The Backways Bar [RP]

Wait wait wait, does this mean I can post the epilogue here now? (please, it’s all for the sake of lore)

 

[Go ahead, I need a setting for whatever I just jumped into]

 

Well then, here it is, the conclusion to the first part of the Vylmar arc:
(before any of you rule-lawyers call me out on this, I'm going to say that it's not actually RP so it's legal)

Spoiler: Part 1

AURELION
Aurelion wakes besides the sea.
His eyes snap open as he groggily pushes himself up, wiping sand from his uniform. Seabirds call to each other in the distance as the Centurion gasps for breath, inhaling and then exhaling deeply. His clothes are plastered with wet sand, which he brushes off as he rises to his feet warily.
He immediately reaches into his cloak and feels a sudden sting of pain. As he empties his pockets, the metal shards of the communication device fall out, followed by the cone. While the latter seems to be intact, the glowing symbol etched on its surface has completely faded.
Aurelion cautiously taps the ground with the cone, feeling it sink deep into the earth. Nothing seems to happen-whatever power the strange artifact had seemed to have been completely drained. It seemed, that like Augusta had said, the machine was truly only a last-resort measure after all.
He surveys the landscape around him. It's a large, expansive beach, with flat coastline stretching for miles. Trees line the shore around him, their leafy branches waving in the wind. Some have been partially submerged underwater, their roots rising from the bloodred water.
Wait. Red water?
Aurelion blinks and pinches himself, trying to remain calm. The sea is a vast expanse of crimson, stretching for miles into the distance. Vibrant pink tides crash against the beach, water spraying against rocks in bursts of scarlet.
Frantically, Aurelion looks up, gazing towards the starry night sky. Two moons, each a faint magenta, gaze back at him.
Regalios help us, he thinks, still unbelieving of the landscape around him. I'm in the fifth hell.
Nearby, Neshu stirs, rising to their feet as well. After a moment of confusion, a shudder travels through their body. Their eyes light up with recognition -- which quickly turns to a mix of horror and awe.
"Tasnakhaer, Dragonslave."

But Neshu already has an answer. Though the tiefling's outer appearance did not change, Aurelion can nonetheless see the countless gouges and prints left by three dozen nameless fears. The demon in front of him has seventeen limbs, three torsos, nine faces, far too many mouths, and a mottled skin that's either pink or black. Or rather both at once.

But it is the eyes of this gangling beast that demand attention. The loose worldslaw of the hells has torn away any delusions of space, and matter, and feature. Upon every face there is nothing physical where Neshu's eyes should be. There is only pure and undiluted truth, locked behind a prison of necessity.

It looks rather painful. This is because it is rather painful. But not as painful as the realization that the human seems to have killed the both of them. The baleful gaze of truth eighteen-fold looms upon the human, tinged - for now - with more curiosity than malice.

"Where are we?"

Spoiler: Part 2

DARIUS
Darius Vaexattor knew he would sit the throne.
The Consul smiles as he descends the staircase, the dim passageway lit by faint candlelight.

Everything had gone to plan-the Empress had blundered again, edging the Empire ever closer to war with Hernan. With tensions already rising near the Jossic border as well, it was only a matter of time before the people would begin to dissent. The throne was almost in his hands, so close and yet still so far away.
Nearly most of the Empress' guard had been replaced with his men, with more Vaexattor troops stationed in the nearby suburbs. Five Praetorian protected the capital as well, each of which could be easily controlled. When the rebellion truly began, his troops would take the city in the supposed name of the people, allowing him to reign as regent.
He chuckles softly at the thought. His plan had been in motion for years, and the Empress still knew nothing about it. It had truly been one of her greatest mistakes, appointing him as Imperial spymaster. It was simply so, perfectly fitting that it would now lead to her downfall.
Darius finally stops, entering a dimly lit circular room. Apart from a large circular metal structure in the form of a table, it is completely bare.
He makes his way to the structure in front of him and taps on its surface two times, waiting expectantly.
After a few seconds, a geyser of blue light erupts from the "table," quickly forming into the shape of an ominous cloaked figure. A second stream of red light manifests in the form of two concentric circles, crossed by a curving line. Darius kneels to the ground before rising, his head still bowed.
“Hail the Sovereign,” he begins, still kneeling.

The figure's voice is low and deep, threatening, with an almost mechanical quality to it. Even now, after years in the Cult, Darius still shivers upon hearing it.
"High Priest Vaexxator," the figure intones. Its voice drops. "You have failed."
Darius frowns. "I bring nothing but good news, Great Prophet. The Empire is almost in your hands now, and I assure you, the rest of the continent is soon to follow."
The figure laughs, a hoarse sound like iron grinding against stone. Darius feels another chill run up his spine. "You have not heard?"
"Great Prophet?" Darius asks warily.
The figure is still. "The target escaped. Even your hunter is gone as well. All our remaining links have been severed."
"With all respect, Great Prophet," Darius begins, his tone almost incredulous, "you cannot possibly be telling the truth. The target was cornered-a Praetorian and a hundred men were sent to do so. They could not have escaped so easily."
The figure is silent. Eventually, it speaks again, its voice far softer-yet still dangerous all the same. "You have failed."
Before Darius can act, the light flickers once and then vanishes. The symbol remains, floating in the air almost like a reminder. A warning.
His breath shaking, Darius stares at the sigil as it slowly fades away. Surprise turns into anger, and he exhales sharply, slamming his fist into the wall with a resounding scream of rage.
The Prophet spoke truly. He has failed.

 

Luthan is thrown back from the rift and knocked against the wall. Whatever the soldier had done was a mistake. He certainly didn’t belong there.

 

[for the record, when Thedra's speech is underlined, it's in her deeper raspy voice]

"God damn it."

She shoots a claw out at Low.
"You're coming with me. I don't give a damn about murdering some insurgent who slipped through the grasp of some skeleton. We have an Ascendant member to kill."
@DesolateDiscord, you find yourself gripped by an inhuman force, as this metal-plant claw seems to grow in size until it's wrapped entirely around your torso. The piranha guard leaps at Thedra, but she's gone before she hits the ground.

At about the same time Thedra grabbed Low, she took out a small pink orb and threw it at the ground with one of her human arms. Upon doing this, the floor seems to split open (not rift-like, with otherworldly visions beyond; all one can see through this crack is darkness), and Thedra launches herself into the rift, dragging Low with her.

A whirl of colours, sounds, and worlds flash by.
"God damn it god damn it god damn it WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY why won't this GODDAMN device just do its job already-"

Low and Thedra crash down on the bloodied beach.
[Low, you can do what you will.]

 

(ooc pretext: it is late at night. i hope i dont be stupid at this. this could be retconned/edited in the future to amend errors. writing time: 20 mins or so)

A door appears in the middle of the bar.
It appears, and disappears.
Constantly shifting between existence and non-existence, almost as if it's some kind of rift in the space-time continuum.

Each time the door re-appears, a few more rays of a mysterious shadow-like particle flickers into existence.

After so many times I can't even count, the door stabilizes.
Out walks a figure that looks... strangely normal?
In the midst of elves, humans, strange figures, in the midst of it all stands a tall enderman.
His dark purple robes blending into the dark walls behind him.
His crown gleams against the recessed lights, shining directly onto him and his face.

In his hands, he holds two.
A tablet, with some mysterious etchings, only two words, or phrases, can be made out: "Haze'im", and "loc: &ref".
A stave that is surrounded by a rift of enchanting runes - as if it's embued with magic from a far, far-away land.
Farther than any dimension could've ever known.

He slams his stave towards the ground.
It doesn't make a sound.
It doesn't make a single tiny quake.
The door sinks into the ground, flickering out of existence, as if it's a phantom of some kind.

He presses a few times on the tablet, seeming to type in strange foreign words.
It almost seems nonsencial to the naive eye.

Code:

fn main() {
    box_flags!(
        loc: &ref,
        dim: UL::hmtn::backways_bar,
        flags: [UL::trav, UL::switch, UL::char]);
    box_exec!();
    println!("Box transporation done! Please look nearby for your Box.");
}

A flash of green light eminates from his tablet.
Next to him, a box appears.

The box gleams against the light - just like his crown. It looks as if it's made out of some durable metal.
He attaches the tablet to the box, and stands near it, as if he's guarding it.

"So... this is the bar. I think I'm at the right location."

Some mutters under his voice.

"Unless I coded this wrong ... no, it's hmtn directory ... we should be good."

He stops mumbling.
He looks into the wall infront of him.
Talking to not one being but anyone who could hear him.

"Anyone want to grab a drink maybe?"

 

(personal note: me and etherweaver are doing a buddy cop in hell. please leave us alone)

[THE REMAINDER OF THIS REPLY HAS BEEN REDACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH INFORMATION MADE AVAILABLE IN THE CONFERENCE OF MEGIDO-GENERAL.]

 

(ooc: HELLO IS THIS MY CHANCE TO BEFRIEND THE PIRANHA??)

________________________________

(ooc: no it is not, canonically i think im pretty far from it so sadge)

 

You see two figures currently in the bar.
One of them is unconscious, body sprawled out on a table.
The other one is laughing maniacally.
Upon hearing your words, the laughter stops, and the latter figure stands up. This, of course, is Thedra.

She turns to look at you, and her metallic eyes widen a bit in surprise upon seeing your full height. She dashes over to you with a speed rivaling that of your teleportation abilities, she darts over to where you're standing. In the process, she knocks over a chair.
You can tell she's at least a little drunk.

This strange demi-human comes up to about your waist, but she props herself up on these strange metallic arms of hers, such that she's just the tiniest bit taller than you.

"Sure! The drinks here are free, y'know - they can get you whatever you want! This place is the greatest!"

(to you, she just seems bright and peppy, with her southern accent in full swing)

 

(ooc: hi i see your reply but i am snug like a bug in a rug and cant bother to make a proper reppy so expect one in a few business hours)

 

Luthan looks up. He shouldn’t have even tried. He could have been led right into a trap. He looks around. One moment, a card game, a drink, a lack of trust. The next, two gone, one unconscious, and a strange newcomer.

Well that was chaotic. Luthan walks over to the tall figure. Where does he begin? “You came here on purpose… why?”

 

[OOC] Welcome to Phase 2 everyone, I hope you enjoy the intergalactic cult during your stay!

As a side note, now that so many events have transpired, is it maybe time to update the Greatboard with more recent news? Here are some suggestions:

-On the brink of war with the Jossic Federation and the Holy Kingdom of Hernan, the once-mighty Empire of Vylmar is on the brink of falling. Due to both the Empress’ own mistakes and the nefarious, undetected goading of the corrupt consul, Darius Vaexattor, the nation is about to be consumed by the flames of rebellion.

-The Ferrous Merchant's Guild and the Continental Commercial Cooperative (C3) are the two largest merchant guilds on the Continent. They've started to butt heads - sometimes violently - and a hearty trade war has emerged between the two.

-The Dread Lich Irivex marches his undead horde south from the frigid Skjaldan islands, laying waste to everything in his path. Rumor even has it that affiliates of the corpse king have infiltrated the very bar itself, scheming to overrun the world of the living.

-The Cult of the Ascendant Sovereign, a powerful otherworldly organization dedicated to the resurrection of their dark god, has begun to exert its influence upon the Continent. With countless planets already fallen to its grasp, many whom travel between the cosmic planes fear that this world will not be an exception.

 

[ooc obviously] Thedra did explicitly state that she works with Irivex; this ain't no rumour.

 

(ooc: time for another tired writ yeeeeeeeeeeeee. endi's canonically probably not ok but WE UP!!!)

(ooc note: this part is before the 2 come up to him)
Far away from him, is a body lying down on a table.
He thinks the body is sleeping.
All he can think is, "I wish I could get a good nights' rest like that. Not with the protesters and everything clamoring outside and stuff."
Of course, he'd never say that out loud. He's too scared to look bad.

He decides to stay. It doesn't seem so bad to him.
He types a few more letters into the tablet, and the box closes itself, and flickers out of existence.

(ooc note: ok they come up to him now)
He looks directly infront of himself.
Two beings.

He jumps back a bit, thinking they're trying to kill him.
They present to him an unexpected welcoming.

To him, it's strange. No one has really even given him a proper welcome before.
Atleast in quite a few years.
But he can't let his guard down.

They say different things - one a statement, one a question.

"Sure! The drinks here are free, y'know - they can get you whatever you want! This place is the greatest!" the first being's voice says.
Strange. She seemed excited, alive, and very animated. But her southern accent threw him off.
This was not expected in the slightest.

He takes a second to think of what to reply.
"Do they have chorus juice?" he responds. He tried to sound confident, but it came off more as confused.

Before Thedra can answer, the second being chimed in.
"You came here on purpose... why?"

He... can't explain well.
It's a confusing mess.
He tries to summarize.

He decides on, "I am tired. I need a break."
And you know it's true. There's dark bags under his eyes.

________________________________

(ooc note for clarification: text in parenthesis startin g with "ooc" means it's out of character. anything not is in character)

 

[thoughts are underlined.]
Low watches as time cracks again, and one of Thedra's plant-bot arms reach out towards him.
Thedra looks strangely surprised as he dodges.
What did they think I was going to do? Just stand there?
The plant-claw arm seems to expand, until it's surrounded Low. He pulls a knife out, and it shears without a hint of resistance through the arm to his left, but only cutting the plant parts. The arm is replaced quickly, and Low finds himself snared, dragged towards a hole in reality.
In the last few seconds, he sees the Bouncer infuriated, and... another door opening.
Focus. You remember the right trick.
The arms slip around Low, going through him as he shudders between normal and a shadow over whatever's behind him.
Oh. A perfect opportunity for THAT one.
Low falls into the hole.
Nobody notices the dim bit of shadow, exhausted on the floor.

In the bar:
Laughing. A creature practically made of void itself. Words. Exhausted... Killitkillitkillitkillitshut upkillitkillitkillitkillit
Let's see what's going on here. Actually... this could be a good opportunity...killitkillitkillitkillitkillit
The dim shade, barely noticeable, shifts, stumbles, and sits down on a chair, instead of laying on the floor. Wait... hadn't the half-life fallen through that hole before he had? He didn't really understand what was going on, which was disturbing, since he should've had a full four hundred years of time to figure out how stuff works.
On the bloodied beach:
Thedra and Low crash down. Low seems... very dead.

 

just want to reccon this im not unconscious im standing behind where aurelion disappeared from. but you do see a puddle of mana in a similar shape to a humanoid on the floor
@Endistic

________________________________

"What-"
You see xownfos take off her cloak, gingerly set it on a nearby table, and begin rubbing her eyes, trying to think.

.
.
.
.

"I understand nothing of what just happened." She pauses for a long time before resuming. "So, Aurelion threw a smoke bomb, summoned and went through a portal, bringing Neshu with them. Then, Thedra takes Low, who attacks in retaliation. But why..."

.
.
.
.

After a long while she sits down, and props her chin up with her arm on the table.
"I thought we were getting along quite well. Am I that scary?"
She puts her other arm on the table, both now holding up her chin.
"mmm...", she mumbles puffing her cheeks out. "they still had secrets I wanted to know."
xownfos is extremely pouty and does not notice the new figure enter the bar.

 

(ooc note: sounds good)

(ooc: mandatory @Enderae cuz i think he would like this)


Behind him, a television is shouting about recent events in inter-universal sports.
To his side, a window showing a road to a destination farther than anyone could ever know.
In front of him, too many people.

He wouldn't do something like this.
If he was in public in the End he would've been killed by now from Zainem's zealots.
But he's safe here.
Everyone seems kind and peaceful.
He puts his stave in his pocket.

An elf approaches him. But he just looks around, nothing to say.

A cup of chorus water falls in Endistic's hands from something above, and he takes a sip.

"They really do have everything! This is quite nice!"

(ooc: sorry it's short)

 

the kitsune shakes herself out of her stupor, finally noticing the new figures in the room.
"mm... welcome..."
she mumbles a welcome and raises her arm in what is supposed to be a welcoming gesture.
"and congratulations on the invitation..."
"clock over there", she points to the clock behind the counter, "serves drinks on command."

she stands up, making her way over to the clock. she mumbles a phrase to the clock, presumably the name of a drink, as three of them appear on the counter. summoning mana, she collects it into a spectral hand which picks up both drinks and hands them to the new figures.
within your mind you hear the kitsune's very tired voice.
"try it. tastes like snow. clock can't make poison. also bodyguard over there'll go after you if you attack anyone. that's all."

-----

she'd never felt so melancholy. 4 prominent figures, vanished into thin air with information she'd never seen before. and the portal device. how could she have missed the opportunity. all she had to do was reach out and grab it. she was close enough. the eye had awoken. it had screamed it. demanded it. it showed the vision. it sensed the power. the potential. the knowledge.
she saw the vision.
and yet she chose not to.
she chose to let them go.

she chose.
to let.
them go.

but-
but she saw.
she saw the beach. the beach she knew
the beach where she met-

.
.
.

wait-
it couldn't be-
she'd only dreamed of that place
dreamed as a child who wanted release

the eye is wrong
I am not wrong
yes, it had to be
I am not wrong
its
out of control.

a vision.

-----

in the bar, you see xownfos slump onto the table as a glowing blue eye appears in the center of her forehead, and a sigil above her head: 雪

--

at the beach, you see a floating, glowing blue eye looking around, moving slightly as it flies around, examining the scene. you hands and other items seem to pass through it, and end covered in a light layer of crystalized mana that disintegrates almost instantaneously.

-----

truesight.
use it well.

 

she doesn't seem to notice you, or react in any way. its as if she's disconnected entirely from the physical plane.
meanwhile the sigil glows brighter and brighter

ooc: mb i forgot sod had already been here
we can reccon xownfos giving you the drink
or maybe she's just delirious still