Intro Log: Please Remove Metal From Luggage

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for August
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: August 10th-13th
Warnings: New folks, metal falling apart, fun stuff

As you wake up on the sand of the colosseum, gazing up at cloudy gray skies, you might wonder what you're doing here. Where are you? How did you get here? You'll figure it all out soon enough, so try to clamp down on that rising panic, or you just might end up in a dangerous situation.

Because, of course, you're not the only thing that arrived. The Door has also chosen to pull in some rust monsters. These monsters may look a bit like insects, but they're much larger, with a rather vicious bite. You can fight them, but be careful - anything metal that touches them instantly begins to corrode. Your sword, a bullet from your gun, even your robot friend. Might want to keep a little distance.

And that's not all. Scattered across the ground of the colosseum can be found a variety of unique and delightful musical instruments. If you're the musical sort, maybe you can figure out how to play one - or maybe you already know. Hopefully no rust monster has wandered too close to the one you want to try, or you might find that it's missing important metal bits.

Once you've found a way to express the song in your heart, feel free to leave whatever bit of safety you've found. You can explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers August 10th-13th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[uncharisma]

You may find it difficult to inspire "culture shock" in me.

[For one thing, most things are entirely new to him. And...]

There's nothing I like more than a new experience, after all. Thankfully, though, I came with my own swords, so I didn't have to experience fighting off rust monsters with some kind of brass instrument.

[abbatis]

Well, that's a relief. Not everyone here has been lucky enough to have their personal items on them upon arrival.

[Edgar looks him up and down again, this time more openly and curiosity gleaming on his eyes.]

You look like an experienced fighter. Is that how you got all the marks? [He gestures at his throat and arms where the most visible carvings are. 'Very unlikely', Edgar thinks to himself. The shape of the scar along with the location suggest that he didn't gain them in usual sword fight.]

[uncharisma]

I am generally a very lucky sort of person.

[Okay, not really, but in his short life he's discovered you can say just about anything that sounds like it smoothly entered the conversation and it sounds perfectly believable.

At the indication of the scars on his less-tattooed arm, his chest, and his neck, though, his gaze turns down to glance over them. He's got plenty of lies about this particular line of questioning stocked up, so he falls back on an old favorite. Easier to keep his story straight, that way, with what he's said so far.]

Sort of. Not all of them.

[He has the skill and practice to look a bit hesitant to come clean with this particular tale.]

I wasn't exactly in battle when someone cut most of these into me. But some of them? Certainly.

[abbatis]

Oh? [He whispers the curious sound and comes closer to look at the man. It might be little tactless but somehow he doesn't think that the man minds, after all he didn't seem to be against talking about his scars.

When he pauses Edgar raises his eyes to meet the man's hesitant gaze.]

So you didn't fall into rosebush then? [He jokes lightly.] Was it enemy, then?

[uncharisma]

I suppose you could call them enemies.

[He remembers his ale at just the right time, taking a good swig of it.]

And it probably doesn't hurt to say so, here, so far from home. Where I come from, I come from a long line of... I suppose you'd call us sacrifices.

[He shrugs.]

There was a group of untrustworthy folk who kept my family, using our blood as a focal point to bring magic to a pair of enchanted swords for various occult acts. I stole the swords and ran. I imagine I'll be hard to find now, all the way in Hadriel.

[abbatis]

[Edgar has lied most of his life. About who is, where does he come from and just what he is -- hiding in plain sight among the humans. So he likes to think he's learned to pick up the subtle signs of a lie when someone tells them. With humans it's always been simple, enough.

But with this man? He can't be certain. At first he looked at him with the usual suspicious lenses on, taking everything in with a grain of salt so to speak. What he hears sounds like straight from myths and legends, something that he wouldn't necessarily believe but the openness behind his words threw him off. Lot of non-human creatures in Hadriel didn't have any qualms when it came to revealing information like that.]

I suppose this is the real test of luck, then. Let us hope that they do not follow you here.

[Then his smile shifts into more sympathetic one.]

What about rest of your family?

[uncharisma]

[He nods, biting his tongue thoughtfully.]

Well. My mother is the one who helped me do it. She had to stay behind, in the heat of the moment.

[He takes a deep breath.]

But she can take care of herself.

[It's easy to drum up the right emotions when he speaks. He's not thinking of some false mother he's never known. He's thinking of leaving behind Yasha, Jester, and Fjord, to be taken to the Iron Shepherds' hideout to be tortured and broken and prepared for a life of slavery.

He can't help them now. There's no going back, for him. Not unless some kind of miracle happens, but he sincerely doubts that's how things will shake out.

He just wanted to get his people back. Now he just has to hope the rest of them can handle it.]

[abbatis]

Still. I'm sorry to hear that.

[And he means it. To someone like him and his kind, isolated from the rest of the world and humans, the family meant everything. Without love, company and connection to someone eternity turns into a worst punishment and torture that there is.]

Was she the one who taught you how to use a sword then?

[uncharisma]

No, I learned that by necessity. I did a lot of traveling afterwards, and there are always nasties and bandits waiting to ambush a traveler.

[Really, the swordplay came to him naturally, with minimal teaching by Gustav. Likely a holdover from his old life, really. The learning curve was getting down the dual swords specifically, and scimitars at that.

He rests an arm casually on one of his sword hilts at his hip.]

I figured what better way to use the swords I'd stolen than by using them for myself. The scars that didn't come from my time with them, I gained from activating the swords to defend myself.

[Not like he can lie about that, if there are monsters around in Hadriel so often. He'll be seen doing it.]

[abbatis]

Right.

[Edgar would have liked to hear more about the escape. The 'untrustworthy folk', as he put it, didn't sound like ones who'd let their prisoners escape all that easily. He'd expect battle skills to be required.

But that can wait, he supposes. There's another question that's been pressing his mind:]

Sounds useful. But that only brings me to wonder: just what are you and what makes your blood so special? [And should Edgar be careful with it.]

[uncharisma]

Devilblooded -- the usual story from those that need a reason to fear an honest tiefling.

[He snickers a bit. An easy lie to tell in a town where he's apparently the first tiefling, one based in truth. People are quick to distrust a tiefling.]

It's said my particular bloodline is linked to an archdevil of the Nine Hells. I don't know if I believe that. The swords are what's enchanted, and I assume they'd take the blood of any tiefling, but I'd hate to test that theory.

[abbatis]

[Devilblooded? That sounds.. well, rather ominous? Possibly dangerous even. It's in his nature to fear and avoid anything that could be considered divine. And even though what he's describing sounds the exact opposite of that Edgar can't help but feel wary.

Edgar's eyes narrow a little at that statement.]

I've never heard of such beings before. In my world it's just humans as far as we know. How is it possible for your bloodline to be connected to a devil?

[uncharisma]

[Molly shrugs.]

Simple circumstances of birth, nothing more. As far as I know, any tiefling you meet will be connected at some point in their family history to a devil. That doesn't mean I know any shite about devils or the Nine Hells, really.

[abbatis]

I see.

[What he's describing sounds awful lot like a "half-breed", interesting that there are apparently so many of them that they've formed a whole new species. It also indicates mating and breeding with a devil -- which, well. Doesn't surprise him that much. After all there are countless amounts of myths about devil and the evil luring people in with sexual acts and seduction.

But it also makes him to think his own kind. The name vampire had been given to them by the humans. It told nothing about who they really were or where they came from. Who knows, maybe they were weird offspring of the devil too.

He'd like to ask more. How do these things work and what is Nine Hells. But that can wait, he doesn't want to seem too suspicious. ]

I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Edgar, what about you?

[uncharisma]

Oh! Of course. Lovely to meet you, Edgar.

[And here he bows with a flourish of his arm, every bit the carnival showman even if he never truly had an act in the carnival. Really, giving his readings were his own form of an act -- it took every bit as much skill to perform believably.]

Mollymauk Tealeaf. Molly to my friends.

[abbatis]

Pleasure's all mine.

[He flashes him a charming smile, showing a quick glimpse of his canine. Whether he believes Molly or not he's already sure that he likes him.]

So are we friends now, Molly?

[uncharisma]

I would imagine so. We're at least friendly, I'd say, which is good enough for me.

[And Molly rolled poorly for perception, so if he catches the sharp canines, he simply imagines it was a trick of the light. While fangs are certainly not new to tieflings, Molly's experience with those that appear human is that they don't have fangs.]