INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-13th
Warnings: Fresh meat, creepy moving shadows, terrible luck, the screams of your loved ones.

Welcome to Hadriel, new friends. While waking up on the ground of a broken colosseum may not be the most pleasant arrival, you can at least find comfort in the fact that there's no giant monster immediately attempting to eat you. Plenty of the people already here will tell you that they weren't quite so lucky. But - wait. Is that something moving in the shadows, or is it just your imagination?

Of course it's not just your imagination. That would be way too easy. No, arriving along with everyone this time are wraiths, vengeful spirits that enjoy darkness, shadows, and misery. On the plus side, they won't try to kill you. On the minus side, their touch chills you and saps your energy, as well as inflicting a temporary curse of awful luck. Anything that can go wrong, will, including (and especially) things that might kill you. Wraiths are subtle and sneaky, so be sure to watch your back. That shadow isn't just a shadow.

Compounding the confusion the wraiths can cause, you just might wake up to the sound of chattering voices - only to be quite alone. A small flock of jabberjays has come through the Door as well. These genetically engineered birds are capable of mimicking entire human voices and conversations - as well as screams of terror and pain. Initially only in the arena and bringing only conversations from their world, they'll soon settle throughout the city and begin to learn the voices of those living in Hadriel. Your best friend screaming bloody murder just a street over? It could be them, or it could just be one of these lovely birds. Don't let it stress you out.

Once you've escaped the colosseum, hopefully without accidentally impaling yourself on your own weapon, feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

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

Comments

[thebigredog]

Yeah, that would be real fucking useful if I knew how to use a bow and arrow. [cliff tells dorian with a growl as he throws one rock so hard that it ricochets off a wall and almost hits him in the face before he ducks with an abortive curse.

he knew it was a hobby for some people, especially people living in the middle of nowhere like podunk, but thankfully clifford himself had never fallen into that particular trap as well. turning into a wolf was weird enough without throwing medieval weaponry into the mix.]

What kind of fucked up city has an armory anyway, huh? [he adds a moment later when he finds he's actually run out of rocks to throw at the birds, spinning around to pin the older man with preternaturally bright golden eyes and mouth pulled down in a scowl. it's already abundantly clear what his opinion of the city is, but feel free to explain regardless, dorian.]

[sparkler]

You don't quite seem to know how to use rocks, either.

[You know who's being super helpful right now? Yeah, that's right. Dorian. This guy right here.]

You'll find that in addition to the armory, we have a number of caves with monsters inside them and a library full of unreadable books. Welcome to Hadriel.

[He is not overly disturbed by the strange eyes, not after everything he's seen and all the people he's met, but he does take note of them. There's a good chance the boy's not human. Which is fine - Dorian has no prejudices about that, really - but is something to keep in mind.]

[thebigredog]

[if clifford was a dog, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say he snarls at dorian for his "smart" comment. but he isn't a dog. clearly he's just a normal teenager, what are you talking about, hahahaha ha...]

Monsters. [he says with a sneer and a roll of his eyes.] Yeah, that sounds like just about my fucking luck. Is there a fucking farmer's market here too?

[sparkler]

[Dorian has a million more smart comments where that one came from, but he refrains for now. Clifford seems plenty worked up already.]

Given the startling lack of farmers, no, I'm afraid there isn't.

[He doesn't know what would be so awful about a market for farmers, though. Odd.]

Just a lot of mysterious shops full of strange things.

[thebigredog]

[of course dorian didn't know what was so bad about a farmer's market, he was definitely old enough to think lame shit like that was fun.]

We're underground, why would you even expect to find farmers here anyway?

[and how could the lack of them actually be considered "startling"?] ... and why the hell are there birds underground either?

[sparkler]

[Oh, dear. The poor child needs to learn sarcasm, too. Dorian considers him for a moment.]

The birds arrived at the same time as you - and at the same time as the monsters, of course. A welcome party, you could say. They aren't from your world, I hope.

[thebigredog]

[oh, clifford knew sarcasm well enough. it was just a shame adults were usually so bad at it. you almost had to feel sorry for old people like that except they kind of brought that shit on themselves.]

No they fucking aren't or they would have already gone extinct before I got dragged into this shit hole.

[because he really really hates these birds.]

[sparkler]

Well, if you get busy you could make them extinct here, I'm sure. We would all thank you for it.

[Dorian's doing his part, to be fair.]

What's your name, child?

[thebigredog]

[good luck with that one, dorian. cliff might technically be part animal, but he's got absolutely no hunting ability to show for it. just weird eyes and a temper that honestly had far more to do with his human side than the wolf.

cliff scowls at the question, eyeing dorian warily and kicking at one of the rocks that he missed on the ground.]

Cliff. [he eventually, almost grudgingly says, before adding angrily:] I'm not a fucking kid.

[sparkler]

No? Well, if you say so.

[He sounds doubtful. The attitude is enough to mark Cliff as 'grouchy teenager' in Dorian's mind. Which doesn't particularly borrow him - he doesn't spend a whole lot of time hanging around teenagers, but surely they can't be that difficult.

Dorian has perhaps not considered that teenagers in Thedas tend to grow up quite differently.]

What are you, then?

[thebigredog]

['grouchy teenager' wasn't at all inaccurate when it came to describing cliff. 'not that difficult' on the other hand................. well. one out of two isn't so bad dorian, don't let it bother you.

and listen, he knows okay? he knows dorian's question is in reference to the whole kid thing and not, you know, something else.

but that particular arrangement of words is one that cliff can't help but react poorly to, stiffening and taking a step back from dorian with a sudden spark of panic in his eyes before he can totally manage to douse it again.] None of your fucking business. [he scowls.]

[sparkler]

[He's surprised by the strong reaction, though his only admission of surprise is a slight eyebrow raise. It didn't seem like such a sensitive question to Dorian, though now he's rather suspicious.]

No, I suppose not, though I can assure you there's little that would alarm me. I am quite well-traveled and well-learned, as a mage ought to be.

[He really wasn't inquiring into what sort of being Cliff is, but his reaction makes it clear enough that something is up there. Dorian offers the only reassurance he can.]

[thebigredog]

[the term 'mage' prompts a raised eyebrow from cliff this time, though honestly it's more so for the term's exaggerated fantasy origins than what it insinuates.

his levels of hostility manage to drop just a notch at the same time as well, because while cliff is hardly going to be reassured by something like that, he can't help but be slightly less wary of other weirdos.

he realizes that's probably a backwards way of thinking, but weird people can hardly judge other people, right?] That's great, it's still none of your fucking business.

[doesn't mean he's just going to spill and tell dorian his life story either, of course.]

[sparkler]

[Dorian shrugs. He's quite right, really. It's not his business, and Dorian is not quite nosy enough to insist on it. He's interested, certainly, but he won't press the subject.]

That's true enough. Have you found your bearings here? I can give you directions, if they're needed.

[Because he might as well be useful.]

[thebigredog]

Depends on what's down here to give me directions to.

[cliff tells him somewhat dubiously. somehow he doubts that any of those directions will lead him out of here and back to podunk.

which. he can't believe he's actually trying to get back to podunk right now, but he'd kind of like to have been at least given the option of leaving in the first place.]

Besides the fucking armory.

[sparkler]

Housing, the library, a place to find food. The park, perhaps, if you like that sort of thing. And the clinic.

[If he's the type to get in fights. And considering the attitude, Dorian would not be surprised at that one bit.]

Oh, and there are caves full of monsters, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

[thebigredog]

[well the park doesn't sound like the worst thing that could possibly happen to cliff, but if everyone stuck down here with him are all old weirdos like this guy it could prove to be just as uninspiring as the rest of the list.

the clinic would more than likely come in handy at some point in the future for cliff, but admitting that much is kind of pushing it right now. the idea that one exists for him to find on his own later is honestly enough information for now.]

Oh yeah [cliff says, voice as dry as the sahara] who don't love that sort of thing.

[sparkler]

You would be surprised.

[He's amused again by Cliff's attitude. Dorian is not the monster-hunting type himself, but he can understand the impulse. It seems Cliff feels quite differently, though.]

At least you'll know to keep your distance.

[thebigredog]

Not really, people are fucking weirdos.

[don't get him wrong, cliff enjoys bad ideas as much as the next teenager, but actively chasing after things trying to eat you sounds like just about the worst idea he's ever heard in his life.

his luck with that sort of thing was bad enough without trying to court more of it.] I'm used to it.

[and one way or another, cliff would probably be able to take care of himself if things got too serious he had managed up until now, after all.]

[sparkler]

That's true enough. No doubt you're just as weird as the rest of us.

[There's hardly a soul here who isn't. Dorian quite enjoys his own strangeness, though perhaps Cliff isn't the type to do that sort of thing. Dorian sort of remembers being a teenager, and it involved a lot of hating himself and drinking. Maybe that's what teenagers do?]

Very well. Do be on your guard, strange things often happen here.

[thebigredog]

[hating themselves and drinking is precisely what teenagers do with their time, if cliff is anything to judge them by. dorian just gets a flat sort of glare from cliff for the effort of calling him weird.

he doesn't argue the point though.]

Strange, sure. [cliff was going to have to see something a bit more strange than asshole birds before he was convinced.]

[sparkler]

[Dorian was super good at that - he's still super good at drinking. It's a fine skill.]

I'm sure you'll see sooner or later.

[And hopefully not in a painful way. He raises a hand in farewell, then, and continues on his way.]