Luxuria Intro Log

[cancrymods]

PROCEEDING...

With the real super power of teamwork, the Executors have successfully managed to make their way through the Gula Underside and defeat the previous Authority there. With Gerda now freed from her past regrets and given the power of an Executor, Gula and its inhabitants seem to be in safe hands... for now at least. More interesting – or concerning, perhaps – is the tentative ally you've gained in the form of Birdie, the mysterious girl who attacked some of your number in the Superbia Underside. While she seemed to be nothing but an enemy back then, a surprising connection has been formed with who you now understand to be the Authority of Purgatory itself. While she doesn't necessarily believe the Executors will be able to repair Purgatory, she is at least willing to admit that she shares their goals of wanting to see Purgatory restored... either to its former state, or to something new. But what does that mean for the Executors? And what does that mean for Rei supposedly born from the Authority's discarded heart? There are still many questions the Executors need to answer and as a blast of dry, hot air blows up from the next layer, you can only hope that Luxuria holds the key to at least some of them...

LUXURIA

♪♫ Wet & Dry – Sakuzyo After the humidity and noise of the Gula Underside, passing down to the Lust Layer of Purgatory initially seems like a relief. The air here is dry and sharp and though you hear noise drifting up to meet you and see a whole rainbow of lights clustered together in the dark, it doesn't seem as though it'll be quite as overwhelming as some of the bustling Layers you've had the pleasure of exploring before. But as you set foot down into Luxuria and feel the heat of the ground under your feet, you begin to wonder if you might just have hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire...

Comments

NPC CONTACT & INVESTIGATION REQUESTS

[cancrymods]

If you plan to investigate Luxuria, place a comment under this toplevel detailing your investigation.

You may also use this toplevel to communicate with any of the party NPCs. Currently available are Rei, Birdie and the mysterious butterfly who lead Ariel to the Superbia Underside. Be sure to mention in your comment header which NPC you want to speak to!

INVESTIGATION: FERRIS WHEEL

[alcahest]

mona is particularly taking the time to observe the visible details of all the machines in luxuria, since impey taught her to take an interest in engineering and all of this is Very Impressive. so for starters: what's visibly strange about the ferris wheel carriage that stands out?

[cancrymods]

That depends! Is she checking just the inside or outside, or fully investigating both?

[alcahest]

she's getting a look from the outside first, and if she can see that it stands out for some reason she'll hop in it and check out the inside!

investigation!

[emberserker]

Wolfsbane is going to check out the arcade to listen in on the people mumbling about Xtreme Death Rides. And possibly get tilted at the games while she tries not to blow her cover. Is anyone mentioning anything in particular about where these might be found?

[cancrymods]

Not that you can tell! For the most part, it just seems like people giggling and gossiping about fun rumors and not something anyone takes overly seriously. The common theme that Wolfsbane picks up, however, is the idea that people will only get an invite to the more 'extreme' rides if they 'prove themselves'. But no one seems quite sure how you'd go about doing that.

CHECKING UP ON GERDA (thing 1/3 I'm so sorry)

[daughterofthemark]

So before all this Veil is actually going to go back and check on Gerda because GUESS WHO HASN'T SEEN HER SINCE THE WHOLE MEMORY THING AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED OUT BUT SHE'S STILL WORRIED?

[cancrymods]

Gerda's doing fine! It takes Veil a bit to find her because in the time since their parting, she's somehow managed to make her way all the way up to Invidia?? Wild. She seems to be taking to Executor business like a duck to water, though, and seems mightily happy that Veil's come back to check on her. Oyo!

BIRDIE (2/3 just... deal with all this in whatever way works, idek)

[daughterofthemark]

The instant neither of them is obviously busy with going-down-a-level shit, Veil pounces on the New Friend. Figuratively! She doesn't literally pounce on people until after they've been properly introduced. Time to find out what Blue Rei's deal is.

[cancrymods]

What's her approach? Birdie's been a bit cagey and seems to be mostly keeping to herself even as she travels with the Executors – how does Veil plan to interrogate befriend get to know her?

INVESTIGATION (3/3 aren't you glad you let me in your game)

[daughterofthemark]

So! Music stage! Performing worked out well for Veil last layer, so it's probably worth trying again! She just kind of waits for it to not be occupied, and then just kind of gets up there and starts singing and dancing.

It's worth noting she has an ulterior motive this time around: as implied by the subject line, she's investigating, sort of. She's hoping someone will recognize her as a new act, and if she's lucky, it'll be someone who also knows what other things might be new or different around here.

[cancrymods]

Veil gets some attention! Thanks to her prior experience in Idol-ON and also just thanks to being a cute girl in general, she gets a pretty decent crowd of folks enthusiastic about her performance. Someone even tosses a cute animal plush onto the stage when she's done!

Unfortunately, it seems like new acts aren't uncommon enough to draw attention – given that just anyone can hop on to the stage, it's not rare for a new face to pop up on there. That said, given how much attention she's gotten on stage, there's nothing saying she can't make use of this anyhow – so long as she comes up with a good idea!

MYSTERIOUS BUTTERFLY

[syrinfacet]

So, more out of curiosity, would Galea have crossed paths with the mysterious butterfly at any point before she awakened in Luxuria?

[cancrymods]

Yes and no! While it wouldn't have focused on her specifically, Galea would likely have seen the butterfly hanging around Ariel and the rest of the Executors not long after they left Superbia.

Investigation: Rest Areas

[mementomoritz]

[Inevitably, Medic ends up making a beeline for the First Aid tent as soon as she finds out about its' existence, just to take a look and see if they have any good equipment or interesting patients.]

[While she's poking around, is she likely to see anything odder than usual, by Purgatory standards?]

[cancrymods]

Depends on how deep she's digging! There's nothing overly unusual or worrisome (apart from the fact that they seem to have an iron lung stored in with some of their equipment???) but if Medic's willing to dig a little deeper, surely she'll find something...

INVESTIGATION: RIDES

[syrinfacet]

after giving a caster and pollux a shot, galea's definitely going to take note of people murmuring about extreme rides. she's going to start asking around to see if those rumors have any real merit. pollux has her...intrigued.

[cancrymods]

Giving the Hell Coaster a try has nabbed her some respect! A few Specters high five her on the way out, and she'll occasionally catch people catching her eye and giving her a smile or a not in acknowledgement on the way past. So when she starts asking around, it doesn't take long for her to be directed to the right person – the ride operator who handles Pollux.

They tell her that officially they don't know anything at all, but they've heard that the most extreme rides are open to folks who've gotten a little bored of what the carnival has to offer and want something more extreme, more exciting. But they can't just have anyone risking themselves on the VIP rides so invitations only go out to people who prove they can handle that sort of thing.

That's just what they've heard, though. Officially, there's no merit to it. They don't know a thing. Stage wink.

[swordofajerk]

Sword is going to start checking out the roller coasters, starting by trying to listen in on what any Specters might be saying as they wait in line.

[cancrymods]

It's just the regular sort of excited, nervous chatter you'd expect! There's some giggling and some mutterings about the more extreme, VIP rides but there's nothing in those rumors that the Executors don't already know about.

birdie

[schardynfreude]

[Motherfucker's got some questions, and he will! Look for her! She can't be too hard to find, she's Rei But Fuckier. Is she hiding somewhere high, does she like to be tall, come talk to your kabob friend]

[cancrymods]

[ She likes to be tall! Despite how grouchy and uncertain she's been about this whole field trip, Birdie has stuck around and is currently perched (heh) atop the first aid building, keeping an eye on the comings and goings with narrowed eyes.

She doesn't start the conversation, but she'll tilt her head towards Chiron if he approaches, prompting him to talk. If that's what he's there for. ]

EVENT...?

[cancrymods]

Just under a month after the Executors first arrive in Luxuria, something unexpected happens.

It begins as just a tremble underfoot but very quickly escalates and a powerful earthquake shakes all of Purgatory – while it is felt most strongly in the lower layers, it's powerful enough to rattle even Limbo. It lasts for two minutes before easing and coming to a stop. Though no one seems to be hurt and by some miracle the damage caused is minimal, two things stand out.

The first is that the temperature of the Gula Underside and Luxuria both drop significantly – still warm but not quite as dry and uncomfortable as before.

The second is the noise that accompanies the earthquake that a quick investigation will reveal no one but the Executors was able to hear; a horrible roaring groan, like scraping, buckling metal or some giant structure bellowing in protest as it gives way.

Eventually, normalcy reasserts itself. But all the Executors can feel that some change has taken place deeper down in Purgatory...

NPC REQUEST: BIRDIE

[alcahest]

[ thus far, Mona has been perfectly polite but a little uncertain around Birdie. but when Whatever The Hell That Earthquake Was happens, she immediately seeks her out without hesitation. ]

Um, miss? [ it seems strange to call her Birdie, and let's assume Mona hasn't heard the name Panta Rhei from Chiron yet, so she defaults to good old fashioned Victorian manners. ] That earthquake — do you know what that was...?

[cancrymods]

[ Miss Birdie's not hard to find – she's been hanging around Luxuria today, for once – and when Mona tracks her down, she looks distinctly alarmed. ]

... No. [ Giving that answer and admitting her own ignorance so clearly unsettles her even more than the earthquake did. ] I don't. To my knowledge... this is the first time something like that has happened. Or at the very least, this is the first time its effects have passed through Purgatory so strongly.