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Post by Vazad on Oct 25, 2017 13:13:37 GMT
As each of you reaches the city a faded sign can be seen slightly off-kilter beside each of the overgrown paths winding up to the mid-sized city.
“Welcome to the bustling burg of Türschutz. Please ignore the subharmonic wave phenomena and feel free to visit the gift shop before you go.”
While at one-point Türschutz was a major trading point in the lower leftmost point of Germany it has since fallen into disarray, the local Junker family was at one point filled with brilliant Sparks that were major players on the world field but they were succeeded by slowly weaker and weaker progeny until the present with the advent of Ernst Klein. A Spark of middling gift and vacillating attitude he mostly locks himself in the slowly moldering mansion that marks his families former glory while the townsfolk mostly keep to themselves, mostly farming and scavenging the surrounding wasteland to keep themselves provisioned. This is the atmosphere you have found yourselves in.
Parish - Edgar The pair of you came down from the mountains after Parish’s manic episode had been settled. Crossing the Alps was out of the question with your current kit and Parish had managed to drag himself a good distance down the frosty peaks before he reached the Germanic foothills of the mountain. Now that he has his faculties under control it’s time to recuperate and figure out your next step.
Angela Your last jaunt through the winding pathways of reality spat you out a few miles into the wastes near Türschutz, even if Angela would have no idea where this place is or if it has any significance. From what she’s found the locals speak a language that she’s familiar with so that’s a blessing at least. Perhaps the local Spark might help with her research?
Sylvia After arriving on the coast of France you were able to get a few leads, the locals in the towns you ran into kept directing you further inland. The name you’ve heard the most was “Margarethe Rothkind” who apparently lives somewhere to the east. Accounts have been scrambled and mostly unhelpful unfortunately and the goings been rough but you’ve made it this far inland.
Samuel In your search for stable employment, you managed to find a steady job as an assistant and cook for the Klein estate, cooking for the Junker and his meager household of an aged butler who only goes by the name Fritz and the equally aged maid called Tansey. Unfortunately, this has not been the best employer you’ve ever heard seen. pay is usually late, to the point that you are currently due three weeks back pay at the moment. The Junker, unfortunately, is kind of a klutz as far as proper lab procedure goes and you’ve had to deal with the occasional rift in spacetime as one of his half-brained experiments goes awry. At the moment you’ve headed into town to pick up groceries for the next week.
Lennart The cart you jumped on out of Belgium trundled its way slowly over the countryside until it reached this town far to the south. As the surrounding wasteland is dangerous to travel through at night you’ve stopped here until tomorrow as the nearest city is a full days travel away. For now, you’ll have to while away the hours somehow.
Through happenstance and luck, each of you happened to be in the market square during the late afternoon. At first, there was nothing really amiss, a slightly greasy texture to the air as if a storm was coming in, a feeling a mild pressure. Before anyone knew what was happening the old run down clocktower on top of the Klein mansion had begun flaring off purplish-green energy from the bent and burnt lighting rod atop it. The sagging and disheveled clock faces spinning wildly. Bursts of shadowy flame that did not burn began to arc through the stiflingly still air as a rent in reality ripped its way through the air. Gnashing yellowed fangs could be seen beyond the tear, gnashing they strained at the bonds of their prison. A long dark blue tongue covered in slaver began snaking out of the mouth stabbing at the air, waving back and forth as if searching for something. For a brief moment, it moved toward Angela, tasting the air in her direction. Suddenly the entire great bulk of the thing turned toward Sylvia. It redoubled its efforts to escape, throwing itself at the gap teeth tearing and clacking as it tried to chew its way out. Two umbral sinewy appendages snaked out, two smaller mouths topping them. They reached out, grasping for their prey as the crazed bulk tried to escape. As quickly as the rend in reality appeared it snapped shut and was gone. The clocktower in the background continued to vent the strange energy in the air and the cloying air continued to thicken. The bursts of ethereal fire slowly became more and more frequent as smaller cracks began to appear. The six of you find yourselves alone in the square.
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 25, 2017 20:49:23 GMT
Not for the first time, Sylvia misses home. Everything about her travels has just been subtly… off. People all talk differently, everything looks different, and, most of all, the air just feels different. As the directions led further and further inland, she’s realized exactly how used she was to having the ocean constantly nearby.
But, things aren’t all terrible, at least. There has been at least a little bit of information to go off of, and it’s been interesting to see all of the new places. And she has managed to figure out a little bit about what’s wrong with her. Or, well, more accurately, what causes things to happen. So, all she has to do is to try and not feel anything. Which is much easier said than done.
Although, with only Carbuncle for company, it hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. The little gremlin was never too irritating, and was willing to (at least pretend to) listen when Sylvia talked at her. So, that helped assuage the worst of loneliness and unease. Although, there seemed to be something happening to the Sableye... she seemed to be flickering more and more. Which was unusual. Something to keep an eye on, at least.
All those concerns, and thoughts of home, and wondering who she needs to ask in this town about Margarethe are swiftly swept out the window, though. A bolt of terror shot through her as a... Thing appeared in the air. It snaked towards another person in the square... before turning directly towards her. She freezes, unable to react as the maws grow ever closer. All of a sudden, she feels her surroundings shift as she flickers back from them, before the crack snaps shut on the thing.
Breathing heavily, she looks around, seeing a few more smaller cracks, but no Things. Just a few people.
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Post by seraphflonne on Oct 25, 2017 20:59:20 GMT
Angela stared at the point where the rend had opened and closed. She wasn't certain, but it certainly seemed very familiar, was it an Ultra Beast? The thoughts in her head ran in a thousand directions at once. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus one one line of thought in her head. It had looked at her, before turning to another, Angela gave the other target a look-over. She was short, and young it seemed. Angela thought she was looking at a child at first but the face was definitely a bit too mature for that, late teens or just an adult? She wore bright clothing, but Angela highly doubted that was why it wanted to snack on her, perhaps it was something not apparent on the surface, regardless of that, she needed to investigate both this girl and the clocktower, they both needed to give her answers.
Her hand fell to her belt and grabbed the poke-ball containing Rem, she didn't remove it, but kept her grip on it just in case, She just saw this girl blink out of existence. She didn't realize it, but now that she thought about it, this girl wasn't where she was at before this happened. Maybe that was just a trick made from the distortion? Well, she certainly had a lead here, but she wasn't sure how to pursue it. A human would offer concern in this situation, right? Angela slowly approached the shorter woman with trepidation, she was certain this was going to go wrong. "Are you alright?" The question came out in a gruff voice, sounding harsh. The look on Angela's face was a frown, her eyes tensing up as she posed the question.
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Post by Lockdown on Oct 25, 2017 22:04:58 GMT
Edgar has been mentally calculating how much food they'd need to buy when the greasy feeling in the air had struck. It had been... unpleasant, to say the least. At first he'd thought it was someone toying with electrical energy... until the clock attached to the mansion at the center of town had begun to have a meltdown. "Sir, I don't suppose you know if this is what the sign was referring to when it mentioned 'sub-harmonic wave frequencies' do you?".
Then the cracks in the air had begun to form, and he'd let the instincts that seemed to grip him in times of trouble come to the fore. Observe. Assess. Act. So far they'd not failed him. Obviously this was some Spark-borne mishap. It always was. And while the local effects put him somewhat in mind of the experiment he'd come across Parish doing, it hadn't left this feeling of wrongness in the air. Then there was... well his mind categorized it as "fire" but it wasn't right. "Sir..."
And then a rent had burst in reality, like a seam giving way. And something was on the other side. Something that was hungry. He'd immediately fell into a combat stance, preparing to send Morten out to help drive the thing off if needed, but it seemed to completely ignore him and his companion/employer. Rather, it homed in on a brown haired woman... before veering off and seeming to go mad in its attempt to get at a young girl with red hair.
As quickly as it had come though, the thing vanished, leaving only a handful of people left in the square. Himself, Parish, the two women, and two other men. Straitening and brushing a bit of dust from his shoulder, he addresses Parish. "Sir, I imagine that this might be of interest to you. We may need to move quickly before something worse happens. Given the beast's interest in the ladies, perhaps we should approach them; and then... Well I imagine that that is where we may find some answers as to what's going on." Edgar points to the energy-shrouded clocktower.
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Post by Robot on Oct 26, 2017 13:05:31 GMT
Parish was tired, still hungry and rail thin. He stood with a dry vapid look of disappointment on his face as the vendors and shop keeps evacuated the square. The fit of mania had been so long and taxing, a proper bed would've been nice after a filling meal. Edgar was addressing him from behind, but Parish was distracted by the bursts of fire from the tower, the lines of white splitting the air, and the otherworldly screaming coming through a rent in the fabric of space itself.
"It may only be proximity, your answers will be found in that clock tower Edgar, I'd put money on it. If you'd like to have the girl along, feel free to approach them on the matter. I'll give the matter my considerations as this is certainly in my depth, though that was not the beast I dealt with the last time."
Ixmt9t934d6 Occult Edu 4d6
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Post by sleepytenor on Oct 26, 2017 17:15:45 GMT
Samuel, having just cleaned up his employer's latest mess before heading out to pick up the week's groceries, was not in the mood for another experiment gone horribly wrong. He stared briefly, still in his defensive stance, at the tower where the "rift" had been only moments prior. Whatever it was, it seemed to have some sort of fondness for a young redhead. But nonetheless it stewed his curiosity. He relaxed his body, took a quick look through his shopping list, and decided that the old Junker could wait a little longer. As he started to make his way over to the girl he noticed a handful of other faces in the crowd were maneuvering their way over to her.
"Alright now, stand back stand back. Give 'er some breath'n room." Samuel's voice; authoritative, scratchy, and unapologetically loud, surprised himself. "You ok?" he asked a bit more calmly, almost flatly, as approached the young girl.
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Post by Vazad on Oct 26, 2017 18:00:30 GMT
Parish You can tell that both the fire and the cracks in reality are spreading out from the central point of the clocktower, the closer you get to the epicenter the more common and pronounced the effects are. Although at this distance you cannot determine the exact extent of the phenomena. Although you've only witnessed one instance of it you get the impression that the dimensional barrier is being weakened from this side and whatever that thing was is attempting to force its way through.
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Post by Necrowolf on Oct 26, 2017 23:40:04 GMT
Witnessing the yellow fangs and blue tongue begin piercing through the essence of reality, Lennart's mind was at first filled with a single realization. That in the future he'd better be more specific with wishes made in the future. Coming here his only wish was to get very far away from the disaster he brewed back where he last traveled. Now witnessing the premonitions of a cataclysmic event, it occurred to him that peacefulness would have been a better desire. Though he was far from his original problem, the peace he desired for his craft still eluded him. A shame to, for Lennart was excited thinking he would finally be able to begin his puppetry in seriousness again, the very reason he was in the market square was to search for some materials that could breath life into his next project.
Of course, some fearful thoughts were also mixed in with this quiet contemplation. Being from a City-state lead by an astoundingly mediocre spark, and never staying around the stronger spark lead cities for too long, Lennart had never seen a "malfunction" of this magnitude occur. Thankfully, the strange event didn't last too long, with the rift closing after the beast's tongue made a dash for two women in the sparsely populated square. It became apparent though that the problem was far from done, as tinier rifts began to open up.
Lennart couldn't help being a little miffed at the situation. Him noticing the added strangeness of a teleporting girl also did little to bolster hopes of the situation being sorted out in the morning. Being mostly considerably "normal" and sparkless for most of his life, Lennart couldn't help but fall back on the ingrained habit of focusing his frustrations on the most probable causes of the problem, the local sparks. "Damned Sparkies" he muttered as he gazed at the 5 others gathering together, who at least had to have a few insane sparks among them evidenced by the teleporting lass and the man intently studying the anomaly most would run from.
He fancied the idea of leaving the square and letting the problem be settled by the assorted group, but where was there to leave to? This event would certainly lead to the cart's belated departure, or cause the crew to have hurried off already. Having no idea where the crew currently was would make joining them for the latter improbable. Then there was also the two familiar voices in the back of his head that simultaneously spoke the words Cmon now, there some fun to be had here. One was in the tone of a dearly missed and jovial friend, and the other was spoken as if it came from his capricious younger self. Of course these voices were right, Lennart began to become excited by the prospect of examining the creature. The display of its fangs and tongue was already wondrous, what other incredible details could that creature be hiding. Though, there still was the problem of getting close enough to the creature for its study. It was a certainty that Lennart's meager combat skills would be trifling in comparison to a beast that rips through dimensions, and he lacked the deathwish required to try and attempt the task in spite of this.
For now Lennart thought it would be best to talk to the others he found himself in the square with before making a plan. He made his way over and took note of the rather tall man who seemed to be taking charge of the group. He was emitting an air of authority currently, so it would be best to talk to him first. Furthermore, the man had some neat looking mechanical replacements for his arm and leg, which gave Lennart an idea. Hm... I wonder if those mechanical bits increase his hand's precision and accuracy by eliminating human error? Though he had many questions, Lennart instead pounced on his most recent thought as he walked to the construct "Ehrm, excuse me sir. How do you fancy yourself with a pen?"
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 27, 2017 3:53:13 GMT
All of a sudden, there are a lot of people crowding around Sylvia. She takes a quick step back to get a little bit of breathing room at the influx, before responding to the questions, "Yeah, uh, I think so, at least. As long as that Thing doesn't come back."
Worriedly, she looks around at where there are other, similar - though thankfully smaller - tears crackling. "So... I don't suppose any of you know what's happening beyond 'a Spark did something'? Because that Thing seemed to think I looked appetizing, or something, and I'd like to not have that happen again."
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Post by seraphflonne on Oct 27, 2017 4:43:13 GMT
Angela glanced back at the man telling her to give the girl breathing room, before taking exactly one, small step back. Room to breathe wasn't an actual concern for normal people, but it might be different for this girl. Regardless her attention shifted back to the girl as she posed a question. One that she might be able to answer. "In my opinion, that was what I label as an Ultra Beast, they are creatures from another reality, separate from ours except at certain points. As for why it wanted you, I have no clue, as of yet, your own guess would be as good as mine. Though the specifics for what happened here are clear, a Spark tried to open a rift to Ultra Space, the land of the Ultra Beasts"
Angela pushes her glasses back up as she feels them slipping down her nose a little. "Ah yes, I am Angela Ainsley, and you are?" The light glinted off her glasses, hiding her eyes behind it's shine as she looked at the girl with avid interest.
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Post by Robot on Oct 27, 2017 12:22:00 GMT
"Tried to is inaccurate." Parish stated matter-of-factly as he paced towards the group, his attention still on the distant clock tower. "Is still in the process of. Given the earlier mention of sub-harmonics and the shift in air density and atmospheric color we can safely assume this entire township is either shaving away at dimensional boundaries or itself moving 'tween them. Regardless, the townsfolk appear to have either a measure of warning or a healthy respect for their master and good calisthenics. I suggest if your intent was survival, tending the resident spark or leaving the city would be in your best interests rather then the short term comforts of empathy."
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Post by sleepytenor on Oct 27, 2017 13:09:15 GMT
After feeling reassured that the girl was not in any distress, Samuel turned confusedly to the other redhead. "Excuse me? 'ow am I with a pen?" Samuel was taken aback and a little unsure of how to respond to such seemingly random question. He went to crack his neck with his mechanical arm and then it suddenly made sense. "Oh! You mean 'cause of this thing. Why didn'tcha say so? His words coming out between hearty chuckles. He admired the boy's brazen curiosity, and was very much amused by it.
Completely ignoring the rest of the conversation with the others, Samuel answered."I don't 'ave anything else on me to show you, but you can 'ave a look at this if you like." Samuel handed over the shopping list he had been carrying. The calligraphy was impressively smooth and intricate, despite being written in shorthand. Then he realized that this boy's interest might be his best chance of getting out of this town. "You know. My 'andywork in a workshop is a bit more impressive, both 'cause of my experience and my...well...tools." He boasted while crossing his arms and drumming his metal fingers across his other arm looking quite pleased with himself.
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 27, 2017 18:09:36 GMT
Sylvia only understands about half of what the others are saying, but it's enough to realize that it's bad, bad news. Another reality? Something about that sends shivers down her spine, separate from the ones the Thing already caused.
She looks towards the newest arrival, the one suggesting that she should leave. "I... I can't leave yet," she says, "Much as I'd like to. If I leave without direction, then, well, I'm back to almost square one. Unless one of you knows anything about a 'Margarethe Rothkind'?" she asks the last bit hopefully.
"Oh, and my name's Sylvia. Sylvia Rose." she says, looking back at the other woman and returning her introduction.
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Post by seraphflonne on Oct 27, 2017 19:56:09 GMT
Angela let go of her spectacles, satisfied with their positioning, for now. "Tried to is still accurate until they fully succeed, when they do, my opinion on the matter will change. Though I highly doubt they will be successful without intervention, an anchor would be a good way of solidifying such a bond, of course that's really only necessary for a permanent rift." She faced the approaching man, her eyes of interest now facing another figure. It certainly was interesting that he knew at least the basics...a Spark, most likely.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance Sylvia, but may I inquire who our new conversationalist may be?" Angela felt like she hit the metaphorical jackpot. Someone related to rift phenomenon and an expert in it? Plus a Spark in town that succeeded in opening a small rift? All of these things together certainly might help her achieve her goals. She would need their willing cooperation however.
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Post by Lockdown on Oct 27, 2017 23:49:59 GMT
"He would be Parish Moarte, my employer. I'm Edgar Synthesia." He pauses for a beat, to see if anyone recognizes his name at all. No such luck. "While I'm sure that standing about trading theories until that thing manages to force it's way through and make a luncheon of us, perhaps we should see to dismantling the cause of this particular problem before it goes further awry, hmm?" He points towards the clock-tower; before turning his gaze on the man with the prosthesis and the fellow poring over what appeared to be... yes that was a shopping list.
"Beg pardon sir, are you perhaps a local? Would you be willing to assist us in this endeavor?" he addresses Samuel.
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Post by sleepytenor on Oct 28, 2017 22:06:57 GMT
"A local? 'Til a better offer comes my way, yes. But I can do ya one better. The man you're lookin' for is my employer. And I told 'im this experiment could wait 'til I got back." Samuel knew he would be chastised if he came back without food, but he also knew that bringing Sylvia was going to be important. "I think you should come with me, Sylvia was it? Klein'll want to meet you."
Samuel turned his attention to the rest of the group, with an expression of mixed concern and annoyance "Those of you who would like to come along better follow. I'd really like to get back 'fore 'e trips over another wire, or whatever 'e did this time." Realizing this might not give off the right impression he hastily added 'e really is quite brilliant, Ernst Klein. Just a little uh... more than a little clumsy."
He starts off toward the estate, and stops suddenly. Returning to his prior lighthearted stateOh, excuse my manners. I 'ave yet to introduce myself. I'm Samuel Kettleson, but uh... most people call me "Skit."
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 29, 2017 2:51:50 GMT
"Uh, me?" Sylvia asks, with a mix of skepticism and bewilderment, "Not to offend you, Mister, uh, Skit, but why would he want to meet me? He doesn't know me at all, and, well, helping with machines isn't really my forte. And, I don't know anything about whatever's going on like some of these folks do." Remembering the last Spark machine she interacted with, she gives a bit of an internal wince at the memory, triggering some phantom pain.
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Post by Lockdown on Oct 29, 2017 3:18:17 GMT
"If he's like most other Sparks, likely he'd wish to study your abilities in some fashion. Don't worry, I've got some experience in... restraining Sparks to ensure that they don't go too far. As my employer can attest." Edgar smiles thinly even as he flexes one hand into a fist, a light whirring sound coming from the motion. "Either way, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can find out what's happening, and keep it from getting worse. Or better yet, reverse it. I'd advise a bit of haste, those cracks don't seem to be getting larger, but that could change."
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Post by Necrowolf on Oct 29, 2017 3:24:06 GMT
Lennart's eyes lit up as he looked at the intricate penmanship. "Astonishing, yes then this is perfect." While he was occupied with overlooking the fine work, another man had come to address the mechanical giant he was speaking with.
Joy filled him as the conversation seemingly revealed that his assumptions were correct. "Perfect my good man!" he stated to Samuel. "That commandeering gave me an indication that you were somehow related to the authority of this place, and it seems that guess was correct. You see, I would like to make a bit of a bothersome request. You look to be already taking these people to the epicenter of the problem, so if you happen to meet that monster again could you use those fine skills of yours to draw me an accurate picture of it? That beast looked to have some interesting features adorning it, which I think would weave themselves splendidly into my work if only I got a closer look at them. I'm a bit timid about getting closer to the thing myself, but if it's already likely that you'll cross its path again then I hope you can do this favor for me. It would be lovely to study the thing in detail, even if it we're only in second-hand."
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Post by seraphflonne on Oct 29, 2017 3:46:47 GMT
Angela peered over at the menagerie of extras that appeared. This is why she hated humans, they always seemed to conglomerate towards things they don't even understand. This wasn't going to work, not without interference, interference that everyone seemed quite content to send right to the cause of the anomaly. Well, if it works in her favor... "Sylvia, they have a point, even if you avoid the problem it certainly won't avoid you, facing the cause head on might be the best choice...for now" She seemed to be the only weak link in heading towards the goal, encouraging the rest would be easiest, but a frown graced her face at the blatant distaste of not being direct.
Angela tugged the ball off her belt, releasing Rem into the world, no reason to be left unprepared, the Ultra Beast was clearly aggressive, they would need all the defenses they could get their hands on. "I recommend preparing yourselves, Ultra Beasts are hopelessly powerful at their worst, the rifts may weaken them enough in our own realm to fight, but should another open, I doubt that it will rip through, but it may be able to get something through" As distasteful as fighting it would be, she had no clue if her channeling would work, Ultra Beasts could shrug her off at will easily after all. Best to be as cautious as possible.
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