Morkskittar

Mei and the Red Queen both reacted swiftly, scanning their immediate environment with all the tools they had at their disposal. Between them, they got a good look at the interior of the elevator and a basic idea of what lay beyond it. Bhramari's words of calm did, actually, seem to have helped. The screaming had subsided, and the group was beginning to pull itself together. Most of the people in synthmorphs were banged up but still functional, but those in biomorphs were less well off. Thankfully, there were only four biomorphs in the elevator, including the Red Queen, all of them humanoid. Two of them were unconscious, and the third's neck was twisted in such a way as to suggest that they'd be waking up in another morph. The other seven morphs were all synths, all some variation on various human-like standard synth packages, save one spiderlike synthmorph clinging to the ceiling, and nothing overly large. Mei was the largest thing in the elevator. The bottom of the elevator and where the floor met the walls was warped and twisted from their impact with the bottom of the shaft, indicating either cheap metal or a very hard impact. This meant that the doors themselves were also bent, so they would not be able to slide open on their own, and would need to be forced. Marcus Sykes was standing at the emergency control panel, muttering something unintelligible to himself as he flipped some switches, poked some buttons, and dug out some wires. Oxygen levels and pressurization seemed fine; either the elevator was still airtight or there was breathable air outside. There did not appear to be any unexpected nanoswarms in the elevator. There was an emergency exit/access hatch in the ceiling, right next to where the spider synth was latched on and near the back wall, made accessible by smaller morphs by a ladder flush against said wall. The hatch appeared to be undamaged; all it would take was someone to twist the locking wheel and pop it open. Beyond the elevator was a large ledge at the top of a vast cavern. Titanic stalactites hung from the ceiling, and something was moving on their surface. The Red Queen's lidar did not allow them to see much more than that.

There are definitely times as an EP GM I also get update paralysis. And I don't even use all of the rules in the rulebook! XD Not quite as bad as Shadowrun in terms of crunch, but it comes pretty close.

Simulspace@Work: T.Z. Adrian sent an immediate response. <Whoa, you did it! I didn't see that one coming. Good work. Can't give you access to the other sectors' meshes though; every sector has its own team, to make sure that any hacker or program that infiltrated one system can't just jump over to the next one. I can send a message to the IT supervisor over in XP Mining and R&D. Anything you want me to include about them in my report?> OOC T.Z., social engineer. :P

The spade-headed gau chuckled. "That must have been quite an entrance, to have fallen from a storm." He stepped past Park and made a deep bow, the tip of his fungal head brushing the plants. "My name is Shahan Farr; some call me the wandering char. I am captain of the ship moored next door. Your kind friend invited me here to consult." He looked directly at both Atus and Tharr and gave them nods of acknowledgment. "Pleased to meet you." He turned back to Park. "I would be most honored to accompany you belowdecks and out of the rain; this is a fine ship." Niceties taken care of, Tharr ducked back downstairs to the galley, and Park and Shahan followed. As Park led the way, the gau admired the leviathan-bone walls. "Nice seal, this bone. Good choice of material; my own vessel makes use of Exile's Copper. We're all mostly chars on board, and we like to use real fire where possible; metal's safest." The two of them stepped into the galley, where Tharr had moved the table from under the leaking hole Atus' fall had caused and sat back down. Three steaming cups of tea awaited them, and they all sat. "Running water in your galley. Most ingenious." The gau chuckled slightly at his own joke, and held the cup of tea up near his neck. A bunch of small fungal tendrils snaked their way out from under his collar and dipped into the tea, absorbing it. He turned to Tharr. "You make an excellent cup. Are you the crew's steep?" He looked around. "And where is your infected friend? Unless your steep here is the one with the flower's curse?" His eyes fell on Tharr's parasitic tuber, peeking out of the sack Tharr had brought it back in. "Not that; that's much too large to be a manticore bloom spore. Similar in function, though, I suppose." Up above deck, the storm lightened. To most, the change was imperceptible, but Atus immediately realized that Dajel was running out of steam. Her relentless assault on the Spire had relented, the strikes becoming less fierce. He became distracted from his task, watching her dance across the sky. He did not know how long it was before he came back to himself, and his eyes fell on the crater of splinters. It was an easy enough fix; just slap something over the hole. The problem then became determining what, exactly, to patch the hole with. More wood would, of course, match the existing deck, but perhaps something stronger was needed? After all, who was to say that Atus falling from a great height would not happen again. OOC Repairing the ship will require a piece of appropriate salvage and a Rattle roll. You will need to find something appropriate for patching a hole in the deck. :) Regarding the Hakuna Matata stew (marked now on your character sheet), it will allow anyone who drinks it to immediately clear any two boxes of Mire, Mire being negative mental consequences to seeing or experiencing terrible things. Tharr and Tolliver both have one box of Mire, and you will all surely get more in the future. :) Not terribly useful now, but it may come in handy soon.

Torvek shook his head. "No, sir, if it's all right with you, we'll help you out, like y'helped us. I'm guessin' these are yer crew. Look like you need some aid." The ketra dipped his head to Ham and Helena. "What can we do?" The ektus simply nodded firmly.

All excellent questions. You haven't left port yet, so maybe you'll get some answers if you search for them. ;) And I am always fond of conversing in verse. :)

Sevenstones Scene: Pirate's Brawl Helena's right hook connected with Joren's head with an immensely satisfying and meaty thud, sending his head careening into that of his companion. Both of their feathered hats fell onto the stone ground as Joren staggered, dropping the bundled fur. To Helena and Alfred's shared surprise, a stocky gau slipped between them and scoopedThere isn't really any skill Ham has that can be stretched to cover this situation, so this means you roll a 1d6 with no Triumph normally possible. Roll: 4. Due to Joren being quite distracted, I'll play this as a successful grab, but the fur is quite distressed by the knife. it up, using their machete to cut the bonds and free it. It took them both a moment to recognize Ham, though neither were sure how he had gotten there or where he had come from. The fur squirmed in Ham's grasp, shying away from Ham's blade. As it unfurled itself, Ham noticed that the beautiful thing was mattered, torn, and in several places, cut. It was almost as if someone had been torturing it. It easily slipped out of Ham's grasp and began undulating and leaping away from the conflict, heading upward toward the very highest point of the tilted spit. Joren's friend landed on the ground with a loud groan, though Joren remained on his feet, face covered in blood and his eye swollen, sword now drawn. He cursed Helena. "You'll pay for that, you-" he swung as he spoke, but Helena easily sidesteppedVault + Grace: 1, 5, 6. his blade. A crackling sound stopped Joren in his tracks. Alfred, tendrils unbound, was quite literally sparking, voice shaking in rageBreak + Iron to intimidate: 1, 5, 5. You succeeded in intimidating them along with Helena's punch, but too well; they're fleeing entirely! as he addressed the pirates. Joren's eyes darted between Helena, who was looking ready to strike another blow, and Alfred, and he broke, beginning to run in the direction opposite Kryk T'k's fur, down the tilted cobble. His companion rolled to his feet and followed. Both of them left their hats on the ground. Joren's bleeding face did leave a fairly clear trail of blood on the dusty stone ground, at least. Alfred's two friends looked at them all with shock and awe. OOC Helena's punch and Alfred's sparking were enough to fold these pirates, who have taken off down towards the bottom of the cobble. The injured fur, eluding Ham's grip, is now 'running' towards the top of the cobble. You can pursue either or neither. Wavewalk or Vault (plus an appropriate edge) tests will help you use speed to keep up with either, while a Hunt + Edge test can be used to follow the injured Joren's trail, either now or later. It was a solid right hook, and is bleeding quite a bit. :P

The clues provided to Atus are designed to be open-ended enough that you can interpret them as you will and make the story as you go (I will not impose any particular backstory). I have some thoughts, but nothing set in stone. ;) Each one of you also has, or will shortly have, either a tool that can be used to continue pursuing the Bloom (or learn more about it) or a narrative hook that may be related somehow. A fleshy parasitic dahlia bulb/tuber used by Tyrant's Bloom cultists [the Tyrant's Bloom is, notably, also said to be a dahlia] (Tharr), storm riddles (Atus), possibly a chart to the Bloom's last appearance (Tolliver), and a new friend who may know more than he appears (Park). Any one of these, or multiple in combination, can lead you forward.

Work: Mei//Red Queen The small army of agents housed in two bodies continued their work, both in an exemplary fashion, at least in terms of output. Mei was far less efficient in their use of swarms than they were capable of, and managed to arrange more losses due to volatile chemical reactions in the mining process than were, perhaps, normal, but not out of the range of the ordinary. By the end of the workday, they judged that they had lost enough to justify the feedstock they would be using on more illicit pursuits. Li, meanwhile, spent their time finishing up blueprintsRolled a 6 vs. an 80 Interface test. for an access jack. The Red Queen's instructions to the Red Pope were immediately acknowledged. They then updated the Triumvirate with current events: T.Z. had ordered a redirection of current resources to the infiltration of the mining facility and had made a similar command to exfiltrate when necessary (to the Red Queen's surprise), as well as to hide the server before too too many questions were asked. That seemed, to the Red Queen, to be reasonable. They would have to inspect the state of affairs in more detail when work was over. Then it was over; everyone was pinged that their shift was up, and they all headed over to the elevator to head back up, Mei somewhat reluctantly, having found a surprising enjoyment in the puzzle of efficient nano-mining, and the Red Queen more eagerly, as they wanted to check up on their cult. They crowded into the elevator with about a dozen others, being some of the first on, including the union boss, Marcus Sykes, whom the Red Queen immediately recognized. The elevator doors closed. And the elevator dropped. There were startled screams as the elevator briefly became weightless. The Red Queen and Mei were, fortunately, near the edge of the elevator, and managed to grab onto the rails on its walls. This made their lives easier when it smashed to a halt at what was, presumably, the bottom of the elevator shaft with a sickening crunch. Many screams were silenced, and others became louder. The lights in the elevator went out, plunging them into complete darkness. The doors did not open. OOC I'll give another little bit in case they are ready/planning to return, and then otherwise moving you on after this diversion. ;) I don't think the RQ or Mei et al. have any mods that let them see fully in the dark; they have lidar/radar which can give them an idea of movement and rough positioning, but not night vision. Unless I missed something; if that is the case, let me know. :P

I do have a plan to meld you all, probably the next in-game day. I do enjoy the artificially elevated sense of danger that comes from attrition at least. XD Your workdays are rapidly drawing to a close, so you may be working together sooner than you think. I have cut the elevator cord to accelerate this process. ;) My apologies as always for my delay.

Simulspace@Work: T.Z. The Red Pope inclined his head ever so slightly to T.Z., an acknowledgment of his wishes and sway over the masses, if not his authority. "It is fortunate that our thoughts concur with your own. There need not be friction there." T.Z. looked out through the bricks in the door. Of course, he knew this was simply a visualization of data and code, but the graphics of this visualization were quite astonishing. Beyond the bricks lay a wasteland of flames and magma, a trio of dragons (one gold, one black, and one red) circling above it. Each scale was rendered perfectly, and T.Z. wondered about where the computational power for this was coming from. If the cult was wasting so much power and energy on graphics, they must have a nearly limitless supply of power. That insight alone was interesting. The Red Pope continued speaking. "We shall now begin work infiltrating the experimental mining mesh. The Red Queen would approve of such a plan. It is possible we could backdoor through there into the research zone; it seems likely there is an escalating level of firewall defenses, from the residential to the mining to the experimental mining to the research. It will take time; a few hours, at least. Please check in then, Grandmaster. We will also set the peons to better hiding this place, now that the conquest is complete." T.Z. did not find anything particularly pertinent in the data from the residential area, but it also did not have a coherent search strategy. OOC The Cult will be focusing its attentions on the Experimental Mining Area; checking in after work will yield results. They will also be hiding it better, thwarting my plans for a full-blown mesh civil war. :P Unless there is anything else you wanted to check on in digital space, you can log out. Simulspace@Work: Aeos "Hey! Why don't you talk to me? Ask me? The flies are eating the place alive!" The man on the couch was becoming increasingly agitated. Dr. Hoftada mulled over Aeos' words, and eyed the flies. "Typically, a swarm such as this represents many tiny minds. That would be most-" The flies suddenly moved as one, darting over to the man in the prison jumpsuit and the ball and chain. They covered him, and their numbers multiplied. The man disappeared. "See?!" said the man on the couch, and then he began screaming in agony. The swarm of flies, now several times larger, buzzed madly and rose again to the ceiling. The prisoner was gone, only a skeleton remaining. Dr. Hoftada finally looked worried. "What do bones in a psychiatric mindspace mean, I wonder? Well, I think perhaps we should..." He frowned. A note of genuine fear crept into his voice. "I can't log out." Aeos tried as well; she could not either. They were, apparently, stuck in the psychosurgery simulspace. "I don't like the look of those flies," the doctor said. "I told you!" The man on the couch screamed. "They're everywhere! They're everything! The corners! Save me! Get me out of here!" The swarm descended again, this time heading towards the man on the couch. He finally moved, wide-eyed, stumbling directly towards Aeos. "They're the mission! Kill them! Save us!" The flies followed him as he rapidly approached the pair of doctors, hands outstretched. Dr. Hoftada shot Aeos a quizzical, though slightly terrified, look.

If Ham would like to head over to the altercation, something can very easily be arranged. :) If I don't hear otherwise, I will assume Ham intends to find the others and will initiate that protocol. I'll update you all probably tomorrow. Apologies for my delay; it's sinus infection season. :P I will also probably put out another ad for one or two players to join you all if you're still OK with that plan.

I only now have realized I made an unintentional pun. Atus may be a little bit shocked. :P

Deathblossom, Angler's Spire: Montage/Scenes Atus—Storm-talk Park—Cookery at the Charred Mantis Tharr—Earning respect in a gardener's shed Tolliver—Striking a bargain Charred Mantis then Home—Park Park made his proposal, and the head char shrugged. "Sure, go for it." Park, with his own small sample of the stew and a spare cauldron build over a chemical stove on the loft, addedCook (Instinct) test: 2, 4, 4, 6. a few choice parts he saw lying around on the butcher's pile, and topped it off with white slug fat. The fat diluted the deep fiery red of the stew, but added an intense aroma that had been absent before. He sampled it, and his eyes widened. He thought it was a definite improvement on perfection. He was less sure about presenting it to the other two chars. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the head char of the operation had been called away elsewhere while he had worked and was nowhere to be found. However, the gau char-captain, Shahan Farr, remained keenly interested in what Park was doing. "Bold choices; but will not that transform the flavor entirely?" When Park finished, he stepped forward, a ladle having materialized into his hand. "May I?" The gau tried a small sample, and his clusters of eyes widened in imitation to Park's own. "That is downright invigorating! Extraordinary; it is like it burns away your worries. And that fat... the texture is perfect." The gau takes another ladle-full. "You should save that. It will be a boon not only in cold moons, but for those who are deeply troubled. A curative tonic for the very soul! And quite delicious. You are a most worthy char, indeed." The two then engaged in conversationCook Test again, without an Edge this time as it is being used for conversation: 4, 6, 6! Park is on fire. about culinary arts and traveling. Park was, by his own admittance, not the best conversationalist, but he knew cooking, and that enthusiasm and knowledge overrode his awkwardness, drawing in Captain Farr. Eventually, the conversation traveled from meats to herbs, and then quite naturally to flowers. It was then that Park asked his question, about parasitic flowers. "Oh, you mean like Manticore Blooms? Very tricky, those are, and very contagious if you don't deal with it. Dried and powdered though, they make for a quite... ah, zesty addition to a stew. Not worth keeping around for that purpose, though; too dangerous. Though powdered manticore can command a high price for discerning merchants. Do you have some? I wonder what that would do to your stew." Park then hesitantly extended an offer to the chef to look at Tolliver, to see if he could help. The gau char enthusiastically accepted, and loaned Park an insulated carrying pot for him to carry his stew in. The two then shared another bowl of the unmodified stew before staring out at the deluge. The thunder outside was deafening, with lightning striking the spire once every second or two, which illuminated the streets in an eerie light. "They say the storm will last a while longer; no point in just waiting." The gau sighed. "Sometimes you just get wet." With that, the pair of them stepped out into the rain. Fortunately, the guards at the gate between the Chitinate and Deathblossom districts were nowhere to be found, likely assuming that no one would be foolish enough to try and cross the gate in the storm. They were, of course, wrong, and Shahan Farr picked the lock and the two of them passed back into the Deathblossom district unhindered. It turned out that the Argos was moored next to the char's ship, the Grand Gourmet. Shahn Farr ducked inside his own ship briefly to change clothes and grab a pair of umbrellas, and then they stepped onto the deck of the Argos, where they were greeted by the sight of a dazed Atus lying in a crater of splintered wood on the deck. OOC Park has gained a new temporary two-track aspect: Hakuna Matata Stew! It can be marked to clear two boxes of mire from a friend. It may also spoil if left for too long. He also gained a milestone: A gourmet, impressed. From the Garden the Argos, in Melancholy—Tharr Having earned the esteem of the Deathblossom gardeners, Tharr trudged forlornly through the rain, letting it soak through his very spirit. In contrast to the comparative bustle of before, the streets were nearly empty now, save for some other souls wallowing in misery, those without homes to return to, and those who do not seem to mind the rain. Those belonging to the latter category tended toward the ironbound, and none stopped to chat to the drenched mothryn. The Slipfang's springfoxes were either huddled beneath what cover they could find on the top deck or had squirreled themselves away below the leaves or dock; they didn't like rain any more than most. Dripping on the polished wood floor, Tharr made his way down to the empty galley, and stewed himself a cup of tea. He sat, alone with his memories and thoughts, trying not to think too hard about the fleshy parasitic tuber somehow connected to the Bloom that he now possessed, until he heard a crack of thunder surprisingly close, and something hit the deck above his head hard. The wooden ceiling above him cracked and a plank of wood fell down, landing on the table in front of him. The rain, which had previously been kept out, began pouring down into the galley, soaking Tharr yet again. Fortunately, he moved his steaming cup of tea out of the way as he himself sidestepped the deluge, so it remained undiluted by cold rain water. There was now a waterfall in the galley. OOC Tharr has now acquired a minor Milestone: A life saved, a flower thwarted. Should he go up on deck, he will see Atus lying in a crater of broken wood, as well as Park (holding a covered stew) and a short-spade-headed gau festooned with cleavers looking on. A Storm, a Fall—Atus Dajel's reply was instant, loud, and insistent. Atus briefly felt his soul begin to become unglued; a sensation not dissimilar from the chameleocuda's venom, but not quite as harrowing. "The spark, a tempest, it thinks it be, The past and future it hopes to see, If the spark, a storm like me, Then past and future shall be thee. First for roots that stretch below; The thunder's gale an undertoe, The whirlwind snared by deadly foe, To free would strike Bloom a blow. Then for stars that burn and sear, One that fell, then lost to years. From its passage come your fears, Born, the beast, from pain and tears." An image burned itself into Atus' mind as the storm played with his spirit and soul; a towering tallshank, blackened as if it had been consumed by flame, its bare branches twisted into an arboreal imitation of a cyclone. Nearby, a thundercloud rained books and scrolls. Before Atus could formulate another reply to clarify, he felt the lightning withdraw, and he fell. The fall was not as long as he had been expecting; over the course of his conversation with Dajel, he seemed to have lost significant altitude. However, he had still been quite high up, and he hit the deck of a ship hard enough to splinter and break open the wooden planking. Had he been anything but what he was, he would surely have perished from the fall (let alone the storm). As it was, he felt quite disoriented and felt something akin to pain from his experience. After a few moments, he realized that he was actually lying on the deck of the Argos. Was that fate, fortune, or deliberate action on the part of the storm? He looked around; the storm still raged, unabated, but the ironbound watched in awe as the spire itself lit up with lightning as Dajel unleashed her fury upon it. The tower seemed to be made of sturdy stuff, and fortified against lightning, so her rage did little to damage it, but it was impressive nonetheless. OOC Atus has acquired a new chart: A blackened windcatcher seared into the mind's eye. He has also acquired a single mark of damage from his conversation and the fall, marked to Lightning's Call. His impact with the ship deck was akin to that of a small cannonball, and so has done a single point of damage to the ship's Seals. He also gained a milestone: Tempestuous Communion. I will also not tell you which clue is which. :P Aster's Scar—Tolliver The tzelicrae secreted away the tubular case containing the chart. "Cuda? I have heard talessss of sssuch a thing. But never ssseen one, or its flesh. Pray, demonssstrate and prove that you have thissss, and for a sssufficient quantity the chart issss yoursss." The ketra stood up, face contorted in fury. "You can't do that; I made you a good offer, fair and square!" The ketra's hand strayed to a pistol in his built, but then he paused as he noticed many eyes upon him, and a bouncer striding toward him. "Watch your back," he spat out at Tolliver. He growled and stormed off, leaving Tolliver's gift of a drink behind. The tzelicrae stood as well. "If you will show me to your ship, or wherever you hold the meat, we can finalize our bargain and conclude our bussssinesss." OOC The tzelicrae has tentatively accepted Tolliver's offer, pending proof of the meat. Tolliver can show him back to the ship, or else make another arrangement to show him that the meat is real. A Ketran Vengeance track has also been added to the ship. A milestone for Tolliver is forthcoming should he conclude this deal. ;)