When reality reforms itself, the Exalts find themselves in what feels to be a natural cavern of stone. It is pitch black, though it feels to be a large space.

It is peacefully quiet here. Mostly. One can intermittently hear the sounds of water dripping, or earth shifting; now and then chitinous taps and chirps, suggesting the existence of insects in the area. Sometimes the ground trembles, but not in a fierce way -- more like a gentle rumble. Almost soothing, to those who do not fear the dark, anyway.

One would at least assume this is somewhere in the District of Earth. But it is difficult to tell exactly where. If the Gatekeeper is to be trusted, though (and likely it is, it would have taken immense energy to move people upward like this), this ought to be a safe place to rest. The less reassuring thought is that it is all but impossible to tell from here just how successful the Gatekeeper was with the floors below.

The first priority would be for a light source, likely (which an anima would do well to provide, should one have Essence to spare). Perhaps then some exploration of surroundings, or searching for supplies.

Or rest. Even the earth seems a restful bed, after the intensity of recent events.

Third inhales as it triggers its anima, filling the caverns with a soft golden glow of daylight, something that may have never touched this place. It slowly stands to its feet. 'Third trusts in our companions to survive. For now, the most important goal is to find out more about the situation." it says softly, matter-of-factly, standing. The passion is, for the moment, muted... But it is visible, there in the Solar's eyes. The glory of the sun is dawning in it once again.

[Private to GM: Personal 19, Peripheral 19, Willpower 7, spending 4 experience to raise Charisma to 2.]

Nanaret takes some time to acclimate to her new surroundings, even before Third 'turns on the light'. Her nocturnal eyes see perfectly well in any lighting, so she is standing by the time the Solar's anima sheds light on her, pacing around the space of ... wherever they have ended up. She engages her every sense in exploration: smelling the air, touching the earthen walls, scooping up a bit of dirt and tasting it gingerly, listening keenly to the sounds echoing from the corridors beyond. Her eyes glance about for any danger, or any sign of where they might have ended up.

"I am depleted in Essence." It appears her voice is that of 'normal' Nanaret again; Ranavalona is... quiet now. Tired, perhaps, or just idle now that her voice is not needed. "But this not seem comfortable place to rest. I can look around, maybe find better. Maybe food." The Lunar shrugs helplessly; she feels much more weary than hungry, though.

[Private to GM: 3 sux on perc+aware roll.]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Sat 31 Jan 2009.

Nanaret senses nothing that she can consider dangerous, at least not immediately. Third and Higura, though they do not put such a concentrated effort, notice no hidden traps or attackers, either. It appears perfectly safe, which could either be a relief or a cause of suspicion. For now, the Exalts ought to count their blessings.

Third's anima sheds light on the immediate surroundings for everyone. They are in a large chamber dug out from hard packed earth -- deliberately, not by mere elemental wear, though all three hear the sound of water nearby. Likely an underground stream of some sort.

Initial inspection suggests the room may have been dug as part of an underground mine -- the walls are reinforced by metal bars and bolts, indicating this room was probably once a central area for miners to gather. But the room itself has been abandoned, cleared of any mining gear or implements, or signs of life. There are, however, tunnels leading elsewhere: a larger passage opening out from the middle of one wall, and another pair of tunnels heading out at roughly 90 degree angles from the larger one.

The trio has little time to familiarize themselves with the area before they find their present company rapidly growing. The new arrivals appear much as they did: as minute pinpoints of blue-green light, yawning open into clouds of billowing Essence.

From the brilliant displays come familiar figures in their midst: Danae raising her firewand as if ready to fire again; Dashu in a ready stance with his dragon claws outstretched; Dena holding her manacles and staff as if to fend off attackers; Xurizu with his jade bow, ready to nock another arrow. Turtle arrives with one beam-seared, useless arm, the other clutching an unusual prize: a highly customized Essence cannon. Its barrel is short but wide in diameter, and the size of its body and energy cells contribute to a weight that would be unwieldy in most hands. (OOC: Something like a multi shot grenade launcher in size.)

Tycho and Saffron appear with the group of bewildered refugees. The former Peace Officer stands with several who until now had been grasping at emergency valves, attempting to control the streams of water they'd released. The healer is still kneeling, her Essence all but spent right now, attending to a woman lying in the same prone position she'd been in on the floor of the central core. Others appear sitting up, mostly healed; a few have more recently been burned or shrapnel-cut, holding wounded arms or sides.

But they are all very much alive.

---

OOC: You're free of time constraints right now, so you can socialize, exchange notes, make plans. There's a lot to consider besides rest and training time: food and water, medical supplies, sleeping arrangements, guard duty and keeping discreet (never know if you'll be hunted for), scouting ahead to figure out where you are in Coils, or to find the next way up.

Eventually you'll want to split tasks into smaller groups or even solo. Some may be inclined to stay and rest a while, while others more inclined to explore. Future threads will be made according to those inclinations I see represented strongly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:39, Fri 30 Jan 2009.

"... Wait...  We're still in one piece?"  Danae began, looking baffled for all of a few seconds before sheepishly lowering the firewand.  "That's...  Actually a pretty good thing to know I guess..."

Taking a couple glances around with everyone else, Danae seemed to be assessing the situation in a way...  teetered over in place, then fell flat on her face.

"I can't believe we actually made it..."  She says--the adrenalin rush that had been pushing her up until this point wearing off at the first sign of safety.  "Or rather...  I can--but..."  She shook her head.

"Alright...  First things first... I'm going to take a rest--feel like I could sleep a year frankly, but I likely won't go longer then a couple hours...  If anyone's interested after that--we can talk putting some gear together with the stuff I scavenged on the way up...  Speaking of which--you might want to figure out who among here's half-decent at making things--I can sort of work without it--but if you guys want quality gear, I'm going to need some assistants to do some of the legwork frankly...  Though if any of you guys can find a nice foundry abandoned down here--or even just a minor workshop, that'd be grand..."

She yawned once, made sure her Firewand was properly emptied of incendiaries, then propped it up to use as something vaguely resembling a pillow--or at least some kind of neck support.

She wasn't really picky right now, truth be told--and the last half hour had pushed her 'Well' beyond what she'd normally consider a sane limit...

Turtle blinks several times at the rapid change in scenery, then shakes his head, his deep bass voice holding a note of sorrow, "Hmm... I hope, the Gatekeeper knows, what it is doing...  So many people, in the Water District."  He blinks again, noticing the missing Celestials have managed to beat them there, and an approximation of a smile appears on his reptilian features, "Ahh... friends.  Looking tired, but not much worse, for wear.  Good!"

As he speaks, the seared wound destroying most of Turtle's arm closes up with the same speed as any other injury, though the limb still dangles uselessly at the turtle-man's side.  He doesn't seem worried, however, and his fingers begin twitching slightly as severed nerves begin to connect much more slowly.  Carefully setting down the oversized energy weapon he seized at the last moment, he nods slowly at Danae's suggestion of rest, "I, hmm, think I also need an hour or so, before my arm can move right again.  Time enough, to sit and think, and make some sort of plan."

Settling down heavily, he nods again, responding to one of "And, hmm, I used to be a builder.  Nothing fancy, though, just structural supports, housing, that sort of thing.  I don't know, how much I could help, with complicated things."  He gives a half-shrug, the most his physiology can handle with his thick carapace, and falls silent for the moment.

Xurizu has started to raise his bow before he realises where they are, that the threats have gone, lowering it quickly and looking around him at the variously injured and exhausted people around him.  Then he lets out a sigh and the lanky man sits up against the side of the tunnel with a small clank of jade armour and a sigh.

"Well, we all made it, it seems," he says, as he takes note of all those around him.  I wonder how the sisters are getting on ... hethought of the pair that had left them just before they had entered the elevator, so many floors below.  I suppose with the purge cancelled they have a real chance.  "For now, taking a rest sounds like a great plan," he says with a nod.

"I have no real skill at crafting things that I'm aware of, but when I've rested a little, I would like to take a look around up here.  Perhaps we can find a workshop of some kind." I only have a few memories of my time up here.

"Which floors did you others come from?" he indicated the group that had joined them in the core, and Danae too.  He knew where Dashu came from, after all.

"That was... new," Dashu says after he both rematerializes and checks to make sure he's in one place.  He feels just as exhausted and slightly disturbed from the last half hour.  Alot happened and he needed time to digest it all.  That, and he needed time to sleep and gather his strength again.  He immediately shifts back into his cool exterior and says to the group "I can take first watch if needed, but I need to rest soon.  I don't know if I'll be much help in getting food and water but if we find human habitation then I can help in getting information that we might need."  He then thought for a moment and gathered the Exalts together away from the hearing of the mortals and said in low tones, "By the way, I think you should know that I've managed to deduce from my exchange with the Gatekeeper in the Water District, that there was no system wide failure of the essence suppression devices.  Whatever set us free specifically targeted our collars  to release us.  Someone has some agenda which is forwarded by our roaming around 5 Coils, and I probably don't need to mention that it's not necessarily an agenda which we, as a group or free individuals, would approve of.  I'm telling you this now, for a couple of reasons.  One, if any of you have any ideas or information, let me know.  Secondly, however we proceed from here on end, it should be done with extreme caution."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:06, Fri 30 Jan 2009.

Nanaret's monkey-ears prick up as the rest of the group materializes in the room. Her first instinct is caution, still wound up from the dangerous situations of before. She whirls from the wall she was inspecting, her body in a ready crouch and her hands on her hook swords.

Then she relaxes, when she starts to recognize the people there. Saffron in particular, but the others as well. They'd all run and fought and survived together, and the part of her inclined toward social interaction is pleased by that.

Ranavalona, true to her nature, wouldn't care less.

The Queen is still dormant though, so her 'puppet' rises fluidly to contribute to what the others have to say, answering Dashu first. "If there is purpose to our freedom, hard to know if what we do help this 'someone' or not. I think Gatekeeper of Water not know about it. Though now it believes --" she downplays her role in the convincing "-- the Dragon-blooded deceived it to use for their own ends. Once, millenia ago, it served Celestials. Perhaps it continue do so today."

Her yellow night-vision eyes flick toward Xurizu then. "Ah. Introductions. I am Saina Nanaret. I was employed in fighting pits of Floor B30. I am sad for the creatures there. Many mutants and beast-hybrids, rejects of experimentation. They were made to fight. I was made to kill them." The Changing Moon's hand rises to touch her neck guiltily, though the collar is no longer there. "When I and Doctor Higura and Healer Saffron left, they were freed somehow. Causing harm to the populace."

"But they know nothing else." Nanaret shakes her head, obviously troubled, but turns her attention to more immediate concerns. "I take second watch. During first watch I make initial scout, short distance. Water source is nearby. Later, can look for other facilities."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Sat 31 Jan 2009.

"The Gatekeeper will do what is right, and it will ultimately triumph." Walking seemingly out of nowhere, the form of the doctor walks among the rest of the group, and a smile plays on his features as he sees all of them are safe. "The Terrestrials might have scrambled its sense of purpose for a while, but they never managed to truly erase its duties from it. Ages ago, it was no warden - it was a Guardian, like all the other Gatekeepers."

Higura's smile only widens as he scans the room, seeing the familiar faces of Nanaret and Third, but also that of Tycho and Grinning Turtle - and he takes some time to nod warmly at Saffron and the refugees as well. He does not address them directly, but his eyes tell it all. I am glad you have all made it.

The doctor then turns towards the other group, the one that joined them in the Gatekeeper Core, and makes certain to acknowledge each of them in turn. "I am also glad you all survived - I am Doctor Yaishin Higura, Assessor of the Coils under the jurisdiction of the Fate Engine Prochorus. There are those that would say that my work is over now that I am a fugitive... The truth of the matter is that it only has just begun."

"It seems the Gatekeeper placed us in a position that will expose us to little immediate danger. I suppose the important part will be to rest first, and then establish living quarters that will allow us to stay sheltered and subside for a little while, as we form a plan of action."

He shakes his head at Dashu's words, and his expression grows a bit more somber for a moment. "I do not really have anything new to bring light onto this matter, sadly. Even Prochorus itself is unaware of the reasons leading to this targeted liberation. All it could sense was the opportunity within the ripples of Fate - that is why it sent me. The notion that someone sees a purpose in our liberation is perplexing and alarming; I suppose it will be our duty to make certain our escape is not only another kind of imprisonment, in the end."

Dena groans as she settles down on her heels, dropping her warform, taking on the form of a striking woman, her heart-shaped face currently spoiled a bit by the wide spreading bruise across her temple, and the fact that sections of her hair have burned away.
"That was just in the nick of time, I was getting close to my limit.  I'm Tervila Dena, Full Moon of the Lunars.  I didn't have a fixed place on the lower levels, I was used as a message carrier due to my high speed and ability to fly, so I was sent all over the place.  Before I exalted I was a construction worker so I know a little about building but not anything like what Danae does, just throwing together buildings and such."
She rolls backwards and sprawls on her back, breathing deeply and concentrating to ignore her wounds.  "I've got a theory on the failure of our control collars.  The Terrestrials like to play political games jostling for power.  I'm guessing that one bigwig's trying to humiliate another one.  It fits what I've seen so far, a few Anathema get loose, a big emergency, a sudden purge wiping out another family's holdings in the lower level, and whoever saves Five Coils from the monsters gets a lot of political power while hurting a rival.  We need a plan to see who was on the bottom, maybe from the symbols on the stuff we snagged, I bet that family's rivals are behind this."

Danae rolled over once, then sighed, looking generally upwards. "My name's Danae...  Normally, I was supposed to do a lot of tech support and construction up in the District of Fire--with a side term in the odd bit of law enforcement, and the obligitory 'Let's get ready to take back the surface!' propaganda I suppose--but I was 'Convienently' brought down here just before the collars deactivated--Tepet Amon seemed to know it was going to happen though, if we're getting into the whole conspiracy angle--he brought me to a warstrider hangar right before everything went all pear shaped."

"That was... interesting," the magitech cyborg says mildly as he slowly comes around to the shift in time and place, gently catching one of the more bewildered mortals as they threw their weight against a valve that was no longer present. He steadied the mortal off-offhandedly, then promptly abandoned them all to find themselves.

"Alus Tycho, former Peaceforce slave," he offers, keeping his own introduction brief. "And not to speak for the rest of you, but I can't say I really care about who set us free or why."

Tychodraws closer to the rest of the Exalts, stiffly rolling his shoulders and probing the deep gouges under his arm where the Immaculate had damaged him earlier. Every few seconds, something in his lower abdomen went click! embarrassingly loudly, though he does his best to ignore it. He looks around at faces both familiar and strange, though apart from the Inspector, everyone there was barely more than a stranger to him. "I'll admit I'm curious, the rivalry theory doesn't sound too far fetched either, but it doesn't really matter what their intentions might have been. They took the shackles off, lifted up their heel. Good or ill, they gave us our freedom. I'll happily die before I let anyone put any sort of collar on me. Particularly the big gold one that says 'obligation' on it."

"The same might as well be said for all of us too," he notes, vents near his hips letting off low blasts of steam as he eases himself down onto the floor, his legs arrayed in front of him in a careless fashion, like a doll tossed into a corner. "Mutual protection is handy for a while, but how long is that glue going to hold? You people keep saying we need to worry about who set us free. Who says we don't need to worry about each other just as much? For all any of you know, one of us somehow turned off the collars and is just using the rest to keep themselves safe until they accomplish whatever they're out to do, ready to toss us like scrap to the furnaces as soon as no one else is looking..."

His hand starts to wave in a dismissive fashion, then jerks abruptly and locks half-way through the air. Tycho glares at it a moment, then sighs. "Not that I'm saying that's so, but it would do wonders to put my mind at ease if we had any sort of collective goal here, beyond navel-gazing about what might have set us free in between moments of trying desperately not to die horribly."

Nanaret considers the family angle, her brow creasing in concentration. For now she keeps memory of the name: Tepet Amon. Perhaps he would be someone to seek. "Not certain it is mere family rivalry. Five Coils, it have its nobility. But in essence is a military facility, however lovely they make it look up above. We are not only toys, but weapons."

Now her nose wrinkles distastefully. "I do not think even the nobles be so stupid as to play with pawns so dangerous. But maybe they think we are so far below, we never reach close enough to snap their pretty necks. If they make a game of us... they will regret."

"Tycho. We survive. We escape. Avoid being used again. These are both sure goals between us, yes? Unless one wish stay here forever. No. From here could be twenty, twenty five floors. Time now is to rest and plan, get to know what lies ahead."

"Real question is..." The blue-haired Lunar tilts her head thoughtfully, staring up at the rocky ceiling. "Whether we escape for ourselves, or for all who wish freedom. Whether we free ourselves or Free Five Coils. For the machine, too, is alive. I spoke to part of it."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Sat 31 Jan 2009.

"A hive lives by it's workers, not just the queen." Dena answers Saina, having thought it over a few moments.  "We have to escape for all, if we go just for ourselves we'll leave too many enemies behind us who will hunt us down in time.  The first Gatekeeper is with us now, if we get the others we can control Five Coils itself and have our own military fortress and production facilities, rather than leave them to slay us from behind."

Dashu's eyes cock up and he smiles.  He had been so desperate to get his deduction out to the rest that he had forgotten to make his introduction.  "Sorry, I should have said this at first, but I'm Peleps Dashu.  I was an investigator used by the Peace Keeping Forces."  He then responds to Nanaret saying, "I hadn't considered that angle.  I'll keep my eye's open for evidence which could indicate that.  Personally, I had been leaning more towards a different theory.  I think they let us free so they could have a good excuse to wipe out the Water District.  5 Coils is a sub-terrestrial base so that means it's got limited resources and every now and again they might like to kill off the inhabitants of the Water District.  After all, it's the poorest of all the districts so they wouldn't care as much about the inhabitants.  Unfortunately, I don't have anything to prove or disprove that right now."  He then turned to address Tyco's statements.  "Well you know me and you know it's not my style.  I wouldn't select only a few of the slaves to free.  I hated being collared as much as you.  I'm getting to the surface and helping any former slave get there too.  Actually, if they want to tag along too," Dashu nods his head in the direction of the mortals, "they're welcome for all I care.  There's no long term safety as long as we stay in this fortress.  If it turns out that the surface isn't a viable option for one reason or another, then I'll look at other options.  This is something I think we'll need to deal with eventually, though?  I have no love for my slavers or the society that allowed them to collar me, but I also have no desire to let them use me as an excuse to massacre an entire district or any other atrocities.  I wish for my freedom to be freedom in fact and not just a tool they use to their own ends.  After his little speech, he stops and regroups himself.  "But none of this effects the here and now too much.  First thing's first... food, water, and rest.  After that we can work on finding out how to get out of here.  He finally asks Danae, this Tepet Amon.... where does he normally reside?  He might be able to answer some questions."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Sat 31 Jan 2009.

"That's well said Dashu, we have more immediate needs to take care of.  I need to rest for now and get back some of what I've spent getting here.  Once I've recovered a bit I'll be able to cover a lot of ground fast to hunt for what we need.  I'll take the third watch." Dena suggests, before covering her face with her hands in an apparent plan to simply sleep on the floor for now.

Xurizu listens to the discussion about their goals and possible future actions.  "Ah, I suppose I should have introduced myself, too.  I am Ledaal Xurizu," he says.  He doesn't mention what he did, both because he still isn't entirely sure, and because those bits he does know ... well.  There were six faces he could remember very well.  "I am a sorcerer, although I do not know many spells." Just the one, in fact

"I agree we need to more than just survive, though gathering what is necessary to do that should be our immediate priority, after some rest.  I will be able to help with gathering the supplies we need, I am sure, once we've rested a little.  I think before we know what to do, we need to know more information.  We should find this Tepet Amon and ask him what he knows.  Those of us who look normal and don't have their Exaltations to hide should start to talk to people in nearby settlements," he speaks quietly, but with certainty.  "Once we know what the situation is here, we can start to think about what to do for the whole of Five Coils--whatever that ends up meaning." We should talk to the seventh face too.  Wherever they are and whatever they are called.  There must have been a reason I was set upon them.

Xurizu hesitates then, before deciding to say something else.  "I will sleep now, but if you would wake me after your watch, Dena?" he asks, and then starts to remove his stolen armour.

   Saffron has been focusing exclusively on making sure the woman who needed her was well cared for. While, she heard peripherally what was said, she wasn't going to process it quickly. Add to this her habit of remaining quiet so she could listen better and it made for long periods of time in between speaking.

   Finished and satisfied her patients would do well with more rest, she rises. She speaks quietly, but her voice carries, "I apologize for my concentration being elsewhere. I am Healer Saffron. I can craft a little, particularly medicines and I am can blend into a crowd if needed. I can speak with speak and negotiate with whoever needs it. I can keep watch and raise an alarm, but I have not the skills to take a life, only save them.

   "For our immediate concerns, I am nearly depleted in reserves, but I can speed the healing of someone who needs it badly."