acatalepsy_logs | World Jump #2: Struxta

World Jump #2: Struxta

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welcome to
the collected nations of struxta.

It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up. When you blink again, everything has shifted - changed, developed, like in that blink of an eye you have advanced thousands of years into the future.

Around you is a city, a technological marvel. Buildings rise up from the dirt and through the clouds, figures of all shapes and sizes buzz around you. They seem to pay you little mind - a quick glance, maybe a pause, and then they will continue on their away. Ahead, there is a low rumble of thunder, a dim flash of light. It doesn't seem to be raining, but there is an electric hum in the air.

A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH

But before anything too weird can happen . . . your watch flashes again, beeps once, and on it has a new message, a hologram-sparkly image with a young woman who (to some individuals!) looks a fair bit brighter than she did a few weeks ago. To those who are new, you will recognize the voice -- Astoria, the guardian of the Temple (or, if you're a bit more pessimistic, your effervescent kidnapper).

"Hello, my beloved travelers ♥ and new ones, too! My name is Lady Astoria the Witchess-san." The way she says it, though, it is very clearly something of a joke. "I'm so glad you are settling in, adjusting to your new powers . . . I apologize for not coming forward and greeting you all like last time. But I am feeling much more like myself, and ready to send you to a new world ♥

This one is named Struxta . . . Struxa? No, I think it's Struxta. It's very metal. I'm not sure what's wrong in this world . . . but I can feel something building. Pulsing, it's very chaotic. I'm afraid I can't be more detailed than that, I did have a headache earlier . . . Akira told me I was fine ♥" And, again, you can likely guess that Akira definitely did no such thing. Astoria clasps her hands, her bright blue eyes shining, with a bright smile. "Now! Please be safe, and please mind your manners, and tell me all about it when you return! I'll see you soon. ♥"

And, just like that? The humming in the air grows louder, you feel an odd tug in your stomach, and before you can properly adjust yourself to the sensation of being cast across the universe . . . you find yourself in Struxta. (Astoria, it seems, did have it right the first time.)

THE HOSTEL

Just as it was in El Minha, it appears that upon arrival, each character is outfitted with a room at one of the largest, arguably most impressive skyscrapers in the city. Nearly two hundred stories tall, and with each floor containing nearly sixty rooms. Every floor, every room, every door is of the highest tech and the more advanced security. The watches that Astoria has given each of the Circle Members act, in many ways, like a key, a credit card, an ID, and any other form of identification the players will need during their stay.

The rooms themselves are simple - one bed, roughly full sized, with a light, a desk, a chair, and a variety of plugs and buttons. Characters are welcome, if they are able to find the appropriate plug, to charge any and all devices they may have. There is a TV of sorts in the room as well, with access to all manner of shows and news stations.

The bottom floor of the building is almost as large as a city block. It is open, sleek, and clean-cut. A kind of open meeting room, which has - upon inspection - been modified to include what appears to be a restaurant. Which, given the fact the group of Circle members who have arrived in the city are the only natural bodies around? Includes the fact you are the only members of the city who have to consume food and nutrients. Upon even closer inspection, the technology used to make the food seems a few decades behind that of the rest of the city, but it still works, and the food can still be produced. It might taste a little weird and turn out to be some sort of glorified goop, but it has some nutritional value.

The rest of the floor has a variety of seating arrangements and places to sit and chat with your other Circle members, but beyond the Welcome Committee, who is set up on the far northern corner, there doesn't seem to be many of the natives walking through.

THE SUPER CENTER

Have you ever wanted to go shopping in the most technologically advanced superstore possible? Here is your chance! It appears that if you use your watch, you have been given a moderate amount of credit to buy clothing, toys, electronics, items, and anything else that might suit your fancy. You will not have enough to buy anything significant, such as limbs, organs, advanced computer technology, etc. But you are more than welcome to find a job to help collected more credits! Many of the stores within the Supercenter are hiring - greeters, cashiers, manual labor, errand runners, and everything in between!

The Supercenter is attached, as most of the buildings seem to be in this city, by a roadway of interlocking bridges and stairways- to a point that you could, if you wanted to, move about the entire city without stepping foot outside. There are bridges on every level of the Supercenter, as well as a network of pathways and semi-roadways within the center itself.

There are no restaurants or bars, but there are plenty of areas to relax and ~~people~~ robot watch if you so desire. Otherwise, shop, explore, find weird mechanical devices of the likes you could never imagine back home. There are all manner of stores, some art galleries, music centers, arcades, and more here. There is no limit to what you can find and what you can experience.

Everything is automated, but there are still helpful employees of various appearances at each of the stories to help you decide and browse- small, flying blocks that speak in primarily beeping noises that (thanks to Astoria's wonderful watches) you can somehow understand, completely human-appearing androids of the utmost style and elegance, and everything in between. Take your time, do a little shopping or go to work, and enjoy the pique of futuristic capitalism.

THE RACES

In the south-eastern district of the city, a large section of the city has been modified into a multi-level, vast, complicated race track of sorts. Think Tron, meets Speed Racer, meets a type of racing that is something all their own. It's fun as hell, fast as hell, and dangerous as hell. Sounds great, right?

What is simply known as ‘Racing’ here in Struxta is complicated, but at its heart is exactly what it says: it is a race. A race of cars, bikes, and everything in between through an obstacle course of everything you can imagine. It seems to all be linked, electronically, to a motherboard that decides - each race - what the drivers will find. Each race was drastically different, with dangers galore. One day you might find that the road is full of spikes, the next it might be slick as oil, there could be loops that defy gravity and breaks in the road that seem to be impossible to cross, but that's what the modifications and specialists in the garages are for, right?

The rules are simple: if you have a vehicle, and you have a driver, you are allowed to race. First one to complete the track, wins.

Surrounding the main track is an entire industry of shops, stores, garages, meeting places, lounge areas, and viewing rooms. There are robots who make entire livings on the industry surrounding the Races, without ever having to step food onto the course. Some of the areas will be cleaner, like the rest of the city, while others may air on the side of back-house garages. While there won't be any dirt or natural life forms, for the first time you might catch sight of rusted metal, oil slicks, broken down previous versions of what's out on the road. There are some practice tracks, some experimental safety sections to test out new additions, etc.

The one thing that holds everyone together, here, is the excitement around watching. The excitement around the competition. There are Races every five days, so that gives you just enough to get settled. And maybe find a car.

THE LIBRARY

As many have already come to hear, there are plenty of libraries and museums all across Struxta. However, there is one that is known as The Library, which archives anything and everything in the history of all of Struxta, spanning back its entire history, over thousands and thousands of years. The building itself is as large and impressive as The Hostel, nearly two hundred stories tall, possibly more, and as wide and long as a city block. But where in the Hostel each floor had been made up of rooms, each of these floors are large, open areas, with dark, imposing servers held behind tight, clean cabinets.

No one else seems to be here, which gives the impression that The Library is not open to just any native of Struxta, and that in fact - as members of the Circle you are being given special access to what would normally be off-limits.

In the middle of each floor, there is a small collection of tables, with large screens. These touch-screens will be your access into the Library archives. And that is the thing - you will have access to everything, but as it turns out, everything really means everything, and with backups spanning the course of thousands of years in the past, it will take a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of research determination to find anything of use. Not because it is difficult, just because it is so massive and so overwhelming.

The only natives you will find will be on the first floor, as a kind of secretarial position for the building. They are more than happy to try and help guide you through the search process, but they will not follow you up to any of the other floors, and there is a distinct feeling of being entirely alone when you do go up to begin your search. Alone, but watched, somehow.

Remember- if there is something that you wish to look up specifically, please ask over on the world interactions post so we can be sure that the correct information is shared! The best way to go about finding something in the Library will be going at search terms in teams, as there is so much information there is no way one person will be able to wade through it all.

Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the mod questions thread back in the OOC post from before! And if you have any ideas regarding how your character will interact with the world, also feel free to check back into the world interactions comment from the OOC post from before, as well!

From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the Collected Nations of Struxta. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds like a plan to me.

[ Time to go over and see if he can… pick it up. ]

[The weight of the container isn’t insubstantial, but it is reasonably carried by someone with above average strength. Still, Connor steps forward and offers-]

I can assist you, if you like.

[Connor doesn’t look like... anything special in the strength department, but he’s at least stronger than he looks!]

I don’t mind doing some heavy lifting.

[ He feels like he’s been a bit useless up to this point, his heroic conquest of a gate aside, and so doesn’t mind helping. He gives the container a tug to test the weight. Ultimately, he’s carried supply crates back and forth across the Reach that have been heavier than this, so he hefts the container into his arms with a grunt of effort. ]

Might need you to get that gate again.

[ It may have swung shut behind them. ]

[Well, Arenvald is about as strong as Connor expects him to be, judging by his overall build. Still, he pauses for a moment -- just to make sure his friend is not putting up a brave face for the sake of feeling useful -- before he nods and turns to head back towards the gate.]

Thanks again for helping me. I know this isn't the most exciting of tasks to have delegated to you.

[Not that Arenvald has complained even once. Maybe Connor is just projecting a little.]

Oh, it's not so bad. You should hear about some of the odd jobs I've been on before.

[ #justadventurerproblems ]

Finding lost cargo is actually pretty standard fare.

I wouldn't mind hearing about them.

[When they reach the gate, it's his turn to unlatch it. Yay for thumbs! He holds it open for Arenvald to pass through.]

Your odd jobs, I mean. Or anything you might think makes for an interesting story.

[In other words, Connor wouldn't mind hearing a story about unravelling a mystery, or, you know, solving a murder or two.]

I can’t say any odd jobs count for interesting stories. I’ve done everything from what we’re doing now, to tracking down lost sheep, to delivering messages. Anything for a bit of gil.

[ He steps through the open gate with a nod of thanks. ]

I could tell you about the time my friends and I uncovered a lost treasure vault.

[Through the power of context clues, Connor equates "gil" with the money of Arenvald's world.

But naturally, far more interesting is the mention of a lost treasure vault. He tilts his head slightly as Arenvald steps past, and follows, letting the gate swing shut.]

Yes. I'd like to hear that one. What kind of treasure?

Anything you could think of, really. Money, jewels, candlesticks and vessels cast in gold. I didn’t think I’d ever see that many riches in my entire life.

[ Once they make it out of the little alley and onto the street proper, Arenvald finds someplace relatively out of the way to set the container. ]

Before I was born, the ruler of my… my homeland of Ala Mhigo was a man by the name of Theodoric. The Mad King, they called him. The King of Ruin. He was paranoid and tyrannical, going so far as to put his own family to the blade for the smallest of slights, real or imagined.

The people rose up and rebelled, and in the end, Theodoric, outnumbered and outmatched, took his own life. In the wake of his death there came the rumor of his hidden treasury. Many set out to find it, but none ever did. Twenty long years later, it remained little more than a story.

[Connor’s too observant to not notice the slight hitch, the smallest pause, before mention of Arenvald’s homeland. It’s noted, because such things always are; but for now, not so important that he wishes to derail this quite intriguing start of a tale.

He quickly messages his “clients” with a few quick taps on his watch, and with that out of the way, he can focus better on this story. They’ve the time to talk as they wait.]

But a lead came up? Something that proved it was more than just a story?

Well, I thought to look into it myself, with a couple of friends -- Alphinaud and one other. We started asking around the city for anyone who knew aught about the Mad King, and fortune lead us to a man who was once the royal scribe. He told us a rather grim tale, that some of the king's kin were turned into terrible creatures by the court thaumaturge and cast into "the darkness beneath the palace".

[ He leans his back against the nearest wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he speaks. ]

I thought it to be another tale, of course. A rumor that spun out of control over the years, and what's more, the palace had already been searched thoroughly by many a soldier and treasure hunter alike. There were no mention or trace of terrible fiends anywhere on the palace grounds, or within its walls.

Alphinaud believed there to be more to this, however. After a bit of digging, he came to a rather brilliant conclusion. Not far outside the city lies Loch Seld, a great salt lake, and at the bottom of those waters? The ruins of an ancient city by the name of Skalla.

[So much of this is difficult to parse on Connor’s end. There’s much of Arenvald’s story that sounds so fantastical that by default, his reasoning is resounding loudly with the words “impossible, improbable” in his mind. But he discards all that dry logic for a change. He knows that anything goes, these days, which is a thought that always settles strangely in him.

And honestly, for once he just wants to listen to someone else’s story without the pretense of having to suspend his disbelief. He finds himself doing so, standing straight and clasping his hands behind his back.]

These ruins, the darkness beneath the palace. Were there terrible creatures?

Aye, there were. Alphinaud and I sought entry to the ruins through a magically-concealed portal within the palace, while our friend found an underwater entryway.

There were some natural creatures in the ruins, the sort that dwell in the cold and wet and dark, but far more numerous were the unnatural creatures. There were tall, skeletal figures wreathed in blue fire, and floating, bulbous specters, and others still that defy description. We fought when we had to, ran when we could, and just when I thought for sure we'd become lost, the floor gave way beneath us and we quite literally fell into the Mad King's trove.

[ Not his finest moment, but he can laugh about it now. ]

We'd been beaten there by our companion, who had dealt with much the same, and even vanquished the great beast guarding the treasure room itself.

That sounds.... amazing, actually. Creatures that I have trouble imagining, given that I have no frame of reference.

[His world seemed so much more... colorful than his. Fantastical.]

What sort of beast gaurded the treasure room? And what did you do afterwards?

I didn't see it myself. Apparently once defeated, it reverted to its human form and dissipated, but to hear tell of it, it was like a lion that walked on two legs, with the wings of a bat and a tail like an alligator. It was probably twenty, twenty-five fulms in height.

I'm almost glad I missed it.

[Twenty, twenty-five-

His processing loops again, unable to reconcile that strange word in his head. He asks for clarification.]

You mean feet?

[ Um. What? ]

I... uh, what about its feet? I'd guess they were probably like paws.

[What?]

What?

[Wait. No.]

No. Not the monster’s actual feet. The monster’s height. In feet.

I'm... not entirely sure what you're asking.

[ Well, this is going nowhere. ]

I told you how tall it was. What do feet have to do with it?

[His LED flashes briefly.]

...

I think this is a matter of miscommunication. You said ‘fulms’. Is that a unit of measurement?

[ Oh.

OH. ]

Oh! I get it now. I've run into this before, with months instead of moons. Um... I'm not sure how to describe a fulm. It's... twelve ilms? Twelve ilms in a fulm, three fulms in a yalm.

[ Vague... hand motions... ]

[His brows knit together, trying to equate what he knows versus what he’s hearing.]

So. Feet, inches, and yards. I understand now — similar measurements, but different names for them.

That’s still so strange to me. I’ve never had to explain a fulm to someone before. Next you’ll be telling me you don’t call chocobos “chocobos”, either.

[ He is… only half joking. At this point he kind of expects it. ]

[It's getting to the point where even Connor cannot quite know whether or not Arenvald is joking with him, playing with his ignorance regarding his world and things like... "chocobos". Which is, honestly, a little confusing, given that he's been designed to read people and situations with relative ease.

Supposedly.]

Is that a type of- [Let him judge the etymology of such a word, with nothing to go on] -food where you're from?

What?

[ His expression falls immediately, but moreso at the universe's awful sense of humor than Connor's assumption. He had been joking!! Kind of! ]

They're animals, but we don't typically eat them. Do you... uh, do you know what a horse is?

BECAUSE HE FELL IN THE WELL

STOP

#SAVEHANK

⬆SOFTWARE INSTABILITY

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