❪ 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

[insist]

[ Watching this shouldn't make him happy, but it does. In true schadenfreude, Rohan starts to laugh, his eyes lighting up in mischievous delight much like a schoolyard kid who's successfully pulled off a prank. He wouldn't usually play a mean prank on someone else for no reason, but in this situation he feels like he was provoked. Or, in other words, Ammy started it by stealing his bed from him. ]

Haha! Don't like that one bit, do you? I know that dogs have sensitive noses. [ Some might call him childish for bullying a dog, but whatever, he won. ] Are you ready to get off now?

[illuminating]

[When the third, and final, profusion of sneezes passes, she plunks down into a slouch, leveling a testing stare on him, then leans down to paw her own muzzle for good measure. Some might argue that this isn't worth her being petty, and to be certain, she's rarely petty. It's not a means she often reverts to. This isn't about having the upper hand, however.

It's become about teaching a child he can't laugh at someone else's distress. Being maternal does not mean only coddling, and if he were another wolf, this would have already turned into her nipping him a lot. When she sits up again, she's licking whiskers clean, and then up on all fours she goes once more, and for a moment, a small, brightened moment, it may seem as if she's readying to jump down.

Instead, she snatches the pillow up, turns back to him, and after purposefully pulling her head back, tosses it on the floor between the bed and his feet. There's his answer. She doesn't wait for reaction, she starts digging with unforgiving claws at blankets, and sheets, and mattress to dust off any remaining pepper. The faint shredding sounds seem to be of no concern to her either.]

[insist]

[ Nah, he'll laugh at he wants to. Feels great to win. It's too bad this canine is just about as stubborn as he is and still won't budge, tossing the pillow away before she starts shredding the sheets a little. Those are his sheets. Sure, the Nadril provided him them, so it's not like he paid for anything, but the bed and everything else in this room still belongs to him. This is unacceptable. ]

Aah!! What are you doing?! You're going to tear up the sheets, stop that at once! [ In a bid to make her stop, he throws the pillow at her head. Pillow fight with a magical wolf. ]

[illuminating]

[He'll laugh if he wants; she'll dig at sheets if she wants. Other then to scrunch her face and flatten her ears at the soft, but startling impact of the pillow colliding into her, she merely leans over the bed to look at it once it's landed on the floor again.

Then, she catches his eyes again, and there's a heart-thumping still moment. Her shoulders are tense, her eyes get a mischievous glint, and toes splayed, she waves her tail once. The second ticks by and she finally, finally, leaps onto the floor.

Alas...

It's only to snatch the pillow into her teeth again, and without any ounce of delay, she's up on the bed once more. It happens fast, almost stupidly so, but then, that's a wild animal's quickness for you. Whether he's managed to get on the bed, too, or is still standing doesn't matter. She plants her front legs down into the play bow, rumbles growls at him with her tail ceaselessly slashing the air, and then vigorously shakes the pillow.]

[insist]

[ Rohan's really met his match when it comes to stubbornness. He isn't going to relent either, however. Even in pettiness (And perhaps, more so in pettiness), he never falters when it comes to getting what he wants. Nothing's more important than winning to this very childish man.

He did think he had actually won when Ammy jumps onto the floor, but that victory turned out to be a farce. Now she's shaking his pillow about vigorously, like it's some new chewtoy. ]

Now you want to tear up my pillow too? Did you come here to ruin everything?! [ CLEARLY, SHE'S HERE TO RUIN HIS LIFE. Rohan grabs hold of the pillow and starts playing a futile tug of war with the wolf. He's not actually very strong, so he won't be very successful. ]

[illuminating]

[Well, this has... definitely managed to become a situation where he's competing for his space, and she sees it as nothing but a game at this point. He might be frustrated, but she's enjoying herself, tugging the pillow back, her tail going in an exact circle, thumping against the bed at intervals. When she growls in play, little chatty-toned whimpers slip free, too, as if she has some sudden intense desire to engage with him, but lacks the physical means to do so.

She even takes it easy on him, so he won't be convinced to give up too early, and doesn't yank back to hard. It may be obvious, though, because if it seems even for a second like he's faltering, she presses the pillow into his hand as if to encourage him, and waits on him with her imploring eyes. This is also most likely not how it's supposed to go, but she can't help herself. He might dislike her, and he might be rude as anything, but he's still a living, breathing person deserving of fondness, and play is play is play, and a form of bonding, and she's unintentionally revitalized.]

[insist]

[ That moment when you try to kick out a dog and end up playing with it. While tugging at the pillow, he starts to find it odd just how easy it is on his head, Ammy's grip seemingly relenting at times so the pillow gets pushed back to his head. With her size, she could easily pull both him and the pillow forward, but she doesn't do that. Is this -- ]

Play behavior ...? [ He's read up enough on random nature trivia to know about this. His roommates back in Olympia also had a dog. ] I'm not here to play games with you!

[ Now he drives his heels into the floor and puts his body weight into it, tugging with all his might. HE NEEDS TO WIN. Even if it's against a dog!!! ] This is why I've always disliked dogs!

[ The pillow eventually tears, feathers bursting out and raining gently down over them. It would be a fun situation to be in, if Rohan actually liked fun. ]

[illuminating]

[were you not held enough as a child




The strength he puts into it encourages her own, and she holds steadfast, not anticipating the poor pillow's demise between the two of them. She's still holding a portion of the ripped pillow in her mouth, blinking at him dumbfound as the pillow's feathery entrails shower over them. This expression might say, Goodness.

Then, she sits up to snort at him, and this sound could easily mean: Why on earth would you do that?

Outwardly, it all merely amounts to lupine micro-expressions, and her intent can easily be, and is often, confused. With the game short-lived, she drops the shredded piece, stands on the bed again to shake feathers free, and then starts to circle... and circle... in that telling behavior which means she's making a spot on the bed cozier for herself. Going to flop into it, in three, two—

There she goes. A powdered doughnut of a wolf, tucking her paws and tail in close, and yawning at him blatantly, as if he hasn't disturbed her at all.]

[insist]

My pillow, too?! Does this make you happy, coming in and making a mess of everything? [ Technically, he did pull that pillow apart with his strength, but he's blaming Ammy for forcing his hand, so naturally he also blames her for the state of his pillow. Now he has ripped up sheets, no pillow in sight and one very spiteful heart. Rohan tries to stop Ammy from plopping back down on his bed, but she's stubborn about what she wants to do and none of his nudging seems to work.

This doesn't actually warrant Stand intervention, and even Rohan knows that, so he tries one other option. Letting out one annoyed huff, he leaves the room to get some help. There's one other person he shares this room with, and physically, that guy's far stronger than he is. Vane would probably be able to haul Ammy off the bed and chase her out. Just you wait, dog. He'll be back!!! ]

[illuminating]

[Impartially, she watches Rohan suddenly decide to exit the room. She's of the mind that she laid upon the bed first, and in some way, staked her claim, but this doesn't mean she wouldn't share—if you ask her, there's plenty of room. But then, she doesn't really account for someone's personal space very much, either.

It doesn't take her long to fall back to sleep. She wore herself out on the journey. Even though he hadn't meant to play with her, and as nice as the passing moment had been regardless (even gods can be simple creatures), there's truly nothing she wants to do more than sleep. And nothing else happens except her sleeping deeply, enough so that by the time Rohan will return, she has her cheek against the edge of the bed, and her huge head seconds away from slipping off the side.

The rest of her stays curled, but she talks in her sleep, chirping whimper-growl combinations, twitching whiskers, her paws going faintly but in mimicry of running.]