Gula Undercity Log

[cancrymods]

GULA

Now that you've been guided here by one of its residents, it's time for you to get familiar with the Undercity of Gula. With so much of the rest of the layer consumed already, its Specters have retreated to the last safe haven left for them. Just like the city above, when in the Undercity, you will suffer the same inability to fully satisfy yourself and will always be craving just one more... anything. The entrance to the Undercity is slap bang in the middle of the last remaining garden in the entire layer. A snapshot of what this place might have been like before, it's crammed full of all sorts of plants, flowers, vegetables... if it grows in the ground, it's here. There's evidence to suggest that even this garden was a fair bit larger than it is now, with plants looking like they were uprooted or crushed on the outside of the garden, but it's difficult to tell. In the center of the garden, you'll find a steep set of stairs leading down to the underground where you'll find the settlement proper. The Undercity itself is set up in a giant underground bunker, with a tall ceiling and huge open spaces that keep the place from feeling too claustrophobic. There's a mild bit of spacial distortion going on down here that make the ceiling much, much higher than it should physically be possible for it to be, but that's baby stuff in Purgatory by now. There's a few walls and some makeshift separators that section off parts of the bunker for privacy reasons, but more or less everything is set up in the same huge communal space.The walls, floors, ceilings and more or less every surface have been slathered in paints and cloths in a chaotic variety of colours to make things seem a bit less cold and dull. The effect is... striking, to say the least. In some places, where the paint or cloth has begun to peel away, however, you'll see that the surfaces underneath are cold and black and seem to be made of metal. The general vibe of the place is some weird cross between a convention or an indoor market and an airport at 3:48 in the morning. There's rows of chairs and bed and makeshift beds all over the place for people to set themselves down and take a breather, with wide gaps left in between each row to let people safely come and go without tripping all over themselves and dying again. But despite all the work gone into setting up the place, it still feels strangely empty – going by the number of Specters you can see milling about in here, even with the Executors' arrival, this place isn't even half full and that's a generous estimate. On top of all that, the uncomfortable sense of things being "thin" or "stripped away" increases almost tenfold down here. There's something else, too, but it's hard to immediately identify – you'll have to investigate that yourself to work out exactly what's wrong. Thankfully, despite how dour Gula as a whole is, you're free to come and go as you please. So while you still need to make your way through Gula to reach the next layer, the previous layers will still be available for you to rest and recharge if you'd prefer to stay elsewhere. ⚝ Rest Areas: If you're desperate for some shut-eye, or just to get away from the chaos a bit, the four corners of the bunker have been sectioned off with thick screens and padded mats, blankets and pillows have been spread out across the floor. It's basically a nap area for you to come and chill out and despite everything, it's pretty cozy over here. There's also a radius of about fifty feet around each of the rest area that's designated a "quiet zone", where everyone's expected to pipe down and stay quiet to not wake anyone up. They're generally a good place to recharge, even if sleeping out in the relative open can feel a bit awkward. ⚝ Dining Area: A number of long tables have been lined up end-to-end by the door that you can assume is probably the kitchen. They're covered in colourful tablecloths and a hodgepodge of mismatched chairs line either side of it. Dinner is served twice a day, with a ten minute warning beforehand so you can hopefully find yourself a seat before the rush is over. As for what the food is... well, it's pretty lacklustre! Pretty much everything is dried food, canned food or some horrifying combo of both. At least it's... mostly edible? ⚝ Music Stage: A little stage area that's been set up by pushing a number of crates and boxes together to form a stable platform. It's had a colourful cloth thrown over it and weighed down so it looks a little less slapped together, and there's a few instruments spread out across the stage – there's the regulars like an acoustic guitar and a bass but then there's also... a saxophone? An oboe? A harp??? It's pretty random. There's usually a handful of people milling about the stage with someone banging out the tunes, but it's also used to give announcements and anything else that needs the attention of the whole group. ⚝ Kitchen: Locked. Investigate to unlock further information. ⚝ The Rusted City: The once-majestic city of the Gluttony Layer, now reduced to rust and decay. It's a huge, sprawing urban affair with skyscrapers climbing to dizzying heights and buildings packed in to each and every space that could conceivably hold a building. It reminds you, just a little, of Invidia – envious excess beyond anything a single person could ever own or consume by themselves. But the unfortunate reality of Gula is that much of it has been consumed. Shops have been stripped bare of everything that could be useful and any houses or apartments you might be inclined to check have been raided in much the same way. It's a sad, lonely seeming place that feels as though it's slowly rotting apart from the inside out. Alarmingly, Revenants can occasionally be found here, though they seem to have aimlessly wandered up from the Underside and seem just as confused to find themselves here as you are. ⚝ Train Station: On the outskirts of the layer is slightly busted-up looking train station with a single platform. Rusty old trains come through here every half hour on the dot, stopping only briefly to allow Executors to board. Using these trains, Executors can either travel back to any of the other layers of Purgatory without having to pass through the Underside. Isn't quick travel convenient?

THE UNDERSIDE OF GULA

...?

Comments

[discutio]

And that doesn't sound much like sleeping.

[schardynfreude]

Not yet.

Is this a conversation we want to have here?

[discutio]

I'll go wherever you think is appropriate, for whatever conversation you think this is.

[schardynfreude]

[Enough silence stretches out that Phoenix might think the conversation is 'there is no conversation'.]

Perhaps I should leave this place. Seems it's doing no one any good.

[discutio]

...What on earth are you talking about, Chiron? Has something happened?

[schardynfreude]

This layer. I mean it might do me better to leave this layer. There's something about all this...the wanting. The needing.

Well, I'd say it's not very healthy, but we've none of us any actual health to speak of, being dead.

[discutio]

Hm...perhaps so, if you think that best. I had to leave Avaritia, after all.

[schardynfreude]

[He makes a noncommittal noise, takes another swig of wine, and flops back into the frankly ridiculous pillow pile he's constructed for himself.]

If you've a question, ask it.

[discutio]

Very well--what's bothering you?

[schardynfreude]

The finer details of my life.

[discutio]

Did you remember something else? What is it?

[schardynfreude]

[He mulls it over with a hum, and a shake of his head.]

What do you know of the cold empire of Niflheim?

[discutio]

[Phoenix thought carefully, turning his sunglasses over in his hand.]

That was...the reason we were traveling. Something about peace negotiations hinging on the prince's marriage for whatever reason. The empire was who caused the capital to fall after we had gone. And...that's where those soldiers were from, wasn't it?

[you know, the ones Someone ambushed him with]

[schardynfreude]

One must presume, yes. I know nothing of the marriage proposal save that I slew his intended. But they were adamant about taking control of the city, of wreaking havoc on beloved Lucis.

[discutio]

I'm afraid that's the extent of what I remember, myself. No doubt there's more to it, but it's not something I know.

[schardynfreude]

Oh, power, mostly. It always, ever is about power absolute. Some of your foes were, I believe, not so much men as monsters dressed as men. Unfortunately, you're welcome.

[discutio]

Hm...no, that doesn't surprise me for some reason. But what of it has you so upset, Chiron?

[schardynfreude]

Oh, I'm afraid if I spend any time analyzing the bulk of the memories, I'll simply start screaming. I doubt very much anyone wants that.

[discutio]

...

[Phoenix stood up, holding out a hand to Chiron.]

Come take a walk with me. We'll leave the layer for a bit, if that's what you want.

[schardynfreude]

What I want is to drink more and sleep more. What I need, however, may be different.

[He looks up at Phoenix with a frown.] What is it you want and crave here?

[discutio]

...

[He wasn't entirely sure. Phoenix felt like repressing and ignoring what he wanted was habit older than 'Phoenix' himself, and now was no exception.]

I don't know yet.

[schardynfreude]

Better than us all, as usual.

[With a long-suffering sigh, he rises, but he's taking a bottle with him, to be sure.] Elsewhere, then, if you insist.

[discutio]

I'm not all that special. [He took Chiron's other hand, starting to leave.] I know I want something, I just...can't be sure what that is.

[schardynfreude]

When you stumble on something you seem to crave, then you'll know. It will, hm, for lack of a better term, consume you.

[discutio]

I'm sure I'm not above such things, Chiron. I'm just...accustomed to repressing them.