hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

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Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-14th
Warnings: None

Welcome to Hadriel. Your first glimpse of your new home is maybe not the most welcome - you awaken on the floor of the colosseum, surrounded by sand and walls and... trees? Yes, trees. Along with you and the other newcomers, a number of Territorial Oaks have arrived in Hadriel. They look just like normal trees, except for those welcoming smiles - oh, and they don't like you at all. They move fast, hit hard, and if you manage to bring one down it'll go out in a large, dangerous explosion. This may have you rethinking your stance on clear-cutting.

While you're trying to avoid the trees, you might come across a few of the other things the Door has deposited in the colosseum for your (its?) entertainment. Namely, a bunch of toys that no one has played with in years. But maybe one of them will tickle your fancy?

Once you've finished indulging your 90's nostalgia, feel free to look around. 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 February 10th-14th.
► 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!

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Mm, perhaps. The "monsters" aren't much threat to anyone half-decent with a weapon. Fear is too cowardly to really harm anyone here.

[No, the wyverns probably killed people. The monsters often cause those who can't wield more than simple weapons to run screaming for help and shelter. But Fear is absolutely a coward in her mind, even though he has no control over what comes through the door.

But then she smiles brightly and shrugs.]

But I can answer questions. I've been here nearly a full year now.

[Ugh.]

[ Riku furrows his brows, recounting the battle he just had in the Colosseum against what she says. Those trees were pretty formidable in his eyes, which could only mean a few things: they're an anomaly, she's only fought weaker monsters, she's insanely strong, or she's exaggerating. Riku has no right answer; he can only trust her when she says she's been here for as long as she has. She can definitely be helpful. ]

So it's like the guide said. [ His eyes sweep downward briefly in thought. ] You really can be stuck here for that long.

[ Which doesn't spell out anything good. Riku doesn't have that kind of time. He looks back at her. ]

Anyway, thanks. I'm Riku. [ Is giving his name polite or a mistake? Guess he'll find out. ] You're talking about the god of Fear, right? You're saying they're the one that comes up with these monsters, like the ones in the Colosseum?

[There are people who have been here longer, of course. People who have been in Hadriel in its various incarnations for two, perhaps even three years. But Caedra doesn't feel inclined to suggest them as additional sources of information. She gets to be the authority! How delightful. He might just believe anything she says.

Riku, then - she can look that up in the directory and see if there's a last name or anything else associated with the account. One more to add to her list. Names have power, though she has no way to use them here right now. If she brings the list home, things may change.]

Calling him a "god of Fear" is giving him far too much credit. He's simply a prison guard who feeds off the emotion, not one who controls it, and he's certainly not a god despite what he and the others say. But yes - they bring the monsters in and terrorize people so as to feed off their fear, or rage, or sorrow when one of their friends are killed.

[At which point she frowns, and her tone sours, becoming less matter-of-fact. She's bitter, certainly, and it adds to her warped version of the story.]

We're livestock to them. Don't let the fools here tell you otherwise. Some of them are under the impression that the creatures are their friends.

[ It does stand out to him that even as he offers his name, this stranger seems to be withholding her own, or she'd forgotten to tell him in lieu of the information she gives him. It puts him a little bit on edge, and the venom in her voice doesn't do much to diffuse the tension. The part regarding a friend being killed stands out, but not enough for him to bring it up to her. At least not now.

He knows one person in particular who wouldn't like to hear that last bit—Sora's already made friends with certain gods, or demi-gods, after all. ]

That attachment in the guide did say that they called them gods for lack of a better word. [ To qualify what she's saying, and so Riku will try not to call him a 'god' again if he can help it. Definitely not in front of her. ]

It said Fear was the one who brought us in through the Door. I'm not so sure if he's a friend either, but he did bring in some people who might have been worse off otherwise, right?

[ They could be dead or even prefer to stay where they are. Maybe they would prefer to be livestock, as she says. ]

As far as I know, Sorrow is the one who knows more about the Door these days. The guide is probably out of date. But the truth is they know almost nothing about how to work the thing. So they're not bringing people out of kindness. They simply want to feed themselves.

[And that much is true. She shrugs, unimpressed with the whole thing. Her patience has always been short and it ran out long ago.]

They keep us captive but they have nothing to offer. But if we get rid of them...

[At this, her face lights up a little with a smile. Encouraging, that's the tone to strike here.]

Well, then we can learn about the Door without their interference. Use it for ourselves, to help our friends and make our ways home.

[ Sorrow knows about the supposed Door. He would keep that in mind for later. (Any "Door" would have a special interest to someone whose weapon is called a Keyblade. It's part of why Riku has questions.)

If the gods were really as nefarious as this stranger is making them out to be, it could be that taking them out might be the better option. While a younger Riku might have been less hesitant if it were for the greater good (especially for the greater good of his friends), he isn't so ready to dive headfirst into a god-killing spree. At least not before he has more information. That smile while talking about "getting rid" of someone doesn't strike too good of a chord... ]

This sounds like what the Null had wanted when they compromised with you guys. Take out the gods and they'd leave you guys alone, maybe find a way home. But the gods also protected this place when the Null attacked, right? You're all right with taking that chance with the Null if the gods go away?

They're both full of themselves. At least the Null have been honest. And they're not the ones bringing in slaves to fight a war for them, either.

[Not that she particularly favors the Null. An army of constructs, all uniform and prone to following some set of stringent rules? It's too orderly for her and she would just as soon see them all destroyed. But they aren't the ones who have kept her here for nearly a year, and when one angle doesn't work, trying something different is better than repeating the same useless things over and over again.]

Don't brush them off too quickly. People here tend to do that because they sympathize with creatures that look human more quickly than they do with creatures made of metal. It's rather unfair, don't you think?

So they're made of metal...

[ Her question makes him pause, his eyes sweeping down. Riku has seen enough of distant worlds to understand that not all monsters are evil, like the Beast or Spirit Dream Eaters. He also knows that not everything in human form could be an ally either. At least someone might be able to converse with something more human-shaped than not. He looks back at her. ]

Could be. From what I read, the Null tried to wipe you guys out once too. It might be easy to brush them off after hearing that.

[ Just being honest. ]

But it sounds like that might've been a long time ago.

Edited 2019-02-16 18:09 (UTC)

The Null have been aggressive, the false gods have been insidious. Neither are innocent, and the Null have honored their bargains. I don't mean to say you should prefer them by default; I know how that sounds around here.

[Rather, hopefully he's intelligent enough to see that keeping an open mind may be beneficial. At the very least, the city could use the conflict that two factions would create. Things would be so much more lively if these people were always at each other's throats.]

[ He's getting what she's suggesting, he thinks. Even though his mind is much less chaos-prone than her's might be on the inside... He nods at her. ]

I think I'll find out for myself whose side I'm on, even if it's my own. [ It's part of why he wanted to ask questions. ] It sounds like the Gods and the Null both have points against them, and I have catching up to do before I find out who I can trust. But I'm keeping what you said in mind. Thanks.

[ There was a way to contact the gods themselves through the phones. He's considering that once he has his bearings on this new world he's landed in. ]

I didn't catch your name.

[ He remembers that you didn't give it before. He's calling you out, lady. ]

Caedra.

[She shrugs. It's no secret, so if he's going to be insistent, she'll give it. Half of it, anyway. If he really cares, he can look up the rest. Humans rarely know what value names hold.]

If nothing else, siding with yourself is a safe option. No gods or machines to backstab you when you've declared yourself apart from both. Best of luck.

[ "Best of luck"... Ominous. ]

Safe, but I'm not so sure how smart it is just yet. [ ... ] Whose side are you on?

Oh, I don't like choosing sides! It's very limiting, placing yourself in a category like that. But I do want to get home, as do most of the rest of us. That's what matters!

[Though if the Door releases its hold on her she certainly won't object to slaughtering as many people as she can in one go before she heads back to the Abyss. It would only serve them all right - and even if they hadn't earned it, she'd do it anyway. Mass murder is fun!]

I figured as much. [ He's going to smile at Caedra, super oblivious to how happy she would be about genocide. ] I think that's what matters most here too. I'm gonna try to help make that happen while I'm here, and not just for me.

[ His smile fades a little bit. ] So, how much do we really know about the Door? It has to be some physical thing, right?

[Well isn't he the chipper, altruistic little hero. She smiles back. She wants to tear his organs out through his mouth, but she smiles.]

Yes, it's one of those so-called gods. A living, sentient creature and not an object. I've never seen it myself, but others have. I've heard if you get too close or look at it for too long, you go mad. Exciting, isn't it?

[ Please no organ-tearing, he needs those... He furrows his brows, frowning. There is definitely something about her that doesn't sit right, however useful her information or advice could be. ]

That's one word for it. [ Not one he would use. He seems a little deflated at her answer, his eyes sweeping down. ] So it's one of them. And I'm guessing we can't communicate with it like we can with the other gods, can we?

If others have seen it, do we know where it is now?

If you really want to go talk to it, it's right there.

[Caedra extends an arm and points somewhere vaguely toward the center of the coliseum, but downward.]

There used to be some sort of tunnel, I think. I'm not sure. Some of the people here tried to interact with it but that was quite a while ago now. Maybe you can do better than them, though, right? You're new. You have different skills. Everyone else gives up too easily once one person fails.

[A genuine frustration of hers here. Others might accuse her of being ridiculous, of trying things that have already been tried, as if she has anything but spare time here. The Door, though - she doesn't fancy losing her mind, she has goals and desires and precious, precious memories. Better to let the mortals try it. Their lives are worthless anyway. So what if they lose one? There are always more.]

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Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

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