[table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v5 =\\\\\\][row][sub][h1][right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sup][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sup][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=/// TOPIMAGE \\\]https://i.imgur.com/gQ7OrzA.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][sub][color=0b0d11][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c][sub]...[/sub][/color][sup][b]▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][sub][color=white]T U Z I N[/color][/sub][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c]__[/color][sup][b]▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][/color][/sub][center][sup][sub][sup][sub][color=555555][color=2e2c2c]----------------‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ [/color][/color][/sub][/sup][/sub][/sup][/center][/h1][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][center][b][color=0b0d11][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][/color][/b][/center][/sup][/cell][cell][color=888888][color=2e2c2c].[/color] The arrival of a second wave of refugees from the city put a strain on the already delicate balance of survival within Tu Zin. Supplies were stretched well beyond the settlement’s usual capacity, surplus had been chewed through and space to quarter the refugees had very quickly dwindled. A few found room with those willing to accept them into their homes. The rest, or those who chose it, were given a recently rebuilt building near the tavern with enough rooms to house everyone who had arrived, including those a day or two after the first. In total, ten people shared the same roof, making for a somewhat crowded situation and a complicated resource problem. There was never really enough to go around as good will from those who were more accepting of Benders could only go so far. Thankfully, for those who sought it, there were opportunities in abundance to earn yuan or favor and use either for trade. For nearly a week, that was all anyone was up to. Learning, working and surviving, and when time allowed, some would sit and ponder. Ponder the life they had left behind and the life that lay ahead of them. Ponder the ‘why’ everything had happened and why, out of hundreds of Benders who had attempted to leave the city, only they survived. A few days later, a peculiar trading caravan pulled into Tu Zin, and given how stretched supplies had become in recent days, many saw it as a stroke of good luck. Three vehicles entered the settlement in the early morning hours and headed toward the center, coming to a stop near the shops lining the square. Of the three vehicles, the one in the center drew the most attention. While the lead and rear vehicles were escorts, made obvious by the mounted guns and their improvised armor improvements, the vehicle in the center was very different. It was a hodgepodge of rusted metal plates, rivets and wields that vaguely described the shape of a semi’s cab, on top of which was mounted yet another gun. It pulled behind it a trailer covered by a large canvas tarp, beneath which were a series of obscured shapes. These prodded at the imagination which was only further fueled by the strange noises coming from within. Odd squawks and moans and the rattling of chains drew in the curious. They flocked with interest, or concern, while many more approached out of necessity. A dark haired man stepped out of the semi, his eyes sweeping the surrounding settlement with a hunger and focus that was easily recognizable. He wore clothing less typical of those who wandered the Wilds. Clothing that provided less protection from the elements and was significantly less durable but was compensated by the extra layer he put on. Beneath the protective shell of a sand-stained and torn poncho was a faded, old-world suit and tie. Beneath that, the man wore a pair of dark jeans and a pair of brown boots, both of which were caked in dried mud. Oddly enough, however, the gold buckle on his belt shone as if it never knew the shame of a blemish. The man himself gave an air of someone who knew comfortability in a world without it, or at the very least of someone who clung desperately to the idea of it. Not to mention he had the energy to match. The seriousness in his eyes became more of a grin or a smirk, as if he were satisfied with the town that had been laid at his feet. He jumped down ahead of the approaching crowd and began signalling to his crew. [color=white]“Let’s go let’s go!”[/color] he shouted, clapping his hands loudly in an attempt to spur his people into action. [color=white]”We haven’t got all day and these people have waited long enough!”[/color] Five men and a woman, all dressed less glamorously than he, though very clearly more comfortable in the elements, clamored out of the vehicles and set about their practiced work. Signage was retrieved while several others began undoing the straps that tied the tarp to the trailer. [color=white]“Milo! I want that there… Right there!…No a- A little to the right… Perfect. Mira! Where are my lights?!”[/color] The more limber member of the group climbed up and behind the semi and opened a half concealed box to a tangled mass of wires. What was to anyone else an impossible and incomprehensible mess would take her no more than one or two wire swaps to redirect power. A series of lights lining the semi immediately turned on and began blinking on and off in an alternating pattern. [color=white]“That’s great, thank you! Now! Get that tarp removed and let’s get this show started!”[/color] The excitable man turned around to face the crowd and produced from seemingly nowhere a small microphone. He held it a little too close to his lips. [color=white]”Good morning, Tuuuuuu Ziiiiiin!”[/color] he yelled into the mic, as if it would not otherwise pick up his voice. If he had been loud before, the speaker attached to the side of the semi made it louder still. It threw his voice across the entire square and well beyond, until his excitement echoed against the nearby mountains. [color=white]”Allow me to introduce ourselves!”[/color] He placed a hand on his chest. [color=white]”We are the Travelling Troupe of Trinkets, Treasures and Timeless Things! That’s trademarked, baby! And today, we bring to you–”[/color] He pointed into the crowd. [color=white]“For your wonder and amazement, and your business of course, the four corners of the world!”[/color] As he continued to speak, he began pacing around while work to loosen the straps on the tarp continued behind him. [color=white]”Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life. All you’ve known is the desert wind and sand that’s coarse and gets everywhere. Maybe you just don’t have the time to travel. Who does?! But worry not because I, Tan-ming the Traveller, will be your guide.”[/color] [color=white]”Tan-ming the Traveller of the Travelling Troupe of Trinkets, Treasure and Timeless Things…”[/color] Sonam, who was standing just inside Sarah’s office by her front door, sighed in defeat. [color=white]”I think I want to go back to the city now.”[/color] Standing next to her was Vasra who was watching the settlement square with her. [color=white]”Behold!”[/color] With an overexaggerated flourish of his hand, and as if meticulously timed, the tarp was pulled most of the way back revealing, as told, a plethora of odd wares and wonders, some of which were indeed not recognized as having been from the immediate area. Tan-ming started on the left, framing with his hands and arms a series of shelves holding peculiar looking vials of clear liquid. They seemed reminiscent of vials of spirit water found within the City, though they lacked its subtle luminescence. [color=white]”Water from the shifting continents of the far North! The purest found anywhere in the world, untouched by the war that tore it apart and blessed by the spirits themselves. Unlike the over-processed, over-priced rubbish from the City, this water is all natural. It’s crisp. It’s clean and it’s guaranteed to remove all toxins from your body and last but not least, it’s available to all!”[/color] Sonam had a feeling, but that didn’t stop her from looking over at Vasra and then Sarah just to be sure. Sarah, who was seated in what would have been her reception area, rolled her eyes and shook her head. [color=white]”It’s just water. I don’t even need to see it.”[/color] [color=white]”I want to see…”[/color] Sonam looked down at Chosah who was trying to peer through the dense crowd of onlookers in front of them. An impossible task for the little girl. Since leaving the City, Chosah had been on the move, with little to no time allowed for her to process how quickly her life was changing. Taken from her family and everything she knew within the walls. Dragged through the desert with storms and monsters on her tail. And now she was surrounded every day by nothing but strangers and the harshness of a world that did not care for her. She was weary. Anyone could tell. So when Sonam noticed the curious spark in her eyes, she knew she had to nurture it. It was the first signs of light on a face that had known nothing but grief for days. [color=white]”Alright. We can go take a look but you have to stay close to Vasra and me.”[/color] Chosah nodded and followed the two women as they stepped into the crowd. Archer and Dutchess followed silently behind, and like every day before, began drawing eyes. The show in the square continued with Tan-ming moving from the vials to a series of jagged black rocks. He picked one up and held it in front of the crowd, attempting to explain to them the rock’s ability to retain heat and how each one was infused with the cleansing fires from the land they hailed from. [color=white]”Mined in the far West where the ground erupts in fire that can never be extinguished!”[/color] or so he claimed. They were warm to the touch, flammable and would ward off dark spirits if kept within your home. Then there were the canisters of air, collected and compressed directly from the source: the top of a ruined air temple in the South. And finally, from a place that many simply wanted to forget, or go back to as a different person: Signed stickballs from some of the most famous players in the league, Chua Hua included. There were also a couple synergy batteries, which did seem legitimate enough. However, it didn’t take a genius to recognize that most of these ‘wonderous’ items, as Tan-ming called them, were anything but absolutely worthless, and it didn’t take long for the more level-headed survivors to move on. Specifically to the other side of the trailer where on display were more of the usual fare as far as trade was concerned. There was a wide variety of dried meat from what looked to be recent hunts, though it was difficult to tell how recent. There was a selection of weapons, both ballistic and melee, and ammunition. Some body armor and clothing and tools as well as a plethora of other useful items that looked as though they were scavenged from previous owners. All in all, onlookers began to gather here, trading with the guards standing nearby for various supplies in the hopes they could recoup much of what was lost in recent days. But Tan-ming was not one to allow the mundane to outshine what he knew to be extraordinary. Before the rest of the crowd could disperse or decide to find a better way to spend their time, he signaled for his men to pull back more of the tarp unveiling two more items of interest. The first was a somewhat large mechanical device that would immediately be recognizable to Reman or anyone who’d spent time travelling the Wilds years prior. It was mostly spherical in shape with a large gun attached to the chassis beneath it and there were markings denoting it as having once belonged to the RSF. The second was something very few had seen and even fewer had experience with. In a cage near the rear of the trailer was a large, four legged animal. Pastel teal in color with skin that seemed calloused and rough, almost stone-like with bony protrusions around its joints. Its appendages were tipped in talons and fanned in a near complete circle. Its tail curled up behind it and its bulbous eyes refused to focus on any one thing. They continued to shift, independent of each other, to different faces in the crowd. [color=white]“From a land of mud and darkness to the North. Clinging to the roots of the Great Dying Tree. The last of its kind! I present to you: The Chameleon Water Bear! This amazing beast of burden is nigh impervious to physical trauma. Can climb anything. Glows in the dark and, best of all, can turn invisible!”[/color] [sup][color=2e2c2c]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/sup] [/color][/cell][cell][sup][img=//////SIDE IMAGE HERE\\\\\\]https://i.imgur.com/WYxRMUp.png[/img][/sup] [color=303030][table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][sub][color=white]Time.[/color] Early Morning, SE+11 [color=white]Location.[/color] Settlement Center, [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5598604][color=303030]Tu Zin.[/color][/url] [color=666666]____________________________[sub]....[sup]......[/sup][/sub][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/Exit][color=white]Exit[/color][/url] as [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5181680][color=303030]Sonam[/color][/url], [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5599002][color=303030]Chosah[/color][/url] and Tan-ming.[/sub][/cell][/row][/table][/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/VKZUYkW.png[/img] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/JkFdQ8w.png[/img][sup][color=888888]Tan-ming.[/color][/sup] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [h1][/h1] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/3f/63/50/3f6350c39794eeda0d5a8dccaebbe8c7.jpg[/img][sup][color=888888]The drone on display.[/color][/sup] [img]https://i.imgur.com/vzvO9Yf.png[/img][sup][color=888888]A chameleon water bear.[/color][/sup][/cell][/row][/table][table=bordered][row][sub][b]Prompt:[/b][/sub][/row][row][cell][color=9f9f9f]The trailer has not been entirely unveiled. At the end is a square shape that is still covered. There is the odd sound of strained moaning coming from within as well as the shuffling of feet and the scraping of metal against metal. The guards are all armed with automatic rifles but they’re slung across their backs and are not holding them in such a way that implies they mean to use them. After nearly a week in Tu Zin, all player characters have ‘currency’ enough to take one item from the trader, unless it is the Chameleon Water Bear, a trade for which may need to be discussed with Tan-ming himself. If there is something you would like, this is your opportunity to describe what it is to me and see about procuring it. This can be rations for a number of days, or a special type of tool. Keep in mind that there is still a planned expedition starting the next day, SE+12. [color=white]Reman.[/color] You recognize the drone as the earliest model purchased from the Xuoshi family by the Moons and deployed into the Wilds to patrol it. Compared to later models, these were quite durable and long-lived but highly inefficient on resources. None are still in active use. They operate in much the same way as drones in the Wilds do today. They run on synergy, operate a conventional high caliber rifle, and will scan for Benders beyond the walls while directing those who are not Benders back to the City. [color=white]Chu Hua.[/color] Those signed stickballs are most definitely counterfeit. [color=white]Jin.[/color] You see a strange shadow hanging over the back end of trailer, right above the still concealed 'box' beneath the tarp. This is only visible to you. It's also vaguely familiar to the shadow you saw on the day of the explosion. [/color][/cell][/row][/table]