until John has sat him down and stuck a mug of it in front of him. He grips it with both hands, taking careful sips as he turns his gaze from where he had been lazily surveying the crowd back to John.

"Get into it?" he asks, careful to at least keep his voice down as he does so. He gestures around them -- they're sitting in the Central's mess hall after all, technically they're already inside of it. "I take it you mean in a less literal sense of the word. Are we planning espionage over breakfast?"

[inaurare]

[a light shake of his head]

A number of us - refugees. To make an example, I think.

[it was somewhat of a blur, after, and he tended to turn away from talk of the kidnappers or their reasons. It was enough just to keep his own head above water.]