Beyond Time and Space

For all RPs taking place in the world Gaera Main.
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Kelne
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Unread postby Kelne » Wed May 28, 2008 8:20 pm

Kelne, by contrast, took a look around and decided his own attire wasn't too terribly outlandish, and he might as well stick with it. He'd just wind up getting something similar in any case.

After getting identification and currency, Kelne hit what what one of the locals would term a tourist shop. Spurning the fuzzy mascot souvenirs (none of which looked much like any animal he was familiar with), he picked out two good quality world maps. One went into the tome of portals, which began quietly absorbing it. The other went into a map case already packed with numerous other maps of worlds and continents.

From there, he idly took in the various storefronts along the way to rejoin the others. Seeing a functioning hi-tech society was certainly a new experience for him. And, on the whole, it was a positive one. Still, he couldn't help but remember that this place was essentially Krynus showing its best side to visitors. He expected he would come into contact with its dark side soon enough.

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Shinigori V2
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Unread postby Shinigori V2 » Thu May 29, 2008 4:48 am

Annie gave Deeum a goofy but honest smile and a double thumbs-up as she showed off her new attire. "Looking good. You'll fit right in."

The winged woman, identified as Selene DuGalle, looked around for a moment, as if she had lost something. Notably, she herself wore a green longcoat, the end of which was tattered, with the main body tattered with patches (With a giant D on the back), along with a shirt sporting the design of a sad penguin (Captioned with 'it's not my fault you suck.'), and denim pants not unlike Deeum.

"Hmm. They've changed things a bit. That bar they were building the last time's finished now. Man, this whole stinkin' place is all commercial now." Selene says, looking around.
Hey there! Can I give you a hand?

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Nakibe
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Unread postby Nakibe » Thu May 29, 2008 3:55 pm

There was something more than vaguely odd to Richard about coming to another world for the sake of saving a friend and ending up in, of all things, a GIFT SHOP of some kind trying to figure out what sort of clothes you'd wear for the forseeable future. This, of course, meant that Richard was slowly working himself into a mood as he rejected this and cursed that and thought that this thing was OF THE DAMNED. And so on and so forth.

Finally, looking thoroughly annoyed, Richard got his identification, changed his spare change (actually a fair amount for a guy to take on a trip) and came out in a red jacket with a purplish shirt with "Bad Dog" on the front, matching dark blue pants, and a silver necklace with a twisting dragon on it. Alongside this he came out with one backpack that promised to be well-used by the time Richard got through with it.

"Meh. This don't look too bad, right?" he asked Idran as he headed out. "So. Ya said something about a tour, right? Wouldn't mind that myself."

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NebulaQueen
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Unread postby NebulaQueen » Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:02 am

Spob smoothed out his ears-no, not ears, hair. What were once long, fluffy ears now resembled lengthy black dreadlocks that reached down his back. It was still strange getting used to the difference between how he looked and how he was; human eyes instead of catslits, dark skin where fur was, and a sharp, angular, and now hairless face.

He glanced around the different sights, and frowned slightly. "No kidding," he muttered. "Talk about an overhaul." No matter where he looked, his eyes were assaulted with blinking lights, gaudy signs, and tacky plastic displays. He admitted that the decor was a bit spartan for his tastes the last time he visited, but this was ridiculous. The Doman side may have been lonesome, but at least it still had dignity.

Spob shook his head, and rummaged through the clothing. Eventually he found a comfortable looking shirt that vaguely resembled a tunic, and a matching pair of cloth pants. This should do nicely. "And I can help with a tour," he said. "Though I'm not sure how much help I'd be. Everything around here's so different now."

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:44 am

"Things have changed a lot, yeah. It's...well, it's an interesting place now. I'm not sure how well it does the job of getting Domans used to Krynus, but if they can handle this place, I suppose they can handle most anything Krynus can throw at them." With a chuckle, Idran starts off along the storefronts, pointing out different facilities as they pass.

"Most of these places you can probably grasp the purpose of. That's a hair stylist there. There's a book store. The books are a lot slimmer here, not nearly as bulky. One of the nicer parts of the technology here, I'd say. They've got fiction here in this shop, histories, world primers, a few language guides depending on where you might be going. Pretty much any reading material you might need, really. Ah, you could probably guess this one, that's a toy shop next to it. I'm a little surprised to see that, honestly. Didn't think they'd get that many children through here. Oh, the food service is coming up here.

"There's a nice cafe here. A little expensive, but the food's great. If you want something cheaper, there's...well, Doma doesn't exactly have fast food, but the name says it all, really. It's not bad, but the main allure is it's cheap and quick. Oh, and it looks like they did finish that bar. If you'd like, you can go ahead and sample some of the local drink while you're here too.

"Oh, that's another of the interesting pieces here. See that box there, mounted up on the wall with the moving pictures? It's a television, a sort of...illusion box. They send out images of different performances and whatnot, news recitations, sporting events, that sort of thing, and those boxes pick them up and show you illusions of them from great distances. It's not magic, or even magitech. It's pure technology.

"...Oh, and this is just perfect. Speaking of, it looks like they've got something of a miniature museum set up now. Down that hall, the large room with the pictures up on the wall. If you want to familiarize yourself with the technology here, that looks like it'd be the place. Those displays seem to cover just about everything. Transportation, weaponry, it looks like they've even got a few displays on items you'd encounter just in day to day life.

"Oh, and that room there, next to the exit, that'd the identification card terminal. It's pretty simple. You just give your name and some information, and they take an image of you and create a card from it." Taking out his own, he shows it around; a small thing, about the size of a playing card, with the word "D-52" embossed along the center in a material vaguely resembling metal, but catching the light much more iridescentally. "It's not necessary, exactly, but it could certainly come in handy. Ah, and this is where we'll be heading first, by the way; D-52. They're the ones that run this side of the portal, they're not too far from here by boat. And you won't believe the size of this city when you see it." He grins, turning to the others, the slight pain he's probably still feeling completely submerged under the vicarious excitement he feels for them. "If you haven't seen anything like it before, then I know you'll be astounded. It's a construction style like nothing on Gaera.

"And...well, I suppose that's about the gist of it. Like I said, most of the spots you could probably grasp for yourself, but go ahead and ask if you couldn't figure something. If you want something to eat, or a drink, or just peruse some, feel free. I'll be getting a small meal myself, and then I'll be waiting out on the dock for the ship. Anything one of us can explain for you beforehand?"

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Kelne
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Unread postby Kelne » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:05 am

Kelne's intersection with the group turned out to be brief, his attention being caught by Idran's description of the museum. It seemed like a good place to familiarise himself with Krynus without people trying to sell him things.

"I think I'll check out the museum," he said simply, "I'll meet you at the docks when it's time." The television also seemed like a good tool in that regard; he suspected you could tell a lot about a society by what they flashed up on big screens for everybody to see.

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Besyanteo
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Unread postby Besyanteo » Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:20 pm

Jeridan's thoughts ran similar t Kelne's in the first regard, but if he'd been questioned about the television he would have simply said he wasn't interested at the moment. It was interesting, to be sure. He could see alot of uses for the things. Right now, though, they just didn't catch his interest. Perhaps later.

"I'm going with Kelne for now. Can't promise to stick together, but I'll be at the dock later."

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Unread postby Deeum » Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:34 pm

Deeum walked and listened quietly as Idran explained all there is to know about this place. She was intrigued if anything else. It doesn't seem THAT far off from Doma, just.. much more shiny and advanced.

After the tour had ended, Deeum took care of what she had left to do and went to the newly build bar to sit down and relax before we actually get started on our trip.

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:34 am

Killing time, Deeum heads to the bar. Sounds pour from the device suspended on the wall, updates on some sort of sport from the sound of it. There's not many others around to take in the entertainment, though. Besides herself, there's a pair of folks chatting in the far corner. An off-duty guard keeps to himself near the window. And at the bar, a blonde woman looks up, barely 25 if that from the look of her. With a grin, she greets the traveler, speaking with a slight accent that Deeum certainly doesn't recognize from back home. "Oh, hi! You're from the other side, aren't you? Wow, I've never met someone from another world before. I'm Sam."



Meanwhile, Jeridan and Kelne head to the museum, exploring the various exhibits. Models and pictures stand all about, with small plaques naming and describing them and their use. Airships that look more like birds than boats, vehicles like the one that brought them to Kohlingen, boxes that cook with heat but no fire, objects that let you speak with people across the country or on the other side of the world.

Even the little things seem to be changed here. In this world, amenities like running water seem not to be purely marks of the rich, but available to just about all. Houses that are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer are the rule, not the exception. Lighting at night without needing either flame or mage. And one big change; the area between cities is described as almost as safe to walk through as the cities themselves, with no worries of strange creatures, wandering bands or tribes of the more violent humanoid races, undead, abandoned magical experiences. But for one continent which seems to be off limits to all, it's so safe as to be almost boring, it would appear.

And yes, weapons as well. Pictures of various firearms can be seen in an exhibit all to their own, indeed far more deadly than what Valth or even Barius have brewed up back home. Weapons that reload themselves, with no need of powder or wadding. By way of demonstration (and a bit of warning), a sheet of plate mail as thick as guard-issued can be seen mounted on the wall. It holds just about a perfectly circular hole in the middle about a half-inch across, the metal ripped inwards by what the description says was a single shot at 500 yards. No wonder they won't need armor here.

Of course, they do seem to have their own sort of armor, specifically for countering the weaponry found here. From vests to full-body suits, pictures of their own local defensive technology can be seen to match. Thankfully for the travelers, the most advanced of either seems to be indeed wholly the province of the militaries of this world, and so not something they're likely to personally run into.

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Nakibe
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Unread postby Nakibe » Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:17 am

For his part, Richard seemed more interested in what seemed to be a food seller. He wasn't incredibly hungry, though it HAD been a while since he'd had anything. That and he was rather curious to see what sorts of foods this crazy new world might come up with, with its techno illusions and whatever else it had going for it.

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Besyanteo
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Unread postby Besyanteo » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:26 am

Jeridan has been impressed by the display, thus far. The citizens of this world, if this museum were to be believed, had an excellent quality of life, almost universally so. Hell, a lot of them lived better than he and Phyllias did, and they were pretty damn well off. He'd only ever heard of indoor plumbing before this, never seen it.

However, seeing the display about guns and armor was somewhat off putting, and it was obvious on his face as he said.

"Well, I'm glad they're not our enemies... Our military wouldn't be able to answer these kind of weapons in any significant numbers."

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Unread postby Deeum » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:43 pm

Deeum ha to resist the urge to feel her ears when the bar patron spoke to her. For a split second she thought the ring wasn't working properly, but I guess you could tell from how she dressed. She tapped her fingertips on the bartop. "Heh, is it that obvious with me?"
She paused for a second and looked around the back of him thinking about what she could order.
"Well, there's nothing special about the other side. Well.. compared to what's been built here anyway."

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Kelne
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Unread postby Kelne » Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:50 pm

"Oh, it gets worse," Kelne said, "These are only the personal weapons. Imagine, if you will, what a cannon on a level with this technology would be like. Then start scaling up to even nastier weapons. No, a war would definitely not end well."

He sighed faintly. Even now, Valthi technology was gradually spreading out from that insular nation. Contact with Krynus, however secretive, would only accelerate the introduction of new technologies. Change was inevitable, and in fact necessary to face some of the great terrors of the universe on something like an even footing. He just hoped they wouldn't be destroyed over the course of that change. Krynus was a hopeful example, and he'd heard about others, but there were other, decidedly worse possibilities.

"Frankly, I'm quite grateful the locals seem basically sane. You do not want to know some of the things crazy people can accomplish with sufficiently advanced technology. And once you start throwing magic into the mix..." Kelne shook his head, as if to clear it of unwelcome memories.

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Besyanteo
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Unread postby Besyanteo » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:10 pm

He nodded gravely. It was a fine bit of engineering, however disturbing a proposition it's existence and that of the things Kelne was talking about were. Certainly, a specialized and well prepared army of mages could counter such an offensive... But that was talking best case scenarios, which was bad policy for any battle. Such a thing was, at best, unlikely. No, an armed group of people from Krynus could, if they so desired, walk through the the portal, and take the outpost on the other side pretty quickly and painlessly. Beyond... It didn't bear thinking about.

But, as they'd both already said and observed, these people seemed friendly. For now. They were, after all, putting on their best face for visitors. That was really the thing: They had absolutely no idea what it was like past this point. What was the reality of this world, being so nicely dressed up for people to view here?

... Come to think of it...

"... Kelne. I've just thought of something. There's only a few people in Doma, likely, that know this place exists. Or that's how it appears so far. It's unlikely that a single person in any of our enemy or ally nations know about this place...

"Why is this very large tourism building here?"

As Jeridan waited for Kelne to respond, his eyes kept crawling back to the gun. With creeping fascination and horror, he realized that he sort of wanted one.

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Kelne
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Unread postby Kelne » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:47 pm

"A very interesting question, and one we ought to bring up with our guide. I assume they're selling all this junk to somebody other than each other." Kelne considered, "Three main possibilities. One, ours isn't the only portal in the place." Kelne momentarily consulted that thick book of his, "No to that one."

"Two, the place has been built on the expectation of future traffic. Entirely possible, though it would mean a drastic reduction in secrecy. Not something I see happening with Vaniyakna not so far over the horizon. I imagine he'd be very interested indeed in a permanent offworld portal."

"Three, this place actually predates the portal, and opportunistic store owners have added souvenirs and the like to their normal inventories in hopes of making a bit of extra cash. Looking at it, not everything's specifically directed at offworlders. Though I have to wonder who they're selling it all to while maintaining the portal's secrecy from the world at large."

Kelne shrugged. Ultimately, it was probably a variation on one of those two possibilities. For once, he didn't see any sinister ulterior motive.

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:57 am

At the bar, Sam laughs, sipping from her glass as she speaks. "Kinda. I saw that shirt in the store. You look nice, by the way! I like the outfit.

"And come on, don't say that. Your world sounds great! I mean, what I read about it. They've got some pamphlets and stuff here, but it's mostly for people coming in, not going out. But it's got castles and knights and wizards and all that. And giant birds that you can ride! I was hoping to spend like a week there, it was going to be so fun. I got clearance and everything! But the guards here said the guy that gave it to me gave me fake papers, so now I'm stuck here." With an exasperated puff of breath, she stares at her drink. "'s dumb, is what it is. Now I'm stuck here until the next boat, and my whole week's shot. Dunno what I'm gonna do now. Check out the club scene at D-52, I guess. I dunno."

Looking back up, she puts on a smile, surprisingly authentic for her irritation. "What about you? You on vacation too?"




While Deeum and Sam pass the time chatting, Richard decides to check out one of what Idran claims to be one of the better-quality diners. Inside the restaurant alcove, black metal chairs are scattered about bolted-down faux-wooden tables. At the far end, a counter spans most of the width of the storefront, a display case showing various desserts making up the remainder. The smell of cooking drifts forward from the kitchen in the rear, and a young man in a short-sleeved shirt with his name - Eric - printed on it looks up at Richard's entry. A sign mounted above his head seems to be the menu of choice at this place, advertising various soups, salads, and what seem to be pasta dishes, as well as a number of drinks; juices, coffee, tea, and "soda". But overall, it's likely something of a disappointment; with all the other technological advances, food seems to work pretty much the same way. Though the idea of a display cabinet that also keeps food cold is certainly a neat one.

"Welcome to Montague's Diner, sir. And what would you like today?"

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Unread postby Deeum » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:17 am

"Yeah, the store's clerk was very insistent I'd choose these. Looks very.. pink, but it seems to blend in well with everyone here".Deeum chuckled and shrugged a bit and took a sip of her ordered beverage. "I guess I'm far too used to it all and don't see anything special about it. You see one giant lizard, you see them all"

Well, I guess she felt kind of bad for Sam. She had her hopes up for seeing her world and all Deeum could say was it was boring. I mean.. for someone from this side, a place with magic and castles seems like a dream. Aw hell, why not give her something to tell her friends back home? After a couple moments of deciding, Deeum looks around the bar area and leans towards Sam and speaks softly. "I tell you what... just to not make your trip a total downer, let me show you something.." She grins and gestures to her to keep quite.

Deeum removes the disguising ring from her finger and soon after the full length of her ears appear. Yeah, it's not hard to miss that she isn't really human now. "I'm afraid this is the best I can do for now. Anything more would likely cause a stir in this place. Feel free to ask me anyth8ng, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for long.." Deeum looks at her watch rather guiltily.

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:00 pm

Eyes immediately jumping to her ears, Sam's eyes noticably widen as she grins with amazement, leaning over to poke at them without prompt. "...Wow, they are real. That's really, really cool. So you're...oh, I just read that pamphlet...you're an alf? That's the word, right? That's awesome.

"So...god, I don't want to keep you too long, but...hmm. What did you do back in Gaera? A lot of exploring and stuff? I know tons of people there do that stuff. Oh, do you have magic? That's some really cool stuff. The...uh...the tabloids say people can do it sometimes, but no one believes them really. Most people here'd probably freak out if they ever saw real magic I bet. Can you do anything like that?"

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Unread postby Deeum » Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:36 pm

Alf.. alf.. ELF? Did she just call me an ELF? Deeum thought on this and was mildly irritated, but that's to be expected.. she does look like an elf, but that's not her fault..
"Oh, NO.. nono, I'm not en elf. I don't exactly enjoy tell people what I am, so lets just say it's something I can't rightly show off in a place like this." Deeum said while pausing for a moment while listening to Sam's questioning.

"Whoa, well. HM. First of all, I'm currently working as a.. guard of sorts for someone very important, but I'm on leave to help a friend out here. As for magic.. Yeah, I can do some but I don't know if it's.. really a good idea to show you here.."
Maybe.. something? It wouldn't hurt, but it can't be something very flashy.

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Nakibe
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Unread postby Nakibe » Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:45 pm

Richard was amused by the fact that things were basically the same here as they were at home. Seems like I've found the one thing in common between our worlds. Either that or its really hard to do much with food. "I just spent far too much time either in the air or on a boat. What've you got that I could probably keep down?"

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:15 pm

Nodding to Richard, the counter girl thinks for a bit before answering. "Oh, most anything we serve should be fine, sir. But if I had to recommend something, perhaps a soup and salad? How about a cup of tomato basil, a green salad, and a small drink? That should be fine for anyone, I'm sure," she adds with a smile. "Only 8 credits total, if it sounds good for you. What do you think?"

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Nakibe
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Unread postby Nakibe » Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:46 am

"'ats good enough for me," Richard replies, honestly intrigued by the thought of getting foreign foods (or at least foreign-made foods) into his belly. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be as bad as he was starting to suspect it might be. Afterwards, perhaps he could see what sorts of things they showed on those weird picture window things they seemed to have everywhere....

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Transcribed from a chat session

Unread postby Idran1701 » Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:13 am

While Richard eats his meal and watches the surroundings, and Jeridan and Kelne take in the sights at the museum as departure grows ever closer, Sam and Deeum continue their conversation in the bar. Enraptured by even what little the Doman knight reveals from home, she nods, assuring her that a bit of demonstration of her powers here would be allowed.

"Oh, it's gotta be fine if you use magic here, I bet. There's a giant portal and everything already." Pausing thoughtfully, she adds, "Unless it closes giant portals. They probably wouldn't like that."

"I guess. But I don't want to get anyone in trouble and all. I do have to leave here eventually."

"Well, if you don't blow stuff up it's probably fine. What kinda magic can you use? There's lots of different kinds, right?"

Deeum leans back in her chair, thinking on the question before snapping her fingers. "Okay. Let's move somewhere out of plain sight in here." Picking up her drink, she heads to a secluded area further in back, with Sam following just after.

"I can't wait to see this.", Sam says with a grin.

"All right," Deeum says as she sits down, cracking her fingers. "Now, I don't show off for everyone, but since you're kind of stuck here, I'll make the exception."

"Awesome. I can't imagine why you wouldn't, though. If you can show it off, why not? Nothing to stop you back home like there is here, right?"

Focusing her energies, Deeum holds out her palm as she replies. "Mmm... it's complicated. It's like...the more you learn about magic, the more you try not to use it."

"Oh." Mulling over that reply to herself for a bit, Sam soon looks back to Deeum, a bit confused. "Why?"

Meanwhile, Deeum gathers a bit of holy energy into a sphere floating above her hand, glowing like the miniature flashlight it is. "Well, a lot of people tend to use magic for all the wrong reasons."

Her attention caught by the sphere, Sam distractedly nods, her voice drifty as she replies. "Oh. Well...yeah, that stuff I guess. But stuff like this...well, why not walk around like that all the time? It's so cool."

"Well, stuff like this is okay," Deeum says as she bounces the ball of light from one hand to another. "But people use it for more dangerous reasons. Not to mention we don't want to spoil ourselves on doing things the easy way."

Sam shrugs, continuing to watch the ball as it bounces back and force. "I guess so. But it's still neat. Besides, that the good thing about technology and stuff, making it so we don't have to wash our own clothes or make our own bread from scratch or whatever. Why not do the same stuff with magic?"

"Haha, I guess. Maybe it's just my mindset. I'd much rather not rely on magic unless I have to. Or fighting."

"Oh, yeah, there's a bunch of fighting and stuff there, isn't there? Creatures in forests and caves and stuff? Yeah, we don't really have anything like that here anymore."

Setting the sphere on the tabletop, Deeum nods. "Yeah...like I said, I must be used to it. Anyway, what about you? I feel guilty just going on about myself."

After a pause, Sam shrugs. "Eh. There's not really much exciting here really to do, y'know? If you're not in the military, you're not gonna be fighting anything like that. And even then, most of the fighting's over now, thankfully. War's not really the same anyway. There is a continent that's supposed to have abunch of weird stuff on it, but no one lives there."

"Oh?" Letting the sphere fizzle out of existence, Deeum leans in, sipping at her drink. "What do you do?"

"Dunno yet. I mostly travel around, I guess. Kinda...between jobs, I guess." Laughing a bit at herself, Sam takes a drink from her own glass. "I got out of school a couple years ago. I'm trying to work up the money for college, but I keep getting anxious, so I go travelling to see stuff."

"Ah, well, I'm sure you'll find something. I'm sorry you couldn't make it to Gaera. It might be boring to me, but I'm sure you would've had a blast. You need papers to go through the portal?"

"Yeah, it's this whole big security thing. I don't really see why, but eh. And yeah, I thought it'd be a pretty fun trip. I backpacked around Zenobia for a few months, and that was cool. And it sounds like backpacking's kinda like what a lot of people do in Gaera. Only with swords and magic and monsters."

"Well, for the most part Gaera is pretty safe if you stick to the towns. Though some kingdoms can be bothersome to go through."

"What about if you don't?"

"I imagine you could get into some deep trouble. Monster attacks aren't unheard of, after all."

"What sort of things have you fought like that? Any really big stuff? That has to be epic."

Taking a deeper sip, Deeum looks over Sam thoughtfully. Wow, this really does seem to interest her a lot. "Some big stuff, some small...some that I shouldn't have any right to survive, but I likely don't have the time to tell you about it," she says with a laugh. "Man, I don't mean to seem like I'm a hotshot or anything. If anything, I have some friends who get into a lot more than I have."

"Oh, all those other people you came with? I saw some of them walking around."

Nodding, she leans in, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Two of them are actually covered in fur. But they're wearing something that disguises them. Much like what I have."

At this revelation, Sam snickers, the snicker quickly growing into a laugh. "Covered in fur? You're serious? Oh god..."

"Oh yeah. Ever wondered what a cat and a rabbit would look like if it took on a human-like appearance?"

Shaking her head, and barely restraining herself from more laughter, Sam replies. "No, I never did. Sorry, it's just...no, it's nothing."

"What?"

Sam shakes her head more insistantly. "You really don't want to know. It's...uh...an inside joke. For Krynus."

With a strange look to Sam, Deeum takes another sip. "I see. Anything else you'd like to know?"

Grinning, and continuing to slowly drain her own glass, Sam looks off into the distance. "It's hard to decide, really. I mean, there's like...everything I could ask about. Well...um...well, what do you do? If you fight stuff, are you one of those traveling people that goes around doing just whatever?"

"Well...er...let's say I guard very important people. Like my current job is to escort a friend of mine. Can't explain where, though."

"Cool. Like a bodyguard."

"Yeah. Or a knight. Same things."

"You're a knight?"

Deeum's face freezes for just an instant, her mind scrambling to cover. Shit. "What? No, no, I'm just giving examples. I'm just a guard, nothing more. Go do this, get that person, go to that town and so forth."

"Oh. Well...have you bodyguarded for any knights?"

"N-no, they can take care of themselves well enough."

"Oh. That sorta sounds pretty much like what I do now, really. Only without guarding."

"I imagine it's much safer here."

"Yeah, way safer."

Glancing out the window, Deeum sees the lights starting to dim, and realizes it's about time for them to meet at the harbor. "I'm afraid I've gotta go, but let me do one more thing for you before I go. I don't want you to go home without something to tell, you know?" She grins to Sam, who returns it.

"Sure, that'd be awesome."

"How are you feeling for the most part right now anyway? Tired, sore, or anything?"

"Pretty good, I guess. Maybe starting to get a tiny buzz," she adds, with a bit of a chuckle.

"Well...hmm." Standing, Deeum walks around to Sam, poking her with a finger while uttering a chant under her breath. With little fanfare, she begins lightly floating in her chair, a change barely noticed at first. Noticing something up, though, she looks down, seeing the space between her and her chair.

"...Huh?"

"That's what we call flying. Magically. I only gave you enough for about five minutes' worth, but I imagine you can't do that at home, right?"

Staring at the gap between her and the seat, Sam grins even wider. "I...no, I definitely can't." She laughs, still focused. "I think I'm too heavy most of the time. So...how does it work? How do I...um...go?"

"Ever dreamed about flying? It's that feeling. Just imagine yourself being pulled upwards. Same goes if you want to get back to the ground."

Nodding, Sam glances up to the ceiling. Before long, she begins to drift up; a bit faster than she expected, apparently, as she bumps her head. Rubbing at her head, the pain doesn't seem to hurt her mood any. "This is amazing. And you can do this whenever you want? Why do you ever walk?," she adds with amusement, as she drifts back down near Deeum.

"Like I said, I don't use magic unless I have to. But it is nice to get somewhere fast."

"Well, you should!"

Slipping the ring back on, Deeum smiles, happy to see someone enjoying themselves so much. "Thanks for having a drink with me. I hope there are more people like you on this side. And maybe someday you'll make it to Doma."

"Oh, I'm sure there'll be plenty. Most people are pretty okay here. Some are jerks, but most are good." Looking abashed, she adds, "Oh...uh...I don't think I got your name yet."

"Oh, it's Deeum."

Sam nods, floating down to shake her hand. "Thanks for meeting me, and I guess...well, I probably won't see you around. But it was good meeting you. Really, really good."

Returning the handshake, Deeum says, "Who knows? You might find me in Doma doing my job some day."

"Maybe! It's be awesome if they ever actually let me across. And I hope...uh...whoever you're guarding...doesn't...need much guarding. Or something."

"Haha, thank you. And if you ever do get there, I'd like to show you around and show you more of me." With just a slight wince at how the wording came out, Deeum adds nothing, but she does get an amused smile from Sam as she heads to the bar, paying for her drink. "Take care of yourself." And with that, she leaves, heading to the pier to reunite with her companions.

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:17 am

Meanwhile, Spob begins checking into recent progress in Krynus since he's been gone. The expansion of the station itself is the most obvious change, it having been little more than a tiny outpost when he first left Krynus just over a year ago. Down south, a number of natural disasters look to have been hitting the Forgotten continent in recent days. The Alliance is still edgy, as usual, but the Empire seems to have settled down and abandoned its old expansion tactics. Perhaps not all that surprisingly, Enlil seems to be a fairly major player there nowadays, helping to guide their diplomatic processes. Elly's public as well there, using her powers as a hero in service to the Empire though keeping her identity a secret; it's not hard for Spob to cut through the mystery of the stretchy girl named Ellastic, however. Thanks to the two of them, as well as events from the fight with Doomsday, the existence of magic seems to be slightly more accepted now, though the majority of folks don't seem to acknowledge it as such. And in his own field, there look to have been a number of recent advancements in ways of dealing with the spread of infectious diseases, cutting the risk with future outbreaks in half.


In the diner, Richard heads near one of those "picture window things" while he waits for his food, watching it to see just what's up. It seems to be showing some sort of sporting event at the moment; not one he's seen before, of course. The game's based around a man bouncing a small, painted ball along a grassy field towards another man holding a thin paddle of sorts. The goal of the paddle-holder looks to be to hit the ball and let his teammates run to separate sides of the field, while the ball-thrower seems to be trying to hit a wooden pole behind him. It's a little confusing to follow, cutting the excitement he might otherwise feel some, but it's an interesting watch, at least.

Eventually, his food arrives. While the soup's nothing surprising - not bad, but slightly bland - the salad's an interesting taste. He's never had a dressing exactly like this before, it's much less vinegary than most from back in Doma, with instead more of a sweet taste to it. Not as fruit, exactly, but of a sort that mixes surprisingly well with the cucumber and carrot. And the drink's especially odd, like a non-alcoholic, syrupy-sweet champagne with a vague lime flavor. All in all, not an astounding meal, but a mostly new one at least.


Time passes, and the group meets back up on the pier just as the boat arrives. There's some heavy rain right now, a rain that doesn't show any sign of breaking any time soon. Those more familiar with the world don't seem worried by the idea of sailing in this weather, however, helping to assure those less familiar. The vessel looks to be more obviously a military boat this time along; a transport vessel, well-armored but with only the basics (for this world, at least) in the way of weapons. The party boards, though before they can settle in for the trip, Idran gathers them in the ship cafeteria, sitting them down before talking. Though he's definitely looking better than he did, the effort's still there for those watchful for it.

"Well, before we get to D-52, I suppose I should tell you what Annie and I were planning here. We mentioned some of the basics before...essentially, right now we're looking for someone. Spob, you probably remember him. A mage local to this world - strange enough on its own, yes, but even more so...and as much as I hate to admit it...one of the more knowledgeable ones I've ever met in the area of magic.Even then, I'm loathe to bring him into this. We aren't exactly on the...best of terms. Mostly because he's an overly-arrogant bastard. But we've already spoken to the mages in Doma that might have been able to help, with no luck. He's our best chance right now, unfortunately.

"The only problem with that is...we're not sure how to find him. He's not exactly public, obviously, and knowing him, I know he's going to want me to work for it. And by extension, all of us." With an exasperated sigh, Idran looks over the collective party. "Spob, you know him and this world at least as well as I do. And I know we've all had to deal with finding people that don't want to be found easily before. I was hoping some of you might have some ideas on how to handle this."

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Unread postby Shinigori V2 » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:19 am

Selene leans back heavily in her chair, her wings adjusting to accomodate. "I heard if you say his name five times into a mirror in an unlit room, he'll write something offensive. On your mother."
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Unread postby Besyanteo » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:14 pm

Jeridan had realized where he knew Selene from now, but it was a bit late to let it concern him; He was on a whole other world, strange to him is almost every way. What was one wacky half-metal angel on top of that? So, he continued to remain collected and quiet. Up until Idran asked his question, that is.

"I don't have a forensic mage unit to fall back on here, and I don't know anyone on this planet outside of this room. It doesn't sound like they have diviners here, either... There's nothing much I can think of off-hand."

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Unread postby Kelne » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:20 pm

"Well, from what you've said, he seems more likely to find us than the other way around. What we need to do is give him motivation to do so." Crazy and powerful mages weren't anything new to Kelne, but that didn't necessarily give him a handle on the way they thought. Each mage tended to cultivate their own school of crazy, after all.

"So, what are his interests? What buttons can we press that might elicit a response? And, given that he's apparently going to be an obnoxious so-and-so whatever we do, should we be overly worried about staying on his good side?"

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Unread postby Nakibe » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:25 pm

Well, Richard wasn't too shocked that they'd have to meet up with some sort of crazy mage. There had to be at least ONE in everything, it seemed at times. Turning his mind from the usual grousing he thought aobut the more serious ramifications of some of this. "Remind me, was magic banned around here or just not well known? Might help to narrow down the places where a guy like that would practice." If it just isn't well known, a damn fool like that might've gotten hisself arrested, Richard thought. 's a shock sometimes how some of em STAY out of jail, really.

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:39 am

Chuckling at Selene's suggestion, Idran nods to Jeridan first. "I know it's a lot to ask, yes, especially when you all don't have the resources you might have back at home. I've been trying to think of ways myself. It was hard enough last time we were here a few months ago, and if there's one thing I can say about Kasarov, he's not going to respond to the method I used last time. It'd be too easy for us.

"And it's just not well known, Richard. It looks like it's getting a little more public, but just mostly rumor. There's a few folks popping up with powers now, but the general public's not really acknowledging it as magic, from what I can gather. They're chalk it up to other power sources. Scientific experiments gone wrong and whatnot. And honestly...they're probably not far off for some of them, from what I've learned here in the past.

"And Kasarov himself...he's always been a behind-the-scenes type. He's not public, he's not famous, but he's got his fingers in a lot of pies in Krynus. Magic not being well known isn't any sort of obstacle for him, since even if it was he probably wouldn't be showing it off anyway. He likes popping up where and when he wants to, and he'd probably show himself if it was some major, world-endangering event again or something. But for just me, he probably couldn't care less. Hell, in that huge incident Spob and I were involved in a couple years back, we thought he was working for the other side until literally a day or two before we wrapped things up.

"His interests, though...I honestly don't know. Well, except for pressing other people's buttons himself." With a smirk and a slow shake of his head, Idran continues, "That's why I wouldn't worry about that, Kelne. I don't think he even has a good side. Just a 'people that I like to needle' side.

"But...hmm...maybe I can dredge up something." He sighs, sitting back and thinking. "Sight-seeing, maybe. We...er...found evidence of him popping up all over the world last time the family was here. It seemed like he'd been on one giant vacation since we stopped the last disaster. And he's got some interest in experimentation, of the magical sort. Thaumatology and whatnot. But these are just guesses from past run-ins. We were never even close to close enough for us to talk about those sorts of things. Don't know how much help these'll be, I know we've been drawing blanks."

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Unread postby Kelne » Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:08 am

Kelne nodded thoughtfully, "I'd suggest some kind of astral beacon, but who knows who else might be drawn to it. The other issue, I suppose, is what he's going to want in exchange for his aid. I gather he's not going to do it out of the kindness of his heart or for the challenge?"

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:50 am

Idran shakes his head. "Not likely. But he prefers favors as his currency over money, thankfully. I already owe him one, but hopefully offering a second one will be enough. If not...." He shrugs before continuing. "He might also have some sort of task or request for us, I imagine. Something he can't do himself, and so he'd claim is merely beneath his own bother, if I know him well enough."

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:04 pm

Just bumping to remind the players that this game still exists. :D

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Unread postby Shinigori V2 » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:04 am

Selene moved a bit, making a face. "What do you owe him for? I don't even remember. ...And if I don't, chances are he doesn't, either."
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Unread postby Kelne » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:22 am

"Ah, but you're not the one owed a favour," Kelne said, "People tend to remember these things when they concern them directly. I can live with dealing in favours, though I imagine any task which couldn't be handled by hiring a few locals would be interesting." Kelne's tone made it clear he was speaking in the sense of that ancient curse about interesting times, rather than any academic sense. Clearly somebody had bestowed such a curse upon him many years ago.

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Unread postby Nakibe » Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:30 pm

"And how many locals would be able to get up enough magical juice for some jobs here, eh?" asked Richard, realizing that perhaps they DID have an in here after all. "At the very least we've got knowledge here that this guy probably would be hard-up to get himself. That's gotta be worth somethin, right?"

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Unread postby Idran1701 » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:31 pm

"Remember when we were here last time, Selene? Kasarov wasn't giving us that information for free.

"But anyway, it sounds like things are settled. Now I hope one of you knows how to create an astral beacon, because I have to admit, I'm clueless there. But if that's not an issue, then I think we can take care of that as soon as we're settled in at D-52."

With a slight twinge, Idran rubs his forehead. "A good plan for the near future, but I think I should get some rest for now. We'll meet up when we make port, all right? I'll see you all in the morning."

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Unread postby Kelne » Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:19 am

"Fair enough," Kelne said simply, "Good night." Unless he missed his guess, it was going to fall to him to construct an astral beacon when they arrived at their destination. Thankfully, he felt that he was up to the task. He'd certainly encountered enough glaring beacons (not all of them intended as such) that he felt confident of being able to replicate the effect. It was just a question of whether such a beacon would attract somebody other than Kasarov.

There wasn't likely to be much to do for the rest of the trip. Unfortunately, he'd neglected to acquire any reading material back at the portal centre, though that was mostly due to a sneaking suspicion that any texts available would be strictly geared towards beginners. He might well pick up something tomorrow.

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Unread postby Deeum » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:28 pm

Deeum, in fact was still around! As always, she has nothing to add to the conversation at hand. Well, any that she could've said have been said already. But regardless of this, she listened intently and thought deeply about the days ahead.

She wished Idran goodnight and stayed out on the deck for a little while longer.

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Unread postby Nakibe » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:57 pm

There were a lot of questions that Richard could've asked before heading of to bed. Why they had found this place to begin with, or how did there apparently come to be what looked like a BORDER station near the portal? How does it not implode on whoever made it, or, was it really "made" at all?

"One thing, real quick. Seems obvious t'me that at least the locals seem to understand the portals and magic and stuff... but I wanna know what the local guards or whatever know. Would they know anything? I mean, I'm just wonderin' what sort of weirdos will show up when we do this beacon bit."

He'd honestly wished he'd asked this before the others had started off, but it was too late for that now. And it was a rather nice night. Perhaps he could enjoy it after his one, mildly paranoid thought. I wanna show this to Dia sometime, if she can get away from the inn for long enough. A moment of guilt followed this thought, but... eh. It wasn't that he was really NEEDED around the Dragon or anything. Heck, half of the patrons could handle the stupid drunks, and Dia could handle the REALLY stupid ones....right?

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Unread postby NebulaQueen » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:12 pm

Spob, meanwhile, had other plans before bed. An astral beacon was just a type of signal, right? Well, there were other types of signals in this world. He quickly made his way to the library, and began his research. Radio waves, radio towers, communication... he learned a little about them the last time he was Krynus, and it was amazing how the people here manipulated something so intangible to create such amazing results.

While his education wasn't as in depth as his fellow mages, Spob still knew a thing or two about the theory. It could be possible to find some way to combine the mystical and the mundane to send out the beacon; but first, he had some information to hunt down.

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