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fluxscapememe2021-04-24 11:55 am
fluxscapemod) wrote in fluxscapememe2021-04-24 11:55 am
Test Drive: Haven (Setting going live 04/28)
♦ 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:
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.
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And Earth, which makes her frown a little "Earth-that-was was declared uninhabitable four hundred years before I was born. No one is from Earth."
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He looks to her, replacing his glasses and smiling in as friendly a fashion as he can given the overall weirdness of the situation. "My name is Casper. Casper Darling. What's yours?"
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"You sound very well educated. I'm...well, I'm a researcher, where I'm from. And interdimensional studies are a particular field of interest for me." A very chipper grin. "You said you lived somewhere like up there. Do you mean space travel?"
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She looks back up at the sky with a soft smile, watching the lights dance across the darkness. "I mean space travel. I lived on a ship, with my crew.
My name is River," she adds. "Didn't say, when you asked. Very rude of me."
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"Physics! Wonderful. But impossible problems? Those are my field, my research, my passion!" He talks with his hands a lot, and the more excited he gets, the more animated he gets as well. "You should have seen some of the things back at work. Improbabilities is what we dealt in, almost exclusively."
When she gives her name, he nods, committing it to memory. "River. Not to worry, we scientists can be a little dicey at introductions. The pleasure is all mine."
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"Infinity is such a fascinating thought exercise - and you're right, we really shouldn't play favorites. Buuuuut I do enjoy the Hilbert Hotel Paradox, I must admit. I can't delve into why, classified information I'm afraid, but it's immediately relevant to the place I worked in."
A wistful little sigh. "I'll miss it, I will. But I'm sure I'll get back there one day, and for now, I think there's study to be done here."
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Confidently, he sticks out a hand for her to shake, face open and kind. Always so nice to meet a kindred spirit.
"I look forward to your assistance, River!"
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What our your sleeves hiding, doctor?"
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Only for a moment, though. Clearing his throat, he replaces the smile with something a little dimmer, just a little sadder.
"No weapons up these sleeves. Only my arms, and by extension...my regrets, I suppose."
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No weapons up my sleeves, either. Though I do keep a knife in my boot. Just in case." She flashes him a thin smile, tugging at her fingers with a thoughtful expression.
"Sometimes being real is difficult. All the social niceties have been memorized and forgotten."
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Just because he's failed before doesn't mean he could carry the regrets so tightly anyway. That's simply science, isn't it? Making mistakes and carrying on?
He doesn't seem much worried about her saying there's a knife in her boot - in fact, he gives her an impish little smile and tugs up his pantleg. There is a pen in his sock garter. "They say it's mightier than the sword, you know."