( world #2 - the storm. )

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players a storm approaches.This log is for everyone who signed up for The Storm investigation. Feel free to use the here to plot further on how you plan on approaching The Storm, and the issue. The mod questions thread is also open, if you have anything you would like to run by us. the investigation. It takes a day of preparation, and a day of discussion, before you are led further down into the tunnels. It's pitch black, but one of the BGs who you have become familiar enough with turns on a low light and continues further. You walk for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes, and then turn a corner into a large, open cavern. The BG explains that at one time, this had been an underground transportation system - old and unused for centuries, now, but still in working order. They file each of you onto a single car - it seems to be large enough to fit nearly a hundred, possibly more, bodies - so everyone has a space. The BG explains that they have already input the coordinates into the system, and that once they close the door, you will be transported to the last known location. The car will be programmed to wait for 72 hours, and then will return to this location. There is food and water supplied, and already packed, in the car. If you are not back in the car by that time, it will leave you behind. They then give their farewells, thank you for your help and readiness, and step away from the door - letting it close behind them. The car travels down a pitch black tunnel, and while the inside is dimly lit enough for the Circle Members to see each other and move around without hinderance, you can see nothing through the windows. It continues for a few hours at this rate - nothing to see, no idea where you are going. That is, until it seems to break through the surface, the track running through buildings and another, unknown area of the city. The streets and buildings are abandoned, the tech old and outdated, windows broken out and dust filling the street. The sky, like back in the city you knew before, is cloudy and grey. But these clouds are different - these clouds are dark in a way you haven't seen before. You travel for another half hour above ground before the cart comes to a stop, and during this time it happens twice. A low rumble, seeming to come from everywhere at once, and then a few heartbeats after, a disasterous flash of lighting - miles away, yes, but threatening and gigantic, brighter and more violent than you've ever seen lightning before. The crash shakes the ground under you, and the damage is immense. But the buildings are abandoned, the streets empty save for crates, old mechanical bits, dusty remnants of a society long forgotten by the Struxta you came from just a couple of days prior. This is The Storm you've been warned about. the storm. You have been asked to find out information that will help the BG's, and Struxta, to stop The Storm. From what you can gather, it does seem to be a naturally occurring weather phenomenon, as far as weather systems seem to work on this planet. However, rather than scattered thunder and lightning strikes, it seems to almost recharge and strike with epic proportions. It can damage, or destroy, buildings. It shorts out any and all items (and people) who depend on electricity in any form to function (Sorry Daylight and Conner, sorry to anyone who brought along technology) within a three mile radius. The 'darkness' the BGs were talking about does follow this storm, but they seem to have been referring to this electrical shortage that comes from the storm and it's strikes. If this storm does reach any of the still-occupied areas of the city, it will shut down the entire grid, as well as any of the robots, androids, or electrically based figures that exist there - essentially ending the life of every Struxta citizen that is effected. Plot, plan, theorize, and see if you can find a way to stop The Storm. If not, be back on the train car in 72 hours time, to return to the BGs and report what you have found. PROMPT IDEAS 1.) Discussions on the train - do you have any ideas for what to prepare? Any discussions you may want to have? You and your fellow Circle Members are caught here together for a few hours, driving into a situation you know very little about. What do you want to make sure you're prepared to handle? 2.) Scouting missions - the heart of The Storm is very much in the distance, and it is not moving quickly, giving Circle Members plenty of time to set out and check out the surrounding city. What you will find won't be much - this is a robotic ghost town in every turn of the phrase. Buildings have been abandoned for hundreds of years, covered in dust and left entirely undisturbed, except for the breeze that now seems to flit through this entire area. There are stores, warehouses, apartments, and buildings you can't even tell what they were used for, cleared out. Whenever, or whoever, lived in this part of Struxta had evacuated, quickly but efficiently. 3.) The Storm - The Storm is still a distance away from where the cart has dropped you off, enough that when your 72 hours are up, the heart of the storm and the lightning strikes shouldn't reach the car, or the track. This does mean that to do any closer investigation, you will need to go to The Storm itself. But be careful - the electrical output from these lightning strikes are dangerous, and can have all sorts of effects on both natural and mechanical beings. The wind, the closer you get to The Storm, will also pick up - making any kind of flying or air travel impossible. 4.) Planning - the car leaves everyone off at an old train station, which a large room attached. This room can be used as a kind of home base, as well as a meeting location. What do you plan on doing? Simply taking down information, or trying to take the storm head on? How do you plan on doing that? Will your abilities help? This room attached onto the train station is a safe location - no effects of The Storm will make it inside. Use as you would like!

Comments

[spaceforged]

True. And we haven't ruled out if this storm was started by magic.

He pads forward and feels ahead of him with his paws. He doesn't have much sense of touch as the Lion. But he can feel the vibrations beneath his claws. He hasn't noticed anything strange yet.

Shiro pauses to turn his head and give everything ahead of them a once over, letting the light of his eyes sweep slowly over their surroundings. See anything?

[teratias]

Well, is it more magic or likely to be natural? The planet originally had the latter, but not the former. If I had to pick between the two, it'd be natural, based on that fact alone.

Waver is careful with where he steps, expecting broken glass and not being disappointed. With the headlight-eyes (god, what the fuck even?) Waver squints.

Just more broken equipment.

[spaceforged]

He leans down and swipes broken glass out of their path with a sweep of his paw. Mindful of his claws he makes a second sweep. It should have cleared something. He raises his head and resumes his slow walk, paws barely making any noise when he moves. He's had a lot of practice at it.

'I'd say it's probably more likely to be natural or tech based. Sometimes tech used to harness natural energies can go horribly wrong.

He spots the twisted wreck of some shelves ahead and trots forward. He grabs it with his jaws and moves it away, opening a path beyond it. 'If it's tech-based...any number of reasons could be the answer to why it went out of control. But that would mean we're sent in to fix conflicts of all sorts. Not just wars.'

[teratias]

If it's tech based, then that suggests there's something out there causing a much bigger problem. Say, a place like this, but with live wires everywhere. We'd need a safe way to approach that without getting hurt, and I don't know if we can just insulate everyone.

It is also a ridiculous mental image, but neither here nor there. Waver's damn grateful for Shiro's glass sweeping, and he actually moves so he's behind Shiro, following the cleared path.

Mm. Well, that felt true with the coven too, you know? A government hiding stuff from its citizens is a pretty different sort of conflict to be involved with and-- huh. Can you illuminate the corner on your far right? I think I saw an actual bookcase.

[spaceforged]

Shiro stops and turns his head, aiming the glow of his eyes to the far right. He moves a few steps in that direction. He uses his claws to sweep more debris out of their way to open up a path.

It did feel true in the coven. But in the coven the safety and preservation of others wasn't a rule. I got told once that as long as we got the magic source that was all that mattered.

His bitterness isn't present. He's speaking in the familiar matter of fact tone. But that doesn't matter right now. This does. So far, we're aware it shorts out machines. If this is natural...anyone where would have only known it was coming from visual confirmation. Any equipment would go down. Aircraft, all of it.

[teratias]

Waver wades through what remains, hoping the bookcase might have...something? Anything. When he gets there, paper is scattered and torn up, but there's no one whole book resting on there.

It doesn't stop him from picking up one of the pieces and taking a closer look.

--Did Qri say that, or one of her spokespeople?

There's a difference, probably. ...Yeah, so storm monitoring isn't an option. Ugh, the ink on these are all faded.

[spaceforged]

'Can you tell what any of it says?

He creeps closer as his eyes glow a bit brighter. Shiro angles his head to give Waver just that much more light. He can't see anything he can reach or move aside to find something else.

It's just like the apartments. Nothing useful just wreckage. Just how fast did this all happen? 'It was Genette, I think. I never really talked to the other one. It's possible the Qri didn't believe that.

...but it's not like we ever got the chance to really talk to her.'

He crouches down, shining his light directly on the pages.

[teratias]

Waver moves closer to Shiro as well, his hands trying not to crunch the brittle pages. The paper hasn't aged well, and Waver knows that there are bits flaking off right now, like the paper has bad dandruff.

"Looks like all the ink's faded over time," he says, practically pushing against Shiro to get the most light on the page. "That's not surprising, but it's definitely disappointing."

There are the faintest hints of what might have been schematics on the page, but time and light and everything else have rendered them useless.

Yeah, that's true. This new one, she's more talkative, but I trust her less for it in a way/

[spaceforged]

I don't trust her either. Less so after what happened to me. ...but I want to know if she's really responsible for that or not before I pass judgment.

Shiro moves a little closer to Waver and lifts his head, angling his eyes to give him the best possible light. He still can't read anything on the pages.

It has to have been a long time for paper to be this degraded..

He'd gotten the faintest hint that it might have been a design of some sort but what for the pages are too faded to tell.

[teratias]

Ink can fade in a few conditions, but I get your point...

Waver sighs, reaching for another stack of papers just to see if the condition on any of them is better. He flips through the pages slowly, now definitely pressing up against Shiro for the best possible light. Thank god he's metal.

And hang on, what do you mean "what happened to you?"

[spaceforged]

He angles his head over Waver's shoulder. He still can't read anything. It takes a bit of restraint not to snort in frustration. He curls his body around him to keep him guarded against any possible hostiles. He's paranoid and he knows it.

But it will keep his friend safe. I had a strange dream and woke up with a new appearance and new memories trickling into my head. Through out the day I gained more memories until they cut off the next day. Do you know Keith? He had the same thing happen to him.

[teratias]

"--!" Waver's not exactly sure how to react to a big metal lion trying to curl around him like an overprotective well, dog, actually, but it is enough of a surprise to startle him.

But his attention is drawn back to the pages a few moments later. There's blueprint paper here too, but that's faded out and truly falling apart in his hands. He sighs, and decided to just put it back down. It's yielding nothing.

I haven't met him yet, no. Give it a few more days, Shiro. But that's...okay, wait, dream or did it feel intensely real?

[spaceforged]

It felt real. And judging by how my arm was missing halfway through the bicep leaving just the changed metal shoulder and some change behind...it happened.

He tips his head slightly to sweep his eyes around last time. They have found out a few key things. It has been so long no evidence will on the surface. The best chance for clues is in sealed rooms or below ground. The memories came to me throughout the day. It had felt like a dream until I got a look at the changes to myself in a mirror.

Then it had hit him like a speeding train.

[teratias]

Huh.

Waver taps his chin, thoughtful.

It's...almost like time caught up to you, it sounds like. You were pulled from one specific point, but you've been here, not quite static but still removed. And then time caught up with you in that particular way.

It sounds perfectly mad, and so Waver looks down at Shiro to make sure that he sounds sane. Does that make sense in any way to you?

[spaceforged]

He nods his head as he moves back, uncurling from around Waver. It makes sense. It would explain how it was possible despite...certain conditions I went through. Shiro pauses and looks around. Let's head back and see where else we can search. We need to check how close the storm is.

He draws back enough to make a path for Waver to take back through the warehouse. Still, I wonder if Astoria has anything to do with time finding me.

[teratias]

It's probably rude and condescending to pat Shiro's lion form on the head or anything, but Waver's hand does briefly brush against the shoulder in a similar enough gesture to make it clear he's trying to say thank you.

I think that's a question worth figuring out. If you two aren't the only one to go through it, then that's something worth knowing and being able to anticipate.

Waver begins to follow in Shiro's wake, careful of where he steps just to be on the safe side.

[spaceforged]

That's exactly why we put a call through the watch. We wanted to warn everyone. Maybe we should make a bulletin board for the hub for important information people need to know.

He pauses to lightly bump Waver in his own thank you. It's a very careful movement. He doesn't want to cause him to stumble or fall over. Shiro walks on, stalking through the warehouse and clearing the way back with swipes of his claws.

Lance went through it too. That's three people from my universe. But I doubt it will stay contained to us.

[teratias]

It'd be weird if it was isolated. Did you guys go through it all at about the same time?

Waver's glad that the bump is returned, it feels way less weird now. Moving through everything, there is palpable disappointment that follows with Waver. This was a dead end, and there's an entire city full of 'em.

[spaceforged]

Come to think of it, they did. He prowls along and pauses long enough to shove aside a fallen set of shelves that must have toppled over when they got deeper into the warehouse.

Yes, actually. We all went through it on the same night. It took about a day to clear up and memories to...mostly settle.

[teratias]

Waver frowns at that, stopping for a moment.

...I...I don't want details, but what you ended up gaining. Was it all something major? No. That isn't articulating it best. Waver shakes his head. Or along those lines. Because I might have a theory if it's true, but we'd need to move beyond your immediately circle to confirm validity.

In these times, it helps that magecraft tries to be like a science, he thinks. Even has he nearly stumbles over a shelf that has mostly been pushed out of the way.

[spaceforged]

He casts a glance back at Waver with eyes that have flared to brighter intensity. His version of a shocked look while in Lion shape. He and Keith had gained major memories. There’s no getting around that. Lance tied to events by being part of Voltron also gained memories of major importance.

They get close enough to the entrance to the warehouse that he slows down a little. We all gained memories of major events. Most of it they had been through and I hadn’t. Now I’m caught up and the three of us are ahead of the other two from our reality.

They reach the entrance and he changes shape. His white hair falls into his usual grey eyes and his very white eyebrows furrow. “Keith and I woke up injuried from the battles we fought and I had to have what was left of my arm replaced. Talk to me about this theory.”

[teratias]

Surprised lion faces are...comedic, in truth, but Waver doesn't laugh. It just looks very strange on the visage of that lion, and Waver simply nods as they finish up the warehouse. A waste of time as far as gaining new information went, but deeply important for something larger.

Shiro...is still Shiro, but the shock of white hair does take Waver a moment. He blinks, the only real surprise he shows, and then nods quietly.

"It's mostly about how time works when we're pulled from a certain spot," he begins, careful with how he goes about explaining the concept. Waver quietly leans on the entrance doors for support, his brow furrowed as he continues. "We are plucked out from point A. And yet what you're telling me is that time flows after point A, when there should be a gap from your absence. So...point A is both when we're from and when we're returned to, in theory, and we continue to exist after that point, and out of time. At least, I think that is what might be happening."

He sighs, shaking his head. "Magecraft considered time travel and manipulation one of the True Magics, so even our understanding isn't as advanced as we'd like."

[spaceforged]

He listens in silence. Waver has always been good for theorizing or filling in some gap. He is as much a teacher of magic as he is a friend. Shiro crosses his arms over his chest and builds a model of the concepts being explained in his mind. He spent so long inside the Lion’s consciousness that drafting up models is as easy as matching out flight paths. “So, about what I was thinking. We start at point A. My point A was much farther behind the others but that makes no difference when the target point to take us back from was the same for all three of us.”

The events that lead up to the new point A might not have relevance to the energy needed to do it. “And Yes, I didn’t notice any strangeness or remember what happened here. I think the dream I had was actually living through those events. That would explain waking up as injuried as I was in my memories. ...what are the other True Magics?”

[teratias]

"It may be that when you're returned, you'll be at the new point A, so all of the dreaming you've gone through may be a wait of catching you up."

Waver shakes his head. Time travel is confusing as anything, he has no love of it at all. He rubs his temples slowly, trying to see if there's any other thoughts that come to the surface.

"It...may be that you have lived them, and dreaming is the transmission mechanism. All things are possible with time travel nonsense," he says finally. "As for the magics, there's Five of them. Two are...vague. The other two that are not relate to the operation of parallel worlds and the immortality of the soul, respectively."

[spaceforged]

Five Magics and messing with the soul being one of those. He isn’t surprised. “The immortality of the soul...does that include anything you do with the soul?” He might as well ask. It would be a very good idea to see just how powerful Allura and all magical Alteans are. By extension the Lions.

Should he tell Waver he...died? That is a question he mulls over as he stares at the ground. Finally he adds, “So, Astoria or whatever used this magic is extremely powerful. I think they get their hold on us through our souls.”