GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS
This time for real!WAKEY WAKEY.
As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has
changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice:
There are more stasis pods.
Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not
in it. Hurry and wake those guys up!
SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID.
With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The
"Seedlings" and
"Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered.
The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down.
Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with
a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone
how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times.
The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic.
DON'T GET LOST
And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good!
Lucky for everyone else, it looks like
finally there's some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out!
THE FORGOTTEN CITY
Down below the lowest levels of the city, somewhere beyond the twisty maze of passages, several of the paths converge in a huge underground cavern. Here the air is blissfully cool compared to the desert above. A single shaft of light shines down from somewhere on the surface; motes of sand drift lazily as if suspended in the light. Elsewhere, the cave is lit by small clusters of glowing fungus that live off the moisture collected down here. Dim but navigable for most.
But perhaps the most striking items in the area are the
monoliths. Great fragments of stone over three meters long, too smooth to be natural but too jagged to be whole either. Several of them glow from the pulse of energy running through them. Others, while dark, have recessed notches large enough for a person’s hand. And still another group seems nearly shattered, a larger fragment surrounded by smaller ones. All of them react when the interlopers draw close enough...
LIGHT
Upon closer inspection, the lit monoliths have a curious pattern worked into the tone. The symbols are rather arcane, but perhaps they make sense if one tilts one’s head and squints. This one has strokes that resemble tongues of flame. That one is covered in cascading, fluid lines. Another … well, that look more like a
warning sign than anything else.
Interacting with these monoliths results in a warning crackle and the scent of ozone before the monolith
opens. Something comes pouring out of it in response. Gushing water is the most common, matching up with the cascade monoliths; others open to flame or greenery or other odd things. And one
definitely opens up into a vacuum. Careful with that unless you want to have something sucked out into space.
Whatever connection they make is brief and non-traversable, but whatever comes through stays on this side.
DARK
The unlit monoliths aren’t nearly as flashy as their glowing brethren, but they have their own stories to tell. With the help of a little light (and the suit), the interlopers will find that these monoliths are covered from top to bottom in alien script. Most have at least one solid crack or chunk in them - at the juiciest parts! - but there may be enough left to be intelligible, given a little luck.
VISION
The last set hum with an ominous energy that belies their dilapidated appearance. Interlopers who approach these monoliths trigger strange images that float in the air. No two visions are alike, though they all share common themes. Silhouettes descending to the surface of the planet and spreading out across it. Exploring and interacting with an alien environment. There’s something deeply familiar about these shadows despite the variety of body types represented by them. The shape of their clothing is reminiscent of your own suit...
Other snippets are set in space. Here the silhouettes are a darker patch of black against the darkness of space. The mood in these images is strangely pensive, somewhat tense. These figures are searching very desperately for something.
There is one, though, that’s different from all the others. No silhouettes, no searching, no space. Only a shaft of light starting from a point beyond this planet’s moon. At first it’s a too-bright star; then, a solid beam stretching down to the planet itself. The light increases in intensity and breadth exponentially until it impacts physically with the surface of the planet itself. The eruption kicks up huge clouds of dust that race towards the city with all the heat and speed of a pyroclastic explosion. It rises up like a wave...and then crashes down, burying the city.
Eventually, each of the images go dark once again.
OOC
If you're considering joining or want to dabble in the setting a little then you've come to the right place. This post should ideally give you a feel for what it's like to play in the game...especially since this is how we're kicking things off! What does that mean? Basically that
this post is considered game-canon and any inter/actions here will lapse over into the game once it begins provided
both parties agree to keep CR when they are accepted. TDM threads can be used for sample requirements on apps!
Still interested?
Applications open on the
3rdth at 00:00 EST and
close on the 5th at 23:59 EST. Make sure you're familiar with both the
setting and
arrival conditions before posting...and have at it!
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theatlas_ooc2016-11-28 11:38 pm
Vivienne | Dragon Age: Inquisition
[ This...is unpleasant. The heat, mostly, in Vivienne's opinion, plus the suit is horrendous and should not be necessary, much less tolerated. Yet, here she is, somewhere that reminds her of the Western Approach, sweating and not lost, not really - merely expanding upon the map she's found herself with.
Plus there is this business of the Atlas. A place? A device? A title? Things to consider as she explores, descending through the caves beneath the city.
At the monoliths she stops, regarding the signs, specifically the warning one. ]
Well. Shan't be opening that one.
the vision
[ This reminds her of the breach, somewhat - the entire situation as opposed to just these visions themselves, but those as well. ]
Doubtless these shadowed figures are meant to be ourselves, and a warning.
The question is, should it be taken at it's face value? Or with salt.
a wildcard
[ Tag me with something! ]
monoliths
key word is secretly. you'd never detect even a speck of gratefulness in her attitude or demeanor.
even now, she huffs and folds her arms over her chest and scowls (and takes a not-so-subtle step back from the warning sign.) ]
Nope. We shan't. We shan't be doing anything over here, yeah? In fact the only thing we sha...n be doing is leaving. [ crap shan isn't a word. oh well. ] Me, anyway. I'm going back. Back back, to where we started. Not doing any good going this way.
no subject
[ This is a rhetorical question; the monoliths are of a magical sort, and Sera is of a very non-magical sort, so it's to be expected that she'd be unhappy with...all this. Their arrival included. ]
I see no reason to return to such a hideous device, unless you enjoyed being squeezed of all breath. Give me your water container.
no subject
[ she's never going to be over it. also, referring to a mysterious, yet-to-be-identified "they" sends a chill up her spine and she shivers.
this. is. the. worst.
she's not quick to take out her water container, either. her hand shoots towards her pack as though she's going to comply but it stops, hovering just at the bag's flap. she shoots viv a suspicious look. ]
Why? What d'you need for? I don't want anything weird touching it, or going into it. None of that. No magic. No ... this. [ she gestures towards the monoliths with her free hand. ] You can't keep it, either. I'm not going to whither away just so you can have an extra bit of water for wash ups.
no subject
Instead of responding to any of that? Vivienne moves to open the monolith, which pours water out over their feet, like a wave from a distant shore. ]
Considering our limited supplies and the climate here, it seems like a good idea to keep as much water on hand as possible.
[ But since you won't hand yours over Sera, Vivienne will just have to fill her own. So there. ]
no subject
Well you could've said so instead of acting like you needed it for the last bit in some big stupid... thing.
[ spell, potion, ritual. whatever. sera takes out the container and holds it at arm's length towards vivienne – she's not getting any closer to the monolith. ]
Here, take it. I'm not going close to that. I'll throw it if I have to.
...Are you sure that water's even good for drinking? Seems a bit dodge. Like, drink it and you're dead. Or drink it and you're bound eternally to a big fake god of something. You really want stuff whispering at us for the rest of forever? Just like Mythal.
no subject
Of course the monolith closes behind her as she does so, but with a twist of her fingers it turns to an ice pillar instead of soaking into the ground. ]
I am sure that having more water at our disposal is a good thing, Sera. [ She breaks off a chunk of ice with sure fingers and puts it between her lips. ] It's quite fresh.
no subject
[ she pulls a face, something halfway between a grimace and a scowl. ]
Ugh! Just do it already. I want to leave.
no subject
Oh, have you found a storeroom full of breeches you need to abscond with?
no subject
[ HARUMPH! ]
You say it like we couldn't use them. I'd rather have breeches than this. [ she plucks at the fabric of her suit. ] I'd make a whole outfit from breeches if I had 'em.
no subject
[ Also that there is magic here, but telling Sera that would have all the usefulness of shouting underwater, so Vivienne won't bother. ]
I'm sure you would, darling. [ A sigh. ] They are hideous.
wildcard
Good to see you, ma'am!
[ He tells her with absolute boisterous sincerity, since he's fairly sure she wouldn't appreciate it if he tried to go in for a hug. He's grinning broadly, though, all sweaty and dirty with manual labor and with a recent sunburn still peeling as the suits systems healed it. ]
no subject
[ VIvienne would thank the Maker that the Tamassrans granted him the sense not to hug her if she had even considered for a brief moment that he might hug her. As it is, she has much better faith in their abilities and his sense of restraint, so no prayers are necessary. ]
How long have you been here?
no subject
[ He doesn't actually need to pause to count the nights, because he's been keeping track. ]
'Bout 19 days? Dunno how long I was in the pod for before that. Weird shit.
no subject
[ At least no part of Thedas they're all familiar with. ]
What are the rest of the people like, here?
no subject
no subject
Besides, all the better to gossip with.
There is also the matter that it is better for Bull and Dorian for the other to be present, but that is neither here nor something Vivienne would ever volunteer to have an opinion on. ]
Someone asked me about a place called Earth. Sounded thoroughly dreadful, with a name like that.
Very few mages. Hm. Is there any clear common thread between us, besides finding ourselves here?
~ the vision
[ For what it's worth Dorian would accept this as an explanation, it's just his Maker given duty to verbally spar with Vivienne whenever the opportunity presents itself. Also, for the sake of this prompt we are assuming they discovered one another earlier and were of course properly overjoyed. ]
Ourselves, or others like us who came before.
[A pause. ]
Though I can hardly argue it's not the cheeriest of imagery.
no subject
[ Poor them, really, but it brings to mind a good question: have others been forced to search for this Atlas as well? Was that a representation, the past, or the future shown to them? ]
Cheery or not, I daresay it isn't meant to show us here, unless there is a black expanse I missed in that awful desert.