Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Post by Jackson R. Willbert on Oct 23, 2016 19:58:31 GMT
A figure nonchalantly waltzed through the streets, the collar of this trench coat up, hat hiding his face, whistling a random tune. Upon passing by toy shop, he slowed his pace, briefly catching a glimpse of pink before the curtains suddenly closed on their own. He continued his pace before turning around to go back from the direction he came from, stealing a glance at the shop he passed by.
Not good.
Of all the places that bird could've gone to...
"The boss ain' gonna be hapeh 'bout dis," he muttered as he quickly made his way back to report the news.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Oct 24, 2016 6:21:19 GMT
Coat on his shoulders and a light hat covering his hair, Lasair bolted out the front doors of MI and made his way through the trees, walking briskly. He would have jogged, but it was best not to do that in the forest. But once he got back to the streets, he firstly took a shortcut Edelweiss had showed him and then jogged lightly towards the destination in question. He passed by quite a few people as he went, nearly bumping into one man in an oversized trench coat. Lord those were too common these days. Still, he recovered and walked up to the door, breathing a bit heavily as he raised a hand to knock at it. He didn’t want to just barge in, especially with the sign saying closed. There was also the slight chance that this was the wrong address. But he didn’t think it was.
"Got it!" Amon said as he rushed to the door, stopping only to place a map on the counter. "Good, you're here," he said, dragging Lasair inside and closing the door after him. "That should be everyone right?" He hoped so; time was ticking, and he didn't want to waste another second.
"Well, for the newcomers, good news and bad news," he continued as he approached the map. "Good news: we know where Sienna, founder of Mingo's Mechanics and an old friend, disappeared to. Bad news: as far as we can tell, when I say 'being held against her will,' I'm putting it lightly."
"Currently sending my fastest clockwork birds to where she's being held for some preliminary reconnaissance," he said, pointing to a section of the map. "I'm also having some other prep work done, but in the meantime, any ideas?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Oct 25, 2016 7:56:34 GMT
"I wish I could call Caitlin too, but don't have any means to contact her quickly." Edelweiss sighed, a bit of a downing thought spoken aloud, but she seemed to re-energize herself fractionally when turning to greet Lasair. He had arrived almost ridiculously fast, that was good news at least.
The lack of contact means meant that, yes, as far as she was concerned their current group was all the people who were going to help with their not-so-little rescue operation... That being said, it was a reasonably good group with all things considered. "We don't have time to plan much," Unless they wanted to put Sienna's life and limb at stake even more than that very minute. "but at least we have directions this time." An address, and hints on where Sienna was kept in that letter. That was more than they had during the time with Skye.
"So, since we're 4, might want one or two to cause a distraction in the property. Any kind, just to keep attention turned towards the front door while the rest of us sneaks in to get Sienna out. Scanning the area around to guess how many people we might face might be good, but as for the rest... unless anyone else has more suggestions, we'll have to wing it when we're there."
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Oct 28, 2016 3:41:04 GMT
After being pulled inside, Lasair blinked a few times, trying to understand the sudden urgency presented to him. Someone’s alive, but not doing well. A friend it looks like? And now they’re suddenly gonna go out and rescue her because they suddenly got intel about what’s going on.
“Alright.”
Nodding to Edel’s suggestion, he turned to glace at Sayvahn, offering the man a light smile. It’d be good to have him there too, Sayvahn was good in a battle. Lasair had seen it first hand. And Amon had fought that shadow beast with him and Edel. And well, Edel could handle herself. So yeah, should be a nice team. Lasair nodded and waited for something further to happen.
"Well..." Amon pondered, looking back at the note. "...Considering the amount of tech involved, I'd say that it would be best for you guys to infiltrate and get her out while I distract. Plus, I'd imagine you'd be much better suited against surprise attacks than I am. Besides, just based on this location alone, I have a few ideas that I can do to keep their attention..."
"What do you guys think?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
An air of seriousness had descended, coating the group in something thicker than tobacco smoke. Sayvahn’s fingers itched for a cigarette, itched for some sort of offering of help— although smoking would only help himself. Vermillion orbs glanced at Edelweiss, and how frantically she wrote— or, well, frantic for Edelweiss. The normal air of whimsical grace etched away for a more serious one. Faintly, he knew who she was writing to, but it was only a suspicion. After all, she probably had various resources, but only one tugged on Sayvahn’s mind. This whole encounter was something darker, something deeper than what Sayvahn could grasp it seemed, and rubbing his neck, Sayvahn approached Amon. Even Amon’s slouch had opted for something more straight, something more somber, his clicks, snapping the air. He made a quip about being the feline being serious, but Sayvahn held his tongue, eyes narrowing slightly. He could offer a retort, but he knew better not to push for one right then. Besides, Amon really only knew one half of him, after all. Sayvahn had always gone to him to relieve the serious side of him—Edelweiss and Lasair, being too close, too fragile to joke around with as much as he did with Amon, and Edgar— Edgar was too dangerous. As Edelweiss wrote, and Amon retreated to his back space, Sayvahn leaned against the window, peaking outside of those closed curtains. There, he caught the glimpse of a figure, rather handsome passing by, but his presence was a mere shadow as he scurried away. Sayvahn sighed, leaning against the cold glass. It seemed today was going to be a serious day after all, with little room for fun.
At the knock, Sayvahn flinched. Amon eagerly rushed to the door, but Sayvahn did not share the same enthusiasm. Not as he heard the full story, it seemed. After all, the other two had not really mentioned the plan. Only the seriousness of it, and at the revelation, Sayvahn sighed. It was a rescue. This was a rescue. And, it seemed it wasn’t everyone’s first rescue either. Well, neither was it Sayvahn’s, but, well, that was a whole matter entirely. At the suggestion of a distraction, Sayvahn leaned forward, pushing himself off the wall. He had remained fairly quiet at all this, but at the opening he sought to speak. “If the others are alright with you being the distraction, that is fine, but, I would not be lying if I said I was concerned knowing you were distracting alone,” the elder feline muttered, crossing his arms. “I have no doubt you can develop your own defense, judging from the twins and that,” Sayvahn tilted his head toward Amon’s arm. “But, I would feel better if I was with you if something did head south on your end. Edelweiss and Lasair are powerful enough and can handle themselves without me— and though I am sure you could as well, it doesn’t hurt to split the teams equally, unless, well, Edelweiss, Lasair— you have something to say against this.” Sayvahn caught the faint smile, and offered his own, yet it seemed frigid on his lips. Perhaps because this was at such a slant for him— rescuing a woman he never heard of, with two people he had never fought beside. It was a little… nerve racking to say the least, and sudden. He was going to have to open a portal at some point to grab his equipment, at what time, he would have to gauge depending on the conversation.
“In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught." ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 2, 2016 4:39:42 GMT
The redhead woman blinked at the suggestions - first Amon's, then Sayvahn's. Truth be told, those were not bad ideas, at all. ...Not that she was expecting them to have bad ideas, but what they proposed really wasn't something she had expected them to, for different reasons:
First of all, Amon had chosen to not be part of the team more directly involved in this rescue mission, even though he was one of the two people present in the room who knew Sienna personally (the second person being Edelweiss herself). Secondly, Sayvahn - Sayvahn of all people - had very detachedly proposed to tag along Amon in the distraction task instead of sticking around Lasair, and actually placed the ginger man alongside her on those plans. Were those two green-eyed clingy jealous muffins up to something?
Oh well...
"... I don't have anything to protest about that." She finally stated, and that was true. If those two were to share the same task, they could keep each other('s little loose screws) in check. "But I'll need my gear." The old CS Stars building was closer to there than her home, but if she went now, she should be able to get her spare equipment from there in around 10 minutes.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Nov 2, 2016 6:11:50 GMT
“…I think Edel would be better off working alone.”
It took Lasair a bit to speak as much, as he wasn’t quite sure how to say it, but the fact was true. Stealth was not something Lasair excelled at, despite Edelweiss’ tips on how to improve it somewhat. It wasn’t his strong suit and his track record pointed to him being more likely to blow their cover than keep them hidden. “Even with distractions, I doubt the entire guard force would leave to defend against you guys. Of who remains, it may be better for Edelweiss to advance first and then have someone else as back up. If no one else is up for it, then it might as well be me, but I worry that things may get out of hand on your end, especially if there’s more guards than expected.” So, they could probably use the backup. But Edelweiss probably wouldn’t want to go it alone. Which left Lasair torn because he felt like he didn’t quite fit in either option. Sneaky? Nope. Loud and distracting? To a point, but not nearly as well as Amon seemed to have planned. But he may just go forward anyhow and hope for the best.
Amon pondered for a moment, before shaking his head.
"Hear me out: I'm not the most sneaky person, and, as Edel can attest, I sorta require a fairly advanced set up in order for me to gain the upper hand. As such, I was going to position clockwork dolls to be dropped in the forest area, and see if I can't draw their attention to help me 'search' for some 'missing' dolls. Meanwhile, if Sienna's information is accurate, many of the guards in the house itself are disguised as normal house staff; you're going to need to be very flexible and sneaky, something that I can't really do on the fly. Furthermore, there is a greater chance with something going south inside than outside, and with your combined magic, you would stand a greater chance on getting out of any surprise situations. Once I neutralized as many of the outside guards as possible, I would join up with you guys, making as much noise as possible to draw any remaining guards away from you and Sienna's cell."
"Again, as much as I would love to go in and bust Sienna out directly, I would prefer to work as distraction alone, due to the amount of tech I'll be using along with my lack of true stealth skills," he concluded.
"Now if we didn't have Sveden breathing down our necks, I would've crashed into that place with Strength in a heartbeat," Amon muttered, a hint of disappointment coloring his voice.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 2, 2016 7:13:17 GMT
"....You sure gave your giant mecha robot a very ...interesting... name." True to a fault, but Edelweiss couldn't think of any more fitting adjectives to use here other than 'interesting'. Peculiar, maybe? But that'd be rich, coming from a woman who named children after gemstones, so not that one.
"Another thing that can be inferred from the letter is as much as we don't really have any allies on the inside, there's someone who might not be an enemy either. I'm betting this guy's wife's life can vary from sad to miserable but not much beyond." She glanced back at Lasair. "May I count on you to give her poor soul some moments of appreciative conversation and clear the path for me (or even get some extra tips)? I do recall you're good at that." Yes, ginger buddy, she wants you to charm that wife. Seemed like the perfect role for you in her point of view.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
At Edelweiss’ acceptance, Savyahn smiled lightly, tilting his head back to listen to Lasair’s point of view. Frankly, his suggestion muddled things a bit. “Edelweiss working alone isn’t the best tactic, I think,” Sayvahn ushered, craning his head. “If she discovers Sienna, and she is immobile, someone needs to help Sienna and while another covers her retreat. There is no guarantee that she will be mobile when we find her— as grim as that sounds,” Sayvahn confessed, unfolding his arms. “And well, we can give them a reason to come to us.” Flicking his hand, the feline let his hand ooze in the blackish green laced with the purple aura of his. “I may not have fought in a while, but dearie, I can still pack a punch,” Sayvahn mused, though, he too would have to fetch his things— from a portal. A few grenades could not hurt in their escapade, after all. However, at the reference to a “mech” named Strength, Savyhan grunted somewhat. He did not fully understand the nature of a “mech” but robot he could gauge. Still, it being named Strength was quite a strange fact, especially in regards to Amon. “Sounds like compensation for something,” Sayvahn laughed, tapping his cheek as he smiled wryly at the taller man. “Wonder what it could be? But, I suppose that is a question for another time. Although it’s nice to be chatting about this, let’s just come to a decision. I think splitting things equally will work out for the best— Lasair and Edelweiss going inside, while Amon and I distract and prepare an exit for all you lovelies.” Yet, his musing were paused as Edelweiss inquired if Lasair could…coerce someone inside to help them. Raising a brow, Sayvahn could not help laugh again— not at the fact that Lasair was asked to flirt with someone (for the thought was a little bit nerve racking)— but that Edelweiss of all people had suggested it. He did not really know how to feel about that, to be honest, but under this situation, I suppose he didn’t have much choice.
“In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught." ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Nov 3, 2016 6:03:26 GMT
Biting his lip, Lasair took a few moments before answering. Edelweiss, Amon, and Sayvahn had all had their turn. Now he had to speak up again and accept their decision. “Okay, I can handle that.” He folded his hands behind his back and nodded, ready to leave as soon as everyone else was. The only thing he had to use was his magic, which was ever present just under the layers of his skin. The only other thing he may ever need is his mask, but this wasn’t an operation for MI; this was helping out an old friend who happened to be a stranger to Lasair. But he wouldn’t mind lending a hand; it’s not like he had any reason not to.
Amon raised an eyebrow in amusement when Sayvahn demonstrated some of his magic, then rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore that particular comment.
"Fine," he said with a bit of a sigh. Ah well. Could be fun. "We'll split into even teams. Ah, speaking of gear," he continued, turning to Edel. "Do you happen to have anything that I could borrow? I just want to use something to help incapacitate the guards."
"Also-" he started as Abby poked her head out from the back room door.
"The Sparrows have returned and we are setting up the projection. ETA 2 minutes," she reported.
"Got it," Amon nodded as she retreated back into the room. "As I was saying, I think it would be best to attack later in the evening," he explained, glancing at the clock. "That way, it gives us the maximum time to prepare, plus we can use a combination of the darkness, as well as the workers' inherent exhaustion to work in our favor."
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 5, 2016 1:15:13 GMT
"I'll see what I can find." She replied with a partial nod to Amon's question of if she can get something for him to fight the guards with.
That was a tricky question. While it was true her needles and wire set could be used for a lot more than straight up assassination, they were by no means something generic for everyone's use. The entirety of her own equipment had been made to match her personal measurements and preferences, and even then it took years until she mastered their use without injuring herself. So someone with a different height, weight and frame altogether would have a particularly hard time using those, and it turned even harder for someone with zero experience in wielding thrown weapons to consciously choose to hinder or knock out a target instead of killing and accurately judge where and how deeply to strike someone mid-fight with those for the desired results.
But if what Amon is asking is just for the sake of being able to incapacitate people (presumedly something both less noisy and less lethal than his hidden gun), then the redhead could check through the stash at the CS Stars for something that'd be usable for him. Some of the more basic equipment from her trainee days, or even somebody else's equipment. Free's old practice gear might work, if he wants something with some resemblance to what she uses.
"We'll take a while to cross all the way from here to the estate though, so make sure to account for that time as well. We can take a tunnel for a direct route out of the city, but once out there we'll be on foot on average terrain..." Edelweiss looked back at the two other andersweltlers present - mainly Lasair, as he was the only other person she knew of who had mastered Gating and could bring them back instantly and safely. "...I'm hoping getting out will be easier than getting in, but overall, I guess this will be a lot like it was with Skye's rescue."