cancrymods: (Default)
"Can Cry" Mod Account ([personal profile] cancrymods) wrote in [community profile] cancry2021-01-04 08:01 pm

Invidia Underside Log

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




crypddyd: (4)

[personal profile] crypddyd 2021-01-04 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[This is certainly not the group he would have picked if he knew they would stumble on Esme. Veil of course can handle herself- this was not her first Underside. But he knew she had a soft heart. And Monarch, who he hasn't spoken to in any real way yet, was new... and very young.

Of course, he wouldn't have picked himself either, for obvious reasons:]


Very astute. That is what you do with rats in your stores- flush them out to their boltholes. Block their tunnels and crush their spines under boot when they run squealing for escape. This is no different.
daughterofthemark: (B3F. Malice cloaked in lies)

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2021-01-04 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[...

Veil raises her hand awkwardly.]


Unless you would prefer to surrender? Surely even at this stage a peaceful resolution is still possible.
ourtomorrow: (DGMN02bd_EP48_56987)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2021-01-05 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
I want to know more, too.

[ Yes, Monarch is still hung up on this, Esme. I would say "sorry not sorry", but this is like the one thing in his afterlife he isn't even that level of sorry for.

What they end up doing with her will likely be determined by how she handles this encounter - if she forces their hand, given the apparent makeup of this group. But before whatever happens....happens....he's seizing even the faintest hope of closure. ]


Why go to the lengths you did? I'm not satisfied. I haven't been satisfied with the answer you gave!
crypddyd: (12)

[personal profile] crypddyd 2021-01-05 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Tch, does the stream of venom ever stop pouring from your damned mouth?

[He glances at Monarch and Veil, his expression softening slightly, though his tone is still a bit harsh]

She will keep dangling answers and possibilities in front of you- she enjoys having that power. Do not fall for her tricks.
daughterofthemark: (B2F. An inverse laughing demon)

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2021-01-05 02:52 pm (UTC)(link)
We'll not allow her to bite us.

[See, because of her venom!

She doesn't mean that literally.

Probably.

She looks back to Esme.]


In any event, while I would prefer not to fight... you did strike first.
ourtomorrow: (DGMN02bd_EP43_22050)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2021-01-05 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're right. These people are right. No matter how much he resents her attitude...

Monarch nods. He'll be fine. He's got himself under control. (Probably.) ]


We won't let you sacrifice anyone else!
mementomoritz: leave her out of the yearbook (class photo day)

[personal profile] mementomoritz 2021-01-05 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Medic, being Medic, immediately zeroes in on one thing, and it isn't the fact that an angry Revenant is charging at her.]

[No, it's the claws. And the substance dripping from them.]


Maybe another pneumatotoxin? She had to get it from somewhere... [Well, there's only one thing to do. It's for science.]

[As Volucris charges, Medic darts forward and to the side, deliberately keeping her scissors closed and brushing those massive claws with the flat of the blade. She keeps going, darting right past the Revenant and continuing on well out of range. When she's far enough away to have a little bit of breathing room, she slows to a stop and carefully eyes the substance smeared on the outside of her weapon. She pricks a finger lightly on the clean tip of the scissors, and holds up her hand to let a single drop of pneuma fall onto the substance.]

[Whatever she sees apparently confirms her suspicions.]


Everyone, the stuff on her claws is toxic! Be careful! [Oh, you mean careful like DOING SCIENCE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT, MEDIC?]
emberserker: Gritting teeth. (out of the way)

[personal profile] emberserker 2021-01-05 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Okay, being ambushed was not in Wolfsbane's plan, but she can work with this! ...she thinks. When slashing with her axe doesn't work, she jumps back and fires off an ice shard.]

Ugh, what is this thing?!
emberserker: Angry but not over the edge yet. (i TOLD you)

[personal profile] emberserker 2021-01-05 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[When she's not fighting a miniboss, Wolfsbane is transformed with halberd in hand, exploring the mall. Or trying, because apparently today is Boxing Day for Revenants, and as she's looking over a magazine with Miss Not-Esme on the cover, one snatches it and runs off with it. She scowls and shoots a fireball at them, which just makes more run at her.]

Ugh, excuse me! I was investigating, you nuisances!

[Looks like that's on hold until she can clear these guys out.]
curiositydies: i am coming for you (oh you fool there are rules)

[personal profile] curiositydies 2021-01-06 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ Fog suits him fine. He doesn't know why that is, but this new form seems to revel in it, the same way he revels in it (it feels right, better than his usual body, and isn't that something?)

Well, he's here to destroy things, so destroy things he will. As nice as the fog feels, it's auxiliary.

It's Wolfsbane's shouting that leads him to the target, which is helpful. He drifts towards her voice, his skeletal form still half-shrouded in fog.
]

Ah, there you are.

[ Ice bursts forth from his hands, a bolt that barely misses the Revenant. It spins for a moment, jaws snapping; conflicted between whether to continue attacking the target it can see, or flee from the group it now knows exists. ]
Edited 2021-01-06 02:37 (UTC)
emberserker: One eye narrowed, scary grin. (demented dreamworks face)

[personal profile] emberserker 2021-01-06 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
I ought to be saying that to you lot.

[Wolfsbane changes tactics and attacks with fireballs now, a gleam in her eye.]

This must be what ripped up the park.
curiositydies: (i saw a brighter world beyond myself)

[personal profile] curiositydies 2021-01-06 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, am I late? I wasn't aware we'd made an appointment.

[ He adjusts his tactics, spreading his chains out to present a larger target. This girl seems to be more aggressive, so he'll change to suit. Ficino snaps its jaws and snarls, lunging towards Wolfsbane. ]

It seems as if you're correct. I wonder what kind of impulses propel this creature, to engage in such violence?
Edited 2021-01-06 05:09 (UTC)
emberserker: Casting something. (strings and things)

[personal profile] emberserker 2021-01-06 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
[She slices with her halberd, only managing to knock the thing's mouth slightly out of the way, though it still grazes her arm and she hisses. Fine -- she'll swing it back the other way and drive the piercing end into its head.]

Take this, you thing!

[It staggers back and starts to thrash, sending girl and weapon tumbling off to the side. She rolls to a stop and drags herself up.]

I'd suspect it's judt hunting. It seems simple enough!
curiositydies: lost in thoughts, all alone (dark seize the throne)

[personal profile] curiositydies 2021-01-06 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
Hunting, hmm? I wonder if it has a taste for just the flesh of Executors, or anything with pneuma...

[ As he muses on this, he sees Ficino facing towards him and floats backwards to avoid its snapping and snarling. He has a suspicion that even in this form, a bite from such a monstrosity would hurt.

Smaller, more annoying Rigauds swarm about in flocks, attracted by the noise of battle. He cracks his chains in the air, luring a group in as he fends Ficino off with another blast of ice and an annoyed grunt.
]
crypddyd: (116)

1/2

[personal profile] crypddyd 2021-01-06 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
WELP THAT SURE SOUNDS PLOT IMPORTANT AND MAYBE A SIGN SHE'S AN ILLUSION OR TRANSFORMING OR SOMETHING. GOOD THING WE'RE HERE TO TALK THIS OU-
crypddyd: (86)

[personal profile] crypddyd 2021-01-06 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ while she's doing her creepy act Lion pops Atrocity and tries to decapitate her right there in the studio with one fast hard swipe]
daughterofthemark: (02F. Hazardous habitat)

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2021-01-06 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"La"--

[FDSHAFJKLASHFAAAAAAAAAAAAAH]

Page 1 of 11