( tdm 11 )

[hownkai]

T E S T D R I V E

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 own There 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 S Unlike 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 sparks Despite 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 pressure Despite 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 it Out 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. OUT OF CHARACTER INFO FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION For mature or graphic content, please label. For questions, please direct them to the FAQ. As always, be kind and have fun!

Comments

[mangled]

[ A tightly wound combination of both. The realization that if she were here, they'd have found her. The idea that she's just somewhere wandering around and that she'll be here any moment, drawn in by the nature, by the green, pointedly ignoring the posies or the posey-like flowers that Val had seen upon entry. A frown cuts deeply over his mouth as he reaches a finger up and strokes one of the petals carefully between thumb and forefinger, lips pressed tightly together.

The truth sucks and while Val doesn't mind being spoken to candidly, this is the sort of thing he'd like to let hang in limbo just a bit longer. A few more days. A week maybe until he settles fully on the idea that Posie definitely isn't going to be here (yet).

He hums slowly. ]

I'll find a book or something. Someone has to know what it is...

[ Someone had to have grown it, right? Or maybe it just grew on its own. Maybe it didn't need the help, didn't need the hand to put it in the ground when it was barely a kernel.

He turns his eyes away from it, holds his breath a beat, then softly, like a secret: ]

Before you got here... what happened? Where were you?

[deconstruct]

Probably. Someone has to water in here, at least.

[ otherwise, how the fuck are they growing? not that andyr understands anything about space gardens, or even normal gardens. but that's a thing that's usually needed, right? water?

they'll figure it out eventually. Andyr watches Val's fingertips touch along the petal of the flowers, and thinks about the gardens, thinks more about posie, thinks about miray and all the complication there. it takes him a little by surprise, when Val whispers his question.

tilting his head back, from where he's laying, looking up, he looks at the boy upside, brows raised, and considers it some. ]

You heard about the raids, right? Did they tell you there was a riot in Hapsburg first? I was starting it. [ there's a small smirk there, proud of himself maybe. it's always a good day when he can breed chaos in hapsburg halls. ] That was the plan. Take out Hapsburg first, so they couldn't send reinforcements to the other Houses when the bombs started going off. But Hapsburg is a goddamn fortress, you know that.

The only way to crack is open is from inside, so that's what I did. Opened up all the cells, let all the Mice out to do what they want to the guards. Once I took the security systems out, Mikal came in with his people. We were on our way out when... this.

[ the ingress, the moira, all that. ]

[mangled]

[ The smirk is something that you'd have to be blind to miss and Val watches it grow just a little during his explanation, that little pinprick of pride that starts at the corner of Andyr's mouth growing just a little more and more. He remembers this. The sound of something going off from a few city blocks away, lights flashing bright like fireworks and frantically throughout the sky. He remembers the slight smell of smoke, the scent of it on the air. The panic an hour later when his room was opened and he'd been told to leave everything and follow.

Like a good boy, Valarie. Come.

There's a smile that picks up along the lines of Valarie's mouth. That was you. Good. ]

I... the raids. I heard some of the security talking about Hapsburg. They were moving in on the House so Mother— [ he pauses, bites hard on his tongue a minute in thought. Stop calling her that. ] —so they started to evacuate all of us from the premises. They were trying to push us into transport trucks to move all of us and some equipment...

I didn't know it was you that started it.

[deconstruct]

Someone had to, and it had to be Hapsburg. It's why I came back, when I got out with Mikal.

[ while it might have looked like another recapture, it wasn't. he'd set it up to look like that, so Hapsburg didn't realize he was walking back in with the intent to take them apart from inside. but that's what it was. this is something they can actually be proud of, and even if they still have that fight ahead of them back home, it's the biggest chance they've had at freedom in, well, Val's whole life. so they should be smirking smugly. it's not exactly fucking easy.

he won't even call him on saying 'mother', for the moment. not when they're going over this. he will, however, tease a bit, nose wrinkling with a grin. ]

That when you face planted in the mud? [ andyr snorts a little laugh, but it's not done meanly, just teasing. ] Worked out pretty well, though, if they left you there.