hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

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Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for January
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: January 10th-16th
Warnings: Luscious greenery and confused newbies

As has become tradition within the good (well, okay) city of Hadriel, new arrivals will awake on the floor of the half-destroyed colosseum. Confused and disoriented, you may be wondering where you are and what you're doing there. Don't worry! Someone will probably tell you sooner or later, as long as you get out of the colosseum alive.

Oh, right. About that. Along with the poor, innocent, vulnerable new arrivals are a number of other new friends! Well, maybe less 'friends' than 'horrifying monsters', but are you really going to be picky? Wandering the arena are Shambling Mounds. These creatures are large, unattractive piles of vaguely humanoid-shaped vegetation. They hit hard, they can take a lot of damage, and if you're really unlucky they might manage to engulf you with their weird plant bodies. If that happens, you'd better try to get free fast - otherwise they'll just walk off with you stuck inside and kill you later at their leisure.

The Door appears to have cast a wide net for 'plant monsters', and while Shambling Mounds are the only ones that can actually hurt you, it's managed to pull in a number of smaller, less dangerous carnivorous plants. Some of them are even kind of cute! So if you were looking for a pet venus flytrap or a new pitcher plant, you're in luck. Scattered around the colosseum are carnivorous potted plants, just waiting to find a new home.

Make a new plant friend, or get eaten by one, or run screaming! Whatever you choose to do, once you find your way out of the colosseum there's plenty of other distractions. Feel free to go 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 January 10th-16th.
► 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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[If Kain finds AM's gaze unsettling, he doesn't show anything of it. He simply stands, stiff and firm and proud, obviously giving off an intense and serious demeanor. This is a man who's seen a lot, fought a lot, someone battle-hardened with experience. He stares at AM for a moment as well, wanting to get the full idea of the man. Not a fighter, that's clear.]

I wish I knew. The ones who brought us here call themselves gods. They claim there's no way back... not yet, anyway. We're stuck here until they can find some means of sending us back through that door of theirs. [He sighs, adding in a dry tone of someone who clearly is unamused by everything about all of this,] I hope you like caves.

[AM takes in the information piece by piece... Brought here by gods, no way back, stuck in a cave. It sounds exactly like AM himself, except he is the victim instead of the god.

The lack of surprise at this information is why AM doesn't change his demeanor much, but he does tense up, his fears all but confirmed. (Then again, this knight could be lying.)

AM wants to unleash a barrage of questions and accusations, demand that Kain tell the truth. He wants to ask about non-humans being turned human, and so many other things, but he nearly just died. He needs to play carefully now, stay on everyone's good side - especially this man who literally saved his life.]

Thank you... for saving me. Kain.

[AM has never thanked anyone in a genuine manner, and perhaps this "thank you" isn't very genuine, but he feels fortunate that his life has been spared for now. Regardless, he's just trying to play nice.]

But I am not happy to be here.

[The way the other man tenses up just seems like a typical reaction to Kain. It's a shock to learn that you're in some other world, separated from everything you know and care for. Surely this man has people back home he's missing right now. It's a lot to take in.]

You're welcome... and none of us are. We're biding our time for now, but I for one don't intend to get too comfortable. We'll find a way out of this. We must.

[It's not optimism that really drives Kain, not really. But he's a fighter, and he's not one to fall over helpless at a time like this.]

I'm afraid I didn't catch your name yet?

[~~And then to show his thanks he gives Kain a hug.~~ As of this moment, of course AM wants to get back to where he was. He had power there, he had immortality (relatively speaking). After all, he has a body he can feel with now but he hasn't even had time to enjoy it! As soon as he awoke he was nearly killed!

But if Kain can't help him leave, then he's fairly useless. Not completely useless, since he saved his life, but useless enough. AM may stick by Kain until he finds someone more useful, but for now, he'll play along.

He nearly answers with his name, opening his mouth, until he realizes that "AM" is very much not a human name, at least not in the English language. Quick, he needs to think of something. There's a brief hesitation before he answers.]

...Alan.

[Yes. That will do. Alan Turing is the father of artificial intelligence and general computer science. Without him, AM would not exist.]

What are we supposed to do here until we get out?

[~~ewriuwhrfuirf loooool god damn it~~ Kain notes that he seems to hesitate a moment, but he simply dismisses it as him being a bit too distracted by everything he's experiencing. It can be difficult for anyone to deal with, this transition to a new world. He has no idea just how unusual it is for the other man though.]

Good to meet you, Alan.

[He "hmmphs" as he thinks about the answer to that question.]

People find ways to occupy themselves... I'm a Guard member, for instance, but there are other places, such as the clinic and so on. We're often under attack, subject to the whims of the gods, as well, so there's no shortage on threats to deal with. You'll want to make use of the phones, as well. It's this strange device that allows for communication. [He has no idea what kind of world Alan comes from, but to him the concept of a phone is still pretty strange.]

[He squints.]

I know what a phone is, Kain.

[Oh, that came out a bit more snarky than he should have let it. Not that AM really has great control over his expressions in this body, but it seems like this man is not the most pleasant either. Regardless, AM can't help but be annoyed by pretty much anything, especially when told to him by a human.

He quickly amends his statement with a question.]

I mean... Tell me about these gods.

[Because obviously that is a major clue into how he got here. Pathetic humans worshiping something as a god, and said god using its power to bring him here...]

Hmmph. Forgive me for being helpful.

[Though Kain fights snark with snark, he doesn't really hold it entirely against him. He's not here to pick a fight with the very people he's meant to defend after all. So he leaves it at that and sighs, thinking about what he's found out about these gods so far.]

Apparently it started with the gods called Fear and Hope. It's Fear who first opened this Door they speak of, whatever draws us in. Since then several others have been resurrected. Rage, Delight, Sorrow, Confusion, Tranquility... these other gods have been revived since people began arriving here. As you may guess, they have the ability to affect our emotions based on their affinity.

[AM would normally dismiss such explanations as superstition, or rather pathetic attempts to explain the unknown. However, he has somehow arrived here in a human body. Gods may be the most likely explanation; aliens or machines with capabilities that far exceed anything he knows.

He might find the explanation amusing otherwise. But he seems almost baffled. It barely explains anything.]

So this is all an emotion-based ploy?

[It seems so stupid and simplistic that he laughs. No, he doesn't find it funny that he has arrived here in this body, but expressing emotions is still a new thing. With the intense rage and confusion and utter bafflement he feels, it all channels into this laughter. It's quick to die down.]

There's no good reason for us to be here. It's just for the amusement of someone experimenting with our emotions!

[The whole thing might sound absurd to Kain if he hasn't witnessed the battle of the gods with his own eyes before this. If he hadn't known Cosmos or seen what terrible things Chaos was capable of. He's not seen the gods here, aside from communications on the phones, but he's seen what beings with so much power can do.]

It is, unfortunately. I wish it were otherwise... this prospect of having our emotions toyed with is incredibly aggravating.

[He raises an eyebrow, he himself would never laugh at a time like this, but he understands the whole... laughing at futility concept, he supposes.]

That's why we must seek opportunities to weaken them or find our own way out of this place. We can't stay here under these conditions [He'd found a loophole in the Gods' War, so just maybe he will here too.]

[If the gods are truly strong enough to put AM in a humanoid body and bring him to another world - another dimension, perhaps? Another planet at the very least - then they are far too powerful. AM wants to laugh again at Kain's observation, for how naïve it sounds. Centuries of being a god himself says that there is no way to defeat them... Except, AM was in essence defeated by being brought here. And he could never go against the laws of the universe.

As he feels another laugh coming on, he does his best to hold it back, not missing that raised eyebrow Kain had given him.]

If they are powerful enough to bring me here, then I'm sure there's hardly any way for you to defeat them.

[He speaks coolly, hiding his anger at the situation through his amusement at this man. But AM can't hide his arrogance, even if he appears weak.]

But perhaps there is a way.

[Kain isn't sure what to make of this stranger so far. There's a touch of something he's not sure he entirely trusts... arrogance, perhaps? That does remind him vaguely of Edge's arrogant nature. But then, coming to this unknown world and all... he can't blame someone for putting up their defenses. He just doesn't enjoy it being directed at him. Hmmph.]

There's undoubtedly a way, some vulnerability that we can exploit. [Kain frowns darkly, not looking too pleased at his skills being put down in any way.] I've fought a god or two before. They're not invincible. [And died against that god's creations, but, details. There's also Zemus, who was pretty much on that level, now that one he had won.] Besides, this is hardly the sort of battle I'd face alone. We'd have to attack in a group, it's the only way.

[The way Kain speaks so casually about how he has beaten "a god or two" makes AM want to laugh again. At first he was so grateful to this human for saving him, but now those layers are being peeled away and he's finding that this man is just another completely arrogant mess.

Instead of laughing, though, his mouth stretches into a hideous smirk. If Kain truly defeated gods, then they are not truly gods. No mortal can defeat them.]

No, I suppose gods are not invincible. Everything must follow the laws of the universe.

[But this sounds more and more like it's just another war. If that's the case, then perhaps there's a reason AM was summoned here. Still, it makes little sense.]

Or, perhaps there's a way to bring these gods down to your-- our level.

[A slip of the tongue. Oops.]

[There's something about that smirk that Kain isn't quite sure he likes or trusts. He's trying not to be judgmental, as he was right off the bat with Edge back when he'd met him. But... well.... he can't help but suddenly feel a but wary of him.]

Exactly, everything must fall eventually, all beings who live must die. No matter what they are.

[He raises an eyebrow, curious by what AM has implied. Could he be stronger than he looks?]

Perhaps there is. I'm sure they must have some weakness we can take advantage of.

[AM has to be more careful. He nearly died, after all, and if anyone found out who he was... Well, he'd be an even riper target. Maybe he should act weaker. No, that would be bad too, because then he'd attract sadistic people.]

Perhaps. It looks like we have plenty of time to figure the weakness out.

[He frowns again. He doesn't want to be here for that long. He doesn't want to die, or be trapped in this form... But what would be worse? Trapped in this form or his true form? Neither is good.]

Do they at least provide dwellings for us?

Too much time, if you asked me. But at least we have a chance.

[Or so Kain believes. He's not one to go down without a fight, anyway, even at the cost of his own life.]

There are many dwelling areas, depending on your preference. The spires with apartments are quite spacious, and tall.

["Too much time" could mean anything. A year? A hundred years? More? He decides not to pursue that line of thinking for now, because it seems like Kain knows just about as much as the "god" situation as he's going to know.

And yet when the subject of "dwellings" is brought up, it hits him that he will have to live like a human. Sleeping, eating...? All things he knows plenty about, but the thought of being able to do them is almost ludicrous.]

My preference is something that ensures survival.

[He's rather blunt about it at least.]

[The man is practical, anyway. There may be some offputting things about him, but Kain can appreciate someone who puts survival first. He shrugs.]

The dwellings are all safe enough. There's food and supplies, and everything you could need. Though... if you want to survive, you may want to find a weapon, and get some idea of how to use it.

[He means to be helpful, actually, because in this world it's essential to be able to fight... the dangers can appear at any time or place.]

[The "weapon" part of survival is what AM is most concerned about. Obviously with plant monsters running around, he doesn't have much of a chance here.]

Yes, I would like that.

[He speaks somewhat flatly, nearly cutting Kain off as he finishes his sentence.]

Where do I find a weapon?

[Well, good. Again, Kain can appreciate that he's got his priorities straight. Some people come here and panic or otherwise make fools of themselves, but Alan here is dealing quite well despite the circumstances.]

There's an armory that's always well stocked with various weapons... lances, swords, axes and so on.

[He thinks about his favored type first, naturally. Though he's had little use for it himself, since he has his own lance with him from home.]

[Oh, he'll panic. He just knows that for survival's sake, panicking is not a good thing to do at this moment. Once he gets the necessary survival items in order, AM has no doubt that he will let his emotions go haywire. (How does he even feel in this body anyway?)

There's a mix of both relief and annoyance to hear about an armory. Of course there is a weapon stockade here, why wouldn't there be? Why wouldn't humans create such a thing immediately? And AM is at a disadvantage, having no idea how to use this body.]

Good. I'll go there first. Which way is it?

Over this way. You'll be able to find plenty of other supplies you may need, as well.

[At least he's doing the right thing, setting this newcomer straight. It wasn't so long ago that he'd come here himself, in the same state of confusion. Perhaps more confusion, since he was supposed to be dead.]

And... if you ever need help learning to use any weaponry, feel free to come to me.

[A man who not only saved his life but will help him use weapons? Well, perhaps Kain is not as useless as he seems.]

Yes, thank you. I will certainly need some help...

[He tries to think of a good excuse for his stiff gait and lack of weapons experience. Revealing that this human body is absolutely nothing like his real body might hurt him.]

The gravity of this place... I'm not used to moving around in it.

[Well no, he'd be moving a bit differently if that was actually the case, but the average layperson wouldn't know that.]

Using a weapon will be a new experience.

Ah... so you come from a planet with differing gravity? I understand... I've traveled into space. [But it was only the one time to go to the moon, so he's not exactly any expert on the matter. But he at least gets the concept enough to understand how a change in gravity might affect movement. ~~Shhh never mind his canon doesn't really touch on this for whatever reason.~~] Then I'll do my best to help you. I'm best at the lance, but I'm quite skilled with swords and axes as well... most any blade, really. It'll depend on what appeals to you most, of course.

[Kain has done enough training of their new recruits that he's comfortable dealing with the basics with most any sort of weapon, at least. Any fellow displaced person is an ally in his mind.]

[AM raises an eyebrow at the revelation that Kain has gone into space. He... doesn't look at all like the type to do such a thing, particularly become he doesn't know what a phone is. Even if his language has a different word for phone, it sounds more like the entire concept is foreign to him.

Well, he's probably a liar then. Everybody lies. Hardly anything AM has said, of course, has been at all close to the truth either.]

Yes, I would appreciate training from someone so skilled as yourself.

[First he needs to actually learn how to move, period. As it is, walking is still a challenge. But receiving training from a clearly skilled fighter will help him. It's the least he can do to keep himself safe until he gets out of this place.]

Perhaps first we should get out of here, away from these killer plants.

[Kain's world is just weird, and the Lunarians are the ones to blame for their priorities with technology. Communication, and for that matter, entertainment, were not things they cared about. Only transportation and war. Though really, if they communicate telepathically, they have no need for phones.]

Good, then I'll be glad to give it. Anything I can do to help others who are stuck here. We must be united together against the gods, after all... we must take all the power that we can get.

[He nods agreement, gesturing.]

The way back toward the buildings and relative safety is this way. It's not too far.

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Intro Log: Eat Your Veggies

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