Beyond the Dome - [OPEN TO ALL]

[stringmods]

Who: Open to All (As of June 16th)
Where: OUTSIDE the city.
When: From the 9th until the early morning of the 23rd.
Summary: New arrivals find themselves in areas unexplored as the others search for them
Warnings: Depends on the players!
Music: This one | Map: Here | Additional Info: First mod post here | Second most post forthcoming.

FOR NEW VISITORS
You remember the words of the strange, butterfly-masked man. You can here to protect a city, correct? And yet... you seem to be nowhere near one. Perhaps he meant that city in the far off horizon, barely seen against a reflecting shield of glass?

Either way, you don't feel safe around here. Maybe it's a hunch, but you need to move and get somewhere safe. Before whatever is lurking around notices you.

The problem is... where should you go?

FOR THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER
The teleporter worked!

...Except you're not exactly sure where you landed. Thankfully, you have a map that will update as you go, courtesy of the MAGI. It does appears to be working, so now its a question of snooping around....wait what was that noise?

Make sure you've noticed where the teleporters are located. You wouldn't want to get stuck in this strange outside world...

[☿ Mercury Zone]
NEW VISITORS ONLY
You have a feeling that the city you need to protect is not the one in ruins around you. Otherwise, it's already destroyed.

EVERYONE
The stench of death is everywhere, from the cracked buildings to the water-logged homes missing their ceilings. Still, it's some form or protection against the elements, and there's sure to be canned food around here.

The cold, chilly air at night gets to your bones, but during the day, the hot weather makes you seek shade.

[♀ Venus Zone]
EVERYONE
There is forest all around you, the trees hiding most of the sun. What you an see, the crystal-like shell of the barrier (not that you know it's a barrier) to Hinoto-Ri spans high into the sky. There's nothing to restrict your view here, otherwise. The climate is surprisingly warm if humid.

Maybe you should try to get out, or build a shelter. Either way, best not to stay too long before something finds you...

[♂ Mars Zone]
EVERYONE
It's hot. Way too hot. You look around, with nothing but sand and dry bones scattered around you. not to far the sand dips inward, cracks of shining crystals that turn out to be salt hinting that this may have been a bit of salt water before everything evaporated.

Perhaps it would be best not to stay here for long. Nothing looks edible. There seems to be water on one side, and on the far horizon, you can spot a cavern.

Hopefully it's not caused by the heat. Let's start walking.

[♃ Jupiter Zone]
EVERYONE
Giant mountain full of jagged sharp rocks that reach high into the sky rise in front of you. When you turn, you notice a city, but a crystal-like substance stops you from being able to go inside, no matter how hard you try pressing on it.

There's only on area you can go through. The metal and stone bridge that goes right through the middle is interesting, though. It looks like the remains of a rail system. Just be careful where you step, as the way down does not look in any way safe. Those crevices could kill a person if you fell down...

[♄ Saturn Zone]
EVERYONE
Snow. There's so much snow. The temperature is cold, maybe in the middle of winter, but it's the winds that snap at your skin, making you shiver. You need better covering. Yet despite the weather conditions, you spot a city in the far off horizon. Maybe you could make it in a few hours. It's better than just standing here, right?

[♅ Uranus Zone]
EVERYONE
You're surrounded by pieces of desolate abandoned city, the buildings crumbling but still standing. Skyscrapers, upturned cars, fallen road signs hint that this was once a bustling city but whatever happened to it must have hit hard...

Plants grow around each abandoned area, appearing to have become giants for several decades already... yet despite your worst fears, not a single remain of dead human skeletons can be found.

But something is off. Why is the plant floating in the air? There's a car flickering as if it's glitching. Things begin to whisper in your ear, laughing and giggling. Sometimes you swear you heard something move...

[♆ Neptune Zone]
EVERYONE
It's humid, but not unpleasant. A giant body of water as far as the eye can see gently rocks its waves upon the sandy beach. Plants are growing around you, and you can easily spot fruits that are edible such as apples and avocado.

Yet there's an odd urge to explore the water. Maybe you could go take a dip...

[♇ Pluto Zone]
EVERYONE
Rocky mountains greet you at your arrival The giant mountain range reaches into the sky, as high as the crystal-like barrier protecting the city, blocking you from being able to go inside.

You spot caverns farther down ahead, but it might take you a few hours to get there. Best be on alert...

[OOC: Hello new and returning characters alike! While characters will not know the zone names, we've provided you with a map to aid you moving around.

Keep in mind a few things:
▶ Pick the zone you want to appear in! It's entirely up to you.
▶ For newcomers coming into via this plot, each zone has a giant red X. This is where your character will appear in that zone. After that, they'll need to walk/fly/swim around. Maybe they'll get lucky and find tools to help them.
▶ For those using the teleporter, the blue summoning circles are where your charatcer appears. These lead back to the central MAGI building located under town hall.

▶ Monsters can show up during your posts from time to time
▶ The zones colors indicate how dangers the areas are. Also keep in mind that once your character hits an orange and red zone, persona and canon powers steadily begin to decline each hour. After a day, they are unable to use their powers until they return to the yellow and green zones, whereupon it will take an hour for all their powers to come back in full.
▶ Characters will be stuck here until at least the 15th, minimum, so feel free to have them move around! It takes about 5 to 12 hours to move from one zone to another in full, depending on the temperature and terrain.
▶ Your character may end up finding items and possessions from their world. Mods will be watching the threads and adding descriptions and items as we go along.
▶ Characters do NOT have their COMP system upon arrival, even if they were here before; everything is stuck inside the city right now! So you do not have a means of communication if you don't speak the same language for now, time to use those pantomiming skills you've been working on (probably).
▶ If a new character crosses someone who's already lived in the city, they will be able to share their watch with them for translation purposes until they return to the city.

▶ We suggest showing up in the same area as someone else to have a better chance of survival. Not that characters will die (as it is permadeath in this game) but the state of the characters until next week when rescue begins may be less... healthy than others if you throw caution in the wind.
▶ This being said, we won't make life too hard for you. If we see your character struggling, we'll provide them with something so they don't die two days into exploring either.
▶ There are surprises and clues waiting in certain areas.
▶ Please have fun, and enjoy the game!]

Comments

Michael (Minato Arisato) [AU3] | Neptune Zone

[attended]

[ This is just a basic thread header; I'll be putting one open thread and another one underneath here.

Some comments may also come from my other account, attendingtheending. ]

Kachessa, Michael, and Avitus

[attended]

[ Running into them was a sight for slightly sore eyes, he admits. Being with others is definitely better than being alone, and so he is quick to approach the two of them when he sees them, Compendium held firmly in his right hand. This is a dangerous situation.

When he approaches, he's speaking a distinct language, or to be specific, whichever one the two of them are most familiar to their ears. He's fortunate his powers from the Room are still working, even if minorly. ]

Excuse me, might I take a moment of your time?

[falseidentity]

[Kachessa will let her eyes flicker to the other. She'd met the strange bird-like creature quickly enough, and while he's not a demon, well... She's not sure of that, actually. She can't understand a word he says. But this man? Yes. She can understand him.]

Depends. What do you need?

[poorlittleblueburdie]

[ Wait, wait, what? He... understood what this new person here said? And before he could answer, he heard the other speak up.

He looked at "him", eyeing that expression. That tone... had they both understood him?

So whatever had translated for him last time he was here simply wasn't translating between himself and Kachess right now, but worked between this third person and each of them individually? Well, it was something. He'd take it.

He gave the newcomer a nod that was almost some sort of bow, not quite a curtsey, turning his attention to him, tilting his head. What was it he wanted? ]

[attended]

[ The tenseness of the situation is also why he wants to intervene--it wouldn't help anyone if they fought, after all. He'll turn to the blue-haired person first. (She looks very similar to him, actually, back when he was alive. It's a bit disorienting.) What to say, or rather, HOW to say it? ]

Well, it seems all three of us have been put in a somewhat dangerous situation. I was hoping you would both be willing to assist me.

[ His eyes will turn to Avitus, and then he will offer a bow proper in return. Manners. ]

I assume you two had Master Philemon visit you as well? This place is very obviously infested with something. The lake near us is suspect as well; it would be best if we traveled as a group, would it not?

[rosacaerulea]

...I'm not sure I trust it. I've dealt with demons and their beguiling ways before.

[It's almost a sneer. She doesn't know what this thing is, and she doesn't trust that it may turn on her. Perhaps that's only her paranoia speaking. But still, she's going to remain on guard.]

[poorlittleblueburdie]

[ He might not have understood Kachess's words, but he understood the tone just fine. He chose to believe he was telling off the newcomer for his offer, for whatever his reasons were.

As for himself, though? He thought it was only entirely sensible, and gave him a nod. He folded his wings back up behind hims, fixing his posture from the uncertain, timid way he'd been standing when dealing with Kachess, though he wasn't standing up any taller, keeping himself below both of them. ]

Agreed. The last time I was brought somewhere like this, it was the city of Hinoto-Ri, and... that's... not where we are right now. I'm certain this is nowhere inside it, and I'd like to get back, honestly.

Everyone else (open to anyone)

[attended]

[ When he first got here, it was a little... confusing. The entire thing with Philemon was also strange. He'd had his role, paid his debts as best he could, and had been trying to move on as a new person. As an attendant, to be put back in the role of actively helping people, as he once did being the leader of SEES, is a bit strange.

But he's not the person he was back then. He's stronger; someone else. Green eyes and teal hair and all this blue is somewhat easy to distinguish in this area, honestly; he sticks out in that long coat of his. For anyone who knows the Velvet Room, it's easy to tell he works there.

The water is drawing him, though, and he finds himself concerned by all this. Perhaps he was taken here to help? He senses there's a lot of danger around them. He tries to utilize his Compendium immediately, but finding he can't access any of the hundreds of Personas he should be able to use... this is bad. He can tell his body is slightly weakened here, as well. Not entirely, but by enough. This world... what IS it? ]

... Well, this is certainly disconcerting... that lake, especially.

[ There must be some sort of magic or demon or shadow in that lake. He isn't sure what, though, and would going in there be wise when he has no means to really defend himself? Anyone who happens upon him will see him opening the Persona Compendium and frowning at it repeatedly when all he can do is make a bunch of glowing blue tarot cards appear, but they're blank. Well, he has weapons, at least... the cards will merely float around him for now, a bit of a precaution. He should try to find other people. Survival together is smartest, right? ]

[stringmods]

[Well meanwhile, there's a few fruit trees around him. Orange, Avocado and Lemon. Usually those three types of fruit trees don't really grow close to each other...]

Avitus (OC) | Neptune | OTA!

[poorlittleblueburdie]

[ This was not what he'd had in mind.

First, he was whisked away from his homeworld to Hinoto-Ri by some strange person in a butterfly mask, and spent a year figuring out that maybe he rather liked not being in his homeworld. Then people had left and he'd felt guilty about having enjoyed it so much, and wished he were home again. And then he'd been home a month, and realized he wanted to go back.

He couldn't win.

And then he thought he'd be back, thanks to that masked person, and he found himself here.

He really, really couldn't win, could he!

At least he'd been too tired when he went to bed, to take off his makeup. A look in the lake's water, to see that his hair was back in its usual tight little ponytail, and then he got the heck away from it before he had any further suicidal urges. Pfff, go swimming. What next, play with a bonfire?

The sand, though.... he'd have to remember that, when he wanted a proper bath again later.

For now... figuring out where the heck he was this time, since this wasn't the city he'd been expecting, was what he'd do. He looked around, stretching up to get a better view, and then settled back down again with a sigh. Time to walk... and he didn't even have his sandals. Lovely.

If anyone comes across him, they might find him picking at some of the fruit curiously, but he's mostly just wandering around, exploring. Clearly, someone with wings wouldn't be lost and stay on the ground, right? ]

[reliving_days]

[Avitus might not have been walking for long before he heard the sound of hoofbeats nearby. Link isn't sure what happened, just that it wasn't what was supposed to happen. He was alone, and with no idea where he was. Unfamiliar places weren't usually that concerning, but something about this place had Link watching his and Epona's every step.

He spots the winged man first, slows Epona, but doesn't stop.]

Hi! Are you lost, too?

Akechi Mitsuhide | Pluto Zone

[wavesoakedlegs]

[Thread header; there will be one closed thread after this and an open one a little later!]

Mitsuhide & Motochika (Warnings for discussion of violence and blood)

[wavesoakedlegs]

[It's not his experience while sleeping that consumes Mitsuhide when he initially wakes up at the foot of the mounains; it's what came before that strange experience instead. Battle... a muddy and blood-soaked ground, rain washing over Mt. Tennou, the sound of men cheering in celebration.]

[They hadn't been Mitsuhide's men. No. They had been the Hashiba forces, who knew that in defeating one Chousokabe Motochika they had earned a victory for their Lord Hideyoshi.]

Lord Motochika!

[Sitting bolt upright, Mitsuhide immediately then scrambles to his feet (despite the weariness in his aching body) and frantically begins to search his immediate area. That it is different is not something that bothers him right now, because Lord Motochika is dying. He is dying, but he can't be, but he is. Mitsuhide knows. He'd seen the wound, a wound that no human hands could fix. But despite that he just...]

[Fearful and overwhelmed with emotion, the samurai can focus only on finding his fallen comrade. Surely Motochika is nearby, surely...]

[behisstrength]

[Motochika had been careless on Mt. Tennou. The wound he'd taken, while not immediately fatal, had been mortal: he'd known with a grim certainty that he was not going to outlive the battle by long.

But no. The unpredictable tide of Fate proved him wrong when it intervened. The strange butterfly-masked man...

Motochika wakes with a sharp inhale and immediately drops his gaze as he brings his hands to his body. There may be bloodstains dried on his clothes and skin, but there is also a distinct lack of a deep wound bleeding out, and he knows that what he remembers is entirely real. He had been healed.

Tipping his head back he huffs a laugh, relieved and awed. His body aches with weariness but there is no pain, no numbness, no drifting consciousness. He is firmly, undeniably alive.

Yet once the surprise fades, Motochika is quick to rise to his feet, a different kind of urgency sweeping through him.]

Mitsuhide...!

[His shamisen and bachi are beside him, and he takes them up rapidly as he finally looks at his surroundings, taking in the mountains ahead. Determination fills him. They cannot have been separated now, after everything that they have faced together. He refuses to abandon Mitsuhide now--]

[wavesoakedlegs]

[As it turns out, they are not far apart; a few rocky mounds are all that prevent them from actually being able to see one another. Mitsuhide cannot fail to hear Motochika's voice in the state he's in, however, and he pauses when it reaches his ears.]

Lord Motochika? [Where did it come from... Mitsuhide immediately sets off again when he makes his judgment, almost stumbling over the uneven surface and occasional loose stone. He is rushing, and his footing therefore not as elegant and precise as usual.] Lord Motochika, remain still! I'm coming!

[Right now, this man is clearly running on nothing but emotion. Logic is not coming into any of his actions at all, which may become obvious to Motochika himself when Mitsuhide reaches the top of the last small mound and almost falls straight down the somewhat steep gradiant that leads to his friend.]

[As it is, the samurai catches himself just in time, reaches the bottom of the incline without injury, and... draws to a complete stop.]

[He stares Motochika up and down, apparently taking everything in in one brief moment of apparent calm, but any illusion that he is so is quickly dispelled when Mitsuhide bursts out with:]

You must sit! Lord Motochika, your wound, you... please!

[He grasps Motochika's shoulders, desperate.]

[behisstrength]

[Mitsuhide may be intensely panicked, but he is here and in one piece. Motochika's sense of urgency begins to trickle away.

He meets Mitsuhide's gaze with his own unwavering one and resists, remaining upright.]

It is healed, Mitsuhide. [He soothes, though he does not quite understand how. By his own self-assessment it was beyond the capabilities of their medicine. Perhaps that knowledge will haunt him in nights to come, but now is not the time for preoccupation. Motochika holds out his arms so that Mitsuhide can inspect his torso: physical evidence is much harder to deny than mere words.] See for yourself.

[wavesoakedlegs]

[Mitsuhide's instant and instinctive response is no doubt expected.]

My lord, that can't be! I saw it, all the blood, it...

[He does trail off after a few moments, however, gaze dropping down to find confirmation of what he knows to be true.]

[Except it's not, in fact, true at all. Motochika's clothing is heavily bloodstained, his armour pieces covered in red marks and smeared with mud, but the always exposed part of his body that had born that sickening injury (curse the name of Kuroda Kanbei) was now completely whole. Stunned, Mitsuhide steps in a little closer to get a closer look, but it only confirms what should be impossible.]

You... that's... how is this possible!?

[It's clear he's going into shock as he looks back up at Motochika's face; Mitsuhide's face has gone perfectly white, eyes wide as that deep sense of confusion and disbelief pushes past the grief that had driven him before.]

But you were dying! That kind of wound, it can't be healed, much less this quickly!

[behisstrength]

[While it moves Motochika to see his impact upon Mitsuhide so palpably, the last thing he wants to do is send Mitsuhide into shock under such mysterious circumstances. Instinct tells him that their safety isn't guaranteed, and almost dying has done nothing to temper his desire to protect his dearest friend.

Motochika places his hands upon Mitsuhide's -- which clutch his shoulders -- in a comforting gesture. Let Mitsuhide draw strength from his continuing presence.]

Yet it was. [He emphasises.] How does not matter to me, when the outcome is that I am in no more peril than you are. If the price to pay is to defend a city, so be it.

[He has his life and remains at Mitsuhide's side; he may continue to support his friend instead of meeting his end at Yamazaki, whatever may await them. For that he is immensely grateful.]

Pluto Zone Rescue | Motochika, Mitsuhide, Takakage

[behisstrength]

[While it has been a difficult stream of days, Motochika and Mitsuhide are surviving -- not comfortably, but stably. They have acquired necessary resources that are lasting thanks to carefully balanced rationing, and they have had periodic rest, sleeping back to back. Weariness is an ever-present companion, but at more managable levels than before. Relying on each other has brought them this far, and has been an invaluable defence against the cold.

Now they are back out in the open again, having navigated the full length of the caverns. Keeping in motion until they find a settlement is their priority. The chilling scream that hurried them into the caverns remains at the back of Motochika's mind as he walks, keeping him on-guard, but the simple truth is that they cannot survive indefinitely like this and so the danger is a risk that they have no choice but to take.

With his volume low enough that it doesn't compromise their awareness of their surroundings or draw unwanted attention, Motochika hums portions of a fresh composition to Mitsuhide, getting his friend to chose between small segments one by one then connecting them together. It is a small game to help to bolster their spirits and distract from their bodily aches and low-level but lingering hunger.]

Which do you choose now?

[He queries, before presenting two rather outlandish options while wearing a smirk. His gaze, however, remains sharp and continuously scans the horizon.]

[wavesoakedlegs]

[The initial panic that had dominated his first day in this place had died down after their first night of sleep, but taking its place? A bone-deep weariness and ever-present sense of fear.]

[Not for himself, but for Motochika.]

[Mitsuhide's gut just can't accept that someone can be so easily healed from a wound as life-threatening as the one his friend had borne. Logic dictates that it must be so. Look, see how the skin has closed? Evidence for the eyes can't be denied, can it? But logic was never any good at washing away the niggling feelings in the back of one's mind, and so, as they explore this almost barren landscape, Mitsuhide every now and then glances down at Motochika's torso and bites his lip.]

I don't see how either will connect with your song so far very well. [He murmurs quietly, raising his head to focus on their environment again.] But if one must be chosen, then I would opt for the second.

[This game, at least, evokes faint memories of peaceful childhood times. Before both of them knew what war truly meant.]

god why is this so long

[thirdarrow]

[ So, the teleporter worked.

Takakage stood upon a barren plain dotted with rocks - a mountain range at his back, its crags imposing and progressively harder to scale. There is no life to be seen anywhere. A dry environment, then. A world hostile to him, and to the sea within his soul.

But his presence here had a duty to fulfil. And that duty had to be done. Even if it was a debt to a city that was never his home...

Koppa Tengu burst into existence above him. The avian circled for a few moments before gaining height, soaring above the landscape in wide arcs. He closed his own eyes and opened his awareness to that of his Persona - a panorama of the land below flashed into existence. The view was disorienting at first, but he quickly adjusts, scanning the area. There seemed to be nothing alive... or was there?

Two figures, walking across the plains, halfway between this mountain range and the next. Koppa Tengu dropped lower to get a better view - they were human. And vaguely familiar - instinct told him that he had seen them somewhere before. He could think of very little individuals who played shamisens as they walked, for one...

The strategist opened his own eyes. A glance at the horizon showed two small dots - presumably where they are. If they were indeed the individuals he had suspected them to be, then their arrival here probably had something to do with Philemon. Even if that wasn't the case, he ought to help them. Being out in such conditions only did harm.

He set off in their general direction, using his tome as a half-sunshade. Even years of exposure on the ocean hadn't acclimatized him. As for his Persona - he willed it to continue circling, and alert him if anything occurred. Hopefully they could meet up soon... ]

[behisstrength]

[Mitsuhide's glances are something that Motochika resigns himself to, knowing that it will take his friend time to accept what has occured. It's different when it is your own body, and even then he has not been entirely immune to flashes of memory startling him awake. But with awareness comes unshakable certainty.

Motochika's smirk only grows at Mitsuhide's reply.]

It adds flourish. [He states, a teasing uncurrent to his drawl.] Hm... Perhaps I should push further yet.

[He is halfway through giving Mitsuhide some truly bold note combinations when he sees a faraway shape -- he continues his humming, but also points with his bachi to the horizon. It's difficult to say right now, but it might just be a figure. His tone becomes firmer.]

What do you think, Mitsuhide? Surge or recede?

[His inclination is to remain on a collision path, but if Mitsuhide would prefer to alter their route, then he will do so to ease his friend's burden.]

[wavesoakedlegs]

[Mitsuhide looks in the direction Motochika is pointing to and frowns softly. A figure indeed, but there's no telling yet if it is indeed another human being. Nonetheless...]

We should keep going.

[His expression grows stern.]

If that is indeed a person, then it is a good sign... be they friend or enemy, it may be that they know where we should go to escape these desolate lands.

[And they need to get out of here as soon as possible. Surviving for much longer out in these mountains would be more than a hardship, so even if this is a risk, it's one they have no choice but to take.]

[thirdarrow]

[ The plains of this region were flatter than anything non-artifical Takakage had seen before. An illusion of distance was then possible... but thankfully this wasn't the case here.

He continued walking for a good ten minutes, watching the two figures upon the horizon. As they came closer, he could begin discerning their more obvious features - one was definitely holding a shamisen, or at least an object similar in shape. Although they looked familiar, they still bore differences to the individuals he remembered encountering.

There was always the possibility of them changing their appearance, though at this point he cannot quite conclude how much stock to put into that.

Once the distance between them closed to around two minutes' walking time, he called Koppa Tengu back from where it was circling above. The avian soared over to land by his side, prompting him to stop walking. Three legs made for a peculiar gait on the ground, after all.

The strategist hesitated - although they were within shouting distance, raising his voice seemed rather impolite, especially if they were indeed the people he suspected them to be. Instead, he opted to wait - though by this point he was plainly visible to the other two. Perhaps they would recognize him...? ]

[behisstrength]

A worthwhile risk. So be it.

[Motochika falls silent as he and Mitsuhide close the distance, even when the three-legged avian lands beside the (now obvious) man. He spares Mitsuhide a sideways glance, a wordless conversation condensed into a single look. Do you see that, my friend? This meeting is bound to be significant, one way or the other. His grip tightens on his instrument and he moves his bachi into position, ready to strike the silk strings of his shamisen as he feels like it; his gaze is keen as he scrutinises the creature. Only once they are close enough to make out his features does Motochika shift focus to the man.

Partial recognition pools in Motochika's eyes -- though modified, he recalls those clothes which formerly belonged to Motonari, and there is a distinct echo of the Chuugoku warlord in the mystery man's facial features and hair. A relation. Of that, Motochika has no doubt.

Motochika inclines his chin as he comes to a stop. Challenge resounds in his expression and his voice. He does not fear to be direct.]

What brings a Mōri to this place?