✘ Round 1 | [Text]

[glacius]

Greetings.

I am new to this city. I seek information on a number of things. I have been told that an individual that goes by the name of 'Arya' may be able to tell me more. But anyone else who is willing to part with information--on the city, on the supposed 'gods' that rule it, or any attempts to escape from it--well, it would be appreciated. If you require it, I will find some way to reciprocate, once I have gotten my bearings.

That is all. [He's tempted to ask about the presence of nonhumans in the city and how they are tolerated, but that strikes him as a bit too specific of a question. He's largely been in hiding since his arrival, both because his mission to earth mandated secrecy and because all previous attempts at contact had ended absolutely horribly for him. Glacius isn't feeling secure or trusting enough yet to give away what he really is, hence the text--it's hard to adjust his large fingers to the buttons and he rarely writes in common, but it doesn't give away his appearance or his voice. It's as impersonal as he can currently be. This will have to do for now.]

Comments

[text]

[mismanagement]

I'm in the process of creating a map of the area, as well as marking where some of the monsters or other animals have been cited. It's not complete yet, but you may find it useful.

[The map in question is attached.]

What do you want to know about the gods?

[text]

[glacius]

[Glacius isn't completely familiar with the network, the devices that are used to access it, or the attachment system--and the fact that this technology seems primitive compared to what he's used to does not help. He has to fiddle with it for a moment but eventually he gets the map to open--and Makers, this is already turning out to be much more painless than he anticipated. He'll study the map intensely later. As for right now:] Received. Thank you.

Nearly anything; information is a useful tool, and it would be foolish of me not to equip myself adequately. I'm sure I could come up with specific questions, but first--is there anything you could tell me that you think would be particularly pertinent here?

[text]

[mismanagement]

There is a great deal of information.

One: death is not permanent. The one called Hope has the ability to resurrect the fallen. This process is not without pain.

Two: the gods feed off emotions. They orchestrate and manipulate events in order to facilitate this.

Three: supplies are limited. The gods provide us with some, but it cannot always be trusted. The food was recently poisoned.

Four: We have found nothing that allows us to harm the gods. Yet.

[text]

[glacius]

[Some of this Glacius has already heard, though it is good to hear it from another source to confirm that the person who originally told him all of this was not just attempting to trick him. One thing, however, sticks in his mind:] Death is... not permanent? In what way? Are humans reanimated as skeletons, or are there sorcerers here who have become immortal through the use of dark powers?

[Those are the only ways he's ever seen humans cheat death, and he's not looking forward to running into those sorts of individuals again. Spinal and Kan-Ra... they were more than enough.]

[text]

[synthedick]

I'd be willing to help answer any questions about this city, but it'd be a lot to type up. Anything specific I can answer for you?

[text] /VIBRATES EXCITEDLY...

[glacius]

Well, for starters, this is the first city I've seen constructed underground. Was there a specific purpose there? Has it always been located here, or was it somehow moved, perhaps by the power or will of these 'gods'-- this may seem a ridiculous question, but I noticed that a number of the strange spire-like structures seem to be strangely cut-off, pressed against the cave's ceiling as they are.

Moreover, this city seems to have fallen into a state of disrepair. Are any of the original inhabitants still alive to this day, or are the only beings that inhabit it now ones that have been pulled through this 'Door'? If the latter, do we have any idea of what happened to them, or where they went?

... I could go on, but I trust this is more than enough to assail you with initially. Thank you for your patience.

[text] YESSSSSSSS

[synthedick]

[And yet, this guy comes back with a whole lot of text.]

Let's see if I can't answer at least a few of these. I've not been here too long myself.

I'm not sure how the city got here, but underground facilities are something I'm familiar with from back home. Maybe not an entire city, but a self-sustaining community. Some of them, anyway. Maybe the gods had a reason for putting all this down here, or maybe it's as much of an unknown as how we get home. You'd be better off asking them directly.

As for the original inhabitants, I haven't seen any. Don't know what happened to them. Pretty sure they're long gone and, judging by the furniture in the houses and how little the gods seem to understand the people that've been brought in, they weren't human.

text

[whichend]

[ Arya has never been called out by name on the network before, and her first instinct is to be frightened. In Westeros, most people who wanted to see anyone with that name wished Arya I'll. But those were Lannisters, and their men, and there are no Lannisters here.

Even so, Arya proceeds with caution. ]

Who are you?

text

[glacius]

I am new to the city, and want only to leave it so that I may return home. My name is Glacius. [He entertained, briefly, the idea of offering up a false name... but he doesn't like lying, and he doesn't really know enough about human naming conventions to construct a convincing one anyways.]

A woman named Z told me of you, if that helps at all.

[whichend]

I know Z. Thank you for sharing that with me.

[ It helps her trust Glacius, just a little. ]

Very few have gone home, and it seems to be random. Perhaps involuntary. The caves will not send you home, and the gods will not tell you how to leave. They rule this place, and they know far more than we do.

I have been here since the beginning of it all, and I would like the secrets to cease.

[dreamcatcher]

I'm pretty new, too, not sure how much I can tell you that you don't already know.
that said there seem to be a handful of them. they call themselves gods but I'm not sure I buy it. and people get really touchy about you pressing their buttons.

( which, she kinda gets, but it's frustrating at the same time. )

[glacius]

I am not sure either. The "Door" that we were pulled through could simply be some individual or organization utilizing inter-dimensional manipulation... [which would be alarming and require his immediate attention, as it was something only his people should have access to, but didn't necessarily indicate the presence of gods...] But then again, maybe I simply have a different conception of what a 'god' is from others, I--

--I have no interest in touching pieces of people's clothing, do not worry. [That just sounds outright odd. An expert of human expressions and slang, Glacius is decidedly not.]

[dreamcatcher]

( it's bad that his misunderstanding of a colloquialism sort of puts her at ease. she's used to being around people that don't get it, it reminds her a bit of home. )

it's an expression. like when someone gets on your last nerve. trying to bother them on purpose.
I am not sure they're gods. it just seems like they're magical and powerful. magical, powerful, and arrogant.

text.

[ampliat]

I'm new, but I'm living with guys who have been here since pretty much the beginning apparently. If they haven't already told me an answer, I can just make one of them tell you if they don't respond before then.

text.

[glacius]

I see. It would be appreciated. Yes, I admit I am... surprised at this attention this has gotten. [And that no one has demanded any compensation for their answers.] Everyone seems... oddly helpful here. So far, at least.

text.

[ampliat]

I think it's the mutual suffering sort of thing. It's less suffering when you do it together.

No one seems ready to leave anyone out to hang.

text;

[dedikated]

Well, I can tell you that the caves made the colosseum seem like a fun day out.

text;

[glacius]

[He doesn't yet recognize that this is one of the humans he'd met earlier, given that he doesn't know the ID numbers or usernames of anyone's phones, and he can't hear her voice given the fact that they're conversing via text. The alien's tone sounds intrigued, however.] You have been there too? There seems to be a great number of monsters within, different from the one-eyed things in the colosseum. All intended to prevent our escape, I have no doubt.

text;

[dedikated]

Once or twice. [ more like 'every damn minute she can spare' but whatever. ]

I'd say at least I've got ammo now but those fuckers don't wanna stay dead. [ or there are just too many of them to stop ] If they wanna keep us here they're doing a damn good job.

video

[imobouzu]

"Supposed" gods?

text

[glacius]

[Interesting, someone has changed the response feed on him. Glacius is going to keep his responses strictly in text for the time being.] Yes. Why should I believe so easily?

permavid

[imobouzu]

There are plenty of Gods and far more than is known so it is not odd that there are some that are unfamiliar. And they do seem to be powerful and there is no reason to doubt them.

[Text]

[amos_moses]

I know some odds and ends, but Maketh and Arya and Newt are people who are largely collecting and organizing the information.

I could still try to answer any questions you might have, if you like?

[Text]

[glacius]

I have heard from Maketh and Arya. They seem knowledgeable, and have provided me with interesting ideas to mull over. I will be on the lookout for the other being that you have mentioned.

Very well. I have heard it mentioned that gods attempt to orchestrate the events in this city in order to inspire specific emotions. What does this mean, exactly? What sort of obstacles face us?

[Text]

[amos_moses]

[Other...being? Well, that's a funny way of wording it. Amos, coming from a world where every supernatural myth told by man runs rampant in the flesh, considers this before he answers, carefully polite as he always is when meeting someone new.]

[Not all the old legends are true in what will repel or please the supernatural creatures, but being polite always helps.]

Newt's human. Most of us here are, but there's a few non-humans too.

The gods gain their powers from our emotions. So Fear will do things to frighten us, Hope will try to give us hope. They're...quarreling with eachother, and we are apparently an unexpected side effect in this argument.

Being gods, I'm not sure of the exact limits of their powers, but they are limited. They can still do things like...leave us buried alive, or enspell us into feeling that particular emotion.