transport log » ❝ welcome to Exsilium ❞

[initiates]

Date & Time: Oct. 24th
Location: The Initiative Hold
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports have all arrived and have been led to a banquet room within the Hold.
Warnings: None.

NOTE: This takes place during this plot, though the plot log will not be posted until tomorrow. The Transports already in game have returned from their mission to find the island overrun with monsters. The log is set within the safety of the Initiative Hold, however, so while characters will be aware of what is going on outside, they can otherwise go about their business as usual if they choose.

--

You've just been hustled and bustled through mazes of information and literal, wide corridors of the Initiative Hold and you've been equipped with your weapon—be it a gun, a sword, or even your existing powers. They've handed you this light netbook and a small pouch of coins (or a debit card, if you're more inclined), and there are several Transports before and after you going through the very same motions. You can hear the Greeter's voice as she walks alongside large groups, telling them all about the history of this place and sharing with you your purpose here in a hurried and urgent tone. She looks worse for wear, pale and gaunt, though is putting a great deal of effort into maintaining her energy and professionalism for the new Transports. "I am truly sorry that you came at such a bad time. That wasn't intentional, I assure you."

She leads the way through the Initiative Hold. The walls bear the occasional claw mark as a sign of the misfortune that has plagued the island, but it hardly seems deserted anymore due to the other Transports recently returning from their mission. After turning several corners, you arrive in a large room that has been transformed into a makeshift banquet hall. The food presented is perhaps not as luxurious or bountiful as one would hope, but it is certainly enough to go around, and isn't inedible by any means.

"We wanted to try and make this up to you," she explains. "It's meagre, but we did not have much time to prepare." There are a number of Transports already present, some looking over the long banquet table, others seated throughout the room at large, round tables meant to each seat eight people. The mood is grim, despite the Initiative's efforts to raise morale.

Before the Greeter turns to leave, she is reminding you that it will be perfectly safe to explore the Hold, the courtyard, the housing building, and even a several block radius around it. "Hopefully things will be back to normal soon."

Welcome to the banquet. Welcome to the Initiative Hold—and most importantly, welcome to Exsilium.

Comments

[ghostling]

Blood elf? What makes you any different from any other elf?

[A beat before she adds,] Not that elves exist where I'm from. Outside of fantasy novels and games and crap that is.

[arcanepower]

Much. [He practically spits.] Night elves revere Elune and pledge themselves to the Alliance. They are tall, dark-skinned, and have glowing silver or gold eyes. They despise arcane magic as a whole.

Most of the high elves were slaughtered when the Sunwell was taken, and those of us left are called blood elves.

[He doesn't even know what the fuck a fantasy novel is. Girl, you cray.]

Elves are just a legend on your world?

[ghostling]

...Elune? Sunwell? [The confused look on her face beneath her mask was likely laughable.]

Not even legend. Just stories.

[arcanepower]

Forget it.

[He's not here to explain lore for noobs.]

Well, I am clearly here and existent. I hope that will not cause a problem.

[ghostling]

You're a rude one. Are all elves like this? Because if so I certainly don't want to deal with another. [If only she knew she was kind of stuck with this one.]

[arcanepower]

Most of them were slaughtered by Prince Arthas Menethil, so you're in luck. [THE FEELING IS MUTUAL, GIRL.]

[ghostling]

[That bit of news kind of hits close to home.]

Oh. I'm...sorry.

[arcanepower]

[It's just a fact. It still pisses him off, like it does the rest of his race, but he wasn't TRYING to guilt trip her or anything.

He shrugs it off.]

It has no relevance here.

What happened to your arms? [TACT.]

[ghostling]

[She raises one hand and stares at it for a moment.] I lost them in an accident when I was ten. They were replaced by this energy.

[arcanepower]

Did you acquire it somehow?

[He adopts a non-condescending tone for this. Magical oddities are kind of his Thing.]

[ghostling]

Something like that. You could say it was something I was born with.

[arcanepower]

[A pause.]

I was born with magic as well, but nothing to that extent...

[... he kind of wants to touch, but -- ew, personal space. He'll pass.]

[ghostling]

It's not magic. [He wouldn't really feel anything but cold if he did. And really it's best not to touch things that you aren't sure what they are.</small.]

[arcanepower]

[Definitely not. He's learned that firsthand from several magical artifacts exploding in his face.]

Is it more like a machine, then?

[ghostling]

[She shakes her head.] It might be more like magic for you. To me it's just energy. A cosmic energy, in fact.

[arcanepower]

A... cosmic energy? And it is not corrupt?

[Well, it can't be like the demonic energy that lurks in the Twisting Nether, then.]

[ghostling]

I don't know. Do you think death corrupt?

[arcanepower]

No. Unless there are diseased things walking about that have died before, then yes, that is corrupt.

[ghostling]

I haven't sensed any. [Then again she hadn't really thought about sensing for anyone that had more Nether clinging to them than anyone else.]

I guess I'll explain better. The energy I carry is called Nether, it flows through all things living and dead. It's stronger in those closer to death or if they happened to be undead. And I can sense it.

[arcanepower]

[That sounds kind of interesting, actually. Can that power be harnessed for other things? Actual spells? Fighting against the undead? He has so many questions.]

Your world is... vastly different from mine.

There is no such energy tying us all together, though many possess magic-- mana. The Nether is what connects all worlds, and it is home to a host of demons that seek to corrupt all they come across.

But your power is nothing like that. [He would know immediately if it was. Demon magic is foul as hell. Literally. And he's sensitive enough to it that, despite not sucking down any fel magic himself, he was still corrupted by being in the vicinity of people who had.]

[ghostling]

I'm sure that's the case for most. I doubt any two worlds are the same. Then again, what the hell do I know about this kind of stuff? I've never actually traveled between planes of existence until now.

[Nether could be used for magic but Ghost doesn't have that ability. She's currently confined to one branch of the tree.]

[arcanepower]

I tried to teleport back home. It did not work.

[He's so unhappy about that.]

[ghostling]

I don't have that kind of ability but I kind of figured it wouldn't work.