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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
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TEST DRIVE 02
TEST DRIVE
Hello, and welcome to the second Pluviosa Test Drive!
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
ARRIVAL - LIKE THE RAIN
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
LIGHTS ON, SHOW START
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
TILT-A-WORLD
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
SOMETHING WHISTLING
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
no subject
"The water at the bottom is definitely not fit for human consumption," Neuvillette agrees. He manages to refrain from commenting on why - plant debris and rot introduces any number of potential breeding grounds for illness, not to mention the possibility of metal contamination - and instead says, "Of course. The cafeteria is on the 'surface' deck at the back of the ship - if you ever become lost, I advise making your way to a suite with a window and using that as a guidepost to work your way to the back. The main hallways are not in the best condition on the lower levels, but they're at least passable in most places."
It takes some time to get your footing in the dark, after all - not everyone has a great sense of direction, after all. Neuvillette can navigate easily, for his part, but most people aren't passively aware of all the water around them.
In response to the question, he simply smiles - and does not directly respond to the main question of his identity for right now. "I take no offense. Speculation on that matter is a long tradition in Fontaine - most recently, the gossip papers were promoting a hypothesis that I was a male Melusine, which is quite ridiculous, but ultimately it does me no harm." In other words: he's long since gotten used to the speculation.
He gestures in a direction towards the back of the boat, back the way he had originally come, and waits for Aventurine to actually start moving before falling into step with him. Despite the difference in their heights, Neuvillette's strides don't make Aventurine rush to keep up - it seems he's quite used to walking beside shorter people, a fact which is perhaps explained as he continues, "Melusines are an aquatic race native to a series of underwater caverns in Fontaine. They are all feminine and do not appear to age or have a maximum lifespan, and aside from their general body shape, do not greatly resemble humans. They're approximately this tall - " A gesture at about his waist. " - and have skin in numerous colors, usually white paired with a brighter color such as blue or pink. I frequently hear them described as both 'cute' and 'uncanny'?"
He seems unsure on how to continue. This is a new social experience for him, actually - Melusines are one of the first things visitors to Fontaine encounter, after all. They will run into an aquabus guide or a Melusine member of the Gardes on patrol long before they run into the Chief Justice.
no subject
Aventurine seems to deflate slightly in relief at Neuvillette's amiable attitude towards speculating at his origin. This is good. For a judge, he's more...relaxed than he'd expected judges to be. Something glints in his eye at the mention of the papers. "So it's like a game? A nation wide game? That sounds kind of fun actually," he laughs. Someone should take bets on the stronger theories. As long as Neuvillette isn't bothered by it, of course.
Aventurine pauses for a short moment at the gesture to walk first, then proceeds. And he is used to having to walk faster to keep up with taller people, but the familiarity the Iudex has with his shorter strides makes him slow his pace to one more comfortable. Eager as he is to get out of here, there's no real rush, might as well enjoy a nice walk.
He listens with interest about the Melusines, soaking up the information like anything else. This especially seemed important to Neuvillette. He probably misses the little guys...gals? "Amazing...I've briefly visited some ocean-covered planets, but I don't think I've seen locals like that..." he mutters, smiling when Neuvillette gestures about the height the creatures were. "Cute and uncanny makes some sense. I'm sure this isn't the same, but I got some cat-like critters dumped on me not long ago with similar qualities..." Thankfully the little guys were pretty self sufficient. He does hope the cake cats are alright, though. Hopefully Topaz can take them in his absence...
He shakes his head to dislodge the distraction. "They seem important to you. I'm assuming many of them are friends to you? Or like a family?"
no subject
"I suppose you could call it that. Certainly, those who know aren't in the habit of spoiling it for others; I've not seen anyone actually seriously posit the truth of the matter, so I can only assume that those who figure out how to line the pieces up keep it for themselves." It's not entirely difficult, really, though there are only a few people over the centuries who have come to him and asked outright. Or so it seems to Neuvillette, but the children's tale has persisted the whole duration of his time in the city, so clearly there is some weight behind it.
"Dear friends, yes. I've known most of them for some centuries now. In some ways they're more familiar to me than humans." And not just because they are, as far as he's concerned, some slightly-distant kin. The situation regarding the birth of Melusines is a strange one that requires a lot of elaboration, so instead he says, "Humans frequently take me by surprise, in both positive and negative sides of their capabilities. They can be both crueler and kinder than I have any reason to expect, sometimes even within the same individual."
no subject
He smiles and nods about the whole game thing. Fair enough; it's in bad taste to spoil a game after all. The guessing could be part of the fun. As relaxed as Neuvillette seems to be on the topic, however, Aventurine decides to let it be for now.
His smile gets a little softer when the Iudex says some melusines are closer than humans. That sounded nice, really. Distant family...
He barks out a sudden laugh at that last statement, though. "Oh absolutely. My...occupation makes me more familiar with the cruel side of humans," he says, a little bitter, absently scratching his neck near his brand. "Thankfully there are good people too. I don't get to meet alot of them but it's good to know."
He pauses, looking up at the Chief Judge of a foreign country. He wonders if a person like this would have at least tried to give him a fair trial when the IPC swept him away from the bloodied chains and clapped him in unseen, gilded ones. "I imagine as a judge, you have to see alot of cruel human behavior?"
no subject
But as for the more critical questions... "There is proper produce, grown in... I suppose one must think of it as a parallel version of the ship," he says. "Or rather, several of them, divided by crop type. The fare is by vast majority vegetarian, but it is a sufficient diet for humans and the other individuals currently aboard." He doesn't quite smile, but there's a shift in his brows as he adds, "I primarily require clean water, myself."
If Aventurine wants to play the game, it's only fair to give him a hint or two.
As for that question... Neuvillette's steps do not exactly falter, but they do slow, enough that Aventurine may be able to get a bit ahead of him.
The air seems, strangely, to grow more humid.
"I would wish to say that I have seen the worst, but I equally do not wish to tempt fate," he says. "Fear, desperation, anger - despite what many think, those are the emotions which drive the majority of criminal behaviour. Even greed is more commonplace than those who commit the acts they do purely out of cruelty, and for some, that cruelty is only repaying the world with the only thing they have ever been taught. Those few that remain, once all of those reasons are cut away - the truly rare individuals who bring harm to others purely for the pleasure of seeing them hurt - those are the ones I fear that I cannot forgive."
no subject
He listen about the crops, baffled. He’d think Neuvillette is pulling his leg, but the guy just seems too straightforward and earnest about it. “Parallel…huh. Sounds like a Genius Society experiment or something…useful though! And hey, vegetarian sounds good to me too, honestly. The food is pretty tasty.” Not that he’s ever been that picky. The parallel ship stuff kind of escapes him. He’ll note it down for later, though. It’d interest Ratio, at least.
He does grin at the water comment. The Iudex…was that an inside joke? A hint? “Clean water is…important. That’s all you need, though?” Maybe he’s some sort of…fish? Guy? Alright, current theory: Neuvillette is a merman in disguise. Likely wrong, but it’s a start. But even Mer-people eat smaller fish, right…?
He gets a little wrapped up in that, so much that he almost misses he’s passed Neuvillette a bit. He slows, heart rate picking up at the sudden humidity. Was it going to rain after all…? But his attention turns to the man speaking…
The Iudex’s words are somber and heavy. There is…age in what he’s saying. An old, tired sorrow that cannot be fully articulated in a few words. Aventurine blinks, both confused and…touched, in a way. He can’t…help wondering if this man had overseen his trial, which felt so long ago…would he have actually stood a chance of freedom?
“Whatever the reason for doing it, a crime is still a crime, isn’t it?” Aventurine says, giving a somewhat bitter smile. His own hands are stained with blood, after all. He’d probably have still been judged guilty and been locked away.
‘Those who bring harm to others purely for the pleasure of seeing them hurt’…he thinks of that man. He thinks of Jade, even. Aventurine sighs. “Yeah…I can agree with you there.” He looks up at the Iudex. “I think the cosmos could use more judges like you, Neuvillette. Sounds like you’ve thought about this a lot.” His tone is playful, but he really does mean it. This level of apparent compassion in someone with so much potential power over peoples’ fates…it’s admirable.
no subject
He has never taken a vacation in his life, since he came to the Court of Fontaine, and being forced to take one against his will has not been going swimmingly. Some people simply can't stand to be without something to do.
Instead he says, "I have never felt the need to test the limits, but I can go several weeks without food provided a ready source of water, and I come under threat of dehydration quite a bit more quickly than humans do."
He and the desert are natural enemies. Fortunate that they're in here and not out there.
"A crime is still a crime, but who exactly is it that defines what a crime is?" he asks. The humidity in the air seems to lighten. "In Fontaine, violation of a contract is rarely worthy of prison time, and so long as both parties can be satisfied, the matter need not even come before the court, for Fontaine is ruled by the God of Justice, who cares only that both parties feel the end result is fair and just. But one of our neighbors to the south, Liyue, is ruled by the God of Contracts - and to break even one's verbal deals there is no trifling matter at all. If the contract can be proven to exist, the offending party can face jail time for even circumstances outside their control. It's commonly believed that the Archon's wrath will fall upon those who violate contracts even in the absence of any other force of law - the 'wrath of the rock,' as it is so called."
He could go on, of course, but it serves enough to make the point. Different jurisdictions take different measures of what is a 'crime.'
For now, he simply smiles - more in the voice than in the face - and accepts the compliment. "I have held my position in Fontaine for more than four centuries," he says. "I believe it would be shameful if I had not put a great deal of thought into the matter, no?"
no subject
And he does seem the restless sort. Aventurine can relate.
"Huh...well I hope you don't have to then. Dehydration sucks just for us normal mortals, I can't imagine for someone with such an affinity for water going through it," he muses. The place here is pretty humid...Aventurine might be more at home in the arid desert outside but...he's glad he doesn't have to be.
He'd also prefer not to see this kind stranger shrivel up into a dried...mermaid? Man? Sounds bad.
Aventurine blinks, listening with rapt attention to the sudden...philisophical discussion on what made a crime a crime. Is he understanding all of it? No not at all. But he gets the gist...and the familiarity of such a lecture eases some of the constant nervousness buzzing under his skin, and it draws his thoughts away from dark places.
He does raise an eyebrow at that last bit though. "Wrath of the...rock? What, does a giant meteorite come in to squash criminals in Liyue?" He laughs. He does think on this a bit more. "I...guess I never really thought about all that. That there would be differences...the IPC--the company I work for--it kind of...covers law everywhere. On all planets. And is spreading that influence every day...not like it did me much good but I guess it streamlines it," he says, absently scratching one of his wrists. Sounds alot more complicated in Teyvat.
It takes a second for that last bit, another hint?? To process. His eyes go wide. "Four centuries?? Isn't that older than like...most Aeons?" And he thought the boat was ancient. Is it offensive to call attention to how old the Iudex is? He blinks. He's not sure. But he absolutely is adding 'really freaking old' to the hint list in his head. Some kind of emenator...? Do some get long life? He shakes himself. "Yeah. I guess it would be. Must be really good at your job if you've held it for that long..." Or a tyrant. But Neuvillette really didn't seem the type. Call it a hunch.
no subject
He pauses properly in the hallway they're in, to gesture at the damp walls that are significantly cleaner than the room Aventurine first appeared in. "The ability to conjure a significant amount of pressurized water does a great deal to speed the removal of mold and mildew in the halls."
Yes, he was just blasting away when he found Aventurine. Normal activity on the normal boat.
He's unfamiliar with the term 'Aeon,' but - "It's quite young for the immortal beings of Teyvat, as a rule. Focalors, the youngest of the gods, only ascended when her predecessor, Egeria, died five centuries ago. The others are all quite a bit older, with Rex Lapis generally accepted as the oldest. Liyue has some six millennia of history under his rule."
He pauses, and then adds, "He is best known for throwing stone spears, in fact. Several islands in the shallow seas near Liyue are his work, from near the end of the Archon War." So yeah, 'the wrath of the rock' is fairly literal and an extremely good deterrent, possibly more so to those who understand what it truly means. Even in retirement and having relinquished his Gnosis, Rex Lapis is not to be trifled with.
no subject
And hey, he’s a guy that can throw magical dice around on a whim. All things considered, this is far from the strangest bit of information he’s gotten this week.
He blinks at Neuvillette’s soft correction on his age. Huh. Young…? He runs some numbers in his head. His math capabilities are nowhere close to Topaz’s, but he can do this much. “So Teyvat itself is…very old. Millennia…” As someone that’s had to live from day to day for most of his life, it’s a bit hard to grasp. The general lingering fatigue from...everything before arriving here isn't helping. He's a bit frustrated, realizing his thoughts are slowing. Thankfully, the next part is attention grabbing.
Islands?? Archon war??? His eyes go a bit wide. He does not have time to unpack all that. “Sounds more involved than our Preservation aeon. Rex Lapis just…throws island sized spears when someone breaks a contract? I might…steer clear of Liuye if I ever end up in your world, then,” he says, grimacing. Aventurine was a man of his word where he could be, but he also loves risk. And that kind of risk seemed a bit much, even for him. He has a hard enough time with Jade’s contracts, thank you very much.
Speaking of traveling worlds- “How did you end up here, if you don’t mind me asking? I imagine no one's found their way back home yet?”
no subject
Still, he tries to give Aventurine a reassuring smile. "Rex Lapis is nominally retired," he says, "and was only rarely known to involve himself directly in the matter of mortal contracts. Unless you should make a contract with him directly, it's unlikely that you would be the target of his wrath, and his days of altering the landscape are well past."
At least for now. If it comes to a clash someday in the future, between Morax and Neuvillette himself... Well. Hopefully it won't come to such a thing.
"In much the same way you did, I imagine - I simply awoke here, though on a rather darker and stormier day than this. No one seems to have control over their arrival so far as I have heard."
I'm trying so hard to not ask the same questions again here, sorry if I do on accident
Aventurine drops the dice, and it disappears in gold sparks when it hits the ground. "Your gods...retire? I mean, I suppose that is reassuring in its own way, but...I'm sorry, I'm trying to imagine Qlipoth just. Retiring to the seaside, maybe THEY're done building THEIR wall, where does that leave the IPC...huh. Wait, and wouldn't that leave a huge power vacuum?" He does snort at that last comment. "I'm glad that Rex Lapis gave up his large scale landscaping, at least."
"Okay...yeah, ok, makes sense..." he mutters. He's again confronted with, if there is a way off, where would he go? Would he want to go back to the IPC....?
Not willing to examine that, he pushes it aside in favor of other questions. "Aside from the storms then, are there any other...hazards to look out for around here?"
no subject
"The Geo Archon spent likely several decades planning the affair, at minimum," Neuvillette says. "Liyue's government has been functioning in mortal hands for quite some time now - but, indeed, when a god dies without a planned successor, a power vacuum can result. The lack of such a thing in Liyue is in fact proof, as the average person believes him to be dead."
Obviously, Neuvillette doesn't intend anyone here to labor under such a deception. Alas for a part time funeral parlor consultant.
"There are unusual spatial distortions on the floors where the food is grown that can cause headaches after too long of an exposure," he reports. "But that is relatively easy to avoid if you limit your time there. Otherwise, I have not encountered any particular dangers myself, though I have heard multiple reports of the presence of ghosts from others who are more sensitive to such things."
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"Oh...I guess that makes sense. Sounds like it could have ended worse, so it's good to hear mortals could run things well enough having lost their god. Archon." He pauses, trying to imagine the IPC willingly doing the same, and...not being able to. Well, just one guy running things for so long, it probably got tiring..."The Aeons...well, they sound a little different from the archons, but there are some similarities. Anyway. I haven't heard of any retiring, but there are some cases of aeons dying, or being absorbed by other aeons. Or killed by other aeons." Like how Preservation was involved in ending Propagation. There's more to it, but he doesn't know much. "I guess retiring isn't too out there."
They come up on the cafeteria as Neuvillette explains possible hazards on the ship. "Spatial distortions, huh? That's one way to maximize on space, I guess." It could be like memoria distortions in the dreamscape. "I'll try to keep my visits there, brief, then. As for ghosts...yeah. I guess I encountered one myself back there. They don't find their way in places like this, usually, right?" he asks, scanning over the cafeteria with weary eyes.
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The cafeteria is approximately as busy as it ever is; the Ship really puts out more food than its current passengers require at every meal, especially given that Neuvillette barely eats. Whatever isn't consumed probably goes to the compost. Neuvillette, as one might expect, wanders in the general direction of the ice water cart as he continues to talk.
"There were far more gods on Teyvat prior to the Archon War, thousands of years ago," Neuvillette says. "At that time, the heavens declared that the gods would fight to secure for themselves the Seven Thrones, until only one of each element remained standing. Although the actual process was not so simple as that, eventually one god of each element did remain, and they are collectively referred to as the Seven. Of the original winners of that contest, only three are still alive, though you will find that most believe it four - the identity of 'the Raiden Shogun,' the common title of the Electro Archon of Inazuma, has belonged to multiple individuals."
Don't ask how he knows this. That's a text barf for Sunday later.
"I'm afraid I can't enlighten you one way or the other in the matter of ghosts," Neuvillette says, with no hesitation over admitting his ignorance. "My only experience with such beings, if it can be called that, is their representation on the stage and in other works of fiction."
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Aventurine follows the Iudex for a bit, but deviates a little to grab something like juice instead. Maybe he should pick something up for a snack too...he grabs a muffin after a moment of thought. He'll follow the man to wherever he ends up sitting down.
The gambler's brows raise at the additional information. "More gods...and you're saying there was some...higher power that commanded them to fight? Why? That's kind of messed up..." Then again, didn't people in power like to pit those below them against each other to keep a firmer upper hand? He takes in the rest of that, blinking. "That is. Huh. So aside from those three, the rest are successors. Makes sense but sounds messy. And how does someone...succeed an archon?" A god??
Aventurine laughs softly. "That's alright. My experience here is already so different from any stories I've heard about ghosts or spirits or heliobi, I guess I'll have to just...learn." He picks at his food, considering. "Like...the food. There aren't ghost cooks back there, right? It would make sense if there were, since...this food is just free. And you don't need to pay a ghost. Or something." His face scrunches a little. Yes he's still thinking this one over. He knows the logic posed is faulty, but he still can't quite wrap his head around ready access to such good resources.