Intro Log: Welcome to the Snave (snake cave)

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for March
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: March 10th-15th
Warnings: Snakes! Snakes! It's a snake!

Good morning, new arrivals! Or, well, it's probably morning. The sun is up, anyway. Okay - not the sun, but that ball of light at the top of the cave that functions as the sun, anyway. Whatever. The point is you've woken to find yourself on the floor of Hadriel's colosseum. You may be wondering where you are and what you're doing here, but what you should be wondering is how fast you need to run to get away from a three-headed snake.

You're not the only one who just woke up. Also to be found in the arena, angry and confused, are Runespoors - large three-headed snakes. Only one of the heads is venomous, but all of them are perfectly willing to take a bite out of you if you get too close - or if you annoy it. If you're lucky, an attacking Runespoor may distract itself via infighting between the three heads, giving you time to run. If not, well, let's just hope you can fight off all three heads at once!

But that's not the only thing you might find. Also scattered around the colosseum floor are what look like tasty snacks. Popsicles, cheese, even toast! Unfortunately, if you get hungry and take a bite, you will quickly discover that each and every one of these is actually soap. So that's great. Maybe the Door thinks everyone needs to shower more? You can also find a few that actually look like soap, and if you're really lucky, you might stumble across the rare and coveted 'pile of baby hands' soap.

With luck, you didn't get eaten by a snake or accidentally eat a piece of soap. 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 March 10th-15th.
► 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

[trainspotter]

Generally speaking. I'm not out of bullets yet, and I've got no business roughing up snakes for a while.

[So, Knife Kid, that's a certified maybe.] Of course, unless you want the couple quid I've got on me, this deal will have to wait 'til I've got something better on hand anyway.

[foundafamily]

Quid?

[Sounds weird. No, he's pretty sure he doesn't want that.]

Something better like what? I think we're pretty much stuck with what the gods can make and what people bring in. And from what I've heard, getting anything from the gods costs an arm and a leg.

[trainspotter]

Pounds, [he offers helpfully, first. He's only thoroughly American to the English anymore, it seems.

But anyway,] Then leave the arm and a leg to someone else. I'll admit, I've only been here for a day or two, but there are plenty of possibilities.

[Or, cheating, but robbing gods hasn't occurred to him in a serious context yet.]

[foundafamily]

Oh yeah?

[Firo scratches his head. He has to admit that he doesn't tend to view a creepy cave in the middle of nowhere as a treasure trove of possibilities--but stuff like this is why he's not a thinker.]

Honestly, I didn't think there was much here for people who wouldn't fight monsters.

[trainspotter]

Then you aren't thinking hard enough. [Maybe not a treasure trove, but he's thought of a whole... maybe two things. It's a start.

He winks, as if he has thought of way more than two things.]

Wait and see— maybe I'll have something interesting for people who go after giant snakes soon enough.

[foundafamily]

I try not to.

[Firo grins back, one eyebrow raised. This guy seems interesting, at least, and Firo's curious what he'll come up with.]

I'm not killing any snakes until you've got something for sure, okay? But when you do, let me know.

[trainspotter]

Sure thing. Name's Ned. [He shuffles half a step forward, holding out his hand to shake.]

If you get a hankering for fighting snakes, look me up. And if I'm not around, look up Jacob Frye and he'll know where to find me.

[foundafamily]

Firo Prochainezo.

[He gives Ned's hand a firm, if a little eagerly rough, shake.]

Will do. You'd better get your hands on something good soon.

[trainspotter]

[Eager is always a good sign. Ned's definitely interested in that name, since things just got a lot more New York neighborhood in this conversation.]

I knew I was right to peg you for a New Yorker. Accent's a little off, but what isn't off around here, huh? [He himself doesn't sound like anything less than "wandered out of the Upper East Side a decade ago," but details.] How's the city doing these days?

[Whichever days those are, it doesn't really matter.]

[foundafamily]

Yeah?

[And Firo perks up now, leaning forward a bit. This guy doesn't exactly sound like somebody from Hell's Kitchen or Little Italy, but you can't be picky in a place like this. Some connection to home is enough.]

It's doing good--it's the same as always. It was 1934 when I left--what about you?

[trainspotter]

[jesus fucking christ 1934

That should surprise him more than it does, but he's already losing valuable energy being surprised by things here, so...]

'68—1868, but it was the 50s when I hitched a ride across the pond. Guess there's no point in asking after my old haunts.

[foundafamily]

[1868? Firo's eyes go wide as he briefly debates counting out how many years ago that was. Too many.]

Sorry, no. I don't think I even had family in the country back then. My bosses only came over a few decades ago.

You went back to Europe? Most people're going the other way.

[trainspotter]

[Bosses, that accent, that name—the influx of Italians had only just begun when Ned literally walked out of the country, but at least he knows Little Italy existed.]

Well, I'd never been there before and I wanted to see London. I'm pretty keen on Europe, all things considered. [....and alright,] And I'm wanted in a couple high-profile areas in New York.

[foundafamily]

Oh, yeah?

[Now he's very interested; he grins. Maybe he can get an answer if he offers up something of his own.]

What's your racket? I manage a casino back home.

[If he's wanted, maybe he's a bank robber? They've had a lot of press in Firo's day, though he doesn't know about the 1800s. It wouldn't have been bootlegging, Firo doesn't think--too long ago for that.]

[trainspotter]

[Ooh, a casino. He's impressed; the kid looks young, but then, so does he... Either way: nice.]

Sticky fingers. Back in New York it was jewels, until a good friend of mine had an opportunity in London. The timing was right, and now we run much humbler jobs. [Maybe talking about his criminal empire is unwise, but 1934 is a long time... ahead—and no one seems to care, in this cave where the economy doesn't exist.

So it's probably fine.] But sometimes I can't resist a good piece of art.

[foundafamily]

I don't think I've met anybody who goes for the fancy stuff--jewels and art and all that.

[But still, Firo can easily imagine their conversation being one that you'd hear in Alveare--two guys talking about what they do for a dishonest living. It's nice to get back into it.]

So your friend's still your partner with all this stuff?

[trainspotter]

[Ned's just got here and already the aggressively straight and narrow attitude of so many people is so... stifling. He just wants to talk about real business. It's great.]

I just can't resist the fancy stuff. And my friend's skipped out of London, but we keep in touch. Frye, on the other hand—well, he'll show up for a good fight. You know the type.

[foundafamily]

I do.

[He smiles and slips his hands into his pockets.]

You know, you're one of the first people I've met here who acts like people back home. I can't believe that a buncha' people show up in a place like this and start pretending to be cops, you know? Instead of doing practically anything else.

[The Guard, he means. All the possibility and people just want to pretend to be in charge.]

[trainspotter]

[God... he really, deeply understands this issue. What is with those Guard kids?]

You're speaking my language, now. I didn't know calling yourself the police just because gave people the right to start threatening people who disagree, y'know? Usually they've got to pretend to earn that one.

[It's dumb... it's so dumb.]

[foundafamily]

[If Firo nodded his full agreement to that statement, his head would probably topple off his spine. Finally somebody has a normal reaction to this stuff.

Dripping with sarcasm:]

Oh, come on, they just want to "protect" the rest of us. It's for the good of everybody--definitely not just their egos.

[trainspotter]

[Firo's quickly becoming Ned's maybe second favorite person in this awful cave, just for this Guard sarcasm. Finally, a sensible person.]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I definitely see the appeal in bossing everyone around without earning it. I figure they thought of it first, and now they're "protecting" us the usual way, threatening to stab innocent bystanders... [He waves a hand, like how normal!! People totally do that!]

[foundafamily]

Exactly, what else would they do?

[He finally drops the sarcasm. That stabbing thing sure sounded like it might've been inspired by a real incident, so he's curious.]

Which one threatened to stab you?

[Now Firo feels like a slacker, almost, for not having driven any of them to get that angry at him before.]

[trainspotter]

Oh, not me—that lady captain wants Frye to know she'll stab him in the neck if he breathes the wrong way, or something like that. I'm downright respectable.

[Honestly, it's a little strange how many people back off him and offer a helping hand if he smiles enough. Does no one here have any sense of nuance??]

[foundafamily]

That's charming. I'd like to see their reaction if he offered the same to them.

[Firo reflects that he wishes he knew what they'd wound up doing to Sato when he--well, they, sort of--attacked the Guard's headquarters. The man had been pretty cryptic about it.

Firo brushes that thought aside and grins.]

Are you?

[trainspotter]

[Jacob doesn't need any more ideas... Ned needs him in one piece to move furniture.]

Of course. I'm a businessman. Import-export, general shipping, you know—real boring stuff. [So far, he could get away with anything, if there were anything worth getting away with in this dump.] Nothing's more respectable than doing paperwork in my totally legitimate office.