voidtreckerexpress | A new platform [intro post September]

A new platform [intro post September]

For those on the train

“Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Bassoon.” The train announces the morning the month changes. It seems the train counts months in days of thirty. Team Points have been updated on the system.

The day continues as most days do, chores, eating, getting ready for another day. But those who suspect that a change of month may bring something else are correct. It is only an hour or two later that there is another announcement.

“Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent.”

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Evie exiting from the luggage carriage door. Much like Hibiki the last time they were on a platform. She leaves the train, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

Strange. But even stranger still is that there on the platform that whole time is Evie. Dressed in purple, backpack on back, with her are others. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on your back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails.Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

The Train

The doors hiss open. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there is anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would not be a good thing.

Once on board there is lots to explore. Passengers both old and new will hopefully be delighted to see the boredom of this train journey is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of a game carriage. Plenty of games, both familiar and new to play with your new travelling companions.
Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go and look they will find a box in the luggage compartment that contains their prize. A dralite themed cake lolly each. There are enough for the new members of Red team too, share in your teams previous success!

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Salmon has taken over as the primary ingredient of choice. Hopefully everyone likes fish!

New passengers will find their tickets allow them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

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 and you will hopefully find a pillow for your bed if it has not been nabbed by a roommate, there are also spare blankets for if it gets cold.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers and the doors slide shut. For those who boarded two weeks ago they will know what is coming next.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express.” A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What was he talking about? He shook his head and focused on the issue at hand, and trying to tease out if this was actually another person or not. "What do you know of Black Widows?" Not all Black Widows had ego to spare, in fact, some of the best ones didn't. But they did take pride in their Craft. And there was a tartness to a Black Widow's personality that he could identify a mile off. Something few males ever managed. He wondered if any of that tartness would show in the conversation to follow. If this person was part of the mindscape that was being actively controlled, well, he was more or less about to throw water on a bag of cats, as the saying went.

Though like most in the first circle, he was careful to say that where any of the cats could actually hear him. He rather liked having a spleen, after all.

“They’re spiders? If they bite you, you die? ...unless we’re still talking about dimension webs. Then Black Widow...it’s slang for an evil spirit, right” At least, that was what Reigen was going with now. Were he and Khary even talking about the same thing now? “Maybe talk to the big spider on here, they might know if there’s other spiders here.”

He shook his head, about to speak, then went very very still. "What big spider?" he asked softly. For the first time there was no smile on his face. There was no expression at all.

Mother Night. Had he stumbled into one of the Kindred Spider's webs? Could he convince her to contact Jaenelle to verify he was first circle? What about the rest of the minds here? May the Darkness have mercy. Because he had been in Scelt he had presumed that whoever made the web that trapped him was human, canine, of equine. He never considered that he could have somehow ****ed off one of the Spiders.

Ok, the sudden shift in Khardeen’s face to what appeared to be unsettled was new. Reigen assumed he must be terrified of spiders, so he better clear the air so this guy didn’t freak out at his new spider associate.

“You know, the one in the orange hoodie and the sign. I talked to them...her?” Reigen wasn’t an expert on spiders, but he remembered reading in a book that the powerful ones were female. He’d have to ask Spider-san about that next he saw her. “We have an arrangement, so don’t worry about it. She doesn’t eat people.” At least, he hoped.

He shook his head. Mother Night. "Can you arrange an introduction for me and her?" Oh yes, the females were the powerful ones. The deadliest and the ones most able to make you WISH they had done something so simple as to just kill you.

"Sure, I'll tell her you want to talk to her...what's your name?" Reigen couldn't exactly go off 'the guy wearing blue' since that was a lot of the train from what he saw so far.

"Lord Khardeen of Maghre, and you can tell her that I serve the Lady. I appreciate it." All this being serious was hard, but this might be their ticket to freedom, all of them trapped in this Web.

"Khardeen O...yeah, no problem. Arataka Reigen is on the case." Yep, he still had no clue what this guy was on about. Maybe he was part of some demon-hunting society in Europe. ...Reigen might just sit in on that meeting between him and Spider-san if that was the case.

"Thank you, I appreciate it, Prince Arataka," hwe said, presuming that was the man's name.He smiled, feeling a little better now. They might have their way out of there soon, or at the least he'd have a chance to plead their case.

"...just Reigen is fine." He was desperately trying not to bust out laughing at being called a prince. Please, around this time last week he was trying to bargain with the convenience store cashier to let him use an expired coupon to buy instant ramen.

He nodded. "Prince Reigen then," he agreed. Hard to tell if he missed the point intentionally or not, given that the smile was back.

"Good enough." Ok, Khary had to be messing with him. It was kind of funny to be referred to as royalty though. Reigen would have to add it to the list of shockingly respectful titles he'd been given in his life.

He chuckled. "Alright, so we've established that we're both pretty sure this is a Tangled Web and that we're going to speak with a weaver who may or may not be the original creator of it. My guess is that she isn't, but that she might be able to help us contact those who can get our minds free, if she can't do as much herself."

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Reigen decided a while ago he was just going to go along with the idea of Spider-san knowing stuff. He couldn’t help but be concerned about a conversation between her and Khardeen turning into an interrogation, however, so he might have to mediate. “She seems like she’s as stuck here as us, so I doubt she’s behind it.”

"Then she might be fairly Light Jeweled, but she still might be able to help us. And if she's trapped too, she might have been the originally intended target, in which case she'll need our protection." Which sounded like fun!

"Exactly. She said she wasn't a bad spider, so I'd say we can count on her being, uh, Light Jeweled." That meant 'good', he assumed? "We can ask her about it later."

Actually it meant weak. "What does being good have to do with being a Lighter Jeweled Black Widow?" he asked, amused and confused.

"Ah--we were talking about jewel color, weren't we? Usually you can guess someone's intentions by the color of their aura...the aura comes from the jewel, so...jewel color?" Dear god, Reigen was truly lost on all these new terms, but too stubborn to admit that. "Usually the bad ones are a dark purple or red, Spider-san is more a light yellow? It's why I'm so certain about trusting her!"

He was kicking himself internally for not shutting his damn mouth at this point.

"Wait, what? I know plenty of people who wear Purple Dusk and the Red. That's just a measure of strength, not what they do with it. What is an aura?" Khary has no problem admitting ignorance.

"It's--you ever look at someone and you get a cold sweat on the back of your neck, then a bunch of eerie shadows start coming off of them with a bunch of dark colors? That's an aura." Those are just bad vibes, Reigen.

"...do you come from somewhere where people wear colors to show how strong they are? Is it a martial arts thing?" That was something Reigen could latch onto, sort of. He'd taken kung-fu before.

"Can't say I have, though I have seen the Abyss in someone's eyes. But as she's family we don't bring that up. Much," he said with a wink.

He lifted the chain he wore around his neck out to lay the Sapphire Jewel atop his shirt. "Not certain what martial arts are in the way you are using the phrase, though I could guess. I wear the Sapphire, as I was granted it when I made the Offering."

"Right! Yes! That's the kind of thing I mean!" It sounded like it at least.

Reigen squinted at the necklace, not able to help wondering if that was authentic jewelry or not. "Martial arts are hand to hand combat. Never heard of anyone who practices them that uses jewelry to show rank." Was this some source of Khary's power? Reigen reached to tap on the sapphire. "I can definitely sense the power coming off of this thing, though." No he couldn't.

He would find his finger stopped centimeters above the jewel, unable to make contact.

"We don't use Jewels to denote skill in fighting. Generally we just use sparring. I mean, alright, anyone stupid enough to look at Yasi and think he's an easy mark even without seeing him spar is an idiot who deserves what he gets. But outside of that there is little need to fight hand to hand among the Blood. Not unless we are drained. And the Darker the Jewel, the deeper the power we have to draw from, the further down we can descend into the Abyss."

Reigen attempted to get past the invisible barrier on the jewel with more force, but it was a similar sensation of trying to get past a repelling magnet force. He elected to stop before he ended up accidentally poking the guy.

"Uh-huh...so are you guys psychic, or is just the jewels that have the energy? ...and isn't going to the Abyss bad?" He assumed that was hell, and if you go to hell, you died. Basic stuff.

"Wow. Okay, where to start?" he wondered. And despite their being seats all around them, he pulled a Jaenelle and just sat on the air where he had been, as if there was a stool there that kept him at about the same height. Just habit, really.

"Alright, so among the Blood, the people where I am from that have Craft, or magic, no matter the species, there are Castes, and there is Rank. There are also other considerations like being Aristo and what circle you serve in if you serve, but let's focus on Caste and Rank for the moment. Rank first."

"In order to be Blood you have to have the basic fundamental ability to do magic. If you are not strong enough to wear Jewels, or you are broken, that is all you have, it is a simple shallow pool of psychic ability, and doing much of anything will wear you out. Generally people who can do this basic Craft at such a shallow level and can't wear Jewels falls into one of three main groups. A Half blood or throwback, which can be a problem. Someone who wore Jewels and was broken. Or a child too young to go through their Birthright ceremony."

He ran a hand through his hair. "The Birthright Ceremony is a big deal. Not only is that when a child gets their first Jewels but it is also when paternity is legally acknowledged or denied. Until then a father has rights to his children only as their mother allows. If paternity is denied, he has no rights, even if she later changes her mind. If it is acknowledged, unless he breaks a law severe enough to have a Queen deny him rights, the child is as much his as the child is their mother's, by law."

Hard thoughts, given his own child was coming to that age faster than he thought possible. Not that he had any fear that Morghan would deny paternity, there was no question. He would be acknowledged. But it was still a tense time for any new father. So he moved on.

"What Jewels you come away with during your Birthright is a measure of how strong you are and how strong you will be, since you can only descend a maximum of three ranks during your Offering as an adult. Birthright and Offering are the ONLY times someone is granted their Jewels." Except for Witch, but everything was different when it came to Jaenelle Angelline, and he was leaving her out of the conversation for now. "I know one Warlord Prince who was not strong enough, emotionally and mentally, to take what was offered when he made his Offering, and from a Jewels standpoint he will always be less. He's healed now and is strong in many other ways, but he will never wear a Jewel darker than the Purple Dusk. That said, he is a strong leader now, a good husband to his wife, a good First Escort to his Queen, and a good friend."

He tapped his Jewel gently. "Sapphire is the strength I was gifted when I made my offering to the Darkness. I walked away with the Sapphire. In order, from weakest to strongest the Jewels are White White, Yellow, Tiger Eye, Rose, Summer-sky, Purple Dusk, Opal, Green, Sapphire, Red, Gray, Ebon-gray, Black." Ebony and Twilight's Dawn went with Jaenelle. Things to discuss later if at all. "The Jewels themselves store power for us, and if we drain them too far they can shatter, leaving us cut off from the Abyss. Leaving us broken. A shattered Jewel cannot be repaired. Someone who is broken cannot heal."

A deep breath. Hard thoughts. "The darker the Jewel the deeper into the Abyss you can go to reach your full power. While I can do some things without gathering power that a White Jeweled Warlord couldn't do at all, if I make a fast descent to the Sapphire in the Abyss and pull up fast, I have access to much more power for one strong spell. But that is dangerous because if I don't pull up in time, I can shatter my own web and break myself back to my Birthright, or cut myself off from the Abyss altogether."

"With me so far?"

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Sorry for the info dump