The Campaign Builder's Guild

[spoiler=Bastien , turn 5]
Journal: "Where is the group?"   short-term

Bastien
1. Take a moment (controlled facet)
5. Seek the breeze (wise facet)

Olga
1. Take a moment
5. Nuts and berries

Gyeong-su
2. The girl is unfit
3. Retake the balcony
5. Influence (Mary)

Misterious Man (Will revert back to normal)
5. Campsite (if he get's food he will share with gyeong-su)
8. A deeper investigation
[/spoiler]

This is what I get for trying to squeeze the update into 2 posts, I guess. >_>

[spoiler=John Dante]
[ic=Silk under Wool and Iron]Jéssica looks a bit silly in the coat. She's short enough that it sweeps along the floor and swallows her up. Relief from being covered is mixed with distraction. The beautiful woman keeps looking at her right arm and flexing her hand in mild frustration.[/ic]

[ic=Savage]Just as expected, the doubles regrouped and returned after being driven from the bridge. They cackled madly, as if having forgotten their losses. Through the green fog came a copy of Gyeong-su and Jéssica (wearing your duster, no less). Oryx hesitated for a moment before charging down the bridge as planned.

The kid howled as he ran, and you think even the replicas figured out that they'd made a mistake. Oryx threw his stone knife at the black-eyed Korean with such force that it punched straight through his chest-armor and knocked him backwards before he exploded in smoke. Oryx then proceeded to grab the false Jéssica and hold her above his head while he screamed at the other replicas, sending them running back to the balcony. With a single viscous motion he swung her against the side of the bridge. The cracking sound of her soft body against the metal...

For an infernally long second you fear that the Jéssica on the bridge was real; her broken body lay there, lifeless. Then, with a breath of relief by more than just John, the doppelganger disappeared in the familiar cloud. Oryx picked his knife from the floor and gave another scream through the door, clearly tempted to chase the survivors even if it meant he'd be completely surrounded.

After about a minute of daring the smoke clones to come forth again, Oryx returned, his face locked into an empty stare.[/ic]

[ic=Dead End]One Jéssica turned her attention to the other bridge fork besides the one leading to the vision chamber. At the end of it is a short hallway where most of the others were resting. Layla still lay there, comatose. The hall ends in a dead-end after just a few meters, but the idea that someone would build a hallway that leads to a featureless dead-end is so plainly ridiculous that Gyeong-su (the real one) is already at work searching for some sort of secret door.

"Oh, if only Layla was awake!" moaned Mary, the Indian woman. "She was so good at seeing things that others cannot..."

Jéssica realized something then, and told Gyeong-su. The "dead-end" had a very noticeable breeze. Where there's a breeze there's a passage! For the next couple minutes they tried to feel and find the source of the breeze, and then something strange happened: Gyeong-su disappeared. Then he re-appeared, but everyone else had disappeared. Then everyone else re-appeared and he re-disappeared.

The hallway has a trick. If one focuses on the breeze in just the right way one can step into another "dead-end" hallway without even stepping. It's a bit like turning your attention in a direction that you didn't even realize was possible. On the other side of the hall is a cylindrical room with seven other identical hallways leading out from it like spokes on a wheel.[/ic]

[ic=Saitoro]A different Jéssica, arm heavy, walked cautiously through the workshop. Not particularly interested in the weapons or tools, she managed to find an archway on the far side of the room. She could hear talking on the other side of the door, but it stopped as she approached. The door, perhaps sensing her curiosity, peels back to reveal Saitoro in a strange room filled with strange metal structures.

The Japanese man's clothing was shredded and his body covered in a host of deep scratches. His cheek, gouged and bleeding, was unbandaged. Based on the damage to his clothing and body, it seems to Jéssica almost like he was attacked by some kind of animal.

Jéssica fell back as the door opened, hoping to watch, undetected. Alas, her skills at stealth are worse than non-existent, having made a life out of being noticed. The monk clearly saw her, but then disappeared into thin air. Jéssica cautiously entered the room...[/ic]

[ic=Amber Prism]The room beyond the wooden workshop is smaller than most in this strange building, but still quite large. The room is quite dark, being only illuminated by an orange band of light that runs around the edges of the ceiling. The room is triangular, having three walls joined at equal angles. Each wall sports a single doorway--an arch of white stone as always. The floor and walls aside from the doorways are black and polished.

Around the room are a collection of ornate metal structures. The light makes everything in the room glow orange, but you suspect that these structures normally have a silver coloration. Each of them is roughly cylindrical and about a meter in diameter. Some rise up a couple meters, while others are lower to the ground. Each of them is different, and would take time to examine in detail.[/ic]

[ic=Living Wall]Having cleared the bridge from danger, Oryx watched the mysterious old man who simply called himself the Medicine Man walk out onto the bridge like he owned it.

As if from some dream, his body spreads out into grey stone. He begins to expand, filling the bridge completely. After only a few minutes he is fully transformed into a massive boulder fused onto the bridge.

So much for not having an ability!

If anyone needs to get through he can peel back (exactly like the "doorways", actually), but until he leaves, the bridge is secure.[/ic]

[ic=Emily]As the group shifts through the weird hallway and migrates to the hub room, Jéssica strikes up another conversation with Emily. The Chinese woman seems to think that this is some sort of elaborate technological contraption. She "hypothesizes" (a weird English word for "thinks", Jéssica guesses) that, based on the voice that announced the replica spillover, that "aliens" are involved.

Jéssica doesn't know what those are, and Emily is about to explain when Oryx interrupts, and explains that aliens are evil people from the north who worship dark spirits and kill babies. Despite the gruesome visual, Emily laughs out loud, probably more from a need to relax than a genuine humor. Oryx shrinks away from the laughter, uncomfortable, but Jéssica leaps in to keep Emily engaged.

Mary and Rikki give Emily dirty looks as they carry Layla's body between them.

Emily is eccentric. Not particularly energetic or strange, but she always seems to have some complex idea which she's contemplating. It gives her this air of disconnection from reality. In conversation she seems slow and methodical, a trait that you guess applies to her life more broadly. She'd like to get home, but is fascinated by this place, and would like to explore it.[/ic]

[spoiler=Emily's Traits and Items]Mundane Traits:
* Tinkerer
* Intelligent
* Focused
* Slow

Supernatural Trait: Power Nullification

Items:
* Backpack containing:
* Laptop Computer
* Misc Circuitry[/spoiler]

[ic=Apology]John sets Oryx on the right track. The kid is none too happy about things, but amidst his storm of emotions is a massive fear of being ostracized again. Oryx isn't particularly open about his past, but before he came to the city he was all alone, and not in a stranger-in-a-crowd sort of way. If he hadn't been chosen, Oryx would've probably died somewhere out in the wilds having never had the simple experience of even being near anyone ever again. (Either that or end up dead on the tip of a warrior's spear as he tried to steal a woman from some tribe.)

Swallowing his pride, he does his best to apologize to the old Korean soldier. He does a lousy job, but Hong Gyeong-su seems satisfied that at least the effort was made.[/ic]

John's tokens: Superhuman Development x1, Unhappiness x2.
Oryx's tokens: Knowledge x1, Superhuman Development x1, Unhappiness x3.
Jéssica's tokens: Superhuman Development x1, Unhappiness x2, Calcification x2.
Emily's tokens: Unhappiness x2

John has 1 progress point towards the Protector of the Weak destiny.
John still has a full clip in his pistol.

Loyalty:
Oryx: 4 (Ally)
Jéssica: 3 (Ally)
Emily: 3 (Ally)
All Other NPCs: 1

All characters will gain an unhappiness token this turn unless they personally get food or water. Oryx's meat is not suitable to eat without some source of flame... (John's electricity cannot cook it.)

[spoiler=Events]
2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Caretaking]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

In the case that someone attempts to rob Layla of the De Facto Leader status, characters assigned to this event stick up for her, initiating a competition in the Political domain. The opposing group has a Frost outcome that shifts the De Facto Leader status to one of their PCs. This group has an Iron and Frost outcome that prevents the power grab. Tie outcomes also prevent change.

Because this is an opportunity to create a political challenge, but isn't one by itself, it does not trigger the Idealist trait.[/ic]
[ic=We Need Someone Strong]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters point out that Layla is unfit to be treated as a leader in this state and shift group to follow John Dante instead. Unless someone disrupts the event (such as with "Caretaking") John gains the De Facto Leader status and a progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

If another player attempts to take advantage of the situation in a similar manner, Layla loses the De Facto Leader status, but nobody else gains it, and John does not gain the progress point.[/ic]

3.
[ic=Retake the Balcony]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Thanks to Medicine Man the Blackslime Bridge is secured, and he can even shapeshift to let people through, but the replicas are still out there. Assigned characters decide to launch a counter-attack, and re-take the balcony. This event is considered to be an attack on 2d8 replicas, and they are automatically assigned as an opposing group.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: Two random winners deals damage to two random losers. For every two points that this outcome exceeds the next-highest outcome (in any group) another random winner deals damage to a random loser. The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Iron Outcome: Two random losers become injured (injured replicas are destroyed). The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Smoke Outcome: Three random characters take damage from three random opponents. Control of the balcony goes to a random group. Characters that contribute smoke to this outcome cannot be injured unless there are no other valid targets.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group deals damage to a random foe. Control of the balcony does not change.

For this event, damage is handled as follows: Roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage (if any). On a damage roll of 0 or lower nothing happens, on a 1-2 the victim is injured (-2 Elements to all domains, increased chance of death in future turns), on a 3-4 the victim is severely injured (cannot be assigned to events, likely to die unless tended to), on a 5+ the victim dies. If an injured character would become injured or severely injured, they die instead.
Seriously Injured characters are pulled to safety by their peers, if possible.
[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Investigate the Tank]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Amber Prism

Restriction: Only Jéssica or Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

One of the metal structures appears to hold a glass bubble of some kind. Characters that are assigned investigate the structure, looking in the bubble for answers. The glass bubble holds an incredibly dangerous, but powerful, artifact, which will become accessible early next turn. If a player character obtains the artifact they'll gain opportunities to progress towards the Monster and Augmented destinies.[/ic]
[ic=Investigate the Pool]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Amber Prism

Restriction: Only Jéssica or Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Another structure in the triangular room holds a basin of water. If assigned, choose whether a character drinks the water. There is a 50% chance that the water is clean and a 50% chance that it is poisoned. If a character drinks the water and it is clean, they remove one unhappiness token and sate their need for water. If they are assigned but do not drink, they learns whether it is poisonous but do not remove any tokens this turn. If they drink poisonous water they become poisoned (-2 to all stats for the next 24 hours; if this character becomes seriously injured he or she dies) and do not satisfy their thirst.[/ic]
[ic=Investigate the Structures]
Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Amber Prism

Restriction: Only Jéssica may be assigned to this event.

The structures themselves hold secrets. If assigned, Jéssica finds mechanisms and a strange language, gaining one knowledge token and learning some about this place.[/ic]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Influence]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Varies

When you assign a character to this event, target an NPC at the same location. If an NPC is assigned, you may only target an NPC that has a lower loyalty score than the assigned NPC. The target's loyalty to you improves by 1. (This improvement cannot go beyond +1 by assigning multiple characters to the same target.)
[/ic]
[ic=Explore the Æther]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only characters on the Skyward hub at the start of this turn may be assigned here.

The assigned characters learn to move in an unexpected way, bringing them to a new, but dangerous, realm. Assigned characters will be attacked next turn, but also have an opportunity to travel to otherwise inaccessible places. Characters assigned here are occupied, and cannot be assigned elsewhere this turn (unless they have the Clones trait).[/ic]
[ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic]
[ic=Campsite]Public, Opportunity, Frost, Cooperative
Location: Forgotten Campsite

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a great hall with a few other doors. Tucked away in one corner of the hall is an abandoned campsite, complete with evidence of a fire and a bit of leftover supplies.

Challenge domains: Social, Skill relevant to Criminals and Politicians

Blood Outcome: The character assigned with the highest Blood score in the Skill domain (break ties randomly) gains a Food item. All other assigned characters gain one unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: The character assigned with the highest Frost score in the Political domain gains a Food item. Winners (those contributing Dust) gain a knowledge token and learn some of the history of this place.

Smoke Outcome: A random winner (those contributing Smoke) secretly gains a Food item.

Frost Outcome: A random winner (those contributing Frost) gains a Food item, and if an NPC is given the food to eat, the loyalty of the NPC improves by 1 to the player controlling the character that gained the food.[/ic]
[ic=Elevator]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative
Location: Elevator

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a wooden elevator with an arcane mechanism.

Challenge Domain: Machines

Iron Outcome: Assigned characters manage to get the elevator working, but are trapped within it as it travels to the bottom of the building. There is a 50% chance that someone in the elevator is injured, as well. These characters are occupied (other events with them, unless they have Clones, are disrupted) for the remainder of the turn. Next turn they'll make contact with humans native to the city.

Blood and Smoke Outcome: The elevator mechanism breaks, preventing it from being used until more difficult repairs are made.

Dust Outcome: Assigned characters with Dust or Iron in the Machines domain gain one knowledge token, but the elevator jams, broken until more difficult repairs are made.

Tie Outcome: Same as Dust outcome.[/ic]
[ic=Factory]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Competitive
Location: Factory

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a stairwell that descends to a factory with many strange machines. Something strange is in the air, though it's hard to detect.

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers

Blood Outcome: A random winner injures a random other character assigned to this event. The potential for violent interaction greatly goes up between those characters. If only one character is assigned to this event, they injure themselves. Imperviousness does not block this damage.

Iron Outcome: A random winner gains a Contruction Materials item and a knowledge token. All winning player characters gain a progress point towards the Sage domain.

Dust Outcome: The winners detect the mysterious thing that is out of place and prevent two characters from hurting each other (or one character barely avoids danger). The loyalty of all non-allied assigned NPCs goes up by 1 to the winner. All winning player characters gain a progress point towards the Sage domain.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: A random losing character, if any exist, becomes trapped in a machine, disrupting all future assignments of that character this turn. All winning characters become injured. Imperviousness does not block this damage.

Tie Outcome: Nothing special occurs. (The factory is explored without a major incident.)[/ic]

8.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=A Deeper Investigation]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Varies

Requirement: Only characters who were assigned to Hellscape, Campsite, Elevator or Factory this turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters gain a benefit depending on their location.
Hellscape: Assigned characters gain a corruption token. Assigned player characters gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny. One random character assigned to this event at this location gains a major artifact.
Campsite: One random character assigned to this event at this location finds a secret map.
Elevator (note, Iron outcome disrupts this possibility): Assigned characters gain a knowledge token and next turn will have an elemental boost for purposes of fixing the elevator.
Factory: Assigned characters experience Kixthish overload, unlocking a Kixthish Dreams event next turn.
[/ic]
[spoiler=Hellscape][ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Campsite][ic=Campsite]Public, Opportunity, Frost, Cooperative
Location: Forgotten Campsite

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a great hall with a few other doors. Tucked away in one corner of the hall is an abandoned campsite, complete with evidence of a fire and a bit of leftover supplies.

Challenge domains: Social, Skill relevant to Criminals and Politicians

Blood Outcome: The character assigned with the highest Blood score in the Skill domain (break ties randomly) gains a Food item. All other assigned characters gain one unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: The character assigned with the highest Frost score in the Political domain gains a Food item. Winners (those contributing Dust) gain a knowledge token and learn some of the history of this place.

Smoke Outcome: A random winner (those contributing Smoke) secretly gains a Food item.

Frost Outcome: A random winner (those contributing Frost) gains a Food item, and if an NPC is given the food to eat, the loyalty of the NPC improves by 1 to the player controlling the character that gained the food.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Elevator][ic=Elevator]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative
Location: Elevator

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a wooden elevator with an arcane mechanism.

Challenge Domain: Machines

Iron Outcome: Assigned characters manage to get the elevator working, but are trapped within it as it travels to the bottom of the building. There is a 50% chance that someone in the elevator is injured, as well. These characters are occupied (other events with them, unless they have Clones, are disrupted) for the remainder of the turn. Next turn they'll make contact with humans native to the city.

Blood and Smoke Outcome: The elevator mechanism breaks, preventing it from being used until more difficult repairs are made.

Dust Outcome: Assigned characters with Dust or Iron in the Machines domain gain one knowledge token, but the elevator jams, broken until more difficult repairs are made.

Tie Outcome: Same as Dust outcome.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Factory][ic=Factory]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Competitive
Location: Factory

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the skyward hub may be assigned here.

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the hallways that leads off from the hub. It leads to a stairwell that descends to a factory with many strange machines. Something strange is in the air, though it's hard to detect.

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers

Blood Outcome: A random winner injures a random other character assigned to this event. The potential for violent interaction greatly goes up between those characters. If only one character is assigned to this event, they injure themselves. Imperviousness does not block this damage.

Iron Outcome: A random winner gains a Construction Materials item and a knowledge token. All winning player characters gain a progress point towards the Sage domain.

Dust Outcome: The winners detect the mysterious thing that is out of place and prevent two characters from hurting each other (or one character barely avoids danger). The loyalty of all non-allied assigned NPCs goes up by 1 to the winner. All winning player characters gain a progress point towards the Sage domain.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: A random losing character, if any exist, becomes trapped in a machine, disrupting all future assignments of that character this turn. All winning characters become injured. Imperviousness does not block this damage.

Tie Outcome: Nothing special occurs. (The factory is explored without a major incident.)[/ic][/spoiler]

10.
[ic=Thinking Ahead]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None

Restriction: Only John may be assigned to this event.

When you assign a character to this event, choose a destiny. Your character will have increased opportunities to pursue that destiny on future turns.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]First off you need to decide where you stand with Layla. Gyeong-su/Bastien might decide that now is the time to retake the status she won, and if she wakes up she might be grateful to someone who defended her. On the other hand, she's out cold and the group needs direction.

Next you need to decide whether you want to retake the balcony. There's an interesting craft there, and doing so would put you closer to reconnecting with the Jessica that has Lightdrinker. It's dangerous, though (even with super strength Oryx can't win against 16 copies of himself (Note: that's highly unlikely)), and might be better left for a future turn.

Next you'll need to decide whether you want Jessica to drink or just investigate the water in the Amber Prism room. Thanks to her power she can also investigate the other features, though some things might be better left unseen...

The biggest question this turn is where to assign people for timeslot 5. The hub room presents 4 different options (and 3 more that aren't available until some of these are explored), some very dangerous, and others more mundane. Keep in mind that Bastien and maybe even Layla might assign someone to those locations, or they might not (in which case you'd be in a privileged position to reap any rewards). The events for the 4 areas only happen when the room is first entered, but will roll-over to future turns if left untapped.

If exploring the hallways doesn't seem attractive, or if you have the ability to clone yourself, there's always the AEther and basic influence.

If you do decide to explore one of the rooms, you can get a secondary effect in timeslot 8 by investigating deeper. Or you can investigate another area, assuming it hasn't already been checked out.

You have the opportunity to guide your destiny in timeslot 10. Use it wisely.

And as always, you can decide how to apply items, including whether to remove Lightdrinker.[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

 
[spoiler=John Dante Assignments]

2) We Need Someone Strong (John)

3) None

4) Investigate the Tank (Jessica), Amber Prism (Jessica, drink), Investigate the Structures (Jessica)

5) Influence (Jessica targeting Mary), Campiste (Jessica), Elevator (Jessica), Factory (Emily, John, Jessica)

8) Deeper Investigation! (John, Emily at the Factory, Jessica at the Campsite)

10) Thinking Ahead (John: Protector of the Innocent)[/spoiler]

　

Apologies for the delay and lack of activity in the roleplaying post - uni is like hell right now.

[spoiler=Saitoro Assignments]
1. A Cloak of Sky
3. Relax for a While
5. Lucky Break
6. A Foreseen Conflict (Eternal)
9. Kixthish Overload (Dust, Artefact, Safe)
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Turn Five]1. Forward, Not Backward: Smoke (Alas, I don't have time to work out an artifact this week, so I will leave the matter in your capable hands)
2. Demon Fruit
3. None
4. Activate!
5. Newcomers
10. A Sudden Memory: Monster, Iron (Normally I would also write this up! I'm just at home for the week and everything is busy. I have something in mind, and I would like to write it next week, if that's ok.)[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Destinies][ic=Hero of the Tribe]You met with the people of the city, and performed a great feat for them. They revere you as their champion, and place their hopes on you.[/ic]
[ic=Murderer]Tensions between you and another chosen kept building. It just wasn't sustainable. They had to die.[/ic]
[ic=Alchemist]You've collected and studied the various substances of the city. Armed with this knowledge you can poison, heal, distract, or strengthen.[/ic]
[ic=Oracle]You've all had visions and perceptions, but this goes beyond that. You've aquired a perception of this place that brushes up against knowing the truth.[/ic]
[ic=True Leader]You've proven yourself time and again as a trustworthy and wise leader. Others recognize you as the clear and permenant leader of a faction of chosen.[/ic]
[ic=Builder]When others were wanting, you provided. Food, beds, spaces. These things you provided. Weapons. Walls. Everyone knows you're the person to see when something needs to be made.[/ic]
[ic=Badass]You've proven, time and again, that you're not one to be messed with. The other chosen fear you, and for good reason. You win fights, and sometimes you pick them. You get what you want, even if you don't have many friends.[/ic]
[ic=Monster]You didn't stay with the others. You dabbled in things you should've avoided. The city's darkness has seeped into you, and you've changed into something less than fully human.[/ic]
[ic=Sage]The places, devices, and occurances in the city are chaotic and strange, but not without laws. You've taken the time to study them, and you understand them and their function more than anyone.[/ic]
[ic=Protector of the Weak]While you may or may not be the best leader, the chosen understand that you are a person of honor and benevolence. You took care of those who needed help the most, and for it you are recognized as a paragon of protection.[/ic]
[ic=Augmented]The artifacts of the city did more than just help you. You became dependent on them, and learned their secrets in the process. You are now not fully human, but none deny your power.[/ic]
[ic=Connected]You met someone special. The bond, platonic or romantic, that you've forged with them will stand the test of time. To return to earth without them would be unacceptable.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ooc=Territory]Locations that have become the territory of one player or alliance of players serve as a "home base", providing a sense of security. Controlled territory grants +1 to all elements in the combat domain for the controller, and the controller may lay ambushes there more easily. Furthermore, the controller becomes aware whenever any other characters are near the territory, unless those characters are being stealthy (in which case they'll have a perception (skill) challenge).

Once all players have a territory the length of turns will increase dramatically and opportunities to build and do research will become more prevalent. Players or alliances can have more than one controlled territory.

Not all locations can function as territory, nor can locations be seized as territory right away. A source of food, water, and an ability to defend against invaders is usually required. Characters also must become comfortable with being there, which may depend on the standards of the characters and the degree of knowledge of surrounding areas.[/ooc]



Publicly Known Locations:
[spoiler=Pod Tower (16 Pods)][ic=Pod Tower]This massive room is circular in shape and around 30 meters in diameter. The floor is made of rounded cobblestones of all kinds of colors, worn smooth over time, and the walls appear to be marble or some other kind of smooth, white stone. Inset in the walls are a multitude of glass beads arranged in strange spiral patterns that draw the eye upward. Each bead emits a soft white-blue glow that together illuminate the room in a way that's reminiscent of starlight. As eyes follow the spirals upward the viewer's neck is forced back and back and back. The room appears to have no ceiling, but to extend forever into the heavens like a great, glowing tunnel. In the room are sixteen pod-shaped objects, like eggs on stands, arranged into an uneven ring. Each of the Chosen had awoken in one such pod. Along one side of the tower there is a notable absence of lights, and instead there is a tall archway of carved white stone that serves as a door.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Spiral Hall][ic=Spiral Hall]This hallway is curved to match the wall of the pod tower. One doorway leads into the tower itself, while a doorway opposite it leads to the tower control room. As one follows the hall clockwise around the tower it descends, such that one leaving the tower can go down and to the right, or up and to the left. After a ways down, the hallway leads to a door that opens to the balcony of shards. If one follows the hallway up instead, they arrive at the honeycomb chamber.

The hallway is made of white stone, with colored cobblestone floors and is lit by a dim band of yellow light set into the ceiling.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Balcony of Shards (Strange Craft)][ic=Balcony of Shards]Extending from the side of a titanic building is a balcony made of a silver metal. The balcony is shaped in a great half-circle with a radius of about 40 meters. The building it's attached to is covered with the same metal, and in the light of the sun it would surely shine brilliantly. The floor of the balcony is etched with a strange pattern of triangles that all point in to the central doorway that leads to the spiral hall. The triangles each have a smaller triangle inside them, facing the opposite direction, and these smaller triangles have even smaller triangles, on and on, as finely as the eye can perceive. Every other triangle appears to be a gap in the floor, creating the appearance of being less than solid. Apart from a few obvious gaps, however, the surface is sturdy and traversable.

Aside from the primary portal at the center of the balcony (leading to the spiral hall), there are two doors of the same etched white stone on either edge. The building out of which the balcony extends is flat on this side, and the balcony is not adorned with any sort of railing, making both doors dreadfully close to the edge. (One door leads to The Wooden Workshop, while the other leads to Blackslime Bridge.)[/ic]

[ic=Strange Craft]The balcony is not empty. Near the far edge is a great shape, smooth and glossy in the planet-light, either some kind of structure, statue, or craft. Perched on three pillars, the craft is shaped like a great black scarab, though it had no legs and wasn't so obviously jointed. In its side is an opening approximately two meters high. It seemed to be designed to be entered, though who knows what lay within. On either side of the opening are two great protrusions, each with a vaguely cylindrical shape and some sort of mechanism inside. The opposite side of the craft is identical, possessing the same entrance and pair of cylinders.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Blackslime Bridge][ic=Blackslime Bridge]Through one of the side doors on the Balcony of Shards is a rectangular room filled with a fog. The fog smells chemical in nature, and seems to glow with a sickly green light. A path, wet from the fog, made from the shiny metal of the balcony carved in intricate designs extends out into the room, but otherwise there is no floor to the left or right. About a meter down is an opaque slime that sloshes around slowly. The goop seems to radiate heat and it makes the whole room uncomfortably hot. The path is a bit over a meter wide. Like the balcony, it has no railing, making the ooze below seem even more dangerous.

The side walls of the chamber are obscured by the fog. At the far end of the bridge, the path splits in two, forming a Y shape. Down one fork is a hallway (Skyward Hub), and down the other is a room (Vision Chamber).[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Vision Chamber][ic=The Vision Chamber]One of the doors from the Blackslime Bridge leads into a relatively small room with no other exits. The floor is slanted, as is the ceiling. The walls are bowed, too, making the chamber akin to a symmetric, 4-sided polyhedron with curved surfaces. The walls, ceiling, and floor come together to a point on the left and right sides of the room. At its widest, the room is probably four meters across.

Patterns of white light are etched into the far wall, and since the walls, ceiling, and floor of the chamber appear to be made of yellow stone, the chamber has a very warm, bright, feeling to it.

In the exact center of the room is an orb that appears to be made of solid gold, floating in mid-air. About 50cm in diameter, the sphere is perfectly smooth and appears to have no function. As one enters the room, the patterns on the far wall combined with the floating golden sphere and the curvature of the room make the shape and appearance of a great white and gold eye.

Since the room is mostly featureless and has no other exits, most of the Chosen quickly abandon it, and focus attention elsewhere.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Skyward Hub][ic=Skyward Hub]In many areas of the building are hallways that appear to run into dead ends. The dead ends lead to the Skyward Hub if one knows how to follow them. Once on the other side of the dead-end one finds a circular room with a ceiling only about three meters high. The room itself is probably 15 meters in diameter, and from it run eight identical hallways that lead to trick-dead-ends. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of grey stone, and the room is lit by bands of glowing white light that run along the edges of the chamber where the walls, floors, and ceiling meet.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Garden][ic=The Garden (Night)]Trees rise up from black soil, their trunks white and ghostly in the dim light. The room, for this place is surely indoors, is deathly silent. No insects, animals, birds, or running water. Every now and again one can feel the slightest breeze, but it is hardly notable. The branches overhead obscure the ceiling, which is undoubtedly many meters above. Pale orbs of light drift through the canopy like miniature moons, throwing shadows every direction and yet making no noise.

The garden appears to be tended; paths of flat stones run throughout in winding patterns, but the land is hardly flat. Little hills are everywhere, and in the valleys are deep pools. Some are water, while others are strange liquids like the hot black goop found elsewhere. The surfaces of the pools are covered with leaves and the water appears to be remarkably clean, despite being stationary.

All around the trees are little bushes or plants, some with flowers and others plain. Small fruits are easy to find on the bushes and trees, but never on the ground. Apples, pears, strawberries, and more can be discovered if one searches, but they seem different in small ways--in their taste, texture, and coloration.[/ic][/spoiler]

Mysterious Locations:
Honeycomb Chamber
Tower Control Room
Wooden Workshop
Dead End
The Æther
Amber Prism
The Library
Hellscape
Elevator
Abandoned Camp
Processing Plant
Mirror Chamber
Pod Tower 2
Spiral Hall 2
Gleaming Factory
Acrid Pit

Character	Leader	Location	Last Known Status
Layla al-Zakiyya	N/A	Skyward Hub	Comatose
Saitoro	N/A	?	Unknown
Juliet	N/A	?	Unknown
Riccara Vaillancourt	Layla	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Bastien Mcgregor	N/A	The Garden	Healthy
Jens Faber	-	?	Unknown
Hong Gyeong-su	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Oryx the Exile	John	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Mary of the Gond	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Vitus the Rogue	Layla	Skyward Hub	Healthy
John Dante	N/A	Gleaming Factory	Healthy
Medicine Man	Bastien	Abandoned Camp	Healthy
Olga Surikov	Bastien	The Garden	Healthy
Jéssica da Flor de Seda	John	Gleaming Factory and more...	Poisoned
Emily White	John	Gleaming Factory	Healthy
Vic Fellowes	N/A	Pod Tower 2	Healthy
ALL OTHER NEWCOMERS	-	Pod Tower 2	Healthy

[spoiler=Saitoro](I'll be writing everything from past-tense third-person from now on just for consistency's sake.)

[ic=A Trick of the Wind]Saitoro hesistated for a moment before flying after the stranger as fast as he could. Movement in the Æther is not like walking, Saitoro came to understand. It's possible to brute-force one's body into floating one way or another, but real speed required cunning. It's almost as if his body was being pushed by the wind, and he had to trick the wind into pushing him along a certain path.

He was gaining on the man with the silver eyes, but just as the screamer... The man looked at Saitoro, and instinctively the monk tried to "land" out of the Æther, not wanting to be seen. In all previous trips in and out of the Æther Saitoro was following an existing breeze. The breezes seemed to be conduits to and from this place, like ferries to and from an island. Trying to return to the mainland without a ferry was... different. The sky darkened all around him until it was almost black, and huge walls started popping into existence. The walls floated in the nothingness like rubble that had forgotten gravity and had become unchained from the earth. This place was still the Æther, but it was dark and hidden. Saitoro wondered if it was related to the patch of shadow that existed in the bright portion.

As Saitoro relaxed a bit the winds pushed him out of that shadowy pocket back to the natural blue (the island, to use the metaphor). The screamer... the man... Saitoro struggled to duck out of sight again. Each second spent hidden was like being underwater. The breeze kept pushing him back, as if saying "You need to breathe. Don't go there."

The man, his back to Saitoro, had a... a bell. Its ringing summoned more screams. So many screams... But it ran. It fled. Though Saitoro could not remember anything about it, he could still remember the bell and the feeling of pure hatred in those screams.

When Saitoro returned from his hiding place for the third time the stranger had gone, as had the screamer. He did his best to travel in the stranger's general heading, and he followed the first tether out of the Æther that he felt, but the man was gone.[/ic]

[spoiler=Details and Clarifications][ooc]The Æther is a bright sky-blue realm that sits beside the city. Devoid of matter, players that enter the Æther must move through it by flying on the many winds. Navigation in the Æther is performed by feeling the character of various breezes, including temperature, scent, and psychic energy. Travel in the Æther is partially physical and partially mental, draining the body's strength (especially for novices) but also requiring focus and will.

In addition to the three normal dimensions of movement, characters can also travel in the axis that connects the Æther with the concrete world. Motion along this fourth dimension is difficult, and most people cannot make meaningful progress outside of certain pockets of wind that facilitate travel to and from the Æther. Travel towards the city, for the sake of having a word, is called "diving", while travel towards the Æther is called "soaring". These should not be confused with literally traveling up and down in the Æther.

If one tries to dive outside of an area that is tethered to the city by a special breeze they'll end up in a pocket of shadow and walls where the characteristic blue glow of the Æther is incredibly muted. It is unclear whether it's possible to dive beyond this shadow into the city, but it's extremely difficult to do anything but dip into it. While in the pocket characters are invisible to most travelers of the Æther. With practice it's possible to flicker in and out of the pocket to look around without being spotted.

The shadow pocket should *not* be confused with the sphere of darkness which serves as a landmark in the bright portion of the Æther. The sphere of darkness is usually located physically below travelers, and is the reference for up and down in the standard three dimensions. It radiates a psychic energy that makes it clear that it's not just a hiding place.

The only other notable feature of the Æther is the creature which prowls it and attacks humans on sight. The creature is sometimes called "the screamer" because of the noise that it makes. It is unclear whether the screamer is a woman or beast or something in-between because those who encounter it find it impossible to remember things, almost as if the creature is too horrible for mortal minds to dare keeping record of.[/ooc][/spoiler]

[ic=The Garden]Saitoro's body protested as he could once again feel solid ground beneath him. The breeze that he had followed led to what appeared to be some kind of indoor garden. Compared to the complexities of the structures in the triangular room and the completely alien Æther, the garden is refreshingly natural. There Saitoro found not only a pool of crystal clear water, but also several delicious fruits.

It was here that Saitoro spent at least an hour recuperating from his adventures. He finally tore the rags of his clothing into makeshift bandages for his wounds, which he also washed and cleaned.[/ic]
[spoiler=The Garden][ic=The Garden (Night)]Trees rise up from black soil, their trunks white and ghostly in the dim light. The room, for this place is surely indoors, is deathly silent. No insects, animals, birds, or running water. Every now and again one can feel the slightest breeze, but it is hardly notable. The branches overhead obscure the ceiling, which is undoubtedly many meters above. Pale orbs of light drift through the canopy like miniature moons, throwing shadows every direction and yet making no noise.

The garden appears to be tended; paths of flat stones run throughout in winding patterns, but the land is hardly flat. Little hills are everywhere, and in the valleys are deep pools. Some are water, while others are strange liquids like the hot black goop found elsewhere. The surfaces of the pools are covered with leaves and the water appears to be remarkably clean, despite being stationary.

All around the trees are little bushes or plants, some with flowers and others plain. Small fruits are easy to find on the bushes and trees, but never on the ground. Apples, pears, strawberries, and more can be discovered if one searches, but they seem different in small ways--in their taste, texture, and coloration.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=To Soar Once More]Confident that the strange man had gone, Saitoro, now refreshed and feeling pretty good, turned his attention to the breeze once more. The sky greeted him with bright blue emptiness. As strange and terrifying as it was, Saitoro was beginning to become comfortable with the Æther, even if it had...

The screamer was close. Closer than expected. Saitoro flew backwards as fast as he could, but it was too fast. Fingers reached for his daikyu. Muscles strained as he dived into a shadow pocket. Cuts from the... tore open... fresh blood...

Saitoro could feel all his previously found strength evaporate as he slipped into the darkness and the walls grew from nothingness. His breath was heavy. His fingers nervously brushing the feathers on the arrows in his quiver.

Out of nowhere it came. It saw through the pathetic hiding place. This was its home.

. . .

Flying. Flying faster than he thought possible. The scream from behind him rattled his skull. Oh what he would give for a bell right now. He could feel the breath on his back...

And then it was easy. Then it was so easy. The labored breathing was gone. The fear was gone. He could feel the wind, and the breath of the beast, but it floated over him. The scared little boy was somewhere inside him but was not him. Not his Buddha. Not his zen.

Floating on invisible currents, Saitoro spun effortlessly in the air and drew an arrow as he did so. The metal bit into his target, and...

It was gone. The screamer had fled once more. And the most strange thing was that Saitoro wasn't relieved. He had been calm since the breakthrough. It was exactly like reaching the peak of meditation, but he could move and think and it was effortless. A part of him was overjoyed, but he let the joy float past him just as the fear did.

For a while he just hung there in the endless sky. He had all the time in the world now. The pressures of samsara were distant. He didn't even breathe.

Eventually it became clear to him. This was not true enlightenment. The Buddha was a transcended spirit but Saitoro had somehow unlocked a transcended body. He did not have wisdom, merely the absence of physical want. Perhaps this was a trick of this place. The others had demonstrated similar such miracles. Perhaps there was yet more to walk on the path.

Saitoro found a vortex that led out of the Æther and followed it back to the land of walls and gravity and other people. The questions and possibilities of his new state still rolled through his mind.[/ic]

[ic=Machines And Dreams]"The storm approaches, red like the sunset. Floodwaters wash the storm away." said the runes. Or rather, that's one thing they said. "Queen mews like a kitten, hatred in her smile. Sap of the trees locks the queen in place." is another. Frustration washed past Saitoro--another emotion that could be easily ignored. The place he had come to seemed more promising than the triangle room, or at least larger and more impressive.

The runes were painted in crisp white paint onto the sides of a black, iron vat. Iron pipes led to and from it, in various directions. The room was all like this. Pipes here, pipes there, a vat or cauldron, or tank to break up the monotony. The floor was made of white stone, and was perfectly flat and featureless. Bright floodlights shone down from meters overhead where they say perched on black metal spires. The lights all shone down, and the metal didn't reflect much back, so it was difficult to see if there was a ceiling, but Saitoro eventually just assumed there was at least ten or so meters up. The rest of the places he had visited were indoors, so it was safe to assume this was as well.

White runes were in many locations, and were often accompanied by arrows or small diagrams. Saitoro could not yet make heads or tails of them. They continued to read like bad haiku. "Wood inside the heart of man. Lizard sees more than is hidden, eternally sleeping." Things like that.

The room smelled slightly of woodsmoke, and was slightly warmer than the other places had been (most certainly warmer than the Æther).

Memories came. Small things. Skipping stones on the creek by the monastery. Climbing the old sugi tree. Dumplings. Breaking the neck of the old farmer from Hokkaido.

No. That's wrong. That never happened. Saitoro shook his head as if to cast off something covering his face.

Something was happening. He could feel... something... radiating from somewhere amidst the mess of pipes. Scrambling forward, he could feel it growing stronger. The pipes were growing from nothingness. They were vines. This was a jungle. The web of a spider. No. Just pipes. Pipes carrying water. No. Carrying gas. No. Carrying energy.

Energy was at the heart of things. He could feel it leaking. Seeping into him. Too many memories. Too many dreams. Saitoro was knocked unconscious. He dreamed of woodsmoke.[/ic]

Saitoro has the Eternal trait. His Late Bloomer trait will result in one more full trait before you become locked in to developing existing powers.
Saitoro is injured. (Though Saitoro bound his wounds, they re-opened when he fought the screamer)
Saitoro is suspicious.
Saitoro has 3 Unhappiness Tokens.
Saitoro has 1 Knowledge Token.
Saitoro has 1 progress point towards the Oracle destiny.
Hong Gyeong-su's loyalty to you is 2, but he is not your ally.

[spoiler=Events]
1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Bind A Wound]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None (Same as Previous Character Location)

Requirement: Only injured characters or medics may be assigned here.
Meta-requirement: This event will re-occur in future turns that take between 2 and 6 hours.

If an injured character is assigned, they fashion a makeshift bandage for their wounds (usually by tearing their clothing). At the end of the turn they cease to be injured unless they were involved in a combat.
When a medic is assigned, target an injured character. The target immediately ceases to be injured. If they're assigned to a combat before the end of the turn they re-open their wounds and become injured (if they're not already injured) again.[/ic]

[ic=Firewood]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Characters that are assigned find a collection of wood chips that draw the eye unnaturally. They take a handful unless they have a container, in which case they take a reasonably large amount.[/ic]

[ic=Simple Breathing]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: None

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro takes a few minutes to do nothing but breathe--an activity which he no longer needs to do, and can forget about from time to time. He clears his head of some of the visions and memories brought on by the kixthish, as well as removing one unhappiness token.[/ic]

2.
[ic=Kixthish Dreams]Private, Crisis, Dust
Location: None

Requirement: Only player characters who have recently been exposed to a kixthish overload may be assigned to this event.

When you assign a character to this event, select three things:
* An element (Blood, Iron, Dust, Smoke, Frost)
* A type; either Artifact, Location, or Event
* A danger level; either Safe or Dangerous

Your character has a dream about something of the selected type and element. Next turn (usually), their dream will become reality.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=A Meditation on The Screamer]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro has encountered the screamer several times. As the energies of the kixthish wash over him, he decides to meditate on it and see if he can recover some of his memories, perhaps learning more about it. If assigned, Saitoro learns something about the Æther and something else about the screamer. This event also opens the possibility of establishing the Æther as Saitoro's territory on future turns.[/ic]

[ic=A Meditation on The City]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro decides to meditate on the nature of this place. As the kixthish surges through him he experiences visions of the City's past. If assigned, Saitoro gains one knowledge token and increased ability to pursue the Oracle destiny in future turns.[/ic]

[ic=An Adjacent Room]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro finds another room after awakening from another vision. If he dreamed of a location, this is it. If he dreams of an artifact, the artifact is in this room, and he obtains it. If he didn't dream of an artifact or a location, you may select a character. The adjacent room allows Saitoro to meet with that character next turn.[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Bind A Wound][spoiler=Same as before]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None (Same as Previous Character Location)

Requirement: Only injured characters or medics may be assigned here.
Meta-requirement: This event will re-occur in future turns that take between 2 and 6 hours.

If an injured character is assigned, they fashion a makeshift bandage for their wounds (usually by tearing their clothing). At the end of the turn they cease to be injured unless they were involved in a combat.
When a medic is assigned, target an injured character. The target immediately ceases to be injured. If they're assigned to a combat before the end of the turn they re-open their wounds and become injured (if they're not already injured) again.[/spoiler][/ic]

[ic=Firewood]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event. Saitoro may not be assigned to "Firewood" twice in one turn.

Characters that are assigned find a collection of wood chips that draw the eye unnaturally. They take a handful unless they have a container, in which case they take a reasonably large amount.[/ic]

[ic=More than a Bowl]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requriement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro finds the object from his first vision: a 香炉. The censer is empty, but it has a mechanical switch which causes flame to shoot up in a fountain from the center.[/ic]

[ic=A Minor Breakthrough]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requriement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro makes progress understanding how to read the runes that are painted all over the maze of pipes.[/ic]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=A Major Breakthrough]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Saitoro can only be assigned here if he was also assigned to A Minor Breakthrough. Only Saitoro can be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro becomes able to read the runes and gains a progress point towards the Sage destiny.[/ic]

[ic=Woodsmoke]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requrement: Saitoro may only be assigned to this event if he has obtained both some wood chips
and the censer (香炉). Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro learns the functionality of the new artifact, and uses it to locate the source of the kixthish energies. If assigned, you may choose to plug the kixthish leak at the end of the turn, preventing other players from easily/accidentally finding it if they enter this location. (This event does not disrupt any others this turn.)[/ic]

6.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Another Doorway]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro finds another exit to this room and spends a long period of time wandering the building, calmly observing and learning its layout. Next turn several other locations will be available, the last one importantly being the location of a new collection of humans who recently awoke in the city.[/ic]

[ic=Kixthish]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro gets dangerously close to the kixthish leak that has been giving him visions. If he was previously assigned to Woodsmoke, he locates the leak and *intentionally* exposes himself to the raw energy stream. If he has not activated the censer then he merely exposes himself in the process of seeking it, regardless of whether it's intentional or not.

If assigned, Saitoro gains one Superhuman Development token, two Knowledge tokens, and a point of progress towards the Oracle destiny. He also learns one significant thing about every character that he's met, sees visions of the future of Earth up until approximately 2100, and sees the current state (including location) of all the chosen. Assignment to this event also locks in his second superhuman trait as precognition (but Saitoro does not yet gain it), and deals permanent damage to his sanity, giving him the schizophrenic trait.[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]As a reminder, I'm still hoping to get an answer to the stranger's question in the RP thread. If you don't respond to it be the end of this turn, I'll assume Saitoro says "No. I don't remember."

Saitoro has no particular reason to return to the Æther this turn. He may be "physically enlightened" but he's not invincible. The wounds on his body still bleed, and he risks making things worse by re-engaging with the screamer (which, despite being hit by an arrow at point-blank, is far from dead). Because you've chosen to isolate yourself from other players, you also don't have any challenges, just opportunities to grow in knowledge and power.

Decisions this turn are best described in terms of desirable outcomes, and I'll be working through the choices in reverse order so as to handle prerequisites sensibly. The most important decision is timeslot 6, where you can choose to expose Saitoro to a concentrated blast of "kixthish". This will turn Saitoro into a much more "crazy prophet" character than his current "warrior-monk" archetype (no reason you can't have both, though).

If you don't want to go that route, you can explore the city instead, and make contact with the "second batch" of chosen. This will give you new opportunities to make allies.

Timeslot 5 also has a couple good outcomes. Woodsmoke increases your power by revealing the function of the censer artifact and gives the opportunity to seal the kixthish leak safely. If you want this, you'll have to make sure you collect firewood at timeslot 1 and the censer at timeslot 4. This, unfortunately, takes up time which could be spent healing or learning.

If you're more interested in knowledge than immediate power you can assign Saitoro to A Major Breakthrough at timeslot 5. This requires you to spend timeslot 4 studying, and thus prevents collecting the censer this turn. If you go this route you can save time in collecting the censer later by getting woodchips at timeslot 1, or you can use timeslot 1 to recover happiness or health.

Oh, and you're of course welcome to dabble in both learning about the language and collecting components for the censer, but you'll make less progress than if you specialize.

Timeslot 3 is a simple question of whether you'd rather have knowledge of the Æther, general knowledge, or power in the form of quicker artifacts/increased opportunities.

Timeslot 2 has a kixthish dream. When picking it, be aware of the interactions it has with An Adjacent Room.

I hope your classes didn't kill you. Let me know if you need a deadline extension due to stress or work.
[/ooc]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Juliet](I'm switching to past-tense third-person for the sake of consistency. Sorry for the disruption.)

[ic=Explorations]Juliet wandered on, still reeling from the poison, but recovering quickly. Beyond the garden is a room without light. The orbs from the garden cast a long shadow of the woman, but only barely hint at the size of the chamber. Against common sense, Juliet stumbled in, and followed the wall. As the stone archway sealed up behind her she found herself completely enveloped in silent shadow. A tomb.

The wall was cold and smooth, like metal with the texture of glass. Every couple meters it would bend inward at a predictable angle. Juliet, realizing something, took out the disk she had recovered from her pod and held it in front of her. The red light emanating from the claw-like rune on the surface revealed the walls to be mirrors. The room was too large to be seen clearly with the dim object, but Juliet could see another arched portal up ahead.

The next room wasn't actually a room, but was a hallway. In fact, Juliet recognized it as the spiral hall that had been adjacent to the pod tower. It curved clockwise slightly and led downward. This must be the room at the top of the hall. But... that's impossible. The slime pipe didn't go up, and so the spiral hall must've been at least a floor above her. The dim yellow band of light set into the ceiling of the hall was a nice change of pace, however, so Juliet tucked her disk away, feeling stronger as it ceased touching her skin.

Down she traveled on the sloped floor, always turning to the right. After a ways down the hall revealed two doors on opposite sides. The scene was remarkably similar to when she had left the pod tower just a few hours ago. But there weren't any replicas here, thankfully.

Curious where the other door led, the one not leading into the tower that Juliet had been circling outside, Juliet turned left and stepped through the parted stone.

The room inside had peculiar shape, but at least it was lit. At first glance it actually reminded her of The Lion King (the reworked version from 2057, not the original, of course). Juliet hadn't walked in the movie since she was a girl, but the shape of Pride Rock was still plain as day. The room also reminded her of a theater. The old kind, where people sat together in a big room and watched a massive screen, curved to crudely simulate being immersed.

The entire room was made of stone, though some areas were a different shade or texture than others. The path from the doorway led across a flat area up to the "Pride Rock" structure, which rose sharply from the floor, and was wide enough to accommodate two people walking side-by-side. To the sides of "Pride Rock" the floor dropped away in a kind of mini-cliff. About four meters in front of the tip of the rock was a perfectly smooth surface of black stone, curved inward, like a great concave screen. At the tip of the rock Juliet could see some sort of metal interface, perhaps a control panel of some kind.

On the left and the right were two ornate lamps made from brass, their tops shaped in a vaguely floral pattern such that the light was at the center of a mock flower. The bulbs themselves were beach-ball sized orbs of white light very similar to those floating around the garden.

In the center of the flat area before the rock outcropping was a circular engraving made of white stone shaped oddly like an orifice. As Juliet approached it the stone peeled back just like it were a door, and an acrid smell billowed up from below like bringing images of burnt skin and making Juliet's eyes water. The smell and the effects of the poison forced Juliet to back away and find a wall to lean against and recover.

As she did, she could feel a chill spread through the room, and the trap-door/orifice refused to close automatically like the doors do. Quiet whispers emanated from below, ominously. Most of them were inaudible, but the few she could make out kept muttering about how everything was "too soon" and kept mentioning "Mohandas". After an amount of time that Juliet suspected was shorter than it felt (due to her seemingly accelerated perceptions) the orifice sealed itself, blocking the cold and the vile smell.

Juliet stayed there for a while, quietly sorting herself out and trying to shake off the poison. The weirdness was almost too much to bear. Mannequins with knives had sprung out of thin air to kill her! She could feel the slime slide around inside her body sometimes, still unnaturally warm. She half-expected to wake up in a mental hospital with an AI clamped to her head or see a VR artifact on the edge of her vision. But nothing changed, and eventually she got up from her resting place.

The whispers from below had an unshakable malice to them, but Juliet was no coward. That said, there were more interesting things to explore. With a bit of luck and more than a bit of agility she managed to knock over one of the lamps and catch the light orb before it smashed on the stone floor. She carried the mystical sphere up the hall to the room with mirror walls.

Now lit by the white light, Juliet could see that the room was shaped like a regular, 12-sided polygon with two doors on opposite ends. The ceiling is only about 3 meters high and all the walls are lined with mirrors. In the center of the room is a double-sided standing mirror with twisting silver trim. The mirror in the middle of the room reached all the way to the ceiling and seemed to have been worked into the structure of the room itself. The surface was curved like a carnival mirror, and Juliet could see her head bloated to obscene proportions as she approached it, setting the sphere down to radiate silently. She was a mess. Despite cleaning the slime from her hair it was in desperate need of a good brushing, and more noticeably her face was stained with red juice that gave the impression that she had just devoured some animal and hadn't bothered to wipe away the blood.

Juliet touched the mirror, subconsciously trying to wipe the stain off her reflection's bloated visage. As she did so it began to hiss loudly and as she snapped her arm back with lightning speed she was startled to find herself surrounded by shadowy beings of liquid darkness. Spines of shadow danced off them like rays from the sun, and they glared at her with impossibly small glowing white pinpricks of eyes. As she leapt back and drew her knife, she saw that her own arms had become coated in the same spiky shadow-stuff. The demons danced around her with equal speed, each drawing their own shadow-knife.

"What the..." she started to curse, but the words echoed about the chamber and sounded in her ears like some sort of dying animal gurgling and growling.

She spun, and as she did the shadows spun. She spoke and the sounds were nothing but feral croaking. The mirrors were doing this, she realized. The shadow-demons didn't actually exist, but were merely reflections of herself. She laughed and put away the knife. Her voice rippled through the room and it returned to her ears as something dark and evil. She snuck out the door without incident, leaving the glowing orb behind.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she descended the hall again, seeing her arms lose their shadowy covering and return to normal.[/ic]

[ooc=Echoshade Mirror]Large, Cannot be Moved

Echoshade is a two-sided standing mirror with ornate silver trim. Its surface is curved to distort perspective like a carnival mirror. When touched it emits a loud hiss and becomes active as long as anyone is in the room. When active it converts all spoken words into a gurgling growling sound that carries no information. All beings in the room also become cloaked in an illusory coating of shadow. Twelve illusory reflections also appear in the room, further confusing things, as they copy the motions of nearby humans.

If combat occurs in the room with Echoshade, a character may activate it. All teams in the combat are broken into a battle-royale with each character fighting for themselves, and possibly injuring an ally. Characters with at Hightened Senses or at least 2 Dust in the skill and combat domains are immune to this, and won't attack allies, though they still can be attacked by allies. Furthermore, all parties engaged in combat where Echoshade is present get -1 Frost and +1 Smoke. The activating party also gains an additional +1 Smoke.[/ooc]

[ic=Eggs in a Basket]From the new spiral hall Juliet decided to try the other door this time. Interestingly, it led into a room completely identical to the one she woke up in. Another pod tower. Sixteen pods lay around the room, though these were unopened...[/ic]

Juliet's power is Accelerated Timeframe.
Juliet has 1 progress point toward the Monster destiny.
Juliet has 3 Unhappiness tokens.
Juliet is suspicious.
Juliet's face and hands are stained red (-1 to Frost in Social/Political)
Juliet has absorbed 10 units of blackslime (14 maximum).
Juliet still has a Crimson Disk (5 charges).

Loyalty (no allies yet):
Olga Surikov: 1
Hong Gyeong-su: 2
Oryx: 2
Riccara Vaillancourt: 2
All Other NPCs: 1

[spoiler=Events]
1.
[ic=Sneak Attack]Public, Crisis, Iron, Combat
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If Juliet is not assigned to this event, nothing occurs.

If Juliet *is* assigned, she is surprised by an unknown man of Asian ancestry. The Man is wielding a gun, and seems to know all about her. He is prepared for the conflict, and Juliet is disabled before she can defend herself. The man uses some kind of artifact to drive Juliet back into a state of delusion and isolation, while at the same time twisting her body to become slightly monstrous (exact appearance is up to you (if you want to specify), but think "cat eyes and claws", not "wings and a tail"). The effect is temporary, and will grant Juliet a +2 Blood in Melee Combat and Politics at the cost of a -4 Frost and Iron in Politics and Social, and a -1 Dust in all domains for the next 24 hours. Furthermore, Juliet gains one progress point towards the Monster destiny. The man disappears as quickly as he came, ever enigmatic.[/ic]

2.
[ic=Welcome!]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If you assign Juliet here, please let Light Dragon know in the RP thread (publicly or privately) that you're in Pod Tower 2 and will be welcoming the new Chosen.

The pods begin to open from the inside as a new group of humans awakens. If assigned, Juliet greets them as they awaken, if not assigned she either hides or flees the tower. When you assign Juliet, you may decide to enhance or reduce confusion in the newcomers. Increased confusion reduces the ability for them to work together in the near future, while decreased confusion makes them more likely to act civilized and gravitate towards one leader, granting Juliet a +2 Frost bonus if she competes in "Here's How This Is Going To Work...".[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Don't Mind Me]Public, Crisis, Frost, Competitive, Attack
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event. Juliet must not have been assigned to Welcome!.

If you assign Juliet here, please let Light Dragon know in the RP thread (privately or publicly) that you're in Pod Tower 2 and you're pretending to be part of his batch. He as a player will know about the lie, but as a character he'll have to withstand the attack (see below) just like the others.

Juliet attempts to mingle with the group and convince them that she also just woke up (any physical changes are just part of her power, of course!). This counts as a 1-on-1 attack in the social and skill domains with every newcomer, with each defender gaining 1d3 - 1 bonus Dust. A dust and frost outcome for the defender means they see through her tricks and lose one loyalty, a smoke and frost outcome for Juliet means she is not treated as suspicious by that character. A tie results in simple suspicion. If Juliet successfully tricks every defender then she'll gain knowledge of most of their superhuman traits and additional opportunity to trick them on future turns.[/ic]

[ic=YOU!]Public, Crisis, Blood, Competitive, Combat, Attack
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event. Juliet must have been assigned to Sneak Attack.

Juliet recognizes the man who attacked her earlier in this new group. If assigned, she attacks him, and he barely escapes alive. Two of the other newcomers come to his aid, however, and fight Juliet (see below). If Juliet is in the winning group she gains a progress point towards the Badass destiny. Juliet automatically gains all items on slain characters unless otherwise specified.

Challenge Domains: Melee Combat, Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: Each losing character is dealt damage by a randomly chosen winner (the same winner may be selected twice).

Iron Outcome: A random losing character becomes injured.

Frost Outcome: The winning group successfully disables all losers without injuring them. All future events for losing characters are disrupted and they become prisoners of the winners.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group is dealt damage by a random opponent.

To deal damage, roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of any assigned weapon of the damage-dealer. 0 or less means nothing happens. 1-2 results in an injury. 3-4 results in serious injury. 5+ results in death.[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Here's How This Is Going To Work...]Public, Crisis, Frost, Competitive
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only characters who know about Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

The newcomers look for leadership or authority in this place. Assigned groups compete for that opportunity. Suspicious characters gain a -1 Frost penalty for this event.

Challenge Domains: Political

Blood Outcome: The winning group intimidates the newcomers into following. This gives each newcomer two unhappiness tokens and improves their loyalty to the winner(s) by 1.

Iron and Frost Outcome: The winning group uses charisma and authority to claim leadership over the group. They gain one loyalty to the winner and the player-character of the winning group becomes de facto leader (loyalty increases go up by an additional 1 in the future). Winning player characters gain one progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

Tie Outcome: The group is confused and finds no leader.

Neglect Outcome: Same as tie, but each newcomer gains an unhappiness token.[/ic]

[ic=The Siren's Call]Public, Opportunity, Blood
Location: Control Room(?)

Requirement: Only characters who know about Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

Shortly after the new humans awaken, Juliet finds herself inexplicably drawn to the trap-door in the control room (with "Pride Rock"). Despite the foul smell of burt flesh and the frigid air, she climbs down a ladder and discovers a very powerful, but very dangerous, artifact.[/ic]

[ic=Investigate the Machine]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative
Location: Control Room(?)

Requirement: Only characters who know about the room across from Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

Assigned characters attempt to operate the machine on the end of the rocky spire in the Control Room.

Challenge Domains: Skill, Machines

Blood Outcome: The characters can't figure it out, and end up breaking it in frustration.

Iron Outcome: The winners determine how the machine functions and are able to deduce its effects through trial and error.

Dust Outcome: The winners discover a general principle that allows them to operate the machine and also grants them one knowledge token each.

Smoke Outcome: The winners trigger something by accident. Unknown effect.

Tie Outcome: The machine is still not understood, and this event will reoccur until a non-tie outcome occurs.[/ic]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Faust Would Be Proud]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: Beneath the Control Room

Requirement: Only characters previously assigned to The Siren's Call may be assigned here.

The character with the highest blood in all domains gains the artifact in this room (break ties randomly). The artifact, once obtained, will be very hard to remove, and though it brings power, it also has a price. If a player character is assigned, select a destiny. If that character gains the artifact, their ability to pursue that destiny will be improved. If the Augmented destiny is selected, they immediately gain a minor defensive artifact and a progress point towards the Augmented destiny.[/ic]

[ic=Kidnapping]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet spots a young girl in the new group of Chosen. For whatever reason, she decides that it would be a good idea to take her away from the newcomers. If assigned, she uses her superhuman speed to kidnap the girl. Juliet loses up to two blackslime in the chase and the loyalty of all the newcomers towards her drops by 4 (she also loses de facto leader status if she had it) and they become hostile. The girl's loyalty only drops by 2, and she does not become a threat. Juliet also gains a progress point towards the Monster destiny.[/ic]

6.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Another Balcony?]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Spiral Hall 2

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

Juliet travels down the spiral hall and explores the area that was the Balcony of Shards near the other tower. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Familiar Ground]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Juliet returns to the garden and spends time learning its layout. You gain knowledge of all adjacent rooms, all characters in the garden, and Juliet establishes the garden as her territory.[/ic]

[ic=Sibling]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Beneath the Control Room

Requirement: Only characters previously assigned to Faust Would Be Proud may be assigned here. If an assigned character does not possess the artifact from the prior event, this event is disrupted.

If the owner of the artifact that is gained in Faust Would Be Proud is not assigned to this event they gain 5 unhappiness tokens from mental anguish.

The artifact below the control room grants knowledge of a "sibling" artifact that is roughly as powerful, and just as dangerous. It is potentially in danger, and the artifact grants knowledge of how to travel quickly through the building to reach it. If assigned, the owner follows the instructions and reaches the "sibling". If the sibling is threatened, the owner must fight to protect it (unknown combat challenge).[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]Another "Monster" destiny, eh? And an Iron event to boot! Well, you got it. This turn you have TWO Iron events that grant progress towards becoming a not-so-human. This path you walk is always filled with drawbacks, however, and monsters are never the most popular of folks.

1. Decide whether to get some physical progress towards that destiny at the expense of some higher-order reasoning, strategy, and maybe a little sanity. This unlocks the "YOU!" event at timeslot 3, as well as setting up a clear antagonist for Juliet (even if he, like most of the city, is a bit of a mystery).

2. Decide whether to help the newcomers, spread a little chaos and impair their ability to organize, or just stay out of the spotlight. This event disrupts the "Don't Mind Me" stealth event.

3. Decide whether to attempt to trick the newcomers into thinking you're one of them (Don't Mind Me), whether to go full crazy and probably kick some ass (YOU!), or just to lay low. Remember that Accelerated Timeframe gives a +3 Smoke in the skill domain and +1 Smoke and Frost in the social domain, so you'll have a total of +8 in the Don't Mind Me competition, not counting the -4 penalty from being transformed in the Sneak-attack (Juliet's speed grants her a lot of time to think up convincing lies and to generally react strategically, rather than just instinctively). Blackslime burnt for Don't Mind Me applies to all contests. The blackslime also reduces the chance of dying if you get overpowered in YOU!, though it's hard to heal a gunshot wound... It may be worth it to burn some ahead of time to ensure you win.

4. Decide whether to try and lead the new group of Chosen (Here's How...), whether to go for power over loyalty (Siren's Call). Investigating the machinery is going to be pretty hard, given Juliet's limited skill-set, but you could always break it so another player can't use it. Siren's Call doesn't have a visible drawback, but the Public nature of it means that Juliet might be spotted if she's assigned. Otherwise it's very safe and there's little reason not to assign to it if you're not going for leadership. With "Here's How..." don't forget that Juliet can burn blackslime or use her disk to manipulate the outcomes.

5. Here's the major decision point for the turn: Do you pursue the more social aspect of the Monster destiny and pull off a kidnapping, or do you go for a burst of power with the artifact (or neither). Both have serious drawbacks. If you want to you can get two progress points towards the Monster destiny this turn, potentially unlocking the ability to obtain the destiny next turn. If you get the artifact, it may also help you along your path, but you'll have less freedom.

6. Regardless of what you do for timeslot 5, you'll need to decide where to head next. If you get the artifact then you'll be suffering a happiness hit unless you let it guide you to yet another artifact and potentially get into a battle. Juliet is feeling comfortable enough with the area to seize the garden as her territory (see the new rule in the overview). If you kidnap the girl it's a big enough place that you could probably lose the pursuers (especially given the mirror chamber). And if you're not inclined to go back, you can always take a gamble and head down the hall instead.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you write this week regarding Juliet's memory. Any extra details about her character or reactions are always awesome, too.
[/ooc]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bastien Mcgregor][ic=Bastien's Journal]Bastien Mcgregor,
6 Days Since Arrival

Yvextho told me a story about Building 29 today. He says that once upon a time there was a tribe living here whom Yvextho called "Many-eyes" (Uthiualatava, in their tongue). They'd use the many doorways of the building to send spies all across the city and would even send explorers into the Darklands. The Many-eyes would then sell their knowledge to the highest bidder. I asked him if they built 29, but he just laughed at me and said that the watchers were far from being Chosen, let alone gods.

Emily is hard at work repairing the elevator that leads up to the hub near the bridge again. The stupid thing seems to break every single day. We can still get up through the sky, of course, but they see us coming whenever we try that. Once the elevator is working again Yvextho wants to lead a raiding party to the gardens. He thinks we can get to the gardens without having to go past Lightdrinker if we go through the inferno chamber. It's probably true, but I keep remembering the last time we tried to go through that blasted hellscape...[/ic]

[ic=A Long Moment]The departure of the mysterious stranger seems strangely anti-climactic. The book speaks in riddles and talks about people and places Bastien has never heard of. He and Olga stand around for a bit, half-expecting something to disrupt the peace. After a few minutes it becomes clear, however, that the garden is safe, at least for now.

Olga finds a pool of water, and she and Bastien sit down by its edge and rest. They soon begin to talk, first of this place, then of each-other. Olga says that she keeps expecting to wake up, and talks about how her battalion was just about to go into battle against the Nazis. She talks to Bastien for a while about the outcome of the war and about time travel.

After a good bit of resting, drinking, and eating, the two of them get up and return to work, refreshed and feeling somewhat better.[/ic]

[ic=Power Vacuum]In the hub room beyond the trick hallway, the remainders of the original group stand around the comatose body of Layla al-Zakiyya. Eight identical hallways lead off, and with the replica threat removed for the moment the absence of leadership weighs heavily on the group.

"The girl is... unfit." states Hong Gyeong-su, his face as hard as always. "Bastien Mcgregor would've been a better choice. He still is a better choice."

John Dante makes a quip about following hislead and jumping off the bridge. John makes it clear that he thinks he is the natural leader here, and several members of the group (Jéssica, Oryx, and Emily) back him up.

Gyeong-su in unflinching. His mind is already made up on the matter, so he reaches for empty justifications. "Your lightning is all very impressive, but true leadership is more than using flashy wizardry on a group of demons. Leadership is something men are born into. I bet you've never even been in a real war! Never held a sword in those white hands!"

The discussion doesn't go anywhere, and seems to serve no purpose other than to turn Gyeong-su's fierce demeanor into a righteous indignation. Most of the spectators seem reluctant to support either man. Finally, Gyeong-su barks "A true leader is not afraid to stand up against evil for his people!" and walks off into the hallway that returns to the blackslime bridge. John doesn't bother following.

"Clear the path, Medicine Man!" the soldier demands, drawing his sword. Medicine Man reverts back to his original shape (even though he could simply shift a passage).

"A solider finds too many paths, and thus takes the war-path out of familiarity." says the old American, gesturing for Gyeong-su to stop. "Eagle once did the same thing..."

"Go help the others!" barked Gyeong-su, shoving the Medicine Man out of the way. "I'm invincible!"

"Eagle thought the same thing, but..." But the Korean had already gone.[/ic]

[ic=Returning to the Balcony]Gyeong-su of the house of Hong strode out onto the balcony of shards. The planets still twinkled overhead, slowly moving along their strange paths.

The tiger sword in Gyeong-su's hands was just as he remembered it being on Earth. It felt just right. The old man wasn't as fit as he used to be, but his sword was just as sharp. He strode forward calmly, careful not to step in a triangular hole in the weird metal floor.

The replicas had apparently fallen back quite a bit. Only about a dozen still remained on the balcony, and of those three were occupied with getting through the door at the opposite side of the balcony, and two were crawling on the mysterious structure by the edge.

Of the seven that turned to fight him, three were copies of John Dante. It seemed fitting. The man was blind and stubborn; it might help his aggression to cut them down.

The copies howled and cackled as they came; their eyes were still the same solid black. This time, however, Gyeong-su knew no fear. A boy with the strength of an ogre had struck him in the face and it seemed no more than a slap. John, back in the pod tower, had electrocuted Gyeong-su, but it hurt no more than a scrape. His skin--no--his body was made of steel, and he would drive these demons away just as Oryx had done on the bridge.

He swung. They leapt back. He advanced. They retreated. His In Geom granted him a decisively better reach than his foes, and he continued to slash at them, but without much effect.

The problem with fighting seven people at one time is that even if you can't be hurt, you can still be flanked. One of the John Dante doppelgangers managed to sneak up behind the soldier and grab his arm. The others came on, then, each latching onto him. Copies of Juliet appeared, knives in their hands, cutting ineffectually at his face and torso. He struggled and fought, falling to the ground as they swarmed him. He wasn't young enough for this. They may not have had the powers that the real humans seem to have gained in this place, but they had the strength of athletic young men and women.

Gyeong-su could feel his age as he struggled ineffectually against their hold. His heart began to beat faster. What if they threw him off the balcony? He could survive a knife blade or a punch, but could he survive a fall from a tower as high as this one? Fear began to claw its way back into his heart. Even old soldiers fear death.

A shadow-eyed copy of Layla raised a knife high above her head, ready to slam it down onto Gyeong-su's prone form. The girl was the problem. If she hadn't stupidly tried to lead the group, this never would've happened. Weak. She's weak. Gyeong-su was weak. The knife slammed down on his belly, cutting through the steel armor and the old soldier felt blood and pain.[/ic]

[ic=The Return of Eagle]One of the Johns sat on Gyeong-su's chest, apparently somewhat bored. The replicas occasionally tried to cut him again, but they lacked the intelligence to attempt a proper execution. They continued to laugh, cruelly in his face, taking turns holding him down.

One of the Juliets surprised Gyeong-su by kissing the John that sat upon him. The John appeared startled as well, and they tumbled over his body awkwardly. By some miracle the real man had managed to keep his grip on his In Geom. He threw all his energy then into throwing them off, and swinging the sword.

It barely worked. The razor edge sliced one of the Johns hands, and smoke boiled out of the wound. He rolled to his feet, seeing the two "lovers" return their attention to him, growling like beasts.

It was not normally his way to act recklessly, but Gyeong-su knew that if he didn't run he'd be captured again, and he doubted he could fight them forever. He rushed a copy of Rikki, the flying woman, and cut her cleanly in half. Her body exploded, leaving a cloud of smoke to hide his escape.

The clones came after him, laughing and hollering, but they were behind him. Only one foe waited between him and the exit. Layla al-Zakiyya. He sliced her fake head from her shoulders and ran through the archway, the stone barely separating in time to let him pass.

Medicine Man waited for Gyeong-su, his arms were shaped into long metal spikes. "Eagle came down from the sky, burnt and humble. The sun had proven too much, even for him."

"Save your nonsense! They're coming!" barked the man of house Hong.

The replicas came in once again. Rushing across the bridge after him. Medicine Man tried to use his spear-arms to hold them back, but he was no warrior. The two men were cornered in the hallway, and stepped without stepping. In the blink of an eye they found themselves in the company of the others, though John and Oryx, as well as a couple more, had left.

"Let's hope they can't follow." said Gyeong-su.

For a few tense moments they waited for the first replica to appear in the trick-hallway, but none did. They breathed a shared sigh of relief.

"And his crown was bleached white by the heat of the sun--a battle-scar to remind him of his mortality." finished the American Indian.

Gyeong-su couldn't think of any eagles with white heads, but he placed a hand on the part of his belly that had been cut, appreciating the metaphor.[/ic]

[ic=The Garden Breeze]Bastien paced the spot where the strange man had appeared. The pale trees still reminded him of pillars. A path of disturbed dirt slowly appeared under where he walked.

The breeze was subtle now, much more subtle than it had been when the stranger had appeared. And strangely, it was not present when the man disappeared. The amulet was cold as he held it in his right hand.

Olga was busy attempting to build a basket with which to carry some of the fruits of the garden. Bastien's mind began to wander, and as it did the wind began to grow. Blue. So perfectly blue.

Bastien snapped out of his reverie. Something just happened, but he was still in the garden. He tried again, this time attempting to let his mind wander, but without being fully distracted.

It was a bit like trying to watch something out of the corner of your eye. The world would fade to a perfect sky blue if he let it. The featurelessness of the color was a bit unnerving, as though it would swallow everything.

As he went to go find Olga and discuss this strange feeling, he realized that he could smell roses on the breeze, and yet no flowers at all could be seen in the garden.[/ic]

[ic=Mary of the Gond]Gyeong-su bent over the sleeping form of Layla al-Zakiyya. He brushed her dark hair from her face tenderly, muscles still aching from his struggle with the demons.

"You care for her? Then why speak against her?" spoke the quiet woman in the colorful dress who had stayed with Layla the longest. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and she kept her gaze low.

"Leadership is not a prize to be won. It is a burden. To have the girl lead us would crush her as much as it would hurt the group. Her husband isn't here to protect her, and so it falls on the rest of us to do that in his absence."

A moment of silence.

"I don't think she has a husband." whispered the Indian woman. "She never spoke of one, at least."

"Strange. She's well past the age. Perhaps things are different in her lands."

"No. I think she's just headstrong. She probably scared them all away." The two of them shared a small laugh. "My name is... Mary. It's a pleasure to meet you." Despite introducing herself, Mary refuses to make eye contact with the soldier.

"I am Hong Gyeong-su. It is truly a pleasure to meet you, as well." and he gave a small bow.

Mary is a meek woman. She's very suspicious of this place and in search of something to rely on. She admits that she has the power to conjure things from nothingness, but she generally doesn't like the magic powers everyone has seemed to manifest. She's preoccupied with thoughts of getting back to her family, and is generally very unhappy.[/ic]

[spoiler=Mary's Traits and Items]Mundane Traits:
* Good Judge of Character
* Supportive
* Watchful
* Depressed

Supernatural Trait: Conjuration

Items:
* Small silver statue of Ganesh
* Pocketwatch[/spoiler]

[ic=Campsite]While Gyeong-su and Mary became acquainted and looked after Layla, Medicine Man slipped off one of the halls to explore. There he found a great hall with many doors, as well as an abandoned campsite (see description below). The camp was being investigated by Jéssica the whore when Medicine Man approached, and he saw that she had obtained a package of dried meat. She clearly was not feeling well, and Medicine Man leveraged this to trick her into giving the food to him. (This interaction will be posted to the RP thread as a writing prompt.)

Further investigation of the campsite turned up little of value, and so the native american returned to the hub, and pulled Gyeong-su discretely aside. "A noble chief goes hungry when there is not enough to eat. A wise chief eats while others go hungry, for he knows that if he starves then all will starve. Which are you, noble or wise?" And with this the Medicine Man revealed not only the pack of jerky but also a full waterskin.

Though Gyeong-su was troubled by the implication of the other man's words, he shared the food and drink, and soon found his battle-fatigue melting away.[/ic]

[ic=The Great Hall]Along one spoke of the Skyward Hub is a mighty hall. Its vaulted ceiling is almost certainly a hundred meters in the air and the rectangular hall is at least as long, if only comparable in width. Several white stone archways lead off from the sides of the room, presumably to other areas of the building. Stone pillars on the sides of the room bend as they travel upward and meet at the ceiling to form a series of massive arches. Branch-like structures extend out from the pillars, making them appear like trees. From the tips of the branches are silver wires that drop down several meters before ending in radiant lights of many colors. The lights are teardrop shaped, and drift from pastels to white back to pastels over time.

The floor of the room is uneven, being broken into sections by small sets of stairs. The effect makes it almost seem like the room has small hills here and there.

Sounds in the room echo off the walls, even with the pillar-branches to reduce it. Additionally, a deep, but quiet, hum can be heard reverberating through the space from an unknown source.

In one corner of the hall is a campsite. A ring of stones marks a firepit, complete with ashes and mostly-burnt logs. A cloth (burlap, probably) tarp appears to be glued to the walls and floor to provide a small sloped shelter in the corner. At the mouth of the shelter is a wooden box with a broken lock and nothing inside. The camp appears strangely clean, with no signs of dirt or dust or ashes outside of the firepit.[/ic]

Olga has gained a Shoddy Basket
Bastien has absorbed 10 units of blackslime (14 maximum).
Olga has absorbed 14 units of blackslime (she cannot currently absorb more).
One Medicine Man's traits is Focused. One of his items is a waterskin (empty). He still has another unknown trait, unknown item, and at least two significant secrets.

Bastien's tokens: None

Loyalty:
Gyeong-su: 7 (Ally)[spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x2

Mundane Traits:
* Melee Weapon Training
* Good Judge of Character
* Focused
* Loyal

Supernatural Trait: Impervious

Items:
* Armor
* Tiger Sword (long blade)[/spoiler]
Olga: 6 (Ally)[spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x1

Mundane Traits:
* Firearm Training
* Idealist
* Physically Fit
* Blundering

Supernatural Trait: Power Vampire

Items:
* Shoddy Basket[/spoiler]
Mary of the Gond: 3 (Ally)[spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Unhappiness x6

Mundane Traits:
* Good Judge of Character
* Supportive
* Watchful
* Depressed

Supernatural Trait: Conjuration

Items:
* Small silver statue of Ganesh
* Pocketwatch[/spoiler]
Medicine Man: 2 (Ally)[spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Unhappiness x3

Mundane Traits:
* Focused
* Secretive
* Friendly
* ???

Supernatural Trait: Basic Shapeshifting

Items:
* Waterskin (Empty)
* ???[/spoiler]
Vitus: 1
Oryx: 1
All Other NPCs: 2

[spoiler=Events]
1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Make Me A...]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: None

Requirement: Only Mary of the Gond can be assigned to this event.

When Mary is assigned, choose an object of small or medium size. Mary spends the next hour conjuring it. If assigned here, she cannot be assigned to any other events this turn before timeslot 6.[/ic]

[ic=Nuts and Berries]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only characters who began their turn in the garden may be assigned here.

Assigned characters build baskets out of foliage and/or collect food. Each character assigned who has a container item (backpack, basket, etc) gains one Loose Food item. (Loose food is identical to Food, but requires a container to transport. Each character assigned who does not have a container gains a Shoddy Basket item. Two characters can work together if assigned, building one basket and filling it, but this cooperation must be explicitly noted by the assigning player. Shoddy Baskets are destroyed after 8 hours unless improved by a conjurer or builder. The garden currently has 7 Food items that can be harvested.[/ic]

[ic=Better Than Nothing]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn in the garden may be assigned here.

Assigned characters find a suitable branch to turn into a wooden club. Each character assigned gains a club.[/ic]

[ic=Lifesteal]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None

Requirement: Only characters that began their turn in the garden may be assigned here.

If Olga *and* another player with a superhuman trait other than Power Vampire, Late Bloomer, or Latent Power are both assigned to this event, Olga learns more about her Power Vampire ability, thus gaining a Superhuman Development token.[/ic]

[ic=Slip of the Tongue]Private, Crisis, Frost
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only Bastien with the Wise facet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Bastien talks with Olga (while she does whatever). Olga says something that it's clear she didn't mean to say. Next turn Bastien will gain an event that grants progress towards the Connected (Olga) destiny, as well as revealing a significant secret about her past.[/ic]

[ic=Refill]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Assigned characters absorb blackslime from the source in the room, filling up to maximum. (Most characters can store a maximum of 20 units of slime, but this number can change from events.)[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=In the Absence of a Leader]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only Gyeong-su and Medicine Man may be assigned to this event (at this timeslot).

When you assign a character to this event, target an NPC that started the turn at the Skyward Hub. If an NPC is assigned, you may only target an NPC that has a lower loyalty score than the assigned NPC. The target's loyalty to you improves by 1. (This improvement *can* go beyond +1 by assigning multiple characters to the same target.) If your number of allies goes up by three or more this turn, Bastien gains a progress point towards the True Leader destiny and gains the de facto leader status.[/ic]

[ic=Know Thy Self]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only Medicine Man and Mary of the Gond may be assigned here.

Characters that are assigned practice using their power, and gain a superhuman development token.[/ic]

[ic=Explore the Factory]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only Gyeong-su, Medicine Man, or Mary may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the factory. This does nothing other than provide knowledge of the area for future turns.[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Down A Corridor]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Various

Characters assigned to this event explore their surroundings, finding new paths that have been left unseen. Whenever you assign a character to this event, choose an element. The location discovered by that character will be of the element selected.[/ic]

[ic=Retake the Bridge!]Public, Opportunity, Blood, Attack, Combat
Location: Blackslime Bridge

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the bridge, since Medicine Man did not maintain his blockade last turn. This event is considered to be an attack on 1d6 replicas, and they are automatically assigned as an opposing group. Each character beyond the third assigned to a group imposes a -1 to all elements due to over-crowding. (Thus if 6 replicas are assigned to this event, their group gets a -3 to all elements.)

Challenge Domains: Combat, Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: All losers are injured an knocked from the bridge. The winner gains control of the bridge.

Iron and Frost Outcome: Up to 1d4 random losers become injured (injured replicas are destroyed). The winning group gains control of the bridge.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group becomes injured by a random foe. Control of the bridge does not change.

In this event, if an impervious character would be injured, prevent the injury.[/ic]

[spoiler=Hellscape][ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=Enter the Æther]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only Olga and Bastien may be assigned to this event. Olga may only be assigned if Bastien is assigned.

Characters that are assigned manage to step without stepping into the breeze. It takes them to a realm of pure sky where they spend the next few minutes learning to float and move without walking. Characters assigned to this event cannot be assigned to events that take place outside the Æther this turn.[/ic]

[ic=Rest for a Bit]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: None

Assigned characters take a moment to let go of some of their stress and tension. Remove an unhappiness token from each assigned character.[/ic]

5.
[ic=Retake the Balcony!]Public, Opportunity, Blood, Attack, Combat
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

If the Chosen are not in control of Blackslime Bridge during this timeslot, they are assigned to a copy of Retake the Bridge! at this timeslot instead. The number of replicas on the bridge does not change from timeslot 4.

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the balcony. This event is considered to be an attack on 2d7 replicas, and they are automatically assigned as an opposing group.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: Two random winners deals damage to two random losers. For every two points that this outcome exceeds the next-highest outcome (in any group) another random winner deals damage to a random loser. The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Iron Outcome: Two random losers become injured (injured replicas are destroyed). The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Smoke Outcome: Three random characters take damage from three random opponents. Control of the balcony goes to a random group. Characters that contribute smoke to this outcome cannot be injured unless there are no other valid targets.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group deals damage to a random foe. Control of the balcony does not change.

For this event, damage is handled as follows: Roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage (if any). On a damage roll of 0 or lower nothing happens, on a 1-2 the victim is injured (-2 Elements to all domains, increased chance of death in future turns), on a 3-4 the victim is severely injured (cannot be assigned to events, likely to die unless tended to), on a 5+ the victim dies. If an injured character would become injured or severely injured, they die instead.
Seriously Injured characters are pulled to safety by their peers, if possible.[/ic]

6.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=The Beast In The Sky]Public, Crisis, Blood, Combat
Location: The Æther

Requirement: Only characters assigned to Enter the Æther may be assigned here.

For each character assigned to this event with a ranged weapon there is a 50% chance that nothing occurs. Otherwise, all characters with the martial artist trait or a melee weapon that are assigned to this event become injured as they fight with a demonic entity. If no characters with melee weapon (or impressive hand-to-hand skills) are assigned here, all characters in the Æther are injured. If a character is impervious, they are uneffected by the damage from this event.[/ic]
[ic=A Shelter of Shadow]Public, Crisis, Smoke
Location: The Æther

Requirement: Only characters assigned to Enter the Æther may be assigned here.

Assigned characters take refuge from the monster inside a patch of shadowy sky. They gain a corruption token, but are immune from the damage dealt as part of The Beast In The Sky.[/ic]

8.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Down A Corridor]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Various

Characters assigned to this event explore their surroundings, finding new paths that have been left unseen. Whenever you assign a character to this event, choose an element. The location discovered by that character will be of the element selected.[/ic]

[ic=In the Absence of a Leader]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only Gyeong-su, Medicine Man, Olga, and Bastien may be assigned to this event. Olga and Bastien may only be assigned if they had previously been assigned to the Hellscape.
Characters may not be assigned to this event if they've been assigned to In the Absence of a Leader previously this turn.

When you assign a character to this event, target an NPC that started the turn at the Skyward Hub. If an NPC is assigned, you may only target an NPC that has a lower loyalty score than the assigned NPC. The target's loyalty to you improves by 1. (This improvement *can* go beyond +1 by assigning multiple characters to the same target.) If your number of allies goes up by three or more this turn, Basien gains a progress point towards the True Leader destiny and gains the de facto leader status.[/ic]

[ic=Investigate the Craft]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. If the Chosen do not control the balcony, this event is disrupted.

Assigned characters enter and investigate the strange craft on the balcony. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=A Deeper Investigation]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Hellscape

Requirement: Only characters who were assigned to Hellscape this turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters gain a corruption token. Assigned player characters gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny. One random character assigned to this event at this location gains a major artifact.[/ic]
[spoiler=Hellscape][ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic][/spoiler]

9.
[ic=Exit the Æther]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Æther

Requirement: Only characters previously assigned to Enter the Æther this turn may be assigned here.

After battling the creature in the Æther. the assigned characters follow a breeze out to a new location. When you assign characters to this event, select a destination:
Pod Tower
Amber Prism
Blackslime Bridge
Swarm Bowl
The Great Staircase
Colossus Fountain[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]Wow! These turns are getting big! Don't hesitate to ask me if anything's unclear.

1. Decide whether to have Mary make something. As with the Medicine Man, this occupies her for a while, and prevents her from being assigned. She can make anything from weapons to building materials, but she can't make food or water.

1. Decide whether Basitien will get 4 units of blackslime, a club, a basket, or some progress towards either making Olga a more permanent ally or making her stronger.
1. Decide whether to Olga will increase her power with Bastien's help, collect some fruit, or obtain a club.

2. Decide whether Gyeong-su will try and consolidate power or explore the factory.
2. Decide whether Medicine Man will try and consolidate power, explore the factory, or work on his shapeshifting skills.
2. Decide whether Mary (if she's not busy making something) will explore the factory or improve her skills.

4.Decide whether the characters in the garden will explore new areas, travel to the AEther, rest, or enter the "Hellscape". (Note! The information gained from the journal has linked the Garden and the Hellscape. If you assign Bastien and Gyeong-su to the Hellscape, they'll meet this turn.)
4. Decide whether the characters in hub will explore new areas, try and recapture Blackslime Bridge, rest, or enter the :"Hellscape".

5. If you've retaken the bridge, you can try and retake the balcony again, too. Note that even if Bastien travels to the Hellscape, he cannot be assigned to help here.

6. If you assign Bastien (and maybe Olga) to enter the AEther, you'll need to decide how to handle the beast that lives there. Bastien is in a good position to fight it off single-handedly if he has a club from the garden, otherwise you may be forced to have Olga get hurt, or gain some corruption. Or, if you'd like, you can have Bastien gain corruption for the sake of character development or whatever (corruption tokens, like unhappiness tokens, unlock events and otherwise effect the ways in which a character can act or be acted upon.)

8. If Olga or Bastien are assigned to the hellscape at slot 4, they can consolidate power here or find an artifact in the hellscape.
8. If you retake the balcony, this can be an opportunity to investigate the craft.
8. Gyeong-su and Medicine Man can use the time to consolidate power or investigate a path they didn't take.
8. Mary can do some exploring if you'd like (including getting the hellscape artifact, if she was assigned there earlier).
8. Any of the characters can explore the hellscape, assuming that they didn't already, and they didn't enter the AEther.

9. Decide whether any characters that entered the AEther end up.
[/ooc]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=John Dante]
[ic=Power Vacuum]In the hub room beyond the trick hallway, the remainders of the original group stand around the comatose body of Layla al-Zakiyya. Eight identical hallways lead off, and with the replica threat removed for the moment the absence of leadership weighs heavily on the group.

"The girl is... unfit." states Hong Gyeong-su, his face as hard as always. "Bastien Mcgregor would've been a better choice. He still is a better choice."

John Dante makes a quip about following hislead and jumping off the bridge. John makes it clear that he thinks he is the natural leader here, and several members of the group (Jéssica, Oryx, and Emily) back him up.

Gyeong-su in unflinching. His mind is already made up on the matter, so he reaches for empty justifications. "Your lightning is all very impressive, but true leadership is more than using flashy wizardry on a group of demons. Leadership is something men are born into. I bet you've never even been in a real war! Never held a sword in those white hands!"

The discussion doesn't go anywhere, and seems to serve no purpose other than to turn Gyeong-su's fierce demeanor into a righteous indignation. Most of the spectators seem reluctant to support either man. Finally, Gyeong-su barks "A true leader is not afraid to stand up against evil for his people!" and walks off into the hallway that returns to the blackslime bridge before disappearing. John doesn't bother following. It's clear that the soldier is stubborn as an ox, and unlikely to listen to reason. It's his life to risk.

After Gyeong-su leaves, Oryx sits down in the hub room, and watches over the women. After all the fighting you can guess that he's relieved to get the chance to rest, but his face is locked into a passive glare. Emily, John, and Jéssica decide that it's important to keep exploring, and they take one of the halls.[/ic]

[ic=The Factory]One hallway leading from the Skyward Hub, after flipping through the trick dead-end, leads to a staircase wide enough to drive a car down. Every six steps there's a thin band of glowing glass that runs across the floor, walls, and ceiling in a ring. The walls and ceiling are made of black stone, which seems to eat the light, but the steps themselves are covered in a thick burgundy carpet. It's rather strange, actually. No other area of the building has had any sort of carpeting. The staircase descends about 25 meters before opening up to a massive room.

Where most areas of this place seem oddly ornamental, but generally fit for human use, this room is completely alien. For one, the entire room is gleaming metal, either brass-colored or silver, and polished to a perfect shine. Even the floor is silver, and appears to be without any scratches or scuffs. Huge floodlights blast white light everywhere and there is seemingly no angle from which a surface won't reflect their blinding brilliance obnoxiously into one's eyes.

The whole room smells strongly of ozone, with perhaps other scents masked behind it. Clinking, humming and grinding sounds fill the massive space, and force those within to shout unless particularly close.

The room itself is so large and complex that it's unclear exactly how large it is, though the ceiling is at least ten meters overhead. The floor is angled weirdly such that there aren't any flat surfaces. Machines of all kind are everywhere, and the floor seems to slope into them as if the architect knew where they'd be and didn't want them moved (it's even possible that they were built into the room as permanent fixtures).

The machines swing around and connect with each-other in a strange rhythmic dance. Shoots occasionally release cascades of small objects into funnels. Other machines with sharp blades can be seen dancing in and out of enclosed areas. It seems almost like a factory, except there aren't any workers. Everything that's being "worked on" seems to be passed through pipes and tunnels such that it's hard to tell what exactly is being made.

Weird scaffolds are draped around the machines. They're shaped like great metal nets around geometric shapes with the occasional platform. The complexity of the room is intimidating, and one can easily imagine getting lost in the sea of metal if one isn't careful.

On some of the machines and on the occasional floor panel are crisp runes in black paint arranged in odd trails.[/ic]

[ic=Too Thin]Emily's eyes widen at the sight of the gleaming metal room, even with the blasting glare of the floodlights. Jéssica on the other hand covers her ears (first with one hand, and then upon realizing that this version wasn't actually holding Lightdrinker, the other) and looks away. After working around for a bit John and Emily get the chance to read some of the runes on the floor near the stairs. They're stiff and hard-edged, but arranged in a winding pattern.

"Temporary death bubbles up. A wave of water kisses bittersweet animal teeth. Run under the blanket." read John incredulously, quickly voicing utter confusion. He'd never seen these odd runes before, and yet somehow they were as plain as the headline of the local paper, if a little less understandable.

"...no." corrected Emily. "It says... Storms of summer flash without warning. Feelings of hate swing sharp objects. Taste victory of... no... on tha wind." Her hand followed the same arc as John had read, and to his surprise it was clear that Emily was right! But... no. It also said the thing about temporary death.

After a moment the two of them began to see even more, alternate interpretations. The symbols seem frustratingly ambiguous, as if they were a bunch of weird poems all somehow written into the same line.

John soon realized that Jéssica had wandered off. Something weird was happening, he could feel, but it wasn't clear what it was. Unrelated memories of the past floated back to him. Unimportant things. Small things.

"This increases the posterior probability. Fascinating!" he heard Emily say to herself, barely audible over the sounds of machinery.

John called to her and made expeditions out into the machines, always careful to remember the way back. At last he found her, lying underneath a metal scaffold and shivering. Jéssica was sick, hungry, and in no mood for John to see her. "Xangô has better things to do than to look after me." She tucked her frizzy head underneath John's duster in shame.

While talking the memories bubbled up. Memories of horseback riding on the plantation in Brazil. Of seeing a car for the first time. Of being shot at in a dark alley. Others.

Jéssica explained that she found some water in the room beyond the workshop. She complains of being hungry and thirsty. The liquid in the room wasn't water, though. She's scared that she's dying. She rambles on for a bit, talking about broken machines in small rooms and of weird runes on the structures beyond the workshop. She says Mary, the woman who was with Layla doesn't want to talk to her, and is listening to Gyeong-su now (apparently he survived). She says that she found some food at a campsite in another room, but now she doesn't even feel like eating anything. (Later on John finds out that she stupidly ended up giving it away to the Medicine Man.)

It's clear she needs to rest, though whether that's a good choice in this place is questionable.

John eventually leaves her and returns to the entrance of the room. Emily is still fascinated by the machinery of the room. If she didn't acknowledge his presence, John would've almost suspected she didn't notice his absence. He and Emily started looking around the factory for something that might help Jéssica feel better. This place must have something of value to help her...

"So I hypothesize thaht this place is some kind of factory." said the nerdy woman to John in her Australian drawl. "Tha question is what is it making." Emily's eyes were solid black. Replaced by a replica! They were back to normal. Her right arm, clad in leather glove, shoots out straight in front of her, the fingers pulled impossibly far back. Her face suddenly overcome with fear and disgust. As quickly as it occurs she pulls her hand back in and rubs it gently, the look of fear still on her face, if a bit muted. "Didja see thaht?! Wha's going on here?"

With no answer, John and Emily could only return to Jéssica empty-handed.

"Não, não, não. É só Xangô e Óculos." (No, no, no. It's just Xangô and Glasses.) muttered the whore from under John's coat. "They're good. They won't hurt you."

Clearly the woman was talking to someone, though it seemed like she wasn't clear on which version of her was talking. Maybe they all were. She seemed stretched too thin. The poison was clearly weakening her ability to act sensibly.

John asked who she was talking to as he crawled under the scaffold to get her. She clearly needed to get out of this place, whatever was happening was just going to make her worse. Jéssica said she found a friend in a glass tank beyond the workshop. A "cute little snake". As John pulled her out of the scaffold she handed him a piece of paper. "I found this, too, with the food." It was a small map, drawn in pencil. "I'm so glad you're going to help me, Mr. Fangs. I feel so..." she muttered before nearly collapsing.

John caught Jéssica before she hurt herself, but as he did so he could feel his own legs weaken and fold. The black mists of sleep swallowed the gleaming metal room... The kixthish had come again.[/ic]

[ic=Mr. Fangs]"Yes! I need you in me! Bite me, Mr. Fangs! Please!" screamed Jéssica, waking John from his dream. The woman in his arms was wild-eyed and delusional, shaking her right arm violently. Fist clenched. Hand spread wide. Fist clenched. Hand spread wide. "It hurts! Make it stop! Please drink my blood! I dreamed it! That means it must come true!"

John looked to Emily, beside him. She too had been awakened by Jéssica's wild (and slightly indecent) screaming, her face filled with silent concern.

The whore began to swing her arm wildly and John had to grab it to keep her from hitting him. "I don't care if you have a price! I want you in me! Take me now! I want to feel good again! I'll smash this thing the pieces if you don't make me whole again! I'll cut you up, Mr. Fangs! I will! I'm a goddess!"[/ic]

John's tokens: Superhuman Development x1, Unhappiness x3.

John has 1 progress point towards the Protector of the Weak destiny.
Jéssica is poisoned and under the influence of some bad voodoo, so to speak.
John was exposed to a Kixthish Overload last turn.

Loyalty:
Oryx: 4 (Ally) [spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Knowledge x1
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x4.

Mundane Traits:
* Young
* Physically Fit
* Berserker
* Ignorant

Supernatural Trait: Super Strength

Items:
* A bundle of raw meat
* A stone knife (short blade)[/spoiler]
Jéssica: 3 (Ally) [spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Knowledge x1
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x3
* Calcification x4

Mundane Traits:
* Friendly
* Naturally Happy
* Attractive
* Lazy

Supernatural Trait: Clones

Items:
* Overcoat
* Cloth handbag containing:
* Birth Control
* Cigarettes[/spoiler]
Emily White: 3 (Ally) [spoiler=Details]Tokens:
* Unhappiness x3

Mundane Traits:
* Tinkerer
* Intelligent
* Focused
* Slow

Supernatural Trait: Power Nullification

Items:
* Backpack containing:
* Laptop Computer
* Misc Circuitry[/spoiler]
Mary of the Gond: 2
Hong Gyeong-su: 0
All Other NPCs: 1

All characters will gain an unhappiness token this turn unless they personally get food or water. All characters that are poisoned at the end of this turn will gain an additional unhappiness token.

[spoiler=Events]Lightdrinker cannot be removed this turn except where explicitly stated as part of an event.

1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Kixthish Dreams]Private, Crisis, Dust
Location: None (Same as assigned character's previous locations.)

Requirement: Only player characters who have recently been exposed to a kixthish overload may be assigned to this event.

When you assign a character to this event, select three things:
* An element (Blood, Iron, Dust, Smoke, Frost)
* A type; either Artifact, Location, or Event
* A danger level; either Safe or Dangerous

Your character has a dream about something of the selected type and element. Next turn (usually), their dream will become reality.[/ic]
[ic=A Shared Dream]Private, Crisis, Blood
Location: None

Requirement: Only John Dante may be assigned to this event.

John shares a kixthish dream with Jéssica. He gains a knowledge token and learns about "Mr. Fangs" and some of the history of this place.[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Snap out of it!]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only John Dante may be assigned to this event, and only if he was assigned to A Shared Dream this turn.

John tries to talk Jéssica out of whatever it is that she's thinking of doing with "Mr. Fangs". Jéssica is very delusional, but with enough effort John manages to talk her into releasing that version of herself. The Jéssica with lightdrinker disappears (leaving the sword in the room beyond the workshop), as does the Jéssica in the elevator and in the campsite. John gains one progress point towards the Connected (Jéssica) destiny, Jéssica gains an unhappiness token this turn from trauma (but also recovers some from being naturally happy) and cannot be assigned to any events this turn (Bite Me is disrupted).[/ic]
[ic=For Your Own Good]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only John Dante may be assigned to this event.

John electrocutes Jéssica, knocking (all versions of) her unconscious. She gains an unhappiness token from trauma and will be seriously pissed if she isn't subsequently "rescued" from the parasitic artifact. The Bite Me event at this timeslot is disrupted and Jéssica cannot be assigned to events before timeslot 7.[/ic]
[ic=Bite Me!]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Jéssica must be assigned here if possible. Only Jéssica may be assigned here.

The tank in the Amber Prism holds a telepathic, sentient, parasitic artifact which Jéssica has inadvertently awakened and nicknamed "Mr. Fangs". (He's not nearly as cute as the name makes him sound.) Her naturally weak will, sapped further by poison is no match for the parasite's Faustian bargaining. If assigned, she smashes Mr. Fang's tank and lets the artifact burrow into her body. She'll actually be significantly strengthened by the binding, losing her poisoned status, making her immune to future poison and gaining "Physically Fit" as a trait. Mr Fangs will also block all psychic probes and attacks aimed at the inhabited version of Jéssica, and automatically launch his own psychic attacks (when he feels inclined). Mr. Fangs cannot be controlled, but he is generally interested in the well-being of his host. Mr. Fangs can only be removed by a practiced surgeon, and he'll probably fight back, possibly even killing Jéssica if threatened. The version of Jéssica with Mr. Fangs will also not be able to vanish, preventing her from unbinding Lightdrinker without resorting to the "joy" method that most people must use.[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Retake the Bridge!]Public, Opportunity, Blood, Attack, Combat
Location: Blackslime Bridge

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the bridge, since Medicine Man did not maintain his blockade last turn. This event is considered to be an attack on 1d6 replicas, and they are automatically assigned as an opposing group. Each character beyond the third assigned to a group imposes a -1 to all elements due to over-crowding. (Thus if 6 replicas are assigned to this event, their group gets a -3 to all elements.)

Challenge Domains: Combat, Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: All losers are injured an knocked from the bridge. The winner gains control of the bridge.

Iron and Frost Outcome: Up to 1d4 random losers become injured (injured replicas are destroyed). The winning group gains control of the bridge.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group becomes injured by a random foe. Control of the bridge does not change.

In this event, if an impervious character would be injured, prevent the injury.[/ic]

[ic=The Advice of a Snake]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Jéssica may be assigned to this event. Jéssica must have successfully been assigned to Bite Me! to be assigned here.

"Mr. Fangs" tells Jéssica where to obtain an additional artifact. If assigned, she collects it. It will improve her defensive ability.[/ic]

[ic=The Library]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Jéssica may be assigned to this event.

Characters who are assigned make their way into a library. As part of their explorations they gain one knowledge token if they're literate (Jéssica is literate).[/ic]

[ic=What a Strange Language...]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step away from Skyward Hub at the start of the turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters try and decypher the runes that are painted in the Gleaming Factory. If literate, each character gains one knowledge token and makes progress towards being able to read the strange language.[/ic]

[ic=Encoded Map]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: None

Requirement: Only Emily White or John Dante may be assigned here.

The map that Jéssica found in the campsite appears to be in some sort of code. If a character is assigned, they discover how to read it, granting you rough knowledge of the layout of the building.[/ic]

[ic=Elevator Repairs]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: None

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters may burn knowledge tokens to get an equal amount of Iron for this event.

Challenge Domain: Machines

Iron Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Iron minus total Smoke, the elevator is repaired successfully, giving all winners a knowledge token, and granting access to native tribes next turn. If the roll is equal or higher, the elevator stays jammed, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Blood Outcome: The elevator is completely trashed, and will take at least 24 hours of work and study to repair.

Tie & Neglect Outcome: No Progress[/ic]

[ic=Locate the Kixthish]Private, Opportunity, Iron
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only John or Emily may be assigned here.

Assigned characters locate the source of the visions. If John is assigned, he'll gain access to another kixthish dreams event next turn. If Emily is assigned she plugs the leak, reducing the flow of raw kixthish into the room.[/ic]

[spoiler=Hellscape][ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic][/spoiler]

5.
[ic=Retake the Balcony!]Public, Opportunity, Blood, Attack, Combat
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

If the Chosen are not in control of Blackslime Bridge during this timeslot, they are assigned to a copy of Retake the Bridge! at this timeslot instead. The number of replicas on the bridge does not change from timeslot 4.

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the balcony. This event is considered to be an attack on 2d7 replicas, and they are automatically assigned as an opposing group.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Strength

Blood Outcome: Two random winners deals damage to two random losers. For every two points that this outcome exceeds the next-highest outcome (in any group) another random winner deals damage to a random loser. The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Iron Outcome: Two random losers become injured (injured replicas are destroyed). The winning group gains control of the balcony.

Smoke Outcome: Three random characters take damage from three random opponents. Control of the balcony goes to a random group. Characters that contribute smoke to this outcome cannot be injured unless there are no other valid targets.

Tie Outcome: One character from each group deals damage to a random foe. Control of the balcony does not change.

For this event, damage is handled as follows: Roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage (if any). On a damage roll of 0 or lower nothing happens, on a 1-2 the victim is injured (-2 Elements to all domains, increased chance of death in future turns), on a 3-4 the victim is severely injured (cannot be assigned to events, likely to die unless tended to), on a 5+ the victim dies. If an injured character would become injured or severely injured, they die instead.
Seriously Injured characters are pulled to safety by their peers, if possible.[/ic]

7.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=The Power Is Mine]Public, Crisis, Iron, Competitive, Attack
Location: Amber Prism

Jéssica cannot be assigned here. Only characters who started the turn in a location at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

Unless a character with Super Strength is successfully assigned to the Balcony of Shards this turn, this event is disrupted because there is a barricade blocking the path.

If the Chosen do not have control of the Balcony of Shards, all non-injured characters assigned to this event are treated as having been assigned to a copy of Retake the Balcony! that takes place during this timeslot. The number of replicas on the balcony is the same as at timeslot 5.

Assigned characters attempt to bind themselves to Mr. Fangs before Jéssica or any of the others do. This counts as an attack in the Skill domain with a Blood and Frost outcome of securing Mr. Fangs and binding him to the winner with the highest Blood in all domains. If there is a winner, Slay the Serpent is disrupted. In case of a tie or neglect, nothing special occurs.[/ic]

[ic=Slay the Serpent]Public, Crisis, Iron, Combat
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Jéssica cannot be assigned here. Only characters who started the turn in a location at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. (i.e. no Bastien)

Unless a character with Super Strength is successfully assigned to the Balcony of Shards this turn, this event is disrupted because there is a barricade blocking the path.

If the Chosen do not have control of the Balcony of Shards, all non-injured characters assigned to this event are treated as having been assigned to a copy of Retake the Balcony! that takes place during this timeslot. The number of replicas on the balcony is the same as at timeslot 5.

Characters who are assigned to this event forcefully stop Jéssica from being bitten by the parasitic artifact nicknamed "Mr. Fangs" (if she's still there). If a character with Power Nullification is assigned here, the telepathic weapons of the artifact are useless. Otherwise 1d3 characters assigned here must withstand an attack in the Willpower domain, for each character attacked, roll 1d6, if the roll is higher than the sum of all that character's elements they are temporarily paralyzed, disrupting their involvement in this event.

If any characters are left un-paralyzed, they destroy Mr. Fangs. (That is, unless another player assigns a character to block the action, in which case an unknown battle will transpire (similar in structure to those on the balcony)...) All player characters assigned to this event gain a progress point towards the Protector of the Weak destiny. All characters assigned to this event that used their abilities either in combat or to nullify Mr. Fangs gain a superhuman development token.[/ic]

[ic=Bite me!]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Jéssica must be assigned here if possible. Only Jéssica may be assigned here.

If anyone is *successfully* assigned to Slay the Serpent, this event is disrupted. If Jéssica already has bound to the parasite, this event is disrupted.

[spoiler=Same as above]The tank in the Amber Prism holds a telepathic, sentient, parasitic artifact which Jéssica has inadvertently awakened and nicknamed "Mr. Fangs". (He's not nearly as cute as the name makes him sound.) Her naturally weak will, sapped further by poison is no match for the parasite's Faustian bargaining. If assigned, she smashes Mr. Fang's tank and lets the artifact burrow into her body. She'll actually be significantly strengthened by the binding, losing her poisoned status, making her immune to future poison and gaining "Physically Fit" as a trait. Mr Fangs will also block all psychic probes and attacks aimed at the inhabited version of Jéssica, and automatically launch his own psychic attacks (when he feels inclined). Mr. Fangs cannot be controlled, but he is generally interested in the well-being of his host. Mr. Fangs can only be removed by a practiced surgeon, and he'll probably fight back, possibly even killing Jéssica if threatened. The version of Jéssica with Mr. Fangs will also not be able to vanish, preventing her from unbinding Lightdrinker without resorting to the "joy" method that most people must use.[/spoiler][/ic]

8.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=The Advice of a Snake]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Jéssica may be assigned to this event. Jéssica must have successfully been assigned to Bite Me! to be assigned here.

"Mr. Fangs" tells Jéssica where to obtain an additional artifact. If assigned, she collects it. It will improve her defensive ability.[/ic]

[ic=The Library]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Jéssica or a character that could have been assigned to Slay The Serpent (regardless of whether they actually were) may be assigned to this event.

Characters who are assigned make their way into a library. As part of their explorations they gain one knowledge token if they're literate.[/ic]

[ic=The Wooden Workshop]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Wooden Workshop

Requirement: Only a character that could have been assigned to Slay The Serpent (regardless of whether they actually were) may be assigned to this event.

Jéssica didn't do a very good job searching the workshop. Assigned characters a likely to locate useful weapons or tools of war. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Investigate the Craft]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters who began the turn at most one step away from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here. If the Chosen do not control the balcony, this event is disrupted.

Assigned characters enter and investigate the strange craft on the balcony. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[spoiler=What a Strange Language...][ic=What a Strange Language...]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step away from Skyward Hub at the start of the turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters try and decypher the runes that are painted in the Gleaming Factory. If literate, each character gains one knowledge token and makes progress towards being able to read the strange language.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Encoded Map][ic=Encoded Map]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: None

Requirement: Only Emily White or John Dante may be assigned here.

The map that Jéssica found in the campsite appears to be in some sort of code. If a character is assigned, they discover how to read it, granting you rough knowledge of the layout of the building.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Elevator Repairs][ic=Elevator Repairs]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: None

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub may be assigned here.

Assigned characters may burn knowledge tokens to get an equal amount of Iron for this event.

Challenge Domain: Machines

Iron Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Iron minus total Smoke, the elevator is repaired successfully, giving all winners a knowledge token, and granting access to native tribes next turn. If the roll is equal or higher, the elevator stays jammed, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Blood Outcome: The elevator is completely trashed, and will take at least 24 hours of work and study to repair.

Tie & Neglect Outcome: No Progress[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Locate the Kixthish][ic=Locate the Kixthish]Private, Opportunity, Iron
Location: Gleaming Factory

Requirement: Only John or Emily may be assigned here.

Assigned characters locate the source of the visions. If John is assigned, he'll gain access to another kixthish dreams event next turn. If Emily is assigned she plugs the leak, reducing the flow of raw kixthish into the room.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=A Deeper Investigation]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Hellscape

Requirement: Only characters who were assigned to Hellscape this turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters gain a corruption token. Assigned player characters gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny. One random character assigned to this event at this location gains a major artifact.[/ic]
[spoiler=Hellscape][ic=Hellscape]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative, Combat
Location: Hellscape

If this event had characters assigned to it previously this turn it is disrupted here.

Assigned characters investigate one of the other hallways that leads off of the hub. It leads to a large room filled with huge crystalline structures, a floor that slopes strongly away from the entrance, and no light except for huge bursts of flame that shoot from the walls unpredictably. Characters in the hellscape feel weighed down as if the gravity was somehow stronger here, and must struggle to keep from sliding down the room into shadowy depths.

To make matters worse, something far more sinister lurks in the gloom, hungry for human flesh. This event can be ignored, but the path cannot be explored until it has at least one person assigned to it.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Skill relevant to Detectives

Blood Outcome: A random character assigned to this event becomes injured (unless they are impervious). The beast in the depths also becomes injured. All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Iron Outcome: All characters assigned gain an unhappiness token.

Dust Outcome: A random character who contributed to this outcome gains an combat artifact, two unhappiness tokens, and becomes injured (unless impervious). If the character is a player character, they also gain a progress point towards the Monster destiny.

Smoke Outcome: There is a 25% chance that a random assigned character that did not contribute to this outcome dies. If all assigned characters contributed, one becomes injured (unless impervious) instead. All assigned characters gain two unhappiness tokens, regardless of the roll.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the above, but treat nobody as contributing to the smoke outcome, if selected.[/ic][/spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]So! Jéssica is the first to find the parasite! Too bad she also became poisoned and is generally weak-willed. The primary decision this turn is to either pull her out of the Prism (Snap out of it!), to let her bind to the parasite (Bite Me!) or to try and save her (Slay The Serpent/The Power Is Mine).

The first two have the advantage that they're much safer. They don't involve battling your way across the balcony and having to use all the resources at your disposal to pull things off. If you pull Jéssica out of there, you'll be abandoning at least two artifacts to whoever happens to wander along, and you'll lose access to that side of the map. If you have Jéssica take the parasite, she'll be able to keep gathering power, but you'll be seriously committed to keeping that version safe and under control. Because she's an NPC, another player could theoretically steal her from you, significantly shifting the balance of power. Mr. Fangs won't let her leave that version, so in effect it will become the primary Jéssica, and will be more or less by herself out there.

And then finally there's the option of fighting your way to her side. This involves commitment of both Oryx (to clear the blockade) and probably Emily (to block Mr. Fang's psychic assault). There's a possibility that you'll need help from Gyeong-su, so don't forget that you can send event details to other players. If you manage to fight your way to the Prism, you have another choice to make. You can either try and kill Mr. Fangs or have one of your other characters take him. The "snake" is actually a potent artifact, so slaying him would reduce the power level of your team, but killing him will earn points toward Protector of the Weak, which could be good (and less risky in the long-run).

There are also a host of what I might term "B-List Events". These are the sorts of things that will be around later, but are still useful. If you don't try and retake the bridge (because you went with "Snap out of it!" or "Bite Me!") you'll get an extra timeslot which can be used to pursue these events. If you do try and retake the bridge, you'll still get the opportunity at timeslot 8.

Dont' forget! You as a player are distinct from John as a character. John might really want to try and save/protect Jessica, but might get talked out of it by Oryx, or get hung up on failing to convince Jessica to abandon the prism. There's a whole host of choices that are distinct from what John would select if he had the foresight that you do.

Let me know if anything is confusing or overwhelming. There's a lot to take in this turn.
[/ooc]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vic Fellowes]
[ic=Awakening]Vic snapped awake in absolute darkness. The dream had been so vivid. So real.

He fumbled around in that darkness for a bit, trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. He must've been really drunk last night to not remember how he got here, but at the same time he couldn't feel any after-effects of a hangover. At last his hand found a knob to some kind of door. As he turned it he could feel the cool breeze seep in along with the light of the room beyond.

In his dream he had seen a woman with blond hair. She was beautiful, in a way, though she dressed like a man and had clearly seen better days. Blood stained her hands, lips, and face. She was hunting for him. Well, not him in particular, but she was looking for prey and in the dream it was clear that Vic fit that description.

The room was huge. A tower of epic proportion. Even with his neck craned all the way back, Vic couldn't even see the ceiling. For a while he entertained the possibility that he was still dreaming...[/ic]

[ic=Pod Tower]This massive room is circular in shape and around 30 meters in diameter. The floor is made of rounded cobblestones of all kinds of colors, worn smooth over time, and the walls appear to be marble or some other kind of smooth, white stone. Inset in the walls are a multitude of glass beads arranged in strange spiral patterns that draw the eye upward. Each bead emits a soft white-blue glow that together illuminate the room in a way that's reminiscent of starlight. As eyes follow the spirals upward the viewer's neck is forced back and back and back. The room appears to have no ceiling, but to extend forever into the heavens like a great, glowing tunnel. In the room are sixteen pod-shaped objects, like eggs on stands, arranged into an uneven ring. Each of the Chosen had awoken in one such pod. Along one side of the tower there is a notable absence of lights, and instead there is a tall archway of carved white stone that serves as a door.[/ic]

[spoiler=Pod Description][ic=Pod]Large Size

This tan, egg-shaped structure is about the size of a refrigerator. On one side is a door with a wooden knob that leads inside to a dimly lit, cushioned interior shaped into roughly human form. The inside is warmer than the outside, indicating some sort of machinery or power source, but it makes no noise. The base (which keeps it from being truly egg-shaped) is made of wood, and the outside is made of ceramic. Parts of the exterior are set with strange patterns and textures. The first memory of one of the Chosen is waking up in one of these.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=A Room of Confusion]Vic wasn't the only one who didn't know where he was. Fifteen other people stood about the room, and while some tried to hide it, it was apparent that they too were lost. The crowd was bizarre, an eclectic group of people of all races and professions. One thing was clear: Once these people found who had kidnapped them, there'd be hell to pay.[/ic]

[ic=Visions]Vic stumbled as the visions flashed before him. Even while they swarmed up like wasps, stinging him with flashes of memories that hadn't yet happened, the con artist did his best to regain his composure and not reveal the moment of weakness. No sense in having to explain what you don't yourself understand.[/ic]

[ooc=Next Turn][ic=Pandora's Box]Private, Crisis, Smoke
Location: None

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

Just when Vic Fellowes thought he'd seen the last of the man, Mohandas shows up without warning. He asks Vic to do him a favor and hold on to a brass egg for a few days without telling anyone about it or opening it. In return, Mohandas offers to tell Vic where to find ammunition for his gun.

If Vic is not assigned, he refuses. The Asian man just can't be trusted.

If he is assigned he gains the artifact as well as the knowledge that Mohandas promised. When you assign Vic, decide whether to open it once Mohandas leaves. Unknown effect.[/ic][/ooc]

Nobody is currently loyal to Vic.
Vic has his medical tools and pistol, but no ammo.
Vic is *not* suspicious.

[spoiler=Events]2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Just The Sort of Person I was Looking For...]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

When you assign a character to this event, specify a sex (+ optionally gender and orientation), age, element, nationality, and superhuman ability. The assigned character meets a new Chosen that matches the specified details, and they decide that Vic is a good guy to listen to. The new character's loyalty towards you will go up by 1.[/ic]
[ic=I've Got Your Back]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

Vic takes advantage of the confusion to set himself up as a firm ally of one of the other Chosen. When you assign a character to this event, target an NPC at the same location (see characters thread; only NPCs posted after Vic are targetable). The loyalty of the targeted NPC improves towards you by 2.[/ic]
[ic=Let Me Introduce Myself...]Public, Opportunity, Frost

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

Vic doesn't know where in Sam Hill he's ended up, but he knows an easy mark when he sees one, and this room is full of them. If assigned, he makes a showy introduction. If he's later assigned to "Here's How This Is Going To Work..." he gains a +2 Frost bonus.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Know Thy Self]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: None (Assigned characters stay where they were)

Characters assigned to this event practice their new superhuman traits, using them to do simple things and otherwise testing their abilities. All characters assigned with fewer than one Superhuman Development token gain one.[/ic]

[ic=Trust Me, I'm a Doctor]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

Some of the Chosen get into a fight, and hurt each-other. If assigned, Vic supernaturally anticipates the injury and is ready to help repair the damage. The GM will roll 1d6 and add all of Vic's elements in the Healing domain (including via items). If the injury is minor, Vic must get a 3 or better to succeed. If the injury is serious, he must get a 4 or better, if the damage is fatal, he must get a 5 or better. If successful, Vic reduces the damage by one step (Dead->Seriously Injured->Injured->Unhurt) and if the injured character is an NPC (this is likely), their loyalty to Vic increases by 2.[/ic]

[ic=The Woman From The Dream]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

If Vic is assigned to this event and Juliet attacks someone in the room (attacks do not have to be violent, they can involve deception or theft) the Vic recognizes her and interferes with her actions, giving her a -2 penalty to all elements for challenges at this timeslot. Though there's no chance of Vic being injured this turn, Juliet may not take kindly to the interference.[/ic]

4.
[ic=Here's How This Is Going To Work...]Public, Crisis, Frost, Competitive
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only characters who know about Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

The newcomers look for leadership or authority in this place. Assigned groups compete for that opportunity. Suspicious characters gain a -1 Frost penalty for this event.

Challenge Domains: Political

Blood Outcome: The winning group intimidates the newcomers into following. This gives each newcomer two unhappiness tokens and improves their loyalty to the winner(s) by 1.

Iron and Frost Outcome: The winning group uses charisma and authority to claim leadership over the group. They gain one loyalty to the winner and the player-character of the winning group becomes de facto leader (loyalty increases go up by an additional 1 in the future). Winning player characters gain one progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

Tie Outcome: The group is confused and finds no leader.

Neglect Outcome: Same as tie, but each newcomer gains an unhappiness token.[/ic]

6.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Investigate the Control Room]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Control Room(?)

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Vic explores a "control room" after leaving the tower.  If Juliet is headed this way, Vic follows her. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Going Up]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Spiral Hall 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Vic travels up after leaving the tower. If Juliet is headed this way, Vic follows her. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Going Down]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Spiral Hall 2

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Vic travels down after leaving the tower.  If Juliet is headed this way, she follows Vic. When assigned, select an element. Vic discovers a location of that element as well as a danger associated with the element *after* it. (So if you pick Frost, the danger would be associated with Blood; if you pick Iron the danger would be associated with Dust).[/ic]

10.
[ic=Thinking Ahead]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None (Same as previous character location)

Restriction: Only Vic may be assigned to this event.

When you assign a character to this event, choose a destiny. Your character will have increased opportunities to pursue that destiny on future turns.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]Because turns in City are all different and sometimes involve interrelated decisions, I include a summary of each player's state at the bottom of their post. In this area I speak just as someone being helpful, and in theory I should never actually include information down here. As such, this section is always optional.

You may notice, if you read the initial turn, that this one will be somewhat different. That's partially because Juliet found you, so there's different circumstances, and partially to give you a power-boost that'll help you get caught up to the other players.

As a precog, you not only get to decide how to assign your characters, but you get to see how other players are assigning their characters. This means that you can open up the spoiler tabs that the players post, but NOT the spoiler tabs that I post as briefings for them. Many of their assignments will be nonsensical or irrelevant without knowledge of the events they're being assigned to. Such is the plight of the precog. Your power is most useful when you have a good idea of what other players are able to do, so at the beginning you won't be able to leverage your full strength. That said, you may get insights into things like what items players have, or where they're exploring.

As far as roleplaying is concerned, I'll be letting TMG know to inform you about Juliet's actions. Juliet is, unfortunately, the only player you can communicate with this turn, and only if she decides to socialize with the group.

2. You first need to decide whether to make a splashy entrance (Let Me Introduce Myself...) or gain a specific ally. Many of the NPCs for the second batch have not been written (they'll all be up by next turn), so you can essentially build your own with (Just The Person...) or get a bigger boost to an existing one (I've Got Your Back).

3. Next you need to decide whether you want to interfere with Juliet's actions, try and play at having some medical skill  (Vic isn't really much of a doctor, but it could work out anyway), or take the safe route and work on building up your superhuman ability.

4. You need to decide whether to try and become leader of the group. Vic is clever, but he's not the best politician. Your only real hope here is if you start with "Let Me Introduce Myself", and even then it might not work. It's not going to hurt to try, however. The Chosen will feel better if someone they don't trust tries to lead than if nobody leads at all.

6. Then you'll need to decide where to head next. This is partially a question of what sounds intuitively best, and also whether you care about sticking with Juliet or not.

10. Lastly, you have the opportunity to decide which direction to take Vic, destiny-wise.

As always, feel free to PM me if you have any questions or confusion regarding your turn.
[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vic's Actions]
2. Let Me Introduce Myself.

3. Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
(The tools won't be consumed, right?)

4. Here's How This Is Going to Work

6. Investigate Control Room

Destiny: Difficult to decide at the moment between Hero of the Tribe, Alchemist, Oracle, True Leader am I locking myself into one if I choose one now? At the moment, I think he's set for Hero of the Tribe.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bastien, Turn 6 ]
Journal question: Is this place linked to my past or to Marianne? (Long term)
Bastien:
1. Slip of the Tongue (Controlled)
4. Hellscape (Feral)
8. In the Absence of a Leader (Riccara)(Controlled)

Olga:
1. Nuts and berries
4. Hellscape
8. A Deeper investigation

Gyeong-su:
2. In the Absence of a Leader (Riccara)
4. Retake the Bridge
5. Retake the Balcony
8. Investigate the craft

Medicine man:
2. In the Absence of a Leader (Vitus)
4. Down a corridor (Frost)
8. Down a corridor (Iron)

Mary:
2. Know Thy Self
4. Rest
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Turn Six]1. Sneak Attack - The man's curse falls upon Juliet as she writhes in pain upon the ground. He stands over her, silent, watching, and judging. She screams, and it is a twisted and haunted sound, and hearing it would not think it human. Her eyes change, clouding and swirling until they are black as night. Her skin pales further, until it is like unto that of a corpse. Her veins slowly darken from their blues and greens even as they seem to grow wider, until they too are black, and her face and hands are webbed with their lines. The pain slowly fades, but that terrible visage remains.
2. No assignment.
3. YOU!
4. No assignment.
5. Kidnapping - So innocent. So pure. This place, those people... corrupting. They'll ruin her, like they ruined me. But I can protect her. I can save her! It's the only chance I'll ever have to make it right...
6. Familiar Ground

OOC: Sorry about not doing that story.. I tried to work through my ideas, but I just wasn't feeling inspired this week. I'll try something different for next turn![/spoiler]

[spoiler]
1) a shared dream (John)
2) snap out of it (Jessica cannot be assigned to any other events)
3) encoded map (Emily) retake the bridge (Oryx, John (using handgun))
4) Retake the Balcony (John (using handgun), Oryx)
7) The Power is Mine (John, Oryx supporting a John victory) = John thinks that, because he had that crazy dream with Jessica and was able to snap her out of Mr. Fang's influence, that CLEARLY means he can handle it himself. Oryx trusts John.
8) The Wooden Workshop (John,Oryx), Investigate the Craft (emily)
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Saitoro's Assignments]
1. Firewood
2. Kixthshish Dreams (Dust; Artifact; Safe)
3. A Meditation on the City
4. More than a Bowl
5. Woodsmoke
6. None[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Destinies][ic=Hero of the Tribe]You met with the people of the city, and performed a great feat for them. They revere you as their champion, and place their hopes on you.[/ic]
[ic=Murderer]Tensions between you and another chosen kept building. It just wasn't sustainable. They had to die.[/ic]
[ic=Alchemist]You've collected and studied the various substances of the city. Armed with this knowledge you can poison, heal, distract, or strengthen.[/ic]
[ic=Oracle]You've all had visions and perceptions, but this goes beyond that. You've aquired a perception of this place that brushes up against knowing the truth.[/ic]
[ic=True Leader]You've proven yourself time and again as a trustworthy and wise leader. Others recognize you as the clear and permenant leader of a faction of chosen.[/ic]
[ic=Builder]When others were wanting, you provided. Food, beds, spaces. These things you provided. Weapons. Walls. Everyone knows you're the person to see when something needs to be made.[/ic]
[ic=Badass]You've proven, time and again, that you're not one to be messed with. The other chosen fear you, and for good reason. You win fights, and sometimes you pick them. You get what you want, even if you don't have many friends.[/ic]
[ic=Monster]You didn't stay with the others. You dabbled in things you should've avoided. The city's darkness has seeped into you, and you've changed into something less than fully human.[/ic]
[ic=Sage]The places, devices, and occurances in the city are chaotic and strange, but not without laws. You've taken the time to study them, and you understand them and their function more than anyone.[/ic]
[ic=Protector of the Weak]While you may or may not be the best leader, the chosen understand that you are a person of honor and benevolence. You took care of those who needed help the most, and for it you are recognized as a paragon of protection.[/ic]
[ic=Augmented]The artifacts of the city did more than just help you. You became dependent on them, and learned their secrets in the process. You are now not fully human, but none deny your power.[/ic]
[ic=Connected]You met someone special. The bond, platonic or romantic, that you've forged with them will stand the test of time. To return to earth without them would be unacceptable.[/ic][/spoiler]



Publicly Known Locations:
[spoiler=Pod Tower (16 Pods)][ic=Pod Tower]This massive room is circular in shape and around 30 meters in diameter. The floor is made of rounded cobblestones of all kinds of colors, worn smooth over time, and the walls appear to be marble or some other kind of smooth, white stone. Inset in the walls are a multitude of glass beads arranged in strange spiral patterns that draw the eye upward. Each bead emits a soft white-blue glow that together illuminate the room in a way that's reminiscent of starlight. As eyes follow the spirals upward the viewer's neck is forced back and back and back. The room appears to have no ceiling, but to extend forever into the heavens like a great, glowing tunnel. In the room are sixteen pod-shaped objects, like eggs on stands, arranged into an uneven ring. Each of the Chosen had awoken in one such pod. Along one side of the tower there is a notable absence of lights, and instead there is a tall archway of carved white stone that serves as a door.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Spiral Hall][ic=Spiral Hall]This hallway is curved to match the wall of the pod tower. One doorway leads into the tower itself, while a doorway opposite it leads to the tower control room. As one follows the hall clockwise around the tower it descends, such that one leaving the tower can go down and to the right, or up and to the left. After a ways down, the hallway leads to a door that opens to the balcony of shards. If one follows the hallway up instead, they arrive at the honeycomb chamber.

The hallway is made of white stone, with colored cobblestone floors and is lit by a dim band of yellow light set into the ceiling.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Balcony of Shards (Strange Craft)][ic=Balcony of Shards]Extending from the side of a titanic building is a balcony made of a silver metal. The balcony is shaped in a great half-circle with a radius of about 40 meters. The building it's attached to is covered with the same metal, and in the light of the sun it would surely shine brilliantly. The floor of the balcony is etched with a strange pattern of triangles that all point in to the central doorway that leads to the spiral hall. The triangles each have a smaller triangle inside them, facing the opposite direction, and these smaller triangles have even smaller triangles, on and on, as finely as the eye can perceive. Every other triangle appears to be a gap in the floor, creating the appearance of being less than solid. Apart from a few obvious gaps, however, the surface is sturdy and traversable.

Aside from the primary portal at the center of the balcony (leading to the spiral hall), there are two doors of the same etched white stone on either edge. The building out of which the balcony extends is flat on this side, and the balcony is not adorned with any sort of railing, making both doors dreadfully close to the edge. (One door leads to The Wooden Workshop, while the other leads to Blackslime Bridge.)[/ic]

[ic=Strange Craft]The balcony is not empty. Near the far edge is a great shape, smooth and glossy in the planet-light, either some kind of structure, statue, or craft. Perched on three pillars, the craft is shaped like a great black scarab, though it had no legs and wasn't so obviously jointed. In its side is an opening approximately two meters high. It seemed to be designed to be entered, though who knows what lay within. On either side of the opening are two great protrusions, each with a vaguely cylindrical shape and some sort of mechanism inside. The opposite side of the craft is identical, possessing the same entrance and pair of cylinders.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Blackslime Bridge][ic=Blackslime Bridge]Through one of the side doors on the Balcony of Shards is a rectangular room filled with a fog. The fog smells chemical in nature, and seems to glow with a sickly green light. A path, wet from the fog, made from the shiny metal of the balcony carved in intricate designs extends out into the room, but otherwise there is no floor to the left or right. About a meter down is an opaque slime that sloshes around slowly. The goop seems to radiate heat and it makes the whole room uncomfortably hot. The path is a bit over a meter wide. Like the balcony, it has no railing, making the ooze below seem even more dangerous.

The side walls of the chamber are obscured by the fog. At the far end of the bridge, the path splits in two, forming a Y shape. Down one fork is a hallway (Skyward Hub), and down the other is a room (Vision Chamber).[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Vision Chamber][ic=The Vision Chamber]One of the doors from the Blackslime Bridge leads into a relatively small room with no other exits. The floor is slanted, as is the ceiling. The walls are bowed, too, making the chamber akin to a symmetric, 4-sided polyhedron with curved surfaces. The walls, ceiling, and floor come together to a point on the left and right sides of the room. At its widest, the room is probably four meters across.

Patterns of white light are etched into the far wall, and since the walls, ceiling, and floor of the chamber appear to be made of yellow stone, the chamber has a very warm, bright, feeling to it.

In the exact center of the room is an orb that appears to be made of solid gold, floating in mid-air. About 50cm in diameter, the sphere is perfectly smooth and appears to have no function. As one enters the room, the patterns on the far wall combined with the floating golden sphere and the curvature of the room make the shape and appearance of a great white and gold eye.

Since the room is mostly featureless and has no other exits, most of the Chosen quickly abandon it, and focus attention elsewhere.[/ic][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Skyward Hub][ic=Skyward Hub]In many areas of the building are hallways that appear to run into dead ends. The dead ends lead to the Skyward Hub if one knows how to follow them. Once on the other side of the dead-end one finds a circular room with a ceiling only about three meters high. The room itself is probably 15 meters in diameter, and from it run eight identical hallways that lead to trick-dead-ends. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of grey stone, and the room is lit by bands of glowing white light that run along the edges of the chamber where the walls, floors, and ceiling meet.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Garden][ic=The Garden (Night)]Trees rise up from black soil, their trunks white and ghostly in the dim light. The room, for this place is surely indoors, is deathly silent. No insects, animals, birds, or running water. Every now and again one can feel the slightest breeze, but it is hardly notable. The branches overhead obscure the ceiling, which is undoubtedly many meters above. Pale orbs of light drift through the canopy like miniature moons, throwing shadows every direction and yet making no noise.

The garden appears to be tended; paths of flat stones run throughout in winding patterns, but the land is hardly flat. Little hills are everywhere, and in the valleys are deep pools. Some are water, while others are strange liquids like the hot black goop found elsewhere. The surfaces of the pools are covered with leaves and the water appears to be remarkably clean, despite being stationary.

All around the trees are little bushes or plants, some with flowers and others plain. Small fruits are easy to find on the bushes and trees, but never on the ground. Apples, pears, strawberries, and more can be discovered if one searches, but they seem different in small ways--in their taste, texture, and coloration.[/ic][/spoiler]

Mysterious Locations:
Honeycomb Chamber
Control Room
Wooden Workshop
Dead End
The Æther
Amber Prism
The Library
Hellscape
Elevator
Great Hall
Processing Plant
Mirror Chamber
Pod Tower 2
Spiral Hall 2
Gleaming Factory
Acrid Pit

Character	Leader	Location	Last Known Status
Layla al-Zakiyya	N/A	Skyward Hub	Comatose
Saitoro	N/A	?	Unknown
Juliet	N/A	?	Unknown
Riccara Vaillancourt	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Bastien Mcgregor	N/A	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Jens Faber	-	?	Unknown
Hong Gyeong-su	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Oryx the Exile	John	Amber Prism	Healthy
Mary of the Gond	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Vitus the Rogue	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
John Dante	N/A	Amber Prism	Healthy
Medicine Man	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Olga Surikov	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Jéssica da Flor de Seda	John	Skyward Hub	Poisoned
Emily White	John	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Vic Fellowes	N/A	Pod Tower 2	Healthy
Chan Feng	-	Pod Tower 2	Injured
Athena Transcendent	Vic	Pod Tower 2	Injured
Mark "Thaba" Jacobs	Vic	Pod Tower 2	Sick
Lucie de Toulouse	-	?	Unknown
ALL OTHER NEWCOMERS	-	Pod Tower 2	Healthy