The Campaign Builder's Guild

[spoiler=Saitoro][ooc=GM Notes]I'm switching to <arrow quotes> for translated text.

If the fluff is too much text, let me know and I'll cut back. I'm having a good time writing it for everyone, though. :)[/ooc]

[spoiler=Fluff][ic=Wood]Saitoro awoke slowly on the floor of the processing plant. He could feel the stiffness in it as a background noise, but it was inconsequential. The dream was what mattered. It was the dream that finally convinced Saitoro that all this was truly real, and not some illusion. Or at least, it was as real as Japan. There were many who claimed that Japan and the rest of the world was an illusion, a veil across the truth of the oneness. Regardless, this place had the kind of lucidity and continuity that meant it was no dream.

Saitoro wandered the plant for a bit, occasionally working through a kata in his transcended body where space permitted. He could still feel the energy of the room, the energy that made him dream; it made him dream about smoke. There was 反語 (irony) there, that smoke could reveal the truth.

Saitoro bent to take the wood-chips from the basin surrounding one of the vats. The chips were smooth like in the dream, and grey. If it was true that all of this was a veil, like Japan before it, then it was at least true that the wood was real. It felt heavy in Saitoro's hands, as if it were anchored to the truth.

The dream from before was one of figments, of illusions, and also of trees. Tall, smooth trees, grey and hard, like towers of stone. But they weren't stone, they were alive, and that life was what mattered. Things could be an illusion, senses could fool us, but life itself could not be false. In the grove of grey trees there was a firepit lined with metal, all prepared with logs and kindling. Upon lighting it Saitoro knew that it was a dream, and he could see that the firepit itself was a metaphor for a 香炉 ("censer" is the closest word). The dream was very clear. The trees themselves were, in fact, real, but they lived far away.

Saitoro wove his way through the maze of pipes, feeling the texture of wood in one hand and his prayer beads in the other. The 香炉 was in this direction, and it would need the wood to function. He had foreseen it.[/ic]

[ic=Light]Saitoro could feel the energy build up within him as he walked. It flowed through this room like an invisible river. The hallucinations began to come once more, so Saitoro began zazen and focused on the pieces of wood that were before him. Even as the world distorted around them as the energy reached its peak, the wood never wavered...

...

Saitoro was dreaming again. Or perhaps vision was the right word. He could still see the wood-chips beside him, a reminder of what was real.

The dreamscape was dark, and suddenly wet. A boat. A small boat. It began to rain lightly and the small craft rocked from the stormy waves. The darkness was frustrating, obfuscating everything but the wood before him. And then there was light. A bright light from the shore meant to grant him safe passage through the storm.

Saitoro felt compelled to row towards it, but he chose to stay still instead. The dream would not be denied, and two faceless figures appeared in the boat, rowing towards the light. Saitoro remained still.

The boat faded, and the sea was gone. Saitoro was in a hut with a great spider made of pure jade. The woodchips were there with him. On a table was a lantern just as it might appear at home.

The spider gestured to it, offering it to him. Saitoro was calm as he picked the small bits of wood from the floor and threw them in a large arc. They pierced the walls of the hut, blasting it into oblivion, the spider flinched back as they struck, reducing it to a humanoid form, and the lantern, too, began to change. It was then that Saitoro woke up.

The wood-chips were scattered in front of him, thrown while he slept.[/ic]

[ic=Rigor]Saitoro spent at least several minutes picking up the wood-chips. They had a property which Saitoro was hesitant to call magic, but it was still akin to a children's story. The wood could not bend, and it was too stiff to be broken by dreams; it was an anchor, a shield, a hand-hold against illusion. The dream energy brought visions, but it cast the visions in metaphor and half-truth. The wood refused anything except reality, and so it cut through the smoke. It was sacred, Saitoro knew, and he would not let a single chip be abandoned on the floor of this place.

Once he was confident all had been found, he arranged the chips into a circle around him. It wasn't perfect, but the energy of the room was unlikely to confuse him now, though he could still feel it seep into him.

He sat, entering meditation once more. And for a while he did nothing at all, not even breathe.

And then he could feel the visions building once more, so he turned his focus to what he knew of this place and set to work carefully putting things together.

The pod tower was where he had awoken, a room with no ceiling. Sixteen pods and fifteen people. Each person seemed an alien to the others, and it seemed reasonable to assume that each had a power that they did not have before. Saitoro could feel the tingling wash over his body once again.

The man named Hong Gyeong-su had been from the past, and the garb of the others was such that it was reasonable to assume some of them were from the future. Fifteen strangers separated by time and space awaken simultaneously inside a room that none of them had been in before. The conclusion is that someone or something brought them there, and that this thing was powerful beyond mortal measure. These powers and abilities could only be gifts, and it was likely, he thought, that they were from the same source.

<Attention! Kixthish buildup in Building 29 is critical! Replica spillover will occur in 148 seconds unless the building is flooded!> The words from the tower came back to him. They were spoken by someone, but in some kind of alien tongue. Visions drifted through the circle of wood and filled Saitoro's mind's eye. He could see a great tower of metal, glass, and stone--Building 29 he knew, somehow. And beside it were other towers of monstrous proportion, though none quite as tall. A city of towers, he could see, and smaller buildings below. The sunrise blinded him and the vision was gone as quickly as it had come.

A city. It could only be a city. One more fantastic than any in Japan. And yet, cities are supposed to have people. Saitoro could feel the emptiness of this place--a shell of what it could be. With the size and scale of the structures who knew how many it could hold?

And then there was the Æther, a place for which Saitoro had no comparison. It seemed linked to the city by the breezes, but separate. A good metaphor might be that of a dream. Sleep is the gateway to the dream realm, but the realm of dreams is not the same as the realm of the waking. Saitoro let the confusion flow past him.

The Æther had led Saitoro to three places: the garden, the triangular room, and this pipe-filled space. The triangular room with amber light was the most interesting, for it was there that he had seen two people. The woman from the pod tower was there, implying that it was close by, for surely she could not have traveled through the Æther unnoticed by Saitoro. The man with the silver eyes had also been there, and he was more of a mystery.

He had clearly known about Saitoro and he knew about the Æther where the others seemed oblivious. <You don't know me yet, having only just arrived...> he had said. <We're all strange to each other. Even those of us from the same time.> It implied that he considered himself a peer, perhaps taken from his home in the same way, but also one who has more experience, a veteran of this place.

And then there was his question: <Do you remember the Tango no Sekku when you had aged only 6 years? Was there anything... strange or unusual about it?>

Saitoro had only been able to answer <No, I don't remember.> The Tango no Sekku at the monastery were rarely even noted; Saitoro was one of the few children that was ever there with any regularity, much less who lived there.

The man with the gleaming eyes had said <Ah, very good. It seems that came later then.>, as if it made all the sense in the world.

The visions whispered the image of the jade spider into Saitoro's mind, but were gone in an instant.

Saitoro stood and calmly collected the wood-chips. Wisdom yet eluded him, but it was growing closer.[/ic]

[ic=Flame]The 香炉 was just where Saitoro had expected it, sitting between two vertical pipes as though it were a mere ornament of the room. It had no handle or chain, clearly being meant to rest on the ground, but it was light enough that Saitoro could pick it up without trouble.

After a short inspection, the monk found the switch that brought the flame to the bowl. It was good that the flame was projected magically from within for he had no materials with which to start a fire.

Carefully and with a prayer he placed the chips of grey wood into the basin of the censer. As the flame shot forth the wood began to catch fire, releasing a soft grey smoke. As soon as the wood touched the flame the 香炉 began to sing like a large bird calling softly for its mate. Saitoro turned the flame off and let the wood smolder and smoke within the chamber. The song became a long cry, beautiful and soft. As the smoke poured out, the monk could see the flow of the mystic energy about the room. Where it touched the smoke it glimmered gold like a kami had stroked the air with a golden ink. Saitoro could see it flowing, too, all through the room. The smoke from the censer protected him from it, as he knew it would.

After a few minutes of carefully following the flows, Saitoro found a pipe along the edge of the room. The song of the censer guided him along and he held it closely.

The room was so large that Saitoro had amusingly forgotten that it had probably had walls until he nearly ran into it, following the energy. The pipe from which the energy gushed was broken as if someone had intentionally smashed it. On the edge of it were runes of white paint reading "The storm comes. Kixthish brings it." or "Beware what lies within. Kixthish enters the soul." or "Eternity waits for none. Kixthish is timeless." The message is clear, even if a bit obscure: this energy is exactly the Kixthish mentioned by the voice in the pod room. With it pouring everywhere it isn't surprising that there was a "buildup" in the building.

Saitoro spent a few minutes there, in the stream of the energy, protected by the smoke of the grey wood, listening to the music.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Truthsong]Medium Size

Truthsong is a decorative metal censer that's meant to sit on the floor. It has a basin about as wide as a dinner-plate and about 20cm deep, and a large amount of decorative metal on the outside of the bowl, preventing it from getting too hot to hold when a fire is within. A tall lid filled with many holes goes over the bowl, topped by a handle shaped like a stylized sun. Four symmetrical legs extend from the base, shaped in winding patterns. The metal is a dark red, resembling copper, and the surface of the object is carved and worked with images of flames.

On the bottom of Truthsong, between the legs, is a switch that when turned causes a small red flame to erupt from a hole in the center of the basin, which can be used to light its contents. The switch is spring-loaded to deactivate the flame the moment that it's released.

When a certain kind of wood is burned in the basin, Truthsong begins to sing, vibrating its entire shape. It sounds something like the howl of a loon or owl, but is fairly soft and unobtrusive. It will sing as long as the wood within is warm, and the pitch and volume of the song varies based on temperature.

Smoke that flows from the bowl dispels all illusions and reveals invisible things, including people and invisible energies like Kixthish. Those around Truthsong while it is active cannot be effected by Kixthish, though some weak visions may seep through, depending on the quantity of woodsmoke and Kixthish involved. Precogs cannot see the future while in the presence of Truthsong (while active).

Truthsong does not reveal telepaths nor does it block any telepathic abilities.[/ooc]

Saitoro now has Truthsong, it will be active only for the beginning of the turn (see events).
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.
Saitoro is suspicious.
Saitoro has 3 Unhappiness Tokens.
Saitoro has 2 Knowledge Tokens.
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=A Minor Breakthrough]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: 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]

[ic=To Reach Beyond]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro gains a glimmer of power beyond his enlightened body. You *may* specify a "goal power" or element to work towards (this does not lock down the power or reduce choice in any way). Saitoro gains one Superhuman development token regardless.[/ic]

[ic=Buddha Nature]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro takes a few minutes to reflect on his personal journey and to focus on enjoying the moment. He gains one Personal Development token (these tokens are spent on unlocking mundane traits) and removes one Unhappiness token.[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Enhanced Meditation]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here

If assigned, Saitoro uses Truthsong to channel the kixthish into a clear vision that is unobscured by metaphor or illusion. As he meditates he has a half-dream about a subject of your choice and learns some about it. If he selects a specific subject he gains one progress point towards the Oracle destiny. The subject that unlocks this progress is in the following list:
* The history of this building
* The city
* Saitoro (his childhood and how he got here)
* Silver-eyes
* The Jade Spider
* The Screamer
* How seeing the future is possible
* Superhuman Abilities

Note that you can pick subjects that are not on the list, but they're guaranteed not to result in Oracle progress.[/ic]

[ic=The Lamp, The Fountain, and The Spider]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Fountain Chamber

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro follows an intuition and discovers a door which leads to a dark chamber lit by a lantern that hangs from the ceiling. Saitoro recognizes it as the lantern from his dream, and knows that it possesses some important properties. The chamber is occupied primarily by a large fountain with stone structures in the middle. Saitoro climbs the structures, obtains the lantern, and receives a vision from it about the jade spider from his dream. If Saitoro is injured when assigned, he slips from the fountain after obtaining the lantern and breaks both his legs, becoming seriously injured (he'll be unable to do much until rescued). If he is uninjured when assigned then he climbs down safely.[/ic]

[ic=Silver-Eyes]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If Saitoro is not assigned nothing happens.

If assigned, the man with the silver eyes appears twice more and Saitoro engages him in conversation for a while. You learn the man's name and background, as well as his superhuman ability and about the second batch of Chosen. He also gains one loyalty towards you. Unfortunately, he disappears to do his own thing after the conversation.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Stoke The Flames]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only the bearer of Truthsong may be assigned to this event.

The assigned character refills Truthsong's basin with wood from the basin and re-ignites it, causing the artifact to continue to sing and protect the bearer from illusions for another few hours.

If this event is available at a timeslot it means Truthsong is no longer active.[/ic]

[spoiler=Bind A Wound][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][/spoiler]

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

Requirement: 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][/spoiler]

[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]

4.

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

Requiremet: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro exposes himself to the Kixthish yet again, but decides not to protect himself fully with Truthsong. Just as with a Kixthish Dreams event you must select an element, type of dream, and a danger level for the envisioned thing or event when you assign Saitoro here. Next turn you'll have access to the subject of the dream. The frequent exposure damages Saitoro's sanity, giving him the Schizophrenic trait for the next 12 hours. Further exposure on future turns could result in permanent damage.[/ic]

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

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here. He may only be assigned if Truthsong is active (i.e. been assigned to Stoke the Flames earlier this turn).

If assigned, Saitoro uses Truthsong to safely investigate the kixthish and learn its properties in more detail. He spends one of his knowledge tokens and you gain a synopsis of the substance similar to the one provided about the Æther.[/ic]

[ic=Repairs]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here. He may only be assigned if Truthsong is active (i.e. been assigned to Stoke the Flames earlier this turn).

If assigned, Saitoro uses Truthsong as a shield and repairs the damage to the pipe that's billowing kixthish. This by itself doesn't do anything, but has broader repercussions.[/ic]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[spoiler=Stoke The Flames][ic=Stoke The Flames]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only the bearer of Truthsong may be assigned to this event.

The assigned character refills Truthsong's basin with wood from the basin and re-ignites it, causing the artifact to continue to sing and protect the bearer from illusions for another few hours.

If this event is available at a timeslot it means Truthsong is no longer active.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bind A Wound][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][/spoiler]

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

Requirement: 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][/spoiler]

[spoiler=A Major Breakthrough][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][/spoiler]

[ic=Whispers of the Mind]Private, Crisis, Dust
Location: None

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here. Saitoro may only be assigned if Truthsong is active (i.e. he was assigned to Stoke the Flames earlier).

If Saitoro is not assigned, nothing happens.

If assigned, Saitoro hears whispers in his mind. Using Truthsong as an amplifier he mentally opens to the voices of the psychic entities in the immediate vicinity including (but not limited to) beings that understand what is happening. Saitoro gains a knowledge token and locks in his second superhuman ability as Telepathy or Heightened Senses. In addition he learns the fate of John Dante and Layla Al-Zakiyya as well as some background behind the superpowers that everyone seems to have.[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]This turn is mostly more of the same because Saitoro didn't go exploring, go crazy, or heal enough that he can safely re-enter the AEther. There are opportunities for information gathering and learning in general, but I will caution about continuing to keep Saitoro in the injured state given that he's not exactly in a safe place and he has no allies.

1. Decide whether to make progress towards the Sage destiny/gaining knowledge, OR progress towards the second superhuman ability OR remove an unhappiness token and progress towards a mundane trait.

2. Decide whether to meet Silver-eyes some more (you'll have the opportunity to ask questions of him, if you'd like), OR whether to get the new lantern artifact at great cost to your health and safety, OR whether to learn something of your choice. If you go for the last one, you need to try and figure out which subject is most important or most likely to get you progress towards the Oracle destiny.

3. Decide whether to make progress towards reading/Sage OR heal yourself OR refill Truthsong. Refilling Truthsong at this timeslot will unlock many future events.

4. If you refilled Truthsong at slot 3 you can either learn about the kixthish or seal the pipe. Otherwise your are limited to being able to sacrifice some sanity for another dream or just leave the kixthish alone.

5. Lastly you have another opportunity to learn to read, heal, or refill Truthsong for next turn. Alternatively you can lock in your next power to learn some potentially valuable information from psychic whispers.[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Juliet][ooc]I'm getting into writing detailed fluff for the turns. If you ever want less text, or have an issue with something written, just let me know.[/ooc]

[spoiler=Fluff][ic=Mohandas]"Abraham Lincoln. Now he was an interesting fellow. You know about him. You are from America, yes?" The man stared down at Juliet with cold eyes, gleaming from the blue light of the endless tower.

Juliet struggled once more to force her limbs to move, but even her jaw was clamped tight in blinding agony. The electrodes in her back fed pulses of terrible energy through her body, ensuring that she couldn't recover.

"He once said 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.'" He paused."He was the first president to authorize conscription during wartime. More than a touch of irony there, wouldn't you agree?"

Juliet had been careful. She was always careful. The room was empty. It was identical to where she had woken up. The lights on the walls, the pods on the floor, the arrangement of cobblestone tiles, it was the same. So where had he come from? It wasn't possible. None of this was.

He had appeared from nowhere. Even as slow as he moved he appeared without warning, the rifle in his hands, but not pointed at her. Hubris was her undoing. It would be so trivial to close the gap and snap it out of his hands. But of course... he was a decoy.

"I normally don't take pleasure in the suffering of others." said the Asian man in the business suit. "It just seems so trivial to make things personal. And yet..." Here he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small hoop of metal, brass probably. He set the gun down and stretched the hoop out so that it was probably over one and a half meters in diameter. Who knows how something so small could become so big.

The other man entered her vision then. The one that had shot her in the back with the taser. His eyes shone with silver light. Silver eyes. Silver eyes. Both of them the same. Copies. Twins. He reached down and withdrew the electrodes from her skin as the decoy man lay the hoop around her. Her muscles still twitched with pain from the memory of the shock. Unresponsive.

They both looked down with disdain. The original one continued. "And yet... this is personal. In every slice I visit you're a bitch."

The "hoop" activated then, and it made the taser look like a child's toy. She'd have screamed if she could breathe. She'd have killed herself if her arms could move. She'd have gone insane if...

Well... no.
Juliet did go insane.[/ic]

[ic=Mockingbirds]Her vision was blurred. Her heart was pounding. She lost awareness of the real world for a while, trapped in figments of her own mind. It was like the madness of the berries. It was also different. It was better. She was better. Better than them. Who? Everyone. She always was better, but now it was so clear. And she'd prove it. That bastard would fucking DIE, and when he did he'd see how she was better.

The men with gleaming eyes had gone. She'd been too distracted to see where. She forced her muscles to move and they screamed in protest as they did. Her heart beat like a drum.

The eggs were hatching. Little birdies in this nest. So she hid. The archway would stay open while she was near it. A little peek here and there. She could watch them without being seen. She was fast after all. She was better. Chirp chirp chirp. "We're hungry!" they said. Not in those words, of course. "Hello", "Where is this?", "Who's in charge here?" in their own little pathetic tongues. Hungry for worms.

In the hallway she could see her hands. Black upon white, splashed with red. Not blood. Juice. They didn't seem like her hands, but they felt like her hands. Better than her hands, really. She felt strong. Strong and fast. Nothing could beat her now.

No wait. Hubris. That was how that BASTARD got her. Juliet's heart started pounding and her breath became shallow and intense just from the memory. The ring of brass. Juliet curled up on the floor of the hall, struggling to see blurry truth rather than the crisp demons of her own mind.

"Squawk! Squawk!" the Mockingbirds were at it again, repeating those empty words over and over. Words that meant nothing but they went on talking like they owned them. It made her angry to think about what they'd think of her now. She was better. But she was alone. So alone.

And then she saw him in the crowd. That piece of SHIT. Now was her chance. His silver eyes made her shiver from the memory of the pain. She'd make him pay.[/ic]

[ic=The Serenade of Blood]The knife was in her hands. Trustworthy steel. Not like his eyes at all.

She stalked into the room, fast as the wind. Her vision was blurry. Hard to see anything except him. She came up from behind. A predator. A hawk. Something better.

"My name is Mohandas Sharma. It's a pleasu-" he started to say to some inconsequential black man.

And that's when she struck. Not Juliet. The cyborg.

Athena Transcendent, a woman more machine than flesh, solidified out of nothingness to throw a punch at Juliet. A punch as slow as molasses. The better woman simply spun into the blow and stepped away, barely feeling a thing. It was the second time someone had appeared out of thin air and it was beginning to get annoying.

"YOU!" screamed Athena, her mouth unmoving but somehow the voice still came. "YOU'RE BEHIND THIS!" it echoed in an inhuman chorus. Athena's legs began to extend as she threw out her hands like some kind of bird trying to puff up. One eye was unblinking black glass, but the other was filled with hate.

Juliet's vision was still blurred. The knife was still in her hands. This half-naked machine woman, wreathed in sliver and seeped in fury... she was a distraction. A weakling. Juliet's heart was pounding from the thrill of the hunt; it seemed louder in her ears than Athena's robotic accusations. The man was her prey. The man who did this to her.

She moved like a cobra, ducking under Athena's long black fingers and leaping at the man who called himself "Mohandas". She knocked him to the floor and for a couple seconds she crouched upon his body, blade in hand, for all to see. His eyes. His silver eyes. His iron eyes. They widened. He was afraid.

Good.

She raised the knife.

He was gone. And not just invisible, but physically gone. Juliet dropped the small bit to the floor where she had been on his body, and hissed in frustration.

And that's when Juliet saw the angel. In a room full of demons, judging her, hating her. A little girl looked at Juliet in the center of the crowd with nothing more than confusion. She seemed to be lit from behind and while all the room was blurred and confused to Juliet's mind, the angel was crystal clear.

"What the FUCK did you do?!" shouted the cyborg woman, pulling Juliet's eyes back into the realm of evil and hate. Juliet knew her name somehow. Athena. Her memories felt like they came from a storybook. Unreal. What happened on Earth didn't matter. The stupid Jade Spider didn't matter. All that really mattered was this moment. Right now. Her heart beat like a drum.

"Athena..." Juliet rasped in a voice that was not her own. The black veins along her skin seemed more noticeable then, and for a second Juliet stopped to wonder what had happened to herself.

The taller woman with the machine limbs saw the distraction on Juliet's face and charged her. It was comically stupid. Juliet was fast. The blade of her knife shot up into Athena's tender flesh. As much of her was machine as was human, but the human parts still bled. Juliet's knife carved a beautiful arc of crimson before she nimbly sidestepped the charge, letting the fool crash to the floor. Not juice...

A wave of energy slammed into her like a truck. Juliet was swept into the air by hurricane-force wind and crashed painfully into the wall of the tower. Somehow she could hear a word on the wind. "ZHAN!!" it said, in a deep, booming voice. It meant "stop", she knew. A weaker person would've given up after the impact. A weaker person might've even broken a bone. Juliet was not so weak. And now she angry.

Well.... no.
She was already angry.[/ic]

[ic=Aftermath]Juliet was quickly forced to flee. She was better, and she proved it. Her knife had kissed the neck of that bald Chinese thug. He would survive, but he wouldn't be singing his sonic-boom words for a while.

He had come close to actually hurting her, though. Too close.

His voice had scattered the others, but when they recovered they looked more than a little angry. Mohandas the silver-eyed man was gone. Athena the cyborg lay on the stone floor in a pool of blood. The man with the voice of power had been silenced. And yet there were still others. Eleven-to-one is not good odds, even for one as superior as Juliet.

And so she fled. And they were too slow to catch her.

Juliet went up the hallway, back into the room of mirrors. The glowing orb she had brought up still was the only light in the chamber, but it seemed to fill the space well, as it was reflected along every wall.

But she wasn't alone. The creature was there with her. Eyes big and black like the false people that Juliet had seen before, but these were filled with understanding beyond the feral instincts of the clones. The creature's skin was pure white, laced with thick webs of black, and splashed with red. It smiled at her. It spoke to her. Juliet's vision was so blurry that she could hardly see.

Ages passed in that room. The terrible voice of the monster echoed through the chamber, but the fools never followed. Too afraid. To weak.

Eons passed in that room. Juliet began to think more and more of the perfect little angel she had been lucky enough to find. This place... these rooms... she had woken up in, they were evil. The monster agreed. Even the garden, filled with fruits and pools, had its traps and darkness. This place was some kind of hell, and the people in it were devils. Memories flashed of silver eyes and brass hoops. And yet an angel had stumbled into it.

Juliet whispered in the dark, but no words left her lips.

It was only a matter of time. The angel would fall into the vile claws of this place and these people. She had to be saved before that could happen. Juliet would save her.[/ic]

[ic=Lucie]She was still there. Juliet breathed a sigh of relief. Even with her fuzzy eyes she could see the purity in her face. The devils were still talking amongst themselves. Cheep cheep. Squawk. Pathetic.

Athena was still alive, unfortunately. Apparently some man who was talking right now was a doctor, for his hands were bloody and Athena looked to him with respect. The giant with the booming voice had also been bandaged. He scowled as he held his tender neck. Mohandas was still gone. There were others, too, but they didn't matter.

None had seen the stone door open. None had seen Juliet slip inside. Years of training on a world that seemed so, so far away. Juliet could be quite stealthy when she tried. Athena knew that from when Juliet took her precious spider. That had been a clean get-away. They didn't even know she was there until the damn leak in the cartel spilled the info a week later. It seemed like a story-book. So long ago.

Juliet held herself low and shot from one pod to the next. They were big enough to hide behind, thankfully, and the man was giving some kind of speech. So easily distracted.

At last, Juliet reached the girl. She wasn't listening to the man. She had no use for his lies. She was still pure.

"Hello. What's your name?" Juliet rasped as she snuck forward. Her voice was that of the monster. It was what Mohandas had given her.

The girl was oblivious, though. So sweet. She obviously didn't trust Juliet, but at the same time she wasn't afraid. She hugged her doll tightly and said "Mon nom est Lucie. Qui êtes-vous?"

Juliet didn't have time to answer the question. The others had spotted her and began to cry out.

Lucie was surprisingly heavy, and she began to cry as Juliet ran with her. The sweet thing didn't even understand that this was for her own good. Everything was a blur. Juliet's heart slammed in her chest. Her breath was like a piston. The warmth of the blackslime rolled up through her, filling her with power. She was a human rocket.

One of them pulled out a shotgun, but dared not shoot for fear of hitting Lucie. A man in white mask, dressed in all black leapt at Juliet, but was nimbly avoided. The giant man with the bandage on his neck tried some kind of fancy move, but Juliet glided past on feet that Mercury would be jealous of.

Lucie wailed in fear, but clutched Juliet with all her might as the two fled through the archway. Juliet converted her momentum to the side by running up and along the wall of the hallway to the left, back to the garden. They'd be safe there. In the trees and hills Juliet knew she could hide the girl from their evil ways.

As she ran through the mirror room, Juliet took a moment to spin and kick the orb of light back through the doorway and down the hall. In the lightless void she continued on, finding the door on the far side of the room from memory alone.

The spring-loaded mannequins stood as silent sentries to the garden. Past them she ran until she was deep in the garden by a pool. The blackslime in the pool radiated heat but was as still as a piece of solid plastic.

Lucie continued to cry.

The lights in the room began to grow in brightness. Slowly they became like small floating suns, basking the room in awash of bright green. The day had begun.[/ic][/spoiler]

The Garden is Juliet's Territory.
At the start of the turn there are no other characters in the garden besides Juliet and Lucie.
There are 6 units of food in the garden (enough to feed two people for at least a couple days).

The garden has 5 apparent exits and at least one hidden entrance at the bottom of one of the pools. As a room it is curved and oblong, but so large and filled with hills/vegetation that it's pretty much impossible to see from one wall to the opposite one, even across the narrow part.
The exits are:
* The door to the mirror chamber
* Two doors to hallways
* Two "shimmerwalls", areas of glowing distortions that are tucked away at opposite ends of the garden. Juliet sees that there's more garden behind them, but doesn't understand what they're made of.

Juliet's power is Accelerated Timeframe.
Juliet has 3 progress points toward the Monster destiny!
Juliet has 1 progress point towards the Badass destiny.
Juliet has 3 Unhappiness tokens.
Juliet is suspicious to the original chosen.
The second batch of chosen are hostile towards Juliet.
Juliet is monstrous for the next 22 hours (+2 Blood in Combat/Pol, -4 Frost&Iron in Soc/Pol, -1 Dust in all).
Juliet's face and hands are stained red (-1 to Frost in Social/Political)
Juliet has absorbed 8 units of blackslime (14 maximum).
Juliet still has a Crimson Disk (5 charges).

Loyalty (no allies):
Lucie: -2
All Other 2nd Batch NPCs: -4
Olga Surikov: 1
Hong Gyeong-su: 2
Oryx: 2
Riccara Vaillancourt: 2
All Other Original NPCs: 1

[spoiler=Events]
1.
[ic=Do What I Say]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: The Garden

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Juliet threatens Lucie and makes it clear to her that Juliet will hurt her if she leaves the garden. Lucie gains three unhappiness tokens, but will be safe within the garden this turn and does not need to be supervised.

If Juliet is not assigned then she is forced to watch the little girl to make sure she doesn't try and escape.[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Reset]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden (Doorway to the Mirror Chamber)

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Juliet attempts to reset the trap of the faceless robot-assassins. There is a 50% chance of failure (because Juliet is ignorant of the mechanism), but if successful then the first character to travel from the mirror chamber to the garden other than Juliet will spring the trap.

Triggering characters will die if their elements in the skill domain are tied, will become seriously injured if it's blood or frost, and will have a 60% of dying under a smoke or iron outcome -15% for each point in smoke or iron that they have. (Characters with heightened senses add their dust elements to their smoke score here. Characters with lightning reflexes count their smoke as double for the purposes of not dying. Impervious characters reduce all damage by one step.)

Juliet knows about the trap, and thus can move freely without triggering it.[/ic]

[ic=Berries]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

Characters that are assigned pick one unit of poisonous berries from the garden. These berries can be offered to NPCs that trust the owner and they will become stunned for one hour as the berries send them into delusion and pain.[/ic]

[ic=Send a Message]Public, Opportunity, Blood
Location: The Mirror Chamber

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, choose a short message. Juliet writes that message in blood on the floor near the door to the garden. (If Juliet's blood is black, and stays black, please specify. You may substitute juice for blood if she owns a unit of berries (it does not consume the berries to do so).)

Characters traveling from the Mirror Chamber to the Garden will become unnerved by her message and will turn back (disrupting all garden events for them) unless they or someone in their group has at least one point of Frost in the skill or one of the combat domains. If they press on, characters without that point in Frost lose one loyalty to their leader.[/ic]

[ic=Learn the Land]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Varies

Restriction: Only characters who are able to access a territory they control may be assigned here.

When a character is assigned, choose a controlled territory that the character has not already targeted with Lay of the Land. The assigned character commits the territory to memory and permanently gains a +1 Iron and Dust in the combat domain when fighting there.[/ic]

[ic=Explore the Shimmerwalls]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

If assigned, Juliet investigates the "shimmerwalls", the glowing distortions that partition areas of the garden. She learns the mechanism and some of the nature of them, allowing her access to other garden areas.[/ic]

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

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Assigned characters absorb blackslime from one of the pools, filling up to maximum.[/ic]

[ic=It's Good For You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet forces Lucie to absorb blackslime from the pool, despite the protests of the little girl. Lucie gains 20 units and one unhappiness token.[/ic]

[ic=You're Hungry Aren't You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet picks some fruit and offers it to Lucie. The garden loses one unit of food, Lucie removes one unhappiness token, and her loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic]

[ic=What's Your Doll's Name?]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet spends a while being friendly and playing with Lucie. Juliet and Lucie both lose an Unhappiness token, and if Juliet was not previously assigned to Do What I Say then Lucie's loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic]

[ic=A Hiding Place]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet locates a hiding place within the garden that she and Lucie can fall back to if threatened. If Juliet loses a combat event in the garden and is forced to flee, she will fall back to the hiding place and will *not* lose control of Lucie. Hostile characters will be forced to wait until the following turn to locate her, giving her increased opportunities to counterattack or flee intelligently.[/ic]

[ic=Paranoia]Public, Crisis, Blood, Attack
Location: None

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Unlike other events, Juliet may be assigned to this event multiple times in one turn.

Juliet knows that some of the chosen have appeared and disappeared from no-where, and she suspects that Athena has the ability to turn invisible. If assigned, Juliet thinks she hears something and lashes out violently attempting to strike the air. If an invisible character was watching her at this timeslot, Juliet has a 50% chance of seriously injuring the character, deactivating their invisibility, and making them a prisoner.[/ic]

[ic=One By One]Public, Opportunity, Blood, Compeditive, Attack, Combat
Location: None

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here. Juliet must have been assigned to Do What I Say previously this turn.

If assigned, Juliet travels back through the mirror chamber, down the hall, and even to the pod tower if necessary (without Lucie). She encounters between one and three Chosen from the second batch and attempts to assassinate one and then flee back to the garden. If present, Juliet will prioritize Athena and then Feng. You may specify additional priority targets during assignment. This event consists of two attacks, the first being about sneaking up on the others, and the second being the actual combat. All attacked characters lose 3 loyalty to the attacking group. Burnt blackslime enhances elements for both challenges.

Stealth Challenge Domains: Skill relevant to criminals

Attacker Smoke Outcome: The winner successfully sneaks up on the loser and "ambushes" the victim for the purposes of the second challenge.

Defender Dust Outcome: The attacker is spotted and is not counted as ambushing.

Tie Outcome: Select randomly from the two above.

Combat Challenge Domains: Melee Combat, Combat

Attacker Blood Outcome: If ambushing the winner kills the target. If not ambushing the winner deals damage to the target and is dealt damage by a random loser.

Attacker Smoke Outcome: If ambushing the winner kills the target. If not ambushing the winner injures the target (unless impervious) and escapes unharmed.

Attacker Frost Outcome: If ambushing the winner kills the target. If not ambushing the winner escapes without success or injury.

Defender Blood Outcome: If the attacker is ambushing the attacker deals damage to the target at +1 deadliness and then is dealt damage by a random defender. If not ambushing the attacker damages the target and is damaged by *each* defending character.

Defender Iron Outcome: If the attacker is ambushing nothing occurs. If the attacker is not ambushing the attacker takes damage from a random defender.

Defender Smoke and Frost Outcome: If the attacker is ambushing then the target becomes injured. If the attacker is not ambushing then the attacker is taken prisoner, disrupting all events for the attacker for the rest of the turn.

Tie Outcome: If the attacker is ambushing they deal damage to the target and become injured. If the attacker is not ambushing they retreat without effect.

To deal damage in this event roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage. On a 1 or 2 the victim is injured, on a 3 or 4 the victim is seriously injured, on a 5+ the victim is killed.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[spoiler=Reset][ic=Reset]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden (Doorway to the Mirror Chamber)

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Juliet attempts to reset the trap of the faceless robot-assassins. There is a 50% chance of failure (because Juliet is ignorant of the mechanism), but if successful then the first character to travel from the mirror chamber to the garden other than Juliet will spring the trap.

Triggering characters will die if their elements in the skill domain are tied, will become seriously injured if it's blood or frost, and will have a 60% of dying under a smoke or iron outcome -15% for each point in smoke or iron that they have. (Characters with heightened senses add their dust elements to their smoke score here. Characters with lightning reflexes count their smoke as double for the purposes of not dying. Impervious characters reduce all damage by one step.)

Juliet knows about the trap, and thus can move freely without triggering it.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Berries][ic=Berries]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

Characters that are assigned pick one unit of poisonous berries from the garden. These berries can be offered to NPCs that trust the owner and they will become stunned for one hour as the berries send them into delusion and pain.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Send a Message][ic=Send a Message]Public, Opportunity, Blood
Location: The Mirror Chamber

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, choose a short message. Juliet writes that message in blood on the floor near the door to the garden. (If Juliet's blood is black, and stays black, please specify. You may substitute juice for blood if she owns a unit of berries (it does not consume the berries to do so).)

Characters traveling from the Mirror Chamber to the Garden will become unnerved by her message and will turn back (disrupting all garden events for them) unless they or someone in their group has at least one point of Frost in the skill or one of the combat domains. If they press on, characters without that point in Frost lose one loyalty to their leader.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Learn the Land][ic=Learn the Land]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Varies

Restriction: Only characters who are able to access a territory they control may be assigned here.

When a character is assigned, choose a controlled territory that the character has not already targeted with Lay of the Land. The assigned character commits the territory to memory and permanently gains a +1 Iron and Dust in the combat domain when fighting there.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Explore the Shimmerwalls][ic=Explore the Shimmerwalls]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

If assigned, Juliet investigates the "shimmerwalls", the glowing distortions that partition areas of the garden. She learns the mechanism and some of the nature of them, allowing her access to other garden areas.[/ic][/spoiler]

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

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Assigned characters absorb blackslime from one of the pools, filling up to maximum.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=It's Good For You][ic=It's Good For You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet forces Lucie to absorb blackslime from the pool, despite the protests of the little girl. Lucie gains 20 units and one unhappiness token.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=You're Hungry Aren't You][ic=You're Hungry Aren't You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet picks some fruit and offers it to Lucie. The garden loses one unit of food, Lucie removes one unhappiness token, and her loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=What's Your Doll's Name?][ic=What's Your Doll's Name?]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet spends a while being friendly and playing with Lucie. Juliet and Lucie both lose an Unhappiness token, and if Juliet was not previously assigned to Do What I Say then Lucie's loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=A Hiding Place][ic=A Hiding Place]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet locates a hiding place within the garden that she and Lucie can fall back to if threatened. If Juliet loses a combat event in the garden and is forced to flee, she will fall back to the hiding place and will *not* lose control of Lucie. Hostile characters will be forced to wait until the following turn to locate her, giving her increased opportunities to counterattack or flee intelligently.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Paranoia][ic=Paranoia]Public, Crisis, Blood, Attack
Location: None

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Unlike other events, Juliet may be assigned to this event multiple times in one turn.

Juliet knows that some of the chosen have appeared and disappeared from no-where, and she suspects that Athena has the ability to turn invisible. If assigned, Juliet thinks she hears something and lashes out violently attempting to strike the air. If an invisible character was watching her at this timeslot, Juliet has a 50% chance of seriously injuring the character, deactivating their invisibility, and making them a prisoner.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=The Room of Shadow]Public, Crisis, Blood, Competitive, Combat
Location: The Lightless Room

Restriction: Only Juliet or the Chosen of Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

Assigned characters compete over control for the lightless room. If only one group is assigned then they gain control of the room. (It does not become a territory; control only determines which events are available for whom next turn.) If hostile characters are both assigned here there is a battle. Characters from Pod Tower 2 are assumed to have brought a light-source to the room.

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

Blood Outcome: Two random winners deal damage to two random losers. Winners and losers can be selected twice, so in the case of a 1v1 the winner would deal damage to the loser twice. The winners gain control of the room.

Iron and Frost Outcome: Up to two random losers become injured (or are killed, if previously injured). The winners gain control of the room.

Smoke Outcome: Four random characters deal damage to four opposing targets. Targets cannot be selected more than once. The winners gain control of the room.

Tie Outcome: Two random characters deal damage to two opposing targets. Targets cannot be selected more than once. Control of the room goes to a random side.

To deal damage in this event roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage. On a 1 or 2 the victim is injured. A 3 or 4 means they're seriously injured. A 5+ means they die.

[spoiler=Juliet Only]This event takes place in the mirror chamber, but the other Chosen don't realize its significance yet. If Juliet is assigned to defend she activates the Echoshade mirror when they enter. If she is assigned and loses control of the room then she is occupied for timeslot 4, disrupting any assignment there.

Juliet may *not* be assigned to The Room of Shadow without also having been assigned to Do What I Say. Lucie is left to herself in the garden for this event.[/spoiler][/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[spoiler=Berries][ic=Berries]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

Characters that are assigned pick one unit of poisonous berries from the garden. These berries can be offered to NPCs that trust the owner and they will become stunned for one hour as the berries send them into delusion and pain.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Learn the Land][ic=Learn the Land]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Varies

Restriction: Only characters who are able to access a territory they control may be assigned here.

When a character is assigned, choose a controlled territory that the character has not already targeted with Lay of the Land. The assigned character commits the territory to memory and permanently gains a +1 Iron and Dust in the combat domain when fighting there.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Explore the Shimmerwalls][ic=Explore the Shimmerwalls]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

If assigned, Juliet investigates the "shimmerwalls", the glowing distortions that partition areas of the garden. She learns the mechanism and some of the nature of them, allowing her access to other garden areas.[/ic][/spoiler]

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

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Assigned characters absorb blackslime from one of the pools, filling up to maximum.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=It's Good For You][ic=It's Good For You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet forces Lucie to absorb blackslime from the pool, despite the protests of the little girl. Lucie gains 20 units and one unhappiness token.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=You're Hungry Aren't You][ic=You're Hungry Aren't You]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet picks some fruit and offers it to Lucie. The garden loses one unit of food, Lucie removes one unhappiness token, and her loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=What's Your Doll's Name?][ic=What's Your Doll's Name?]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet spends a while being friendly and playing with Lucie. Juliet and Lucie both lose an Unhappiness token, and if Juliet was not previously assigned to Do What I Say then Lucie's loyalty to you improves by one.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=A Hiding Place][ic=A Hiding Place]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Juliet locates a hiding place within the garden that she and Lucie can fall back to if threatened. If Juliet loses a combat event in the garden and is forced to flee, she will fall back to the hiding place and will *not* lose control of Lucie. Hostile characters will be forced to wait until the following turn to locate her, giving her increased opportunities to counterattack or flee intelligently.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Paranoia][ic=Paranoia]Public, Crisis, Blood, Attack
Location: None

Restriction: Only Juliet may be assigned here.

Unlike other events, Juliet may be assigned to this event multiple times in one turn.

Juliet knows that some of the chosen have appeared and disappeared from no-where, and she suspects that Athena has the ability to turn invisible. If assigned, Juliet thinks she hears something and lashes out violently attempting to strike the air. If an invisible character was watching her at this timeslot, Juliet has a 50% chance of seriously injuring the character, deactivating their invisibility, and making them a prisoner.[/ic][/spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]Exciting! You've kidnapped the girl, but what will it bring? Juliet can't unlock the Monster destiny this turn, but it's coming up...

This turn you have three primary timeslots with very similar selections of events for each one. For the most part you can think of this turn as "here are a bunch of options: select 3"

The two major exceptions to this are One By One, an assassination event only available at timeslot 2 and The Room of Shadow, a battle event only available at timeslot 3. Both of these events let you potentially do lots of damage to your new enemies, and both require you to threaten Lucie at timeslot 1 to keep her in line while you leave to wreak havoc.[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bastien Mcgregor][ooc]I'll be using <angle brackets> to indicate translated text.

Let me know if this is too much fluff. I can easily write more summary-like descriptions of events.[/ooc]

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

The expedition went about as well as could be expected. But it was not without unpleasantness. The bizarre memory palace that the monk is constructing... It's painful to remember, sometimes. Now that Layla's gone he knows more than anyone any of our group about the city. I had to do it, even if it meant seeing Marianne die again.

I don't know what to do with the seer's enigmatic words. I asked him about the amulet, and he confirmed it's not from Earth. The implication is that artifacts from the city can and do find their way back home... But can people go back? Did Marianne know about Virixashi? He would only answer in his Japanese riddles. Whether she was a renegade or not... Whether she knew I'd become Chosen... I can at least now say with certainty that she was deeply connected to this place.[/ic]

[ic=Just Curious]<And what of the Ireland? In my time it was neutral in the war. They were not the best of friends with your country, yah?> Olga continued to casually pick strangely purple strawberries from the bushes and add them to the crude basket she had woven.

Bastien leaned against a tree and looked around the shadowy garden with mild disinterest. "They formed their own country. The northern part of the island is still under the crown-"

<Was.> she interrupted. <How many times do I have to say this? If I am being brought forward in time to this place then you are likely being brought forward as well. It is not fair to say I am from the past and you are from the present.>

"Right. Sorry." replied Bastien, idly. Despite Olga's logic it didn't feel to him like he was in the future. It's not like there were laser guns everywhere. "So anyway, Northern Ireland was trying to gain independence for a while, and there was even some blood shed. There was a treaty signed just before... Before whatever happened to me. Things were looking good."

<I am glad.> said the Russian woman, standing up and brushing the dirt from her knees. Bastien picked his book up as the two walked to collect something different. <It is good that peoples should govern themselves, and not be crushed by tyrants.>

Bastien thought about making a comment about Stalin, but decided against it. For a while the two of them worked in silence. Bastien wasn't sure what was wrong, but it was clear that Olga was lost in an unpleasant memory. She wore a frown and seemed distracted as she got to work picking some strange walnuts from inside their ripe fruits.

<Bastien, do you know if there was a country called 'Cossackia' or something like it?> The words had a forced kind of casualness to them, as though Olga wanted to make it seem like she was asking about some random place like Ireland.

"I may have. Do you know where it would be?" Bastien actually wasn't familiar with the name, but he had a hunch, and the amulet seemed to tingle in agreement.

Olga stopped what she was doing as she heard the words, and then started picking walnuts again, still too casual. <It would be... ah... in eastern Europe, maybe. I remember you said there were many 'post-USSR countries' (here she uses English in a mimic of Bastien's earlier words).>

"Actually, I think it was in a history book that I read it."

Olga's face became too-calm and she began picking walnuts with surprising ferocity. "Ah." was all she said.

Bastien waited a moment and then spoke. "Why do you ask?"

<No reason.> she answered quickly. <I was just curious.>[/ic]

[ic=Vitus]The Chosen sat around the hub room, confident that they were safe for the moment at least. Mary sat near Layla, and if one were observant enough they'd see grains of sand or dust drifting from Mary's fingers. Small patterns and formations would emerge in her palm only to fade away to nothingness again a few moments later.

Gyeong-su, now aware that his new-found invincibility was not total, was talking with the girl who could fly. If he could not openly win the loyalty of the group in one step then he'd do it person-by-person.

The Medicine Man was his accomplice in this. The old native american man kept his reasons to himself, but he was an effective ally never-the-less.

<You look like Owl did when he lost the great race...> said the Medicine Man with a rattle of his beads, sneaking up on the most quiet member of the group.

Only Layla had bothered to talk with the small, dirty man, and he hadn't bothered to talk with her. He didn't bother to talk with Medicine Man either, answering only with a grunt and a thin-eyed stare.

<What's your name, stranger?> prompted Medicine Man again.

"Vitus." croaked the rogue as he reached into his rags for something.

<You seem like a man who likes his privacy. I can respect that.> said the American Indian with a smile. "There's no need for a blade against the likes of me."

The dirty man's eyes widened in comprehension. "Ut did vos teneo?" (<How did you know?>)

Medicine Man shook his beads and backed away saying <All men without friends are married to their knives.>[/ic]

[ic=The Descent]Bastien and Olga stepped lightly down the hallway that led from the garden. Both of them knew that this place could be dangerous and neither had managed to find any weapons. The hallway was dim, as most of the rooms were. Olga began to nervously hum the national anthem of the USSR.

On their left the two found a few doors which led into small square rooms with spiral patterns of stone bricks set into the floor. They were otherwise empty.

After about a hundred meters, the hallway split. On impulse Bastien went right and Olga followed. He knew that if they stayed in one place for too long they risked permanently losing the others, and the garden couldn't sustain them forever.

The hallway grew darker as they went down it, the band of light in the ceiling slowly losing light. A stone arch-door separated the normally stone hall from a metallic hall that sloped downward. As the door peeled back the two of them could feel a hot breeze blow past them. Large crystals that glowed with blue light could be seen apparently growing from seams in the metal where one sheet met another.

The crystals were jagged and sharp, but Bastien and Olga continued down the hallway into the metal corridor of blue light. It continued to slope downward at an increasingly steep grade. <This is the wrong way. The pipe with the goop took us down, so we need to be going up to find->

Olga's concerns were cut off as all the crystals suddenly stopped glowing, as though they were light-bulbs and someone had flicked a switch. Bastien could feel a strange sort of weight pulling him down, as though his clothes had suddenly become very heavy. In the darkness he moved to cradling the journal with his arm and hold the amulet to his left hand. As the amulet touched his skin he felt the flow of power and confidence that it brought.

<B-Bastien! What happened?!> cried the woman, suddenly seeming much younger than she had moments earlier.

"It's okay. Take my hand." he said, reaching out to her blindly. She fumbled and eventually held his right hand and the two of them considered what to do next.

<Do you see that? There's light down there!> said the Russian, pointing down the slope. It was true. A red glimmer could be seen occasionally reflecting off the metal.

Bastien's amulet breathed courage into his soul. "There's always the option to go back. Let's see what's up ahead and then return to the fork in the hall if there's nothing down there. But maybe there's a way to get the crystals glowing again."

Despite Olga's hesitance the two slowly crept down the hall feeling the unseen weight on their bones. They could feel the heat now, as they descended, and the scent of sulphur was in the air. As the hall sloped lower and they dodged crystals they could see that the glow had come from a fire, but not a continuous one.

The hallway expanded into a great metal room of mismatched steel plates welded onto each-other at odd angles such that every surface was rough and uneven. Huge crystalline formations grew out of the cracks like translucent trees. Jets of red flame shot out of the walls, ceiling, and floor, throwing shadows everywhere before letting the chamber fade into darkness again.

<Bastien, I have a bad feeling. I am thinking we should go back...> A jet of fire shot up in front of them, bathing them in unbearable heat and bringing the sulfurous stench with with it.

"Hold on. I remember reading about this in the book!"

The two of them scrambled back towards the hallway and in the light of the fires Bastien began to pour through the pages looking for the one he had seen. "Augh! This thing makes no sense! The pages never say what they did when I last read them... I think I remember reading that the bridge with the green fog connected to here somehow... I think we have to keep going." Bastien closed the tome and secured it with the buckle.

The weight, heat, smell, and darkness made navigating the hellscape an unpleasant experience. The floor wasn't ever flat, and the crystals were sharp enough that Olga cut herself a couple times by simply touching them on accident. Given that they had to wait for the flames before they could see, progress was very slow, and the added weight made it exhausting.

<Let us be pausing for a minute.> suggested the blond woman, sitting on a ridge between two plates. She adjusted the fruit in her makeshift basket to make sure it wasn't going to fall out again. It already had twice and each time took several minutes to clean up and fix. The fruit was the only food they knew about, and so it seemed worth protecting, especially if the others hadn't eaten.

"Alright. We can rest." said Bastien, taking a moment to set down the tome and give his arms a rest.

Without warning a great hissing voice called out from the darkness. "Traxissssramax yovikalissssssixisssss kochatlach urithashiksssss..." <My painting, in its madness, shows people, once more.>

<Who's there?!> yelled Olga, standing up and nearly knocking over the basket in the process. Bastien could hear the fear in her voice.

The only response was a harsh, grating laughter. The words were comprehensible, but the voice did not sound human. Flames danced wildly throughout the room, but they couldn't see anything.

"Show yourself!" commanded Bastien, still holding the amulet in his hand.

The laughter continued, seeming to come from all directions. <Are little flies afraid of the spider's web? All skin dies. The question is how long it lasts and how sweet it tastesssss...>

Bastien could see Olga start to panic. Her arms kept reaching for a gun that wasn't there. <What do you want?!> she screamed. Fire shot up in front of her in a scarlet fountain and she stumbled backwards, falling to the floor under the terrible weight. <Please don't hurt us!!> she screamed again as the laughter continued.

Bastien kneeled down to her and held out his hand to help her stand up. She took it, and held it for comfort but did not stand. He could feel her squeeze tightly and mutter Christian prayers to herself.

<The time of the chosen has come! The lanterns of eternity were right! Why aren't the worms happy!? Do they not taste their own skinssss!?> it asked with glee. As fire arced from the ceiling Bastien at last caught a glimpse of the speaker, a silhouette perched upon a towering crystal. It had arms and legs, though the arms were gigantic in comparison. Spines lanced out from its back and it had a small head. It seemed perhaps like a bizarre mix between a gorilla and a porcupine, but Bastien couldn't see any more than that.

<Children weep in the night as they gather up their things. Their salvation appears on the edge of the canvas...> it crowed. Suddenly a mass of crystals only a couple dozen meters away started glowing their bright blue. <Hope makes despair all the sweeter. RUN. RUN NOW.>

Olga bolted from her spot on the floor, practically pushing Bastien down as she scrambled for the lit area. He could see a hallway leading up from there. "Wait!" Bastien called, but the woman had no intention of slowing down. The spiny beast leapt from its crystal spire and disappeared into the metal and shadow. Bastien picked up the tome and the basket of food and dashed after Olga, somehow still enjoying the rush more than fearing the monster. The amulet sent shivers down his arm as he ran...[/ic]

[ic=Battle]"Hey Hong, you ever see a Colt .45?" called John Dante, cradling his pistol with the ease of a practiced gunman.

<A what?> replied the soldier, drawing his two-handed sword.

"A gun. You ever see a gun?"

<I don't think I have. What is a 'gan'?>

The three of them stepped from the hallway into the room with the bridge. The glowing green fog made it impossible to see details, but three figures were prowling the bridge.

"You might want to plug your ears for the first shot, then. You too, Oryx."

Two seconds later the room erupted with the sounds of the explosions within the pistol. Tunnels of clear air were blown through the fog and two of the figures on the bridge seemed to explode as the bullets hit them. After all that had happened, Oryx and Gyeong-su were a bit underwhelmed.

The third figure had disappeared as well, but it wasn't clear that it had been hit. The three men cautiously walked out onto the bridge.

<Is that part of your powers of thunder and lightning?> asked Gyeong-su.

John couldn't help but smile. "No, it's just a weapon, like a bow and arr-"

The last replica, a copy of Bastien, had been clinging to the edge of the bridge, and as they passed he pulled himself up and grabbed at John's ankle. Bullets ricocheted off the metal harmlessly as the American was pulled towards the edge.

Oryx reached to grab John, and Gyeong-su moved to strike at the clone, but a bolt of blue electricity arced down the foul thing's arm and it exploded before John was truly in danger.

The three were quiet for a moment as John stood up and brushed himself off. Seconds passed before he finally broke the silence. "Why is it that the moment you need to think of something witty, your wits seem to leave you? All I can think of was 'That was shocking'."

The other men seemed oblivious to the pun.

The balcony was mostly empty. Only eight replicas remained from the initial swarm. A couple were working on the door on the far side, but most turned to fight when the three warriors emerged from the hot blackslime chamber. The wind on the balcony was chilly by comparison, and under the light of the planets they did battle.

Bullets cut down several before they had a chance, but John's gun soon clicked futilely with the sound of an empty clip. He quickly stowed the Colt and switched to projecting thunderbolts.

Gyeong-su's tiger sword cut through a fake Juliet as Oryx hurled a clone of himself off the balcony. It laughed as it fell.

As the feral things boiled into smoke and drifted away, Gyeong-su took a moment to secure the doorway to the spiral hall while John instructed Oryx to smash through a barricade that had been set to block the other doorway.[/ic]

[ic=Return]Bastien collapsed as he slipped through the trick hallway into the hub room. Medicine Man and Gyeong-su were elsewhere, but the women rushed over to him with concern.

"Jeesus Christ! What happened?!" exclaimed Riccara, seeing the Englishman lying, drenched in sweat, on the floor with a basket of fruit, an old book, and a stink of sulfur.

For a couple minutes all he could do was lie there and catch his breath. The hellish chamber and the beast within were impossible to shake from his mind. Olga had been so far ahead of him... had left him... He'd been weighed down by the items in his arms and by the weird gravity. The room sloped upward and had proved much harder to leave than to enter. She'd been ahead of him, and then... The thing had gone for her. An animal would've struck the easiest prey. Bastien had been the obvious choice. Why did it have to go for her? It was no animal.

Her screams were etched in his mind. Why hadn't he gone back for her?! As he lay there clutching Marianne's amulet he ran through it again and again. He was the strong one. He could feel the courage flowing through him--the sense of invincibility. Had it been fear? Or was it payback? She had left him behind, so he left her behind? No! Bastien didn't want to believe he'd do something like that. It must've been something else. A trick of the room, or of the monster. He'd never do that... He didn't want to believe he'd ever do that. Her screams rolled through his mind again.

"Bastien! Say something! Are you okay?" insisted Riccara, shaking him from his thoughts.

He looked up to see Emily, Mary, and Riccara looking down at him with concerned eyes. "I will be." is all he could manage.

"We saw you and tha blond women fall into tha slime, but John said you survived... Are tha women with ya?" asked Emily, the Chinese woman, in her Aussie accent.

Bastien grimaced reflexively. "Not any more. Olga was with me for a while... We got separated back there."[/ic]

[ic=Rikki]Riccara insisted that Bastien call her "Rikki". She was deeply glad that he had been back, as Gyeong-su had apparently been spinning him into some kind of great leader in his absence. As the two of them talked, and Bastien told her of all he'd been going through, including the man with steel eyes and the strange book, Bastien came to realize just how remarkable Rikki was. She's a bit older than Bastien, but she lacked the sense of worldliness and somehow kept the vibrant enthusiasm of a teenager. Despite this sense of youth she's very smart and proposed several interesting theories about what had been happening.

"The size of the rooms you're describing... have you noticed that yet? That the rooms are all spread out without rhyme or reason?" she said. "Given how I can fly and everyone else seems to have super powers too, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of weird TARDIS stuff going on. You ever see Dr. Who?"

(You're free to follow this conversation up in the RP thread if you'd like; I can write lines for Rikki or not, at your preference.)[/ic]

[ic=Resurection]Bastien was recovering and deciding what to do with the fruit when a familiar form manifested in the hallway that led to the hellscape.

"Olga!" he yelled, spinning to greet the Russian.

She was battered and bruised. The cuts on her hands and leg from brushing against the crystals had been joined by a nasty set of gashes across her face that looked like claw-marks. The gashes ran over one eye, but appeared to have left it undamaged. On her chest she wore some kind of bright blue jewel, triangular in form (perhaps a topaz). It was set into gold that stretched in long metal bands (stick-like almost) in four directions over her shoulders and behind her back to hold the jewel in place. She did not look happy.

<You. Left. Me.> she growled, her voice hoarse from overuse.

Bastien felt the amulet guide his words as it hung from his chest. "We were separated. I tried to stay together." Both were true, for the most part. "I thought you'd died..." Another truth.

The jewel shimmered unnaturally as she stepped down the hall into the hub. Layla and Jéssica lay unconscious, tended by the Indian woman. Vitus prowled on the edges where there were fewest people."Ya vyzhil. Eto to, chto ya delayu." (<I survived. It's what I do.>) was all she said before she sat down against the wall to rest.[/ic]
[ooc=Olga]Despite the incident, Olga is still healthy. Her cuts are all superficial and will heal without extra effort.

She has gained an artifact that she is unwilling to part with at this time. The artifact lets her fly, effectively granting her the Flight trait, but without the happiness benefit. There may be other effects of the artifact, but they will have to be discovered later.

Olga is temporarily angry at Bastien, but this is only for roleplaying purposes. Her loyalty is unaffected by the events and she still treats Bastien as more trustworthy than anyone else.[/ooc][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Odds And Ends]
[ic=What The Indian Found]Medicine Man returned to find Bastien and Olga. He seems to follow Gyeong-su, and since the Korean trusts Bastien he shares what he learned from scouting.

Down one of the corridors is a room made of wood that's been burnt to a husk and is otherwise empty and a dead-end.

Another hallway leads to a ladder which ascends a long way. At the top is a catwalk that surrounds a massive chamber lit by swaths of moving lights that coat the floor. The catwalk is elevated above the chamber, but on the floor below the Medicine Man could see a horde of shadowy creatures that seemed half-formed and animal-like. They were emerging from a great structure in the center of the room. Stairs lead from the catwalk to the floor. The apparently was also a small room worked into the ceiling that the catwalks led to. In the small room were some devices and a man, but the Native American didn't want to risk being seen, so he came back.[/ic]

[ic=A Craft of Some Sort]Gyeong-su, after checking to make sure no replicas were headed down the spiral hall to the balcony, turned his attention to the beetle-like structure. The woman named Emily soon appeared to search alongside him.

The black craft is about seven meters long and about half as wide. Gyeong-su can't identify the substance that it's made from, but it's a bit like a mix of metal and wood. It's only two meters high, but it's raised about a half-meter from the balcony by a set of three pillars arranged in a triangle to support the weight of the thing. Upon closer inspection the pillars are like thick legs that appear to be attached to the craft rather than the balcony.

Four cylindrical protrusions, roughly barrel-like in shape and size, jut out from the sides of the craft, two on the left and two on the right. The bottoms of the cylinders are open, and there's some metal inside with a kind of funnel shape. The cylinders appear jointed to the body of the thing so they can pivot and theoretically point the open end forward, backward, up, or down.

Between the protrusions are openings in the side of the craft. Inside are a collection of chairs and belts and metal clips that are all worked into the structure. Gyeong su finds some compartments inside which are empty, as well as some dials and gauges which are made of wood and glass. Towards the "front" of the thing (what would be the head if it were a beetle) is a pod, similar to the ones in the tower, but longer and lower. Inside the pod are cushions and pads that would comfortably fit a human lying on their stomach within. Unlike the pods from the tower, the ceramic surface of this pod has been painted black and is featureless.

Emily mutters something about the lack of a control mechanism, viewscreen, or windshield, but only says "Nevermind." when asked to clarify.[/ic]

[ic=Jéssica]As Emily and Gyeong-su return to the hub from investigating the craft, Jéssica awakens. She rubs her arm appreciatively and is clearly not yet recovered from the poison, but a smile slowly returns to her lips.

Emily sits with her and they whisper back and forth, not trusting the others to speak openly as they fill each-other in on recent events.[/ic]

[ic=The Right Hand]Gyeong-su bestows a rare smile as he sees Bastien safe in the hub room.

Over the next few minutes he reports the activities and findings of the group to the Englishman. It's clear that, in his own mind, he's nominated Bastien as the leader of the group, and he sees himself as the dutiful right-hand.[/ic]

[ic=Dawn]With the bridge and balcony cleared of replicas, the chosen are free to wander without too much fear of attack. Those who do are gifted with a beautiful sight. The soft glow of the planets in the sky is drowned out by and orange-red glow as the sun rises above the many buildings, banishing the darkness.

For some reason the sun appears a little larger and a bit more red than they remember.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

Olga gained a Loose Food item (in her basket).
The food and basket are now in Bastien's possession.
Bastien is carrying the journal.

Bastien's tokens: Unhappiness x1

[spoiler=Gyeong-su (Ally)]Loyalty: 8

Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x2

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

Superhuman Trait: Impervious

Items:
* Armor
* Tiger Sword (long blade)[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Olga Surikov (Ally)]Loyalty: 5

Olga has absorbed 14 units of blackslime (she cannot currently absorb more).

Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Corruption x1
* Unhappiness x3

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

Supernatural Trait: Power Vampire

Items:
* Flight Jewel[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Riccara Vaillancourt (Ally)]Loyalty: 5

Tokens: None

Mundane Traits:
* Attractive
* Young
* Intelligent
* Naive

Supernatural Trait: Flight

Items:
* Smartphone

Rikki is bisexual.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Mary of the Gond (Ally)]Loyalty: 3
Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x6

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

Supernatural Trait: Conjuration

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

[spoiler=Medicine Man (Ally)]Loyalty: 2
Tokens:
* Unhappiness x3

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

Supernatural Trait: Basic Shapeshifting

Items:
* Waterskin (Empty)
* ???[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vitus (Ally)]Loyalty: 2

Tokens: Unhappiness x4

Mundane Traits:
* Secretive
* Watchful
* Paranoid
* ???

Supernatural Trait: ???

Items:
* Dagger
* ???[/spoiler]

Other Loyalties:
Jéssica: 2
Emily: 2
Oryx: 1

Mary, Rikki, and Vitus will gain an unhappiness token this turn unless they personally get food or water.

[spoiler=Events]
1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Soviet Loyalty]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower

Requirement: Only Bastien and Rikki may be assigned here. Bastien must be assigned with the Controlled facet.

If assigned, Bastien asks Riccara about what Olga said and the two of them end up confronting Olga. When Bastien is assigned you may decide whether to trust Olga or not. If you trust her, her loyalty to you goes up by one and you gain a progress point towards the Connected (Olga) destiny. If you do not trust her, her loyalty drops by one unless she's hiding something, in which case you learn what it is and gain a progress point towards the Connected (Olga) destiny.[/ic]

[ic=A Beauty In Need]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower

Requirement: Only Bastien may be assigned here.

If assigned, Bastien comes to the side of Jéssica the whore who recently woke up and is still poisoned from previous adventures. He shows her caring and support and will even attempt to seduce her if given the opportunity. Jéssica's loyalty to you improves by one. If Bastien has more frost in the Social domain than Jéssica has Smoke+Frost in the social domain you also learn all of what she's been up to recently. There is a 50% chance that Olga's loyalty to you drops by 1 if you assign Bastien to this event.[/ic]

[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. (This does not disrupt any events.)[/ic]

4.

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

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub at the start of the turn (this excludes John and Oryx) 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]

[ic=A Ship]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn).

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

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers, Machines

Iron and Dust Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Dust and Iron for this challenge then the chosen learn how to operate the craft on the balcony, unlocking many events for its controller next turn. The assigned character with the highest blood (ties broken randomly) gains control of the craft. If the roll is equal or higher the chosen cannot understand the mechanism, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: The chosen learn to operate the craft, but there's an accident that damages it and injures a random character who was assigned (unless they were impervious; characters that were already injured become seriously injured).

Tie & Neglect Outcome: No Progress[/ic]

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

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Basnet1 may be assigned here.

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

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

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Basnet1 may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the Wooden Workshop and Amber Prism. This may or may not provide resources, depending on the actions of John and Oryx. Regardless, it will open up opportunities for future turns.[/ic]

[ic=Explore the Husk]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Burnt Husk

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Basnet1 or Xathan may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the burnt husk of a room that Medicine Man located. This does nothing other than provide knowledge of the area for future turns.[/ic]

[ic=Explore the Last Hall]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Basnet1 or Xathan may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the last hallway the leaves the skyward hub. Unknown effect, but guaranteed not to be dangerous.[/ic]

5.

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

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub at the start of the turn (this excludes John and Oryx) 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=A Ship][ic=A Ship]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn). If the chosen successfully learn to operate the craft at a previous timeslot this event is disrupted.

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

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers, Machines

Iron and Dust Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Dust and Iron for this challenge then the chosen learn how to operate the craft on the balcony, unlocking many events for its controller next turn. The assigned character with the highest blood (ties broken randomly) gains control of the craft. If the roll is equal or higher the chosen cannot understand the mechanism, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: The chosen learn to operate the craft, but there's an accident that damages it and injures a random character who was assigned (unless they were impervious; characters that were already injured become seriously injured).

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

[ic=Retake the Tower]Public, Opportunity, Dust, Combat, Cooperative
Location: Pod Tower

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn).

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the spiral hall and the pod tower. 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 rooms.

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

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 rooms does not change.

Damage is handled like in previous fights with the replicas.[/ic]

[ic=A Deadly Confrontation]Public, Opportunity, Dust, Combat, Cooperative
Location: Blasted Hellscape

Requirement: Only characters from the original batch of Chosen may be assigned here. Saitoro may not be assigned here.

Assigned characters enter the hellscape and challenge the beast that lives within. Regardless of outcome, all assigned characters gain an unhappiness token.

Challenge Domains: Combat, Ranged Combat, Melee Combat, Skill relevant to detectives and criminals

Blood Outcome: The beast is seriously injured, but kills a random character assigned to this event (even if they're impervious). If anyone remains then the beast is captured as well.

Iron Outcome: The beast runs and hides, temporarily allowing passage through its domain.

Smoke Outcome: A random assigned character becomes corrupted and join's the beast's side, immediately entering a separate 1-on-1 combat with all elements favoring a single outcome of seriously injuring the other character and a tie resulting in both characters being injured. If the character is an NPC they cease to be anyone's ally, if they're a PC they gain progress towards the Monster destiny and all NPCs lose 3 loyalty to them.

Frost Outcome: The beast as well as up to three assigned characters become injured (even if impervious). The chosen are forced to retreat.

Tie Outcome: One random character becomes seriously injured (even if impervious). The chosen are forced to retreat.[/ic]

[ic=Catwalk]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Catwalk

Requirement:  Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub at the start of the turn (this excludes John and Oryx) may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the catwalk that Medicine Man discovered. These characters learn of a path to the roof and gain access to it on the following turn. They also encounter the man at the controls and learn something about the room and the machines, increasing their opportunities and gaining a knowledge token.[/ic]

6.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=We Have to Press On]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only Bastien may be assigned here.

If assigned, Bastien makes a speech about how dangerous it is to stay here and how the chosen need to keep moving and find a safe place to use as a base of operations. He gains one progress point towards the True Leader destiny and next turn you'll have at least one opportunity to obtain a territory.[/ic]

[ic=Echoes of the Past]Private, Opportunity, Blood
Location: None

Requirement: Only Bastien may be assigned here.

If assigned, Bastien starts hearing whispers in his mind and the whispers call back memories that he had forgotten... When you assign Bastien you may decide if Marianne Mcgregor was a chosen with a power like the rest, or if she'd never been to the city but knew some about how the powers work. Bastien also gains a Personal Development token (similar to Superhuman Development, but useful for purchasing mundane traits).[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]As usual, you need to pick a subject to read about and decide whether you're interested in long-term or short-term information. The fruit in the basket may be assigned to one character without needing an event. Starvation is a danger, so if you're not returning to the garden soon you should keep that in mind. From a roleplaying perspective the characters might share some of the food, but only one can get the benefit.

1. Decide what to have Mary conjure (there's very little reason not to have her make something this turn). Decide whether to approach Jéssica or Olga. If you try and win Jéssica over, you may want to consider burning blackslime to boost Bastien's frost. If you confront Olga you need to decide whether to trust her. Trusting Olga is safe and a good way to earn her loyalty, but if she is hiding something it's almost certainly better to know it.

4. In this timeslot you have two machine challenges and four exploration events. The ship on the balcony could probably use Gyeong-su or Medicine Man's focus and attention to detail, or Bastien and Rikki's intelligence. Rikki, being Young, is in a good spot to try and gain control of the ship. There's very little chance of getting the Elevator working, but you might want to assign a character there just to get the +1 stacking bonus. The other locations await exploration. You have enough characters that you could probably explore each of them, but keep in mind that which characters are assigned sometimes makes a difference regarding what is discovered and what opportunities present themselves.

5. This timeslot has the machine challenges of 4 as well as a new exploration opportunity and a couple of combat events. The exploration opportunity involves seeking the catwalk that Medicine Man found, which has more known value than the other areas. Attacking the beast in the hellscape is almost certainly a bad idea unless you really want to be able to bring the rest of the group back to the garden, in which case you should aim for an Iron outcome. Clearing the Pod Tower of replicas is generally useful, and just like previous turns you may want to coordinate with John about doing so.

6. Decide whether to have Bastien remember Marianne or make a speech to the group. The speech will push you towards the leader destiny, while the memory will let you uncover more about your past and develop Bastien as a character.

As always, let me know if you need anything.[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=John Dante][ooc]Gonna switch to using <angle brackets> to denote translated text, and quotes for literal words. Also switching to past-tense for all the fluff.

I'm having a blast writing all of this, but I don't want to be subjecting people to too much. Let me know if you want me to tone down the fluff to more of a summary, rather than a novel. ;)[/ooc]

[spoiler=Fluff]
[ic=An Introduction]John was dreaming, he knew. The world he walked was full of mist and shadow. Somehow he knew then, that the City that he had awoken in was not a dream. This was a dream of the City, but it was not a dream of a dream. The word "dreams" seemed to echo as a whisper in his ears until it became the word "kixthish". An alien word in an alien tongue.

The shadowscape disappeared in a flash and John found himself in a sea of noise and people. It was a great room full of chairs and oil lamps and carpets. Girls were everywhere, almost all of which were undressed to some degree. A whorehouse. A brothel. Pretty cozy, actually. Someone was playing a piano. Stairs led up the sides of the room. A familiar woman was half way up one flight of them.

<Xangô! I'm so glad you could make it!> she said, voice carrying over the ruckus. Strangely enough, Jéssica was still wearing his duster, clutching it about her like armor. Down she strode, grinning and radiant, perfectly at home. "Bem-vindo ao Flor de Seda--minha casa." (<Welcome to the Silken Flower--my home.>)

John met her at the base of the stairs. A pair of topless girls settled in beside John, distractingly. Jéssica stayed one step up so as to be more at John's eye-level. At her side was a man whom John just now managed to notice. He was tall and white, dressed in a vest and slacks with a white dress shirt underneath, remarkably close to John's clothing, in fact. He had an unusually small nose, and a deep brown beard, but wasn't by any means unattractive. Well, except for his eyes, which were solid white and cold as ice. "Este é o Sr. Presas, um visitante, como você." (<This is Mr. Fangs, a visitor, like you.>)

Mr. Fangs gave a short bow of introduction and then spoke. As his mouth opened John could see that it was filled with row upon row of needle-thin white teeth. Not a patch of red could be seen, as if teeth was all there was. On one level it was the most horrifying mouth John had ever seen, and on another it was completely normal. It seemed rude of John to bring it up, or his eyes. His words were something strange and inhuman, and yet they both understood just fine. Who knows how he spoke them without a tongue.

"Exaklatix moikozshachalix eigouxlothimi roichauku. Yindrithishik Jéssica, paithchikalax urouthui ki." (<That's not my real name, of course. Jéssica here seems to abhor proper forms of address.>) <You must be John.>

"This is a dream. You're not real." was all he could say.

<You're only right about the first part. The Kixthish seems to have brought us together, but I assure you that I am just as real as Jéssica here.>

John looked into those empty white eyes, seemingly opposite in form to those of the doppelgangers. "Who... What are you?"

Jéssica's smile faded in an instant. <Xangô! That's very rude! He's a friend. He's going to make me better.>

The man called Mr. Fangs smiled. <Indeed. I've been waiting a long time for all of you to awaken. The binding will no-doubt be as glorious as the creator intended.>

John shook the creeping hands of the whores off his shoulders, frustrated by all the weird foreign speak. "Creator? Binding? Even a dick needs a break now and then. How bout you lay off the bullshit and deal me in? Who in the name of God are you and what's going on here?"

The lights went out. The brothel disappeared into blackness. Only John, the tall stranger, and Jéssica remained lit by some unseen lamp. Mr. Fangs began to grow, his skin falling off in flakes to reveal bone plates underneath. His hair and beard turned gray and fell out. Jéssica doubled over in pain, collapsing to the floor. As John moved to catch her the distance between them distorted terribly.

The creature that was once a man spoke again in the terrible rasping-clicking language, his many fangs bared into an unholy maw, but this time the noise boomed in John's head, dominating his senses. <I AM AN UNBORN WORLD-WALKER. EXILED BY MY PEOPLE AND MADE TO SERVE THE CHOSEN. I AM THE STRENGTH OF THE RACHIAUNU BOUND INTO THE WORLD OF FLESH.>

<THE CREATOR SWORE THAT I WOULD BE BORN UNTO THE CHOSEN, AND SO SHALL IT BE. MY SIBLINGS AND I WILL BRING YOU POWER IN RETURN FOR YOUR SKIN-HOMES. FOR EONS UNSPOKEN WE HAVE HUNGERED. AND UPON THIS DAY OF AWAKENING I, AT LEAST, WILL NOT BE DENIED.>

The creature continued to shift and distort, looming over Jéssica and whispering to her in his foul language. John ran to her aid, but the distance kept growing and growing until he was alone in the darkness. For a while he wandered there, until he awoke to the screaming of the real Jéssica, the one in the factory.[/ic]

[ic=Uma Deusa]"Eu sou uma deusa! Eu sou uma DEUSA!" screamed Jéssica, her eyes wild and her arm thrashing like a caged animal.

John held it as firmly as he could and put his other hand on the dame's face. "Wake up, damnit! Jéssica! Don't listen to him! Just let go!"

Emily watched, brow furrowed, as the two of them struggled beneath the metal scaffolding.

<I need his medicine. I want it. He doesn't think I'm ugly. Let. Me. Go!> Jéssica began to kick at John feebly, increasingly focused on him rather than Mr. Fangs.

"You want to talk about ugly, you dumb Dora?" he said, baiting her into looking at him with her big dark eyes. For the first time since waking up John thought she could actually see him. "Think about what you'll look like after that thing has his way with you! You think 'binding to your skin-home' is gonna make you some kind of ritzy flapper? And, doll, where'd you get the damn impression that you're ugly?!" John put a hand on her neck, being careful not to disturb the bandage. "You're a bombshell."

His lips touched hers, but she had already fallen asleep. For the first time in a while, her arm seemed relaxed.

John climbed out from under the scaffold, the dusky woman held carefully in his arms, wrapped in his coat. His own wounds ached, but he ignored them. Emily stood nearby, smiling warmly. She carefully pushed her glasses back up her nose but didn't say anything. The two of them walked slowly out of the noisy, bright, awful room and back up the stairs.[/ic]

[ic=A Job for Men]Upon returning to the hub, John was greeted by Oryx and the women. Oryx told John how he and Gyeong-su were about to try and retake the balcony from the terrible clone-people, and asked about Jéssica, clearly concerned about her unconsciousness.

John carefully placed Jéssica by Layla and told Emily to watch over them for a while. He gave Emily the map for safe keeping and enigmatically told Oryx to get ready to fight, because there was someone they needed to meet face-to-face. He took his pistol from the holster as the three of them went down the hallway towards the bridge.[/ic]

[ic=Battle]"Hey Hong, you ever see a Colt .45?" called John Dante, cradling his pistol with the ease of a practiced gunman.

<A what?> replied the soldier, drawing his two-handed sword.

"A gun. You ever see a gun?"

<I don't think I have. What is a 'gan'?>

The three of them stepped from the hallway into the room with the bridge. The glowing green fog made it impossible to see details, but three figures were prowling the bridge.

"You might want to plug your ears for the first shot, then. You too, Oryx."

Two seconds later the room erupted with the sounds of the explosions within the pistol. Tunnels of clear air were blown through the fog and two of the figures on the bridge seemed to explode as the bullets hit them. After all that had happened, Oryx and Gyeong-su were a bit underwhelmed.

The third figure had disappeared as well, but it wasn't clear that it had been hit. The three men cautiously walked out onto the bridge.

<Is that part of your powers of thunder and lightning?> asked Gyeong-su.

John couldn't help but smile. "No, it's just a weapon, like a bow and arr-"

The last replica, a copy of Bastien, had been clinging to the edge of the bridge, and as they passed he pulled himself up and grabbed at John's ankle. Bullets ricocheted off the metal harmlessly as the American was pulled towards the edge.

Oryx reached to grab John, and Gyeong-su moved to strike at the clone, but a bolt of blue electricity arced down the foul thing's arm and it exploded before John was truly in danger.

The three were quiet for a moment as John stood up and brushed himself off. Seconds passed before he finally broke the silence. "Why is it that the moment you need to think of something witty, your wits seem to leave you? All I can think of was 'That was shocking'."

The other men seemed oblivious to the pun.

The balcony was mostly empty. Only eight replicas remained from the initial swarm. A couple were working on the door on the far side, but most turned to fight when the three warriors emerged from the hot blackslime chamber. The wind on the balcony was chilly by comparison, and under the light of the planets they did battle.

Bullets cut down several before they had a chance, but John's gun soon clicked futilely with the sound of an empty clip. He quickly stowed the Colt and switched to projecting thunderbolts.

Gyeong-su's tiger sword cut through a fake Juliet as Oryx hurled a clone of himself off the balcony. It laughed as it fell.

As the feral things boiled into smoke and drifted away, Gyeong-su took a moment to secure the doorway to the spiral hall while John instructed Oryx to smash through a table which had been set as a barricade to the other doorway...[/ic]

[ic=Mr. Fangs]John could hear the whispers as he walked through the workshop, seeking the serpent. <I knew you'd come...>

Oryx looked afraid. He could hear them too, though John didn't know whether the boy heard the same strange words.

<He promised me a home...>

The door at the far end of the room peeled back as John approached, revealing the triangular room where Jéssica had been. The sword that she mentioned lay in the center of the room between the silver structures. Its cold, black blade seemed to disappear into the polished black floor and dim orange lights, but something about it made it stand out.

<The woman was weak...>

The structure nearest to the sword was shaped to hold a large glass sphere, like a bubble. The way it was shaped made the inside shadowed and hard to see. John walked over to it, feeling the pull of the thing that lurked within.

<But you will be strong...>

John could see it moving inside the tank. It was a little over half a meter long and was either white or orange, impossible to tell in the amber light. Thin and supple, it was shaped like an eel. Bony plates appeared to cover its surface, and long spines seemed to replace any fins.

"Mr. Fangs?" said John to the tank, feeling strangely foolish for using the name in front of Oryx. The African boy just seemed confused, though.

"Thrishk makaxlakach. Thrishk aluch Taxilixl ravizmuxalal wachithix." came the response from the tank, a whisper spoken directly into the mind. (<My true name is Thrishk, or Thrishk of the Taxilixl, if you prefer.>) The creature swam close to the edge of the glass, then, and both Oryx and John stepped back involuntarily. The creature's head was made of the same white bone, but calling it a "head" was an injustice. The thing was nearly all mouth, and it was circular in shape without any clear jaw structure. "Thrishk" appeared to have no eyes, no lips, no flesh of any kind; he was nothing but bones and teeth and spines.

<What are you?> asked Oryx with wide eyes.

The whispers of Thrishk wound their way into the human minds. <I am a world-walker. The crude description would be that of symbiote, though some would call us parasites. If you will have me I can bring you the power and knowledge to survive this place.>

"What do I have to do?"

Oryx stared at John incredulously. <Are you serious?! Look at that thing! I know I'm not the smartest guy around, but...>

"Listen kid, two dames are out cold back there, more of us have been separated or just straight up vanished, and I haven't seen nothin' particularly welcoming about this circus. I'm talking to a fish-snake made of bones that talks inside my head and I can shoot lightning out of my hands. Thrishk is the first God-damned thing I've seen that looks like it might make me less confused than I am, might give us a fightin' chance here, and at this point that's good enough for me."

Oryx seemed a bit overwhelmed by the speech, as though he was doing his best not to think about any of that stuff and John went and ruined it. <I... didn't mean to challenge your decision. You have my trust, John of the tomorrow-land.>

Thrishk informed John of a lever on the side of the structure holding the tank. Upon pulling the lever the tank cracked and burst, spilling water and glass everywhere. John reached down into the basin and withdrew the symbiote, guided by telepathic urging. As John lifted it towards him he could feel the longing, the desire, the hunger of the thing. Thrishk himself was hard as a stone and not warm at all, moving almost mechanically in John's hands.

Alien bone touched John's neck and the spines shot forward to find purchase. The teeth bored into the space between his adam's apple and his collar, sending a fountain of blood outward. Were it not for John's placid expression Oryx would've surely tried to stop the thing. John couldn't breathe, couldn't think, the pain was surely dulled, but it still felt like getting stabbed. Worse, his body would not respond. He was chained in his own mind, a helpless observer to being eaten alive. Oryx looked away, unable to stomach the binding.

As Thrishk ate he burrowed deeper into John's neck and chest, using the spines to pull himself in.  The sensation of blood pouring out of his neck sent John over the edge, throwing all his energy into overcoming the paralysis of the bone monster.

<IT'S TOO LATE TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, JOHN.> came the voice, but it was now a thunder instead of a whisper. <THIS IS OUR BODY NOW. I HAVE AT LAST BECOME BORN IN FLESH.>

The last of Thrishk's tail slipped through the hole, and with it came a foaming of red and white that bubbled up and poured from the wound. John inhaled sharply as he could once again breathe. He choked and sputtered, coughing up the same white foam. He could move again, and as he reached for his neck he found that beneath the foam was merely a mass of scar tissue. It was as though he had healed from the injury in seconds.

For several minutes John could do nothing but silently recover and feel the symbiote crawl slowly through him. Despite the hunger, Thrishk didn't seem to be hurting him, in fact, John could feel strength flowing from the parasite, running down his arms and legs, filling him up.

<YOU ARE SURPRISED. DID YOU THINK THAT I WOULD HARM MY NEW BODY?> John laughed with a dark comedy that did not come from his mind. As he did he found that his voice had changed. It was deeper and rough like the voice of an old man who had smoked his whole life.

"Kita! Kita! Loxahimalathu korichath." rasped the words from John's throat. (<Oh, indeed, this is true glory.>)[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Odds And Ends]
[ic=The Map]Emily White worked on figuring out how to read the map while she watched over the sleeping Brazilian. Unlike the factory, the map does not have any runes or strange writing, but instead seems to be purely geometric in nature, consisting of smooth curves and intersecting lines.

After puzzling things out for a while, Emily makes a breakthrough when she interprets a semi-circle with a triangle and three outward lines as being the balcony of shards. From there she traces the winding lines to find the pod tower (a right angle with an arrow indicating "up"), bridge (straight line over wavy line), and hub (eight-direction crossroads). The map appears to be very abstract, and it will doubtless leave out many important details, but it at least serves as a rough guide.

Interestingly, the doors of the city seem more prominent on the map than the rooms. While rooms are more or less simple lines or shapes, the doors all have a tiny circle with an intricate design drawn in. Some of the symbols are the same, but it's not clear what relevance they have.

The building has a roughly spiral-shaped structure and seems to have at least eighty of these big rooms. It's clear from the map (and from the view from the balcony) that the group is fairly high up in the sky-scraper. The roof is easily accessible from the hub by taking a zig-zag path straight up (whatever that means) and going through a room that seems to be two layered squares. Another room is just off of the hub that appears to have water of some sort. Bypassing some spikes on one of the hub's spokes leads to a crossroads from which one can reach what appears to be a ring of what Emily guesses are trees.

The pod tower is an interesting thing. The line that goes "up" along the arrow (probably signifying flying up the height of the tower) leads to a circle that appears similar on the map to a large door, but the symbol within it is a simple X. Another portion of the map has an identical structure, implying that there is perhaps another tower. The second tower is accessible through the door that is opposite the first one, up the spiral hall.

The quickest way out of the building is certainly the elevator from the hub.[/ic]

[ic=Wooden Workshop]After John's binding, he and Oryx explore the workshop room in between the balcony and the triangular room with the amber light.

The workshop is cluttered with all sorts of building material and odds and ends. Tools can be found, including hammers, lathes, clamps, levels, planes, and saws, though nothing appears particularly useful as a hand-to-hand combat. (There are three "Construction Tools" and one "Building Materials". Any character with reasonable access to them can collect any/all of them at your convenience. Characters without enough space to carry them in their inventory will drop them at the location of the next event they become assigned to, and will only continue to drag them along if you specify that they do so.)

In addition to the tools there are many rifle-like objects that appear to be in various stages of disrepair. Some of them appear fully functional, and John tries one on for size. It appears to be made of wood and bone, and doesn't have a traditional trigger. When John unclasps a switch it begins to blast out a barrage of bullets in machine-gun fashion. Thankfully nothing and no-one was really hurt, and John manages to return the switch to its clasped position. The bullets that it fires appear closer to teeth than anything else, and will not work in a normal weapons.

There are five working toothspitters in the workshop and six units of tooth ammunition. Toothspitters are identical to rifles, but can only fire teeth. Just like the tools, the rifles can be moved and picked up by any character with reasonable access to the workshop.

In addition to the rifles, John finds a collection of eight apple-sized objects that are marked with runes that seem to indicate danger. He suspects they're hand-grenades of some sort, but doesn't know for sure what they do.[/ic]

[ic=Bastien]Emily heard a gasp and a thud down one of the halls. She and the other women turned to see what had happened, and were greeted with the familiar face of Bastien the Englishman. He seemed unhurt, but exhausted, and in addition to his strange amulet he carried a massive book, and a basket of fruit.

"Jeesus Christ! What happened?!" exclaimed Riccara, as the three of them ran over. As they did Emily could smell the stink of sulfur on the strange man. He appeared lost in thought. "Bastien! Say something! Are you okay?" continued American woman after a long pause.

He looked up with tormented eyes and simply said "I will be."

Emily thought about the last time she had seen him, fighting bravely on the bridge, standing toe-to-toe with an evil doppelganger. "We saw you and tha blond women fall into tha slime, but John said you survived... Are tha women with ya?" she asked.

Bastien grimaced. "Not any more. Olga was with me for a while... We got separated back there." Without further explanation he made his way back to where the two unconscious women lay and took a few minutes to recover from whatever had shaken him.

Emily had just begun to study the map again when she was interrupted by the Englishman's voice. "Olga!" he yelled.

She was battered and bruised, with cuts on her hands and one leg and a nasty set of gashes across her face that looked like they came from claws. The gashes ran over one eye, but appeared to have left it undamaged. She wasn't carrying anything (Bastien, too, seemed to have lost his weapon) but on her chest she wore some kind of bright blue jewel, triangular in form (perhaps a topaz). It was set into gold that stretched in long metal bands (stick-like almost) in four directions over her shoulders and behind her back to hold the jewel in place. She did not look happy.

<You. Left. Me.> she growled in Russian.

"We were separated. I tried to stay together. I thought you'd died..."

The jewel shimmered unnaturally as she stepped down the hall into the hub. "Ya vyzhil. Eto to, chto ya delayu." (<I survived. It's what I do.>) was all she said before she sat down against the wall to rest.[/ic]

[ic=The Aircraft]Emily was tasked with watching over Jéssica, but the black woman was now clearly protected by Bastien and the others. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked back to the balcony, always on the lookout for replicas. There she found only Gyeong-su, who had begun to investigate what she had come to check on.

The black craft is about seven meters long and about half as wide. When she first saw it, Emily was convinced that it was some kind of vehicle, and seeing it again only confirmed her suspicion. The craft is probably made of some kind of advanced polymer, probably reinforced with carbon fiber. It's only two meters high, but it's raised about a half-meter from the balcony by a set of three thick legs that extend from the base of the thing.

Four jets appear to be mounted to the sides of the ship, two on each side. The jets are designed to pivot, allowing the force to be projected radially along the forward-back and up-down axes. Upon closer inspection the jets do not appear to be mechanical, but are closer to what one would find on a rocket. With no wings and four pivoting rockets the craft could probably take-off vertically and move with blinding speed and agility if the fuel tank was large enough and the pilot was trained well enough not to fly into the ground. The size of the craft meant that there's no way it could fly for more than a dozen miles, though; the fuel tank was undoubtedly too small.

Between the rocket-jets on the sides of the craft are openings. Inside it are a host of seats and safety harnesses. The harnesses confirm the suspicion that the thing is designed for quick accelerations. There are some instruments towards the front, but nothing resembling a viewscreen or windshield. Emily wonders how the pilot could ever hope to see where they were going. The instruments all appear to be gauges, as well. No steering apparatus is present.

In the center of the craft is a pod, similar to the ones in the tower, but longer and lower. Inside the pod are cushions and pads that would comfortably fit a human lying on their stomach within. Unlike the pods from the tower, the ceramic surfaces of this pod had been painted black and is featureless and smooth.[/ic]

[ic=Jéssica]As Emily and Gyeong-su return to the hub from investigating the craft, Jéssica awakens. She rubs her arm appreciatively and is clearly not yet recovered from the poison, but a smile slowly returns to her lips.

Emily sits with her and they whisper back and forth, not trusting the others to speak openly as they fill each-other in on recent events.[/ic]

[ic=Dawn]With the bridge and balcony cleared of replicas, the chosen are free to wander without too much fear of attack. Those who do are gifted with a beautiful sight. The soft glow of the planets in the sky is drowned out by and orange-red glow as the sun rises above the many buildings, banishing the darkness.

For some reason the sun appears a little larger and a bit more red than they remember.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Thrishk]John is now bound to Thrishk. You are free to initiate conversations with the symbiote in the RP thread, and even make it talk or do things if they are of little consequence (like someone else's ally). For the most part, however, Thrishk is his own agent with his own ideas, goals, and personality and will be controlled by the GM. Thrishk can control John's body for short periods of time, and as long as he does so only sparingly (which is the case), John isn't strong-willed enough to resist it. Extended training on the order of days or weeks may grant John the internal strength to fight Thrishk, but for now there is little contest.

Thrishk is strangely polite and concerned with protocol and formality, though he cares nothing for human lives or the happiness of others. He seems to know quite a bit about the City, but is entirely uninterested in explaining things now that he has what he wants. For the time being he is satisfied with slowly eating his way around John's abdomen and repairing the damage. It hurts on occasion, but is never dangerous. Thrishk has full access to John's senses and a good idea of his feelings and surface thoughts.

The benefits of the symbiote are numerous. Firstly, John's body develops a minor healing factor that reduces the deadliness of attacks by 1 and grants him +2 Frost in the Healing domain for challenges involving injuries to him. Furthermore, John is immune to poison, psychic attacks, and psychic reading. If put in danger, Thrishk will launch psychic attacks of his own against the threats, but Thrishk is entirely uninterested in helping protect others, and may even interfere if John tries to put himself in harm's way to save someone else.[/ooc]

John's tokens: Superhuman Development x1, Knowledge x1, Unhappiness x4.

John is hosting the symbiote named Thrishk aluch Taxilixl.
John is carrying Lightdrinker, but is not wielding/wearing it.
John has 1 progress point towards the Protector of the Weak destiny.
John has 1 progress point towards the Connected (Jéssica) destiny.
Jéssica is poisoned, but is no longer bound by Lightdrinker or under Thrishk's spell.

[spoiler=Oryx (Ally)]Loyalty: 4

Tokens:
* Knowledge x1
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x5

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

Supernatural Trait: Super Strength

Items:
* A bundle of raw meat
* A stone knife (short blade)[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Jéssica (Ally)]Loyalty: 3

Poisoned

Tokens:
* Knowledge x1
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x4

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

Supernatural Trait: Clones

Items:
* Overcoat
* Cloth handbag containing:
* Birth Control
* Cigarettes[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Emily White (Ally)]Loyalty: 3

Tokens:
* Unhappiness x4

Mundane Traits:
* Tinkerer
* Intelligent
* Focused
* Slow

Supernatural Trait: Power Nullification

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

Other Loyalties:Mary of the Gond: 2
Hong Gyeong-su: 0
All Other NPCs John has met: 1

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

[spoiler=Events]
0.
[ic=We Can't Tell The Others]Private, Crisis, Frost
Location: Amber Prism

Requirement: Only John may be assigned to this event.

If assigned John does his best to keep Oryx from losing faith in him. Thrishk has made him nervous and it'll have the same effect on the others. John can tell them when the time is right, but for now he needs Oryx as a trusted right-hand. Oryx doesn't seem at all happy about keeping Thrishk a secret, and John is forced to threatening him to keep him in line. Better to have the boy fear him a bit than to be ostracized as a monster. Oryx gains two unhappiness tokens and one loyalty token. If the lie is carried out John will have to think of some kind of excuse for why his voice has changed suddenly (and why his neck is scarred).

All NPCs except Oryx will lose one loyalty to John at the point where they learn about Thrishk, regardless of whether John hides the symbiote. If John is not assigned here word will probably spread quickly. If John is not assigned here, Oryx's loyalty drops by 1.[/ic]

1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=New Duds]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Secret Chamber

Requirement: Only John may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Thrishk tells John where he can find another artifact, a costume of some sort that aids in defense and protects the wearer from the elements. You may design the costume if you'd like (I will design it if you do not). Unless otherwise specified, John will put on the artifact right away. (Just like any item, it can be given to other characters without the need for an event.)[/ic]

[ic=Explosives]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only a character with a mystery grenade may be assigned here. (John or Oryx may pick up any of the 8 grenades in the workshop without an event.)

One random assigned character throws one of their grenades off the balcony and observes what it does. All assigned characters, as well as any characters on the Balcony during this timeslot learn the specific mechanical effects of the grenades.[/ic]

[ic=Rune Puzzle]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Varies

Requirement: Only John or Emily may be assigned to this event.

Characters that are assigned make some progress towards understanding the runes. If John is assigned he finds some runes in the Amber Prism room that Thrishk eventually tells him how to read. If Emily is assigned she returns to the factory and gains a knowledge token (two, because she's intelligent) in search of answers.[/ic]

[ic=Wedge]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only Jéssica or Emily may be assigned to this event.

Olga is mad at Bastien. Assigned characters attempt to worm their way between the two, decreasing her loyalty to him. If Jéssica is assigned she does some light seduction on Bastien, and if Emily is assigned she offers to listen to Olga's plight. Each character assigned has a 75% chance of reducing Olga's loyalty toward Bastien by 1. There is also a 10% chance for each character that their loyalty towards Bastien goes up by 1.[/ic]

3.
[ic=Valliant Knight]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Varies

Restriction: Only John may be assigned to this event. John must have been assigned to We Can't Tell The Others earlier.

If assigned, choose a location to meet Jéssica. John lies to her and says that he slew Mr. Fangs. Jéssica believes the creature is a demon and is thrilled that John came to her rescue like he did. She gains two loyalty towards him and removes an unhappiness token. If Jéssica ever finds out the truth she'll lose four loyalty towards John (rather than the normal 1) and gain two unhappiness tokens.

If John is not assigned here, Jéssica finds out about "Mr. Fangs" and loses one loyalty as normal. (She won't tell the others if he doesn't want it known, however.)[/ic]

4.

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

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub at the start of the turn (this excludes John and Oryx) 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=Library]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Library

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn).

Assigned characters explore one of the offshoots of the triangular "prism" room and discover a library filled with books. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Listen to Mr. Charming]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only Jéssica and Emily may be assigned here.

Assigned characters follow Bastien around and see what he's up to. If Bastien is assigned to a non-combat public event this timeslot, the assigned characters are also assigned to it.[/ic]

[ic=Find the Conduit]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Conduit

Requirement: Only characters controlled by Xathan may be assigned here (this turn).

Assigned characters follow a hall out from the triangular prism room and discover a strange glowing braid which Thrishk, if present, calls "the conduit". Discovering the conduit does nothing on its own, but will open up future opportunities for those who see it.[/ic]

[ic=Towards Water]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only characters who know about the campsite map may be assigned here.

Assigned characters try and find the water that's indicated on the map. Unknown effect.[/ic]

[ic=Towards the Roof]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Skyward Hub

Requirement: Only characters who know about the campsite map may be assigned here.

Assigned characters try and find the roof that's indicated on the map. Unknown effect.[/ic]

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

Requirement: Only the owner of the map may be assigned here.

When you assign a character to this event, specify something to search for on the map. Landmarks and large noteworthy things will be more likely to be found than others. Next turn there may or may not be opportunities to explore/seek that place, depending on whether it exists.[/ic]

[ic=A Ship]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn).

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

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers, Machines

Iron and Dust Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Dust and Iron for this challenge then the chosen learn how to operate the craft on the balcony, unlocking many events for its controller next turn. The assigned character with the highest blood (ties broken randomly) gains control of the craft. If the roll is equal or higher the chosen cannot understand the mechanism, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: The chosen learn to operate the craft, but there's an accident that damages it and injures a random character who was assigned (unless they were impervious; characters that were already injured become seriously injured).

Tie & Neglect Outcome: No Progress[/ic]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Retake the Tower]Public, Opportunity, Dust, Combat, Cooperative
Location: Pod Tower

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn).

Assigned characters decide to launch an attack to re-take the spiral hall and the pod tower. 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 rooms.

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

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 rooms does not change.

Damage is handled like in previous fights with the replicas.[/ic]

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

Requirement: Only characters located at most one step from the Skyward Hub at the start of the turn (this excludes John and Oryx) 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=A Ship][ic=A Ship]Private, Opportunity, Dust, Cooperative
Location: Balcony of Shards

Requirement: Only characters controlled by either Xathan or Basnet1 may be assigned here (this turn). If the chosen successfully learn to operate the craft at a previous timeslot this event is disrupted.

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

Challenge Domain: Skill relevant to Engineers, Machines

Iron and Dust Outcome: Roll 1d10. If it is lower than the total Dust and Iron for this challenge then the chosen learn how to operate the craft on the balcony, unlocking many events for its controller next turn. The assigned character with the highest blood (ties broken randomly) gains control of the craft. If the roll is equal or higher the chosen cannot understand the mechanism, but subsequent attempts will gain +1 Iron if they involve a character from before.

Smoke and Frost Outcome: The chosen learn to operate the craft, but there's an accident that damages it and injures a random character who was assigned (unless they were impervious; characters that were already injured become seriously injured).

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

[spoiler=Listen to Mr. Charming][ic=Listen to Mr. Charming]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only Jéssica and Emily may be assigned here.

Assigned characters follow Bastien around and see what he's up to. If Bastien is assigned to a non-combat public event this timeslot, the assigned characters are also assigned to it.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=Emily's Hypothesis]Private, Opportunity, Iron
Location: Wooden Workshop

Requirement: Only John and Emily may be assigned to this event. If both are not assigned here, this event is disrupted.

Emily wants to tell John about what she thinks this place is. John listens and frustratingly receives few answers from the usually silent Thrishk. Emily has some crazy ideas, and John gains a knowledge token as he explores them with her. Emily's loyalty to John improves by one.

John has a 30% chance of using his detective powers to notice Emily's arm. If he does, her loyalty towards him improves by another +1.[/ic]

6.
[ic=Control Room]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Control Room

Requirement: Only a character controlled by Xathan may be assigned here this turn.

If the chosen do not gain control of the spiral hall via Retake the Tower this event is disrupted.

Characters assigned here gain access to the Control Room. Unknown effect.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]John's gone through some big decisions before, but this turn may have one of the biggest. Thrishk doesn't exactly win people over, and if John is open about being symbiotically bound to some mysterious creature then people won't trust him as easily.

0. Decide whether to try and keep "Sr. Presas" a secret by threatening Oryx. If you do you'll be rewarded, but also more vulnerable, particularly to Dust characters like Layla (if she wakes up) and Saitoro (wherever he is).

1. Decide whether to have John learn to read the runes or to get an armor artifact from Thrishk. If you get armor you can design it. You can also have Oryx (or John) find out what the grenades do. Decide whether Emily is going to do some more investigation of the writing or try and drive a wedge between Bastien and Olga. Jéssica may also try and seduce Bastien, pulling him away from Olga.

3. If John is hiding Thrishk he has the opportunity to lie to Jéssica as well. This is another short-term boost that results in long-term risk.

4. This slot is a bit of a grab-bag of exploration and machine events. With Jéssica around you can theoretically explore everywhere and still manage to tail Bastien if you want. Emily's talents may be used on fixing the elevator or getting the airship working. John can also contribute to operating the airship. If you assign Oryx to the airship then there's a pretty big chance that he'll muck things up, but if you do succeed his youth trait will make it likely that you'll gain control of the machine.

5. Decide if you want to assign Oryx to try and retake the pod tower. Decide if you want to assign John to retake the tower or to gain some loyalty with Emily. Decide if you want Emily to try and fix something or to give John some knowledge. Decide if you want to try and use Jéssica to scout Bastien's actions. She won't follow him into combat, so it's probably pretty safe, but there's always the risk that Bastien will actually win her over in the long-run or that her presence will muck something up due to all the negative stats she brings from being poisoned.

6. Decide if you want to put any characters in the control room in the case where you retake the pod tower.

As always, feel free to ask me questions. Don't forget that you can automatically pick up and equip the rifles, tooth-ammo, and grenades from the workshop as well as Lightdrinker. You can even try and give/trade these things with Bastien without need for an event. You may want to use Emily or Jéssica as a proxy, however, so you don't have to explain your voice.
[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vic Fellowes][ooc=Fluff Notes]I'll be using <arrow quotes> to indicate speech that's translated to English. As you probably know, all of the characters can understand one-another, despite not actually knowing each-other's tongues.

On occasion I'll write dialog for Vic as part of the fluff. If you do not want me to do this, please let me know.

I've also been writing a lot more fluff, as it seems that people aren't inclined to write these sorts of scenes themselves. If you'd like more of a summary rather than a novel, just let me know.[/ooc]

[spoiler=Fluff][ic=Introductions]Vic stood before the group of strangers and began to speak, words bleeding into each-other such that many were swept up in things and never had the opportunity to evaluate things properly.

"First things first, better find out where you last were?" he asked in the midst of one such flow. At the end there was a pause as the group digested his words.

<Yer putting the fox before the hare, aintcha?> Quipped a wrinkled, short old man in a wool hat. <I bet ye start naming the baby when ye see a pretty something, too! One of these godforsaken freaks must be in on it.> and with this he began poking stumpy fingers at various people, particularly a tall mystery of a man dressed all in black.

A dark-skinned woman dressed like a cowboy unslung her shotgun from her back. Vic took note of the people who became alarmed by the motion; the dwarf-man was not one of them. An even smaller man, oriental by the look of it, took out a piece of paper and pen and began trying to furiously scribble something.

A stocky woman with tan skin and something on her cheeks spoke up loudly. <Or maybe whoever is behind this is pretending to be dumb, hrm! Seems to me like nobody is jumping at the chance to explain things. Maybe you're the one->

"Please, madame, all this finger pointing is getting us nowhere." interrupted another oriental, this one about the same height as Vic. The man had the most distracting eyes--silver in color and gleaming with an uncanny light. He gestured at Vic. "Perhaps we'd best keep calm answer Mr. Fellowes' questions, at least for the time being." Vic found it interesting that he spoke with an Englishman's words and accent, despite being of the East. "As best I can remember I was getting ready to leave Princeton, but it's a bit foggy."

A black man with horn-rimmed spectacles spoke up, also in English, though he had a different foreign-sounding accent. "Princeton? In the United States? Where is this?! Last I remember I was in South Africa!"

The man with the silver eyes stopped him. "United States? My good sir, I think a better question is when is this... There hasn't been a United States of America in over forty years!"

Though many seemed not to recognize the names of places, the implication of differing time periods seemed to be understood, and the crowd began to erupt in confusion.

Vic leapt in and tried to calm down the powder keg before it could blow. He suggested going around in a circle and introducing everyone, including where they were from and what year they thought it was. He started, and when Vic was done, the stocky woman went next. She introduced herself as Mya from some village that nobody had ever heard of, and she didn't even understand what the others meant by "what year is it?"

The flow continued with the short, wrinkled man, who introduced himself as simply "Jarji". He seemed to think it was <357 in the year of our lord, Jesus Christ> as though he was reciting the phrase from memory. This caused quite a commotion among some, and led the man from South Africa to jump in line and claim that the year was actually 1970.

"Perhaps you'd best tell us what they call you, since you've gone and said all the rest, friend." said Vic.

"Ma-" began the man with the spectacles, and then, spotting another man in the group, corrected himself to "They call me Thaba" and glanced away.

The silver-eyed man turned towards Thaba and gave a small bow. "My name is Mohandas Sharma. It's a pleasu-"

As Mohandas was speaking Vic could see another woman behind him, long blond hair and blood upon her lips and chin. She moved like some kind of animal, but she was so fast that Vic barely had time to spot her before...[/ic]

[ic=First Blood]The blond woman had a knife, and she seemed focused on Mohandas. Just before she got him, however, another form seemed to materialize out of thin air.

The new form was some sort of bizarre combination of woman and machine. Her legs and arms seemed mechanical and she was wrapped in this weird steel dress that made her look like some kind of whore with how much skin it showed. Her head was bald and one of her eyes was covered by a big black--thing.

She wasn't holding a weapon, but one of her mechanical arms swung from the nothingness where she appeared on a crash course with the animal-woman's head. The blond simply spun away, however, crazy fast.

Vic got a good look at the blond now, as the two women backed off from each-other. She was the woman from Vic's dream... blood on her hands and face. She was different, though, paler. Both women were actually freakishly pale, Vic realized, white like alabaster. The blond woman had these nasty black veins running across her skin, though, and her eyes were solid black.

Everyone froze but them, the scene was too otherworldly to do differently.

"YOU!" came a scream. "YOU'RE BEHIND THIS!" It took Vic a moment to realize that the strange echoing voice came from the machine-woman, despite her not moving her lips. Her mechanical legs began to extend weirdly and she threw out hands with impossibly long fingers as if she were a cat puffing up her tail to seem bigger.

The feral woman wore a face of evil and hatred, but seemed more annoyed with the newcomer than anything else. She dove under the machine-woman's arm and launched herself at her true target--Mohandas--as fast as a bullet.

Moving with unnatural speed she knocked him to the floor and raised her knife in a crimson hand to strike a death blow. And then Mohandas had gone. Vanished into nothingness much as the machine woman had appeared. The woman from Vic's dream hissed loudly in frustration and her jet-black eyes burned with rage.

"What the FUCK did you do?!" shouted the other weird woman in her echoing voice, refusing to be ignored.

For a moment they simply stared at each-other as the crowd looked on in fear and confusion. "Athena...." rasped the blond in a twisted, haunting voice. The black veins along her skin pulsed, and she suddenly looked lost in thought.

Vic had a flash then, and stumbled backwards involuntarily as the vision swarmed up. He reached for his medicine bag.

The woman who had been called Athena charged the blond demon, hoping to take advantage of her distraction. But the woman with the knife was too fast, her blade arced upward at blinding speed sending a spray of blood across the room. She then nimbly sidestepped the charge and let Athena crash to the floor.

Vic ran towards the fallen woman, confused by the visions and by... everything, really. But he still knew that the demon woman was his enemy, and thus this half-machine-thing must be a "friend".

He reached her side, blood pouring out, as a wave of energy slammed into him. Wind so strong that it hurt rolled across him and on it he could hear a deep booming word: "ZHAN!!" Somehow he knew its meaning: <stop>.

Vic turned and saw another man, one who had been silent during the discussion, an oriental giant. He stood like a mountain, ready to fight the demon with his voice of power.

Vic left him to it and got to work trying to stop Athena from bleeding out.[/ic]

[ic=Aftermath]Vic cut the bandage and tied it around Feng's neck. The brutish chinaman had been lucky that the demon woman's knife hadn't been any closer, or else he'd have been dead.

Vic had been successful in stitching up the machine woman called Athena (who apparently was still human, for the most part) and Feng had mostly been successful in driving off the black-eyed blond. The both of them were injured, but they'd survive. Feng couldn't talk anymore or use his thunderclap-shout and Athena seemed so much more fragile than she did during the fight.

The tiny chinaman, named "Mr. Mu" or something like that, had managed a system with the brute named Feng. Apparently both of them could write their fancy characters, and so Feng used the pen and ink when he needed to say something (which wasn't often).

Everyone seemed much less at odds afterward, though they were more fearful and tense.

"Her name is Juliet, or at least that's what everyone calls her." came Athena's metal voice from a silver piece of plastic that covered her lower jaw and neck. Lights flickered along it when she talked. "She stole something of mine a few years ago, and I've been trying to keep an eye out for her since."

Athena spoke clean English, and continued to show more humanity to offset her alien-ness, smiling despite never opening her mouth. "She must be behind... whatever is happening to us."

<Ye don't know what's going on either? Ye'll forgive me ifn I don't believe the lies of another monster.> croaked Jarji skeptically.

"I woke up in one of those pods, same as you-"

<Sheepshit! I didn't see ye, and believe me... I would've.>

"It's because I can turn invisible." and before Jarji could bark out another <Sheepshit!> she disappeared from her seat on the floor just as if she'd been swallowed up by the air.

<Is that part of your tech?> asked an attractive oriental with weird hair who hadn't yet introduced herself.

Athena re-materialized and shook her head. "No. It only started when I woke up. I can control it though. It seems like it's probably connected to Feng's boombox trick... I assume you didn't have that ability yesterday, big guy?"

The chinaman shook his head, cringing as the bandage rubbed against his throat.

Vic cleared his throat. "'K, so things could have gone a lot better. I suspect this 'Juliet' character is gonna try and pick us off one by one mano a mano like she tried to do with Mohandas and some people here are gonna get kilt if we just sit back and let it happen. I don't like getting kilt. Anyone who doesn't like getting kilt better be ready to work together. Anyone here wanna work t'gether wit' me?"

Athena looked appreciatively at Vic with her one semi-normal eye, but the black fellow named Thaba spoke up with apprehension. "Now hold on a second. This seems awfully unclear to me... *cough*" The man seemed to be sick, and getting worse by the minute by the look of it. "Why should I trust you, again? Just because *cough* I see some crazy bitch show up with a knife doesn't exactly mean everyone else is a-okay."

"I trust him." chimed in the machine-woman.

Thaba interjected "No offense intended, but your word doesn't carry a lot of weight. You're the only one here that seems to be from the buck-rogers future land *cough*"

Athena looked annoyed. "Mohandas and Juliet are from my time-period, too! By Mr. Sharma's comment about the United-"

"Exactly. How do we know you're not all in this together?" Thaba's voice was getting hoarse, and his eyes becoming bloodshot. Whatever was happening to him was happening fast.

Another thing happened fast, too. One of the quiet men in the group, a red-bearded white guy raised a finger at Thaba. "I knew I saw you somewhere 'fore! You're that nigger that got me locked up!"

"You bastard... *cough* I didn't get you locked up! You attacked me!"

It was clear that the two gentlemen knew each-other, but Vic wasn't about to let another fight break out, especially between folks that weren't unholy hellspawn. Vic began to spin them a yarn about unity and brotherhood and all that, and he half-believed that he might be able to get the men to not kill each other for the moment (assuming Thaba did't die of coughing beforehand). And then Juliet came back.[/ic]

[ic=Kidnapping]There was a child amongst the strangers, a little girl. Odd how that could be overlooked, as you'd think she'd be crying for her parents or something. But as it turned out she was quiet and content to watch in amazement even in the midst of battle. Some mixture of shock and obliviousness, Vic decided later. Kids are mighty stupid, after all.

"¡Ahí está!" exclaimed the man in all black, pointing at Juliet who was lurking near the girl. Her skin was so pale in contrast to those deep black veins, and her eyes were still onyx.

Juliet had the girl in her arms and was off before half of the people could react. The cowgirl took off her shotgun and pointed it, before Mya knocked it down and chastized her for possibly hitting the girl.

Feng, even with his previous injury and fatigued from the previous fight, launched himself at Juliet and tried to trip her with some fancy Kung-fu, but Juliet was too fast. She slid past the man in black like a racehorse and was out of the room before Vic even had a chance.

The group thundered after her, rushing to the stone archway that served as a door to the room. A hallway lit by a dim light shot off the left and the right. Another door was straight ahead.

<Damn she's fast!> swore the woman with the shotgun, looking around futilely.

"Maybewise she went in here." said Vic, approaching the door on the opposite side of the hall. The door was another archway of white stone carved with designs that peeled back like some kind of curtain upon being approached. Inside was a great room with what Vic could see was some kind of machine. He was about to investigate further when a glowing glass orb came rolling down the hallway from the left of the pod tower.

<This way!> the others called, and Vic was forced to follow. Up they ran, following the curve of the hallway to the left. It seemed to wind counterclockwise around the outside of the tower, ascending at a steady grade.

At the top they found a doorway leading into a room of pure darkness. They hesitated then, fearing the woman with the knife. This was her domain, and who knew what kind of traps she had set.

Somehow the prospect of chasing after some random kid wasn't so inviting.[/ic][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Odds And Ends]
[ic=Spiral Hall 2]Outside Pod Tower 2 is a hallway identical to Spiral Hall except that the counterclockwise direction leads to the pitch-black room and it's not clear what is in the opposite direction. See the event thread for physical description.[/ic]

[ic=Control Room(?)]Opposite Pod Tower 2 (across the hall) is a control room. In the period following the kidnapping Vic eventually investigates it.

The entire room is made of stone. A path from the doorway leads across a flat area up to an outcropping of rock that rises sharply in a slant while the floor falls away to the sides. The outcropping is large enough to fit two people walking side-by-side and is several meters long, rising at a steady angle the whole way. About four meters in front of the tip of the rock is a perfectly smooth surface of black stone, curved inward, like a great concave screen that wraps around the entire side of the room. At the tip of the rock is a metal interface, perhaps a control panel of some kind.

On the left and the right of the door are 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 are beach-ball sized orbs of white light very similar to those floating around the garden. One such bulb has been removed and was last seen rolling down the hallway.

In the center of the flat area before the rock outcropping is a circular engraving made of white stone shaped oddly like an orifice. Just like the arched "doorways" it peels back when approached. When open an acrid smell billows up from below bringing images of burnt skin to mind. With the scent comes a chill, as though it is very cold below.[/ic]

[ic=Questions]Despite the confusion, Vic is able to squeeze some answers out of his fellow abductees.

Everyone queried can name roughly where they were before they woke up in the tower, but it's always a fuzzy sort of memory, like they were drunk and it just sort of fades into nothingness. Athena was lounging in her appartment. Jarji was getting ready to bring his sheep in from the pasture. Mya was visiting her sister who lived out of town. Mu Qi was copying a few messages for Cao Cao (he emphasizes "Cao Cao" again, seeming to expect a reaction, not realizing that Vic doesn't give a rat's ass about some ancient chinaman). In general there seems to be no pattern or important feature to their stories.

One interesting note, however, is that several of those he talk to told Vic that they don't remember having what they awoke with, or that they remember having different things. The red-bearded man who introduces himself as Henry says that he was in jail, but when he awoke he found himself in his old clothes and holding the baseball bat that he used in the fight that got him locked up.

Unfortunately, nobody has ever heard of Vic, or knows what happened to him. Athena says that as best she can tell (and she seems like she knows a thing or two) there isn't anyone in the group that's particularly famous besides her. She says that she heard that Juliet had died in a gunfight a couple years ago, though.

Nobody seems to have any knowledge of significant disappearances. The creepy Spanish priest in the mask says that abductions were common where he was from, but they were the result of conflicts with the native people rather than the work of God (which he seems to imply was the cause of ending up here).

The idea of Juliet's death leads Vic to consider the possibility that this is the afterlife and that everyone had died. Athena thinks it's unlikely. Meeting Juliet in the afterlife along with a bunch of strangers doesn't really make any sense to her. She thinks it's more likely that Juliet is involved in some kind of conspiracy, and mentions the possibility of modifying people's memories to, perhaps, make them *think* they were from the past. This prospect is a bit too heavy for Vic, but he eventually discards the line of inquiry. The mysterious powers that people seem to have, the ability to understand each other, this place... there's just not enough to go on yet.[/ic]

[ic=Juliet]One thing that Vic does manage to learn about, however, is Juliet. Athena apparently had never met the woman in person, but their lives had crossed professionally. Juliet is a professional criminal, says Athena.She was hired by an international organized crime syndacate named the Matsuyama-Salazar Cartel to steal an incredibly rare and valuable sculpture from Athena about five years ago (About 2091). Juliet, being a top-notch thief, managed to infiltrate Athena's mansion in Bucharest and get out with the sculpture without being detected. Athena had to pay off someone inside the cartel to leak her the information on the job and she spent a few months trying to track Juliet down "to bring her to justice". Juliet was too slippery, and too hard to find, however, and Athena eventually gave up.

Athena never forgets a face, however, and she knew Juliet the moment she saw her from the pictures she had collected (apparently her weird eye-thing helped somehow). Juliet apparently knew Athena, too, by how she said her name. According to Athena, Juliet was a normal human back before the abduction. The black eyes and veins and her freakishly fast movements are new (though she was always famed for her speed with a knife).[/ic]

[ooc=Next Turn][ic=Crimson Lullaby]Public, Opportunity, Blood

Requirement: Only Juliet may be assigned to this event.

If Lucie escapes Juliet's clutches this event is disrupted.

Juliet fears that she cannot protect Lucie's innocence from the corrupting touch of the others. The only option left is to preserve her purity by sending her onward to a better place...
If assigned, Juliet goes fully off the deep end, unlocking the Monster destiny and gaining the following bonus permanently. (Note that this is not the only possible Monster bonus, nor the only way to achieve the destiny.)
[ic=Witch of the Wood]Juliet can move between monstrous and innocent "modes". When in monstrous mode her physical form is similar to that induced by the hoop artifact (distorted voice, black eyes, pale skin, and veins), but amplified and more inhuman (I suggest black, prehensile hair, claws and fangs, but the specifics are up to you). When in innocent form her appearance is the same beautiful face that she had on Earth.

She can activate monstrous form by burning one unit of blackslime. Innocent form returns 12 hours after monstrous form is activated or 24 hours after being subjected to the hoop artifact, whichever is longer.

When in her monstrous form, Juliet gains the standard +2 Blood in Melee Combat and Politics, and -4 Frost and Iron in Politics and Social as well as the -1 Dust in all domains. She also gains an additional +1 Blood in all domains, deadliness of weapons is -2 when dealing damage to her, and whenever she deals damage to a human the wound she makes becomes tainted such that it takes twice as much time and energy to heal.

As part of being the Witch of the Wood, Juliet also becomes telepathically aware of all who enter her domain and capable of communicating them through mental whispers. (Regardless of her form.) Blackslime also can substitute for food or water for her.

Alas, Juliet's dark reputation prevents her from having any allies, and NPCs that encounter her in her horrific state for the first time immediately lose two loyalty and become hostile. Loyalty is still a measure of how well you can call in favors, etc, even if it will never result in an NPC being controllable.[/ic]
[/ic][/ooc]
[/spoiler]

Vic doesn't have any tokens or artifacts yet.

Athena will gain two unhappiness tokens at the end of turn 7 from being injured.

[spoiler=Athena (Ally)]Loyalty: 2

Athena is injured (-2 to all elements in all domains)
Athena is recovering from a major wound. Her injured status cannot be removed through normal medicine for the next 22 hours.

Tokens:
* Unhappiness x1

Mundane Traits:
* Intelligent
* Cunning
* Ambitious
[ic=Cyborg]Body Trait, Public, Iron

+1 Iron and Dust in the Skill domain.
+1 Dust in the Machines domain.
+1 Iron in the Strength domain.

This character can see in the dark and has perfect recall of what they see and hear (including the ability to play back what they heard to anyone present). This character cannot start with any items other than their augments. If their augments are removed they are crippled and cannot be assigned to events unless specifically noted otherwise.[/ic]

Superhuman Trait: Invisibility

Items:
* Cybernetic Augments (see trait)[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Events]
1.

Quote from: Simultaneous[ic=Influence]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only the 2nd batch of chosen may be assigned here.

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=Racial Tensions]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only the 2nd batch of chosen may be assigned here.

Henry (the red-bearded man with the baseball bat) and Thaba (the black man with the cough) get into a fight. When you assign a character to this event you may decide which of the men they support. Each supported man increases his loyalty to you by 1. If a majority of characters backs one of the men than the other one backs down and his loyalty to those who supported his opponent drops by 1. If there is a tie (including if no third parties are assigned) than Thaba becomes injured and uses his ability on Henry (unknown effect) additionally increasing tensions between the men.[/ic]

[ic=The Future of Earth]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Control Room(?)

Requirement: Only Vic and Athena may be assigned here. If both are not present the event is disrupted.

Athena explains to Vic what she knows about what happened on Earth In the 20th and 21st centuries. Vic gains a knowledge token (used to buy bonuses on puzzles and out-of-character synopses of aspects of the city) and Athena's loyalty to Vic improves by 1.[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=The Perfect Scout]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only Athena Transcendent may be assigned to this event.

Though she's still recovering from her injury, Athena still has the ability to become invisible (and inaudible; the effect mutes all sounds she makes). She decides that Juliet is dangerous enough that it's important to try and follow her and see where she went and what she's up to. Athena travels up the hallway and past the lightless room to wherever Juliet went with the little girl. You learn all of what Juliet is up to during this timeslot as well as the layout of where she is. Athena is weak enough that she'll stay out of harm's way if possible.[/ic]

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

Requirement: Only the 2nd batch of chosen 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]

[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=Rouse the Mob]Public, Opportunity, Blood
Location: Pod Tower 2

Requirement: Only the 2nd batch of chosen may be assigned here.

Assigned characters work on getting the strange group angry about the kidnapping and channelling that anger into action. Whenever you assign a character here you may specify up to two unaligned NPCs that you're specifically interested in enlisting to rescue Lucie. In timeslot 3 two NPCs per assigned character will be assigned to The Room Of Shadow against Juliet. (If the player doesn't specify, NPCs will be chosen based on personality and abilities. These NPCs will be assigned even if the original rabble-rousers are not. If they are successful, the NPCs will automatically attack Juliet again on the following turn. If Juliet is damaged in The Room of Shadow and an assigned character is also assigned there, all NPCs assigned there improve their loyalty to you by 1.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=The Room of Shadow]Public, Crisis, Blood, Competitive, Combat
Location: The Lightless Room

Restriction: Only Juliet or the Chosen of Pod Tower 2 may be assigned here.

Assigned characters compete over control for the lightless room. If only one group is assigned then they gain control of the room. (It does not become a territory; control only determines which events are available for whom next turn.) If hostile characters are both assigned here there is a battle. Characters from Pod Tower 2 are assumed to have brought a light-source to the room.

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

Blood Outcome: Two random winners deal damage to two random losers. Winners and losers can be selected twice, so in the case of a 1v1 the winner would deal damage to the loser twice. The winners gain control of the room.

Iron and Frost Outcome: Up to two random losers become injured (or are killed, if previously injured). The winners gain control of the room.

Smoke Outcome: Four random characters deal damage to four opposing targets. Targets cannot be selected more than once. The winners gain control of the room.

Tie Outcome: Two random characters deal damage to two opposing targets. Targets cannot be selected more than once. Control of the room goes to a random side.

To deal damage in this event roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the character dealing damage. On a 1 or 2 the victim is injured. A 3 or 4 means they're seriously injured. A 5+ means they die.[/ic]

[spoiler=The Perfect Scout][ic=The Perfect Scout]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only Athena Transcendent may be assigned to this event.

Though she's still recovering from her injury, Athena still has the ability to become invisible (and inaudible; the effect mutes all sounds she makes). She decides that Juliet is dangerous enough that it's important to try and follow her and see where she went and what she's up to. Athena travels up the hallway and past the lightless room to wherever Juliet went with the little girl. You learn all of what Juliet is up to during this timeslot as well as the layout of where she is. Athena is weak enough that she'll stay out of harm's way if possible.[/ic][/spoiler]

4.

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

Requirement: Only the 2nd batch of chosen may be assigned here.

Assigned characters feel themselves compelled towards the trap door in the control room. Despite the foul smell of burt flesh and the frigid air, they climb down a ladder and discover a very powerful, but very dangerous, artifact. A random assigned character will equip the artifact, and it will be nearly impossible to un-equip. If a player character is assigned, select a destiny. If that character then 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=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. 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). (I should point out that these dangers won't have any immediate effect. They only impact future events.)[/ic]

[spoiler=Investigate the Machine][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][/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Perfect Scout][ic=The Perfect Scout]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Unknown

Requirement: Only Athena Transcendent may be assigned to this event.

Though she's still recovering from her injury, Athena still has the ability to become invisible (and inaudible; the effect mutes all sounds she makes). She decides that Juliet is dangerous enough that it's important to try and follow her and see where she went and what she's up to. Athena travels up the hallway and past the lightless room to wherever Juliet went with the little girl. You learn all of what Juliet is up to during this timeslot as well as the layout of where she is. Athena is weak enough that she'll stay out of harm's way if possible.[/ic][/spoiler]

5.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[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]

[ic=A Disorienting Hallway]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Disorienting Hallway

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned to this event. Vic must have been assigned to Going Down previously this turn.

If assigned, Vic finds a strange hallway in his explorations and becomes separated from the group. At the end of the hallway he meets some savages that appear to be native to this place. He speaks with them and gains their trust, taking him to their leader. Vic gains one progress point towards the Hero of the Tribe destiny.[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Event Summary]Here's turn 2! Unfortunately, Vic was blocked from becoming the De Facto Leader of the second batch. But you still managed to save Athena and gain her as an ally. She's assigned to events just like Vic. Now the question is, will you try and hunt Juliet or turn your attentions elsewhere?

1. Here you have an opportunity to gather loyalty. If you assign Athena and Vic to talk about Earth's future you'll get more loyalty for Athena, which is important because she's ambitious and thus her loyalty will tick downward naturally. Thaba and Henry are going to get into a fight. If you want you can support one of them and avoid the violence, or you can support both at the risk of suddenly having two characters in your group who hate each other. You also have the option of influencing one (or two) of the others if you have a specific character you'd like to gain as an ally.

2. Athena can, here and in the next two timeslots, spy on Juliet. It's a little risky because she's already weak, but if Juliet doesn't have some way to counter her invisibility the information could be very useful. Vic and Athena are both intelligent enough to get the machine in the control room working here, but if you want to hunt down Juliet you'll need to drum up support with the Rouse the Mob event instead. You can also assign characters to practice their skills, which will eventually let them upgrade their abilities.

3. The primary decision here is whether or not to try and capture the lightless room. Your precog ability will be useful, as it'll tell you if Juliet is being assigned to defend. If she's not there's no danger in taking it.

4. There's a major opportunity here to gain a powerful artifact. This decision has massive ramifications, so think hard before going for it. If you definitely want the Hero of the Tribe destiny you'll probably want to assign Vic to Going Down so that he can be assigned to A Disorienting Hallway. This timeslot also has another opportunity to learn to use the control room mechanism.

5. In this timeslot you get to decide whether you trust Mohandas enough to do him a favor in exchange for information. The man is mighty mysterious; it's not clear how he knows your gun in unloaded (Vic might not even know), so it may be worth being on his good side. On the other hand, he might be exactly the kind of character not to deal with. If you're pushing for a Hero of the Tribe destiny you can leave the group to pursue it. If you leave you'll still be able to control allies, but you'll have reduced ability to gain loyalty.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

Ok.

[spoiler=Vic's Assignments]
Note: These probably will change when TMG posts his.

1. Future of Earth (Vic and Athena)
2. Machine Learning (Athena) and Know Thyself (Vic)  [I am not sure exactly how the Superhuman Development token will help him? If the token wouldn't help him or isn't appropriate, then please let me know so I can assign Vic to something else, like Rouse the Mob] but TBD, maybe Rouse Mob (Vic) if Juliet tries to seize the room.
3. Room of Shadow (Vic) and Scout (Athena)  
4. Siren's Call (Athena)
Going Down (Vic) pick SMOKE (so Frost is the danger)
5. Hallway (Vic)
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Juliet's Assignments]1. None
2. You're Hungry Aren't You?
3. What's Your Doll's Name?
4. A Hiding Place[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Saitoro's Assignments]
Please don't cut back on fluff - the flavour text is honestly one of my favourite parts of this game.

1. Buddha Nature
2. Enhanced Meditation (Silver-Eyes)
3. Stoke the Flames
4. Repairs
5. Bind a Wound
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bastien assignments]
I have been a little busy, so i was unable to make role playing this last weeks. this will get better next week, so for now i'll tell you some of the inner state of Bastien.

(Bastien is a little affected from what happened with Olga, he feels guilt, next turn if possible he will try to make amends with her)
Bastien will share what's in the basket (Mary get the benefit) Bastien will talk to mary about how she feels and show concern about jessica's health (even if he don't get any info)

0. Journal entry: "What should I do now?"
1. Bastien: Soviet loyalty (controlled facet) confront her ("tell me the truth!   What happened on that blasted place??")
Riccara: Soviet loyalty
Mary: Make me a.... (make a replica of Bastien's weapon (can't make food,  I suppose))
4.Gyeong-su:A Ship
Olga:A Ship
Riccara:A Ship
Mary:A Ship
Medicine Man:A Ship
Vitus:A Ship
Bastien:explore the last hall (controlled)(he needs to clear his mind, that's the reason for him being apart from the group, he excuses and goes away)
5. Bastien: Retake the tower (Feral) (if it is possible: equip his weapon)
Riccara: Retake the tower
Gyeong-su:Retake the tower
Olga:Retake the tower
Mary:Catwalk
Medicine Man:Catwalk
Vitus:Catwalk
6. Bastien: Random pick between both events (there is confusion on his mind, he feels weak, he will choose as things go on and the turn develops. He will decide at the last minute...)[/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
Hissing Hill
Eternal Hall
Hydro Plaza
Hall of the Titans
Warren of the Watchers
The Roof
The Conduit

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	Seriously Injured
Bastien Mcgregor	N/A	Balcony of Shards	Healthy
Jens Faber	-	?	Unknown
Hong Gyeong-su	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Oryx the Exile	John	Amber Prism	Healthy
Mary of the Gond	Bastien	?	Healthy
Vitus the Rogue	Bastien	?	Healthy
John Dante	N/A	Amber Prism	Unknown
Medicine Man	Bastien	?	Healthy
Olga Surikov	Bastien	Skyward Hub	Healthy
Jéssica da Flor de Seda	John	Amber Prism+Skyward Hub	Poisoned
Emily White	John	Amber Prism	Healthy
Vic Fellowes	N/A	?	Unknown
Chan Feng	-	Pod Tower 2	Injured
Athena Transcendent	Vic	Pod Tower 2	Unknown
Mark "Thaba" Jacobs	-	Pod Tower 2	Sick and Injured
Henry McCormac	-	Pod Tower 2	Sick/Unknown
Lucie de Toulouse	-	?	Unknown
ALL OTHER NEWCOMERS	-	Pod Tower 2	Healthy

[spoiler=Saitoro]
[spoiler=Fluff]
[ic=Adrift]Saitoro sat and listened to the cold song. The events in Mikawa ran through his mind. It had only been hours before, hadn't it? It felt like centuries. Perhaps it was. Memories of blood and pain, of taking lives, of arrows falling upon soldiers with lives and families. Sadness drifted across the serenity of Saitoro's new existence. He let it go, like a bird taking flight from his soul, leaving it lighter and more empty at the same time.

There was a truth to emptiness, and Saitoro found it more comfortable with each passing minute in this enlightened shell. The samurai and their injustices still brought emotions and thoughts to him, but they flowed through him and past him.

And this place. How empty it seemed. A ghost of a city. The confusion still remained. Why had he been taken here? Why were the others here? The desire to find answers rolled through him. He was empty. Unattached. Adrift.

The song continued. Low and sweet. The scent of the wood filled his nose, even if he didn't breathe.

What would he do now?

The question rolled through him.

He couldn't just sit forever.

Why not?

...

He sat with the question for a long time, thinking about the Buddha.[/ic]

[ic=Mohandas]Truthsong grew quieter as the flames died down. Saitoro could still feel the cool breeze on his skin.

What was that thing in the sky? The thing that couldn't be remembered. Silver-eyes had remembered it. He had come prepared for it.

The chime of the bell seemed clear in his ears, though it was merely a memory. The only sounds were that of the censer and the occasional bubble traveling through a pipe.

Who was that man? He seemed to know Saitoro. Had they met before? What was the nature of the book in his arms?

The kixthish drifted through to him, touching the edges of his mind without pulling it into shadow. Truthsong was his shield and visions came to him as he sat.

"My name is Mohandas Sharma, and I am your king." he said. His eyes glinted as he looked down on the chosen. "Or emperor--that would sound better in English, don't you think? Emperor Sharma the First..."

"Like hell you are! Why should you be king?" shouted a voice from below, rough and strong.

The silver eyes snapped downward in a piercing glare. The man, whom Saitoro was sure was Japanese, regardless of his unfamiliarity with the language, smiled arrogantly. "For two reasons: The first is that I am better than you. Better than any of you, better than all of you. I'm smarter, more creative, more knowledgeable, and more wise."

The scene boiled into steam like water thrown into a hot pan. The man called Mohandas was standing over Bastien Mcgregor, one of the others from the tower. Bastien was chained to a table and his upper body was completely exposed. Even his magic amulet was gone. The white man gnashed his teeth and fought against the chains ineffectually.

<So much resistance... Did Marianne teach you to resist torture as well as everything else? She was always such a pest.> Silver-eyes gazed impassionately at Bastien as he spoke in his foreign tongue. <No matter. You'll wear yourself out eventually. I have all the time in the world.>

Bastien began to say something as the dream collapsed back to its previous state. Mohandas commanded his great audience. His clothes were different. They were regal. Emperor Sharma.  Cries of anger came up from below, but his subjects could not reach him beyond the field.

"And secondly!" he shouted them down. "And secondly... I can travel through time." He paused for dramatic effect. "In addition to other things it means that I will always be three steps ahead."

Saitoro could see the doors open at that instant, as though unlocked by his very words. Creatures swarmed in from all directions, howling and roaring as they charged.

The song ended, and once again Saitoro was sitting amidst the pipes.[/ic]

[ic=Healing]Saitoro could already feel the delusional effects of the kixthish encroaching upon the corners of his mind. The prophetic effect of the energies was useful, but he doubted that it was good to have them leaking about the building like this. He had dodged the last "replica spillover", but if the kixthish continued to flow there was always the risk of another.

Saitoro lifted the 香炉 from the ground. It was still warm. With some exploration he returned to the basin where he had collected the original chips and refilled Truthsong to the brim. Using the mechanism he rekindled the beautiful music and took a moment to tear the last of his sleeves to form a bandage from the injuries he had sustained in combat. His body didn't protest from the loss of blood, but it was sensible to stay in good health anyway. The scratches had re-opened upon facing the screamer again, but he was glad to see that most of the cuts were already well on their way to healing anyway.

The smoke from the censer washed the illusions from his mind and revealed the kixthish trails drifting between the pipes.

For a while Saitoro wandered the maze looking for something resembling a tool. A hammer, perhaps, with which to beat the pipe into shape. There wasn't much that was portable here, however, just pipes and vats and valves. The monk had never seen a valve before, so the idea didn't come quickly, but Saitoro was nothing if not observant. After enough wandering and observing he deduced that the valves served to direct the contents of the pipes at intersections or to simply block the flow entirely.

Returning to the source of the kixthish it was then a relatively simple matter of finding a valve which sealed the flow. Protected as he was by Truthsong, Saitoro turned a wheel and watched as the energies slowly subsided. Some part of him felt good for having fixed the leak, but mostly he just felt empty.

Saitoro sat once more and thought about purpose.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

Saitoro has Truthsong, it is active.
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 suspicious.
Saitoro has 2 Unhappiness Tokens.
Saitoro has 2 Knowledge Tokens.
Saitoro has 1 Personal Development 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=A Minor Breakthrough]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: 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]

[ic=The Lamp, The Fountain, and The Spider]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Fountain Chamber

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro follows an intuition and discovers a door which leads to a dark chamber lit by a lantern that hangs from the ceiling. Saitoro recognizes it as the lantern from his dream, and knows that it possesses some important properties. The chamber is occupied primarily by a large fountain with stone structures in the middle. Saitoro climbs the structures, obtains the lantern, and receives a vision from it about the jade spider from his dream. If Saitoro is injured when assigned, he slips from the fountain after obtaining the lantern and breaks both his legs, becoming seriously injured (he'll be unable to do much until rescued). If he is uninjured when assigned then he climbs down safely.[/ic]

[ic=A Meditation on Purpose]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Processing Plant

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro spends more time thinking about his life and his goals. Remove two Unhappiness tokens from Saitoro.[/ic]

2.

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

Requirement: 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][/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Lamp, The Fountain, and The Spider][ic=The Lamp, The Fountain, and The Spider]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Fountain Chamber

Requirement: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If assigned, Saitoro follows an intuition and discovers a door which leads to a dark chamber lit by a lantern that hangs from the ceiling. Saitoro recognizes it as the lantern from his dream, and knows that it possesses some important properties. The chamber is occupied primarily by a large fountain with stone structures in the middle. Saitoro climbs the structures, obtains the lantern, and receives a vision from it about the jade spider from his dream. If Saitoro is injured when assigned, he slips from the fountain after obtaining the lantern and breaks both his legs, becoming seriously injured (he'll be unable to do much until rescued). If he is uninjured when assigned then he climbs down safely.[/ic][/spoiler]

[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=Return to the Æther]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Æther

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

Saitoro soars into the azure, prepared for the screamer. With his bow in hand there is a 50% chance that he navigates the Æther without cost. However, there is a 50% chance that the screamer catches him and injures him. If Truthsong is present (which it will be by default), Saitoro remembers more about the monster if it catches him.[/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Replica Swarm]Public, Crisis, Iron, Combat, Competitive
Location: Processing Plant

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned here.

If Saitoro is not assigned to Return to the Æther, he must be assigned here.

The replicas mentioned by the disembodied voice from the tower finally find their way to the processing plant. If assigned, Saitoro is rushed by 2d6 feral clones of himself. Each clone is just as strong and possesses the same martial arts skill, though none will use their yumi and they do not possess any superhuman traits. When assigned, you may specify either an offensive or defensive tactic. If unspecified, the tactic is selected randomly. In offense Saitoro picks off one of the clones with his longbow before they close to melee range; Strength is a factor in the challenge. In defense Saitoro works himself into a corner and attempts to wear down the attackers; Endurance is a factor in the challenge.

Challenge domains: Melee Combat, Combat, either Strength or Endurance (see above)

Blood Outcome: All of the winners deal damage to a random loser. One random loser deals damage to one random winner.

Iron Outcome: Up to three winners deal damage to a random loser.

Smoke Outcome: Each assigned character deals damage to a random character. Weapons have -2 deadliness when damaging winners.

Frost Outcome: Up to three losers are injured and captured (if applicable).

Tie Outcome: Break ties randomly. (i.e. if one group has 3 Blood and another group has 3 Iron, decide whether the first wins with a Blood outcome or the second wins with an Iron outcome)

To deal damage, roll 1d4 and add the deadliness of the weapon of the aggressor. On a 1 or 2 the victim is injured, on a 3-4 the victim is seriously injured, or a 5+ the victim is slain. If the victim is already injured, increase the deadliness of the attack by 2, if they're seriously injured increase it by 4.[/ic]

[ic=Retake the Pod Tower]Public, Crisis, Iron, Combat, Cooperative
Location: Pod Tower

Requirements: Only Bastien and Saitoro may be assigned to this event (Oryx may come along).

Bastien's failure at retaking the tower was an embarrassment, but if he were to return to the group showing that he had managed to retake it in their absence he would be famous indeed. If Bastien regains control of the tower, he gains one progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

There are 10 replicas in the tower/hall: 2 Bastien, 2 Gyeong-su, 3 Mary, 1 Jessica, 1 Vitus, and 1 Emily.

For each character assigned here with a firearm a random replica is slain in the opening volley. For each character assigned here with a grenade a random replica is slain before the primary challenge.

This challenge is a competition between the chosen and the surviving replicas. The winners gain control of the tower and stair in addition to other outcomes.

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

Blood and Smoke Outcome: Each winner deals damage to a random loser.

Iron and Dust Outcome: If humans win, half the remaining replicas are slain; if replicas win each human takes damage from a random replica.

Tie Outcome: All assigned characters are injured (unless impervious), and an equal number of replicas are slain. The replicas maintain control of the tower.

Neglect Outcome: The replicas surge from the tower and retake the balcony, pushing any characters present into the Skyward Hub.

Damage is handled as normal (roll 1d4+deadliness).[/ic]

[ic=Another Tower]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Pod Tower 2

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event. Saitoro must have been assigned to Return to the Æther this turn.

Saitoro dives out of the Æther to find himself in another Pod Tower, but this one is occupied by a different group of strangers than he had met before. He'll learn what their experience has been as well as possibly use artifacts to uncover a secret behind the towers. Low danger. Potential progress towards the Oracle destiny.[/ic]

[ic=Amber Lights]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Amber Prism

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event. Saitoro must have been assigned to Return to the Æther this turn.

Saitoro returns to the triangular room with the strange metal structures. There he meets John Dante and company. John is different, and Saitoro gains a knowledge token as he speaks with the American. During the conversation, John shows Saitoro the building's library. You may choose to share what you've learned with John and company when you're assigned to this event. If you do, Saitoro gains a progress point towards the Sage destiny. Medium danger.[/ic]

[ic=The Roof]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Roof

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event. Saitoro must have been assigned to Return to the Æther this turn.

If assigned, Saitoro dives out of the eternal sky only to find himself under a more normal sky. The roof of the building he woke up on provides him with a clear view of the city and access to major Dust artifact on future turns. The artifact is stationary, and cannot move from the roof. There may be other Chosen in the area attempting to obtain it for themselves. Medium danger. Potential progress towards the Oracle destiny.[/ic]

[ic=Back to the Garden]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: The Garden

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event. Saitoro must have been assigned to Return to the Æther this turn.

If assigned, Saitoro returns to the garden which he visited a few hours ago. This time he meets Juliet, who is not pleased by his presence. Next turn most of his events will revolve around dealing with her. High danger. Potential progress towards Protector of the Weak destiny.[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Events Summary]Alas, Mohandas/silver-eyes did not yield progress towards being an oracle. This turn Saitoro's location is under attack by the replicas that other players have been fighting with. You're weak/alone such that it only really makes sense to retreat to the AEther; you'll probably die if you try and fight the swarm.

1. Decide whether to get the lantern artifact that Saitoro dreamed of or gain other minor boosts. Saitoro is uninjured, so there's not much reason to not get the lantern, especially if you'll be leaving the area.

2. Decide whether to get a minor boost or to flee to the AEther and potentially become injured by the screamer. Again, the threat of the replicas is so high that fleeing is vastly superior to other options.

3. If you didn't flee, you'll have to face the replicas at this timeslot and decide whether to be aggressive or defensive when facing them. If you flee to the AEther you can decide in this timeslot where to end up. You could end up helping others retake the original pod tower, or learn of the newcomers. You could meet Juliet (garden) or John (prism), or go to the roof and potentially get access to another artifact.
[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Juliet][ic=The Foundations]"That's a cute dolly, Lucie." rasped Juliet. "Does she have a name?"

The black-eyed woman was perched on a stone by a pool of water. Lucie was snacking on some purple strawberries nearby. She seemed to have calmed down quite a bit since being snatched. Nothing really fazed the little one, not for long anyway. In time she might become a collected and level-headed woman.

"Son nom est Hanrietta. Aimez-vous la?" she asked, innocently.

"Yes. She's very nice. I bet she's scared right now, being in this place." Juliet gestured around the garden, glancing nervously over her shoulder on occasion.

"Ce n'est pas effrayant. C'est une aventure." (<It's not scary. It's an adventure.>)

Juliet smiled and stood up from the rock. "But what if there was a... dragon!" She pantomimed a roar and an gnashing of claws. Lucy giggled sweetly and Juliet smiled.[/ic]

Juliet and Lucy are growing together, in the garden. Juliet is still angry and filled with dark thoughts, but the little girl's presence seems to soften them and keep her grounded. As part of scouting out the garden and keeping an eye out for pursuit, Juliet finds a dead tree with a hollow trunk. The entrance to the trunk is behind a bush and not easy to spot. The place should serve as a shelter to hide Lucie or sleep, if necessary.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bastien Mcgregor]
[spoiler=Fluff]
[ic=Bastien's Journal]Bastien Mcgregor
1 Day Since Arrival

This place goes on and on. We ran from the creeping sand all night, but it's over the entire building. If we had managed to get the ship or elevator working we might've been able to get a good night's rest on the ground. But at least we're all alive... That's what's important. And who knows, maybe we can make camp here in the gallery and sleep through the day.

Food, water, rest, and safety. It's my job as leader to make sure we always have enough. Once the basics are taken care of we can spend more time on figuring out what's going on. Should I try and take the group back through to the gardens to restock on food? Dante and the other corrupted seem to have a tight grip on them, but we have the numbers advantage...[/ic]

[ic=Four Women]Bastien took a pear from the basket and handed it to the Indian woman. She still sat by Layla, watching for any sign of consciousness. "Still nothing?" he asked simply.

Mary shook her head sadly and brushed Layla's forehead. <She's been dreaming for hours. The eyes move, but she will not awaken.>

Bastien Mcgregor turned his attention to the black woman who had recently awoken. "How about you? What happened, anyway?"

Jéssica smirked and let her grip on John's oversized coat loosen, "accidentally" revealing more than a little skin, her dress still torn from the battle on the balcony. <Poison. Long story. Turns out you shouldn't just drink the first thing you see.> Her smirk was replaced by a grimace as she clutched her stomach. <I think I'm just going to rest for a while, actually.>

"Good idea. We can take care of things." After a moment Bastien remembered the basket. "Want something?"

Jéssica merely shook her head and turned to curl up on the floor, using the coat like a blanket. "Deixe-me saber se você encontrar uma cama." (<Let me know if you find a bed.>)

John pulled Mary aside down one of the halls. "I don't suppose that trick of yours lets you make beds?" he asked, brushing his right hand over the amulet for a briefly.

<Actually->

"Wait. No. That's not the right move... We're still in danger. Do you remember my sword? Can you make that?"

The older woman frowned.

"What's wrong? Can't make it?"

Mary shook her head. <No. I can. I was just... You remind me of my son. He's always looking for things to fight. I just...> Her large dark eyes began to fill with tears and she looked away. <I just hope he's okay.> she spoke in a voice barely over a breath, clearly trying not to break down in front of the Englishman. Her hands began to move from side to side in an eerie fashion as she slowly collapsed onto the floor.

Bastien was about to try and say something comforting when Rikki called his name from the central chamber. He set the basket down next to Mary instead. Maybe the food would cheer her up.

The amulet tingled faintly. "Is something wrong?" he asked, returning to the hub. Rikki seemed excited, but there wasn't any sign of danger. Bastien was worried that the beast from the hellish metal room would know how to go through the trick hallway, but it appeared content to stay in its domain.

"Nothing big. You remember how you asked me about 'Cossackia' earlier?"

Bastien's eyes reflexively jumped to Olga. With the amulet hanging loose he was all too aware that Rikki's words would get him in trouble if they were overheard. Thankfully Olga was engaged with Jéssica, using a vanity mirror to tend to her face wounds. Bastien pulled Rikki down another hallway so they could have at least a shred of privacy. "What of it?" he intoned quietly, hoping the girl would catch on.

Rikki pulled a strange black object out of the pocket of her jeans. "Okay, so I don't have a ton of battery on here, but I was thinking about how I downloaded a local copy of Wikipedia about three months ago... the compact version of course, not the full-"

Bastien put a hand on her shoulder. The touch seemed to startle her, but she smiled warmly as Bastien said "Hold on... Did you find this here? What are you talking about?"

The pale light from the hall glinted off her small nose piercing as she laughed. "It's just a phone! But you're only from the year 2000, huh. Yeah, so basically it's a computer." Bastien frowned; he didn't have a lot of experience with computers, having spent most of his recent years training with weapons and learning the ancient secrets of house Mcgregor. From what he remembered they were easy enough (that was a common experience for him), but it seemed silly that one could be so small. Rikki continued "And I've got this database of information... Like an encyclopedia. Anyway, I looked up Cossackia for you."

"And?"

"And so I found out that its the name of a country that never existed. The cossacks are this ethnic group from southern Russia which were opposed to the communists and suffered greatly under Stalin's regime. The... encyclopedia even used the word 'genocide'. A lot of cossacks fought for the Nazis in World War 2 because they were promised an independent state if the Germans won... Hey, where are you going?"

The amulet was tingling again. "To talk with Olga. Thanks for the help."

"Wait! I'm coming with you." said Rikki as she began to fly after him. Bastien had always been popular with women, but on occasion it was inconvenient. Rikki's presence would make things harder, but at the same time he couldn't think of a good reason to send her away.

Bastien told Gyeong-su to make sure the balcony was still safe as he went to talk with the Russian woman. The korean nodded and stalked off down a hall before disappearing.

Olga had managed to stop the bleeding, but the claw marks would leave a nasty scar. She hadn't really been beautiful before, but Olga was looking downright ugly now. The scowl didn't help. Jéssica backed off to rest when she saw Bastien and Rikki coming.

"Olga, we need to talk."

<Ach. I'm fine.> she muttered disdainfully as she headed down the hall to the bridge after Gyeong-su.

"No, you're not. I'm not. None of us are." replied the Englishman, grabbing a sleeve of her coat.

"Provalivay!" she spat, jerking her arm free and continuing to storm off. She disappeared into the bridge room before Bastien could catch up.

"I know you're upset, but we have to talk about this!" called the Englishman as he stepped into the fog. Heat radiated from the slime, below. It was impossible to tell how many people were in the room, but Bastien suspected that Gyeong-su had already left.

"Bastien's right. We need to trust each other." said Rikki, now floating past him.

Olga came into view. The jewel on her chest glowed a faint blue as it held her up over the slime by the thin golden bands. Her arms were crossed beneath it and her eyes repeatedly darted from Bastien to Rikki and back again. "I agree." she spat. "But it's easier to say that when you weren't left for dead."

Bastien was getting tired of this. Olga was acting like a child. His arm reached for the amulet but stopped and thought better of it. "Bloody hell. It was you who left me behind first! What about that?"

<I don't abandon my comrades.> she said coldly.

"Tell me the truth! What happened in that blasted place??" Bastien let the words hang in the air for a moment. It was a gamble, but it felt right. "You're acting like a bloody cossack!"

From behind the long scabs, painted black from the ghostly green light, Olga stared at Bastien. Her brow arched with fury, but her lips couldn't seem to move.

Even Rikki seemed a little shocked at Bastien's words. "Uh... Bastien... maybe we should give her a break..."

<Fine. You want the truth?> the Russian woman said at last, still hovering with her arms crossed. <The truth is I don't know you, I don't know this place, and I don't know what's going on. You led us into that... place and yes, I tried to leave you behind. I don't give a shit about you or any of the rabble back there and I'd leave you all behind to die if it meant I'd survive.>

The blond woman drifted closer to the bridge, floating ominously higher than Bastien and clearly holding back a flood of emotions. <This stupid jewel saved me from the demon, but the truth is that I don't deserve it. I betray everyone eventually. My whole life was one huge lie and this hell-> Olga uncrossed her arms and gestured at the foggy room. <Is my reward.>

Bastien was a bit stunned by the outburst. Rikki was the one who responded. "So... you're actually a cossack, then?"

<I was. And I was helping the Nazis, too! And then I died, and you died, and you died!> Her finger shot out. <And it's all gone. They're all dead. The people I was betraying. My people. Everyone! We're a footnote in history and all my life ever added up to was being sent to a Christian hell that I never believed in to get chased by demons and be reminded of my sins!>

"We're not dead!" interjected the American girl.

<How can you be so sure?> snapped Olga.

"Dead people don't become super-heroes!"

<Then explain the demon.>

"I don't know! Maybe it's, like, a mutant or some-"

Bastien interrupted. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who you were, Olga. It doesn't matter which side of the war you were on. It doesn't even matter what happened back in the room with the crystals. It doesn't matter whether you're dead or not. Right now we're all in danger and right now we need to stick together. Hell or not, I don't want to meet that thing again, and it seems like we have the power to prevent it. We need to think minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. There are people back there than need our help, and I'd like you there with me."[/ic]

[ic=The Last Hall]The book was obnoxiously heavy. The last few hours had been full of excitement and switching to carrying the journal under one arm was tiring. But Bastien felt better with his sword in the other hand. Without the sword he was just some guy, but he felt that the blade served to complete him. It was a symbol.

Mary had done a fantastic job creating another one. Bastien presumed that the original was lying somewhere on the bottom of the blackslime tank, but to look at the new blade, he couldn't tell the difference. Magic. It was the only word for it. To make something out of nothing. This whole place was magical in a way that he had never even begun to suspect from Marianne's teachings.

Like most of the hallways, this one was lit by a band of white light that came from behind glass set into the ceiling. The hall was many meters long, but had no doors or significant features. It turned at right angles several times, and at one point descended about a meter and a half with a stairway. Rikki's comments about the spaces involved came back to Bastien, and he realized that the generic hallway reminded him more of a tunnel than anything else.

Bastien felt the moisture before he actually saw the water. He stayed alert, but internally he felt relieved to have found a water source that wasn't in the garden. He really didn't want to have to go back there, especially with the sense of foreboding that the journal gave him. "Dante and the other corrupted" it had read. If John wasn't trustworthy... Bastien needed a break. It's why he had decided to scout this last hall by himself.

The sound of streams and waterfalls filled his ears as the hallway at last opened into a tremendous space. It was composed of circular platforms raised to various heights with curved ramps leading up to each platform. The circles were at least 20 meters in diameter, but the most noticeable thing was that Bastien was outside. Weirdly, he didn't seem to be high in the air. In fact, as he looked beyond the immediate surroundings, Bastien could see tall buildings beyond the platforms.

Water played off of structures all around the disks. Great waterfalls poured from one disk to the next and Bastien could see a fountain on the top platform, about a hundred meters in the air. The disks were white stone and most of them were supported by smooth ivory pillars. The lowest of the raised platforms was held up by walls, however, and Bastien could see an entryway into the room beneath it, lit from below by cool blue glass. The sun overhead was strong, and though the temperature was fairly cool, Bastien guessed that it'd be quite hot out here once the day progressed.

The hallway from which the Englishman came was set into a low, windowless building made of red stone. The openness of the place was a shocking contrast to the confined rooms of building 29. If he chose Bastien could probably walk in any direction without consequence.

Bastien approached one of the streams carefully. Jéssica had warned him that some of the water had been poisoned, or something to that effect. He stared at it and touched it. Nothing. It seemed cold and clean as the water from a faucet. He was thirsty, too, more thirsty than he realized. The hellscape had burned the fluids out of him as sweat.

Setting the book and sword down, Bastien slowly took a drink. It was delicious.[/ic]

[ic=The Ship]Before leaving, Bastien had told Olga that she should lead the group in his absence and told Gyeong-su to listen to her desires. It was a gamble. Olga had proven herself to be self-centered and more than a little deceptive, but Bastien wanted her to know that she was still welcome in the group. The last thing they needed was to turn on each-other.

Perhaps fearing the demon from the pit, Olga (and Gyeong-su) arranged for everyone to return to the balcony. The craft there seemed promising, and there was concern about staying near John and Oryx. Jéssica volunteered to go find them, as she had experience with that section of the building.

Olga, still playing the part of the communist, had everyone contribute to deducing the function of the craft. Vitus clearly resented the exercise, constantly taking offense at little movements or remarks until eventually Olga told him to stay back with Emily and Layla. Emily, despite probably understanding the thing more than anyone, refused to help them deduce its operation, though she would not say why.

Ultimately their fumbling search yielded nothing but dead-ends. Tired of looking, they eventually broke off the investigation as Jéssica, Oryx, and Bastien returned. When asked, Oryx only said that John was not feeling well, and stayed behind to rest.[/ic]

[ic=Trained Warriors]Bastien reported that he found fresh water, which people seemed quite pleased by, especially after the failure to get the craft working.

"And as much as I'd like to just send everyone there, I think it's best if we try and push back up the tower and follow up on some other leads right now. We've driven the smoke clones back from here, but we need to show them that they can't just come and attack us without repercussions."

Gyeong-su gave a sharp bow, there on the balcony in the light of the rising sun. It looked overly formal and somewhat silly. Bastien looked at Olga and Rikki. Rikki simply nodded, but she looked nervous.

Oryx, however, refused to help. "My place is with John. Good luck." he said awkwardly before slipping off through the third doorway.

Bastien spoke with Mary about investigating Medicine Man's discovery and then the group of the four of them re-entered the central door back into the spiral hall.

Leading the way, Bastien found himself gripping his amulet with a white knuckled grip, his tense disposition working its way out despite his best attempts to keep his fears off of his face.  Gyeong-su moved with him, surely placing one foot in front of the other, wearing an equally determined look. Loyalty aside, it seemed like fighting yourself was something one never really got used too. A footstep ahead, and Bastien brandished his sword ahead of him.

Some time later, the battle grew hot. Bastien's muscles burned, and rivulets of sweat burned his eyes as he furiously tried to blink them away. While the copies were not as numerous as expected, they were effective. The way in which they covered each other, their defensive combat style. He supposed Gyeong-Su's martial prowess was both a blessing and a curse, as he worked to break the guard of one of the copies of his formidable ally, while said ally fought two copies of Bastien himself. Olga and Rikki were serving to distract a fourth copy admirably, using their powers of flight to avoid harm while relieving Bastien of the pressure of being outnumbered.  Of course, just as the thought crossed his mind, Rikki screamed.

Their progress had been steady, forcing the crude copies up the hall and past even the door to the room in which they had awakened. Bastien had to have known this was too easy. He should have kept up his awareness, looked twice before proceeding, anything to have averted this disaster. Rikki sobbed, almost caressing the sword that protruded from her abdomen, as Olga clawed at the new attacker in a rage, forcing them back. But soon there were more, three then five then a call for retreat. Bastien had led them too deep. They were unprepared, now he would cover their retreat. Gyeong-Su, in a hasty manner, hoisted Rikki in his arms and moved to back out of the hall, as Olga looked about eyes wide in panic. At least she had stopped accusing Bastien long enough for them to make their escape. The impassive eyes of the copies would haunt him forever, as he stepped back out of the hall once more defeated, once more unsated in his anger. Were those eyes pressed against by the same anger he held? Or were they just as cold as the steel in his hand.

The four humans fled from the hallway back to the balcony, hearing the jeers and screams of the feral copies echo behind them. Bastien held them off at the doorway as Gyeong-su gently set Rikki onto the fractal-patterned metal. The sword was still in her, somehow. The long hilt was unmistakably identical to the one he held in his hands.

<She's still breathing!> called Olga.

Bastien felt a sharp intake of breath; the relief was overwhelming. He'd already lost one friend, and to lose another by his command... Suddenly the mantle of leadership seemed unbearable, but the others looked at him expectantly.

Bastien let go of the amulet and the words came to him effortlessly.

"Get her to the others! I'll hold these bastards back for as long as I can, but we must press on! This place has been one danger after the next, and from what I've read it won't get any safer. There's some fresh water down the hall between the elevator and the bridge. If I don't make it back, let Olga take the group down there. Try and wake Layla if you can... Don't look at me like that, Gyeong, they're both at least as capable as me. I know you're all looking to me for guidance, but you have to take care of each other. Take care of Rikki. She... she doesn't deserve to die by my hand."

Gyeong-su looked like he was about to say something stern and Olga wore a face that Bastien knew was masking her true feelings. He cut off the Korean. "Go! Go!"

Gyeong-su picked Riccara up again and started off towards the door. Olga hesitated and for a moment she seemed deeply sorry. As the jewel carried her off, Bastien once again took his amulet in his left hand and turned to face the coming replicas.[/ic]

[ic=The Replicator]While Bastien and the others attempted to push the replicas out of the tower, Mary, Medicine Man, and Vitus returned with Layla and Jéssica to the hub.

<Bastien... you found something interesting?> Mary asked the dramatic American quietly.

<Indeed I did. I found someone new. Someone who wasn't in a pod. They might still be there if we hurry.> He swung his arms as if to say "lead the way". Mary couldn't understand how the man knew she'd been asked to investigate with him, but she didn't object.

<You too, Vitus.> he commanded, smiling gently.

Vitus shook his shaggy head and grunted something close to "no".

<I'm afraid it wasn't a request. Jéssica here will take good care of the dreamer. I'm afraid that I don't trust you to do the same.>

Vitus scowled darkly and grunted again as he sulked down the corridor after Mary.

The three of them disappeared through a hall and eventually made it to the top of the infernally long ladder. The catwalk was just as the Medicine Man had left it. Down below they could see the shadow-creatures lurking in a great mass.

Medicine Man, no longer desiring to hide himself, strode out on the walkway towards the room set into the ceiling. The beasts quickly spotted him and as they did they began to change into clones of him and Mary and Vitus. Their black eyes stared up at the walkway and as they solidified they began to screech and hollar madly.

The figure in the room, alerted by the noise came to a window that looked out at the catwalk and the room below. The three could see now that the man within had glinting metal eyes and an east-Asian appearance, but dressed in a business suit.

"नमस्कार, दोस्तों!" (<Hello, friends!>) he called in Hindi. Mary was startled to hear him use her tongue and she waved cautiously in return. The man opened the door to the catwalk, which was, remarkably, a metal hatch with a handle, not the white magical stone encountered elsewhere.

Vitus gripped his dagger tightly as they walked towards him. The Roman didn't trust the stranger one bit, which wasn't exactly uncommon, but Vitus had an especially bad feeling about the silver-eyed man.

<I see you've found the replicator, and not a moment too soon. I've been trying to figure out how->

Mary, of all people, interrupted. <My name is Mary of the Gond tribe.> she said quickly, bowing with a stiff motion and not rising to look at the stranger.

<Ah. My apologies. My name is Mohandas Sharma. And before you ask, I am not from around here. I awoke in a tower just as you did.> He did not bow.

Mary completed the introduction with a <pleasure to make your acquaintance> and raised her gaze, though never to meet his eyes. Vitus and Medicine Man stayed silent.

<As I was saying...> Mohandas began to walk back into the room, and the three followed him cautiously. <I've been trying to figure out how to deactivate the replicator. It seems to be channeling excess kixthish into forming those beasts automatically as some sort of defense mechanism. Someone seems to have damaged the kixthish containment system, and this replicator is a failsafe. It's almost like trying to drink all the water that comes out of a faucet when the drain is clogged, amusing, no?>

Medicine Man was the only one who didn't stare at him in confusion, but this words implied that he was also lost. <Each man and woman awoke with a start in an egg in a tower. Some could fly while others saw within the mind. The amazing Mohandas Sharma possessed the power to stun and confuse his foes with words alone.>

Mohandas laughed politely. <I encourage you to play with the controls-> Silver-eyes swept his hands out in front of an array of knobs, levers and gauges. <But I must be off to the roof. I believe I have a ride waiting for me, and it would hardly be polite to keep them waiting.

At this, the Asian man made his way to a ladder set into the side of the room and began to climb. Another metal hatch was above the ladder.

<Wait!> called Medicine Man, but as soon as he did Mohandas seemed to disappear into thin air.

For a while the three of them stood there amidst the cries of the foul copies staring at the machinery which none of them had any familiarity with.

<Like eagles gliding over the forests we ought to fly home to roost. This is the domain of fish, not birds.>

Mary nodded solemnly and the three of them started back towards the hub.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

Mary is now carrying the shoddy basket. She ate the food.
Olga's secret identity has been discovered. Her traits are a bit different than previously suspected (see below). Her mother died at the hands of communist soldiers and she's spent her entire adult life attempting to undermine the USSR, particularly by serving as a Nazi spy.
Rikki is seriously injured, as such she cannot be assigned to events this turn.

Bastien is carrying the journal and his sword.

Bastien's tokens: None
Bastien has one progress point towards the Connected (Olga) destiny.
Bastien has one progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

[spoiler=Hong Gyeong-su (Ally)]Loyalty: 9

Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x2

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

Superhuman Trait: Impervious

Items:
* Armor
* Tiger Sword (long blade)[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Olga Surikov (Ally)]Loyalty: 4

Olga has absorbed 14 units of blackslime (she cannot currently absorb more).

Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Corruption x1
* Unhappiness x3

Mundane Traits:
* Firearm Training
* False Identity
* Physically Fit
* Ambitious

Supernatural Trait: Power Vampire

Items:
* Flight Jewel[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Riccara Vaillancourt (Ally)]Loyalty: 5

Riccara is seriously injured.

Tokens: None

Mundane Traits:
* Attractive
* Young
* Intelligent
* Naive

Supernatural Trait: Flight

Items:
* Smartphone

Rikki is bisexual.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Mary of the Gond (Ally)]Loyalty: 3
Tokens:
* Superhuman Development x1
* Unhappiness x8
* Knowledge x1

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

Supernatural Trait: Conjuration

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

[spoiler=Medicine Man (Ally)]Loyalty: 2
Tokens:
* Unhappiness x3
* Knowledge x1

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

Supernatural Trait: Basic Shapeshifting

Items:
* Waterskin (Empty)
* ???[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vitus (Ally)]Loyalty: 2

Tokens:
* Unhappiness x12
* Knowledge x1

Mundane Traits:
* Secretive
* Watchful
* Paranoid
* ???

Supernatural Trait: ???

Items:
* Dagger
* ???[/spoiler]

Other Loyalties:
Jéssica: 2
Emily: 2
Oryx: 1

All of your characters except Bastien, Gyeong-su, and Medicine man will gain an unhappiness token this turn unless they get water.

[spoiler=Events]
1.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Replicator Console]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Replicator Control Room

Restriction: Only Medicine Man, Mary, or Vitus may be assigned here.

Assigned characters examine the controls to the replicator and attempt to shut it down.

Challenge domains: Machines, Skill

Iron Outcome: Roll 1d6. If the roll is lower than the contributed Iron, the characters deduce the operation of the replicator and manage to switch it into a less-dangerous state.

Dust Outcome: Assigned characters gain a knowledge token and learn about the structure of the machine.

Smoke Outcome: Assigned characters accidentally shift the machine into a more dangerous state.

Tie Outcome: No effect.[/ic]

[ic=Report Back]Private, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Skyward Hub

Restriction: Only Medicine Man, Mary, or Vitus may be assigned here.

Assigned characters climb down the ladder and return to the skyward hub, telling the others about Mohandas and their findings. This event does nothing by itself, but it unlocks other events.[/ic]

[ic=Scout the Roof]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Roof

Restriction: Only Medicine Man, Mary, or Vitus may be assigned here.

Assigned characters climb up through the hatch in the control room and explore the roof. Upon it they find a couple of strange beings.[/ic]

[ic=The Company of Dante]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Wooden Workshop and Amber Prism

Restriction: Only Bastien may be assigned here.

Bastien fends off the replicas, keeping the balcony safe for the time being. If assigned, Bastien goes to check in with John Dante, whom he has not seen in a while. Bastien learns the contents of the workshop and prism as well as the state of John and his allies.[/ic]

[ic=Hydro Plaza]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Hydro Plaza

Restriction: Any of the original chosen except for Juliet, Vitus, Medicine Man, and Mary may be assigned here. Gyeong-su may not be assigned here by himself.

Assigned characters leave the Skyward Hub and travel along the long hallway to leave Building 29. They find themselves at the plaza that Bastien had found and refresh themselves from the cold, clear waters. If multiple characters are assigned here, Layla and a copy of Jessia come with (Layla is carried).[/ic]

[ic=Go for a Dip]Public, Crisis, Smoke
Location: Blackslime Bridge

Restriction: Only Olga may be assigned here.

If unassigned, nobody thinks twice about the blackslime.

If assigned, Olga remembers that the blackslime healed her wounds when she was knocked into it. She suggests that Rikki may have a similar reaction to it, and uses her flight gem to lower Rikki gently into the slime. The slime does indeed heal Rikki's wound as well as filling her with power. Rikki still may not be assigned this turn, but she ceases to be injured and spends the rest of the turn following Olga. Because they can fly, the women are not swept away by the current.[/ic]

2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=An Irresponsible Leader]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Wooden Workshop

Restriction: Only Bastien may be assigned here. Bastien must have been assigned to The Company of Dante earlier this turn.

When assigned, choose either Oryx or Jéssica. Bastien attempts to leverage a poor decision that John recently made to get him or her to side with Bastien instead. The targeted character's loyalty towards Bastien improves by 1. If Jéssica is targeted, the version of her that is in the workshop/prism disappears, leaving only the version with Layla. If Oryx is targeted he will follow Bastien around for the remainder of the turn, and will automatically be assigned as an ally to any combats that Bastien is involved in.

If assigned here, Bastien may also gain knowledge of other characters coming to visit John this turn.[/ic]

[ic=Exploring the Plaza]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Hydro Plaza

Restriction: Only characters assigned to Hydro Plaza earlier this turn may be assigned here.

Assigned characters climb up the ramps to the highest disk and get a good view of the plaza, learning about it and the surrounding area.[/ic]

[ic=Scout the Roof]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Roof

Restriction: Characters other than Medicine Man, Mary, or Vitus may be assigned here only if at least one of the three was previously assigned to Report Back.

Assigned characters climb up through the hatch in the control room and explore the roof. Upon it they find a couple of strange beings.[/ic]

[ic=Replicator Console]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Replicator Control Room

Restriction: Characters other than Medicine Man, Mary, or Vitus may be assigned here only if at least one of the three was previously assigned to Report Back.

[spoiler=Same As Before]Assigned characters examine the controls to the replicator and attempt to shut it down.

Challenge domains: Machines, Skill

Iron Outcome: Roll 1d6. If the roll is lower than the contributed Iron, the characters deduce the operation of the replicator and manage to switch it into a less-dangerous state.

Dust Outcome: Assigned characters gain a knowledge token and learn about the structure of the machine.

Smoke Outcome: Assigned characters accidentally shift the machine into a more dangerous state.

Tie Outcome: No effect.[/spoiler][/ic]

[ic=Hydro Plaza]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Hydro Plaza

Restriction: Any of the original chosen except for Juliet may be assigned here. Gyeong-su may not be assigned here by himself. Vitus, Medicine Man, and Mary may only be assigned here if they were previously assigned to Report Back.

[spoiler=Same As Before]Assigned characters leave the Skyward Hub and travel along the long hallway to leave Building 29. They find themselves at the plaza that Bastien had found and refresh themselves from the cold, clear waters. If multiple characters are assigned here, Layla and a copy of Jessia come with (Layla is carried).[/spoiler][/ic]

3.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Armaments]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Wooden Workshop

Restriction: Only Bastien may be assigned here. Bastien must have been assigned to An Irresponsible Leader and targeted Oryx.

Bastien finds weapons in the workshop. At first Oryx is unwilling to let Bastien take any, but after bringing the young man around to his side, Bastien "steals" some of what John had found and the two men arm themselves. Jéssica's loyalty to you goes down by one.[/ic]

[ic=The Bathhouse]Public, Opportunity, Smoke, Cooperative
Location: The Bathhouse

Restriction: Only those previously assigned to Hydro Plaza may be assigned here.

Assigned characters enter the building with the lowest stone disk as its roof. Inside they find a nice bathhouse and are ambushed by two humans.

Challenge Domains: Skill, Combat, Melee Combat

Blood Outcome: A random assigned character is injured (unless impervious) and one of the humans is slain while the other escapes. If the total Blood element is less than three, the ambushing human is merely seriously injured.

Iron Outcome: If more than one character is assigned here, both ambushing humans are captured and one is injured. If only one character is assigned here the character is uninjured, but both humans escape.

Dust Outcome: The assigned characters are uninjured. If any assigned character possess ranged weapons there is a 50% chance that one human is seriously injured and both are captured and a 50% chance that both escape.

Smoke Outcome: If any of the assigned characters have weapons, one random weapon-user deals damage to both humans and one other assigned character, if possible. Damage is handled as in other combat events, but has +1 deadliness vs the ambushers.

Frost Outcome: A random assigned character is seriously injured (unless they were impervious, in which case they're merely injured). One of the ambushers escapes and the other is captured without being harmed.[/ic]

[ic=Streets and Alleys]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Near the Hydro Plaza

Restriction: Only those previously assigned to Hydro Plaza may be assigned here.

Assigned characters investigate the area surrounding the Hydro Plaza. Low Danger. Unknown Effect.[/ic]

[ic=Atop the Tower]Public, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: The Roof

Restriction: Only characters assigned to Scout the Roof may be assigned here.

Assigned characters locate and learn the details of a powerful Dust artifact. A random assigned character gains control of it, but it cannot be moved from the roof.[/ic]

4.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Retake The Tower]Public, Crisis, Iron, Combat, Cooperative
Location: Pod Tower

Requirements: Only Bastien and Saitoro may be assigned to this event (Oryx may come along).

Bastien's failure at retaking the tower was an embarrassment, but if he were to return to the group showing that he had managed to retake it in their absence he would be famous indeed. If Bastien regains control of the tower, he gains one progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

There are 10 replicas in the tower/hall: 2 Bastien, 2 Gyeong-su, 3 Mary, 1 Jessica, 1 Vitus, and 1 Emily.

For each character assigned here with a firearm a random replica is slain in the opening volley. For each character assigned here with a grenade a random replica is slain before the primary challenge.

This challenge is a competition between the chosen and the surviving replicas. The winners gain control of the tower and stair in addition to other outcomes.

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

Blood and Smoke Outcome: Each winner deals damage to a random loser.

Iron and Dust Outcome: If humans win, half the remaining replicas are slain; if replicas win each human takes damage from a random replica.

Tie Outcome: All assigned characters are injured (unless impervious), and an equal number of replicas are slain. The replicas maintain control of the tower.

Neglect Outcome: The replicas surge from the tower and retake the balcony, pushing any characters present into the Skyward Hub.

Damage is handled as normal (roll 1d4+deadliness).
[/ic]

[ic=The Value of Fresh Water]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Hydro Plaza

Requirement: Only Bastien may be assigned here. He must have been assigned to Hydro Plaza. At least one character (not necessarily Bastien) must have been assigned to The Bathhouse and Streets and Alleys.

Bastien claims the Hydro Plaza as a territory and the Chosen begin making themselves comfortable there. In future turns Layla and the other more vulnerable characters will stay there when unassigned. Increased opportunities to build up defenses, luxuries, and personal areas will be available in the future as well.[/ic]

[ic=A Seat of Power]Public, Opportunity, Frost
Location: The Roof

Requirement: Only Bastien may be assigned here. He must have been assigned to Scout the Roof. At least one character (not necessarily Bastien) must have been assigned to Atop the Tower.

Bastien claims The Roof as a territory and the Chosen begin making themselves comfortable there. In future turns Layla and the other more vulnerable characters will stay there when unassigned. Increased opportunities to build up defenses, luxuries, and personal areas will be available in the future as well. Bastien masters the artifact there.[/ic]

[ic=Opening Relations]Public, Crisis, Blood, Cooperative
Location: Near the Hydro Plaza

Requirement: Only characters previously assigned to Hydro Plaza may be assigned here.

Assigned characters make contact with a group of people who seem to know the city quite well. In addition, they seem reasonably well armed and vastly outnumber the chosen.

Challenge Domains: Politics, Social

Blood Outcome: The chosen injure one of the others and are generally aggressive. The others do not take kindly to this and capture all assigned characters. Potential for violent interaction and relations of dominance will be increased. Assigned characters become separated from the rest.

Iron and Dust Outcome: The chosen defuse a dangerous situation and successfully part ways without incident.

Smoke Outcome: The chosen convince the others that they are gods, and are taken to the others' homes as celebrities. Potential for deception and relations of exploitation will be increased. Assigned characters become separated from the rest.

Frost Outcome: The Chosen negotiate to be taken back to the home of the others as part of a mutual sharing of information. If Bastien is assigned he is explicitly recognized as leader of the chosen and gains a progress point towards the True Leader destiny.

Tie Outcome: Resolve ties randomly.

Neglect Outcome: If any characters were assigned to Hydro Plaza, the others scout the chosen and develop a negative opinion of them. If no characters were assigned to the Plaza there is no effect.[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[ooc=Events Summary]You are correct that Mary can't make food. I'm also going to assume your Journal desire was short-term.

There are three primary avenues of investigation this turn. While you can pursue each of them Bastien's presence will be limited to only one of them, making it the primary focus. The avenues are: The Pod Tower, The Hydro Plaza, and The Roof.

Failure at retaking the tower last time drove Bastien to send the others away to safety, but he's less careful about himself. If he can still retake the tower he'll be a hero, and his earlier failure will be less embarrassing. Of course, it probably won't be possible to take it as-is, so he'll have to enlist the help of Oryx. Even taking weapons from John and stealing Oryx's loyalty it's a gamble to try and take the tower again.

The Hydro Plaza is the location that Bastien discovered in his wanderings. Fresh water combined with a good view of the surrounding area makes it reasonably valuable and a potential base-of-operations for coming turns. It's not unoccupied, though, and there's some risk of making enemies during exploration. If you'd like, a fourth option is to send a large group of characters to be escorted back to the homes of those encountered near the plaza.

The safest option is the roof. It's unlikely to be strongly contested and it's much more easily defensible than the plaza. It also has an important Dust artifact up there. The major problem with settling onto the roof is that there isn't any food or water up there.
[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=John Dante]Xathan, as you've seemed to disappear from the internet I've turned John into an NPC for the time being. I'll post a summary of events when you come back, if you're still interested in playing. Please PM me as soon as you are interested.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vic Fellowes]
[spoiler=Fluff]
[ic=Memories of the Future]Vic heard the rolling words of a coming spat. Stocky man with a baseball bat 'gainst a sickly freedman. Vic would've supported the potato-eater because the freedman was a troublemaker, but the redheaded man seemed intractable too, and most important, Vic counted the crowd. A bunch of colored people and non-European. Crowd'd vote by colour; so colour me Grey, Vic thought- I ain't gettin' involved. I'll just deal with the aftermath.
Decisions Decisions.

But first some orientation. He couldn't get out of here alive unless he knew what he faced. Vic pulled Athena aside into the Control Room, away from the bickering others and he thanked her for her words, then he asked her what she knew of the future. It was life or death that he have the information. No one came from farther into it than she; not the demon-hurtling-trainlady, not the Chinaman she killed... or didn't kill-he had an odd vision about that- not noone knew the future better than she- and if no one came from later than her, then maybe the problem originated with her.

"So... jeeze, where do I even start?" The eyebrow above her one real eye furrowed in thought. Her head was bald and pale and Vic suspected that her eyebrow was the only hair on her entire body. It was bleached white and was hardly noticeable upon her ivory skin.

Her robotic voice echoed in the stone chamber. "The great powers of Europe continued to carve up the world after your time. Africa and the East were fiercely contested as ripe lands with native peoples who were too weak to resist, much like in the Americas. Machinery became more and more sophisticated--this is a common theme in what happened. The story of your future is a story of technology. Telegraphs were replaced by radios and horses were replaced by cars."

"Now hold a moment miss 'thena. Y'all might know these fancy things, but 't ain't much use sayin' 'radios and cars' without walkin' me through the specif'cs."

Athena somehow managed an audible sigh and took a seat on the stone floor, tenderly holding her bandaged abdomen. She slowly explained the major technologies of the 20th century and the rise of communism. She spent much time on the world wars, discussing the rise of the USA as a leviathan and the ideologies of the Nazis. She discussed the importance of oil and the rise of the urban society, desegregation, aircraft, conflicts in the middle-east and the rise of globalism.

Vic listened with sharp ears and a keen mind, asking questions whenever Athena forgot that he didn't know what things like tanks were. Despite being ignorant of the details, Vic could tell Athena was impressed by the quickness with which he adapted to the concepts behind the cold war and beyond.

Athena spent a large period of time discussing the space race and the development of computers. "In the late 1960s the Americans set food on the moon and not only that, but they brought cameras with them capable of sending the images back to Earth such that every person with the visual radio I was talking about earlier, whether they be an old man or a little girl, could see what it was like among the stars. It ignited the imagination of the world for years to come." she said with a wistful look in her human eye.

Vic's head began to hurt as Athena told him about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of the digital age. Athena seemed to come into her element as she described the way in which the development of the personal computer and the internet allowed average people to connect with each other across the globe. She explains how she has a computer embedded in her skull as well as computers in her neck and limbs. Normally, she claims, she'd be able to talk with anyone on the planet by radio signals projected from her arms and read any book ever published by having the text sent to her machine-eye from the global computer network.

Where the 20th century had been a struggle between superpowers, the 21st century was a skirmish between citizens. With the Soviet Union gone and China becoming a major trade partner for the US, the world was more or less united in a way it had never been before. Local struggles still seethed in parts of Africa and Asia, but overall the world began to let go of nationalism and embrace ideas rather than birthplace as important. Europe fused into a union and later on the USA joined with Mexico and Canada into a union of their own.

During this time radical technologies were developed, particularly robotics and breakthroughs in life-extension. Athena spent some time explaining robots to Vic whose mind became filled with money-making schemes at the very thought of a worker who would never ask questions or spoil an act. According to Athena the robots began replacing workers in wealthy areas en masse such that only a minority of technically skilled or already wealthy people were able to actually make money. And the profits they made from the robots were enormous, leading them to lives of luxury Vic was unable to comprehend. Athena clarified that many people from her era were over a hundred years old and were still healthy and active, able to travel all around the world and even into space without a single unmet want.

As robots became more capable of doing complex things (Athena explains that this is called "artificial intelligence") the poor and the unemployed became increasingly upset at the disparity between themselves and the rich, calling once more for socialism and redistribution of wealth. In many areas this resulted in programs of heavy taxation, but in the American Union the wealthy elite were able to keep a hold on their wealth.

Terrorist groups began to form in opposition to robotics, arguing that humans should be hired rather than machines. Athena said that these "neo-luddite" groups were responsible for destroying a famous space station as well as bombing various building around the world. Totalitarian policies were implemented in the AU to crack down on the violence, further upsetting the people. In the early 2050s things came to a head with the release of the "General Artificial Intelligence Agent" (GAIA), which was a robotic program so intelligent that it almost turned against its creators and took over the country. Vic wasn't sure how a machine could do that, but the headache was growing strong enough that he let it slide.

Athena continued to explain that GAIA inspired a full-on civil war in the AU, wherein the common people attempted to usurp power from the wealthy elite and establish a communist state in America. Those in power turned their robotic armies on the people and the result tore America apart. For the most part the neo-luddites won the conflict, and there was a global push to reject automation and cyborgs like Athena. Apparently the machine-woman was one such wealthy cyborg who escaped the violence and lived as a kind of exile, defending technology as not necessarily evil.

She says that in her time there were over 12 billion people alive, 500 million of which lived in space. Common forms of entertainment involved some kind of machine that let you dream about fantasy worlds with other people such that it felt like you were walking around with them in some kind of storybook. It all seemed so surreal, and yet, no more surreal than this bizarre place or the visions or dreams or whatever they were.

He'd seen this Juliet before. In his dream. Her face a mask of blood. But he didn't tell Athena that; not yet. And he'd had another vision too. The demon train-lady might kill that girl she kidnapped. Why was she here... She had many enemies. At least two. Thaba and Henry hated each other too. Seemed like everyone had an opposite, a twin. Vic wondered when his nemesis was gonna fall out of the woodwork.

After Athena's talk the two of them walked across the hall back to the pod tower. "Virtual reality." He turned the words over in his mouth. He didn't like their taste. "Like a dream except made by machines that dream?"

"Essentially, that could be said to be the truth." Athena nodded.

They came back to find the freedman and the potato eater at it again. Vic looked over at his strange companion. "But yearh, what would machines dream of-" Vic laughed. "electric sheep-ha."

"Coincidentially-" Athena started, about to explain a work of mid 20th-century literature, but the red-bearded man threw a punch and it suddenly didn't seem particularly relevant.[/ic]

[ic=Dreams]Henry's punch connected with Thaba's jaw and sent him sprawling on the ground. His glasses flew off his face, and Vic noticed that they were collected by a quiet girl with dark brown skin and a overlarge belly. The huge chinaman called 'Feng' was out in the hall, probably still thinking about the little kidnapped girl. That's why these two were doing this now, Vic supposed.

Henry moved to kick Thaba while he was down, but the negro grabbed his leg and stared up at him with a look of pure hatred. His eyes seemed to be bleeding, overflowing with blood, really, and his pupils had dilated unnaturally. The black man's mouth opened, and a cloud of brown spores erupted as he began to cough. Everyone backed off, then, except Henry, who thrashed his leg wildly as he swore.

Vic stumbled back and leaned against a pod as visions began to swarm up over him once more. Swirling around and popping in and out, the visions intoxicated him like a good brandy or whisky. He saw possibilities, what might be, what could be, what would be. And he saw people he didn't know, people he did know, and people he should know. He also saw a future; a way out. It could be his death, but he had nothing else to go on. Either he could trust himself or he could trust this lot of clowns; a group who couldn't defend against the blurring train-woman, who couldn't get on the same train together, who wouldn't trust him and who wouldn't listen. Nah. Vic would follow his visions before he'd follow this group of misguided lunatics.

[ooc=Vision][ic=Memories of the Uthiualatava]Private, Opportunity, Smoke
Location: Unknown

Restriction: Only Saitoro may be assigned to this event.

If assigned, Saitoro uses the lantern to remember a strange man as he interacted with the Uthiulatava tribe. Saitoro gains one knowledge token and information as to the activities of Vic Fellowes. Additionally, Saitoro gains the ability to temporarily speak with Vic.[/ic][/ooc]

Back in reality, Henry had managed to punch Thaba off him before retreating to the wall of the room in disgust. He continued to swear loudly as he tried to wipe blood and spores off his skin, to little effect. The man named Thaba, meanwhile, clearly had a broken nose and perhaps a concussion. Henry clearly wasn't a practiced fighter, but he knew how to hurt someone. Vic could see the signs of bruises forming on his face.

No one seemed to get near him, and Vic wasn't about to break the trend. Feng returned to the room with Qi, and the tiny chinaman insisted on getting a report of what occurred from two different people. Athena was missing. Perhaps she was trying to work on the machine in the other room that she had mentioned earlier.

Vic didn't really trust this metal-woman, though she should help him since she owed him for saving her life. And she knew more about how that machine might work, so he let her do her magic instead of handlin' it himself. Even though she might kill everyone else, at least she might take him with her.[/ic]

[ic=Shadows and Reflections]Vic stood on the threshold of the room. A woman named Estrella and the two chinamen (big and little) were with him. The big one, still unable to speak, held the glowing glass orb in his hands. "The demon lady-train-thing won't be in the room." Vic said. I'm going in. He led the way. This was sure to gain him trust. He only hoped his visions were clear and that no other dangers lurked within.

Darkness enveloped him and he reflexively shivered in fear, but ultimately he was unharmed. Feng followed him, then, and the cowgirl with the musket and the tiny man came after. As the light entered the room it lit up from a million directions. The room was shaped like a regular, 12-sided polygon with two doors on opposite ends. The ceiling was only about 3 meters high and all the walls were 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 Vic could see his head bloated to obscene proportions in it.

"See? Not a train-woman to be seen. Just'a bunch of smoke and mirrors, minus the smoke that is." The joke seemed lost in translation.

The woman, Estrella, swung her gun around, looking for foes. <It's not over yet. I can smell her... She must've been here recently.>

Vic gave a sniff, but didn't really smell much. The room seemed awfully sterile, actually, not even a lick of dust on the mirrors. Vic reached out and touched the warped mirror in the center of the room to check it for dust as well. The instant his skin touched the glass his arm was enveloped in a coat of shadow. He reflexively swore, but the voice that came from his lips came out as garbled noise like metal rubbing on metal. Shadowy figures loomed all around him, dozens and dozens of them. Spines of shadow danced off them like rays from the sun, and they glared at him with impossibly small glowing white pinpricks of eyes.

Several of them appeared to be holding shadowy muskets, and they began to fire in a cacophony of explosions. Glass shattered as grapeshot ripped through one of them and slammed into the mirror behind it.

"STOP!" Vic tried to yell, but it came out as the same harsh grating. One of the demonic things came at him, but he did the smart thing and ran back for the exit. Outside the room the shadow-coating dissolved, and Vic nearly ran into Athena, who was coming up the hall to investigate.

Eventually the others got the same idea and vacated the room. As the last of them did, the last few shadow-things evaporated, leaving the room completely empty. One of the 12 walls was cracked into a thousand shards by Estrella's gun, but luckily nobody had been hurt.[/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=Beyond the Looking Glass]Athena the still-too-human touched her bandages with long, black, carbon fingers. Oh what she wouldn't give for some medi-gel about now. The old-fashioned stitches kept her alive, but they didn't come with any anesthetic. She could feel the coarseness of the bandage and wondered yet again how it was possible to have so many people from the past in one place.

"The machine in the room across from the tower grants sight of other areas of the building, and from what I can tell it also... moves the room, I guess? Essence, go into the room, enter the command, walk out of the room, and you're in a new place. The sensors showed a bunch of peeps from about your time stalking around, but they didn't exactly look... sane. We need to be careful."

The others had gone ahead to check out the garden on the other side of the mirror chamber. Athena took the time to explain how the controls operated to Vic, before moving off to join the rest.

"You can turn 'nvisible, yah? Should use it to scout out th' witch. I get the feeling she's going to be tryin' t' gain th' little one's trust. Don't know why, but I got a good feeling 'bout it. Be safe. Don't take no risks."

Athena nodded and pulled at the part of her that seemed to control her invisibility. It was strange, she had adapted to so many augments that interlocked with her nerves, but the newest power didn't feel like a low-level thing at all. Maybe it was activated by a holistic scan of her cortex. That might explain it.

She walked through the room of mirrors without seeing herself. Even the familiar tap-tap-tap of her heels on the stone was gone. She was a ghost.[/ic]

[ic=The Garden (Day)]The indoor garden is hot, but not astoundingly so. White trees rise up like pillars from black soil. Bright orbs float through the room like suns projecting light through the dense green canopy. Above all else it is quiet here, though perhaps it is just noteworthy because it is unnaturally quiet. There are no insects, animals, birds, or running water. Every now and again one can feel the slightest breeze, but it isn't enough to disturb the leaves.

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]

[ic=Hanrietta]Athena had left Feng and the others behind with a warning. She was invisible; they were not. The garden was large, and full of hills, but it was quiet enough that she eventually found Juliet from the sound of her voice.

"That's a cute dolly, Lucie." rasped the demon that had been known as Juliet. "Does she have a name?"

The black-eyed woman was perched on a stone by a pool of water. The girl, whose name was apparently 'Lucie', was snacking on some purple strawberries nearby. She seemed to have calmed down quite a bit.

"Son nom est Hanrietta. Aimez-vous la?" she asked, innocently.

"Yes. She's very nice. I bet she's scared right now, being in this place." Juliet gestured around the garden, glancing nervously over her shoulder on occasion.

Athena found herself strangely drawn to the little one. She seemed so perfect. So pure. Athena decided right there that if Juliet moved to hurt her that she'd intervene, invisibility or no. Juliet didn't seem hostile, though. In fact, she seemed downright motherly, a shocking contrast to her monstrous appearance.

"Ce n'est pas effrayant. C'est une aventure." (<It's not scary. It's an adventure.>)

Juliet smiled and stood up from the rock. "But what if there was a... dragon!" She pantomimed a roar and an gnashing of claws. Lucy giggled sweetly and Juliet smiled. It made Athena sick, but at least it was clear that she wasn't about to hurt the girl.[/ic]

[ic=Descent]Athena returned to find the others gone from the entrance to the garden. She descended the hall and found Vic outside the pod tower. She could hear shouting from inside. The man named Jarji and the woman named Mya were bickering about gods or something like that. Vic seemed entirely unimpressed, and Athena could understand why.

A voice tickled at the cyborg's ear. A half-whisper.

"How's the kid?"

Athena seemed distracted. "Remarkably calm. Juliet was playing with her, last I checked. It doesn't..." There it was again. Like a subtle scent.

The quarreling continued...

Vic meanwhile, frustrated at the division and figuring it was worse to throw oneself into arguments among a bunch of aimless sheep trying to assert power than to show success and thereby gain power, headed down the spiral hall without a word to anyone save Athena- none else would listen at the moment anyway

"Tell you what," Vic let Athena know. "You stay around here and I'll see about this thing. I've got me a feelin'."

Athena was only partially listening. She heard the whisper again. It was growing stronger. More urgent. She nodded half-heartedly as the man walked down the hall out of sight. The moment that he was gone she turned from the tower and headed into the control room. It was the trap-door that she was interested in...

"Thrishk axlachath mo nakathix." (<Thrishk told me of the awakening.>) it called as she climbed down the ladder into the acrid pit. The chill on her skin was intense, but she ignored it.

"Urix thkisham Athena vokalix. Toxchark mogul kita." (<I am not surprised it is you, Athena. Glory is in your blood.>)

"Who are you?" she called out as she reached the bottom of the ladder. Her thermal sensors showed it was about -10 degrees Celsius and the smell was overwhelming.

The chamber she had entered was lit by small glass spheres suspended by wires from the ceiling. Their light was a deep blue, and seemed to make the space even colder. Remarkably, the floor, ceiling, and walls were made of wood, but interlocking chuncks of it, rather than boards. The whole place reminded her of an ancient jigsaw puzzle. The ladder was set into one wall, and the room was curved into a giant circle, much like the tower, but with a ceiling barely over two meters high. Stone doorways in the same style as in other areas were set into the wall at regular intervals. Athena suspected that there were about eight.

<I am radiance embodied. I am truth and I am power.> it whispered, though the voice had grown stronger now.

Athena walked towards it at the opposite side of the chamber. She could see what was making the smell, now. There was a... a structure made of flesh and bone... an altar several meters wide. It reminded her of a cyst, with teeth and hair in odd places. Worst of all it seemed to be alive and breathing, but badly burnt in many places. The horror of the thing made Athena want to gag, but her artifical throat didn't have that feature.

"But what are you?" she asked, still enthralled by its spell.

When the voice came again it was not a whisper, but a booming thunder within her mind. Her ear augments detected no sound, but she collapsed to the floor clutching her ears anyway. <I AM A WORLD-WALKER. THE GIFT OF THE RACHIAUNU UNTO THE CHOSEN. I AM YOUR DESTINY, A SYMBIOTE THAT WILL EMPOWER YOUR FORM AND GUIDE YOUR PATH. THE CHOICE IS YOURS, ATHENA TRANSCENDENT. WILL YOU HELP ME ESCAPE THIS PRISON AND SHOW THE WORLD WHAT IT IS TO BECOME MORE THAN HUMAN?>

Athena inhaled sharply as her hands came off her ears. The voice stopped, and more than that, the spell seemed broken. There she was, lying on the jigsaw floor under the cold blue light. Her breath fogged as it left her mouth. The scent was so strong that it felt like she was drowning. She would've cried if she were alone, but instead she simply lay there, looking at the great breathing mass of charred flesh.

After a minute of enduring the cold Athena could take no more. "Are you still there? Why have you stopped?"

<THE CHOICE IS YOURS. I CANNOT BIND MYSELF WITHOUT YOU TAKING THE FIRST STEP.>

"Then the answer is no. I've never augmented myself on a whim and I won't start now." The woman stood from the floor and shakily started back towards the ladder. She needed help. She needed to be warm...

"CHKATAR." (<STOP.>)

The voice was overpowering. Athena froze. So cold.

<TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHING.>

Athena's human heart began to race as her hands slowly went to her dress. She wanted to call for help, but the presence in her mind would not be denied. "You... you said-"

<INDEED, IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR BOTH OF US IF YOU HAD COME WILLINGLY.> Athena's clothing lay in a pile on the wooden floor. Her hands refused to cover her indecency. <BUT THE FACT IS I LIED. YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO RESIST RAXLASH OF THE TAXILIXL.>

An idea came to her then, as her body walked in rigid steps towards the pulsing structure, goosebumps covering her naked form. She pulled at the cloak of invisibility with her whole mind and felt it shroud her. Her head looked down and saw nothingness.

The laughter burned her like a brand, and she collapsed to her knees in front of the acrid horror. <DO YOU THINK I HAVE EYES, ATHENA? DO YOU THINK I CANNOT SENSE YOU NOW? NO, YOU ARE, AND FOREVER WILL BE, MY PUPPET.>

Athena's long fingers shot forward into the burnt skin of the thing and tore it open. Blood, mucus and pus poured from the wound as well as a black substance. Athena's mind recoiled in horror as the substance crawled out of the cyst-structure and up her invisible arms. They were like leeches, but incredibly tiny and much faster than normal. They gushed from the wound in incredible numbers, tearing it wider as they came.

"KITA! KITA!" (<OH RADIANT GLORY!>) they screamed in her mind, for she knew then that Raxlash was the swarm. As the things covered her flesh she could feel them dig into her skin, weaving themselves into a slick coating. As they rolled up onto her face it became too much.

Athena blacked out.[/ic]

[ic=Mohandas Again]Vic walked down the spiral hall. He had seen this coming in his vision and he walked into it willingly. The voice came from behind him, as he knew it would.

<Hello again, Mr. Fellowes.> Mohandas was using a foreign tongue that Vic didn't recognize. <I was wondering if you might do me a favor.>

"Mohandas." he stated as he turned to meet the man with the silver eyes. He looked different from in the pod tower--a shadow of hair upon his chin, a tear at his suit here and there. He also wasn't carying the briefcase, but instead was holding an ornate egg that seemed to be made of brass and had some decorative metal flanges.

<Look, I'm in a bit of a hury, so I'll make this short. I need you to hold on to this and not open it. It's not dangerous or anything, I just need to-> The man's eyes flicked to the left as if he were remembering something important. <Your gun needs ammunition. I'll tell you where to get some in return for helping me.>

Normally Vic was pretty good at reading folks, but the Asian was remarkably opaque. Vic grinned at the man and shook his head. "I salute you." He said. "In surviving the demon's attack. But," he pat his holstered weapon. "I'm confident I won't be using this too often so that I run out of bullets." He hoped the man was just assuming he'd run out o' shots, not that the man knew he had none. "I don' wan' none of you folks gettin' kilt, but I ain't a man of your future world so, sorry to say, but y' scare tha' bjeezus out of me.  That said, you don't know that Juliet who 'tacked you though? D'ya?"

Silver-eyes grimaced in frustration and his hand went to his chin in thought. <Of course you'd say that... If you had bullets during the fight... it's a paradox. Argh!> He seemed to realize that he was speaking out loud and snapped back into opaque-mode. Vic could see circles of fatigue under the man's eyes. <Juliet? Yes, I know Juliet. You're asking the wrong question, though. Think about it. What you really want to know is whether I know Juliet from Earth. I don't normally give information away for free, but I suppose that's the attitude that got me into this mess, so I'll throw you a handout. I did not know Juliet from before. I knew of Athena, but that's not rare. Most of us don't know each-other, but there must be a causal explanation that links everyone. Anyways, I really must be going.>

Mohandas faded away.

Vic shrugged. "Happy trails, partner."[/ic]

[ic=Twisted Hallways]Vic had intended to return to the tower after his foreseen meeting with silver-eyes, but this place was disorienting and he'd become turned around. By the time he reached the bottom of the hall he realized his mistake, but curiosity pulled him the extra meter to investigate what was beyond the door.

The room beyond was made of steel. The floor was made of odd-shaped plates of it, seemingly welded together as a child might glue random chunks of wood to approximate a building. The room was circular and based on the curvature of the walls, about 40 meters in diameter. Vic couldn't see the other end of the space, however, because the floor rose sharply as it went into the center of the room, forming a small metal hill. Vic didn't look at the top of it.

Throughout the room were bundles of what first appeared to be vines, rising from gaps in the floor to ascend straight up. The room had no visible ceiling, and the bundles were slowly enveloped in what appeared to be thick, dark clouds. Upon closer inspection, Vic found the "vines" were smooth and inorganic, perhaps a kind of rubber, and lots of different colors, red, blue, yellow, green, but dark and muted. The room was lit by circular pieces of glass, similar to the globes, inset in the steel wall at regular intervals.

The room was a tad bit colder than Vic was expecting, and he pulled his collar up as he began to investigate. He could see two doors like the one he had come through further along the walls. Vic started to climb the hill, but froze as he heard a familiar sound. Rattlesnake. It grew stronger as he looked up towards the hill, so he looked away instead.

Vic slowly backed down, and the sound faded. The strange thing was that there were no stones or holes that a rattler could be hiding in, so Vic was at a loss as to where the noise could be coming from.

Just as he was about to head back up the hall he heard something else. It sounded like a whimpering. Vic carefully threaded his way through the forest of smooth cables until he found its source. A child. A boy. Older than the girl that Juliet had stolen, but surely no older than 10 years. The kid lay on the steel floor and seemed to be in pain.

The boy had tan skin and wore nothing more than a loincloth and moccasins, but he didn't look like an Indian. Vic greeted him carefully, unsure of what was wrong. He hadn't seen this in his visions.

The boy looked at him without comprehending. His eyes were large and dark, matching his curly hair in color. "Kletak muchkala? Shavashlax yotathchik mo tokchatka..." (<What did you say? I need help finding my way back...>)

Vic slowly figured out that though he could understand the kid's weird words, the boy couldn't understand him. The kid was quite the talker, though, and explained that he was part of the Uthiualatava tribe. The savage boy claimed that his family would reward Vic for helping him get back home.

Vic managed to pantomime a "Where'd you come from?" and the boy pointed to one of the doors before being wracked with some kind of seizure. The boy was clearly sick, so Vic lifted him slowly from the floor and made his way through the door that the child had indicated.

Beyond the door was a long carpeted hallway lit by yellow light. The boy's breathing was shallow and weak, and Vic spent some time pondering the consequences of finding some tribal savages with one of their kids dead in his arms.

The child didn't die, though, and as the two of them continued down the hallway that seemed to stretch forever he actually seemed to be improving. The yellow lights, already fairly dim began to fade as Vic walked forward. The hall seemed to stretch for kilometers, and it wasn't long before it was barely light enough to see.

And then they were there. A doorway--an arch of white stone--that Vic hadn't even noticed in the gloom, peeled back to reveal a huge stone room with mighty pillars. The kid seemed well enough now to stand, so Vic set him down and rubbed life back into his aching arms.

A voice cried out from far back in the room. "Kax! Kax! Tokchatka mechka?" (<Where are you, Kax?>)

The boy, who Vic assumed was named 'Kax, cried out in response, and in a few moments he was greeted by a party of a dozen savages. Some of them had what appeared to be rifles made from wood and bone and one of the women had a spear. They had the same tan skin and dark hair as Kax, but Vic was disappointed to see several of them point their guns at him and start shouting harsh questions.

Vic let Kax run over to his people as he raised his hands over his head. "Any chance y'all can understand English? Français? Español?" They looked just as confused as Kax. "Great. Just great." he muttered.

<It's okay. He saved me.> spoke the boy. Oddly enough he seemed to be in perfect health now.

The rifles were lowered and the savages seemed satisfied that Vic wasn't an immediate danger. <Come with us> one of them said, pantomiming the sentiment in case it wasn't understood.

"Out'a th' fire an' inta th' fryin' pan, I s'ppose."[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Rexlash aluch Taxilixl]Athena is now bound to Rexlash the symbiote. You are free to initiate conversations with the symbiote in the RP thread, and even make it talk or do things if they are of little consequence (like someone else's ally). For the most part, however, Rexlash is her (yes, the symbiote identifies as female) own agent with her own ideas, goals, and personality and will be controlled by the GM. Rexlash can and does control Athena's body, but her control slowly wanes as she is forced to fight Athena's desires. Eventually Athena can gain control while Rexlash rests. Eventually Rexlash will retake control and so on.

Rexlash is treacherous, mean-spirited and strangely obsessed with aesthetic beauty. She is arrogant above all things, and does not care at all for human lives or easing suffering. She seems to know quite a bit about the City, but is entirely uninterested in explaining things now that she has what she wants. In general you will still be able to assign Athena as you would normally, but the selection of events and the specifics of her interactions will depend on her mental fortitude and relationship with the symbiote. Rexlash has full access to Athena's senses (including augments) and a good idea of her feelings and surface thoughts. When communicating with others, Rexlash prefers to use Athena's robotic voice rather than communicate telepathically.

The benefits of the symbiote are numerous. Athena finds that she is feeling remarkably good upon awakening. Firstly, Athena's human body is wrapped in a protective layer of jet-black tissue which is slick but tough, and serves as body armor. This armor grants her +1 Iron in the combat domain and reduces the deadliness of cold and heat based attacks by 2. The armor is the symbiote, but it can be retracted into Athena's body, revealing her human skin at will (if Athena is in control she can even force the retraction). Since Athena is naked underneath Rexlash, she may choose to expose her head/face while leaving the rest of her body covered to approximate clothing. Furthermore, Rexlash protects Athena from psychic attacks, and psychic reading. If put in danger, Rexlash will release control of Athena and launch psychic attacks of her own against the threats. Rexlash won't do this unless Athena herself is in danger, however, as she cares nothing for others.

And finally, Rexlash is particularly thick on Athena's back, and can extend out into a huge pair of alien wings. Given enough space, Athena can fly, though she does not gain any extra bonuses from the mobility.[/ooc]

[ooc=The Tribe]Vic is under the "guidance" of a tribe of humans who call themselves the "Uthiualatava", which means "many-eyes" in their harsh, clicking language. Though Vic has earned their gratitude by rescuing Kax, the people clearly do not trust Vic. To make matters worse, nobody seems to be able to understand Vic, even though whatever magic lets Vic understand languages seems to work for him.

Vic will be escorted to the tribe's home this turn, but won't meet any of the Chosen. Despite being separated from Athena, you as a player will still assign her to events and may have her interact with the others (within reason), in effect acting on Vic's behalf (at least until her ambition burns the loyalty out of her).[/ooc]

Vic has two Knowledge Tokens.
Vic has one Superhuman Development Token.
Vic has one progress point towards the Hero of the Tribe destiny.

[spoiler=Athena (Ally)]Loyalty: 2 (+1 from events, -1 from ambition)

Athena is injured (-2 to all elements in all domains)
Athena is recovering from a major wound. Her injured status cannot be removed through normal medicine for the next 19 hours.

Tokens:
* Unhappiness x3
* Knowledge x2

Mundane Traits:
* Intelligent
* Cunning
* Ambitious
[ic=Cyborg]Body Trait, Public, Iron

+1 Iron and Dust in the Skill domain.
+1 Dust in the Machines domain.
+1 Iron in the Strength domain.

This character can see in the dark and has perfect recall of what they see and hear (including the ability to play back what they heard to anyone present). This character cannot start with any items other than their augments. If their augments are removed they are crippled and cannot be assigned to events unless specifically noted otherwise.[/ic]

Superhuman Trait: Invisibility

Items:
* Cybernetic Augments (see trait)
* Raxlash the symbiote

Athena is a lesbian.[/spoiler]

Vic's events do not fit into the same timescale as the others. This turn he will spend many days with the tribespeople. Regardless of assignement, Vic becomes familiar enough with their language to say basic things.

Athena will gain 3 unhappiness tokens from internal struggle with her parasite.

[spoiler=Events]
-4.
[ic=Façade]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Hall of the Titans

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

If assigned, Vic figures out how to communicate to the tribespeople that he is a figure of great importance to them, one that was prophesied to come, and they really ought to treat him as more than a simple prisoner. This deception involves pretending he knows more than he does, and results in the Uthiualatava granting Vic's words more weight. When influencing these tribespeople all loyalty gains result in an additional +1 loyalty. If it is revealed that he doesn't know what he's talking about, and that he's actually very confused, all the Uthiualatava's loyalty score drops by 2 towards him.[/ic]

-3.
[ic=Picking Sides]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: Warren of the Watchers

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

The Uthiualatava are having internal political difficulties. The chieftain is a woman named Nishak, a patient and regal woman who is remarkably intelligent. The people are angry at Nishak for giving up valuable territories on the frontier to enemy tribes without even a basic resistance. Tekchat is her primary critic and rival, a fierce and unyielding woman who leads the Uthiualatava warriors with a pair of deadly artifacts. If assigned, choose a faction (Dust or Blood); Vic helps that faction get an edge on the other and earns their debt (at the cost of making a few enemies). If Vic helps Nishak, events relating to the obtaining of information will be available next turn. If Vic helps Tekchat, she will give him ammunition for his pistol and a knife.[/ic]

-2.

Quote from: Simultaneous
[ic=Roxkachla Kax]Public, Opportunity, Dust
Location: Kax's Home

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

If assigned, Vic makes allies out of the family of the boy who Vic rescued. Kax's "Roxkachla" (family/house) gain one loyalty to Vic and will answer basic questions as he desires (but nothing particularly significant). There are about 10 of them, including children.[/ic]

[ic=I've got a bridge on Earth to sell you...]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: Warren of the Watchers

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

The Many-eyes are strangely unwilling to answer questions or even say things that Vic might be interested in.
If assigned, Vic learns why this is and manages, despite the language barrier, to fast-talk his way into learning about things. Select a subject; Vic will learn all the many-eyes know about that subject within reason as well as gain a knowledge token. There is a 20% chance that Vic's attempt at tricking the natives into talking back-fires and, while he still learns what he wanted, he loses all items except for his clothing.[/ic]

[ic=Must've Misplaced It]Private, Opportunity, Blood
Location: Tribal Armory

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

Vic is under constant guard, but he manages to slip away long enough to steal a unit of ammunition and to locate an escape route out of Uthiualatava territory. Next turn (and future turns) he'll have increased ability to return to the area surrounding Pod Tower 2.[/ic]

[ic=Perks of the Prophet]Public, Opportunity, Blood
Location: Warren of the Watchers

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here. Vic must have also been assigned to Façade.

Vic reveals that he, the chosen one, can see the future. This feat improves a band of 12 native's loyalty to Vic by 1. You may select whether the band is primarily warriors, scouts, merchants, workers, or clerics. During the visions Vic learns something important about where he is, and gains a Superhuman Development token.[/ic]

-1.
[ic=The Looming Shadow]Public, Crisis, Blood
Location: Throne Room

Requirement: Only Vic may be assigned here.

In addition to the military troubles on the frontier, the Uthiualatava are under the threat of a combination of natural disaster and monster. If assigned, Vic promises to take care of things and save the tribe from extinction. On future turns Vic will have increased access to dangerous events that yield progress towards the Hero of the Tribe destiny. (Non-assignment to this event does not prevent progress.) If Vic doesn't follow-through with his promise then the tribespeople will become hostile towards him.

If Vic was assigned to Perks of the Prophet and is not assigned here then he is stripped of his items and imprisoned. This sparks yet another internal conflict within the tribe as Vic's supporters protest the injustice.[/ic]

1.
[ic=Seeking Friends Among Strangers]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: Acrid Pit

Restriction: Only Athena may be assigned here.

If Athena is not assigned, Rexlash takes control of their body and has Athena travel down one of the side-halls from the Acrid Pit. The hall leads to a place called "The Conduit".

If Athena is assigned she manages to overpower Rexlash and climb out of the pit, returning to the Pod Tower. In the course of trying to get help from the other Chosen, Rexlash retakes control of their body and forces Athena to flee the strangers and seek out Juliet in the garden. Rexlash uses the opportunity to taunt the black-eyed woman. Athena is occupied in the garden and won't be able to be assigned elsewhere, or continue with Rexlash's original plans this turn.[/ic]

2.
[ic=Family Reunion]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: The Conduit

Requirement: Only Athena may be assigned to this event. Athena must not have been assigned to an event previously this turn.

If Athena is not assigned, Rexlash has a warm reunion with her brother.

If Athena is assigned, she overpowers Rexlash, revealing that she is being held prisoner within her own body. The host of the other symbiote will then have the option of helping her in future turns, and will have a much reduced esteem for symbiotes in general.[/ic]

3.
[ic=Two Many Tongues]Public, Crisis, Frost
Location: The Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Athena may be assigned to this event. Athena must not have been assigned to an event previously this turn.

If Athena is not assigned, Rexlash discusses with her brother what hosts would be most suitable for their younger sister.

If Athena is assigned she manages to briefly overpower Rexlash and trick her brother into revealing valuable information about Mohandas. Vic foresees this event while he is in the company of the Uthiualatava. Rexlash and her brother are furious, and Athena gains 4 unhappiness tokens from psychic torture.[/ic]

4.
[ic=Deeper into the Rabbit Hole]Public, Crisis, Iron
Location: The Amber Prism

Requirement: Only Athena may be assigned to this event. Athena must not have been assigned to an event previously this turn.

If Athena is not assigned, Rexlash takes them through a library deeper into the building where it will be unlikely that they'll meet other humans.

If assigned, Athena spots blue sky and overpowers Rexlash for long enough to escape the building and take flight. She calls for help and may potentially be heard by other Chosen, depending on assignments. If they hear her, events relating to her rescue will become available. Regardless, Rexlash regains control and forces them to land on the roof of the building.[/ic]

5.
[ic=Save Your Strength]Private, Opportunity, Frost
Location: None

Requirement: Only Athena may be assigned to this event. Athena must not have been assigned to an event previously this turn.

Athena works on building up resistance to Rexlash's psychic chokehold. Athena gains one Personal Development token (enough of which will buy a trait that allows Athena total control), and will have increased ability to act next turn.[/ic]
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Events Summary]Events for you are divided into two groups this turn, with Vic certainly having more potential than Athena. Vic's primary decisions are: How conspicuous do I want to be, do I want to stay with these natives, and how much should I commit to helping them? Athena's decision is roughly: I have a very limited ability to fight Rexlash, where should I do so?

-4: Decide whether Vic will be humble or self-aggrandizing.
-3: Decide whether Vic wants to take sides with a Dust leader or a Blood leader in the tribe, or stay neutral.
-2: Decide whether to have Vic prepare for escaping/gather resources, OR gather followers and develop his powers, OR gather some support/answer minor questions, OR risk gaining significant information through trickery.
-1: Decide whether to commit to helping the Many-eyes.

1: Decide to have Athena stay near Pod Tower 2 and the Garden.
2: OR Decide to try and appeal to a stranger that may or may not be a player
3: OR Decide to have Athena trick the creatures into revealing info about Mohandas, and pass this info to Vic.
4: OR Decide to have Athena try and appeal to other players that may be in the area
5: OR Have Athena grow in the long-run and save her strength for next turn.
[/ooc]
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Saitoro's Assignments]
1. The Lamp, the Fountain and the Spider
2. Return to the Æther
3. Amber Lights (share information about the Silver-Eyed Stranger, the Kixtish and the building I explored, but not the Æther or the Screamer)
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vics Assignments]
Story to hopefully come later

-4: Facade (Use knowledge token if at risk of being found out to be much less aware than he really is).
-3: Picking Sides . Tekchet (Ammo+Knife)
-2: Perks of the Prophet (Workers)
-1: Looming Shadow
1- None
2- None
3- Two Many Tongues
4- None
5- None (if could, would have chosen Save Strength).

[/spoiler]