Complete Megathread (Story - max 10) Starcalled Beacon (Group C)

[Asch]

It has been more than a couple of days since the day the stars shot across the sky, heralding the coming of a new generation of Travelers. Having experienced the game when it first launch, Levi knew he needed to do something or the majority of the newcomers would wander into the goblin-infested Western Brisshal and end up on their sacrificial alter. And so, the majority of the Lion Arms that were stationing at HQ were mobilized.

Together with Chad and his knights, Levi set up a makeshift base out of Honeyhome and began sending groups of knights into the forest to search for newly-spawned Travelers. Whomever they could find, they would help guide them to the camp where they can get a basic rundown of the state of the world from Chad or Levi.

You sure this is a good idea, Lev? Some of the Travelers we have ran into are ignoring us while blowing up all the wolves and bears in the region. Is this some kind of weird Traveler ritual that I don't know about?

I can assure you that it's not. (Levi shook his head). Since the three deaths should have been made public, the kind of Travelers who would join the game despite knowing that fact may very well be a unopened pot of crazy.

I don't know much about Travelers, but having three lives is crazy to me. My grandmomma was as strong as a bull, yet one bad trip and she's done. You Travelers are a special bunch, huh?

Levi chuckled in response.

Meanwhile a tiny Faerin popped out from behind Levi with a tray full of freshly-baked cookies.

Commander! Captain! You should have some of these raspberry white chocolate cookies! Mimi can hear your stomach growling from the next room over!

Cycle 1

Whether or not you had just spawned into the game for the first time, or logged in for the first time in 4 years, if you're in Eastern Brisshal at the time, the Lion Arms members would have found you and brought you to Honeyhome where Levi can brief you on a number of issues.

The scene is taking place inside a tavern that had been cleared for official uses. Mimi is busy running to and from, preparing various kinds of cookies from raisin oat to raspberry white chocolate, to strawberry glaze for guests that may come their way.

Chad is sitting next to Levi on a bench on the other side of the table, across from you. Levi is busy flipping through his journal, reviewing some of his talking points.

Rules

• This is a communication-focused megathreads where your character is introduced to the Lion Arms.
• When 10 characters have joined the thread, the thread will switch to Private.
• If you're already in this thread on another character, please yield to other members.
• There is no set posting order.
• Everyone has one post per cycle.
• However, each character can address any or all of the three characters here: Levi, Chad, or Mimi or other players, all within the same post.
• New or already-established characters are welcome to join the thread.
• You are free to socialize and get to know the characters in the thread.
• This thread will be updated with or without enough characters roughly every 24 hours.
• More groups will be established if the interests are there. Please wait for overflow threads.

RNG (optional). How did the Lion members goad you? [ ?r 1d4 # Lion Pounces ]

1. Seduction
2. Logic
3. Emotional manipulation
4. Bribery

Spoiler: Text Bubble Template

[speech=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Chad.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this)[/speech]

[speechright=https://terrarp.com/db/character/Levi_Pendragon.png]Conversation here (Action formatted like this). This version has the avatar on the right side.[/speechright]

 

[Akiva]

It had been difficult getting used to the height difference. She—no, he kept bumping into door frames and low ceilings and hanging potters. Not to speak of his bruised and battered shins, constantly harried by chair legs and table edges and little people (man, people were so little from up here).

Every time he thought he was clear, every time he thought he remembered—

—thwack.

This time, it was a branch, just low enough to swipe him right across his face (and bruise his ego).

Immediately, he crouched, a string of profanity loudly leaving his lips. His hands flew up to belatedly cover his vulnerable face.

It was in this state that the knights found him.

At first, he thought he was in trouble as they dragged him through the forest, but it wasn't a dungeon they brought him to.

Akiva sat, chair the wrong way 'round, his arms resting on top of the back. He leaned to the side in the chair, two of its legs lifting in the air, and reached out with a hand to try to poke the redhead in the side.

"So are you guys, like, some sort of beginner NPCs or actual, um... humans? But there are not-human races, sooo um, beings? Non-NPCs?" He asked. "I've been honestly pretty surprised by how little guidance I've gotten since I, like, fell — is that the right term? — here."

He popped an offered cookie into his mouth and smiled brightly at the taste. Crumbs spewed from his mouth when he spoke again."So like, this some sort of drag-a-bunch-of-newb-asses-to-do-a-newb-party-quest-to-learn-the-ropes-type thing?"

He rocks back in his chair, the legs thumping down noisily. "Beeeee-cause I'm really not interested."

 

[Leyna]

The meek elf girl was wandering through nature in Eastern Brisshal. She was a new player in Terrasphere. New to this kind of immersion even. Not terribly fresh kind of new. She has gotten the basics to start playing in the Eastern Brisshal. All she was doing was walking around and discovering new things about herself — her new self that is. She checked her game interface and the technical mechanics present. Then she took a walk to find out about the virtual nature around. What is possible to do and what isn't.

All these things are very well made. Very admirable. Very neat.

That's when a pair of armored men approached her. It was intimidating at first, but they looked like they serve a noble cause. The shining metal armor and an emblem on their armor — knights they must be. The knights were courteous to her and since she was new, there's no reason to not follow them where they could be many others like her — or that's all the reason she need to not follow them. New players tend to get themselves into a danger they wouldn't have known themselves. But either way, the knights seemed rather nice and without suspicion so she followed them to a tavern. Honeyhome tavern.

I don't suppose they'll kidnap me by luring me to a safe, would they? And if they did, what can I do? All I have is this staff and-

Looks like her worries are for naught as they actually brought her to a place of people. Good or otherwise... she'll find out soon.

"Hello. Would it be wrong to assume this is where new players gather for a tutorial or briefing? I'm new to these things so it would be helpful if I could get some advice, help, guidance, anything of the sort."

She approached the closest person that looked like they belong to this place — the Faerin distributing some snacks — and asked her while she would some of the cookies to bite.

 

[Fina Drago]

Visits to Eastern Brisshal had become a norm for Fina and would likely continue being one until she ran into something dangerous there. Given that she had encountered nothing but surprisingly pleasant experiences so far, that seemed somewhat unlikely. However, she was pretty sure that one such bad experience was already happening when she suddenly found herself surrounded by a small squad of knights.

Knights that really wanted her to come with them back to Honeyhome for a chat. Well, she already knew the place, so not like they wanted to go somewhere suspicious. Still, their perseverance only grew after the girl's firm negative response. Although she really didn't expect them to start trying to bribe her with gold and the promise of delicious cookies just to get here to some tavern. They must have really wanted her to go with them.

So she did. As bizarre as it was, none of them even tried to lay a hand on her the whole way, giving her the impression that she was not about to get shanked for some reason she could not comprehend. However, she did grow a bit wearier once inside. Hanging her heavy-looking coat on the nearest hanger, her eyes darted from person to person. A conversation seemed to be already going on, and not a single familiar face.

The feline opted to just… go around everyone and take a seat at the far end of the table, observing the rest of the players(?) present and the knights who sat across. It all looked oddly formal, yet not at all simultaneously.

 

[Cleo Looker]

Spending a lot of her time around the starting areas was a pretty common thing for Cleo, who felt like a beginner herself, yet also felt a responsibility to make sure that beginners didn't get hurt, for many different reasons. Her run ins with different wildlife had already done enough to convince her that all it took was one bad day, a particularly bad series of luck, to ruin everything and potentially bring a life to an end. Sure, it wasn't likely that many beginners would be on their third death, but that wasn't exactly a risk that she was willing to take with peoples' lives at stake. There were some risks that just weren't worth it. Besides, she wasn't the gambling type anyway.

Particularly unexpected, however, was the gathering of knights that seemed intent on getting people to follow them to Honeyhome for some reason or another. Whilst it was a good opportunity to grow her information network and learn more about the game's playerbase, Cleo had refused at first, honestly just to test how resolved they were and to see if this was some kind of scam, or a genuine meeting regarding some serious topic. Many scam artists, after all, cut their losses if a target seemed to be too wisened up to their tricks to actually bag any reward for their troubles. That they instead switched to offering her treats and gold convinced her that they were, at least, not conmen.

The journey was uneventful, Cleo was hardly the world's most talkative woman to begin with, let alone when she was around complete strangers. Still, it was far from a horrible experience, if she didn't mind the attempts to make conversation with her, which were eventually given up on just before they actually arrived at the tavern.

Stepping inside, Cleo took confident strides towards the table, calculating eyes taking in the sight of those present, before she firmly planted herself in a seat, unslinging her red spear from her back and propping it up against the table by her side. Close enough to be in reach, but not close enough that she clearly intended to reach for it.

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

After unceremoniously spawning in Eastern Bristol, Rakka was honestly relieved when two knights wandering by intervened to assist against a few stray wolves she was trying to outpace to reach a nearby town. She'd played some video games before, sure, but first-person combat ones were never her specialty.

She readily accepted their explanation and recruitment offer, once she was reassured there was no pressure or obligation to join, that it was first and foremost about helping newcomers gain their footing in this world (although choosing to join would definitely be welcomed). Even though accepting their offer didn't lead to a quest marker popping up, Rakka figured this was probably part of the tutorial anyway. She wasn't really if this game even used quest markers after all, and it seemed offensive to ask if they were fellow players or NPCs. She swallowed nervously, remembering the news on the three deaths and wondering where the line between player and NPC was actually drawn.

She chatted a little with the knights along the way as they guided her to the tavern in Honeyhome where the meeting was taking place, but she's quickly distracted with looking around and taking in the scenery and her surroundings. It really did seem real...

Soon enough they reach the tavern and her escorts take their leave. She swallows nervously, standing outside the tavern. It wasn't too late for her to leave... but that might mean she's passing up a lead. She takes a deep breath and clenches her hands, then enters the tavern.

Her eyes assess the table and the people already gathered, approaching as quietly and inconspicuous as a tall beastfolk sporting two rabbit ears and a warhammer strapped to their back can, taking the seat that's most out of the way or at the edge of the table.

She raises her hand a little, speaking up softly.

"I'm... I'm here for the same reasons the elf stated. Um, nice to meet you all."

She ducks her head in a greeting at those gathered around the table, whether they pay attention to her or not.

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina licked her lips as she walked into the tavern, azure eyes glinting with mischievous amusement as she glanced around and took in the sights. She'd been roaming Eastern Brisshal to help protect new Travelers from mishaps such as unfortunate encounters with wildlife (at least, encounters not initiated by the Travelers themselves), only to suddenly have a knight approach her and strike up a conversation. It quickly became clear that the knight was here to carry along an invitation, although the fox girl's attention had truly perked when the name of the knight's company had been named.

Lion Arms was not exactly the same as Lion's Pride, but it was similar enough that it made Vina think of days gone by. It certainly spurred her on to accept the knight's invitation and follow them back to Honeyhome, where apparently the knights had set up shop within the tavern in the time that Vina had spent outside in the wilds. As a druid, she wasn't exactly bound by settlements, but she did routinely return to the starting hamlet both because it was a comfortable place to be and because there were good odds of meeting new Travelers there.

Inside the tavern she saw several faces she recognized, but most of them were foreign to her. There were two knights, one who looked busy with his journal and the other idling his time away. A small girl who was busy preparing cookies for all the guests. And then the other people who Vina presumed had been invited to this little gathering. A tall human male who acted like he was completely at home, a short elf female who seemed to be a bit more uncertain about herself, and...

Hey there! I didn't think I'd meet the two of you here~

Vina greeted both @Fina Drago and @Cleo Looker with the same friendly enthusiasm, smiling brightly at them as her tail briefly wagged behind her. The last person was a tall beastfolk female, of the leporine variety carrying a big weapon. She, like the other three Vina didn't know, got a big, friendly smile as well.

And hello to everyone else as well~! I hope you weren't waiting for too long.

Since they had the entire tavern common room available it wasn't like things were getting cramped, but Vina was still curious how many more people would arrive before this meeting got officially started.

 

[Cyrus Sylvester]

Being one of the recent arrivals, and having no other goals at the moment, Cyrus had decided to leisurely explore the forests of Eastern Brisshal. He was on his own, familiarizing himself with the lay of the land, his new body, and the game's mechanics. It was almost eerie how real-life this all was…but the ultimate immersion, and promise of unbound adventure were thrilling prospects.

As lost in his own thoughts and giddiness as he was, the sound of someone's approach startled him to reflexively crouch into a bush. He cocked his head to the side, listening. Multiple, heavy steps. Armor clinking, hushed chatter. It seemed they were searching for something – or someone?

Don't tell me…bandits?

Since he was a solo newbie, Cyrus stayed still and silent, remaining in hiding just in case. However, when the group approached, he saw they were just some NPC guards, or something, and relaxed. That was his undoing.

The release of tension had his body shifting minutely, and leaves rustled around him. Next thing he knew, a knight was pointing their weapon right at him, demanding he show himself.

Laughing awkwardly, Cyrus stood up, palms up.

Hey, hey, peace man, I was just-

He was interrupted as one of the others, an irate raven-headed elf told him he best follow them for 'his own good'. Cyrus' leonine ears folded backwards, and his tufted tail flicked in annoyance. He managed to keep up his grin, though it was getting a bit strained.

Yeah, sure, sure, but listen, I'm sure this is just a silly misunderstanding…

The knights dialed down the ridiculously menacing vibe when he made it clear he was willing to follow them, but were still kind of tense, and overly serious. However, one of them did snark about him having behaved suspiciously.

Me? I'd thought you guys were bandits! That's why I was 'sneaking around'…not because I was 'up to no good'. (He rolled his eyes).

However, no amount of excuses, pleading, appealing to their better senses (not that this bunch had any), trying to butter them up, or get into their good graces (as if the fucking sourpusses had any) through friendly charm did him any good. In the end, Cyrus sighed, and resigned himself to being escorted to Honeyhome.

The tavern he was led into had several people occupying it already, none of whom he knew.

So, they snatched up all of us…why exactly?

Cyrus didn't seem to expect an answer, though, and looked around. Though some others were kind of stiff looking and were keeping to themselves, the atmosphere was much friendlier than he expected, given how his escorts had acted. For a second, he considered he was led to the wrong place, but no…two at the table had the same crest on their uniforms as those antagonistic guards who'd brought him here.

As he stood there, head tilted, hand on his chin as he reassessed the situation, a young girl flitted by, carrying a tray of cookies. Swiftly, Cyrus grabbed several.

…He wouldn't admit it, but the tasty treats did placate him. Just a bit.

Huh. (He munched on a cookie). Some kind of an event, is it.

Cyrus strolled towards the table, and sat himself near one of the 'guests', a tall black-haired human sprawled lazily in a chair. He was amused at the fellow's lack of regard for proper sitting etiquette, and while Cyrus didn't do anything as extravagant, he did manage to fold one leg up onto the seat, settling in comfortably.

He turned to @Akiva, greeting him.

Sup. (He glanced at Akiva's crumb-laden mouth). Good, yeah? Want another one? (He offered a fistful of cookies). I got a bunch.

He let his arm dangle over the armrest, palm open to offer the cookies, letting the man freely pick another treat – or refuse, if he would.

Then, Cyrus turned a curious stare at whom he assumed was the leader, a redhead absorbed in his journal.

Just why were you so desperate to gather us here? Weird way to go about it, by the way.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Very similar to @Vina Skysong, Hanno has been wandering in the newbie's areas in hopes to keep them as safe as possible, to avoid some of them to get UI-Locked right on the first day

However, plans seemed to change a bit when he was requested to follow the Lion Arms to gather with other travelers. Hanno didn't oppose, and getting there it proved to be a wise choice, considering how many newcomers were around. Including @Leyna and @Rakka Deltorra, whose words caught his attention.

I wouldn't say it is a newbie only. I'm not really new, but I'm here, right? These guys probably just want to tell somethin' important, well... Welcome to Terrasphere, anyway.

The way those Lion guys were talking about the players was making Hanno smirk a bit. Honestly, it was a bit surprised that things like the three death were being spoken of so openly. At the time he found out about it, he thought that it would cause some large scale panic, but it seemed like most of the people that were playing Terrasphere were either crazy or so much detached from real life that if they were to be eternally locked in it, they wouldn't mind.

You could say we are like cats? Except not as lucky to have nine lives. (He chuckled at Chad)

His nose then twitched, and he frowned while raising his nose, only to hear a young voice mentioning something that made his stomach growl.

For Rhiannon... Hey, buddy! Can we have some cookies too? (He waved to the fellow Faerin, Mimi, near the captain) If that would be fine, of course. (He grinned)

 

[Kamala Graham]

After Kamala found a farm to settle in Pormont, there was no way anyone could pry her from that place. Well, almost no way. The strange men in their strange gear, calling themselves Lion Tails or whatever, did not come to her empty-handed. Aside from promises of fame and glory, and also some stuff about family and honor Kamala could not quite remember, rather did not really put much importance into, they bribed her with something much more important to her: the resources with which to grow her farm even better, stronger. Needless to say, they baited her like a fish with no self-preservation.

Oh, thank you, you are so sweet!

Kamala gave the Faerin a warm smile as she gently took a cookie, tasting it as carefully as she could. As someone who enjoyed baked goods, she found the ones shared with her quite acceptable. It wasn't like Kamala could do anything better. Rather she knew that and she wouldn't dare make herself a worthy judge. The only thing she could ever judge was herself.

She started eyeing everyone else in the room while nibbling her cookie, noticing someone that appealed to her without much effort. An elf? She thought @Leyna was pretty interesting, though she wasn't quite sure why yet, only that she felt that. Maybe it was all the green that she wore. Maybe it was her face. Maybe it was just boredom. Whatever it was, she just stared at her with a smile. Interesting.

 

[Magdalyn]

I'm really not looking for a relationship right now.

But the man continued to smile that slow, lazy smile, his medicine-bottle green eyes regarding her beneath shaggy black bangs. "Just come with me," he insisted, once more extending his hand. "I have so much to show you."

Magdalyn nearly choked on her own saliva. How had it come to this? She had only met the stranger a matter of hours ago, when he'd complimented her budding sword work. A discussion on weapons had followed, accompanied by an in-depth look at her abilities, a heated debate on the most useful elements, and... then, yeah, some pretty heavy flirting. But what was the harm? Mags had hardly interacted with anyone since entering Terrasphere for the first time in four years, and damn it, she was lonely. Besides, it felt nice to have someone to show interest, even if her appearance was computer generated, and her abilities were also systems-based. Maybe I should dump some more mastery points in, just to show off for this guy.

She allowed him to lead her to a bustling tavern, riotous noise and sinful smells wafting through open windows. Tall, Dark and Handsome held the door open for her, Mags offered a grin as she ducked under his arm. Maybe they could grab some food, a couple drinks, and see where the conversation (and the evening) led.

Why don't you grab some drinks while I get us a- oh.

By the time she'd turned around, her stranger had slipped away, melding into a nearby group of people. Suddenly alone, and immeasurably awkward, Mags wiped her sweaty palms on her breaches. Okay, so not what I expected. She turned to slip back out the door, only to have it open with another arrival. Grimacing, she danced back out of the way, and nearly bumped into a table loaded with cookies.

Well, when in Rome.

Or in a shady tavern filled with strangers and cookies, and a man who seduced you and led you there, only to abandon you.

Whichever.

 

[Asch]

Once everyone in group-c has gathered inside the tavern, a sudden heavy downpour sent the couple of knights running inside, both appeared drenched to the bone from the rain. Chad immediately clasped them on the shoulder and brought them to the fireplace where he started it with a flint and steel he had on hand.

Levi meanwhile stood up and introduced himself the group.

Regardless of how you were brought here, I'm glad we got to you before the rain did.

My name is Levi Pendragon, you can just call me Levi, or Commander. Whichever you're more comfortable with. I was a police officer in the real world, but due to circumstances, I've been trapped in the game for the past five years.

Also, if the pride seemed a bit pushy in bringing you here, I'll apologize on their behalf. It's the third day that we've been doing this, they're all antsy over this whole thing.

And just so you're all aware, you're not being detained or anything like that. You're free to leave anytime you want… though with that much water coming down outside, you might as well stay and listen to what we have to say.

Consider it a greeting and a PSA to the world of Terrasphere.

Levi smiled warmly at @Leyna, @Rakka Deltorra, and @Fina Drago, reassuring them.

Once Chad finished lighting a fire in the fireplace, he came over to @Akiva and beamed brightly at the man.

I don't know what an NPC is, but the world doesn't give me any guidance either, haha! We can be lost together!

As for a tutorial, there's no such thing, if you can swing a dodge a sword, you can dodge a goblin."

While Levi and Chad did most of the talking, Mimi zoomed around the tavern with a tray of baked goods on her head. She stopped and gave the elf a cookie before speeding off to the next person.

Coming!

When she got to Hanno, she stared up at her senior with admiration sparkling in her eyes. He looked really impressive with his big shield and strange armor. Already appearing knightly. Seeing a fellow faerin knight made her way to work harder to eventually become a squire.

And when she delivered the morsel to @Kamala Graham, she noticed the girl enjoying it and felt a sense of duty washed over her. Finally, she was able to be of some use to the Commander and Captain she looked up to!

When confronted with @Cyrus Sylvester, Levi rolled with the punches.

Well, we're hoping to get to the newcomers before the other factions do and possibly mislead you with non-important information. It's our job to ensure the safety of players and landers. In particular, we try really hard to make sure players don't receive their third death and get stuck in the game like me.

You may not believe it, but it's pretty crazy how it works. No one knows exactly how it works yet, and I'm definitely not a ghost or an AI like some players may suggest.

While he was speaking, Levi noticed the way @Cleo Looker was observing him. There was something strangely familiar about the way she observed him. There was a slight tension. It felt was if they were two wolves locking gaze. Levi's law enforcement sense wasn't as sharp as it used to be though, so he quickly chalked it up to his rusty law enforcement tingle.

After the brief conversation with Akiva, Chad looked at @Hanno Futaba, tilting his head at the faerin's implication. One can hear the hamster wheel running inside the blonde's head, but if you looked in, not a single hamster can be found anywhere. With a hapless grin toward Hanno, Chad headed over to @Magdalyn.

I heard from Justo that there was some mixed signal? Haha, he wanted to apologize but felt too awkward about it, so I'm here to offer a drink in his place. He's married actually, so his wife might string him above the cooking pit if she heard he put a move on another woman.

He then turned to @Vina Skysong.

Whoa, you seem a lot friendlier than some of the folks we had picked up.

​

While the conversation went on for a few minutes, everyone in group-c should notice that water was pouring down from the tall ceiling en masse as the winds shook the rickety building. The roof was slowly succumbing to the weight of the water.

Levi immediately stopped whatever conversation he was having at the time and turned to his subordinates with an order,

Argh! We have to stop the leakage before the roof collapses or the owner is going to try to pin the damage on us!

He turned to the rest of group-c while Chad, Mimi, and the few knights began to panic.

Hey, we could use a hand or two here, we'll owe you guys a big one, seriously.

Cycle 2

• You can continue the conversation however you like, but, you have a decision to make afterward of whether to help Levi deal with the roof that's slowly caving in.
• If you would like to help, make an Expertise (Any) with a DC of 40 to creatively help Levi with the roof.
• You can use 397C2 as your thread code.
• See this Guide if you need help with rolling.
• The number of success needed to stop the cave-in is a secret, it must be above 5, however.

 

[Akiva]

"I could never turn down more cookies!" he exclaimed happily as he grabbed for one. Not patient enough to swallow before speaking and spewing crumbs again, he continues, "Thanks, dude. I appreciate the looking out."

He hammed it up with an exaggerated wink.

"I'm Akiva," he said, holding out a hand to cat boy (@Cyrus Sylvester). "Thanks again for the cookies. I'm definitely going to load up before I leave. Free food, ya'know?"

Once one last blue-haired girl (why'd she look so embarrassed?) entered, the redhead began to speak, but after the word trapped, Akiva stopped listening. His mind began to go over the possibilities as an uncharacteristic frown pulled on his lips. Actually, hadn't he vaguely seen something about this on the news a couple of years ago? (What the hell had he gotten himself into?)

He raised a hand, as if they were back in grade school. Even his spine was straight, though he violated the teacher's pet code by not waiting to be called on to speak.

"What do you mean by trapped?" he asked and stuffed yet another cookie into his mouth. His brow furrowed, his frown deepening. Wasn't this all just some silly game? "How did you—I don't understand."

Too engrossed in stuffing too many sweets in his mouth and pondering over this 'trapped' problem, he didn't notice the issue with the roof until Levi called for help.

"Oh! Of course I'll help!" he said, jumping out of his seat. Walking around the tavern, his head craned up high, he muttered to himself as he examined the beams and structural supports above.

"That one! If we reinforce it, it'll help," he said. He stopped in his tracks and pointed up to a beam with such confidence that he must know what he was talking about.

Too bad Akiva was all bravado, no brain. At that very moment, the roof above where he was pointing caved in, drenching him entirely in water.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (29) + 5 = 34
Awareness | Akiva | 397C2

Failure!

 

[Fina Drago]

Even more people seemed to be pouring into the tavern, filling it up quite nicely. Even if that was a somewhat undesirable situation for a borderline anti-social like Fina. Sure, she could deal with people one-on-one just fine, but having a group this large talk all at once? It was bound just to give her a headache.

At least there was one familiar face that showed up. Returning the greeting to @Vina Skysong with a brief wave of the hand, the feline didn't really say anything. Her voice would have probably been drowned out by the boisterous individuals who had little regard for the volume of their voice. That said, things were about to go from okay to very bad in just about one sentence from the knight who looked like he was in charge of this place.

The girl was already well aware of the more harsh rules of Terrasphere. But she had yet to actually meet someone who had met that fate. The fact that it was mentioned so casually frankly sent her into a bit of a shock.

'Trapped… five years?! Then that really does mean..!'

Suddenly, she felt sick. The world around her wobbled, and her legs grew weak. Was a panic attack coming on? She didn't think it would hit her so hard, but she realized that she was sitting in front of a dead man. His attempts to reassure her and a few others who seemed a bit out of it here did not help at all.

Covering her mouth, she felt like throwing up. Could she? There was no way she wanted to find out. Feeling the cold sweat chilling her, she opted to look the other way, trying to distract herself, even ignoring the tiny Faerin. Not like she could eat any cookies in this state. Though she was drawn back in by @Akiva who took the liberty of asking what being trapped meant. So there were players who dove in wholly unprepared? What kind of an idiot was he?!

At the very least, a chance to properly distract herself presented itself. The sound of heavy downpour drumming in the creaky roof helped her relax a bit as she got up and made her way to… where even? The roof was way up there, and she was down here; what was she supposed to do. Reinforce the support beams that dotted the room, connecting the floor and the ceiling? Walking up to one, she just sort of leaned against it, trying to regain her composure. Perhaps attempting to do anything in her current state was a mistake.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (12) + 20 = 32
Fitness | Fina Drago | 397C2

Failed

 

[Vina Skysong]

After Vina four more arrived, of which Vina only recognized one. She gave a quick wave at @Hanno Futaba, because even if they hadn't seen each other in a long time, and hadn't spent much time together before that, she still wanted to greet an old friend. From memory, he had fought bravely against Titanius right up until the end, although Vina herself had left the battle before that point. A brief shiver traveled up her spine as she remembered that time, and how lucky she was that she'd chosen to stay and help the cities that were attacked by the eldritch entity's progeny instead of diving back into the monster's belly.

However, that was then, and this was now. The other three who had arrived (a feline male with some swagger, a short and friendly canine female, and a tall, blue-haired human female) also received a friendly smile before the leader of the knights stood up and began to explain what was going on. Better to halt any attempt at socializing until the man was done: he seemed to have gone through some trouble to gather them all here.

Rather convenient, too, because it meant that they weren't outside when suddenly it began to pour down.

A police officer who'd become trapped in Terrasphere... well, at least he'd found himself a position in which he could continue to help other people. She could imagine that many others would become traumatized by the experience and seek to do something else with their life instead, anything to forget their past, but Levi's sense of duty was stronger than that.

I thought he was quite nice~ If a bit easily flustered.

The knight had done his best to be friendly, of course, but he had that kind of formal attitude which had made teasing him rather entertaining. Sometimes being armoured protected you, and sometimes it just signaled that you were soft and squishy underneath. This was true both in the literal and the figurative sense.

As Levi turned towards Cyrus, the vixen turned her friendly smile towards Chad.

Well, you're going out of your way to make sure we know what we're getting into, aren't you~? I imagine the other Travelers have a lot on their mind. (She leaned forward and winked.) By the way, NPC is another word for People of the Land, but it's a bit of a dismissive term. I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad by it though: it takes new Travelers a while before they understand this world~

She blinked when Akiva seemed confused by the idea of someone being trapped in the game. Oh dear... did he start playing without knowing about that? Probably best to inform him as quickly as possible. However, Levi would most likely take care of that, being someone that had experienced it for himself. Vina's attention was drawn towards @Fina Drago, who looked like meeting someone who suffered UI-lock had brought her off-balance. The vixen would have liked to comfort her, and even was already walking over, when Levi suddenly proclaimed that they needed help keeping the roof from collapsing.

While Vina didn't mind the rain, water damage indoors could be a serious issue. And Levi had barely finished talking when Akiva got hit by a wave of water as part of the roof had already succumbed to the relentless rain.

The druidess was left in a bit of a bind. She wanted to help Fina, but she couldn't just ignore the threat of the roof coming down on their heads and water ruining the furniture. Biting her lip she hesitated a moment, throwing the feline weaponmaster an apologetic look before turning away to instead find some way to help support the efforts to keep the roof whole.

Fortunately, the tavern owner wasn't stupid and had materials prepared for such an event. A couple of knights had already procured a large sheet of oiled linen. Perfect for keeping out the rain, but they'd need to somehow get it on top of the roof: if they used it inside they'd just delay the inevitable deluge for a little while.

With some quick words, Vina managed to get the knights to give the sheet to her, her reasoning being that she wasn't heavily armoured and thus was more suited for getting the sheet where they'd need it. Grabbing some ropes as well, Vina left the (questionable) safety of the tavern and ran out into the rain, getting soaked within seconds even as she sought her way up the roof. Fortunately, the tavern was pretty old, so it was easy to find some handholds.

Once she was on top of the roof Vina headed for where the roof had already begun to collapse, using one hand to try and pull her hair out of her face so she could see ahead. Finding the right spot she got to work covering the roof with the sheet of waterproofed fabric, using the ropes to help secure it so it wouldn't get blown away. She was glad that there was a fire already burning inside, because she'd need it to warm up after this.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (85) + 30 = 115

Knack | Vina Skysong | 397C2

Success!

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno returned Chad's grin with another wider. Saving people was cool and all, but making people get a smile on their faces was even better. He casted a glance at @Vina Skysong , waving back when spotting her. There was a lot of new faces, but it was great to see old ones too.

But Mimi's voice saying she was coming caught his attention, and when she looked at him with those sparkly eyes, his heart melted. She was like his lil bro years ago. "Oh. Thank you." He picked up a cookie, taking a bite of the sweet treat and perking up. "That's real good, you are the best, buddy!" He beamed to the smaller faerin, patting her head if she didn't mind his hand approaching before returning his attention to the speech.

The fact a faction was trying to warn newcomers about the danger was a relief. The more effort to keep people aware of it, the best.

But as the speech occurred, the unexpected water pouring made Hanno quickly raise his shield to use as an umbrella. "Oh crap" He looked up, then at Levi with a nod.

"Wasn't on the plans, but what is a meeting without technical problems, huh?" He hurried to top of the roof, grabbing his giant shield and using its curve as a shovel and bucket to throw the excess of water to give more room for Vina to work on.

"That wasn't the reunion I was expecting, but that works." He chuckled nervously at her.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (63) + 15 = 78
Fitness | Hanno Futaba | 397C2

 

[Cyrus Sylvester]

"Not a problem – sharing is caring, right?" the beastkin was genuinely happy at such a warm reception. In real life, interactions didn't tend to work out so easily…but that's why he was here! Dismissing the slightly gloomy thought, he gave his full attention to the conversation with @Akiva.

"And I'm Cyrus," he took the offered palm in a firm grip, shaking twice with enthusiasm. "Heh, I saw a fellow fan of good food. Just seemed like the thing to do," he was obviously pleased to be thanked, though. "Ooh, neat idea! Yeah, if they're offering, why not snatch 'em up on the go?" He resolved to take even more cookies as he was leaving – even though a look at the fist by his side revealed he still had one or two left over from before. They were all crumbled up now. Not that Cyrus minded.

He shoved all the pieces of the sweets into his mouth as he turned to listen to Levi. As a result, he nearly choked when the commander – not a NPC, but a human trapped in the game?! – revealed the whole three deaths thing. "Wait, wait, that myth is for real?" Cyrus seemed shaken up. "I thought it was just baseless rumours…"

Absentmindedly, he licked at his palm to get the crumbs off, deep in thought. If this wasn't an outright lie, or a delusion on the redhead's part…This changed things, didn't it?

Did it?

"Well…well, as long as we don't die the third time, it should be fine, yeah?" he seemed to be trying to convince himself that things were still fine. He was nodding to himself, gradually regaining his equilibrium – and confidence. "Yeah, so, don't die three times. Got it," he affirmed. His smile was still kind of shaky though.

"I can see why you'd be so forceful if that's true, Commander, and you seem like a great guy, but," Cyrus scratched at his ear. "I didn't really come here to deal with something this…heavy." The beastkin shrugged.

Though his underlying sense of responsibility vied for control, it ultimately lost to the more palatable Nope, no, no. None of my business, not at all, let's forget about it for now line of thought. "Hey, if I ever do manage to get stuck here too, I guess you can call me a fool through and through when I hit you up for help, though," his lopsided smile was belied by his grimly humorous tone. Clearly, he was not able to entirely ignore the possibility of getting trapped in a game, as fantastical as the notion still was to him.

A few moments passed, and the strange atmosphere after Levi's announcement was dispelled by a far more mundane, and concrete concern. The torrential rain was about to flood and fell the building right on top of their heads if nothing was done.

Akiva was on top of his game, and Cyrus followed. He gathered some rope from the supplies pile, and headed back to his acquaintance to secure the beam he'd pointed at. Unfortunately, a part of the roof gave in, and water drenched his new friend. "Oh, man! That's some bad luck, we were a bit late there, huh. C'mon, let's get you a blanket." Cyrus approached, careful to avoid getting too soaked himself. Then, he wrapped a friendly arm around the other man's back, lead him to a corner of the room so Akiva could take a seat somewhere out of the way, and helped him get sorted out.

That done, he looked around at the efforts going on to save the building. He still had a bit of rope, after all, so maybe…He went up to the nearest support pillar and beams, and did his best to secure them with rope. He cocked his head to the side, and thumbed his cheek in embarrassment. His work looked shoddy, and Cyrus had a feeling he hadn't really contributed much.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (4) + 5 = 9
Knack | Cyrus Sylvester | 397C2
Failed.

 

[Cleo Looker]

Pendragon? Cleo bit back a snort at the name. A bit pretentious to name himself after the mythical king of England and wielder of Excalibur, wasn't it? Well, it did seem like just the kind of geeky, overblown name that a gamer would come up with, so she supposed that this had to be a player, unless it was an NPC. She hadn't heard of an NPC that had any kind of reference to the real world before, though.

More important was greeting @Vina Skysong with a brief wave, before returning to something of a staring match with Levi as the man stared back at her, their eyes meeting as a tension rose between them. Something about the guy was different, he seemed less like a bumbling idiot, like many people seemed to. It was the impression that many police officers, or fellow detectives, managed to give off when she spoke to them or spent time around them.

And then the cave in occurred, because of course it did, just when things had been picking up and Cleo had been leaning forwards with interest. It had finally seemed like a source of information would present itself and she was going to be pissed if a leaky roof of all things took that away from her. What a complete wreck. Why couldn't they have chosen to gather people at a place that wasn't about to crumple inwards from a stiff breeze or something as equally pitiful.

Seriously? God damn it...

With a groan she stood, her spear vanishing into her inventory as she cracked her knuckles. She really didn't have many construction skills to work with, but she did at least have something of a knack for investigating things, so she figured she would put that to work, sharp eyes, trained to look over every detail, began to comb through the ceilling, the walls and the support beams.

The beam running along the middle of the roof is rotting at the sections where the other beams slot into it. Replacing that beam should help make things far more stable.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (90) + 15 = 105
Awareness | Cleo Looker | 397C2
Success

 

[Kamala Graham]

Kamala enjoyed the Faerin's cookie as she listened intently to the red-haired leader speak. The fact that he was an officer of the law made her feel a little safe, but that was quickly balanced by his revelation that he has been trapped within the game for five whole years. Five years?! That sounds terrible! She kept her concerns to herself, however, not wanting to spook the others. There might be children here.

She also felt relieved when they were informed that they were not being detained. Kamala has never been detained in her entire life. She had never done anything wrong, given no one any reason, to have her detained. All Kamala has ever wanted to do, in this world and the real one, was to help people, do good, be good. However, if she ever gets detained, she would at least prefer having it as a consequence to her having done more good than harm. Or more good than anything.

It's all right, Levi. Like you said, you folks did save us from the rain!

She was curious about the other factions, however, and just had to ask. She could see herself joining these folks, especially with Levi in command. He seemed like a good person to play that role. Hopefully, he wasn't easily tempted by power. Kamala wasn't too fond of just following orders, but for the good of all, she'd do as she's told.

What are the other factions, if you don't mind me asking?

Before she could settle down and just wait for that response, though, Levi was already asking for their help. Kamala wasn't sure what to do, so she tried to look for the leaks that could easily be fixed and guided the others as best as she could.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (68) + 20 = 88 (Success!)
Awareness | Kamala Graham | 397C2

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

After returning the white-haired fox beastfolk's welcoming smile with a shy and nervous one of her own, Rakka sits back to listen and observe as soon finds herself jealous over how readily the dark-haired man and the sweets-loving beastfolk hit it off... and others here clearly already know each other. If there was a chance for her to speak to the petite white-haired elf that would be nice... but by the time she works up the nerve to try and say hi their Lion Arms hosts had already brought the meeting to order.

Her ears twitch and swivel toward Levi as he casually mentions being trapped, tucking away for later her worry over its implication to flash an uneasy smile in return to Levi Pendragon's reassuring one toward her.

Her lips soon purse into a frown as he mentions getting to them before "other factions mislead you," that seems a line of thought to be wary of... he didn't even seem to consider how mentioning that would bring his own faction under skepticism. That train of thought is quickly interrupted as the stalwart Commander casually confirms her suspicions - he was one of the dead people. Her head snaps up and she looks at him with eyes wide before her ears droop and she drops her head back down to study her hands, then clenches them tight. If the government couldn't save these people... what could she even do?

The reactions of other company to that news snaps her back to the present, and she starts to stand up to go comfort the silver-haired one clearly panicking - but ah, she's already been beaten to it. Typical, she's good for nothing. Too little too late.

Rakka soon finds herself overwhelmed as everyone around her snaps to at Levi's declaration the roof was collapsing from the rain. All she had was fire and a big stupid hammer, that's the opposite of fixing a roof!

The tall rabbitfolk finally stirs at the veiled woman's (@Cleo Looker) statement, shaking her head and standing up. That's something she can do! At least, she hopes she can. Her eyes land on a wooden beam from the supplies the knights had found for emergencies such as this, and with the scrap metal in her pocket she should be able to fashion some nails with her Magitech mastery. That's how this worked, right?

"I - I can get the beam, Red Veil! At least I think I can..."

Without waiting for a reply she hurriedly snatches up the beam and finds her way up on the roof with @Vina Skysong and @Hanno Futaba.

"S - sorry! I'll try not to get in your way... um, gotta fix a beam... maybe."

Out here in this deluge, it's hard to tell if the leporine beastfolk's stuttering her words from nerves or the brutal weather.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (85) + 10 = 95

Fitness | Rakka Deltorra | 397C2