Fade Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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faderift2022-11-29 07:54 pm
faderifting) wrote in faderift2022-11-29 07:54 pm
Entry tags:
- ! mod plot,
- ! open,
- abby,
- bastien,
- benedict quintus artemaeus,
- clarisse la rue,
- cosima niehaus,
- derrica,
- ellie,
- ellis,
- gela,
- gwenaëlle baudin,
- james flint,
- john silver,
- kostos averesch,
- marcus rowntree,
- mobius,
- obeisance barrow,
- stephen strange,
- vanya orlov,
- viktor,
- wysteria de foncé,
- yseult,
- { jude adjei },
- { mado },
- { richard dickerson },
- { tony stark }
MOD PLOT ↠ HOME FOR RIFTMAS
WHO: Everyone (more or less)
WHAT: Rifter Show & Tell & Steal.
WHEN: Early Wintermarch 9:49 (forward-dated!)
WHERE: The Crossroads and BEYOND.
NOTES: OOC post. Please use appropriate content warnings in your subject lines.
WHAT: Rifter Show & Tell & Steal.
WHEN: Early Wintermarch 9:49 (forward-dated!)
WHERE: The Crossroads and BEYOND.
NOTES: OOC post. Please use appropriate content warnings in your subject lines.
Since Corypheus began opening the Gates, Riftwatch has been noticing pockets of instability in the Crossroads—crumbling platforms, paths newly blocked by rubble or broken bridges, sections where gravity has been shifted and altered in ways unusual even for the Crossroads, with new intrusions of green-tinged rock outcroppings or corners of temple walls. The barriers between the Crossroads, the Fade, and the world are thinning. It's a problem.
But more recently, Riftwatch has been made aware of an ancient artifact known (now; one hopes this isn't its original title) as the Sealing Stone, now in pieces scattered throughout the Crossroads, and the approximate locations of those pieces. If brought together and activated, the Stone may stabilize the barrier between the Crossroads and the other realms and may provide a model Riftwatch could use to reinforce the Veil elsewhere.
So Riftwatch ventures into the Crossroads to retrieve the pieces of the Stone. It's an intensive effort undertaken by large teams, due to the many now-familiar hazards of the Crossroads, the potential for encountering the Venatori that also use the eluvian network, and the need to cover ground as quickly as possible in hopes of finding the artifacts before the Venatori notice the increased Crossroads activity and come join the hunt.
It's not as simple as merely locating the pieces, however. Whenever a group of Riftwatchers get near enough to one of the artifacts, they're alerted first by the triggering of a sort of protection mechanism. In some cases—specifically, on teams without any rifters—spirits suddenly swarm from the metaphorical woodwork in numbers so great and with such hostility that retreat is the only viable option. The spirits chase the teams only as far as necessary to push them away from the artifact's location, then mass into a circling shoal, guarding the spot until they're left alone long enough to decide the risk has passed.
But for groups containing at least one rifter, something with the mechanism goes wrong. Or right, arguably. Rather than being overwhelmed by spirits, they instead find themselves abruptly engulfed by what appears to be a rift, opening suddenly and rapidly large enough to swallow entire masses of people before contracting again to lie in wait like a carnivorous plant for anyone else who comes too close. Those caught in its radius tumble out into what appears to be a new and unfamiliar world–for most. For one or more of the rifters in each group, it will be perfectly familiar.
The first group to encounter this effect will be one including Tony Stark and Stephen Strange, and will drop them and their compatriots straight into midtown traffic. Any groups attempting to travel to the same spot in the Crossroads to investigate the apparent vanishing—whether they have rifters with them or not—will find themselves drawn through the same "rift" almost as soon as they get within sight of the place, before anything can be discerned about their lost fellows. They will likewise emerge into Stark & Strange's United States.
Subsequent groups including other rifters will be seemingly drawn into their companions' worlds by the same effect. In each, Riftwatch will have to navigate local hazards and retrieve a distinctive lyrium-etched artifact, at which point the world will dissolve around them like a dream and they will find themselves back in the Crossroads where they began, in possession of a carved chunk of stone glowing with lyrium runes.
1 ↠ MCU Earth-199999
Alternate-universe Earth, New York and Los Angeles, 2012-2025, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange.
Earth-199999 is very much like contemporary Earth as we know it, featuring the same historic events, same nations, same conventions. For the average person, there is no difference, except that they know magic and aliens and gods and superpowers are all real and have been causing problems for a while now, with NYC as the hub for most of the shenanigans. MCU Earth has also made leaps and bounds in all science fields as compared to real Earth, although these leaps and bounds are not widely accessible, primarily exclusive to private organisations like Stark Industries, mad scientists, and the likes of SHIELD, but can range from interactive three-dimensional holograms through to biotechnology that turns people into supersoldiers.
It's commonplace to see or hear about criminals causing havoc in the streets with superpowers or gadgets, and crime-fighting vigilantes trying to stop them. The Avengers, as the world's first superheroes, became widely-known commercialised celebrities in-universe with merchandise, documentaries, book deals, and memorial murals to the deceased Iron Man.
Special Abilities: Everyone is nerfed to regular human, unless you want a sudden onset of mutant powers. 1 individual themed ability per character; like pyrokinesis, superspeed, superstrength, etc.
Arrival: One main rift opens in the middle of New York City, ejecting our rifters into midtown traffic… except thanks to Strange’s own multiversal mishaps, people in this world will seem astonishingly accustomed to this sight! Bystanders will be startled, but then the rifters will likely be dogged by strangers snapping photos and videos and tweeting about their arrival.
The Fade-constructed timeline will be a little off: the old Avengers tower and its penthouse is still standing and still accessible to Tony, and Strange will also offer up the Sanctum as a sanctuary, and these will be the main mission hubs while the team gets their bearings and tries to locate the artifact. In the meantime: relax, take in the sights, maybe check out a Broadway show, wrangle your new superpowers.
A secondary rift also opens up on Hollywood Boulevard, in case people want to do some helplessly stranded on Earth RP. Tony can very easily find out this has happened and go collect them, with various degrees of efficiency according to what people want out of that OOCly. As this universe will be available to explore for a few IC weeks, people can assume some degree of Stark-provided financial freedom for basics (i.e. clothes and food, burner phones, etc), and they can stay in the Avengers tower and/or the Sanctum.
2 ↠ Shifterverse
Original alternate-universe Earth, Midwest US, 2022, Jude Adjei.
Real-world 2022, but what if Shifters?
Special Abilities: All superpowers are unfortunately nerfed. However, everyone's a Shifter now. Your choice of animal. Enjoy.
Arrival: Everyone will arrive in Yellowstone National Park, which is wholly staffed and operated by Jude's pack, but... not in an area where tourists are routinely and happily welcomed. Welcome to the deep woods and canyons and plains, where Jude's pack has built their den for some several hundred people. Characters will immediately be found by scouts in fur and feathers, who will be guarded and curious, but not hostile. The wolves and ravens will greet the interlopers as equals, and if they aren't offered any violence, they'll be treated as guests. Hundreds of pack members live in a mixture of hand-built cabin homes and meeting places, portable tiny houses and various shared spaces. There is wifi, a greenhouse, lots of tasty food and warm clothing to wear. If they stay several days and prove themselves trustworthy, they might even start to see children out and about, and there's nothing cuter than a toddler who can become a wolf pup at will. (Mind the raven toddlers and the bear cubs. They're less cute.)
3 ↠ Tassia
D&D Original World, Loxley & Richard Dickerson
Tassia is an original Dungeons&Dragons inspired world, a single continent divided into four nations that is otherwise completely isolated from any other possible world beyond it. These nations are Lloryndell, Sylvica, Ifrin, and Promias, and at its centre lies the Cruxal, a university-city of diverse cultural influence.
While Tassia resembles Thedas in its day-to-day technology levels, including its anachronisms, it is more heavily laden with fantastical elements. Along with humans, elves, and dwarves, there are goblins, dragonborn, tritons, tieflings, sentient robots, bird people, centaurs, and more (https://www.dndbeyond.com/races) (but no qunari). There are many different kinds of magic users who wield their powers openly. There are shops full of magic items, potions, and spell scrolls. There are monsters of countless kinds that lurk just about everywhere. Most cultures in the material plane are polytheistic and worship themed gods from the default D&D (Faerun) Pantheon. Some smaller cults and individuals worship ancient fey, fiendish, and eldritch beings who dwell on the outskirts of their respective planes and may provide power to the exceptionally loyal -- for a price.
Special Abilities: You can choose to be a normal depowered person, but you are equally encouraged to take on magical abilities, whether you're a mage or not. In brief, you can be a wizard, whose magic comes from spellbooks and knowledge, a sorcerer, who have innate magical abilities, a bard, who draws their magic from music, words, and performance, a warlock, who has made a pact with a powerful entity in exchange of magical ability, a druid, who draws their magic from nature, and a cleric, whose divine abilities are gifted to them by a deity. (Other classes have magic too, but it might be easier to pick one of these major ones if you are unfamiliar!)
Rather than overthinking it, we recommend you pick whatever sounds fun to flavour your magic with, and then browse magical spells using classes as a filter. (Eighth and ninth level are off limits, and it may be easier to limit yourself further due to how many spells there are.) Given the temporariness of these powers, don't worry too much about how many spells you get or how frequently you can do them, but know that higher level spells (anything above fifth) can only be cast one or twice a day.
Your character may be Tassia-ised, in terms of their race, but in a limited capacity. All humans will stay human, but elves may adopt D&D traits like seeing in the dark.
Arrival: Rifts will open in the streets of the Cruxal. People will be startled by the sudden appearance of rifters and stand offish, but otherwise: they've seen it all before! No one will be calling the guard on you, unless you decide to start something, so please don't. Or enjoy jail.
The Cruxal is a labyrinthian melting pot built up in concentric rings around a massive central university and library. Goblins scarper among humans, elves, and dwarves in the street. There are tusked half orcs and horned, scale-clad dragonborn mixed in among more familiar silhouettes. This is a university town, but while a large portion of the population are students, academics, and staff, it is also self-sustaining, with taverns, shops, temples, brothels, residences, and marketways.
The university itself is guarded and degrees of entry closely regulated due to the school’s extensive collection of dangerous artifacts -- one of which just so happens to have gone missing last night. News of the theft has been suppressed, but every temple, tavern, and brothel on the outskirts of town is abuzz with the rumor. The entire corridor, they say, was scorched black.
Loxley and Richard won't be too concerned about herding everyone but can provide some coin as needed for inn rooms and food. They appear to have a near bottomless stash, at least as far as living costs go.
4 ↠ Sulleciel
Original fantasy world, Petrana de Cedoux.
What if magic was real and holy emperors still kissed the ring in Rome, until someone beheaded the fucking pope? Welcome to Sulleciel, and specifically to Lamor City, capitol of Lamorre and the seat of the Lamorran empire, ruled over by Empereur Marius IX and his consort, Empress Petrana Solene. A nation and empire in the throes, still, of great upheaval — think Versailles or Orlais, but lurching ungainly out of its dark ages into a theoretically more enlightened time, control of which is being actively fought in the halls of power and at grassroots levels of social influence. Power vacuums abound, thanks to the fall of the church and the rise of a conqueror who is less interested in ruling than he was conquering; women are still the often-illiterate property of their fathers and husbands, but now there are more alternatives to family and marital homes, and dedicated studies of witchcraft are being encouraged, with pilot programs across the empire primarily in those early sanctuary cities, figuring out how this is all going to work. Known for her efforts to lean on the scales in the people's favour Petrana herself is, in this era, rumored to be imprisoned; graffiti of her crowned likeness can be found in some places in the city, with the epithet ""la reine du malheur"".
Special Abilities: In Sulleciel, magic is a skill that may be pursued like any other — and there are those of more or less talent, as if someone were to attempt the violin, or swordplay. It is practised primarily through incantations and foci, with more elaborate spellwork for more ambitious results sometimes requiring particular items or a full coven to achieve. As magic is limited in Sulleciel only by the will, imagination and stamina of those practising it, no one coming here will be subject to any nerfs; all mages and otherwise magical or powered individuals will be able to use their powers as they're used to using them. In addition to this, anyone who is as magical as a chair-leg ordinarily can feel free to have a go at Sulleciel's magic — it's up to you if they have a knack for it or not. Simple spells like casting a light or telekinesis of small objects can be mastered by toddlers; a powerful enough witch or coven might be able to summon a thunderstorm and alter weather patterns, but ""can"" and ""should"" are different and it's generally advised that you try not to do a climate change.
"
Arrival: The rift will open into a spacious, luxuriously-appointed tower on the grounds of the imperial palace but not visibly connected to it above-ground. It was at one point the sole domain of the previous arciduc's personal astronomers, but is now the primary residence and working space of the Queen's Coven. The Queen's Coven is a particular group of women, so named for having been among the first witches to come beneath the new regime's protection in the first city-state to bend the knee where Petrana was first installed as Queen Regent; they are private, secretive, and increasingly cut off from the power-struggles of the imperial court, having been actively distanced from the Empress herself by a variety of other players in the game. Both relatively prepared for sudden magical happenings and inclined to keep shit in the tower on lock, they will be prepared to pass you all off as "foreign witches, seeking our enlightenment" and see both you and the sudden access to Petrana as potentially useful in their maneuverings. Which will make moving around easier, but will probably be an active hindrance to getting where and what you need. An underground tunnel connects the tower directly to the palace, though there are also pleasant, covered pathways to walk across the palace grounds; guards at the main, above-ground entrance to the tower will inquire about movements to and from, and will be skeptical but limit their interference initially ... as long as they don't see Petrana.
5 ↠ Kalvad
Original fantasy world, Wysteria Poppell.
Kalvad—specifically the city of Somerset, the magic capitol of the civilized world—is a mashup of Regency Era and Industrial-Revolution-But-Magic! Nebulously England (with the serial numbers aggressively filed off). When in doubt, default to Jane Austen vibes. But if it seems fun to do some weird magic-powered technological advancements, then go nuts.
Kalvad is an imperial island nation ostensibly ruled by three kings, though they're largely figureheads overseeing an upper and lower parliament. The country has made itself rich and powerful by doing a whole lot of war and colonization. As historically one of the most magically powerful regions in the world, magicians have long been a vital tool in the empire's efforts to do both those things.
Unfortunately for Kalvad, the strength of magic in the world has waned considerably in the last 40 years. Where once Talent was rare but reasonably powerful, magic users are both becoming more commonplace and considerably weaker. Even older magicians and hedge-witches who once might have manufactured considerable arcane feats have seen some diminishing of their powers. A popular, but unproven, theory in academic circles is that those with Talent all draw from the same "well" of magic. As more people are born with the ability to tap into that resource, the less there is to go around. Resentment for those with weaker Talents among older generations of magic users is A Thing.
That said, increased availability of minor magics has kick-started a 'minor magic' powered industrial revolution. Parlor witches who perform small arcane conveniences are growing in number; minor charms and enchantments have become more readily available to lower classes. Meanwhile, the non-magical population is slowly being shunted out of their respective cottage industry jobs and into factories powered by great enchanted machines. The empire as the world knows it is clearly teetering on the brink of major social and political upheaval, both at home and abroad. The consequences of all this change just haven't quite played themselves out yet, though you can bet there are people rushing around in an attempt to cover their asses before they do.
Special Abilities Characters will be nerfed of any abilities they had in Thedas, but can be Talented in Kalvad terms or not. Any Talented character under 40 is likely to be able to produce only minor magics (think lighting fires in fireplaces, being able to heal minor injuries, and temporarily being able to enchant objects to do one specific thing). Anyone over forty can be a little flashier (think appearance altering glamors, temporary invisibility, transfiguration and significant healing). General magic flavor is: Brothers Grimm fairy tales and Arthurian legends, except that someone somewhere made all that weirdly pliable magic adhere to a strict ruleset. Easy, thoughtless channeling of magic is a secret lost long before the arcane powers in the world began to diminish. Now, all magic must be carefully and deliberately designed and constructed. The magicians most accomplished by Kalvadan standards are methodical and patient. Think clockmakers and mathematicians, not wizards on the side of a van.
Arrival: Members of Riftwatch will arrive through a rift and find themselves on the wooded outskirts of a sprawling city. Luckily, no one will witness their initial arrival. Even more convenient: once they've gotten their bearings and made their way into the city, they'll discover they aren't the only weird strangers in town (although they may want to strongly consider indulging in petty theft to make themselves stick out less—particularly as it comes time to infiltrate places). It seems that a sprawling months-long academic conference turned party turned cover for political intrigue and cold warfare has descended upon Somerset.
In the aftermath of what everyone is claiming to be a major military victory somewhere, delegations from a number of implicated countries have converged on the city at the invitation of the Kalvadan Crowns in order to share and demonstrate their various technical and arcane achievements. The World's Fair-like atmosphere has drawn a number of non-Talented tourists, scheming politicians, and cutthroat spies along with the legitimately academically and/or magically inclined.
While Somerset is something of a city of wonders by the world's estimation, it's still first and foremost a dirty and crowded industrial hub in a world that has yet to bother with paving all its major roads. The conference has quadrupled that effect, transforming it into a riot of sights, sound, and (often to its detriment) smells. At this point, finding a room and board in the city has become less a question of where you want to stay and more one of how many other people you're willing to timeshare a bed with.
Luckily, it doesn't seem like Riftwatch will be sticking around long. Some snooping around the of pamphleting/gossip will reveal that the artifact they're after is likely to be found in the grand exhibition hall, and that there will be an opportunity to get their hands on it that evening.
6 ↠ Abeir-Toril
D&D Forgotten Realms, Astarion
The D&D continent of Faerûn is loosely based on Eurasia—if it ran entirely on magic, was roughly stuck somewhere in the 14th century forever, and was filled to the brim with elves, dragons, gnolls, faeries, gods, demi-gods, and just about any myth (or mythological creature) you’ve ever encountered in your life. For the purpose of simplicity, everyone from Riftwatch is going to get plunked down in the titular Baldur’s Gate: the city is massive, it’s known as the jewel of Faerûn, and its cultures, districts, trades and pastimes reflect that remarkable splendor. Still, think of it like Kirkwall in that there are some pretty damn rigid socioeconomic divides separating the city via districts. QUICK GUIDE.
The Upper City is the fancy part of town where nobles (known as Patriar) and their servants live, and it also houses the city’s government and key recreational buildings. There are no bars, pubs, taverns or drinking halls. Anything rowdy happens behind closed doors, and if you don't have an invitation, you'd better look for fun somewhere else. Magical enchantments and lanterns make it beyond stunning at night to stroll through. Lower City is more varied: you’ll find taverns, shops, tons of entertainment and ample trade, as well as pirates by the docks (and their ships), and the harbor waters are absolutely gorgeous for sailing on calm days. Doors are shut and locked during nighttime hours aside from taverns, inns or gambling parlors. Visibility is also lower at night when harbor fog rolls in, particularly where poorer residents can't afford oil, tallow or magic every night. The Undercity stretches deep (and hidden) beneath both the Upper and Lower Cities: it begins at its most shallow within the city as sewers and along seawall cliffs as open-mouthed caves. The deeper you go, the worse it gets: undead catacombs, cultists, temples, blood sport and bloody magic prevail alongside monsters too dangerous to clear out. Outer City sucks. There's almost next to no law or order, and is inherently dangerous to explore. Treat it like Lowtown for the most part, and you'll be pretty smack on (slavers and actual kind impoverished poor included).
CULTURE: Baldur’s Gate is primarily run by humans, and to a lesser extent, elves. Other races aren’t really considered a foothold here, but they’re more than welcome in the city and treated exceptionally well with a few exceptions here and there (ogres, trolls, more ferally inclined goblins, etc). This is not at all like Thedas: someone more familiar with discrimination against non-humans, certain pairings and particularly mages wouldn't find it here. Most of the time if you dress nicely and carry yourself well, you’ll be well respected. Or robbed. Or both!
Special Abilities: Characters will be adjusted to fit D&D, and powers are optional for all. For D&D’s magic/power/race everything, please take a look at some basic classes.
Arrival: Characters will arrive via rifts torn into the Outer City, just along its riverfront sprawl. They won’t be too far from the city gates, but witnesses to the scene will be inclined to gossip and gawk, assuming everything from a freak magical incident to believing the new arrivals are wealthy travelers from somewhere far and exotic, who simply missed their mark in teleporting to the Upper City for sightseeing. Anyone wearing Thedosian clothes will be fine to go without changing— wearing something more modern or say, nothing at all for some reason, will definitely require staging some kind of Terminator II style clothing (theft) acquisition in order to fit in.
Ideally, the team will at least want to make their way into Lowtown in order to begin snooping around, but it’s a big damn city to say the least, and information is expensive. Astarion will help within reason, but being a vampire means that he can only afford to fund so much on his own.
Might be a good idea to do some fetch quests or live your best Adventuring Party life, because you’re all going to likely be here for a (time distorted) relative while.
7 ↠ Orphan Black
Alternate-Universe Earth, 2014; Toronto, Canada; Cosima Neihaus.
Real-world mid-2010s, but secret unethical biology/biotech experiments including viable human cloning in the mid 1980s. Carrying out such technologically advanced work is a combination of international organizations including a private research company, at least one paramilitary organization and a shadowy organization that oversees both. (Orphan Black also features minor differences from our world typical of its genre, such as plot-convenient hacking and variably competent law enforcement, but the cloning project and related scientific offshoots are the most salient differences.) Relevant to this plot in particular, the Dyad Institute is a private organization, considered ""fringe"" by the mainstream scientific community, devoted to research related to human evolution and biotechnology. Some of its many employees had connections to the ""neolutionism"" community, the members of which believed human evolution should be actively shaped by scientific and technological intervention. The organization was responsible for the project that created Cosima and her sisters roughly 30 years before in-world present day. Also at the moment they're jumping to, Cosima works there, it's complicated. (If anyone is familiar with the canon, we're jumping in circa season two.)
A tiny pinboard.
Special Abilities: None, you're all just unpowered humans. Sorry/you're welcome.
Arrival: The group arrives at what turns out to be a nondenominational winter party for a local school; there are some mild shenanigans as Cosima clocks that it's a school attended by children she knows, and more pressingly, partially overseen by their mother, who has Cosima's face. Cosima press gangs one or more other people into helping her hide her own face while negotiating with Alison to borrow her minivan. She shuttles the group to Alison's large suburban Toronto home, which becomes the FR group's base of operation. (It is perhaps telling that while Alison finds this frustrating, she and her husband Donnie do sort of roll with it also.) If desired/depending on how big the group is, Cosima could also stow some Riftwatchers with Felix, the foster brother of one of her other clones, who has a big artsy loft downtown. She is not against taking anyone to her place, but she's a grad student; it's not huge. Everyone who knows how to use a phone or can be trusted to figure it out with a tutorial gets a burner phone for convenience. (Perhaps additionally telling how quickly Alison gets everyone a burner phone. She also decorates the protective cases for them. No, it's not optional.)
8 ↠ The Last of Us
Post-Apocalyptic Earth, Spring 2038, Seattle, Abby Lasterson & Ellie Williams.
This world was ours until 2013, when a worldwide pandemic broke out overnight. A fungus (cordyceps) that had originally infected mainly insects adapted to infect human beings. Anyone bitten by an infected person or who has breathed in a significant or concentrated amount of fungal spores becomes infected themselves. Over a maximum of two days, they utterly lose their humanity and deteriorate into violent monsters, eventually sprouting spores and fungal plates. There is no known cure, and the only human being ever known to be immune is Ellie Williams. 25 or so years later, humanity has crumbled into various factions in a struggle to survive. First came the Federal (FEDRA) response, resulting in Quarantine Zones and martial law. Life in the zones is highly regulated, with work assignments and rations that often aren't enough to go around. Many citizens are forced to turn to crime just to make ends meet. Orphaned children become wards of the state and are trained to become FEDRA soldiers by the time they're sixteen.
Various civilian groups rose up to rebel against FEDRA, forming factions such as the Fireflies (rebels who recruited scientists in an effort to find a cure), and the Washington Liberation Front (a militia-minded organization who overthrew FEDRA in Seattle). There are other smaller groups such as the religious zealots called the Seraphites, or the violent slavers known as the Rattlers.
Few and far between are independent human settlements like Jackson of Wyoming, where small communities have managed to gain self-sufficiency and safety with tireless group effort and highly vigilant defenders. They bolster their numbers by welcoming peaceful outsiders and engaging in trade with travelers.
Living outside of these groups, people are largely on their own, vulnerable to packs of hunters, bandits and even cannibals that prey on anyone brave enough to risk travel.
The infected are an ever-present threat everywhere, and the world is a ruin quickly being reclaimed by nature. (cw: body horror in the link) See board for world aesthetic and depictions of the Infected.
Special Abilities: Everyone is a normal human here. No supernatural powers, no magic, no non-humans.
Arrival: Welcome one of Ellie and Abby's least favorite places: Seattle. The Space Needle is visible in the distance, so despite the advanced state of decay, it's actually recognizable. Except it's been bombed, and rotting, and nature's reclaimed it for the last quarter-century. This adventure won't be for the faint of heart; there are no home bases and no safe space to be had. All clothing, supplies, weaponry and food are things you'll need to find yourself. Everyone can assume they'll get a quick lesson in gun safety and a rundown on various types of infected. Multiple rifts will open, so feel free to appear anywhere in the city (even apart from others) but expect to find no native allies. The city of Seattle is embroiled in civil war between the Seraphites (a religious cult who rejects anything "old world" and scars their faces, called "Scars") and the Washington Liberation Front (a ruthless mercenary coalition, called "Wolves") and both sides will assume you're with the other group and attack on sight. Better pick up a brick.
mobius
mcu
He's seen tall buildings before. Towers that go up and up, has seen glimpses of mansions and chantries reaching for the heavens. But an entire city that dares to scrape the clouds? Hoo. If he keeps his head down, if he ignores the strange clothes, if he thinks of cars as just horseless carriages, it's not the furthest thing from the bustle of a busy Thedosian city. Throngs of people shoving around moving to and fro. It doesn't take too long to understand the lights (that a lot of people ignore) at the edges of city blocks. And at least some of the streets have sensible numbered names to make it easier to move around, though others he has to try and memorize. (Bleecker Street is a very, very long street. Sure, the buildings have numbers, some of them, but it's still disorienting at times.)
He stays at the Sanctum, for the most part. It feels more like Thedas in a lot of ways. And the physical books are so familiar to him. Stark's Tower felt so alien, and being greeted by a crisp voice from somewhere he couldn't see was...just so strange, it gave him goosebumps.
That's not to say he isn't hungry to learn everything he can. Give him some instruction and some time with this 'smartphone' and this 'internet' of things, and pointers on the basics of modern life (you can just...have hot water any time you want?? there are so many ways to cook things?? let's not mention how the 'teevee' absolutely blows his mind!!), and he'll start getting the hang of things. Start learning. Never knowing where to start. Gets easily distracted by new topics.
Does he get lost for hours wiki-diving? You know he does. But also you can find him most times he's in the Sanctum pouring through ancient texts. A lot seem to be in languages he can't interpret, and a lot more than that are on arcane magicks that are interesting, but also strange, for it having nothing to do with the Fade. For the idea that truly anyone could learn it with enough practice.
(Does he try? Yes. He doesn't get anywhere. At first.)
Right around the 4th or 5th day, he spends the time scarce, in his room or generally out of the way. He doesn't say it, but seeing as it's been several days since his last fix of lyrium, he's waiting for the withdrawal symptoms to start. They never do. It's a miracle, and he's much more sociable after that scare.
Clothing is an interesting time. There are so many more options, and so many options without buttons or fiddly bits that his hands trip over. There are so many styles and materials and fits, and he doesn't need anything tailor-made. The end result tends to lean toward Vacation Dad in varying layers, so please, someone with a little more fashion sense, feel free to take him to 5th Avenue or something.
Food is a wonder. He's heard Rifters speak of some of these things before, but there's so much more, so many options, so many meats done up in so many ways. He doesn't know what Chinese is, but he knows he can't use the wooden sticks provided, but he can shovel noodles into his mouth with a flimsy fork in a container meant to be transported around. Meat on sticks is easy enough for him to grok. Coffee is just. available. everywhere. He has no idea how the costs translate given Stark has given them what seems to be an endless supply of credit to work off of, but apparently it's not extremely expensive to import. When he discovers soda, it's all over. This is his new favorite kind of drink. Catch him going through a box of Coke or Pepsi or Whatever Fun Soda Flavor He's Trying Now in an alarmingly fast amount of time. Like...that is definitely not healthy, holy shit, please slow down.
He stumbles on the NYC LARPers by accident, drawn on a walkabout toward the sound of fighting, and it excites him. And the nice young lady at the booth is then excited that he's got his own armor, because wow, that looks so good, it must've taken him a while to make! And then the nice young lady is less excited about his sword, because, as she says with a pained smile, the city of New York does not allow for the carrying of fixed blades over four inches long. Which is a disappointment. But he learns pretty quickly that this is all for show and for play. So...might as well use this opportunity for training, right? He can start teaching these people more proper ways to use their blades and shields.
There are whole sections, in libraries and bookstores, on psychiatry, psychology, therapy. When he discovers these words, when he discovers this branch of science, what he is just going to dub the art of listening, he's so happy he could cry. That people used to tip him in coin for listening to their problems, that he doles out advice, that he uses the Maker's gift of seeing people, is a thing? It's a real, viable thing? A real, viable scientific branch, with all the arguments and counterarguments and schools of thought, with job markets and education and everything? It's such a relief. He's going to eat up as much of that as he can. Maybe steer him away from Freud.
someone introduce him to fast modes of travel so he can experience other places and climes and also introduce him to jet skis just saying
Food!
Gela has a bagel in her hand, slathered thickly. There is a smear of cream cheese on the corner of her mouth.
"What's that you've got there?"
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Cans were weird to figure out, but he's got the hang of the odd metal tabs now, and it's safer for him to handle than glass bottles. At her question, he turns the can. "Apparently I have RC. It's a cola," he says, being careful to try and pronounce the words as he understands them. "Which is a type of drink that is dark and cold and very fizzy like champagne, but doesn't have any alcohol. They're real sweet, and there are so many kinds."
Has he noticed the energy boost? Would he know to attribute the caff boost to the various sodas he's been trying?
"You've got a little something," he then says, with a motion to the mouth. "Right there."
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Trade proposal: you receive a bite of this bagel and cream cheese (incredible!), for a sip of the RC. She gets the bit on her mouth with her thumb and pops it in. Her eyes are round with excitement. "This place has amazin' food. And so much of it!"
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He offers up the can, motioning for the bagel with the other. "And so relatively cheap. I think?" Hard to tell actually how expensive anything is. But a lot of people are having a lot of food all the time? So it can't be too bad. "Obviously there's a lot more to this world than just food, but it's a big point for it."
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The woods are beautiful, and the otherwise modern habitat of this small town of animal-people has such a pleasant energy about it. He does not, at first, sense another presence inside himself. What he does sense is other people. Only those he has a particular attachment to. Jude, for instance. And he doesn't even know how to interpret that, at first. This intrinsic sense of another person. A pleasing wave of chill emotion.
When the wolf makes itself known, it's sudden, through an urge, a desire to explore their surroundings. No, not just explore. A need to stretch his legs and run. It's such an onset, while walking the perimeter of the community, getting a lay of the land. The way his head snaps to the surrounding forest, his feet already moving, his body moving, his body shifting.
Until he's a sturdy if not nearly so huge as Jude grey wolf stumbling around the edge of camp, free!, but also anxious, confused, alarmed. Being unable to feel his hands has now translated to not feeling his front paws. Which he has now. Paws. Fur. Four legs. A tail. Maybe help the confused stumbling yipping wolf?? awoo?
When he's more...used to(???) the idea of an emotionally sensitive wolf inside him, Mobius can be found talking to everyone he can, in the biggest, cuddliest, easiest to take off sweater you've ever seen, and a long skirt. Easier to strip out of if the wolf side of him takes over. Will you see him nude, before or after a transformation? Yeah probably. Don't be weird about it okay!!! He won't be weird about it if you're not weird about it!!!
Sometimes he's staring off into the middle distance, having a one-sided argument with himself. When he wants one thing and the wolf inside wants something else. And sometimes, if you're a friend, he might prefer to keep a distance. But when he's in harmony, he likes to be in the middle of everything, helping out where he can, getting information, listening to stories, calming people down. Or, alternately, you might see him trotting around the territory as a scruffy old wolf, sniffing things up, lapping from the rivers, taking stock.
outskirts
Just in case, he lifts a massive paw in a wave.
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Who would be a big ol bear. Yeah, scans. There's no fear, then, in all of this. Just a cozy calm sense. Were he a hyena, Mobius would laugh. As it is, he gives a few breathy huffs of air, tail giving a little back and forth of a wag.
He hops partway across the river, trots across the rest of the way, and ends up by the bear-friend, sitting and lapping at the cool water. He's probably not going to be plucking any fish out with just his jaws, but he's happy to watch.
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Mobius ducks his head to sniff at the fish, and the wolf is pleased with the free handout. A paw holding it down and gnawing at it, teeth shredding, the strange sensation of strength in jaws instead of, say, human arms.
But he and the wolf seem to be in agreement at the moment, not in strife. They like food, and they like Barrow. Good enough, for the moment, even as Mobius keeps his ears swiveling for any approaching sounds.
tlou
But he can't have one. Or, he'll refuse one if offered. He can't feel the pressure in his hands, and therefore he can't get a finger on a trigger and know if he is or isn't about to pull it. Maker forbid he have it in hand but have too loose a grip and have it slip away. No, he's going to stick to melee weapons. Cut off head-like appendages, bash bodies back. The stuff he knows, the things he's good with.
Armor's a pretty good deal. And clothing, well. What he ends up with is a material called denim, and it holds up fairly well when in rough environments. At least it's not the stuff he wore in Jude's world. None of that ever transfers over back into the Crossroads. A shame, truly. It's noisemaking that he really has to learn the art of. When to make it, when to lob some hunk of stone into the distance to distract something that once was a person that no longer has eyes, or even distract people themselves. When to stay deathly quiet and not inadvertently drop something. He's not used to stealth or crawling around these strange urban jungles, so alike to Strange's world but worn down, crumbling to dust. He's good at protection. But scavenging is different here than a forest. Food, when it's not a wild animal, is different here. The stores and homes are strange. He doesn't always know what he's looking for, or what he's looking at. Learning, though. Little translucent orange bottles are good for medicine. Silver cans, so long as they aren't bloated around the middle, are food that might still be good.
But what it means is some of the same as when out and about in Thedas. Even a simple cut can turn infectious and deadly. Try not to breathe in visible spores. Kill anything coming at you that doesn't have the face of a friend. Try to keep firelight and sound to a minimum when in dangerous territory. Some things still hold true. (Okay, the spores are a little new, but that still seems like sound advice for anywhere.)
Seraphites, or Scars, are what really catch his attention. The WLF people, those Wolves, don't seem like a type he can talk to. And while Abby and Ellie are hesitant to talk about the details (at best), he gets the impression of "religious cult" and "agrarian lifestyle", eschewing modern technology. He thinks he can work with that. Surely they can be reasoned with. Though perhaps he's starting to understand why Abby has some disdain for the Chantry, looks down on him a little for his belief in the Maker, in Andraste. He's not stupid enough to specifically seek them out or get himself caught, but...he does think it's worth a try if at all possible.
Because someone has to have some idea where the relic they need is, and this city is big enough and dangerous enough that he's pretty sure they aren't going to just stumble headfirst into it.
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It's funny how alien this place seems in general. It's a world that was strikingly similar, maybe identical, to her own in most ways, before it got taken over by this fucked up disease and everything got left to rot. Feels like she should find some familiarity in the slanting, weather-beaten buildings and the ripped labels on the cans of food they find, but... she doesn't. It doesn't feel like her world at all, and the other people from Riftwatch who came through with her feel more familiar than anything she's seen here.
Which is a freaky way to feel, for somebody who only joined out of spite less than half a year ago.
She sidles up to Mobius one evening when they're both on watch, crouching down near the fire and warming her hands. Seattle's so fucking wet and cold at night, even in the spring.
"Hi," she says, glancing over at him. "How's it going?"
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Mobius makes a humming noise, leaned against a wall (or a chunk of wall anyway) with his hands tucked under his arms. Not hogging the fire, but close enough to just be warmed overall. "Peachy keen. I love keeping my ears perpetually sharp for the sounds of sentient clicking fungus people to come alerting the horde. Feels just like home."
Well. The fighting feels like home. Tending to a roving band of directionless fighters, that feels unfortunately like home.
"Ellie says some people have managed to actually make a life out of all this. Would've been nice to be dropped off one of those places."
wow i'm so sorry this tag is super late
"Yeah, but that would be no fun." She commits to taking a seat near the fire instead of just crouching next to it, and tries to pick some of the black gunk out from under her fingernails. She has no idea if it's dirt, blood, or some mix of both.
"You kill any of those infected things yet?"
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He makes a face, stomach giving a short rumble. They make sure everyone has some food, every day if they can swing it, but it's hardly the same as back home. "Used to like mushrooms, too. Probably won't be looking at them the same anymore."
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"Just pretend you're beating the shit out of a zombie every time you bite into one. It might make you like them again." Or, maybe not, since not everyone gets weird pleasure from fighting things, Clarisse...