hadriel_logs | We'll sight the shores of islands

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We'll sight the shores of islands

Who: Crewmembers of the Law-Curufin-Floki sailing fleet + OTA
What: The three ships and their crews finally make landfall after many weeks at sea! Come greet your friends (?) on their return as they disembark and bring the fragments to the lab - or meet them for the first time if you've just arrived!
Where: Island shoreline, or anywhere
When: September 19th
Warnings: Will update as needed but nothing terrible expected here unless someone hugs a Door fragment too close.

Just over four weeks ago, the three boats set off in search of some of the more distant Door fragments. Under the experienced eyes and hands of a few seasoned ocean voyagers, the crew has suffered boredom, kraken attacks, stormy weather, a captain gone mad with the chaos of the fragments themselves - and perhaps most notably, a trio of Null that were waiting at one of the locations.

But as the sight of islands loomed ahead once again, they finally were sure of one thing - they had all made it back alive.">

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[Smells good, too, and she takes a long drink. It's not real, but getting real coffee would involve making a deal with some hated creature here so that's not happening.]

I don't even know where to start! A lot happened in such a short period of time. Let's see... Well, nobody died, we did manage to find some of those fragments, and we killed several sea monsters. Also, I learned that while krakens don't have teeth, they're absolutely delicious.

[Nothing like the sweet taste of victory.]

Oh, and we were attacked by the Null.

[Which she says with a shrug, like it's no big deal, but of course she can't contain her grin.]

[then she's lucky she can create an approximation on her own]

Nobody died, that's good. And holy shit! You actually ran into a kraken? And ate it? Krakens are like squid, right, so I bet it tasted like calamari. Now I'm jealous, I can't remember the last time I had calamari.

[tastes like awesome?]

No. Fucking. Way. Those robot guys everyone here's freaked out about?

[her eyes are wide with a mixture of amazement and incredulity]

Yep! The tentacles made for calamari rings the size of a cart wheel.

[But, while amusing, it's unimportant. As the news of the Null attack sinks in, Caedra smiles over the rim of her cup, savoring the reaction.]

The same ones. We got to the coordinates that we'd been given and I dove down there, and it was so deep it took me almost an hour just to get to the sea floor. Really, really dark down there too. So I started searching for the fragment that was supposed to be there, and then these little lights turned on all around me, like they were waiting for someone to show up. And they have - oh, I forget what Rey called them. It's like a beam of light as a weapon, maybe you know. I almost lost a leg just trying to get out of there, but I managed to escape back to the ship by just teleporting out.

And then just when I'd almost had time to catch my breath, they surfaced right behind me and landed on the ship too! Started trying to kill the whole crew.

[She pauses here for a drink, letting Alice absorb it all before she continues with more.]

Yum. I'm guessing there was no way to store some of it for later, huh?

[and she's all wide-eyed, waiting for more]

Holy fucking shit. They were waiting for you? I thought they weren't supposed to be anywhere around here? D'you think that Null, the one people found, sold you out? And it almost fucking lasered your leg off? [her drink sits on the table, completely forgotten] Thank fuck you were able to get out of there.

How'd you guys kill 'em?

[the Null have always been just a boogeyman from the past to her]

I guess not. [Shrug. She's no expert seafood chef.]

So many questions! They looked like they'd been there for a while from what I could tell, but really it's just a guess. I don't know if the one that calls itself Name knew about them or not, but if it was supposed to be a trap, it was a pretty bad one. Only three Null? And no other fragments had any that I've heard of. Plus, I was told that last time the Null attacked people, they kept calling for backup, so there were thousands of them. These ones didn't call for help, but maybe we killed them too fast. Or maybe help was just too far away. No idea.

Anyway, they have a - core, or something like that. That's what Law and Rey called it. Like a metal heart, only since they're constructs it's not where a human's heart would be, and they can kind of rebuild themselves and move it around to protect it. But if you can destroy it, you kill them. So the one I fought, I surprised it by teleporting right behind it and then hit it so hard with my sword I knocked it on its face so it couldn't get away. Cracked through a bunch of its armor, too, so that gave Rey a clear shot at the core with a gun she has from home that eats through metal.

[Phew! A lot of talking, but Caedra's eyes come alive as she relays the tale with enthusiasm. Talking about killing things is a lot of fun, especially big dangerous things that most of these people would be utterly slaughtered by.]

Okay, cool. So we're not looking at another round of Null bullshit? I hope we aren't, that would make my play really awkward and I'd never hear the end of it from that blonde bitch.

[she looks decidedly impressed at Caedra's tale of the battle]

Damn. You really are some kind of badass. That whole teleporting thing and sword thing? That's cool. Having magic must really come in handy. As well as the whole sword thing. It must be one hell of a sword, to crack through metal.

[Jane would be one of those slaughtered. she'd have to find a place to hide and stay there]

The sword is strong, but it's more about the power that I can put behind it. Maybe I'll be able to show you sometime.

[Because let's be honest, the Null will probably find them eventually. She doesn't believe Law's apparent optimism that they didn't send out messages.]

But wait - what's this about a play? Tell me.

Yeah? That would be awesome. Too bad you missed the new arrivals, I heard that the monsters this time were a bitch to kill.

[she's willing to stick her fingers in her ears and la-la-la about the Null because she knows there's not a damn thing she can do about them]

Oh, I'm trying to write a play. The History of Hadriel. Three acts, one of them serious, one of them funny, and one of them a musical. Something for entertainment 'cause we don't have any.

[Oh, that's right! New people. Well, she's way more interested in hearing about this play, but good to know that the city has more new folks in it she can torment. More people who don't know what she is or the threat that she poses, as it seems lately, fewer and fewer newcomers are being warned by those who consider her an enemy. Good.]

Excellent. Yes, this place is sorely lacking. A play! Oh, I can't wait. If you need help writing any of it I wouldn't mind giving some of it a try. I actually directed one at home once, did I ever tell you about that?

[Probably not. Several of the actors were beheaded. Real live violence on stage! It's the best.]

[well, Jane herself is still entirely ignorant about what Caedra is and by this point, wouldn't really care]

I would love some help with writing it. The drama part is when people first showed up and the gods turned people into monsters after eating the food. The comedy part is when the gods fucked with people's senses of direction. And the musical part will be the Null invasion. And, no, you never told me about that! How'd it go?

[for bad performances or was it in the script?]

[She listens, nodding along. Alice has paid more attention to the history of this place than she has, apparently. People got turned into monsters? Cool!]

Sounds like fun! The one I did was mostly improv, I guess. I had a general idea of what I wanted, so I picked some actors and told them the story like I was the narrator and they had to act it out as we went. It was pretty fun! It was the story of a great warrior who smashed through hordes of enemies in an old war my people talk about. Well - it's still ongoing, but this was a story about one of the older days. He killed his own commander, who was a terrible leader, and went on to win many battles and to this day his people still follow him.

[Guess who.]

Lots of fun. Anyway, poetry is one of my usual hobbies, so that might translate pretty well to some parts of this. I've never actually seen a play that was written out in real detail though - we tend to leave it up to interpretation as we go. How detailed do you want the script to be?

[she asked for information from people who'd been here a while and got a few more horrifying stories, but nothing that would be easy to stage]

Sounds pretty wild! I've never seen anyone stage a whole battle in a play. That had to have been hard to stage. Of course, that would probably depend on how large of a stage you had to work with. I found an old restaurant that might work, but with all the trees gone, I can't have an actual stage. And you narrated the whole thing? That's awesome. And it sounds like a good story, too.

[she honestly wouldn't know~~]

I was planning on outlining it, but giving the actors a lot of room to improv as they go. There would be a couple of plot points that they'd have to follow, like a romance in Act 2, and a couple of tragic death scenes in the Null invasion only to yay! being resurrected. But I wanna keep this loose so everyone can have fun with it. And since you write poetry, I'll probably need your help with lyrics for the songs. After all, what's a song but poetry set to music?

You would probably love to see what I had to work with. The battles we actually held away from the stage itself, in an old quarry. Lots of room, lots of people. It was kind of a mess, but in a very fun way.

[Literally a mess by the end, but isn't that how battles usually are? Caedra sips at her not-quite-coffee as she listens to the description of the play, meanwhile recalling the havoc as dozens of extras found themselves unwittingly recruited and quickly slaughtered, all for the spectacle of the thing. What a truly terribly wonderful event.]

Mmm. Romance, death, and improv. That sounds like a successful set of guidelines to me! And the musical is the invasion? Perfect, I think I'll have a lot of fun with this.

Yeah, I mean, how did you get the extras to do what they were supposed to do? By cattle prod? [she laughs.

the closest she's ever been to a battle is watching "Saving Private Ryan." which grossed her out during the Normandy scenes. she'd probably be taken aback at first by an actual slaughter, but find herself into it by the end.

she grins broadly] I was hoping you might. That's because you know how to have fun.

Yeah, something like that! [And Caedra laughs as well yes what a good joke.

She sets her glass down as she drains what's left of her drink. Shame about the lack of alcohol in it, shame about the lack of coffee anywhere, but it was all right. Sort of like a lot of things she's found here - enough to almost enjoy, enough to whet her appetite, but then there's little to actually be truly satisfied on. This place brings out all sorts of cravings in her that she never truly gets to fill and it's a wonder she holds it all together as well as she does.

So she smirks just a bit at Alice's words and decides not to go back for a second drink.]

I do, don't I? Something a fair number of people here are so desperately lacking. The last month in particular could have used a lot more fun.

[Which, she'll get back to that, but first-]

How were things here? I tried to keep an eye on the city, but for a while my mirror went entirely black. Did something happen here?

[she laughs] Yeah, I'll bet! [she lifts her arm and pretends to be holding a cattle prod, zapping an invisible extra] Now get back in your place!

[Jane can actually relate in a way. she's used to living in a huge city where on a whim she can go out to a nightclub to party and have a few drinks, order curry at 3am, and depending on the part of town she went to, go shopping at midnight. here is just. . . it has the Speakeasy, which is better than nothing, but that's about the only game in town for having fun. and she misses the anonymity of city life]

Oh my God, you are not kidding. I posted on the network about the play to check interest, right? And this stick in the mud blonde bitch just has to thrown in her two cents about how it's disrespectful and nothing around here is funny and just blah blah blah. If you don't wanna go, don't go, but don't open your mouth and make it all about you.

[Whatever it was that had caused her scrying to go dark, perhaps the other woman doesn't know. Perhaps she's too wrapped up in this idea of a play, and someone taking offense to her creative ideas. That's fine, Caedra understands, but it also isn't immediately interesting. She knows, or thinks she knows anyway, that Alice would likely object to her own preferred forms of theater and spectacle, and doesn't particularly care one way or the other what these humans think is appropriate when it comes to comedy when she has a more pressing question. She nods, as if sympathetic, but frowns.]

Alice. The mirror. Maybe I ought to explain more - do you know what scrying is?

[at the comment about the mirror, she immediately looks apologetic]

Oh, shit. I completely forgot to answer your question! And I think I know what scrying is? It's when you look into something like a mirror or water to see what's happening somewhere else, right?

[Ah, there we go. No fault of hers, the play does sound like fun after all, and Caedra is certain they'll have lots of opportunities to chat about it.]

That's right. I was watching the city, so that if the false gods decided to try and move everyone while we were out, at least we might have some idea of it happening. I can choose any point I like, so long as I'm familiar with it. But for a while, it was like I simply couldn't get through to see the city at all no matter where I tried to look. Could you tell from here if something happened?

[Caedra knows her abilities. She has been employed often enough lately as a spy, particularly so that she could follow the actions of the group her grandson had been traveling with for a time. If there had been a problem, it wasn't because of incompetence on her own end.]

[they will, especially since Caedra volunteered to help]

Huh. Did it happen near the end of last month? Because the fake gods pulled this shit for a week where it seemed like everybody except a couple of people were gone. Even the fake gods themselves went missing. Could that maybe have fucked with your scrying?

[that's the only thing she can think of that would've done it]

Mm - yes, that could be it. The timing is right. Was there anything else? Any emotions? They do love trying to force those on people. Who were you left with?

[The latter question is probably irrelevant, but she'll ask. If they acted as if people were mostly abandoned, then who would be responsible? What were they trying to achieve? Caedra tends to respond to most of their attempts with anger, but she's learned that Rage itself is a useless creature that rarely seems to do much. And such a departure of everyone, particularly of their captors, would inspire calm and optimism for her.

But - she has to try and think like a human, as difficult and disturbing as that is. Fear, or Sorrow, then? If Fear is the one who moves the city, and Sorrow is the one responsible for the Door, either would make quite a lot of sense.]

I was weirded out as hell. I was stuck with total strangers I had nothing in common with, so I guess the fake gods were pretty random about putting people together. And, let's see. . . there was Alfred. And I think the other one's name was Jade?

[she wasn't afraid, exactly. mostly she was bored. she tried to make nice with the people she was stuck with, but she doesn't figure that any of them will bother with seeking each other out in the future]

I can't say I've met either one. It doesn't surprise me that they tried to pull something, though, the false gods. They're always looking for ways to take advantage of everyone.

[What a pain. Caedra's not sure if she's pleased or not by the fact that it seems like it was rather uneventful. Perhaps it just doesn't matter. Or perhaps there are others who know more. In any case, the city is still here, but if it was Fear's doing, then news of the Null will almost certainly prompt him to move the city. If it wasn't, then the false gods will try to impose something frightening on them soon. Either way, it's best to be prepared.

Ugh, it's tiring thinking of all of this, though, and Caedra slouches back in her seat. It's been a long day, that's for certain.]

But - that topic isn't any fun. And as I've said, I've had quite a lack of entertainment, particularly while at sea. Shall we find some way to spice the night up a little?

I know and it sucks. Just once, I'd like to turn the fucking tables on 'em.

[she has no idea of how to do that, but she'd like to do it. and she hasn't made the connection between Null and Fear moving the city. as it is, she really knows very little about how the city operates, why the gods do what they do. she should probably pay more attention.

she sees Caedra slouch down and feels bad for her, she must be exhausted.

a slow grin] Yeah, I think we can manage that. My place or yours?

[Oh good, the girl is on the same wavelength. A smile spreads across her face and she sits up a little straighter. Yes, she's tired, but more on an emotional level than a physical one. A lot of the past several weeks has been intensely trying on what little patience she has, and today has involved far too much work shepherding around fragments to the lab and then ensuring the people there won't do something completely stupid with them. She desperately needs some way to unwind.

So she considers for a second, then:]

Why not yours. You live alone, don't you?

We'll sight the shores of islands

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