❪ 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

[hellzone]

[ Yoshiko takes a sip of her absolutely horrible drink as she listens to Molly talk. That game sounds pretty interesting. There's so much she wants to know about Molly—after all, he's the first tiefling she's met! And that fun Infernal stuff he can do...she can already think of a few questions she wants to ask.

So, Yoshiko gives Molly a nod as she sits down across from him. She finds a place where his feet aren't placed to set down her drink. ]

That sounds like a fun game. And, since they're your cards, you can ask the first question.

[mollymocked]

[He lays a hand on the top of the deck and pulls a card without looking at it, gesturing for her to do the same.] I'll be gentle to start with, don't worry. If you could be anything in the world with nothing stopping you, what would you be?

[/WAVES HANDS AND DOES THIS THE WAY TAL AND MARISHA DID IT. I got a 12.]

[hellzone]

[ WHOO HANDWAVY CARD GAMES. I got a 11.

Yoshiko looks at the card with a frown. She was so close, to the point where she makes a little noise of aggravation. Still, of course she'd lose. She's intensely unlucky: it only made sense that she'd lose and lose so hard. So, it's her turn to answer. ]

Anything in the world... [ She hesitates for a moment. Molly seems like a cool dude. And Molly also seems like the sort of person who wouldn't make fun of her for this answer. ] If we're doing things realistically, then maybe a professional Youtuber. I do some streams already, but they're nowhere near the level of the pros.

[ she says, like she still has equipment to do her livestreams and that Molly would know what the hell a livestream is in the first place. ] But if we're talking not realistically...probably an actual fallen angel.

[ Molly's got to know she's faking this, right? Hopefully? If not...well, she'll just have to explain. He's too nice a person, he deserves the full explanation. ]

[mollymocked]

[He has no fucking idea what that is, but you do you girl. The last bit is more interesting anyway- he knew she was faking it, but he doesn't know why she bothered to admit that she wasn't. Just because it's a bad lie doesn't mean it wasn't a worthwhile one.]

Y'know, I've always believed that if you tell a lie enough times, there comes a point when it might as well be true, so fuck it. What's a fallen angel really have that you don't? They're not that much more special than anyone else where I'm from. Trick of the bloodline is all.

[hellzone]

[ There's a whole backstory as to how the whole fallen angel thing happened. Yoshiko's always been unlucky: almost supernaturally so. This whole 'Yohane' schtick started up when she was trying to explain or figure out just why things always went badly for her. Well, it's because she must be a fallen angel. If she's cursed, then that explains the unluckiness.

It's always been a bit embarrassing. And she knows it's a bit embarrassing and knows she shouldn't be doing this now that they're here. But hearing Molly essentially say that there's not a difference, that she might as well be an actual fallen angel is...really nice. One of the nicest things that's happened to her since she came here.

So, Yoshiko gives Molly a small little smile as she continues talking. ] They've got actual powers, for one. I can do a bit of fortune telling, but that's it. I can't call upon the forces of darkness or the damned. [ But wait. Molly knows an actual fallen angel, something which Yoshiko is 100% believing because she likes Molly and has also threaded with more of the Critical Role cast. He can answer these sorts of things for her. ]

Do fallen angels have actual powers?

[mollymocked]

They have perks. [Yasha's weird wing thing could be unique to her or it could just be a thing with aasimar of her nature, but he doesn't necessarily think of it as a power. It's just... A Yasha thing.] But no one cares if you can see in the dark or if you're a little bit stronger than the average person. Power's something you're born with- which has nothing to do with your species- or it's something you pick up along the way.

[Or so says Molly who hasn't even read a fucking book ever.]

[hellzone]

[ Molly says that...but Yoshiko kind of cares if she can see in the dark or if she's a little bit stronger than the average person. This place is way more worrying than expected. There's kidnapping, dragons, all sorts of terrible things that Yoshiko knows she can't handle by herself. She's just a school idol. She's not somebody who fights dragons.

But if she could find a way to have a bit more power or have one of those perks then maybe she'd be able to navigate this place better. Because she has trouble admitting it, but hot damn is Yoshiko in over her head. ]

Still, an actual fallen angel probably could deal with snow or a real dragon better than I could. [ said as she gives Molly a weak little laugh. ] I don't even know where to start with some of this place.

[mollymocked]

I never know where to start with any place. I just barrel in and hope for the best. [He rests an arm on the back of the seat and looks at her in a new light. He doesn't need a good hard read to get where she's coming from- hence why he didn't even bother to try and read the cards for her. He figured it out pretty quickly that she's a kid unhappy with who she is in the world that she'd make up something to make her seem extraordinary or made everything make sense.

He looks down at the card he pulled, the one with the lower number, and then looks back up a her, a tiny, almost mischievous smile playing at the corner of his lips.] Do you wanna know my answer? It's a game I made up, so I can bend the rules all I want.

[hellzone]

[ Barrel in and hope for the best...that's a good idea. She wishes she could be that confident. Oh, sure Yoshiko doesn't mind being stared at. She doesn't mind taking the spotlight, being a performer, having people look at her. But she doesn't know if she could ever admit that as cavalierly as Molly did.

He's super cool.

As for his question, Yoshiko smiles a little before she nods. ]

If you don't mind telling, I wouldn't mind listening.

[mollymocked]

If I could be anything in the world with nothing stopping me, I'd be exactly who I am now. And that's the trick, isn't it? People want you to be certain things, behave in a certain way. Fuck those people. Let them have their expectations and their small-mindedness. I'm fine with me.

[Which seems kind of like he asked a question that, had he lost, would have been a trick. If he's already that person then there's clearly nothing stopping him.

But there is. That sword of Damocles of knowing that he's on borrowed time, that his body was never his, that Lucien is always there somewhere. There are threats to Molly's life, threats he refuse to acknowledge, but they're there.]

The only difference is if this were ideal, then no one would ever try to stop me.

[hellzone]

[ That's what they said to her when Yoshiko first joined Aqours. It's okay if you do your weird fallen angel thing and call people your little demons. It's fine if you say weird things and act oddly. What matters is that you're you and you should be who you want to be.

Hearing it from someone who isn't part of her immediate friends group is nice. ]

Thanks, Molly. [ and she means it. To meet someone so kind and so nice when she first arrived here...maybe she's not entirely unlucky. Just 95% so. Her voice slips back from a higher pitched Yoshiko voice to the deeper alto she uses as Yohane. She strikes a pose, putting her hand over her eye. ]

For what it's worth, if Yohane's little demons are happy with themselves, then Yohane's happy. Be who you wish, Little Demon Molly.

[mollymocked]

I appreciate that. [It didn't even need saying, because he'll do what he likes, like an errant stray cat, but holy shit she's adorable. He's keeping her. She would have been completely comfortable in a circus and that makes her that exact kind of weird he gravitates towards.

He shoves the cards a little closer to her.] Your turn to pick a question. Any question at all.

[hellzone]

[ Yoshiko frowns a little, thinking to herself. All the questions she can think of are stupid...it'd be a bit dumb to ask "what's your favorite food" right after this conversation they just had. A few seconds later, she comes up with one. ]

What's the thing that you did that you're the most proud of?

[ and then she pulls a card, I roll a d20, and Yoshiko gets a 17! She is very obviously surprised at the fact that she pulled such a high number card. ]

[mollymocked]

[He rolled a 9, so VICTORY FOR YOSHIKO.] Looks like this one's on me. [He shows the card and then lays it back down on the deck.]

The thing I'm most proud of... [It's difficult. He's proud of a lot of things. He takes pride in everything, honestly.] When I was in the circus, we came through a very small town, and everyone was actually excited to see us- not a skeptical eye in the place. And there was gang of teenagers who were just awful. Worst kids you've ever met, all because their families were merchants and had a little bit of coin to spare. And they were just bloody awful to this girl whose parents must have been drunks or undesirables or she was an orphan- I never saw either way- but she was in a bad way. And that kid clearly needed some joy in her life. She was scrounging everywhere to put together enough copper to come see the show.

So one day, I'm making my rounds, trying to drum up interest and I see these shite kids picking on her and trying to take her money. And I...

[...used a Blood Maledict on one without actively knowing what it was or what he was doing, to be honest.] ...I took care of the situation politely and reasonably, and I paid that girl's admission out of my own purse. And I guarantee that kid was the happiest person at the circus that night.

[He shrugs.] Sometimes when the world is bullshit, the best thing we can do is bring joy into the life of a person who has never had any.

[hellzone]

[ Thankfully for Molly, Yoshiko takes his story at face value. Bringing joy into people's lives, huh? She knows a bit about that. ]

Mine is when we won Love Live. I can kinda see where you're coming from.

[ When they were in Tokyo, there were some other groups and other competitors who were happy to meet someone from Aqours, who enjoyed their music. Sure, it had been to save the school and then later to cement the name of the school into Love Live history...but Yoshiko would be lying if she said that the people affected by their music didn't matter. ]

I didn't know you were part of a circus, though. Can you juggle?

[mollymocked]

I used to juggle swords, but, unfortunately, the gods, or whoever they are, up there only left me with one, and I don't think juggling it would be very smart.

[It's an enchanted weapon. Not a prop sword he uses in combat for reasons unknown to man.] Mostly I just did readings and helped promote. I leave the detailed acts to the more experienced. Or I did... The circus had to disband awhile back, so now I'm more of a wanderer.

[hellzone]

[ Yoshiko frowns a little. The circus had to disband? Well that's definitely not good. Whatever the reason was, it probably was something a lot more sudden than Aqours's inevitable disbandment thanks to things like 'people graduating' and 'the school being closed. ]

Why'd it disband?

[mollymocked]

[Funny story that.]

Artistic differences. Some of us realized we had ambitions elsewhere- in my case, a complete lack of ambitions. But that's show business for you.

[Honestly, as far as fantastic stories that are actually true, that one is one of the best, but... It's not a great story, and the ending isn't happy for anyone but him, and it doesn't feel right to change the narrative of it to suit him. He makes up stories. He doesn't embellish the ones that are actually real.]

[hellzone]

Aw, come on, [ Yoshiko teases, grinning a little at Molly. ] You've gotta have some ambitions, Little Demon Molly.

[ Everybody had ambitions, right? And Yoshiko at least is taking 'a complete lack of ambitions' as 'Molly had ambitions but they weren't as grand or as impressive as other members of the circus's were.' ]

[mollymocked]

Oh, no, no. [He scoffs, chuckling a little as he crosses his legs on the table in front of him, rescuing his ale from being knocked over by one of his boots.] That's for other people. I'm along for the ride. Whatever I do, it's just about living life and seeing what there is to see, and maybe doing right by a few people here and there.

[hellzone]

[ She still doesn't really believe him. Nobody can really be 'just along for the ride' or seeing what there is to see. In her experience, people don't work like that. Everybody wants something and Molly's no exception. ]

That's still an ambition, [ she points out, with a little frown. ] If you want to do right, then that counts as something you want to do. And so, that's an ambition.

[mollymocked]

The laziest of ambitions, then. [He shrugs.] Most of all, it means that this sudden shift in location hasn't really changed anything. I'm exactly where I was a few weeks ago, except now there's even more things I can be baffled and delighted by. [He bares his teeth in a genuine, delighted grin.]

[hellzone]

[ His smile is infectious and Yoshiko can't help but smile back as well. Okay, so maybe Molly might be trying to play up this hakuna matata, everything's fine attitude to keep people from fretting (because yeah, don't believe you). But if he's doing that...is it really that bad? If he thinks he can be happy just by experiencing new things, then she shouldn't judge him. ]

If that's the case, then this place must be super interesting for you. After all, it seems like everything here is something new to see.

[mollymocked]

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