thisavrou_log | (no subject)

Who: Anyone and everyone
When: March 6-16
Where: Namalos
What: A reprieve, for now

The light spreading through the battered interior of Avagi station comes with a sense of displacement. No longer a journey they can choose, residents will find themselves traveling somewhere—being sent, it seems, by an echoing voice that can be heard on the edge of consciousness. Whoever is directing you, and whatever their intent, one thing is clear.

There is something—someone—they want you to find.

The silver glow vanishes. Reality returns... if not as smoothly as before. The space around you seems to lurch and stutter, and you feel yourself stumbling against a wall—pressed, for a moment, under a vast and dispassionate regard. And then, this barrier dissolves. As they return to reality, Avagians will find themselves somewhere completely new: far from both the storms and the light that displaced them.

No light. No portals. Around you, you may see your friends and allies—but nowhere is there any sign of a way back.

Namalos

This land is deceptively beautiful—and just as deadly. The thick forest spreads in all directions, filled with bioluminescent foliage that prevents true darkness from ever descending, but it holds few comforts. The temperature ranges from stiflingly hot during the day to frigid at night, and while there is little fauna to be found, the many insects that make a home here are hungry, aggressive—and often venomous. Even the more edible of the available plants come with a bitter taste and little nutrition.

The wilderness may seem endless, but refuge can be found in half a day's walk to the north, where larger life signs may be detected—an oasis of sorts, in the form of a clearing large enough to hold a small city. They are not alone.

Despite its untamed surroundings, the settlement of Namalos appears extremely civilized—even mundane. Unlike many worlds the travelers have encountered, it has a spaceport. Small crafts appear above the sky, descending below to trade with the locals. Perhaps because of this connection to other planets, Namalans appear to have no single native species, ranging from humanoid to tentacled to oddly reptilian.

Although surprised by guests appearing from the land, not the sky, the Namalans will cautiously welcome the new arrivals, offering them temporary quarters in the outer ring of the city where interstellar travelers sometimes rest before embarking on a return trip. There are local scientists who will offer to look for any traces of portal energy in an attempt to see if a portal can be opened again. Still, getting back isn't the only goal some Avagians might have, and those who spend some effort searching may turn up unsettling facts.

Exploration

Life on Namalos is far more organized than any of Avagi's residents are likely to have experienced before. Despite the different species that call the world home, all locals depart their houses at the same time each morning and return at the same time in the afternoon. Traffic flows freely on pedestrian paths and roads, with no lights or overt signage, but no vehicles collide—as if all beings know their place. In the afternoon, children will appear in front of houses at the same time, play games, and return indoors for dinner like clockwork. If stopped, Namalans will politely answer questions asked of them before returning to routine.

Within the city itself, the Avagians may note some places of interest:

The Central Authority: The government building of Namalos is large and ostentatious, but extremely quiet within, with little noise but the soft sounds of data processing—and there is a great deal of that. No courts can be found, but this bureaucratic machine generates an enormous amount of paperwork.
The Spaceport: This facility, located just outside the largest ring of the city, appears to facilitate trade with other worlds in this solar system—and possibly beyond. Passengers on the ships that come and go appear to be interested in commerce, not leisure visits, but will have no unkind words to say about the Namalans. Rarely will they venture into the city itself, and only for a short time if they do.
The Wellness Center: This large complex near the city's inner ring serves as a place of self-improvement for all who wish to pursue it, free of charge. Physical fitness classes that consist of rhythmic, dance-like routines exist in place of standard gym workouts, and spaces for meditation and quiet chanting in an ancient local language are available to soothe the mind. Other spaces are marked for classes on rhetoric and group facilitation, but these are scheduled by appointment only.
The Locked Building: The lack of crime or violence on Namalos means locked doors are rare, and Avagians may go where they please—with the exception of one utterly plain, undecorated building in the central ring of the city. Located in the shadow of the Central Authority, it is guarded every hour by pairs of Namalans who are no less pleasant for their refusal to let anyone pass.

While some amount of leniency is shown to visitors, the Namalans find disruptions to their routine extremely grating. As strangers disrupt their streets and lives, Namalans grow cold to the prospect of indefinite guests. Those staying in the city for longer than three days will be asked to pay back the hospitality of their hosts, and assigned a task with which to do so. For children, this will consist of school attendance, but adult jobs can vary from stamping papers to mining ore. All complaints about the suitability of an assignment will be thoroughly disregarded, and little sympathy will be provided by your temporary coworkers to those unable to keep pace.

While technically free to travel through the city, Avagians will find that no matter where they go, nearby Namalans keep watch. Their gazes are neither malevolent nor friendly, and can only be deterred through distance—though somehow, outside of the temporary quarters, they will find at least one local always in sight.

Even more curiously, the longer they remain, and the more time they spend personally interacting with Namalans, the more absorbing they may find the local rhythms. Wake up, work, dine, sleep without deviation. They may even find themselves slipping out of awareness for brief intervals... but in such a peaceful place, is this really a bad thing?

[OOC: For more information, or to note particular disruptions your character might cause, please check out the OOC post here!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If he's upset, it's frustration at his own lack of ability. He hates being out of the loop.]

We... found something when exploring the station. [And he can't remember what, except...]

I--must have blacked out, I think. And I remember being awake later, and hearing something... call to me.

[He shakes his head again.]

That's all.

We found a lot of things. [He's not saying it to be contrary, or flippant. Just honest.] Corpses. Prayers carved on the walls. Another Ingress Memorial.

[He pushes a hand through his hair, his shoulder leaning into Lavellan's for a moment.]

The storms broke in. The ones outside the station. All of the sudden, they were inside, and Shepard was ordering everyone to fall back to the Ingress. So... we did.

Once we did things came out of the storms. I think they caught a few people -- but I didn't see anyone personally. I was just trying to damage control.

[Then he's rubbing at his arm. The metal one. At the place where skin meets metal.] A bunch of us were trying to activate the Memorial... whatever those creatures were, they didn't like the light. We must have succeeded, because then -- [He finally looks over at Lavellan.] Something called us out of there. And here we are.

Things.

[He rubs at his forehead, like he has a headache.]

I don't remember... any of that. But I remember being awake after the storm hit, and being near the Ingress--

[He can't help but get agitated. Who wouldn't? He's had enough of other entities messing with his head for one lifetime.]

Where was I? For all of that?

Monsters. I don't know how else to describe them.

[Since Lavellan probably hasn't seen any zombie movies...]

[But he doesn't bring that up. His expression turns sympathetic. How could he not be? He's been there. Been right where Lavellan is now.]

I don't know. I couldn't find you -- I looked but. Nothing.

[He quiets, and rests his chin in his hand. Like he's lost in thought.

There are really only a few simple explanations for this, especially if monsters are involved. The one that comes first to mind isn't something he'd think of in any other situation, but now that he knows such things are possible...

He smiles wryly, gazing into some phantom point in front of him.]

I must have died.

[Meanwhile, Shiro just sort of fidgets with the sling on his arm. Not sure if he should speak up, or if he should let Lavellan think. Or what. If he should commiserate over the lack of memory.]

[But mostly, he just keeps an eye on him. His brain is too tired to really sort out all the ins and outs of tripping over this conversation. All of him is too tired. Despite sleeping, despite rest.]

[Of course, once Lavellan actually speaks, everything just drains out of him in a moment. Including any color on his face.]

What --? What are you talking about?

That's not possible, Lavellan. You're alive.

[Just to prove it, he's going to grasp for one of Lavellan's hands.]

[Lavellan pauses, staring at Shiro's hand over his, without expression. Almost numb. Like he isn't sure what he's looking at.

Then, slowly, carefully--he extracts his hand from Shiro's and places it in his lap, almost cradling it as if it's been injured. Or like he's self-conscious about something.]

No, it's possible. Somehow. Because of the Ingress, probably. I--

[A huff of breath, nearly a sigh. He doesn't want to admit this right now. Please don't make it weird, Shiro.]

It's already happened once before. I don't know how, but--it seems we can't die. Or I can't. I'm not sure. But it's the only explanation I can think of.

[Lavellan turns to meet Shiro's gaze, finally. Ruefully.]

Why else would I not remember anything between then and now? Or you not be able to find me? I imagine it would have been difficult to lose track of anyone to that extent.

[He makes an aborted little movement. As if he's trying to hold on. Or find somewhere else to do so. How else is he supposed to comfort someone?]

[Maybe it was the right hand's fault.]

[So he just curls his fingers away. Folds them under his arms. That's for the best.]

Has it... has it happened to anyone else?

[To Chara? Maybe? All those times they'd talked about not being able to die or move on. Was this what they meant? It still seems so out there. Like something else had to have happened.]

[Death was final. No second, or third chances.]

-- because head trauma. Because whatever happened between then and now was something you couldn't remember. Something you made yourself forget. You could have been hiding, or -- someone else could have found you.

I wasn't everywhere.