Current
Now running: World of Light: The Tale of the Dark Itself
4 mos ago
Forever and ever, amen
8 mos ago
Calling out from Scatman's world
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like
10 mos ago
Called into action - by threats that seem harmonized
1 yr ago
Tomorrow comes
Bio
Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.
Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.
Interested in this. My character idea is this: a Deviant born in the Cave, who despises the Kin elite. This led to him joining a revolutionary group where he gathered combat and tech training. After being declared a terrorist he fled the Cave. He would be the hacker/infiltration member of the team. Obviously it would be more fleshed out in the character sheet.
Glad to have you, and yeah, that could work in principal. In fact, that's totally a cool idea for the Cave. Here's a couple points we could use:
-Cave society and tech in general is extremely stagnant, focusing pretty much exclusively on comfort and entertainment for its inhabitants. What offensive tech there is suffers from limited resources and infrastructure, making melee weapons and other such self-contained gear the norm. However, since computers and the net do exist in order to entertain the masses, a hacker could exist there. -A revolutionary group would be primarily Deviants, since Kin are a gigantic majority in the Cave and only care about things that would infringe upon their lifestyles. Kin could be in the group, but they would have to be unusual and take their pleasure from the suffering of others, or general chaos and destruction. -Deviants are despised in the Cave from the moment they're found out, since they're resistant to the Haze that defines the indolent Kin society. Deviants interested in revolution might leave the Cave and return later, potentially with technology or training, but all will eventually time out because of exposure to the Haze and either have to leave for good or risk becoming Kin. -This could maybe even make for a sort of culture in the group that the members do smaller jobs and raids until their time is almost up, at which point they launch a major offensive guaranteed to get the authorities' attention before leaving the Cave for good. Of course, if one is captured during that operation, they might get imprisoned until they become Kin.
Any of this sound doable? We'd also potentially need to establish the existence of anti-troublemaker authorities in the Cave. Certainly there are many who enjoy using their authority to attack others in the name of the common good. It brings to mind the police from We Happy Few on their hunt for Downers, if you've ever heard of that. The Jesters, perhaps? 'Thought Police' would be a little too on the nose.
With that explained, he's good from a character standpoint. The only thing to do would be to rack up some experiences for him, if you so choose. It might be fun to add some meat to his backstory detailing some of the interesting things he's done and been involved with during his career, while the RP's getting set up. Right now the story's fine, but it could be in virtually any world. That could help him get more immersed into this particular one. You're free to make up whatever within the bounds of the setting provided, since there are tons of possibilities, or we could bounce some ideas around.
A real walking arsenal, eh? He seems tough and capable, definitely not on the quirkier side. My question is this: how did he become a Lightning Elpo? Did he go to Areia at some point and find a lightning oasis himself, or as part of a squad? Did he come into conflict with someone there who had and take their fruit? Confiscate it at some point on earth from someone who'd gone to Areia? Why did he eat the fruit? Was he commanded to? Forced to, either by an enemy or in order to beat an obstacle? Or just curious?
In other news, I plan to make an example sheet that might help people in some fashion, and I may add a new world or two (plus associated subspecies) that I've been ruminating on but didn't include initially.
I’m interested. About the corpus living weapons ore thingy, are they like organic technology? If your familiar with the Wii game Conduit, is it like that?
I wasn't familiar, but I did look up the Drudge weapons, and yeah. The super tissues that can be harvested to make living weapons work a lot like that, also like the Infested weapons in Warframe. Depending on whether or not the weapons include cerebral matter, they can also be sentient, which also begs the question of what happens when human cerebral tissue is included.
Glad to see you guys interested! Six is a good starting number. I'll proceed assuming the game is on and work on setup while looking forward to characters and new arrivals. If there are any questions I'd be more than happy to help.
Indeed, tech recovered from the Pendulum, while clockwork in function and appearance, is remarkably functional and could form the basis for a very steampunky character.
Definitely interested. How influential is the Interest? Would we be starting with the raid, basically, and dealing with the fallout? Or is that spoilerinos?
Glad to hear it!
The Interest is fairly clandestine, comparable to a PMC, with little known about it other than it often targets branches of Gilgamesh and similar companies that risk human lives to harvest resources from other dimensions, whatever the side effects. The name also comes up in bounty-hunting circles, indicating that they also dispatch rogue anomalies sometimes. It's not that influential, but it's a reliable when it comes to its dealings.
The RP will begin with the raid, and what ensues will definitely concern the participants.
It began with the people of the world. Pestilence drove them apart, into seclusion, and into condemnation of their fellows. But man was not made for living alone, caged by fear. Tragedy and loss rattled the population, and unrest suffused the globe, escalating into at-times violent opposition. Isolation and division severed the connections of the world, leaving many adrift and in despair. From the other side of the wall a song could be heard, dim and muffled, but as the cracks grew longer the tune became clearer. It was a song of otherness, of restlessness, its simple and beautiful suggestion that this tormented world couldn't possibly be real. Many lost touch with reality, sinking into the gloom that surrounded them, dreaming unsettling and incomprehensible dreams when they slept, and seeing a unfamiliar world that flashed and blurred when they could not, staring into their ceilings and computer screens. As the year got older, even the weather of the world grew aimlessly active. The people could feel it—that sensation of impending disaster, of teetering on a precipice and peering down into the bottomless pit below, and of wondering if what lay below could possibly be worse than what lay behind.
In December, the cracked wall, groaning under the weight of the song on the other side, gave way. For nineteen days and nights, reports came in across the globe of bizarre sightings, of colors that moved and danced, of water where none should be, of things that moved in strange ways in the corners and the shadows. Then the first Well opened, and the rest was history.
All over the world, Wells of bright blue water sprang forth where none should be. Within, no matter what lay there before, lay an infinite Deep. Some Wells came and went like riptides, divulging otherworldly things before sucking worldly things back in, and some came like earthquakes, changing the terrain where they erupted. Whether sanctioned as Divers by the governments of the world or not, people ventured into the Deep, and found an astral sea with no surface. Among all the inexplicable things the Divers saw down there was one discovery: the existence of other wells, like those they came through. And of other worlds beyond them.
For a long time there was chaos. Even as exploratory teams traveled through the helpful currents of the Deep to other worlds, establishing bases and giving them names, other things filtered through onto Earth from beyond. Some arrived subtly, others like explosions, changing the world irreparably. Chief among them was the Lucid Dream, taking over the great cities where multitudes of people lived their lives, clouding them in a tangible malaise, creating surreal doldrums that cultivated distortion. Countless people were changed, both on Earth and other worlds, giving rise to entire subspecies collectively falling under the classification 'More Than Human'--MTH for short, pronounced (and often spelled) 'myth'.
But that's old news. Twenty-eight years have passed, with weirdness becoming the new normal. A state of equilibrium was reached, allowing business to proceed more or less as usual, but the scars of those early years never faded. The Lucid Cities remain effectively lost to the outside world, their residents living unthinking lives on repeat. Gone is the security of the old world, making whole countries into frontiers.
It's in this changed world that you live, and not just as a civilian, no. You're a problem solver, the sort who can fend for yourself. And you or your employers have been contacted by the Interest. A shadowy organization extant principally in rumor and superstition, the Interest has requested your help in a raid on a base of the infamous Gilgamesh Co. Established in the early days of the Opening, as it came to be called, it sought to boost the economies and livelihoods of the world by abusing the resources of other dimensions, and abusing their employees -including the criminals, the purposeless, and the desperate- to get them. Though long since publicly denounced and dissolved, Gilgamesh continues to operate in secret around the globe, and the Interest seems eager to see this branch put down. To that end they're offering fabulous sums of money for professional help, and other things besides—they seem to know exactly what it is you need.
So, a raid on an evil corporation in a world changed by the Opening to other dimensions and peopled by those deemed More Than Human...are you in?
Other Dimensions
After the Opening, Wells emerge across the globe that offer access to the Deep, and through it access to other dimensions. Some wells only appear briefly, but others stay permanently, tinging the surrounding area with features of the nearest dimension. The trip can be made with conventional diving equipment or submarines, or even without as long as one gets really lucky with the currents. Still, travel is risky and inconvenient. Since this RP will be taking place on Earth, knowing the other dimensions isn't that important.
The Cave – A rich subterranean world of massive caverns. Bioluminescent fungi of all shapes and sizes illuminate a safe and peaceful haven, its temperature comfortable and its meaty flora bountiful. The air is thick, and vapors carry a stimulant that excite the imagination while slowing down biological processes. The lower one goes in the Cave, the heavier the Haze becomes; at its depths, its strong enough to be hallucinogenic and to halt the body's biology completely, eliminating the need for food and sleep, and preventing aging. Since the Cave's discovery, a number of human colonies have flourished there, with large amounts of people from earth immigrating for the sake of a life of indulgent indolence, free of any hardship in paradise. The Haze is addictive, and long-term partakers undergo mutation that intensifies over time, becoming Kin.
The Grove – a world of forest steeped in endless twilight, lit up by bioluminescent flora, countless twinkling stars, and dancing motes of light. Its landmasses matches that of Earth exactly, although the terrain differs. It is the only world known to man with its own inhabitants: the Unseen. Split between the more humanoid and diminutive Fey and and more malevolent and variable Yokai, the denizens of the Grove bear unmistakable similarities to creatures mentioned in folklore throughout human history. Which one shaped the other remains to be seen, but humans can form connections with them and become Bound. Though many human settlements have been established here, the interference of the Unseen prevents large-scale development.
Morass - A world of mud beneath a pale yellow sky. From the mud its oddly-shaped islands rise like the tops of plateaus and the heights of mountain ranges, and occasionally they descend as well. Seismic scanners have long identified vast things moving beneath the mud, slowly but surely wandering the realm beneath. Morass is too unstable and harsh to be widely populated, but it's possible to live aboard ships and stationary rigs. The existence of the remnants of an ancient civilization deep below the mud has driven two very disparate industries in this dimension: scientific research, and dredging. Dredge crews operate in secret as penal labor facilities on behalf of various interests on earth, risking the wrath of the world's dangerous, bone-armored life-forms while pulling up artifacts and resources from the ancient cities deep below.
Horizon - A world of endless sunset sky and dark clouds, which themselves form the only terrain. It demonstrates rare weather patterns in the form of elemental drifts, in which streams of wind, fire, water, and snow dance across the sky. Most interestingly, while Horizon extends infinitely in a lateral sense, it loops vertically. Anything that falls, for instance from a cloud, will pass that same cloud a short time after, again and again ad nauseum. It has no naturally occurring life or resources of its own, making life and even something as simple as exploration here extremely difficult. As such, Horizon is inhabited solely by those who choose to live an ascetic life in pursuit of enlightenment. Temples, monasteries, and even cathedrals long predating Horizon's discovery reside on and within the clouds themselves, slowly drifting through the infinite sky. Those seeking enlightenment live in these structures, and at great length to some attain it. As they tread the path, they slowly grow wings, and upon finding enlightenment most ascend into the sky, while others remain behind as Shepherds.
Pendulum - A dimension of gargantuan machinery. Clad in the unflinching twilight of a purple atmosphere that's light enough to see by and thick enough to obscure distant objects, the hanging towers of brazen cogs, wheels, and plates stretch as far as the eye can see. Pendulum is a world in perpetual motion, the make of its towering engines as unknown as their purpose. Human ingenuity has allowed adjunct devices to be attached to machinery close to its main wells that link back through the Deep to earth, providing power. Tearing up machinery for salvage is profitable but tricky work, since one wrong move can wreck a vital function to keeping an entire platform from plummeting into the abyss. Clockwork animals live on the machines, maintaining an artificial ecosystem and providing the most reliable source of quality parts. The air is highly static, and low-yield lightening storms often sweep through the towers. Some sections of Pendulum are polluted by a creeping, oily, black and yellow techno-corruption.
Corpus - A visceral dimension of flesh. Either the world itself is alive, with meat its dirt and bone its rock, or exists within a gigantic organism. The high chance of sickness, the tricky terrain, and the presence of hostile fauna make it fairly dangerous and unstable, so the risks of coming here typically outweigh any rewards. Worst of all is the environment's propensity to 'eat' unwary travelers, either absorbing or infesting and then rejecting them as dangerous Blights. Corpus's biggest benefits to humanity is its abundance of natural tissues. Some formations, like veins of rare ore, possess resilient 'uber cells' that can allow them to survive even if removed and can act as binders for other materials. This has led to the invention of 'living weapons', an experimental arms technology.
Areia Grande - Better known as Areia, it is a desert dimension of permanent day, its multicolored suns painting monolithic formations of white sand and stone in magnificent displays of color. It remains harsh and difficult to inhabit, moreso than an Earth desert thanks to the verticality of its landscape, but it's widely regarded as a gorgeous and inspirational tourist destination. Few, however, know of its secrets. A percentage of humans are affected mentally by the celestial colors, inducing dizziness and drunkenness at first that eventually lead to paranoia and delusion. Those who wander out into the desert on their might rarely stumble upon hidden oases taking the forms of other biomes replete with elemental power. The materials found in such oases are extremely useful, especially for creating elemental weapons, but eating the fruit can cause debilitating elemental afflictions or even monstrous transformation.
Subspecies
Though all technically human, various More Than Human (myth) subspecies exist in this world. Due to their newness, there aren't really separate cultures, though that hasn't stopped people from trying to establish them.
Some subspecies are uniformly deleterious to humanity and/or the world. These monster subspecies are considered kill-on-sight if threatening or outside of their home dimensions, and their escape into other dimensions are considered emergencies.
Kin – a magic subspecies. Inhabitants of the Cave who've been mutated by exposure to the Haze. The mutations can be quite extreme and even highly debilitating depending on time in the Cave, and no two are quite alike. The only observable logic is that they appear to be warped by their desires. Long-term Kin carry Haze within themselves and can use it to cast illusions or glamours. They typically resist leaving the Cave strongly, but if forced out, they can be brought to their senses, typically at the cost of permanent depression.
Deviant – a physical subspecies. A person either traveled to or born into the Cave with a resistance to the Haze. They develop minor mutation in the form of demonic or bestial features, but otherwise resist change. They're energetic, hardy of constitution, and tend toward aggressive personalities, putting them at odds with Kin society. If they don't leave the Cave, however, they will eventually succumb and become Kin.
Bound – a magic subspecies. Someone who's formed a bond with a supernatural entity of the Grove. Difficult to cleanly catalog, they run the gamut in terms of traits and abilities, and even the method of bonds' establishment. Bonds can be made through heartfelt connections, contracts, and even possession. Successful possession physically alters the host, but other methods do not. Bound have limited access to their partners' abilities, only able to manifest and command them for brief periods unless they allow their partners to take over, which can result in possession of the entities don't give them up.
Masque – a physical subspecies. Once in a while the cranes and machines of Morass dredge crews bring up odd sluglike creatures the size of rats, each bearing oddly human features. These Faces, acting with subtle intelligence, seek humans in isolation to form a parasitic bond. Once inside a human, they merge with the host and rapidly alter his or her internals, leaving only the exterior intact and human. The hosts maintain their personalities, aware of the changes as well as whatever physical abilities they gain as a result.
Shepherd – a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but gained the knowledge that he or she was chosen to remain behind. Able to fly freely through air and the Deep alike on flawless wings, they either remain in Horizon to guide others toward enlightenment, or journey beyond to evangelize in other dimensions. Most humans and other myths fear and avoid them to an extent, wary of their dedication to an unknown authority. Shepherds live simply and alone, or with one another, and travel often to meet new people. They exhibit kinesis, the ability to apply force to themselves and expel it outward, and can perform healing.
Lost - a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but upon ascending experienced rejection and fell back down with cursed wings and some degree of mental scarring. Outcasts in Horizon, they return to Earth or travel to other dimensions to try and live their lives. They possess the kinesis of the Shepherds to a stronger degree but have less control and range, so much so that they can force themselves to fly despite whatever's become of their wings.
Blight – a physical monster subspecies. Someone infested and grotesquely deformed by malignant biological subsystems in Corpus. Most are little more than monsters driven by a need to consume and reproduce, bringing sickness wherever they go, although they maintain some shreds of their human minds. Some who aren't completely infested do maintain their minds, however. Killing them on sight is considered standard practice, if one is capable. They're very dangerous, and any that make it to other dimensions are considered emergency threats that must be dealt with.
Clockers – a technological monster subspecies. If touched by the corruption found within Pendulum, a human will begin the process of clockwork conversion starting at the contact point and spreading inward before manifesting outward. Due to being contagious and not very self-aware they're not allowed to leave Pendulum or come near humans or other myths, instead forced to live in their own secluded societies. Clockers outside of Pendulum are typically considered kill-on-sight. Any outbreaks that appear outside are considered emergency threats.
Elementals – a magical subspecies. A person who's been altered by consuming a fruit from an elemental oasis in Areia Grande. In small doses, a person can gain minor elemental powers (Elpo), but there's a fine line between that and elemental affliction (Elaf), which is the middle state. An Elaf has some power as a byproduct of the affliction that he or she suffers from, and may be classified as a monster subspecies depending on the severity of the affliction. Overdosing on fruit can result in a huge elemental monstrosity (Elmo) driven by an overriding need to destroy, and which are considered monster subspecies.
Other - many things are possible. What can you come up with and justify in this setting?
Playing a myth is not necessary. There's plenty of technology, both old and new, for humans to use. And it doesn't take a myth to practice distortion.
Dreaming Cities
The Opening was not an apocalypse, but for many it was the end. Out of the realm between worlds, or from worlds far beyond, swept the Lucid Dream. It spread like a plague through the night sky, tinting the night with odd swirls and colors that crept into the realm of sleep. People all across the world began to dream strange dreams, of distant realms and far-off planes, in incredible detail and color. And they could could remember. And some never woke up.
It happened quickly. Fog spread across the largest cities in the world, Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, New York, Beijing, Istanbul, Chicago, and more. Wherever the dreams of multitudes coincided. Afterward, research designated a terminal point for the population of any city: 8.5 million. After that, the inhabitants risked the Lucid Dream. These cities became permanently overcast, separated from the outside world by a barrier of fog, and the places within fell asleep. The people of those cities continued to go about their lives, but dully, numbly, as though sleepwalking. It was as if they chose to ignore the strangeness blossoming all around them, like weeds nobody wanted to prune, or mold nobody wanted to clean.
For from the cracks and corners came the nightmares. Things watching from the drains. Noises in the basements. Spiderwebs between buildings. Buses that run on millipede legs instead of tires. People in the stairwells. Eyes in the traffic lights. Don't look at the face of that man by the tracks. Don't follow those kids beckoning you to play. Don't look too closely at that shape on the building. Don't ask directions from people in hoods. If you pretend they aren't there, they won't come after you. The Dreaming Cities are where the monsters are.
Most Strangers and anomalous entities that come to Earth find their way to Dreaming Cities. They are awake, but so too are some of the people. The watchful, the careful, the paranoid. And those who enter with a purpose in mind. Those who stay awake in a Dreaming City have a powerful weapon against the unknown: distortion. Sometimes things happen that aren't quite right, or don't quite make sense. Sometimes people can make them happen. Disappearing around a corner. Finding a lucky deadbolt in a hiding room on the run. A door where there wasn't one. Wearing an inconspicuous appearance. An extra magazine.
With some practice, anyone can pull off a few tricks to stay alive or get ahead. Someone with a lot of know-how can really shake things up. At the same time, causing distortions can get unwanted attention. distortions, after all, are the tools of monsters, and they don't like people turning it against them.
With no authority, anything goes in the Dreaming Cities. That means a world of opportunity for some, so long as they don't provoke the wrong monster. There are even some companies that take advantage of and commercialize this strange segment of reality, but one should beware. Not all monsters stay inside city limits, and not all distortions, either.
Strangers
When wells opened the way between worlds, humanity found waterways leading through the Deep to a few new dimensions, but those are by no means the only worlds out there. Once in a while, things drift in from farther still—from beyond. Myriad in their natures, forms, and even existences, these 'strangers' sometimes wind up on earth or its neighboring dimensions and settle in. They can be virtually anything; a phantom circus performing across the globe in secluded places, attracting audiences and always open to recruits. An eldritch thunderstorm rolling through the desert, its touch animating the dead. A submarine appearing from bays, lakes, ponds, and puddles that's manned by empty diving suits. Strangers aren't available to be played as, but perhaps one factors into your character's backstory, responsible for affecting them or their surroundings in a formative way.
Sheet
Name: (Can be nickname, codename, etc) Species: (Human or myth. If myth, name the type) Job: (Something that describes your character's class or role, IE brawler, gunner, thief) Appearance: Personality: Background: (No need to be exhaustive. Focus on formative events in your character's story. If you're unsure of anything, want to run ideas by me, or want ideas period, please ask) Talents: (Include physical, magical, divine, and technological abilities where applicable. This is also the spot for weapons and equipment. While definitely above street level, we're not dealing with a team of superheroes here, so don't go too nuts with powers) Other:
In conclusion
That was a lot of text. Probably too much. But I hope it was somewhat interesting. I'd be happy to hear any feedback.
The stranger watched Fox approach with a faintly guarded but otherwise blank expression, although she made no motion. Where a gesture sufficed for the others, it seemed, a spoken explanation need be in order for this one.
"It is very slow," she told him, her voice flat. "Getting around it is easy." Ignoring the camel, she looked out across the desert. "Expect? Heat, worms, pirates, holes. Dying of thirst. Snakes. Radiation. Bugs. Snakes. Falling off the mountain. Cold. Dying of exhaustion. Got it?" She looked back at fox, her expression begrudging. "I will watch. Intervene if I have to. Get to the top." With that, the mysterious woman floated into the air. She hovered for a moment, gathering energy, before shooting skyward in a blast of wind.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group prepared to set out again, banding about a few words concerning the thieves' search and what Poppi found. The blade, standing by the Morgana-car, took solemn note of Midna's request. The manpower and resources of an entire kingdom would, after all, greatly help the campaign, and of course Poppi figured seeing her kingdom again would make Midna happy. “Big circle building, many pillars,” she repeated, committing the description to memory, then smiled at the imp with closed eyes and a tilted head.. “Added to search parameters! Poppi will tell if Poppi sees it.”
Joker considered what Sectonia had to say, listening to the oversized bee queen through an open window. While he initially wrote off the mechanical beast as merely a somewhat interesting feature of the desert rather than an objective, Sectonia could be right. Nothing he heard or saw so far really confirmed that whatever Poppi saw circling that far-off mountain was indeed Galeem's champion. Although having one just wandering out in the open with no fanfare seemed a little anticlimactic, he couldn't put aside the possibility. “That's fair. We should check it to be sure. Alright, Morgana?”
The car swished his tail from side to side. “Sure, sure. As long as we're going, I've had enough sitting still.”
Tora pressed his face against the window, wishing he had a zoom function of his own right about now. In fact, he made a mental note to get some binoculars some time. “Tora is super-exciteypon to see giant mecha-creature. Let's go!”
Morgana obliged.
Twenty minutes of streaking across the desert sand later, the Morgana-car closed in on the target. From this range, everyone could see the details of the camel-thing. Its legs spiraled upward into its bulky body like inverted palm tree trunks, and ridges like the tops of keys inserted into wind-up dolls reached out from its serpentine neck in rows. On its back sat two domed buildings in place of humps, their windows lit. Most interestingly, instead of a camel head it sported some sort of horned mask with six round eyes, red as the setting sun.
Once the car got within a certain range, Val Naboris reacted. Its face turned to face the vehicle, and from the 'humps' in its back extended metal spires. Electricity arced between them, creating an orb.
The eyes of Tora, Skull, and Poppi collectively widened. “Uh, Joker? Maybe we oughta...”
“Yeah.” With a grunt of effort the thief cut the wheel all the way to the right, causing the Morgana-car to veer away from the machine. A moment later the electric orb ruptured, and a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky into the sand. The light and ear-splitting sound just about floored the occupants of the car as sand and shards of flash-fused glass flew in every direction. “Aaaaah!” a general yell sounded out, not least of all from Morgana, as the car made tracks to a safe distance.
“Are we gonna take it down?” Ann quickly asked, the less-than-sureness in her voice questioning the possibility of it. “That was like, Wild Thunder, and we didn't even get close.”
Tora listened for an answer from the group as well, offering nothing himself but a quick examination of Poppi to see if the electric exposure harmed her new form in any way.
After Sakura's brief trip overboard, ensuing rescue, and subsequent tending-to by Isabelle, Brineybeard gave his ship the go ahead to set sail. With all aboard, the living vessel got underway, smoothly cutting through the waves on its way to Limsa.
As the ship forged toward the floating city, peppered by the salty breeze and the spraying sea foam, the passengers could get a good look both at the bay and the ocean beyond. Water extended all the way to the horizon on either side of Inkwell Isle. For the most part clear skies prevailed, but clouds massed to the north, casting shade over a stretch of sea shrouded in fog and storm. None could doubt that this constituted the 'Bottomless Sea' spoken of by the mysterious woman in black, but nobody regarded it with particular dread. It made for just another obstacle on the road ahead, soon to join the many laying bruised and beaten on the road behind.
Some minutes into the voyage, Brineybeard left the wheel to peer over the side of the ship. “Ahoy!” he called, pointing down to the water. “Yer lucky day, mateys. There be shoals in these waters!”
Sure enough, the sparkling waves teemed with fish. Not too far away, a fishing trawler full of fishermen -curiously the only other boat sighted by the heroes so far- was awash with activity. Its anglers hooked fish after fish, nonchalantly tossing them over their shoulders to flop around the large center of their craft. Even stranger, two people appeared to by engaged in a battle in the middle of that area: a girl with blue hair and a clown. If this was unusual, however, Brineybeard paid it no mind. “If ye likes, grab me fishin' rods 'n have yerself a fishin'.” He pointed toward a box by the cabin.
New Spirits Consumed: Tentacruel and Blastoise Bowser's shell has increased in roundness, both in back and in front, and turned brown in back, with six large, inset red orbs that can flash. He has developed shoulder-mounted shell apertures. Inside are not cannons, but extendable Tentacruel beaks surrounded by extendable tentacles. Bowser's snout has extended and gotten rounder, also gaining a tentacle beard, and he has ear-like protrusions poking out of what appear to be a natural helmet in the shape of a tentacruel head. His green scales have turned blue. These spirits confer the Powers Torrent, which allows the use of water blasts that get stronger in a pinch, and Liquid Ooze, which enables the secretion of venom via tentacles that damage opponents who attempt to drain Bowser's life. They also confer the Weaknesses Electric Bane, causing electric attacks to deal double damage to the host, and Psychic Bane, causing mental attacks to deal double damage to the host and increasing mental susceptibility
As the heroes struggled to repel both Flood and lerks, the terrain started to change. The shockdozer was rolling into the south-east sector, the territory most affected by catastrophic seismic activity. Collapses and upheavals at some point in the tormented city's past left chunks of earth hundreds of feet above and below typical street level, and everywhere in between. As a result, storefront windows looked out over hideous chasms at isolated apartment buildings across the void, and terminal falls lay between the halves of sundered office buildings. The wide-openness of the scenery was quite the change of pace from the roads clogged with wrecked cars and living dead slogged through by some of the heroes before.
This did not make for easier going, however. Quite the opposite, in fact. As the heroes persevered into the hell-bent metropolis and city blocks turned into perilous precipices, their options began to fall drastically. After choosing against a street occupied by a pitched battle between Flood and a giant demon amid swarms of large, glowing bugs, the ground sloped downward. The shockdozer started to pick up speed, outpacing its natural maximum thanks to gravity's acceleration, and leaving behind both the combat forms and anyone unable to keep up or climb on. A slight incline to the right as well as down inched the vehicle closer and closer to the cliff edge, and the upturned earth at the end of the slope suggested the possibility of a jump across the gorge to the other side—and safety. An expert driver would need to take the wheel to even make it to the jump, let alone across.
Before the shockdozer got too far, a vile shape drifted between some buildings. By all accounts a Flood monstrosity capable of floating in the air, it hovered above the slope and began dropping explosive blisters. The fleshy sacs fell to embed in the already-dangerous road ahead, ready and able to explode when the vehicle got too near. Though sturdy, it could only take so many; problems were mounting quickly.
The Whiplash picked the wrong fight Though it dashed quickly and with a low profile across the ground to keep its distance and strike the Slayer from afar, he'd already bested a much stronger monster with more or less the same gameplan today. A few shotgun blasts wore it down until the pain and damage mounted to such a degree that it could no longer escape the Slayer's clutches and was seized by him.
With that dealt with, that left just the abyssal demon. It moved slowly but confidently, heading for the Slayer even at the expense of guarding the door to the lever that would restore power. However, it shrugged off every shot the Slayer put into it, not even so much as flinching. The tentacles atop its head carved through the air like whips, vicious enough to strip meat from the bone. Despite all his travels and travails, the Slayer got a sinking feeling—that this thing was unlike anything he'd faced so far. Still, the choice was his: the demon or the lever.
Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.
Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.<br><br>Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.</div>
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