Invidia Underside Log

[cancrymods]

INVIDIA DUNGEON LOG

For the Executors who've travelled down to an Underside before, today's trip isn't out of the ordinary. But for those of you new to all this... well, buckle up because it's a bit of a ride. Though the cold green light makes it hard to see, if you squint through the glare, you'll spot a wide, steep staircase leading down from the fissure into the light below. As you descend, it feels for a frightening moment as though you might be walking blind but eventually the light gives way to the sight of the Invidia Underside waiting a great distance below you. By some trick of perspective or just wonky Purgatory logic, however, it seems to take hardly any time for you to descend the stairs and set foot in the Invidia Underside.

THE UNDERSIDE

♪♫ Lyx – Sakuzyo The only saving grace of the Invidia Underside is that its layout and structure is more or less the same as Invidia itself. Some of the paths have turned a little twisty and there are buildings here and there that have gone missing, but if you can navigate your way around Invidia then you can more or less find your way around the Underside. The atmosphere on the other hand is where things really start to feel different. Where Invidia is bustling with life, the Underside is just as quiet in contrast. Some sounds filter down from the city above but they sound not just distant but muffled, too. This, coupled with the eerie green light that illuminates the city from above gives the feeling of being trapped at the bottom of some sort of lake or seabed. But more notable than all that is the screens that usually blast Esme content into everyone's eyeballs. Down here in the Underside, all of the screens are either apparently dead or displaying looped clips from TV talk shows, vlogs, movies and the like starring a person none of you have ever seen before. They have a vague similarity to Esme, but they're clearly not the same person. There's a shine to them and a sense of authenticity that was missing from everyone's least favorite Envy Authority that just feels... correct. If Esme was some kind of counterfeit then this is undoubtedly the original. There are no clips of Esme – or any sort of media with her at all, in fact – anywhere to be found in the Invidia Underside. AREAS OF INTEREST ⚝ Park: The park seems to have fallen victim to the same odd spatial distortions at play in many other places in Purgatory. While from the outside it doesn't seem that much bigger than it was originally, once you actually enter the park you'll find that it stretches on far enough that you can't quite see all the way to the other end, not helped at all by the fact that the area seems to have become fogged over, thickly enough to make it hard to detect the presence of Revenants here. Usually, the glowing trees would be enough to guide you through, but thanks to the presence and occasional outbreaks of violence of the Revenants, the trees are looking, uh... a little busted. Many of them have been gouged or even completely uprooted from the ground with wires spilling messily out and all over the ground. And... the less said about whatever the hell that colourful liquid coming out of them is, the better. Just tell yourself it's the stuff you see inside glowsticks and move on. Of course, moving on might be a little hard, as when you reach the very center of the park, you might just stumble across exactly what had the Revenants here so worked up in the first place... ⚝ Mall: Those of you who were fans of the conbini in Limbo: congratulations! Those of you who were fans of the mall in Invidia being normal: my condolences. While the mall hasn't changed much physically down here in the Underside, the shopping experience certainly has. The items up for purchase have fallen prey to the same effects as the ones in Limbo and so everything is a little... off. Food comes in strange shapes and flavours, clothes don't look quite right and any books or written media you pick up to try and read will just be a jumble of text that only occasionally becomes discernable. The same unfamiliar person who was all over the screens outside can also be found here, looking for all the world like the average celeb. It won't be easy finding anything to read, though, because the mall is crammed full of Revenants who seem to be doing their level best to full on loot the place. Take great care in your investigations, because if they get the idea that you're trying to steal anything from the mall, they'll set on you quicker than you can blink. ⚝ Rooftop Stage: Given that the rooftop stage was the last place you all saw Esme, it's not a bad idea to check there again to see if that's where she's ended up. There's an eerie similarity between the rooftop here and the one back in Invidia, too – just like that one, the rooftop here is in disrepair, as though it's been subject to some sort of violent tantrum, with all the equipment smashed to bits and the stage itself almost completely demolished. At second glance though, it becomes a bit more obvious that this place has been systematically broken down to allow as many of its components as possible to be harvested to construct what looks to be a gigantic cage right on the stage. And what's inside the cage you ask? You'll have to see for yourself... ⚝ Mansion: Esme's mansion seems to be the only part of Invidia that has escaped the warping and confusion of the Underside. The gate at the front is locked again but the outer walls no longer grow in height to keep outsiders at bay, so if you want to get in then scaling the wall is your best bet. No problem for the Executors, of course! Once you're inside, you can look around and see that not only has the interior escaped the uncomfortable twisty-turny distortions of the Underside but it also looks... lived in. Like "the bed still isn't made from being vacated this morning" lived in. There's food in the fridge. Was she... living here...? ⚝ Broadcasting Station: See for yourself. HAZARDS ⚝ On The Spot: Though there seems to be no actual source for them, large spotlights sweep through the streets of Invidia. They're easy to see coming and not too large that you can't dodge out of the way if there's one coming at you, but take care – if you happen to be caught in the glare of one of these spotlights, then you'll be plastered all over the screens that are scattered about the city and find yourself beset by Revenants who all want a very literal taste of you. ⚝ Structural Damage: Many of the buildings around the city have fallen into disrepair due to the presence of the Revenants here. Some have taken extreme structural damage and are on the verge of collapse so be careful not to end up trapped in a collapsing building, or you might be stuck waiting for a fellow Executor to fish you out. ⚝ Revenant Types Present: Henricus, Rigaud

Comments

The doctor is IN

[mementomoritz]

[After fighting with Volucris, Medic has set up a makeshift hospital tent- by which we mean two plastic tables she dragged over from the park that you can dump your injured friends on for some cheerful and only mildly unsettling medical attention.]

[She's chosen to set up just outside Esme's mansion, right in front of the gate, since it's one of the most easily-recognized landmarks in this place.]

[She texts the Executor groupchat a picture to show them where she is, helpfully captioned with:]

come visit me if you're bleeding!! :D

[emberserker]

[As reluctant as she may be, Wolfsbane is still pretty banged up and has a big gash on her arm. And possibly smoke inhalation from setting the park on fire. So she ends up dragging herself to Medic's medic tent, muttering to herself.]

At least that thing's dead again. I suppose Esme's dealt with by now as well, have you heard?

[mementomoritz]

Nope! [Medic works as she talks, reaching out and gently taking Wolfsbane's hand- the one attached to the uninjured arm, to avoid jostling it- in one of her own, letting her power flow out and repair the damage.] Not everyone's reported back in yet, though, so we could be hearing some news soon.

There was this one Revenant in a big cage, though- I wonder if Esme did that?

[emberserker]

What, one she couldn't handle facing? I suppose if she's lost her Authority powers, but one would think she'd still have something.

[She hisses under her breath as the battle damage begins to heal.]

I ran into a large one in the park. We disposed of it handily enough, though I've got to say that Frost's Executor transformation is mildly unsettling. One would think if one of us turned into a skeleton, we all would.

[mementomoritz]

[The good news is that having a handful of acute cases instead of an entire mass-poisoning to treat means that Medic can afford to spend the energy healing her completely instead of just making sure she won't be seriously harmed. The pain and injuries will vanish under the spreading gentle warmth almost unsettlingly quickly.]

Isn't it fascinating? [She looks absolutely delighted at the topic.] We've already seen that Eidolons who aren't human in appearance are possible, but this is the first time I've observed someone going from one state to the other and back! I have so many tests to run.

[twibeast]

[ Welp. Beast is bleeding. And still in a lot of pain thanks to the poison. So he's here once Mona and Phoenix can get him to safety.

He's kinda just... zoning out for now. Likely because of the pain, though maybe his head is just elsewhere. He's no longer in his Executor transformation, but you can't really blame him for not keeping the magical battle transformation up, can ya? ]

[mementomoritz]

[Medic doesn't waste a moment, going swiftly about the business of getting him seated comfortably and laying a gentle hand on his cheek to channel healing into him- burning out the poison, sealing up the wounds. She'll never get tired of seeing it, the way flesh moves and closes itself back up right before her eyes.]

[With the other hand, she pulls out a sanitary wipe, tears the package open, and begins carefully cleaning off the toxin. She doesn't want to just leave it there to keep seeping into his system.]

[As she works, she keeps up a steady stream of chatter, friendly and cheerful.]

You know, it's really interesting to see another variety of pneumatotoxin already! It's less severe than the stuff Esme was using, almost like it's diluted, but it's still pretty potent! I'm wondering if the symptoms present identically save for intensity or just very similarly, though, because- [Something makes her break off midsentence, frowning thoughtfully.]

[And then Beast gets to hear the three least-reassuring words you can say as a medical professional:]

Huh, that's funny...

[twibeast]

[ Beast is mostly just tuning Medic out - not intentionally mind you, there's just suddenly a lot for him to process. But the pain is gone and that makes him grateful--

But then he does hear that last thing she said. ]

Hm...?

[ ruh roh ]

[crypddyd]

[Here comes Lion, likely with Veil and Monarch too since he probably wouldn't have allowed them to wander off- but he's lost enough pneuma that he might have kinda blacked out a little so who can say?

He has a huge hole in his armor, which he hasn't de-summoned and he's using his lance as a crutch. Also a huge burned gash in his face???]

Ah... Medic?

[mementomoritz]

Present! [Like he just called her name at school during morning attendance.]

[She's already making a beeline for him as soon as she spots him and guiding him to the nearest available seat.] Sit down and let's get you patched up- it's all fun and games until someone loses another eye!

[crypddyd]

Thank... thank you. It certainly came close.

...it was Esme. She is gone.

[schardynfreude]

[With a huff, and a puff, Chiron also arrives, still decked out in white. He wrinkles his nose a bit at the tables but, listen, he trusts that they're as disinfected as they're gonna be, and while linens and pillows are nice, the stabilized wounded can be moved inside where it's more comfortable.]

I'm here. I can lend a hand. Shall I at least fetch something a little more comfortable? [He's gonna fetch something a little more comfortable anyway. They can wash the pillows from the couch later.]

[Chiron is available for healing if Mercy's busy or someone is a little hesitant to see her specifically.]

[mementomoritz]

Ooh, yes please! [Medic has disinfected these tables so much, Chiron. Her passion for proper sanitary conditions is inspiring and also slightly scary.]

I was thinking of raiding the mansion for extra supplies, but I wanted to make sure we didn't have any serious cases before I went anywhere. It'd be pretty bad if I was stuck fighting a Revenant or something in there while someone was going into shock!

[schardynfreude]

...Hm, you're right. We don't know what might be lurking in this version of the mansion.

Well...I'll be quite careful and come running very quickly if there's trouble. While yelling and waving my hands.

[curiositydies]

[ Mercy seems to have her hands full with everyone else's cases, and Frost's deep arm wound, even if it's serious, comes with no extra surprises. He drifts idly over to the man who seems to be helping with all this - another Executor with healing powers, he assumes. ]

Do you have time to spare for an arm injury? As fascinating as this is to witness, it does hurt quite a bit.

[ He has a distinct feeling bones shouldn't be able to bleed this way, but it's happening regardless; he's keeping his other hand clamped over it to stem the flow of pneuma somewhat. Ficino's teeth have left some significant gashes. ]

[schardynfreude]

Oh! Of course. [He makes a 'come here' motion even as he approaches Frost himself.] No need to wait for something like that, no. This particular level seems to have been quite nasty to us. Sit down if you'd like.

[Not that it takes Chiron long to take a look and then lay a hand on the fellow, nor does it take but an instant for a warm glow to emanate from the palm of his hand. Setting right to work.]

Fascinating, is it? [That sounds like a Mercy thing to say. Oh boy.]

[discutio]

Chiron.

Where are you right now.

[schardynfreude]

[That's alarming!]

In front of this version's mansion. Medic has set up something of a triage area.

Where are you do you need me to come get you

[alcahest]

[ Mona comes by when Chiron's not busy with anything, no patients currently in need of tending to; she looks a little shell-shocked, and her Executor outfit is soaked with pneuma in places, though she doesn't appear to have any injuries.

she doesn't say anything. she just walks over and clutches at the hem of his sleeve with her fingers. ]

[schardynfreude]

[She is a sight, and it has him putting hands on her, patting her down to look for any injuries. She seems--fine?]

Dear child, you look frightful. [Stay calm. Remain calm!] Would you like to sit with me a while? Perhaps talk about it, only if you'd like.

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch does indeed tag along with Lion, hanging back so the others can get treated first. He has a lot on his mind, and it's disassociating him somewhat from his own injuries.

He's got a few of those gashes like Lion does, with the brunt of the damage being to a shoulder, as well as a spattering of acid-like burns and bruises from being tossed around. Unlike Lion, he's already dismissed his Executor uniform, so instead of having a ripped-up jacket he's leaking sparkles all over his clothes. (Which is the most exciting said clothes will ever look, tbh.)

Even when Medic approaches him, he'll avoid eye contact. Despite his exciting array of wounds, the worst of his damage was psychic. ]

[phantasmagorial]

... Monarch.

[ She's not Medic, but you can bet your behind that Rei's coming over to check on him to. No escape. ]

If you're hurt... you should make sure that someone checks up on you.

[ourtomorrow]

Ah....

[ Oh dear. It's Rei. Monarch touches one of the pneuma splatters, self-conscious. ]

Rei-san, I'm sorry. I didn't...take very good care of my heart today.

[mementomoritz]

[Medic doesn't worry too much about the lack of eye contact, just humming gently and tunelessly under her breath as she rests a hand on his shoulder to heal him.]

[With the other, she hands him a packet of wet wipes.]

Here, you're going to want to clean up a little. It's no good if you still have poison on your skin, right?

[ourtomorrow]

[ Oh, she's....Huh. Right. Monarch blinks, realizes that yes, there are places on him that sting, and looks up with a distracted smile. Trying to come back to the present. ]

Ah - thanks.

[ He accepts the wipes. Let's see if he can do this without interrupting her... ]