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ABOARD THE MOIRA
Whether adjusting to space travel has been difficult or not, there is always something to be done. From working to leisure, the Moira offers a multitude of opportunities to get to know your crewmates a bit better. Exploration of the ship is highly encouraged, but as another planet grows closer to being docked, things start to get a little hectic. You'll notice a slight change in the artificial gravity as the Moira is pulled into a gravitational field; however, more noticeable changes can be found in the overall morale as you prepare to descend.
☄ on your ownThere are plenty of other communal areas on the ship to explore! Pick a place, and see where it takes you. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) H A I S T O SUnlike previously visited locations, the sweltering heat of this planet can be felt long before arrival. The surface of Haistos is not a place for those with a weak constitution. It’s in a constant state of low-level volcanic activity as its land masses are dotted with many volcanoes—all of them spewing black ash into the air. Breathing is difficult without the aid of a respirator due to the potential of breathing in ash, and the plant life is stunted, adapted to living in an environment with little sunlight. The weather is unpredictable, and ash-storms will often blow in fiercely, leaving people trapped for a hours at a time before they blow themselves out. But that same ash which chokes everything on this planet is what also provides its livelihood. Haistos’ volcanic resources are a highly sought-after commodity elsewhere in the universe, and as long as gathering the ash is profitable, people will continue to return.
Looking closely, etched into the curling paths of ignimbrite deposits that swirl along the base of the volcanoes is a language that is easily translated by the MID, often resembling Latin. Carved over time by visitors and travelers, it tells a tale of fire and stone and power. Some might even say there are mystic abilities associated with these volcanoes, though the rumors and myths behind it seem to be nothing but a warning to those who think to go looking for it. It’s also hard to tell if the words carry any true meaning since there are no natives to question, and all those who harvest the ash can only tell stories. Still, it’s apparent that people from many different times have all added to the scrolling messages.
A word of caution: you cannot build here. Stone, metal, and wood all burn, all crumble. Only what is true can survive, and fire will show its true quality.
☄ breathing sparksDespite the haphazard lay of the land, there are things to do. Or, at least, things to see. The rocky terrain often leads to some inactive volcanoes that are perfect for exploring and harvesting the ash that continues to rain down across Haistos. There are step-like structures built into the sides of the volcanic craters, narrow but sturdy. With each move down, the air gets even thicker, and your respirator takes longer and longer to filter the unbreathable atmosphere the deeper into the planet you travel. Yet, the risk of asphyxiation is worth what awaits at the bottom of the staircase. Still warm, the volcanic rocks that are sunk into the deposits are both smooth and clear as crystal. Most of these gems retain heat permanently and can be used to warm small spaces. Gathering too many together in a single place, however, creates a reaction with the limited air supply and can spark a faux volcanic eruption—yes, these rocks are capable of producing lava at an impossibly quick rate.
Is it possible to outrun the flow and reach the steps before it begins filling the bottom of the crater? The only thing worse than a sudden swimming pool of lava would be the respirator finally breaking because of the abrupt, extreme heat, wouldn’t it? ☄ under pressureDespite being unable to actually build any structures of substance on Haistos, walking around the planet itself is surprisingly easy. Due to its unusual composition, the ground itself is a noticeable mixture of dark rock and shining surfaces. More than that, each step around the bases of the volcanoes reveals something both amazing and rather fascinating: the ability to create diamonds without much pressure at all. It only takes a single step or even a hand print. Take a break and sit to rest? Diamonds. Wrestling over what pile of ash is yours to claim? Diamonds. Tripping and falling and refusing to get up so that no one sees your embarrassment? Diamonds. Suddenly, moving around on Haistos has taken a whole new turn. Especially when it’s completely possible to keep what you make with your very own body weight. ☄ if you break it, you buy itOut of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.
At the base of one of the smaller volcanoes, this message is carved into the rock in large, curling script. The volcano is currently inactive and is dotted with openings large enough for visitors to enter through. Stranger than the message is the faint tinkling sound - almost like glass clinking against glass - that grows louder the deeper into the volcano you go. The intricate honeycomb of paths all lead in the same direction—towards the sound and a mellow blue glow.
At the center, the sound is loud and the light illuminates a large space. Thousands of crystalline creatures swirl and bump against one another, the source of both the sound and light. They appear to be a cross between a lightning bug and bee, glowing and noisy and harmless. The beautiful sight may, or may not, be dampened by the fact that the cavern is littered with glass honeycombs that have been built up within the bodies of fallen travelers. It’s clear that the organisms didn’t harm them, perhaps the result of too much ash or broken respirators, and the honey they’ve produced is light blue and clear. It’s sweet if eaten, bright and citrus-y, and carries an earthy undertone, making the skin glow temporarily after ingesting.
If careful, visitors may harvest the honey, but do not disturb the creatures. Their wings are sharp, and when agitated, they swarm out of fear.
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thisavrou_ooc2016-06-07 03:39 pm
no subject
Well, I'll be go to hell. [ He says it half genuinely, half because he knows Nate's made fun of him for that particular turn of phrase before. Any conversation about the planet below them is forgotten for now. ] Shouldn't be surprised to see you here - am I allowed to get in over my head one some adventure without you being involved?
no subject
[It's a ridiculous phrase, but Nate has never been gladder to hear it. He goes right in for a hug, and if the primary emotion he's feeling now is happiness, the relief that's there too is probably evident in the way the hug is a little tighter than usual—if there is a 'usual,' they're not that touchy-feely. Still, there's a place and time for everything.]
You have no idea how glad I am to see you, Sully. It has been a weird few weeks.
no subject
Hold up-- [ Sully pulls away, cocking an eyebrow. ] You say you've been here for weeks?
[ How does that make any sense? Sully had seen him only days before. ]
no subject
[He trails off at the look of incomprehension on Sully's face. He knows when his best friend is messing with him, and that's not happening now.]
You didn't. Huh. Guess that means they were right about time seeming to stop back home while it keeps going here.
[At least, he hopes that's what it means.]
They yanked me right off your plane, Sully. At first I thought you must have crashed it and saddled me with the weirdest afterlife ever, but no, it was just weird.
no subject
On the plane? On their way from Scotland?
He tries to frame this logically in his mind, but he's having trouble. Still...this entire goddamn thing is crazy. Why wouldn't it get more complicated? He shakes his head, taking a puff on his cigar. ] Last time I had you and Sam in the plane was a while ago. Sounds more like... [ He stretches to think of the right way to word this. ] More like you don't remember everything that happened.
[ A new tack, then: ] Where we were headed?
I just started screaming. In a good way.
That's not funny.
[He sounds shocked, a little angry and almost betrayed. Sully had been there for him after Sam's death, seen him through the worst of the grief and then gone along with Nate's unspoken decision that they never, never talked about him. To bring him up now, of all places and times? What the hell is the matter with him?]
We were flying back from Yemen.
[Sully can't be from before that, can he? Before Sam...no, there's no way he looks young enough for that. So what, did he hit his head and addle his brain? Nate's tempted to help out with a second blow.]
this is clearly the best decision for a canon point.
Sully eyes Nate carefully, trying to take in more than just his expression. Come to think of it, he does look different. Less grey at the temples.
He's starting to piece together the reality of the situation, and he isn't sure he likes it. Instead of just a week or so of lost time, it's starting to feel like it's more like years, and he knows he needs to explain himself, but he can't figure out the first way to even begin to approach that.
Christ, if this is real, Nate doesn't even know Sam's alive. No wonder he's having such a reaction. ]
Kid, it's been a long time since we came back from Yemen.
[ He can't even dredge the Sam thing back up yet - although it's clear it's hanging in the air between them and needs to be addressed. Take it slow. One thing at a time. ]
it is, oh my god. where precisely is he coming from?
[That should be a familiar tone. It's the voice he uses when anger and/or pride are getting the best of him, the one he uses when he's likely to pull out a "Sullivan" like some reverse full-name indicator of parental disapproval.
Forget the fact that they're in space and that he knows for a fact that weird time travel is a thing here. That's just some really improbable but somehow real stuff. What Sully's saying is...it's impossible. It has to be.]
I would know if we made it back. You can ask Elena, she doesn't even remember getting on the plane. It didn't happen.
[In his right mind, he'd recognize how that second statement contradicts the first, but he's not anywhere close to there. "Rattled" doesn't begin to cover it.]
i'm thinking from just before meeting back up with nate, elena, and sam (post nate's cliff tumble)
He doesn't want to fight with Nate, especially not when a sensitive subject is involved, but he's not going to roll over. It's not the first time he's had to talk some sense into him, and he can't imagine it will be the last. ]
Doesn't remember getting on the plane, huh? [ He jumps on the inconsistency, hoping to use it to his advantage. Nate might not believe him, but with another person's experience involved - Elena's, especially - he'll have to come around eventually. ] So you remember more than she does.
[ He raises an eyebrow, staring back at Nate meaningfully - he doesn't need to say any more, the kid will know what he's getting at.
It won't make the bit with Sam make any more sense to him, but... one mountain at a time. ]
oh great so my Nate thinks he's done being a jerk and Sully can roll up all "guess again buddy"
Yeah. But that's only a week's difference. An important week, yeah, and don't get me started on how shitty that's been, but still.
[That's something he'd want Sully's advice on, now that he's capable of listening, or maybe just a shoulder to whine on now that he knows just how hard it is to repair a marriage after he broke it, badly. But he can't begin to focus on that or on being in space at all, not now.]
Sam is dead.