You choose to look up instead. The platform is rising in something like a well, the walls made of the same shimmering stone as the corridor below, etched with swirling patterns that light up as you pass. Chantille is humming the small tune you heard from her earlier in the forest, gaze flickering between you and the surrounding blank walls.

You have succeeded the skill check

With significant effort, you successfully hold your fear inside. Chantille doesn't notice and chatters about some trivial information, asking you about your preferences and sharing her plans to give you just about anything you could ever want.

Eventually, the platform slows, seemingly in the middle of the well.

"Hush now," Chantille whispers to you. "Let us take care not to draw unwanted attention."

A portion of the wall sinks in, the shape of an elegantly arched pair of doors taking form. An egde extends out to meet the platform you are currently standing on, slotting seamlessly with the stone as if all of it had been one piece to begin with. Chantille steps forth, somewhat concealing you behind her. The door sweeps open, and a small breeze of cool air ruffles your hair back.

Beyond, you see a short hallway that opens up into a massive circular room, the walls holding thin waterfalls of crystal clear water. There's nobody in the room save for a pair of people that look like guards at the opposite end, facing away, watching a hallway that leads out of the room.

"Well, you won't make it five steps like that!" Baje exclaims. "Someone's going to steal the very clothes off your back and you're going to feel grateful that they did it. Terrible people there, sometimes. I guess I'll walk you to the doctors," she gives an exaggerated sigh. "But I'll need to do something first, so you're coming along with me."

You expect her to land somewhere near the city, but she simply circles around and flies some distance away until you can't see the individual people. Then, she descends, landing the plane with a flourish behind a cluster of boulders and trees.

"We're going to walk now," she tells you, shutting off the plane. "Off you get, hup hup." The warm hum beneath you tapers off into cool stillness, and the cockpit pops open with a hiss. Baje busies herself, jumping out of her seat and squeezing around you to pick at some papers and contraptions, gathering an armful before disappearing out of the plane onto the grassy ground below.

You realise the city is not situated in the desert necessarily. It is near the edge of the desert, but it is settled by a meandering river turned dark with oil and pollution. Scratchy yellow grass forms a carpet under your feet. A few thin, starved trees stand between you and the mass of buildings and black clouds.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=15#150 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 10/2/2021 at 12:52 PM ((Don't worry about too much action- go ahead and do a lot of things, I will address all of them in my response. That being said, be careful about how you word it so it doesn't sound like your character is doing the thing straight away. Make sure it's an attempt. I will tell you whether they are successful or not.)) Surging forth into the fray, you realise it might have been a bad idea. Standing in the street, you had been able to see and breathe, but the moment you enter the plaza, visibility drops sharply, and smoke clogs your lungs, making your chest heave with exertion in order to obtain the air you need. Shapes stumble by you in the haze - people, running and screaming. The fire is roaring, crackling, and more pieces of the building are coming apart, crashing to the ground, shaking the earth. You have failed the skill check With the plumes of smog and chunks of debris filling the air with shrapnel, you can't make out any exits. You can't even see the street you had come from, although you know it's behind you, having come from there. You have partially succeeded the skill check Your directions fall on deaf ears; the crowd refuses to listen to you, or even acknowledge you, as panicked minds drive panicked body in every direction that isn't obstructed by stones, burning beams, or simmering steel. You are, however, able to convince a few of the less distraught people to head in the direction you had come from, hopefully to the street. Before you can do more, projectiles fly through the air, leaving a high pitched buzz as they shoot by. Ahead of you, through the smoke, someone falls with a pained groan. One of these projectiles barely misses you, tearing through a loose flap of clothing.

Gen regrets her decision the moment she enters the plaza. The air is thick with smoke and any shape more than ten feet away is simply a confused blur. The acrid air burns in her lungs and panic begins to set in as she realizes she can't see, can't breath, can't think. She manages to reach a few people, but her voice is barely a pained crackle rather than the confident orders she hoped for.

Burning obstacles seem to materialize from nowhere as Gen fights her way across the square, looming suddenly out of the smoke that obscures her vision. Chest heaving, she had just sidestepped a massive piece of roof when a projectile skims her shoulder, just barely avoiding a graze. Disoriented as she is, Gen has no idea where she is in the square and the missiles seem to cover the entire space.

The choked groans of people trying to scream through ash-filled lungs only adds to the horror as several projectiles find their marks in the fleeing crowd. Who would do this? Who could shoot at a panicked mass of innocent people?

Gen stumbles towards what she hopes is an exit, totally consumed by horror and rising panic as it becomes more and more difficult to force her body to respond. She trips over something with too much give and realizes it's a body. She quickly checks the chest, and if they're alive will try and staunch any wounds with her hands or clothing.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=16#151 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 10/2/2021 at 1:01 PM You choose to look up instead. The platform is rising in something like a well, the walls made of the same shimmering stone as the corridor below, etched with swirling patterns that light up as you pass. Chantille is humming the small tune you heard from her earlier in the forest, gaze flickering between you and the surrounding blank walls. You have succeeded the skill check With significant effort, you successfully hold your fear inside. Chantille doesn't notice and chatters about some trivial information, asking you about your preferences and sharing her plans to give you just about anything you could ever want. Eventually, the platform slows, seemingly in the middle of the well. "Hush now," Chantille whispers to you. "Let us take care not to draw unwanted attention." A portion of the wall sinks in, the shape of an elegantly arched pair of doors taking form. An egde extends out to meet the platform you are currently standing on, slotting seamlessly with the stone as if all of it had been one piece to begin with. Chantille steps forth, somewhat concealing you behind her. The door sweeps open, and a small breeze of cool air ruffles your hair back. Beyond, you see a short hallway that opens up into a massive circular room, the walls holding thin waterfalls of crystal clear water. There's nobody in the room save for a pair of people that look like guards at the opposite end, facing away, watching a hallway that leads out of the room.

All of the details pass by him in a blur as he tries not to break out in a sweat, hiding the signs of the terror he feels inside. A distant feeling of guilt surfaces for not listening to what Chantille is saying, but it isn't his largest concern right now.

He nods curtly, barely having time to appreciate the stone-transformation this time as he maintains his poise. The next challenge - what might as well have been a tight-rope walk over an endless drop. All he has to do is follow Chantille, keep his gaze levelled on the safety of the room beyond, and don't. Look. Down.

He does, however, note how Chantille has positioned herself in front of him. When he has a moment, he's going to have to keep an eye on those guards - he assumes they are the cause of her reaction.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=15#149 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 10/2/2021 at 12:24 PM They all look at you expectantly after you finish your little speech. A few moments pass, and that anticipation turns into suspicion. Eyes narrow, whispers fly. The flame burns, searing hot, and you can't help but take a step back. Even a hair further away, the heat drops significantly. "Lost traveller," the Matriarch says, taking pity on your not know what to do. "Place your hand into the flame." Errant, before you, breaks into an almost terrifying smile. Looking around, you notice what you hadn't seen before: the people bear scorch marks along their wrists, some ending at about the wrist, others extending far up their forearm, their shoulders. You can't see whether the people sitting behind the table have marks. Errant is the only one without burns. Bit late, but, Discovered new characters!

Taking a deep breath Crystal put her hand into the fire hoping that it was in fact magic and could tell she wasn't lying. She did not wish to be burned and accused of being untruthful in one day. Noticing the scorch marks Crystal wonders how many of them had been put through this test.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=14#140 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 9/26/2021 at 2:37 PM ((That would be nice)) You move toward the smudge of colours distinct from the nature around them. Soon, you get close, and you find that they are indeed buildings! A cluster of them, in fact. It's a small village. Strangely, it seems lifeless. Windows are shut and streets are dark. You see a few things move about slowly - maybe a person or two, but their movements are fearful and quick. Around the village is some sort of makeshift barrier, stacks of logs with sharpened sticks poking outward.

Fun, it's the apocolypse!

All jokes aside though, that's totally not concerning at all. He decides that trying to find out what's happening is a good idea, so he cautiously approaches the first person he sees. And hopes they won't stab him on sight or something. That wouldn't be fun.

You run shaking hands over a warm body, almost grimacing at how... alive, yet dead, the person was. With all the adrenaline rushing through your veins and numbing the sensations coming through your fingertips, you struggle to find a pulse.

You have succeeded the skill check

While you can't see through the smoke enough to pinpoint whether the chest is rising and falling, your fumbling hands find a neck and eventually grasp the dip on the side of the windpipe. It thrums with life, pumping blood in a powerful beat against your touch. The person, however, is not moving. Your inspection further reveals two objects lodged in the body - bracing your bloodied hands against them, you find that they are arrow shafts. They are stuck too deep for you to pull out, so you can't try to treat or bind the wounds.

Otherwise, you find a mess of flesh, blood, and torn clothing. You don't know if there are any other wounds. Smoke chokes your lungs, and you cough. Immediately, an arrow whizzes by you, scraping a cut along your arm. A shout goes up where the attackers are. Their voice is drowned out by sizzling flames and crashing debris, but you think you make out an order to search for survivors.

"I will draw the attention of the guards and cast a small, tiny spell to keep you cloaked," Chantille tells you. She pats you on the shoulder reassuringly. "You will go around the room, try to stay as close to the walls as possible - be mindful of the water, however."

The two of you continue forth, Chantille's steps nothing more than a whisper against the ground, while your boots thump loudly in comparison. As you get closer to the room, a sense of anticipation begins to swamp you. The whole place with its soaring walls, etched flourishes, and ribbons of silent silver water glows with a pale light - a static tranquility hangs thick in the air, calming at once yet still raising the hairs at the back of your neck.

"We will reconvene in the hallway," Chantille's voice has dropped even lower. "You will continue walking down it until I signal for you to stop." She taps you between your eyes, a whispered word drifting through the air. Her finger glows, and a shiver runs down your spine. "You must believe that you will not be seen. Do not draw attention to yourself."

Without another word, she quickly takes a few steps forward, putting distance between you two, and fixes her dress, hefting her basket to sit prettily on her arm. "Good noon!" You hear her chirp, and the guards turn around.

The moment your hand touches the flame, you scream. It's a reflex - you have no time to consciously process what is happening. Only after you scream can you feel the blazing pain that tears up your arm even though your fingers had no more than brushed up against the fire. You flinch back, and it's over. The sensation fades away to a phantom ache, and tears well up in the corners of your eyes.

Errant laughs in your face, not unkindly, and bounces back to her seat. The people around you watch with solemn faces. You can't read their expressions, and you are already delirious from the shock.

"Well," the Matriarch says. "Let us begin formally. State your name and your circumstances to the most detail you can remember. Any lies will be punishable by fire."

When you come close to the barricade, you make out shadows moving among them on the other side. You have to squint and move closer until you finally realise that they are humans. As soon as one of them notices you, they stretch themselves to look over the barricade, pointing a weapon at you. A crudely made bow.

"Stop right there!" Their voice wavers. "Or- or we will attack!"

At their cry, a bunch of others pop up over the barrier, all pointing various shoddy weapons at you. In the row of faces, you see barely restrained fear.