A New Platform [Intro Post August]

[voidtreckermods]

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PLATFORM STOP: MONTH 19
(SYMPHONY)

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BEFORE ARRIVAL

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day sixteen of the month of Symphony. Points have been updated on the system."
The voice of the Voidtrecker Express welcomes passengers at the same time as always, sometime after breakfast. With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later, as the colours of the void outside the windows blur more and more.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. The weather is sunny with a cool breeze. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
A lurch and a jolt, and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform.

ON THE PLATFORM

1. THE ARRIVAL

At first, all your character can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. But as their eyes adjust, they find themselves on a platform. The stones are cobbled beneath them and there are small stone shapes lining the edge, decorative in nature. The sun is shining but there is a cold wind, blowing through the platform at intervals, almost biting in its chill.

They stand in clothes not their own, in a style they might not even recognise. They're carrying a rucksack on their person, and for a moment it seems to just be them, alone on this platform. Before the fog starts to subside, and they'll see they're one of Twelve figures: all facing the tracks, and all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies, the latter in one of four colours. Purple, red, blue or orange.

But then there's a roaring sound to get their attention, and out from the fog arrives a train. A sleek black, it reads The Voidtrecker Express in gold lettering on the side. Every one of the doors hiss as they open automatically, and out pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. Some are human, some less so, with a majority wearing the same hoodie of four colours as they do, though some sport outfits in a variety of styles.

The train doors close behind them, and the vehicle is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform. A group of people head towards the gates of the platform, their expressions blank and unaffected by their surroundings. Danielle Phantom, Fai. D Flourite, K'zeka Tia, Ruggie Buchi and John Connor They disappear through the barriers, but no one else can - all people can do is wait until the train re-emerges, finishing whatever changes it's making.

2. BOARDING THE TRAIN

After a short time, about ten minutes or so, the fog clears and the doors hiss open again. Everyone will feel a pull when they do, a need to board, and those from the train may encourage new arrivals to board. This feeling grows into one of apprehension and turns worse the longer they stay off-board.

For those that do board, they may find themselves in a few different carriages, but most likely the standard coach. A row of seats sit available, with a few tables between each. More likely than not, some cookies have been set out with jugs of drink, and cups available for pouring.

For those that don't, however, they're likely to attract attention if they're spotted. And if that fails... an unfortunate end will await them.

a. New arrivals will notice a screen and console in every carriage sharing the same message, and a stack of leaflets in holders by them offering further information to the curious (see 'Publications'). There are lavatories available on each carriage on one end, with another console with a deposit box under it at the other. This is the train shop.

b. It'll take some time for newbies to figure out the layout, even if there's only two directions to go in. Go one end, and you'll find the food stores and washing utilities. This month's key ingredient is broccoli, and you're sure to bump into others curious about what's in the stock.

c. Go to the other end, and you'll find the sleeper cabins. Plaques sit on the wall by each door with the names of their occupants, and one of these will be yours - hopefully, they'll figure out that swiping their ticket against the doorpad will open it up to them. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. Room is tight, but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and, the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

d. At the farthest end in this direction is the luggage carriage, where passengers who have bought items from the train shop will find their purchases. These are scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags, but there's also a small fridge and kettle here with bottled water, for those who want a quiet drink.

e. Of course there are the new additions to explore. A fireplace has been added to the library, complete with a rug and plenty of soft reading pillows. For those less inclined to sit still there is a swimming pool carriage, complete with foam fish. Plenty of fun for all.

DEPARTURE

Spend your time exploring, if you will. But people will have half an hour before a second horn sounds, encouraging any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air to board. After five minutes from this, the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train begins to rumble with activity, and the platform starts to disappear into a fog as the voidcraft moves. A female-coded artificial voice echoes throughout the train.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points, and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void.

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NAVIGATION ~ GAMEPLAY ~ SETTING ~ CHARACTER INITIATIVES ~ QUESTIONS

Comments

[bladesdarkandlight]

[Arrival]

[It's not the first time Aelienor has found herself coming to her senses in an unfamiliar location. Last time, however, she'd had her own clothes and belongings with her, and her surroundings had been far more obviously...strange. Here, the biting wind might have her clutching her arms against the cold, but as she squints around through the steam and the glare from the sun, the train station seems...oddly normal. One of the other figures looks familiar, granted, but there's no way it's who it looks like.

Instead of investigating the obvious false hope, she tries to hail one of the passengers heading for the exit. When her wave gets no response, she frowns and tries giving the man's shoulder a light shove. When even that gets no response, she starts looking around more cautiously and reaches into her rucksack in search of a weapon. When all she finds is another, slightly smaller and slightly stinkier but also more familiar rucksack...well, honestly, that's a little befuddling.]

The hells is the point of giving me a new pack just so's I can carry my old pack? [A glance toward the now shrouded train, and the group of people that emerged without making for the exit.] Please tell me one of you can explain what in the name of the Navigator's fishy arse is going on here?

[Exploring]

[By the time she boards the train, Aelienor has found a small handful of her belongings still in her own bag. With a book strapped at her hip, and a small creature beside her, she takes to exploring her surroundings. In particular, someone might find her poking cautiously at one of the ICPs, as though trying to figure out what it's for while concerned it might bite her if she pushes the wrong button. Or maybe you've caught the attention of her carbuncle while she looks around some carriage, and are now being subjected to the stare and hopeful wiggles of a familiar hoping for pets. Surely you can't say no to those eyes, right?]

Arrival

[nutkrusher]

One of these strangers is hovering in the air, and sets down in front of them.

"Alright. Gotta warn you, though, you won't like the answer. You'll probably fuckin' hate it, actually."

[bladesdarkandlight]

Hovering is...a bit odd, but not something that draws more than a raised eyebrow out of her. The words, however, prompt her to shift her old backpack into one hand so she can rest the other on her hip.

"If'n I had a fistful of gil for every time I got an answer I didn't like, I'd be able to buy out the Syndicate."

[nutkrusher]

"Cool, I won't soften the blow, then," Cassie says. "Your soul is being astral projected across universes into an exact duplicate of your own body for the purpose of pressganging you into an interdimensional army. The upsides are that the missions you're being sent on aren't evil and the train you'll be living on has a lot of creature comforts.

"The downside is literally the entire first sentence of that description. Also, you can't say no."

[bladesdarkandlight]

"....Well, guess that explains the change of clothes."

Is she going to expand on that comment? Nope, just heave a sigh and a shrug.

"So much for taking a break...sounds like I should be glad I wasn't in the middle of aught what would kill me if'n I passed out during it."

[nutkrusher]

"I know one person who's better off for that, actually, but never mind," Cassie says.

"Anyway, we've got a pool and a hot tub, too. And a training gym with some bags you can punch. Always easier to let off steam there."

[bladesdarkandlight]

"Beats getting dragged to a city of survivors in a nightmare-infested wilderness. Mayhap I will still be able to get some rest...a hot tub isn't quite the springs I was thinking of visiting, but it's a damn sight better than nothing."

That said, she hefts her bag to check its contents, and frowns.

"Might not get much used out of the training gym, though, unless them bags can handle folks slinging magic. I'm not much of a pugilist, and all the weapons they left me are for summoning shite."

[nutkrusher]

"Given the places we've stopped so far, you're likely to see either one of those two things," Cassie says.

"The equipment isn't as useful to me as it used to be. But there are some really good partners to spar with here."

She smiles a little bit more than one might expect at that remark.

[bladesdarkandlight]

She lifts an eyebrow as she pulls a book out of her personal rucksack and lets it fall opened to a bookmarked page.

"Including some what won't mind I can't really pull my punches when it comes to magic?"

The geometric lines on the pages of her book glow, and her carbuncle appears out of a flash of light near the ground.

Exploring

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Well that was a non-techie person trying to deal with technology if he ever saw one.]

Need a little help there?

[bladesdarkandlight]

[Her carbuncle runs over to sniff at his feet, as she turns and nods.]

Only place I've seen shite like this is ancient magitek, and I'm not too keen on finding out the hard way if'n it's just as prone to causing problems for folks what fuck around with it without knowing what they're doing.

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Lea crouches down for a moment, offering the carbuncle his hand to sniff as well, palm up.]

Nah, it's not dangerous. And the terminals here are actually pretty user-friendly once you get the hang of them. Pretty handy for a lot of things too.

[bladesdarkandlight]

[The familiar sniffs his hand, then noses at his fingers.]

Good, 'cause I always left this shite to Cid. I studied history and aetherology, not engineering.

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Lea smiles, then gently scratches the carbuncle's ears before looking up with interest at the somewhat familiar name.]

Huh... weirdly enough, there's a Cid where I'm from too who's into engineering and magitek. Is yours a sort of grumpy, older, blonde guy with a tendency to chew on a toothpick for some weird reason?

[bladesdarkandlight]

[The carbuncle tilts its head into the scritches.]

Nah. Well, kinda grumpy sometimes, 'specially if'n Nero's around. White hair, bit older than me, always wears a pair of fancy goggles on his forehead.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Well mine's got goggles too I think, but I dunno why; maybe just a fashion thing. Beyond that, it doesn't seem like they're too similar though. Still, weird coincidence.

Anyway, the terminal. You got your ticket on you?

[bladesdarkandlight]

Pretty sure mine used to use his to hide his third eye, but considering Garleans are more accepted in Eorzea these days...

[She shrugs and reaches into her pocket to show her ticket.]

Exploring

[healerscorned]

From a low-tech world, I'm guessing? I was in the same boat when I got here.

[Nia leans over (but not much) to pet Carbuncle as she speaks.]

Only place I'd seen the stuff before was the bloody World Tree, and I didn't understand a damn thing there.

[bladesdarkandlight]

[The carbuncle stands up to meet the pets, literally head on.]

Wouldn't say low, Garlond Ironworks is making a project of making magitek more common outside of Garlemald...but shite like this definitely isn't aught the average person has to deal with. Most I've seen of it is Allagan ruins.

[healerscorned]

Magitech isn't really a thing where I'm from, but Mor Ardain did have some fancy stuff they only sort of shared with their colonies.

[Nia chuckles at the eagerness, reaching to scritch behind the ears.]

There's also the stuff Salvagers fish up, but it's a crapshoot whether it'll be something useful, junk, or a bloody monster den.

[bladesdarkandlight]

Sounds about like poking around Allagan shite. I learned a hell of a lot from an old teaching familiar, but just as often I've found ancient machinery still looking for folks to shoot. Not to mention the swiving 'bioenegineered' monstrosities somehow still sitting in some of those ruins.

[The carbuncle tilts its head into the scritches.]

[healerscorned]

Ugh, and that sounds just like Morytha. Almost every bloody corner had some ancient hunk of scrap hoping to riddle someone with bullets, and if it didn't there were the ether draining monstrosities that were all that was left of the old humanity.

[bladesdarkandlight]

Don't see many Voidsent left in Allagan ruins, even though their first, and last, emperor made a pact with a right powerful one. Not that I don't know what you mean, Mhachi ruins still have plenty of them lurking around, hoping for mortals with plenty of aether to drain.

[healerscorned]

You've got dangerous ancient ruins that people with more courage than sense can just bloody wander into? At least Morytha was under the Cloud Sea and guarded by an Artifice. Then again, all dead civilizations in my world sink into the Cloud Sea once their Titans die, so maybe I can't judge.

very.. belatedly..

[asheaveniswide]

[The number of Warriors of Light grows and Zenos .... well, Zenos doesn't much care, lacking the certain special 'fondness' for them that his otherworlds-selves do. They exist, they may or may not be a problem for Garlemald, he moves on. Until they are very much a problem for Garlemald, they are someone else's problem.

This one at least, isn't a cat. He'd begun to wonder if the one he'd encountered in Doma had been unique in NOT being a cat.

It's on his way back from the kitchens with a broccoli-adorned snack that he finds her ... working at one of the ICPs. Most of Eorzea's idea of high technology was a doorbell, so it really doesn't surprise him that she might be cautious about it.]

It's as resilient as any Allagan tomestone. You won't do much harm to it even if you try, and it can't harm you in turn; if you can find the briefings on voidsickness and voidstorms I would suggest beginning there.