agogelogs | KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.

Entry tags:

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.

WHO? Everybody! Including fourth wall visitors.
WHAT? Time to kiss the spiders goodbye and strike out for greener pastures.
WHEN? 10 XI, Year 6 of Sanaliel's reign (as of arrival in Lemuria).
ANYTHING ELSE? Please warn for anything besides physical violence and move to a personal journal if it's beyond PG-13.

this is a public service announcement;

with guitar

ESCAPE TACTICS

READ THE JHASHCH INFOPAGE.

The departure from Jhashch has none of the ceremony of arrival. A few hours after the last of the mission teams report in, a bulletin goes out. It's the only forewarning for the time-step.

@SCOUT | @ALL

emergency time-step approved
expect it within the hour

you won't be returning to base; we'll port in supplies after arrival
if you have your standard cost clothing, change into it now
cover your face and hide the cost patch

It's hurried and without embellishment, and for good reason. While the teams have deterred and distracted the Regency and burned House Shaiy's residence, it hasn't stemmed the chaos. If anything, it encourages it.

Princess Chch still lives, but Queen Thsh is viewed as the Aranean ideal of a tyrant, confidence only bolstered by surviving the Regency's assassination attempts. COST has her blessing — and that of the Twin Generals and Prince Shch. Aranean soldiers throw themselves into brutal confrontation at their generals' behest, dragging Ythaway further into bloodshed; the male Araneans decline direct involvement, but they're skilled saboteurs. And the public watches; while the media teams couldn't completely convince them of the cause and House Oujh still maintains its influence, they spare the Regency no love.

This is the fate of the weak.

Young has already sent Serket ahead with the mines' valuable deposits of Ymir. And, with the queen's position assured amidst all the gore, COST wants to evacuate as quickly as possible.

» THE TIME-STEP

The transfer begins like a vibrating heat on the collar bone, just a hum of sensation.

But the vibration spreads. Veteran recruits often refer to this phenomenon as "the buzz". The feeling builds, not unlike standing near a great engine or the wind-rattled branches of a massive tree. There is a long moment of motion sickness and you can't be sure if the world is shaking you from the inside out or the outside in. It may be better to close your eyes against the growing nausea, as the world blurs out of focus.

A star shines in the distance. You may hear the faint rustling of leaves. Some swear they hear voices in this moment, indistinct words echoing off nothingness. Others say they feel a touch of the divine, that the eyes of the eternal look down upon you. Ancient bones rattle just out of earshot, cold and brittle and nothing more than the suggestion of sound. Or maybe it's only an illusion, brought on by the powerful technology grafted into your skin.

One thing is for sure: One moment you are here and the next you are not.

WELCOME, GHOSTS

A siren blares in the distance, accompanied by unintelligible shouting and the low rumble of engines. The air is chill, no matter where you arrive; the ground beneath your feet is like ice if the soles of your shoes have worn too thin. Closer, there's the crackle of an air quality alert and the creak of swaying metal. A nearby terminal declares the date to be 10 XI, 6 SNL.

The time-step has scattered the cell throughout the districts of Lemuria.

@SCOUT | @ALL

now that i have more time
if you weren't briefed by your commander already, this is an emergency time-step, possible through the efforts on jhashch
for those of you with my cell, the sergeant and i won't be present, at least not physically; we can't be
you can contact us, but the regency carefully monitors this time stream so excessive communication through time and space could be dangerous

you can ask the scouts available for more information
@ASHOLE @STARBOY the two of you are the most accessible

Almost immediately, a second bulletin pops up.

@STARBOY | @ALL

are you shitting me

[And that's it, until five minutes later:]

lets get this out of the way
read the 1st attachment
its not done but dwi

if youre new read that and the 2nd attachment
and if youre looking for us for some bullshit reason
x marks the spot on the 3rd attachment
we got clothes and weapons since no one sent you in w shit
(lmao ofc)

[ATTACHMENT: lemuria.html, beginnersguidetodumbfuckery.html, map.png]

The files are succinct, establishing COST's mission and role as opposed to that of the Regency. The beginner's guide even addresses the side effects of BCE glitches and wiped memories, for newbies who don't remember joining COST. These scouts want you up to speed as quickly as possible, because fucking up could have dire consequences. And they also really don't want to explain it to you; this shit is not in their purview.

The map indicates a cellar in one of the low districts, identified as the Skhan District. If you're missing an outfit of your own, the scouts have several bins of secondhand clothing and more than their fair share of weaponry. It's a mismatched collection and far from the height of fashion (unless scavenger chic is in), but be careful: while most of the patches have been torn off, some clothes still bear the insignia of COST. You'll want to get rid of that.

POST-APOCALYPTIC WEAR IS IN THIS SEASON

Blasters load six to fifteen rounds, depending on model; none are larger than a shotgun. And, because of the dangers of porting in and out of Lemuria, the bolthole has its own revivicator installed. Which means if you die in Lemuria, you revive in Lemuria. It isn't as refined as BASE's rundown tech; chances are, when you wake up, you'll feel echoes of whatever killed you.

READ THE LEMURIA INFOPAGE.

» NEW RECRUITS.

New arrivals, here by virtue of the fourth wall, can arrive in one of two ways.

The first is as a fresh recruit, in COST-issued athletic underwear and holding whatever item you chose to bring. Hopefully your clothes and circumstances don't embarrass you too much, because you're stuck with them until you can rendezvous with a scout or steal your own.

The second way for fourth wall characters to arrive is as a seasoned member of another COST cell. Their assumed missions can be to your tastes, as fantastical or historical as you like. Need ideas? Feel free to read back through the game's logs and infopages for inspiration.

HIDE YOUR SHIT

Welcome to COST's little bolthole in Lemuria. It's a cramped space, a basement's basement in an abandoned factory overrun by squatters. The community doesn't make much notice of anyone moving through as a rule, so it's easy to weave by the masses huddled together in rags and find the long, dingy staircase, leading down, down, down to a padlocked door.

The padlock will twist and open as soon as you tap the corresponding app on your BCE. It automatically loaded when you got to Lemuria and reads FUCKINGPADLOCK.IO.

And then there's the bolthole. Dug into the ground, it's not unlike being in a submarine; it's certainly cramped enough. It could hold maybe four people, very uncomfortably.

It has a selection of security cameras and terminals on one end and the rest of the walls are decked with cabinets and drawers, all locked by various means. Some are traditional and some ask for eye scans or fingerprints or "identity samples", whatever that means.

There is a not insignificant number of empty takeout containers in one corner.

And, thanks to the staircase, you can at least hear whenever someone's coming.

GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER

You can't hide in the bolthole forever — the scouts, for one, will kick you out — and Lemuria is a restless city. Many of the low districts are overflowing, too many people packed in too small spaces. And everywhere is an air of discontent, evident from disgruntled muttering.

It's often hard to tell what's news and what's rumor, even surrounded by terminals with easy access to the Lemurian network. Fafnir is causing a ruckus at the city limits; maybe someone will ask Jörmungandr to "deal" with him. Terrapin Labs is dumping genetic waste in the sewers. The Crosslands are already drained dry and the war is a coverup. A red dragon ate someone near the upper districts. Sanaliel's advisor is a shape-shifter. The list goes on.

For now, your orders are to keep an ear to the ground and maintain a low profile. In general, the scouts would really like you not to make their lives any harder.

» THE ANTS GO MARCHING.

If you manage to find your way into the Pyramid District, the Lemurian upper class is having a military parade and even the lower rungs of society have dragged themselves to see it. The crowd is mixed, though it naturally segregates itself, with the richer moving away from the poorer. Myths fit themselves in where they can; faeries flit through the crowd and a few kappa saunter through, promising eternal blessings for a few spare cucumbers.

The parade itself is a magnificent thing to behold, if you like gaudy splendor and overzealous displays of wealth. Each regiment walks in unified steps, their battalion announced. At various points, the parade stops and the soldiers perform demonstrations of will and might, shooting rockets into the polluted fog of the sky, shredding dummies with advanced weaponry, and sparring with one another.

Occasionally, radicals break through the crowd, throwing smoke bombs that bleed colored mist and sting the eye. They shout slogans like "Freedom for the Crosslands!" and "Justice for Lemuria!" and "Food for the poor!" Sometimes they cause a riot. Sometimes they escape back into the crowd. Sometimes they get shot in the head.

The bodies are dragged away without much comment, like it's a common occurrence.

The parade continues.

» I PREDICT A RIOT.

If you wander into the low districts, you'll find something else entire. Some would argue it's a coincidence that there are bread riots the same day as a military parade. Some wouldn't.

Basic sustenance — rice, bread, beans, and lentils — have skyrocketed in price. Fueled by tax increases and missing supply vans, what it means is the poor are poorer. People slink back to their hovels to beg or barter. And the rest, well...

The rioters come prepared, stomping boots and guns fired into the sky. The majority are teenagers and young adults, commandeering food shops and carts, scaring away (or killing) the owners and giving out food for free (or at a lowered price). Other people try to stop them and the scuffle quickly becomes untenable, escalating into bloodier violence.

What do you do?

» THIS IS SO ILLEGAL.

Maybe you got involved in a riot. Maybe your fingers were a little sticky. Or maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time; the police force is largely apathetic to crime in the low districts and reacts all too readily with violence in the upper districts.

Whatever the case, you've gotten yourself on the wrong side of the Lemurian law and you're handcuffed to (or sharing a cell with) a comrade-in-arms. Maybe it's fortunate that Lemuria has only just begun to distribute power nullification tech to deal with the influx of myths; most officers don't carry it and even fewer would think to use it on someone who looks human.

The guards make no comment, if asked how long they'll hold you. Other prisoners, filthy and dressed in rags, remark they've gone months without knowing.

Escape is really the only feasible option.

» SPECIAL DELIVERY.

If you left items behind at BASE, you can handwave filing a request and COST will deliver them to the bolthole. The scouts will send an alert if necessary and you can pick it up at any time. Just preferably sooner than later, because there isn't exactly a lot of space in that cellar.

Alternatively, if you're a veteran recruit, maybe you just received an unexpected delivery.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ia. WELCOME, GHOSTS
Stepping from one place to another is always jarring, but she's blessedly spared from starvation and dehydration this time around, which means Dany at least manages to stand on both feet. Just barely.

It becomes clear straight away that the reason she stumbles is because of a rather large Aranean she is bear hugging. For those who know her, it's a ridiculous sight. And why would anyone wish to hug one of those monstrous spiders, you might be wondering? Especially if you rush forward to either try to catch her, or lend a helping hand (is she going to be consumed??).

The Aranean takes no time to settle her long and slender legs onto the ground, straightening both she and Dany before they collapse into an undignified heap. And while she does that, Irriella snaps her mandibles at you if you get too close.

"It worked!" she laughs, delighted, smiling broadly at you. "I thought she might've been too large for the jump."

Ib. WELCOME GHOSTS [network option]
>>FROM:@STORMBORN
>>TO:@ALL
Does "DWI" mean something significant to our understanding of this realm?

Or is it like when you "lol" when things are not at all funny?

II. FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD... TO SKHAN DISTRICT
( a. ) The bolthole is worse than the trenches at Gallipoli. Not only is it claustrophobic, but she's accidentally elbowed you in her bid to salvage any additional pieces sturdy enough to allow her to blend in. "Excuse me," she distractedly murmurs, paying you no notice. It happens two more times--once with the bow on her back, and again with the ~~sickle~~ arakh on her belt--if you don't move, and by the third, she's huffing in quiet annoyance and glancing over her shoulder at you, her look all but saying do you mind?

It doesn't help that Irriella insists on worming her way in to the bolthole. So much for space.

( b. ) The end result of her endeavors yields a coat and clothing. The pants and boots are fitted and durable, reminding her of the pieces she wore while conquering the slaver cities. Don't mind her as she tugs off a bloodstained top, replacing it with something cleaner, albeit musty-smelling.

"What are identity samples?" she'll ask, walking up beside you to peer at the cameras. "Do they read our blood and tell us what our lineage is?"

( c. ) Soon enough the staircase is groaning. Whatever the two of you were doing beforehand, be it scavenging, scowling, or studying the screens, she stills, nocking an arrow as Irriella skitters up the wall and hangs right above the doorway. Or maybe you are the person coming down the stairs? In which case... say hello to an arrow aimed at your head, and two long, slender white legs trying to lift you up from beneath the armpits.

III. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER
( a. ) The liveliness of the city is muted only by the discontent and air of aggression all around her. Dany's never walking the streets alone, flanked typically by Irriella... or you. That is, if she catches you nearby and tugs you into step with her. She's not above that. Her hood is pulled up, the deep burgundy just barely hiding silver chunks of hair. "Who is Fafnir?"

( b. ) Or perhaps you're with her when someone announces a dragon consuming someone. If you know her well enough, you know to look toward her. Probably. Right? Well if you do, you'll catch her tensing, head whipping around so quickly her hood falls back. There's a steely glint in her eyes, and she's latching on to your sleeve and dragging you off. "We have to find the dragon!"

Someone should tell Dany that rushing toward dangerous dragons is a bad idea.

IV. THE ANTS GO MARCHING / THE RIOT
( a. ) It's not exactly difficult keeping a low profile in the face of a march, is it? The extravagance and waste merely reveals the stark differences between rich and poor... enough to have her openly frowning. "This seems like such a waste when there are so many suffering," she tells you.

( b. ) It only grows worse when someone gets shot in the head. No matter who they are, they don't deserve that. It has her stiffening--do you stop her before she can charge off to see if there's anything to do for the body? Or are you going with her as the body gets dragged back into the crowds?

( c. ) Or maybe you're tagging along with her as she finally leaves the parade... only to discover that there's a riot over food in the lower district. Perhaps you're already there. No matter what you're doing, there are children who get caught in the chaos, and Dany's shoving her way past faceless bodies--and you--to try and catch one who appears to be getting trampled on. "Move!"

V. TOTES ILLEGAL
So this is what being imprisoned feels like. She stands in the middle of her cell, frowning at the guards, hands on her hips and tapping a foot impatiently on the stone floor. She's lost track of time, having spent some of it reviewing the network, another portion of it communicating with Chiron through their telepathic link, and the rest of it intermittently asking the guards when she will be released, and muttering in Dothraki about the indignities of it all.

Whether you got thrown into the cell with her, or were there either before or after her arrival, she'll eventually come to settle beside you. "What kind of place holds captives for months, with no word of when they'll be freed?"

XX. WILDCARD
Something not floating your boat? Feel free to PM me or ping me on plurk, or come up with your own prompt to hmu with c:

[ ooc: will match prose or action, no preference here. ]

To be fair, Jon's gaze whips towards Dany when he knows they've both heard the word "dragon"; he isn't surprised by the way she tries to drag him off, except that it's the first indication she's shown of being less concerned about the wounds he took on Jhashch.

He's extremely dubious about this. "I'm not sure what sort of dragon it is, love. Maybe not your sort. You want to go and see?"

Why am I asking? There shouldn't be any question. Of course she does.

Edited 2018-07-20 04:06 (UTC)

A little handling is far from indicative of her lack of concern for his injuries; in fact, she's been hovering on the verge of treating him as if he were made of glass. Or she was. His sturdiness, at least, is seen when he makes it steadily past the time-step. It's what tells her he's on the mend. For now.

Her hand slips from his sleeve, fingers seeking to twine with his as she weaves them through the crowds.

"It's a dragon, not an Aranean." Not hers, but still one to see. "What if it can communicate like Irriella does? We could use that to our advantage."

He's better... better than he was, still a little less than fully healed, even with help from both the BCE and Chiron and Jeyne. There are aches and scars, and tiredness, but he can move about without trouble, and he can probably fight.

His fingers twine as closely with hers as she wants them to; he lets her tug them through the crowd.

"Araneans don't breathe fire. It might be that it can talk to you, or to me, but it might be that it can't, or that it won't want to." After a beat of silence, passing through the crush of people, he adds, "If it found itself here without knowing how, it might be frightened. Like a horse gone out of control."

But bigger. And hotter.

Daenerys Targaryen | Game of Thrones

III. b. Get Your Shit Together

no subject

no subject

III b. SHOVES EVERYTHING OFF OF THE TABLE I AM HERE. AND RUSTY

YELLS INTO ETERNITY

no subject

V yes hello

YESS yelling in 3....

no subject

1a.

BARRY!!!!!!!!!!

Ia.

hi biggest of big bros :<

BESTEST of bros

ii - c

!!!!! :D omg poor sansa - dont worry dany's a lousy-ish shot lmao

no subject

IIc.

sorry for the wait!

right back atcha...!

ib.

no subject

iv. b

no subject