Koloss17

Perses, Mistkeep, Wickwillow Manor Perses had gained surprisingly little about the going-ons of New Hallandren. It was clear that a rebellion was brewing, which was highly unusual. There had been revolutions and coups in the past, but it was often led by a single powerful individual, like an Epic, or someone like himself. However, there didn't seem to be anything like that here. There was a lot of blame on the Idrians, but Perses was not educated enough to know if it was just racism or something with merit. There were a few rebels he managed to spot, who had a lot of concealed aluminum, but were otherwise uninteresting. For now, it seemed to be nothing for him to worry about. You seem troubled, the booming voice of Belias spoke in his mind. He was, unfortunately, right. He was pacing, and he had been pacing for quite some time. The problem was, he had no clue what he was worried about. Why would he be concerned? He just established that New Hallandren was none of his concern. Why would he care? Perses threw a stool leg across the room. The objects, as Perses had discovered, had changed and morphed over time. The stool, which had originally been perfectly straight with three legs, had become a gnarled, twisting mass, with legs jutting out at odd places. It had still vaguely resembled a stool, but the functionality was gone almost completely. The material, too, had changed. It still felt like wood, but it shattered like glass upon hitting the floor. Belias' portal had done odd things to the manor, more than just manipulating the space of the manor. It got more profound as one went deeper into the manor, with the greatest effect being in the heart of the manor, where Perses stood now. "Is there a way you can make this manor more normal?" Perses snapped. He could live with his lifesense being skewed by the housekin, and his sense of hearing being unreliable. He could deal with the shifting nature of the manor, especially since Belias allowed him to control how it moved. But he wanted the actual objects of the room to be constant. Was that so much to ask? Unfortunately, it is. I can control the shape of the manor, but the growth and odd properties are a side effect of the Alleys being in such prolonged contact with this realm. Great. Perses walked over to the shattered remnants of the stool and kicked it. It shattered further, with an odd crunch. @Hoid_Slayer

Perses can absolutely be stalked, but its worth noting that its...hard to do. With lifesense, bronzesense, enhanced hearing, and the ability to travel through the Alleys, it will be hard to both sneak up on him and track him. His current home base is Wickwillow Manor, but that is something that isn't really known to a lot of people (however, the only thing hiding that information from people is that a) its in an abandoned part of Miskeep and b) while he's occasionally seen entering or leaving it, it is something that he usually just Alleytravels to). Wickwillow Manor is a part of the Alleys that, for an unknown reason, has begun bleeding into Alleycity. The specific portion of the Alleys that bled in was taken over by Belias, who is a remarkably powerful Alleybeing. I should probably include a breakdown of the Alleys in the worldbuilding guide, but the simple answer is that it is a separate but connected dimension to the Alleyverse, with its own physical, cognitive, and spiritual realm. Alleyways randomly appear and disappear throughout Alleycity, and act as gateways to the Alleys. The Alleys are how everyone gets from their own dimensions into the Alleyverse, but people generally don't stay in the Alleys for very long, mostly because it is extremely dangerous. It is easy to get lost in, and there is (normally) a whole horde of alleybeings, essentially demons, of all different shapes and sizes that are attracted to anyone and anything that enters the Alleys. Those who know how to traverse it and hide themselves can use the Alleys to great effect, but the average person is told to avoid alleys in Alleycity at all costs, because any of them can lead you straight into the Alleys. Wickwillow Manor is one of the only permanent Alleyways, that stays in one location and connects the two dimensions. As a result of this, the manor is constantly changing and morphing, with rooms transforming into other rooms and doorways that you walked though suddenly leading to a different room, or nowhere at all. Roaming the manor are mysterious creatures under the command of Belias that inexplicably attack you if you look at them, or even magically detect them, like with bronze. Here's the original thread of Wickwillow Manor which gives insight into how the manor works. It was one of the last active threads before the Alleyverse initially died, so it is incomplete, but it does provide info into how the place works. Since then, the manor has just gotten more twisted and odd, with a more eldrich horror feel tainting the area and twisting objects and locations. If you want to step foot in the manor, its probably best if I act as the narrator for the shifting and morphing of rooms, as Belias has the ability to directly control the manor.

This looks good! Approved!

Alright since @SpiritOfWrath is currently not responding to anything, @TwinStorm and @Stormlightsong, you can do some minor godmodding to keep your interaction going. Try to do as little godmodding as possible, but work together to decide what works best for both parties. Some ideas include: -Car crashes, Tulen falls unconscious -Tulen switches places with Farenah, with her driving the car -The car stops for some reason or otherwise becomes irrelevant to the interaction -If needed, treating tulen like an npc character (controlling their actions through narration, but obviously avoiding any lasting damage). However, this requires a lot more godmodding than the other options, so I would be wary of doing it. These are just some ideas to get you guys thinking, and if you have better ideas, feel free to roll with them.

how's things going y'all? It's been about a week since there's been a post. Is everyone just busy, or is there issues with communication? For transparency, I ideally don't want to have to facilitate every interaction, with some of you guys taking initiative when starting or continuing interactions, but if that's something I have to do to keep things rolling for now, that's something I can do. @SpiritOfWrath I believe @Stormlightsong and @TwinStorm are waiting on you, as you being the truck driver can heavily influence the scene. @Karnatheon I believe we've wrapped up that particular scene between Laonin and Venser. Do you have any plans to continue your character/interact with others? @Steel Speedster, @Lunamor, and @Lord Ruler Sylphrena how are y'all holding up? Also @KnightSkye and @BridgeBoi I notice neither of you have commented on Ep. 2. Are you taking a break, or are you hunting for a new interaction? If you want to RP but don't have anyone to RP with, I'd suggest reaching out on the Collaboration Thread.

Sorry for being late to this! I think iron reliance and not much else is fine, probably. But that is your call, as it is unexplored territory.

This is actually something one of my Alleyverse characters messed around with! They have a dual barrel pistol that can toggle between aluminum rounds and tungsten rounds, with the tungsten rounds being able to be pushed to gain punching power. The actual use of this is more for show than efficiency , as ideally to make the most of a bullet, you would have it stay in the body to cause further damage and to push the force onto the person rather than *through* the person. Something like a steelpushed tungsten bullet could shoot through walls and punch through bone, but would do less in terms of actual stopping power. However, if you’re a good shot, shooting a bullet through the wall, through the opponent’s head, and through another wall is something that could be quite effective.

@Treamayne did good at linking my previous threads on the matter, but the synopsis is that yeah, the metallic arts provide new senses (hence why inquisitors still see stuff like atium shadows, bronze pulses, and steelsight), and so would theoretically be storable through F-Tin. A list of common senses that you can store normally with F-tin: -the 5 basic ones -sense of pain -proprioception/kinesthesis -sense of balance/vestibular sense -sense of gravity/inertia -sense of temperature -possibly sense of inner pain, but could just be lumped in with pain (probably has to do with intent) -sense of hunger/thirst Senses that are storable from the metallic arts: -iron/steelsight -bronzesense -gold shadows* -atium shadows* -malatium shadows* -electrum shadows* *(these all also employ fortune, so there’s a chance that you would also need a chromiummind to store the full effect. But there is something sense-based going on) -balance from A-pewter -heightened senses from A-tin (There are possibly some senses granted for feruchemy, but most of them are extra weird and very specific) I do recommend checking out my older posts about it, because it goes into the power of being able to store these senses, and how they can actually lead to feruchemantic savantism, which is really cool. You can probably see why I think F-Tin is the best metallic art… edit: here’s a list of a bunch of my posts

I HAVE BEEN SOMMONED WHAT DARK MAGIC DO YOU SEEK? F-tin for the win, now and forever.

Venser, The Corridor, The Silver Dagger Venser was surprised by the man's naivety. Though, he had been here longer than Venser, and was likely older than him. Perhaps it was idealism. He was like that, once. Yet over time, he had seen the futility of such a notion. Alleycity was a lawless place, with no structure or power ever lasting. People came and went, and vast powers could pop up at any moment. Even now, Perses exerted his power over the weak and needy. He was a customer of Venser's, wielding a weapon he forged. To a degree, all the pain Perses had caused was his doing. Yet with or without his help, the monster would have caused this pain. Hunger for power knows no bounds, and at least with this, Venser had gotten richer. "I am sorry. I am not the man you think I am," Venser said, looking away. "I admire your views, but I fear I cannot share them. A partnership would be ruinous, for the both of us. You do not want my reputation tainting your goals." Venser had made that decision long ago. He was a businessman, not a hero. He had prioritized money over the good of others, and he sold his morality to the highest bidder. Those with corrupt intentions will always pay more, and one cannot be this successful without ceding something. Looking at the covered merchandise, his actions haunted him once more. His success was paved with the blood of innocents. How many people has he killed, without even knowing they existed? At least Perses saw the faces of those he killed. Venser didn't even have that luxury. "I am sorry, I cannot help you. Please leave."

Which one were you thinking? There’s a chance it could have been rebuilt in that time

Venser, The Corridor, The Silver Dagger Venser opened the door, ushering the man in with a smile. "Come in friend, come in! We have much to discuss and little time. I have an appointment in an hour. However, it is always nice to chat with a fellow merchant when I can. What would you like to discuss?" With the shop closed, the great shop appeared rather dull. The many shelves and racks of items were carefully covered, and the displays locked tight. "I do apologize for the lack of seating. I hope you don't mind." This was, in part, a lie. There was no seating in the shop itself, but the workshop had plenty. Depending on how the conversation went, Venser would show him to his true work, but not before truly knowing what this man was after.

I mean, eza is known to be sneaky. So long as you have a plausible explanation, you can certainly avoid RPing it.

Hey y’all! I’m noticing things are running slowly. I know I’m busier than I would like, and I know @Stormlightsong is a similar way. Are there people that are wanting to RP but are waiting on someone to RP with? @Karnatheon feel free to initiate the interaction between Venser whenever you want. I don’t want there to be a lack of communication of availability getting in the way of RPing.

Venser thought for a moment. This man was surprisingly forward, which he appreciated. But still, he didn't know the man's motivations. He said one thing, and his body was saying the same, but in Alleycity, you could never fully trust someone. "How about you meet me here after the shop's closed. I will consider your offer, and we shall discuss this further then. For now, I have customers to serve."

This man was surprisingly open about his intentions, which Venser appreciated. He was used to having to read someone’s story from their mannerisms, so not having to do that for once was a pleasant surprise. ”The designs and many of the crafts are my own, with some being imported. However, a true craftsman knows the works that sells the best are the ones that have soul to them,” Venser said, winking. ”yet with a shop like this, there is only so much that one can do yourself.” There were distinct advantages to success. ‘A merchant that doesn’t have to work for their money is a successful merchant’ his babsk had said. But there were also disadvantages. Looking upon his shelves, there were only hints of his labor on display. He chose what to stock, and even designed some of the wares himself. The glass and obsidian daggers were carefully crafted, with the various styles of mistcoats and mistcloaks being designed, but not made, by him. Yet so much else was outsourced, bulk trades being sold for slight markups. He controlled the stock, yet few of it was his. Luckily his side business, that of custom weaponry, was all done by hand. “What of you? Looking to start up shop? The Corridor has served me well, but I came here due to a unique opportunity.”

btw I do plan on starting the next episode at some point soonish. Would now be a decent time, or do we want to wrap up some more scenes before moving to the next ep? Episodes are purely to provide nice points where people can start new scenes, but doesn't actually mean anything. It's good to after a while make a new episode every now and again, because its a great point for new folks to join in on the fun, and to make each era more digestible for those wanting to look back and read other threads.

Themis, New Hallandren, Sapphire Street Themis sighed. “I suppose that’s fair. I will give you an initial deposit of funds, and in the case you run out, we shall talk further. Pay is running low, and this is a contract to permit you into the district, not a job offer.” Venser, The Corridor, The Silver Dagger After some time, Venser emerged. “Apologies for the delay! We just got a new supply of electrum, and I didn’t have the time to unpack it.” He glanced at the aluminum bullets. “Alright. The vials plus the bullets will be fourteen Chrysts, or 18 boxings and 44 clips.” One of the most fascinating things about Alleycity was the sheer variety of currencies. He quickly had to look into the conversions, and realized how easily the system could be gamed. With the variety of currencies, each with imperfect conversions between each other, you could easily convert between currencies for a net profit. Unfortunately, the banks didn’t work like that. For each conversion, they carefully made sure that you would be getting a net loss of profit, with a small tax for conversion. With each tax different between each bank, there was no universal conversion factor to apply to every transaction. For shopkeeps like him, that meant that he had to make up his own. It was a delicate balance, of course, as if you had noticeable enough differences between currencies compared to nearby shops, it would drive off business. He supposed there was a reason it was difficult for many to start a successful business here.

Themis refused to take his hand, keeping hers behind her back. “I will decline your offer.” She paused. ”However, I am willing to make a contract. I can craft a permit for you, permitting you to operate within the district as a non-resident, provided that your sole mission is to see these two criminals apprehended.” Themis began to pace. ”You will report to me at the sunset of every day with your findings, and should they be apprehended, we can renegotiate your contract for a more permanent stay.” ”However, should you go more than two days without reporting, or are found to be abusing your stay, your permit will be revoked and you will be jailed.” She turned to face Altin. “You will not have status as a district guard, but you will be given rights to carry out your duties unimpeded. Are these terms acceptable?”

You’re good to keep it as is. I was just curious as to what was going on there. Approved!

Overall, the odds of this being approved is astronomically high. First though, I have some questions. 1. I'm interested into how the essence mark was obtained. Was his wife a forger? Was it something that was made by someone else? What were the few years that he spent getting the Essence Mark to stick like? This also seems like a massive rewrite, even for an essence mark. It's interesting enough so that I will let it slide, but I wonder if you have a justification for how an Epic from another universe's Spiritweb got rewritten into being born on Sel and having a completely different life. Even Shai's essence marks, though complete rewrites, had more of an air of plausibility to them. 2. What were ThunderShriek's abilities? I understand that the likelihood of that part of him resurfacing is very low, but in the off chance that would happen, having a rough idea of abilities would be useful. Also, I'm just curious.

@Lord Ruler Sylphrena The guards were confused, but not in a position to say no. They helped up their men and led them to the infirmary. .….. Themis, New Hallandren, Sapphire Street Themis, the captain of the New Hallandren guard, arrived at the infirmary. It was a generally dull room, with a sterile scent to the air. Luckily, her men were in better shape than she had feared. There had been injuries, but none were grave. Well, aside from those that didn’t make it to the ward. It was something Themis had grown used to. Born in Alleycity, she was forced to be accustomed to the chaos and danger of the city. The city hadn’t had a proper census in decades, and law was something that had to be fiercely protected. You never knew when some chaos bringer would slip through the Alleys, with no regard for human decency. But for every loss, there was a victory. Her men were out there, tracking down the scoundrels that did this. She had the entire district on high alert, with descriptions of the criminals already in their records. They wouldn’t be able to hide for long. She glanced at the mirror in the ward. Looking back at her was someone who had seen better days. Her hair, once a brilliant blonde, had faded into a withered grey. Frown lines creased her face, and there were bags under her eyes that she could never seem to erase. She stood tall, with a pristine leather uniform, and a blazing red cape. She had seen better days, yes, but her best days were still far from behind her. She walked over to the radiant, her boots thumping on the ground. “I thank you for helping my men to safety. You’ve done the city a great service.” She remained stiff, making sure to keep her demeanor firm. “My men said your name was Altin, and that you fended off the intruders. However, they also stated that you lacked a permit into the city, and that you have not yet revealed your intentions.” ”What are your reasons for breaching this district’s lockdown protocols and entering without a permit, and immediately interfering with district affairs?” Her amber eyes locked onto the radiant’s, unwavering and cold.