EVENT #15: THE NETHER - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #15 - The Nether

OOC event plotting | settings info

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After a Conclave vote earlier this month, you're prepared to accept the formal request from the Nether for your assistance. By now, you'll know who the delegates are and that the dragons have suffered an illness from the rifts that opened this summer, due to the unfortunate actions of one of your fellow Summoned. Whether or not you agree with your Conclave's majority rule, the decision has been made.

The expedition will begin on October 16 and last 10 days. If you need to return home sooner, you can activate your portal stone at any point during the trip, but there's no going back once you do.

Though mysterious, the Draconae - or daemons, as others call them - are not elusive like the Fey. Anyone who's been to Nocwich will have seen a handful of them amongst the population, and some reside in the Free Cities or the outskirts of Thorne. The only nation they aren't found in is Solvunn.

Into the Heart

Your arrival to the Nether is a frosty one. The northern island is barren, save for a thick layer of snow, a few birds, and some hardy insects. Massive skeletal remains can be seen as you walk over the ice. Every few minutes, the ground trembles. The Draconae warriors greet you at the base of the volcano, including Orion, The Warden herself. Though they appear intimidating, they're grateful you're here and will clap you heartily on the back.

Entering the Obsidian Heart requires nerves of steel, but appearances aside, the narrow walkway is sturdy. As long as you're brave, you'll make it down without a problem. The less sure-footed are encouraged to ask for a hand. If they do, they'll be assigned a Draconum warrior who will cheerfully carry them down the winding path. You can also help each other, of course! Any Summoned who are capable can carry their friends, too.

As you venture down, the oppressive heat intensifies...until suddenly it stops. The moment you reach the fiery gates, the smell of brimstone fades from the air and the temperature eases into that of a pleasant summer's day. If asked, the Draconae will tell you this is how it is - a blessing from the two remaining dragons. Without them, the air would suffocate all life within.

Although the main purpose is to aid the dragons, the Draconae will invite characters to take breaks, participate in recreational activities, and explore the Nether. They want their guests to be comfortable, especially as the Summoned have arrived to help.

Around the City

At the center of the volcano lies the Obsidian Heart, where the Draconae reside. Made of stacking homes and stone bridges that spiral downward, it's a wonder how anyone finds their way. There are no maps, signage, or any form of direction. Their ability to navigate appears inherent. The most dangerous beasts lurk beneath the lava, so unless you intend to go swimming, you're unlikely to run into anything aggressive.

Doors and furniture are heavy and are made of iron, bronze, or steel. You might need to push or pull furnishings and doors with both hands and extra effort. Luckily, citizens are happy to help - as long as you ask. If you don't, they won't interfere out of respect for your autonomy. In fact, if they see you huffing and puffing, they might stop to watch and will sincerely cheer for you should you accomplish your objective by yourself.

Watch your sticky fingers. While petty theft is a minor offence in other places, the Draconae are highly protective of their belongings and treasures. Hands and heads have been lost over stolen trinkets.

The Hieran Wing

As a guest, you'll be invited to stay at the Hieran Wing. Named after Hierus, the oldest living dragon, the Hieran Wing is located in the eastern section of the Citadel. The rest of the Citadel is under heavy guard and inaccessible.

◎ The rooms are carved into the stone itself. Bedding is comfortable, if simple, with room to store your belongings. A curved stairwell grants you privacy even though many rooms have curtains rather than doors. The few rooms that have doors contain no locks. Your safety is assured, but if you're nervous, you can ask for a guard to watch you at night.

◎ The dining area consists of open-fire grills, pots, and raw ingredients - including spices and fiery hot peppers. As great believers in self-sufficiency, the Draconae will leave you to make meals to your taste and liking. You can hunt and fish your meat, as well. There are numerous lava pools where one can net jumbo shrimp, crabs, and flaming fish. For larger game, you can go after the Erymaes Boar or Petran Bison. Feel free to share your catch with your friends or offer to cook for the culinarily challenged.

◎ The library contains only fiction. You'll recognize several titles from your faction or Nocwich, suggesting they've brought back their favorite stories to read. Other titles are new, written by the Draconae. Novels and poetry span all genres, but the most common ones seem to be adventure, horror, and erotic romance - some of which contain surprisingly detailed illustrations.

Magma Pools

Outside the Hieran Wing, unusual cerulean magma pools are provided for bathing. Despite how they look, temperatures are equivalent to that of a steaming hot spring. The magma bubbles naturally from within the volcano and provides soothing effects. No soap or cleaning agents are required. These magma pools contain tiny frogs that leap and jump around. The Draconae consider them a tasty live snack. Don't be surprised if you see a local munching on them.

The Foundry

The Foundry has expanded over the past two centuries. A marketplace now circles the ancient forge. Observing the tradespeople inside and their secrets are off-limits. However, you can browse a selection of tools, clothes, accessories, and potions. Healing potions are common due to the Draconae's lack of healing magic.

You'll have the chance to request custom-made jewelry and purchase glass ornaments that are blown for you on the spot. Merchants won't sell the large weapons on display, but daggers and other small weapons are available. They'll also modify any pieces you own by adding jewels, altering the fit, or repairing nicks and faults...for a price. The Draconae deal in Abraxan currency if you have any, but they'll accept a vial or two of blood or saliva as payment.

Negotiations & Meetings (Rank 5+)

The first order of business is to present your Conclave's terms to the Inner Sanctum, the Draconae's governing body. If you've been voted as a delegate, you'll be greeted by the NPC meeting you (and your partner, if you have one). If you haven't been selected, you can still speak to some of the NPCs available.

A Place at the Table

Negotiations will take place in The Solar on the second day, a hall lit with a fiery orb of light. This is where the Inner Sanctum conducts all of its business. Tightly guarded, you're the first outsiders allowed inside in centuries. Here, you'll have the chance to present your terms and convince the Draconae to accept. You'll also have the first day of your arrival to gather a few details about the NPC you'll be meeting.

Only one meeting is required. The Nether will give you their final answer the following day.

Be sure to reply with the terms before starting the thread. Mods will approve or ask for revisions, so try to submit your points by OCTOBER 17.

Once approved, please TAG IN with your character under the correct faction heading.

Meeting the Inner Sanctum

Members of the Inner Sanctum who are not involved in diplomatic affairs are Aster, The Guardian and Anneth, The Flame. Additional descriptions about the two NPCs and where they can be found will be in their character comments below.

Characters who are Rank 5+ (negative or positive) and who are not acting as delegates can speak with one of the two NPCs above.

To do so, TAG IN with your character under the NPC you want to meet.

Runaway at Pyritean's Rack

Abraxan outsiders will whisper that Pyritean's Rack is a nefarious torture device created by the Draconae for their victims. This is true if the victim in question is delicious meat. The Rack, in other words, is a giant cooking area filled with grilling racks and pits. Shelves of ingredients and spices line the perimeter. Its most striking feature is the primary heat source, which uses magma rather than fire. Ingredients and meat unique to the Nether result in dishes and flavors not found elsewhere. Hot peppers are a popular feature.

The Draconae cook and share their food each night at the Rack. The station is always occupied. Locals take turns hunting and fishing, preparing ingredients, and cooking. Consequently, food is provided without cost. You only need to lend a hand.

Not everything goes smoothly, though. An escaped hatchling has infiltrated the Rack, and Khloris, the baby dragon, is eager to snatch and steal food throughout the week.

Earning the Torch

Impromptu competitions are frequent. They usually begin when one cook sees another outdoing them and makes a challenge. You can either issue a challenge or receive a challenge. Challenges can be between you and the natives, or you can face off with another Summoned. Judging is done by the crowd, which can be chaotic.

Not to worry! There's no downside to losing except your pride. Though the competition can grow fierce and heated in the moment - including vulgar insults and much jeering - once all is said and done, there are no grudges when the food hits the table. Sore losers are looked down on as being thin-skinned.

Winners will receive a jar of spice mix or marinating sauce from one of the many talented cooks. We won't be modding this aspect, so just be realistic with your character's cooking skills. Be sure to work things out with your thread partner if the competition involves another player character!

Escaped Hatchling

One young dragon has escaped its sanctuary at Dragon's Glass. Curious, it's drawn to the smell of food at Pyritean's Rack. As a result, it's disrupting competitions, breaking equipment, and stealing ingredients or even chunks of meat off people's plates. Desperate to get the dragon back before it causes more trouble - or worse, injures itself - the Draconae have asked you to catch the hatchling.

Of course, you'll need to contend with the dragon's unique abilities.

Khloris, the runaway in question, leaves behind small patches of grass. Its pollen dust coats nearly everything it goes near. When eaten or touched, the pollen causes flowers to sprout in your hair for a day or two. It can't fly far or very high, but it's prone to swooping down to snatch meat off the grill. The Flame informs you the dragon can be lured with gold trinkets or bright colors like red and yellow.

To see if your character can catch the dragon, submit for a roll HERE. Submissions will close October 18 at 11:59 ET. Results will be posted on October 19 so players can account for their success or failure.

Ailing Dragons

The two ailing dragons are Hierus, the Obsidian Drake, and Kruos, the Glass Serpent. Mated to each other, they're the only remaining adult dragons in the Nether and have been for decades. When you visit them at Dragon's Glass, their condition is worrisome. The dragons' scales have lost their luster and are grown over with painful white patches. They appear lethargic.

Those researching can offer the dragons healing potions or ointment to aid their symptoms while a cure is worked on. If you're not much of a healer or a scientist, you can feed them or simply spend time with them. The dragons are intelligent and appear capable of understanding you, though they can't communicate directly.

Characters have 3 avenues of participation, depending on their interests and strengths: gathering ingredients, researching the cure, and looking after the baby dragons and eggs. They'll have time to do all three throughout the 10-day excursion.

Finding a Cure

At first, you aren't sure where or how to start. The Draconae suggest the Ashlands may be a place to explore. It's dangerous, they warn, but they have a potion that'll help keep you safe. Due to the hazards, you're told not to go alone. As you travel through the deadened land, you notice an odd phenomenon: where you walk, the air around you clears, and the ground beneath your feet springs to life. You realize you don't need the potion to protect you.

The changes are temporary, fading behind you as you walk. Curiously, the effect you exhibit is similar to what the Draconae claim their dragons are capable of - though to a much smaller degree. Still, you have to wonder if you and the dragons share a similar magical connection to the Singularity. You can't help but notice that those of you who regularly interact with the Horizon and have been doing so for a while seem to affect your environment more. Your aura may be a little larger and the vicinity restored around you lasts a bit longer rather than melting away immediately - maybe even up to a minute or two.

Restoration and Gathering

Your ability to restore the land has unlocked a vital element. Ingredients once thought lost can now be gathered by the Summoned such as yourself, and they may hold the key to curing the dragons. Bring back these ingredients to your peers waiting at Dragon's Glass. The more you gather, the more they'll be able to research and experiment, so don't be shy about making multiple trips.

There are three sections for you to explore. Each one has its dangers and a specific ingredient to collect.

Due to its circumstances, Aetherie is only available on Day 9 of the event, shortly before the cure is finalized. The Draconae will seal the area once more when they realize what's happening. Cinder's Core and Featherhive are open for the full duration of the event.

◎ Cinder's Core

Filled with petrified trees and fossilized bones, the area that restores around you demonstrates its previous life as a flourishing rainforest: the humidity grows, the grass turns lush, and tropical flowers sprout under your fingertips. Although its sulfuric air won't affect you, you'll need to brave dangerous heights to reach the tops of trees and dried-up waterfall cliffs to retrieve the kydros fruit. The fruit smells like citrus and is surprisingly light despite its size.

Vines brought back to life can help you climb, forming ropes for you to climb and bridges that weave beneath your feet. They'll wither once more behind you, so you'll want to move quickly to avoid losing your footing. Height isn't the only danger - the ground below is littered with sharp skeletal protrusions and jagged trees. Beware of dangerous thorn bushes that will come to life in your presence and try to crush you in their spiny embrace as you ascend.

◎ Featherhive

The air here is too toxic for the Draconae to breathe in for long. Luckily you're unaffected. Scattered across the ground are the remaining husks of birds' nests. A dragon's skeleton curls under a rocky overhang. Use your restorative ability to journey deep into Featherhive's heart. Pushing aside the thick overgrowth reveals a small clearing covered in bright crystals for you to harvest.

Although Featherhive poses no physical danger, the land is haunted by shadow birds, ethereal spirits connected to the dragons - and you. As you pass through, they flutter around you and parrot familiar lines to each other. Their movements are jerky and strange. Quickly, you realize the birds are mimicking your memories. They might replicate an entire scene or echo a phrase or two that's plagued you all your life. Or, if you're lucky, they're merely repeating your grocery list. Shooing them will cause them to dissipate into smoke, but they'll soon return.

◎ Aetherie

The loss of a dragon released a noxious gas through this village without warning. Escaping villagers were forced to leave behind those they could not save and seal the doors. The Oblivion is a painful moment in history for many, and none have set foot near the area since. Near the end of your stay, the Draconae request you use your ability to venture where they can't and gather Anoix pods, powerful healing seeds from a plant that only grew in Aetherie. They believe the abandoned huts will contain pouches of the pods on shelves and cabinets.

Entering the village, you expect a tragic scene of corpses. Instead, you find something far worse. The dead have mutated into grotesque arachnids, limbs fused to bulbous abdomens. They show no signs of recognition or awareness and attack you on sight. Hidden in the depths of the purple haze, rat-sized spiders scurry forth. Their venom causes painful sores that will fester and spread if left untreated. Multiple bites may result in temporary blindness or paralysis of a limb. Luckily, this will clear up within 24 hours to a few days, depending on the severity.

Grab the pods if you can or flee if you're overwhelmed. When word reaches The Warden, she'll rapidly send her people to reseal the abandoned village and come to aid any who need it. If you're injured, The Flame and her apprentices will tend to you at Dragon's Glass.

Research and Magic

Dragon's Glass is a glass-domed temple said to be forged from the fires of Kruos. It's located in the Spiral, which is outside the Obsidian Heart. Here, the two remaining dragons reside while ill, along with their clutch of eggs and a few precious hatchlings.

Anneth, The Flame, will invite you into the temple's alchemy labs, where you can apply your skills and knowledge to create the healing elixir that cures the dragons. Doing so requires you to experiment with key ingredients found in the Ashlands. You'll have access to basic alchemy books and apprentices at the temple. Use any additional tools, supplies, and knowledge you possess, and take advantage of the resources donated by the factions.

How you approach your research is up to you, but each ingredient comes with a set of risks - so be careful while you work!

◎ The kydros fruit contains seeds that will explode when heated, causing a chain reaction like popped popcorn. The explosions aren't large, but they might scorch your supplies. Crushing them in the open air results in a similar chemical reaction. However, soaking them in water makes them soften into mush, allowing you to turn the seeds into a paste that could be useful. The fruit is similar to grapefruit and is excellent for a sore throat.

◎ The crystals come in three colors: red, blue, and black. Extended contact will dye your skin that color. The stains are extraordinarily stubborn, so your clothes may not recover. These crystals resonate with a strange hum that suggests they respond well to magic spells. Combining them with a liquid will give off a foul-smelling smoke, so you may need to find ways to neutralize the stench before combining it into an elixir.

◎ The Anoix pods must be used sparingly, as no more can be gathered from Aetherie. They possess strong healing properties, but each pod is very delicate and must be split open with care so as not to damage the soft seeds inside. In addition to researching the cure, you can also attempt to help the Dracaone grow new Anoix plants using the preserved seeds.

The final cure will use all 3 key ingredients. Don't worry too much about continuity! As long as your character participated, you can assume they made a valuable contribution.

However, to assist with coordination, we've provided a RESEARCH DISCOVERY section where you can present any findings your character would share with others in-game.

Hatchlings and Eggs

While curing the adult dragons is a priority, the hatchlings and eggs aren't to be neglected. Baby dragons are active troublemakers, and without their parents to keep them in line, they've become especially unruly. The apprentices at the temple can only do so much. The Keeper has even made rare appearances in Dragon's Glass to lend his assistance.

Meanwhile, the eggs are beginning to show signs of affliction. The shells are beginning to weaken, and the feathery growths appearing on them will suffocate the hatchling inside if left untreated.

Babysitting the Dragons

If you have a spare moment, you can look after the baby dragons. Keep them out of trouble by reading their favorite stories, singing songs, and playing with them. They'll also need to be fed, watered, and their bedding changed or fluffed. The hatchlings are mischievous but friendly. They're eager to bond with the Summoned for reasons unexplained, as if they feel something resonating within you.

Many are attracted to shiny objects and bright colors and will attempt to steal them. Conversely, they might gift you a trinket that they've pilfered from someone else. The local Draconae would appreciate it if you returned any missing tools or jewels.

Hatchlings you'll encounter in Dragon's Glass are:

◎ Okenus spouts water instead of flame. Bearing fins instead of wings, this sea dragon is vital to bringing lakes and rivers back to the Nether. Currently, it can only make tiny puddles and rainclouds. Watch that your belongings don't get wet. Standing near the dragon might cause a small storm cloud to spawn over you and rain down on your head. A simple spell will make the cloud disappear, but if you don't have any magic, you might have to bring an umbrella.

◎ Epeius can form miniature gusts of wind beneath its wings, but it doesn't have firm control and frequently spawns them when excited. These small dust devils and whirlwinds will follow you around. Though they aren't powerful, they can be a nuisance, knocking over cups, blowing away hats, and sending papers flying. The other hatchlings will find your misfortune a source of amusement.

◎ Ledas can help salt deposits form in the shape of large salt crystals. Salt is important to the Draconae, which the hatchling is aware of and thus takes great pride in its abilities. The crystals can be eaten as is or crushed into granules. Ledas will strive to impress you with the largest crystals that it can make...which occasionally results in the structure collapsing, littering the ground with salt. You might find yourself sweeping often around this dragon, but at least you'll never be short on seasoning.

◎ Anthusa is a very special hatchling that creates bioluminescent algae. The algae grow on its scales, forming a symbiotic relationship. Unfortunately, without a proper habitat for this algae in the Nether, its glow has dimmed in recent years and the hatchling has become languid and sickly despite its youth. Nonetheless, Anthusa is friendly and curious even if it struggles to keep up with its siblings. You can help Anthusa play by lifting it to heights it can't reach, and carrying it back when the dragon is too tired to walk.

Weakened Eggs

As noted, the eggs demonstrate signs of suffering, too. Three eggs are waiting to be hatched. Whether all of the eggs survive is dependent on the decision that each faction Conclave made regarding resources found, as well as the help provided by you and your fellow Summoned.

The eggs can't be cured until the dragons are cured, but you can help slow the growths by gently scraping them off and wiping the eggs regularly with a clean cloth. They must also be kept heated, so check the magma frequently and refill any magma basins. The growths can be donated to those researching for additional study if you wish.

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Comments

➤ nero & wilhelm

[subhuman]

[ He's got to hand it to the draconae, they sure know how to turn an inhospitable mountain of fire into something that resembles a home. Though he didn't actually believe the inside of a volcano could look like Hell, he's quietly relieved that it doesn't.

Not that he's too keen on staying in yet another heavily guarded castle of sorts, the vibe that the draconae are giving off is already a little more his style. Maybe he was wrong about this whole ordeal, even if part of him is still a little unsure about what the rest of Abraxas would want with dragons. That generally spells danger. But, for now...

Dante lazily hops down the last few steps into the cave of a room, surprisingly homey all things considered. He whistles as he does a little turn, hands on his hips. ]

Now isn't this all cute and cozy? Could use a nice bed--

[ A glance. ]

--of straw to rest after all those steps.

[ His poor old legs. ]

[ofthesword]

[Maybe it's the will of ol' grandpappy for all his godforsaken kin to have Spardadar, or maybe it's for a completely incomprehensible reason that Nero will never be able to word or describe or admit to, that he goes looking for Dante.

It's nothing stupid like missing him. Like not having fucking seen him except in a place that doesn't exist, that isn't real, when he could at least call him on his shitty rotary dial before if something happened, and at worst kick in the door to Devil May Cry to. Ask for advice. Or whatever.

Before all the Qliphoth shit happened.

Nero finds him commenting on beds to no one in particular, but he's still inevitably Dante in all the ways that matter. (Alive. Shockingly clean. Not looking like Trish dragged him out of a back alley somewhere.)] What, you already get spoiled sleepin' on a bed with a mattress?

[He leans in the cave's doorway (is it a doorway if there's no door?), arms crossed over his chest, with an intensity that says, yeah, he intends on staying.]

[subhuman]

[ Dante is a certified daily bather now, Nero, don't you know? It's almost like when the pipes are always running and someone else is paying the bill, he can afford it.

But anyway, Dante likes to narrate to himself. It keeps him fun and silly, but mostly it helps drown out the thoughts he'd rather not consider, refocusing him on things that generally don't matter. Coping. Not that anyone else needs to know that, least of all Nero, whom Dante becomes of aware of behind him.

He pivots on his heel and flashes a smile at his nephew. ]

Afraid I've become a kept man in Ye Ole Castle.

[ He looks back towards the bed, then raises a brow at Nero. ]

But this is standard fair in Solvunn, isn't it?

[ofthesword]

[Well, he knows now. If he wasn't a 40 to 100 year old man, he might deserve a little applause for it. For now, Nero gives him a little snort and takes the rest of the steps down, skipping every other one. He tosses a small bag of his shit onto a bed that Dante isn't looking at, falling back on it.

Oh. Shit. This is kind of hard.]

What? No way. [He leans up on his elbows.] Wanda made me a real bed. I'm not sleeping on straw like some kinda caveman.

[He does not, of course, need to mention the months he spent sleeping with a cow and a bunch of goats when he first got here. Or how his bedroom was in the barn for... way too fucking long.]

[ordinar]

[Wilhelm is aware, actually, that there are bigger things at stake here. The future of an entire species, for one, and as an afterthought, the health of diplomatic relations. But what worries him the most right now as he putters through the stony hallways of the Hieran Wing is that he has nobody to claim for a roommate. Most everyone he knows already has a built-in someone to share with — Jesper and Mat, Kell and Rhy, Lucifer and Istredd, and so on. Which leaves him hoping that he just stumbles into someone with the exact same dilemma and they will save him from his awkward misery.

Spotting a doorway hung with a curtain that's gathered to one side, he pokes his head in. At the bottom of the stairs is not an empty room like he anticipated, but...two guys stacked like brick walls. He recognizes the older man as a resident of the castle, not that they've ever exchanged more than a handful of words in all this time.]

Hi. Uh, sorry. [He pushes a hand through his hair, fiddles with a strand.] I thought...I didn't realize this room was already taken.

[subhuman]

[ Sleeping in a barn might as well be the same as sleeping in a cave, especially with such smelly roommates. But in all honesty, Dante figures that Nero has been taken care of decently well. Wanda checks out, after all, but he would definitely like to know about the barn thing. That's important teasing fodder.

He will not comment on the fact that Nero has deigned to put up with him for a few nights because that would definitely send Nero packing, literally and figuratively. It's a delicate balance between making the right off-handed remarks to show that nothing matters and the ones to show, subtly, that it does matter. (No one said being a Sparda was easy.)

As it stands, Dante is about to make a distinctly hilarious comment about Nero's potential as a caveman when a new voice chimes in. Dante's brows raise as the young man--the boy steps in. It takes a second, but there's a spark of familiarity at that face, awkward fidgeting or no.

Dante straightens and does a quick sweep of the room. ]

In so much as there are two out of...

[ He points at each bed as he counts, mouthing the numbers. ]

...four straw-filled holes in the wall. I'd say we have two more to spare to a man in need. Nero?

[ Don't you agree? ]

[ofthesword]

[That's exactly why he's never finding out about it. Or why goats are actually pretty nice bed partners. With -- okay, not like that. And it's way better than waking up to the fuckin' lizards eating his hair.

Which Dante will not hear about, either.

Nero turns at the voice, looking between Dante and the new guy like there's gonna be some shared recognition between them. Waiting, for a second, before he dumps his bag across one of the beds.

So, yeah. He's staying. And he's staking a claim before anyone else waltzes in.]

Plenty of room if you can stand some old timer's snoring. [He gives a little tilt of his head to Dante. Yeah, he's got all the greying stubble and white hair to prove it. Even though Nero's also got white hair, and he's young and fit as a fiddle. And maybe, in the moment, he's tryin' real hard to not think that he and Dante look alike. 'Cause they don't. At all. Even if Nero's bastard of a father is Dante's twin.

Boy, he has no idea the hotbed of family drama he's walking into, huh?] You have my complete permission to kick him awake.

[He looks a little too pleased with himself to be saying that.]

[ordinar]

[Wilhelm hesitates in the doorway, fingers tightening around the strap of the bag he's got slung over his shoulder, before practicality compels him down the stairs into the cave-like room. It's not like he's got any better options. Or any options in general.]

If you don't mind...

[He manages an awkward smile. Quickly scoping out the remaining beds, he claims one by setting his bag down on it.]

What about throwing pebbles?

[This is a joke, judging by the tone, because he assumes Nero was joking too.]

[subhuman]

[ Their newest roommate will find out quickly that, no, throwing rocks and whatnot is pretty par for the course. Luckily Dante can take it, though pebbles themselves probably wouldn't be enough to rouse him. The story about his month-long coma may be imminent... ]

I can weather a few pebbles to the noggin' if you feel like you need target practice.

[ Setting the good example for his wily nephew, Dante steps forward to stick his hand out to the boy with a lop-sided smile. ]

The name's Dante. My esteemed colleague here is Nero.

[ofthesword]

[Nero gestures to the open bed in invitation. He hardly minds. He's here to -- look, if he's honest, he's keeping an eye on Dante. Not for any specific reason. Not to protect him, or to make sure he's not fucking up.

It's just... what he's doing.]

Maybe a boulder if you've got some freaky god-given strength hidden somewhere.

[The more people he meets, the more he's catching on it's not that rare anymore. And with Abraxas having its own gods happy to dole out shit to people who ask...

Nero waves from where he's unwrapping something that suspiciously looks like a wheel of cheese from his bag.] Colleague my ass. [Okay, it's not technically wrong.] Thrilled. Can guess you're not from Solvunn, or I feel like we would've met by now.

[Or the kid who recognize him. Not a lot of guys walking around with white hair and tails around there.]

sorry for the slowness :(

[ordinar]

[He completes the handshake, and despite his twiggy figure, it's a pretty solid one. He's had practice.]

Wilhelm.

[—Is his grand introduction. His hands retreat to his pockets. Wilhelm is over here wondering if Nero is named after the emperor, the one who let Rome burn down, but it's probably a weird thing to ask, and by the time he fits the name with the right history, several other things have been said anyway.]

I'm from Thorne. [From is being used in the loosest sense here. None of them are really from anywhere in this world.] And no, I don't have any freaky strength from the gods, so...you're safe.

you're good fam!

[subhuman]

[ It's a good handshake. Dante, for the width of his hand, is just as casual as the rest of his mannerisms. He'll hold Wilhelm's hand for two good shakes before letting go.

As soon as the name is dropped, Dante snaps his fingers. ]

Ah! I knew I'd seen you around. Or heard, as the case may be.

[ He shoots a little smirk in Nero's direction. See? He almost kind of knows people by proxy. ]

We'll call this a god-free zone. Masters of our fates and all the perks that come with it. Which may or may not entail testing out those baths I heard about.

no worries!!

[ofthesword]

[Nero stops what he's doing to look between them. The fact that Dante would care enough about some kid to recall his name is interesting enough, but -- what's that mean? Heard?

It always means something. Especially if Dante's expression is supposed to tell him about it.]

Got a reputation in Thorne, huh? Cool.

[Just sayin'. Place seems awfully stuffy if you ask him, but it's not like anyone in Solvunn's got a good opinion of the place, either.

Nero shudders.] Ugh. As long as you warn me first, so I can make sure I'm on the other side of this place.

[Does anyone know how far the Nether goes? Time to find out.]

[ordinar]

[So, Dante accidentally makes him sound cool for a second, an impression that Wilhelm wrecks by turning red when Nero asks about his reputation.]

Uh...I guess?

[If anything, the average castle resident probably remembers him as the kid who kept accidentally setting stuff on fire last year. He has also earned a place, somehow, among Thorne's Conclave representatives, but he's not sure if that qualifies as cool...

Anyway. Changing the subject.]

I wonder when we'll get to see the dragons.

[subhuman]

[ What, does he think all Dante does is lay around and pay attention to nothing? Even he'll learn a few things by osmosis sometimes. Namely, the names of the people that are stuck in the same mess as you are. At least some of them.

But yeah, the fire helps. And the whole representative thing. Dante won't clarify, though, because it's making him look like an involved member of society for a minute. Let Nero believe it. ]

Only one way to find out, eh? What do you boys say to a little nap and then a field trip.

[ofthesword]

[It's best Dante doesn't ask Nero what he thinks he does all day. Considering he's not exactly out there hunting the nearest demon infestation... (okay, neither is he, but still.)

Nero's finding them both a little suss, but he's not gonna make himself out to be an asshole in front of a kid.

Even if he's about to throw fists over "boy." It's Dante. Pretty much anything he says can instantly be a hair-trigger.] Think I'm good on a nap. [He looks away from Dante with a roll of his eyes.] Don't see what's stopping you from doing it as soon as possible, kid. [Oh, for fuck's sake --] Like, how about now, away from this room and the geezer? We got a whole damn underworld to explore.

[ordinar]

[Yeah, he'll...pass on the nap. He's good. Sorry Dante, but Nero's proposition is much more appealing.]

Sure, let's check it out.

[Hopefully Nero doesn't mind him tagging along, at least for a little while. He swears he has friends somewhere around here.]