ZincAboutIt

Lita, the Alleys The air outside the bar was cool and brisk, chilled further with a swift breeze. Lita took a single deep breath, relishing the clean smell of cold stone that characterized most of the streets in this part of Mistkeep. Laurelai wavered by her side, one arm thrown around Lita’s shoulders as Lita supported her waist. A light burn of pewter turned this into an easy task, despite Laurelai being over half a foot taller. Lita took one last look behind her as the door to Hathsin closed, then pulled the pair of them into the nearest alleyway, disappearing into the shadows. She moved on instinct, her attention focused first on getting Laurelai somewhere safe, making sure she was alright. The rest of the details of the afternoon - the chance meeting, Valeria’s strange magic, giving Valeria the key to her suite - spun in the background. She would attend to them later; there would be much to do. People to put on discovering Valeria’s background, surveilling the suite to see who she was in contact with, probably meeting with the woman again in the guise of trying to help her. And then, Lita shivered, she would almost certainly have to present those findings to Laurelai’s father. Wonderful, she thought ruefully. Just what I need. More demigods. Her hopes of passing largely unnoticed by the head of the Dark Alley seemed rather doomed at this point, between asking about opening her own club and now this. Those would be two separate conversations - Lita needed to be absolutely certain of what Valeria was before she alerted someone capable of leveling a city. Easy job first. Harder one second. ”Seems I keep dragging you through Alleys these days,” Lita said aloud, more to break the slightly-oppressive silence of their current Alley than any real desire to talk. Laurelai’s face had turned slightly less ashen, her steps a bit more sure the further they Alleytravelled from the city. Lita weaved one more pathway and they appeared in the hallway outside her own rooms. The sight of her little blue door seemed extra comforting today - something she knew. Something she could count on. Lita propped Laurelai against the Alley wall as she unlocked her door, then gently shepherded her inside. ”Sit,” Lita said, pointing to the little table in the front room. “I’ll put on some tea.” @Voidus

Great! Just want to make sure you have all the info.

So, this has a weird answer, but technically plenty of Alleys empty out into Mistkeep. But finding someone who can recruit you by simply wandering into an Alley is very difficult and dangerous. It’s much more likely to come across someone who would snatch you up for experimenting or something even less savory. So your character is welcome to do this, but they will be wandering through a series of random, largely empty but potentially hostile alleyways and *maybe* finding someone to talk to.

Not to my knowledge, and definitely no one currently active. It does sound like a fun idea! Feel free to mock up a character sheet and we can figure out how it’ll work out together if you need advice :]

Hi there! So, since Reckoners is not Cosmere, no, Calamity would not have a godmetal. Also the ability to just ‘create’ godmetals is not an ability anyone has/can have. It’s just too broken and also devalues such metals in-world if they can be produced by others.

Lita, Hathsin, Mistkeep The bar was up at the head of the building, where the altar had once stood. Lita smiled a bit despite herself as she looked up at the stained glass triptych looming over them. The Survivor hovered amongst grey tendrils of mist, arms spread outward, one hand grasping a spear, the other palm up, Pushing on a collection of gold coins. Lita felt her smile twist into something bitter as she dipped a hand into her bag and removed her own gold Coin. A gift, supposedly. She stared at it, fighting off memories that threatened to drown her. So many empty words. A lovely dream - that’s all that had been. Just a dream, and this was just waking up. ”We don’t take those here, love.” Lita looked up, meeting the kohl-rimmed grey eyes of the bartender. The woman winked, pouring a perfect shot into a glass without looking at it and sliding it to her left, where a customer picked it up with a word of thanks. ”Hmm?” Lita blinked, arranging her face into a practiced expression of cool amusement. ”That coin. Whatever currency it is, we don’t take it here. Chrysts or Boxings only.” ”Not a problem,” Lita said, sliding a small pouch of chrysts out of her bag and laying down a palmful. “A bottle of Elariel Estate please, and two glasses.” The bartender raised a single black eyebrow, counted out the money, and then nodded. She ducked down, looking for something behind the bar, before reappearing with a bottle. ”Expensive taste,” she remarked, setting the bottle on the bar and then two glasses beside it. Lita let her eyes travel appreciatively over the woman and felt her smile hook upward on one side. “When you know what you like, why settle for less?” The bartender grinned. “Why indeed? Are you new to the city? I’ve never seen that kind of coin before.” The easy, sinuous trickle of pleasant conversation soured immediately at the mention of the Coin. Lita pressed her lips together and slid it back into her bag, taking the bottle and glasses in both hands. ”It’s not currency,” she said curtly. “It isn’t something you pay with. It’s something you pay for.” Lita nodded at the chrysts as she turned to leave. “Keep the extra.” The crowd parted before her as she walked back towards the little table where Laurelai had sat down. Perhaps she was simply skilled at finding the right spaces to slip through. Or perhaps the other patrons noticed the look on her face and did not wish to be the ones in her way. @Voidus

@Koloss17

Cobalt shook his head, then paused. ”It is… hard to answer that. Portions of the Manor do repeat. Long hallways, key landmarks. But often the rooms are randomly placed. We have yet to see a full repetition of any hallway or room order.” ———— @NerdyAarakocra

For anyone who’s been in the Wickwillow plot and slowed/waited on me, thanks so much! I’ve got enough of a routine down at home now to post and respond regularly (within 24 hours) so anyone who is waiting for a sign to jump back in, this is it! Your graciousness was very appreciated

@Koloss17

Cobalt looked over his shoulder at the young man, the Pulser, and frowned slightly. ”If you wish to make time pass quicker for yourself, you may do so, and anyone who wishes may join you, but I would advise against it here. To give the House any advantage is…unwise. You may stave off boredom, but it is far too easy to miss something stalking you, or a change in the layout of the House, if you are not present in time.” He looked around, peering down a narrow corridor, and cursed softly. ”The point is moot. It appears that the change has begun early today, anyway.” Even as he spoke, the view down the corridor began to shift. It was subtle at first, a slight disorientation accompanying the minor shifts. Then, as though the corridor were a set of rolling tumblers in a lock, portions of the hallway began to rotate. Some twisted one way, some another, and things spun and collided as if in a kaleidoscope. Doorways appeared where there were none before. A set of stairs manifested at the end of the corridor, stretching far further than a simple city manor ought to be. For a moment, a singular shape flitted across the corridor - sinuous and tall, and impossible to catch in the fullness of one’s vision. Then, it was gone. The process was utterly silent. ”It will go on for another few minutes,” Cobalt said, drawing a pocket watch and looking down at the crystal face. “Then, we will begin. Luck is on our side - I have seen this corridor before, or at least some of it. Remember, if you feel as though something is following you, do not look. Do not ask another to look. Or you endanger us all.”

Vivica, the Cauldron It was so easy to get lost in the deepness of Nox’s eyes as he looked at her. She recalled them as they were in the Forgery, dark green like the jungle at night. There was still the slightest hint of that green in the black now, lingering like the echo of a song. Vivica did not mourn its loss; rather, she envied it, having been swallowed utterly by that darkness. She recalled the memory of dwelling in a perfect gemstone, every facet reflecting his face back to her. Was that what it would be like to drown in the darkness of his eyes? Every bit of her subsumed in him, with only the echo of her remaining? Vivica thought on this for a moment, then smiled wider. ”It is what I want,” she said, leaning closer to him. Nox smelled clean and warm and real, the leftover scent of sweet ice cream giving way to a deeper hint of dust after rain, of old stone and hidden things and perfectly-placed metal. “If I wish to be who I truly am, I would wish to be someone who could enjoy every bit of your gift. Someone who could be ever more completely yours. And I don’t much mind doing it here - the whole city is yours. All these people are yours.” As she spoke, she found the words were true. Vivica was out in the city and y have felt afraid. But with Nox, fear was impossible. There was nothing but him, and wherever he was was the epicenter of creation. Her smile widened. “Whatever needs to change, please do it. You can make no mistake with me, ever. You’re perfect, Nox. I trust you.” @Voidus

Lita, Hathsin, Mistkeep There was a moment where Lita was certain Laurelai had noticed, and she braced herself for a knowing smile or gentle tease. But then Laurelai slid behind her with a smile, moving to the music easily. There was a slight lapse to her rhythm for one fraction - then the tension in her hands, her fingers, disappeared completely. Lita turned again with a smile, meeting Laurelai’s eyes. The blonde’s face was alight with a happy expression - seemingly genuine. The smile Lita was used to, the one from before the Forgery. That was easy, Lita thought, and the delight lasted all of a moment before she realized how unlikely it would be for her first tentative soothing to cause such a total change in her friend’s demeanor. Keen eyes caught sight of a the small ring of flowers around Laurelai’s finger, and her heart fell. ”I’m going to go get us something to drink,” she said, voice light and easy, not betraying her inner turmoil. “Please do have too much fun without me, that is why we are here.” Lita turned, and only then allowed her eyes to close a bit, allowed herself to feel a sliver of sorrow as she walked through the crowd. It stung, but perhaps Lita had been too optimistic to expect anything else. Her company was now stressful - the problem was Lita herself. Why else would Laurelai have to change herself to be able to spend time with her? She fought off the urge to leave, to simply disappear into the crowd, go home, and do something else. Something relaxing. Her mind strayed to pouring wine, the meditative perfection of a job done to its utmost. Almost, she did leave. But no - that was a step too far. She had come out with Laurelai, and they would finish the evening together. Whatever Laurelai thought of her now, Lita was not about to add to her only friend’s reasons for disliking her company. @Voidus

The staircase wound upward, curving out of view toward the right and onward onto the second floor corridor. Here, as listed on the house blueprint, was what the Lady and Cobalt both had referred to as the “window line.” One side of the corridor was dominated by doors or the beginnings of new hallways, while the other was covered in windows that looked out onto the city. The sun hung low in the sky, to the west, golden light edging towards red as if to herald future grim tidings. Sunset was closing in. ”This is the Window Line,” Cobalt confirmed, pointing down the corridor. “It encircles the floor on all sides, and is the least changed. It will be our plan to always sleep near the Window Line, if possible. From here, we go inward, and towards the center of the House. We will stay here until the first Change at sunset, which is close now. With luck, we can make it to another point in the Window Line to sleep, or to one of the safer rooms.” As if on cue, from somewhere far off in the house, the sound of a slamming door could be heard again. Cobalt scowled, though did not appear overly concerned.

Hello Alleyverse! I have had the second Zinclet! We are doing well. I shall try and post regularly in the Secret of Wickwillow plot but might be delayed a day or so while baby and I adjust to our new reality. Cookies for everyone!

Lita, also an Era 2 Scadrian, meanwhile gets a new spike inserted before going out to party Just another day. Then again, is anything taboo after a few years in a blood cult? Another option here of course is to have him join the DA and spike him after a little while, or I suppose perhaps maybe work tangentially, as all officially recruited do in fact get a loyalty spike in addition to any fun extras. But if he would be interested in working for a person in particular rather than the whole organization at first, I could definitely be of use here. And then you’d have lots of time to sort of whittle away at those pesky qualms while he gets fun tidbits and interesting perks. @Ookla the Headmuncher

Also, @Ookla the Headmuncher, if you don’t want him to die because you want to RP him through more eras, I will avoid killing him off. I’m not going to just kill characters and push that as required just because my plot is dangerous. In fact I won’t do it unless someone is alright with that or wants to make it happen. So just to let you and anyone else know - your character is not doomed to die unless you’re interested in raising stakes to that level of possibility. I want people to have fun, not think “oh gosh I’ll need to make a new character probably.” Unless that’s you’re idea of fun.

This would certainly be the case. What Ene is asking is if it would be immediately after, or exactly a week after - concurrent with the Vigil thread. If the latter, Ene’s character is busy. So I’d recommend putting this within the week between the Forgery ending and the Vigil day.

Cobalt waited for the Lady to finish, then gave her a short bow. ”With your leave, Lady Warren,” he said, shouldering his own pack of supplies and gear. The Lady nodded back, her eyes steely despite the touch of melancholy on her face. “Find it, Cobalt. All our hopes rest upon it.” ”Yes, my Lady.” He looked back to the assembled group, nodding again, and pointed out the doorway towards the entry hall, with its grand staircase up to the second floor. ”This is the surest and safest way to begin our journey,” Cobalt called, waiting for the group to assemble a bit before walking out into the entry hall. “It is one hour before sunset; we should have time to walk some of the outer window line before the Change occurs. Take care to stay within eyesight of one another, or however you sense your companions. The Manor… knows if you are going astray, or lagging behind. It will seek to capitalize on these advantages if you let it.” He put one foot on the bottom-most stair and felt… something. It was possibly just his own anticipation, his mindset shifting back towards his days as a soldier, as a scout. The man he had been then was much more used to danger, more reckless. Nearing forty now, he was far more careful, more discerning. I’m times like this, that seemed the better choice, though he’d have traded some discernment for his old quick reflexes. You are as you are, he thought sternly. It is your job to guide these people, and to see this task to completion. Would he die here, in this maze of a house? There was little point in musing over it. If he died, he died. For now, he was alive. A soldier’s mindset - practical, familiar. Like the handle of a good sword. Cobalt smiled a small smile filled with gallows humor. “Come,” he said. “Let us be about our business. The sooner we return, the sooner you all get paid, eh?” @Ookla the Headmuncher @Sorana @Voidus @Ookla the Nerdy @Ashbringer @Ookla the Quark