Test Drive: Haven (Setting going live 04/28)

[fluxscapemod]

TEST DRIVE #4

♦ SETTING: HAVEN

♢ THE TEST DRIVE

With all of this said, welcome to Test Drive #4! This is our fourth and latest setting to Fluxscape. Styled as a desert world in ruins, there is some mystery as to why this world is the state it is in.

Should you find yourself interested in joining FluxScape, please feel free to put a Reserve in. And our Applications are always open, approved every Sunday.

Thank you for considering FluxScape!

♢ THIS TOWN HAS TEETH

Your journey starts out differently this time. No blinking and you're suddenly outside of Jerry's information booth. In fact, you're going to wake up on a train. A rusty, dirty and crowded train and it's a voice that wakes you up. Crackling loudly from speakers above, the voice has a slight accent, and a gravely tone to it and what it says is:

"Haven Train Station. Last stop. Everyone off!"
With that, the train grinds to a rough halt and the people around you start rising, jostling with each other to leave the train as soon as the doors open. What it opens up to is a town in the middle of a dessert. It's dirty, hot and the whole place looks like it was put together in a rush. Most exteriors seem to be slapped together out of metal. Rusted and creaking, looking like a good, strong wind would knock it over. It's not meant to look pretty. If anything, it looks as though the people in this town slapped it together for survival, and nothing more.

♢ INSIDE HAVEN

Most of the town resides under broken overpasses, and most of the businesses sit in old tunnels, lit with kerosene lamps. They're crowded, the people are rude, and some of them might even try to pick your pockets, so be wary. The residents have been through hell and to them, you're just more strangers they're unsure of.

The Metroplex and Wechester Tower still sits in the middle of town, looking more like several buildings pieced together, and less like the illustrious buildings they once were. The outdoor market is still there, but the food isn't quite as fresh and while you can now haggle for prices, be ready for an argument. The people of Haven have had it really rough and they really aren't about to put up with strangers making things worse.

And most if not all of the restaurants in town seem to be reduced in size. There's not much in the way of seating, and most places seem to serve some variety of hearty noodle dish, flavored with various herbs and spices, pieces of cooked meat and vegetables really giving these dishes an exceptionally filling quality. These people don't have much, but what they do have, they know how to use well.

Even Starkbucks has been reduced to a smaller establishment, very obviously built in a shipping container, with emphasis on roasting their own coffee beans behind the building and serving up coffee, hot tea and the occasional pastry when the bakery has any to spare. You won't find any of the fancier drinks, because ingredients for that aren't too common to find, but the coffee is actually good and the smell of roasting beans seems to go for blocks.

The local teenagers also have their own place to go and hang. It's just beyond the decrepit school building, a part of an old mall that's clearly been empty for years. They call it The Caldera. There's a parking garage that's caved in and been turned into a skate-park, and just beside it is The Caldera Skate Shop. Everything there is covered in graffiti, no one seems to give a shit.

Haven runs on Solar Power. There are solar panels everywhere, but sometimes they don't work quite as well as they should, so there are random power outages that happen throughout the day. Maybe one of the feral creatures that run through Haven chewed on a wire? A rat, or something? Give it a moment; it'll come back on eventually. This happens often and the NPCs seem to shrug it off.

If you're worried about water, it's surprisingly plentiful and clean. If you're outside and want water, you'll have to find one of the many hand-pumps around town to get some. It takes a while, and usually draws a crowd, so be willing to step back and share. Living under two suns isn't all that easy for anyone. But, at least no one suffers from sunburn or sunstroke. Why that is, no one can say. But be ready to walk around with a good tan. For a town stuffed into a rough part of the desert, Haven is colorful, even with all the rust. That much, at the very least, seems important to people. They've decorated the walls with paintings and drawings, even their hair and clothes seem to have a vibrancy that defies the tan and brown landscape around them. A lot of it clashes, but that's fine. Haven might not be pretty, but it's home to many.

♢ OUTSIDE HAVEN: THE LOCAL WILD LIFE AND TROUBLE THEY CAUSE

You can leave the walls of Haven. No one's going to stop you. And you can get pretty far, too, but be careful. The creatures outside of the walls are out to get you. They come in all shapes and sizes and are as mean as they come.

SKITTERS: A crablike ant who ranges in size from a Pomeranian to a Clydesdale, whose hide is tough and who can breathe fire and burrow through the hard dirt within seconds. Very hard to kill. Their hills can be found all over the Outerlands and, if disturbed, tend to swarm whatever they deem a threat.

DEVIL DOGS: Hairless, quadrupedal beasts with bifurcated faces who attack in packs and can cough up corrosive ick. They range in size from German Shepherd puppies to full grown Mastiffs. The much smaller ones tend to be more curious than anything else, and some in Haven have adopted one or two, but be careful trying this on your own. They're hard to train and tend to chew on everything. Not as hard to kill as the Skitters, but they move fast and tend to weave instead of run in a straight line.

KITES: These aren't the fun, colorful things you see children flying in the air on a good, windy day. These things are mean. Leathery, hideous, one clawed foot they use to grasp onto things and hang from, they're a batlike creature whose screech can hurt if done too close, and who have very sharp projectiles they throw at targets from their tail. They're accurate, and they hurt like hell.

These things are barely good eating, and not worth the risk of killing, so it's a good thing the people of Haven get daily shipments of stuff from somewhere. They won't tell you where, just change the subject and walk off.

Should you venture out, please try to be armed. It seems as if everyone in this town has a gun of some kind on them, so it might be wise to get one. Or, if you're lucky, find an okay one in the desert in a pile of trash, along with ammunition. It's few and far between, however, so use your ammunition sparingly.

♢ BEYOND THE OUTERLANDS

Beyond the Outerlands, quite a long distance from Haven, in fact, is a foggy zone. Step into it if you want, but you'll just end up right outside of Jerry's info booth.

♢ MECHANICS

TRAVEL: As stated, you can leave Haven and explore. It's best to do it with wheels. It seems as though whatever force is changing the setting so often thinks it best people have wheels of their own, but not a single vehicle is designed for visual appeal. They're tough. Probably even outfitted with weaponry. Some have the capability to hover, and all vehicles seem able to repair themselves if they take too much damage. Which will happen if you take them out of Haven.

If, however, they do get damaged beyond repair, fret not. They'll appear back at home, waiting for you to ride again.

DEATH: Let's be real. This place can and will kill you, if you're not smart. Don't worry. If you do die, you'll revive at one of the VitaPoints inside and outside of Haven. And not a single resident will blink. You might even witness an NPC going through that very experience, reappearing in a flash of color and static before sighing and walking off. How it works, no one can say, but you'll come back with all of the stuff you were carrying and not a scratch will be on you.

GRAVITY: You're not on Earth, or any planet that has gravity like it. Gravity on Haven doesn't quite have that same pull. You won't float off, and everything looks like it's staying firmly on the ground, but a good jump might send you higher than you're used to. Please be careful, you can still get hurt if you don't land just right.

With all this said, it's important to note that this setting and the changes it brings about will run a lot further than has happened before. Right down to a persons wardrobe. There's no reason to look fancy in Haven. There's no call for it whatsoever. Everyone will find that their clothing has become less for appearance and more for durability. Wear and tear is a very common thing in Haven, so your clothes will change to match. Oh, there'll still be elements common to your characters, no one loses that. But to survive the heat, and the violence, and Haven in general, your clothes are now meant to protect you. Should you venture out and die, you'll find yourself reviving at one of the VitaPoints around town. You won't find your body, it'll vanish before you hit the ground, but you'll be alive again!

THE SKY: We should point out that, for starters, Haven has two suns. One of them just slightly closer than the other. This means Haven is very hot, and the sky rarely has clouds in it. Once the first sun, (a bright blue-white star that's a fair distance away but still visible and close enough to heat the surface of the planet) sets, the air starts cooling off. When the red sun goes down, it's practically perfect hoodie weather and feels delightful as compared to the daytime. And if you look up, you'll note that Haven has no moon. Is there a reason for that? Probably. Or maybe this planet just has no moons. Whatever the case, the night sky is a deep purple, almost black, and the stars are plentiful. There's also a lovely natural phenomena that happens at night, but just a touch more on that later.

♢ NPCS AND YOU

The most important thing to be aware of is the NPCs of Haven will not trust or like your characters at first. You're strangers. There's talk they've had trouble with strangers. There will be opportunities to build up faith and trust, but don't expect it to happen so quickly.

Expect resistance from everyone. In fact, expect NPCs to try to pick your characters pockets or start fights. Or just generally be antagonistic and rude. This town has been through Hell and for all the NPCs know, you're here to bring more trouble than you're worth .

Haven is rough, and dirty. Hot, and at times very intense, but wait until the two suns go down. Haven doesn't have a moon, but that's fine, because night-time has it's own radiance. That's when the sky lights up with a lovely Aurora Borealis that glows throughout the evening, from Suns-down to Suns-up and it's loved by all residents. You can be sure that a lot of them will find places to sit and watch for a bit, watching the colors dance across the sky, enjoying the cooler night air. At night, it's peaceful. So enjoy it.

Comments

[menarebrave]

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of work on your hands profiling who all is here." Bruce gives a shrug. He's dealt with enough profilers in his past to at least know how to walk around with them and divert as needed. "It'll probably help in identifying who shows up with us among the realities. Not that it's the hardest thing to figure out, but, sometimes we like to blend in with the rest of the world."

[prodigalmess]

Maybe he shouldn't have tipped his hand so quickly, but the other man had already pegged him as law enforcement. Honestly, Malcolm wouldn't have been able to hide for long. His job is so important to him that he would have outed himself sooner or later.

"You mean people who aren't locals?" he asks. "What do you mean 'among the realities'?"

Malcolm thinks it means that this isn't the first random place this man has woken up, and that concerns him.

[menarebrave]

So, someone hasn't been filled in on everything going on. Bruce nods to himself, mouth pressed into a thin line. He isn't sure when he became apart of some unofficial welcoming committee, but he certainly feels that he has. Not that is the fault of the man sitting on the bench. He turns, and gestures to the bench, silently asking if he can take a seat.

"You and several others like myself all come from different realities. Multiple Universe Theory, the Multiverse, Alternate Realities. Take your pick of name." Bruce shrugs. "For some reason? We get to go from one reality to the next. A few days ago we were at a ski resort that was being terrorized by invisible monsters. Then we woke up on a train that came to Haven."

[prodigalmess]

There wasn't really a welcome squad, so Malcolm's been trying to gain whatever information he can. He can tell that there is a group of people who are new or don't belong in this place just by their behaviors.

Malcolm joins Bruce on the bench. "I'm familiar with the theory, but it's always been just a theory." Until now, apparently. "So a group of you have been traveling through different realities? For how long?"

[menarebrave]

He makes himself comfortable on the bench. Why not? This is going to be a long discussion--depending on how well Malcolm takes to it.

"That's what I thought. But, my Earth learned the hard way that we weren't the only ones in the universe. Now, we're not the only reality out there." A long and tired sigh comes from him. "This is the fourth reality I've seen. By calculations I can take from reach reality? I've been here nine months. There are some that have been doing this a little longer than me, but it seems we all showed up at the town of Beachville first."

[prodigalmess]

Malcolm's not sure what to make of all of this. Part of him feels absolutely insane, but another part of him knows that this is real. He looks down at the watch on his arm, watching the tick of the second hand.

"Time is moving," he says. "Time doesn't move in a dream." It's a trick his therapist taught him in order to differentiate between reality and his nightmares. "So you and a group of people have been through all of these other realities, but you still haven't found a way to get back to your reality yet?"

Nine months is a long time with no answers, but maybe he'll be able to find some.

[menarebrave]

It's a good point to bring up. Time continues to march on in any of the realities they have been in. It's difficult to tell if the time varies or if the calendars change. They're not in one place for the better part of a year. If anything, it seems they drop into a reality that corresponds with some sort of seasonal weather.

"No, not yet. A handful of people from each location we visit sometimes come with us." He half turns on the bench, gesturing to the towering building at the center of the city. "Wechester Tower moved to Driftcrest after we were in its home city. Now it's here."

[prodigalmess]

"The building?" Malcolm confirms. "Hmm." He gazes over at it, as if that might give him some kind of answers. "I suppose it's difficult to devote time to finding a way out when you keep getting moved around. You're probably just trying to find a way to survive."

In a place like this, that's no easy task. Malcolm has to do what he knows best though, and use his investigation skills. "Have you noticed any patterns among the different places that you've been?"

[menarebrave]

"I think it is more along the lines of trying to find a way back to our home realities as opposed to 'out.' People will arrive then they'll leave, but, we don't necessarily know why or how. If Jerry knows? He's mum about it."

Bruce leans back against the bench as he thinks ab out that.

"Some people will have an influx of others from home, while others remain fairly solo." He glances to the side as he thinks about it. "Wechester had it's own unique issues. Driftcrest had a crisis that needed to be resolved--the creatures there seemed to come from a different reality all together. Beachville was just... a good day on the beach."

[prodigalmess]

Jerry. The guy at the info booth who hadn't given much info.

"Well, this is not a day at the beach." It's what he imagines a post-apocalyptic hellscape would look like. He hopes nobody from his home arrives here either. He wouldn't want any of them to have to deal with this. "How often does the scenery change?"

[menarebrave]

His head nods in agreement. This place is far from a beach, let a lone a good day. His lips press together as he thinks it all over. Bruce leans back enough to be able to look back up at the sky.

"It seems to change every few months. Or, once the crisis has been resolved. We were in Driftcrest the longest."