❪ 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

[thedarkbond]

[Ren eyes the lance as she pokes the chair with it, his attention a bit sharper than it had been a moment ago. It's hard not to wonder how good she might be with that weapon if an actual threat arises, but that's a question for another time.

Still, with a bit more time to look at the situation, it becomes a bit more obvious what it is that Cordelia's worried about, and Ren steps forward with a careless wave of one hand and an airy smile.]

It's fine, I think you just opened a hatch... [He takes a long, thoughtful look at the area surrounding the hatch and chair, and manages to identify the panel that she probably pushed in. Sure enough, when he pushes it again, the hatch slides closed with another hiss.]

See? It'll only eat you if you're in-between when it closes. [Probably not the most reassuring remark in the world, but it's hard for Ren to resist the urge to mess with people a bit when the opportunity presents itself.]

[lancings]

[ So it's possible to control it by stimulating its... she doesn't know what that is. What sort of creature would open and close its mouth from being touched? That doesn't seem plausible at all. This must be someone's creation even if it looks as though it's seen better days. At least, the two of them are in no immediate danger, but she's still not entirely at ease. These walls must carry the wallowings of those who passed away inside.

Her fingers move over the button, pressing it again to confirm the boy's theory before letting her shoulders sag slightly in relief. ]

My apologies. I must seem silly causing a commotion over this. Our world was nowhere near this advanced, though I feel if we had such things, war may have been more prevalent.

[ Imagine if Plegia had arrived at their borders with such things, and they could only defend themselves with swords and spears. Would Naga have heeded their cries then? It's a sobering thought as she realizes there is much she has to catch up on if she hopes to survive. ]

What were these contraptions used for? Do you know how else to control one?

[thedarkbond]

[Oh, she figured it out. Ren doesn't mind that too much, though, and he waves a hand at the apology like it's unnecessary.]

You're probably not the only person who doesn't know this sort of stuff. But they're kind of like...doors for when normal doors can't be used, I suppose...?

[Ren's got a pretty unique way of trying to explain things, and while he's not exactly a technological expert, he did run a company that used a lot of technology that was cutting-edge by his world's standards. He makes a rather broad gesture upwards with his hands.]

This is a spaceship, so you need doors to get in and out or maybe get things out while you're in space. But a human definitely couldn't seal a door so tight that it would hold against the kind of force going into space takes. So you make a door that opens and shuts itself with a lot more force and can be a lot heavier, because it's not a human doing the opening and closing. Does that make sense?

[He doesn't seem too concerned whether it does or not, because he moves on before there's really time to answer.] Usually it's a button or a panel, or maybe a lever. A spaceship wouldn't have automatic ones, I don't think.

[lancings]

[ Surprisingly, she does understand much to the extent of someone who may as well have lived in the Dark Ages could. It makes sense that they would find other means to lift a door too heavy for human hands, yet she's still trying to wrap her mind how it works absent any magic. Her fingers move over the different hinges before she presses the button yet again, opening and closing the hatch like a child who's just found a new toy to play with. ]

It's truly a marvel. I never thought I'd witness such a thing. There's a lot here that surpasses even the limits of our own imaginations. Do you think those who gave us this mission can make use of this contraption?

[ Though how would she haul it all back to camp? Perhaps, there is some kind of core from which it draws power? If only she knew where to even look. She can only pluck around at the broken pieces and pull at the 'veins,' hoping something more significant will reveal itself. ]

And you called it a 'spaceship,' was it? I never thought ships would fly above water without magic as well. It shouldn't be possible with their weight.

[ Not even if it were tied to a dozen pegasi could a ship be lifted like that. How curious. ]

[thedarkbond]

I think you'd have trouble getting it out intact. It's pretty big, and then there's all the wiring and stuff that keeps it working... [Assuming that's how it stays working and it's not some wireless business he doesn't know about yet. But that sort of thing seems a lot less reliable than direct wiring, however old-fashioned.

Ren pokes at the hatch door with one finger, like it might reveal the secrets of its wiring if he does that long enough. Cordelia's question about the ship makes him glance back, though, tilting his head as if considering how to explain.]

Has anyone told you what an engine is yet? I mean, this isn't really my strong point, but I can probably at least get you up to modern person general knowledge level...not that there's anything wrong with being a knight, though. Knights are really cool, but you'll probably have to learn about this stuff one way or another.

[Ren is very fond of knights, so he's apparently decided to be relatively helpful about this whole thing even if he's not that experienced with it.]

[lancings]

It can always be taken out in pieces.

[ That just requires a lot of teamwork... and some wagons. She's no engineer, but she's sure she could build a crude one with enough tools and wood and perhaps a book on carpentry and a fortnight of learning time. Too bad she has none of those things. ]

What would you say is the most vital part of this? The 'engine'?

[ He wouldn't bring it up if it didn't serve some purpose, but she has no idea what part of it is the engine. She starts trying to poke inside and move around some of the wiring to see what's inside, but she might have to crack it open like an egg. Of course, there is the risk of her breaking apart what they actually need. Best to let the boy speak before she dives in blindly. ]

I can always teach you a bit about knighthood in exchange for the lesson. It would only be fair.

[ And she doesn't really have anything else she can offer in repayment outside of extra wool she had procured for the cold, but she'd rather keep that for Olivia and her other allies. ]

[thedarkbond]

I think we'd need some more people for that, though... [Not least people who could take it apart without breaking it, which is kind of a problem when it comes to complicated machinery.

The talk that comes next distracts him a bit from what he's supposed to be teaching - he already knows a bit about knighthood courtesy of his psychic link with one from another world, but learning it from someone else would be pretty fun too, and it's hard to hide the little look of curiosity on his face.]

What kinds of things about knighthood? [But...right, he should probably answer that question, shouldn't he.] And yeah, the engine would probably be good to retrieve, even if I doubt it'd still be working at all. But I don't think we'd find it here. Maybe there's an engine room somewhere...

[Trailing off on that thoughtful note, Ren turns away from the hatch and starts to walk further into the ship, tapping a finger against his chin and glancing around as if there might be a miraculous engine room sign somewhere. He can dream.]

[lancings]

Is the engine really so big it requires a whole room?

[ Here she'd been thinking it would be a small core or something easily portable. Perhaps, they really will need more people -or just that large man she passed by and spoke with not too long ago. He could likely carry the engine out one-handed if he wanted to, room-sized or not.

She follows him out of the hangar, glancing around at some of the poorly lit hallways as though searching for a clue on the whereabouts of the engine room as well. As for his question- ]

And I may not be able to teach you to ride a pegasus, but I can teach you to wield a lance and help you improve in combat. What weapon do you normally favor?

[ Even though the lance is her specialty, she learned to use a few others just to experiment with different combat styles and figure out how her opponents might move. It's good to be thorough, especially when her position pits her against all kinds of enemies. ]

[thedarkbond]

To move something like this, an engine has to be pretty big. And they have moving parts and stuff, so you don't want that out in the open. [Ren spreads his arms as if trying to encapsulate the size of an engine, but seems to realise after a few different angles that that's not happening, so he lets them drop again. Only for a moment, though, because in the next second he's clapping them together excitedly.]

You ride a pegasus? [Wait, right, other question happened too, didn't it?] Oh, I know a bit about using swords, but I guess I've never really trained with one.

[It's difficult to explain even to someone of a similar time period to him - Ren's powers have given him the sensations and muscle memory of swordplay often enough that he has some familiarity with the weapon, but his own body isn't trained to execute those movements. It's somewhat of an awkward position to be in, especially now that he might actually need to fight for himself.]

Lances are pretty cool too, though~

[lancings]

[ That definitely surpasses what her imagination had come up with, but he does have a point. It would take a village to raise a village and so on. ]

I will try and remember that. Does the engine have a main part or something that is portable?

[ Otherwise, there's little point in searching for the engine room if there is nothing they can take from it. She also imagines engine failure is likely the cause of this wreckage, otherwise, it would still be in use, wouldn't it?

As for their training- ]

My friend, Olivia, can teach you better how to wield a sword, but a lance is not difficult to learn. Only difficult to master. Anyone can swing one haphazardly, but precision and discipline take a lot of time. Are you willing to perform drills daily? I must warn you- I have a strict training regimen.

[ She knows it's not for everyone, but how else would she have gotten to where she is? She's aware how many people mocked her for being a perfectionist and a try-hard, but she never wanted to settle for second-best. She doesn't expect the same out of others, but she wants to be a good teacher and help those who can't defend themselves. ]

[thedarkbond]

Mmm...it might have a battery, which could be really useful if we find it... [Even if it's some kind of backup power system, there might be some part of the power source small enough to transport. Regardless of how the engine is made, something needs to power the reactions that make it function unless they came up with some kind of weird perpetual motion system.

He tunes out of that subject a bit when Cordelia gets onto the topic of her training, though. On one hand, Ren is self-aware enough to know that he's lazy. On the other...well, if there's anything that's going to stop him from being lazy, it's getting a good challenge out of his work.

He lets out a lengthy hum, tapping a finger against his chin.] How strict? I'm okay with things being pretty difficult as long as it's interesting for me...

[So it probably depends a bit on whether "drills" are by himself or whether he actually gets to spar or anything routinely enough to keep his interest.]