View table: Questions

Palamedes will find himself unable to keep the souls apart. They are... technically distinct, everybody's Natural Soul and their regular soul, and they remain as such—but there's no stopping the influence the Natural Soul has on everybody's bodies. You are free to have him try and necromance himself a hearty migraine, and the soul can absolutely give some wicked feedback if he attempts to get too cozy with him. ... There is another thing. There is an overwhelming... feeling coming from the Natural Souls. Something like a distinct NO any time someone might attempt (and fail) to keep it apart from the host's soul. This thing wants to live. It will not be denied.

Yes, to a degree. Even Aves-types cannot fly beyond the islands and are more capable of flight when Shifted rather than merely in their Corrupted forms. For a Spectral type who develops wings, they could absolutely do more than just levitate, but they might have some limitations. Some examples might include only being able to fly well during night (only a bit of flight capability in daytime), and they might not have the strength to fly for as long as an Aves-types. Have fun with it, but ultimately: yes! Wings = flight.

Ah, this would be a good thing to mention somewhere on the info pages, huh? Maybe some more extrapolation under Food on the Culture page... Thank you for asking!

Most plentiful are canned goods and synthetic products. Somehow, Karterians are receiving farmed goods: they do have some farms that are shielded by brittle, small-scale "generator"-style barriers: they prepared for this increasing tragedy as much as they could. They resemble this, pockets of farmland protected from the effects of arcane radiation in a sort of circular pattern, the protection originating from a central generator. Farm workers are... very at-risk of arcane radiation poisoning, but at least there are pockets of safety when working out there, and they have the ability to create greater "pockets" to help farm livestock.

Livestock is understandably more scarce, and beef is especially hard to come by (chicken is far more likely a protein choice). Meat is an expensive thing, and so too is seafood, given how little of it is accessible to Karterians anymore. (If they find anything, it's some white fish and some shellfish). This is why synthetic meats are more commonplace, and these synthetic meats resemble ones we might find today. Lots of meat is canned, too.

The most commonly available foods are easy, hardy, year-round crops. There are factories as well that can process foodstuffs and make them more shelf-stable, to a degree. But as the population continues to grow, man do they need some other source of food. There are plenty of things we might expect to line our pantries available, like sugar, flour, salt, canned/pickled/frozen veggies/meats, grains...

Of course Patho-Gen would be willing to help Viktor out, the maintained (or restored) health of their Augmented guests is of utmost interest to them....

Should Viktor express interest in what Patho-Gen has to offer, they will inform him candidly that this is top-secret technology that they've been testing for... a time. Those who he speaks to initially won't even know what the tech is, only that it exists. They will refer him to follow up with Patho-Gen HQ.

Should he take them up on the offer, Viktor's free to go at any time in the month. Patho-Gen scientists will inform him that he can begin "now", or come back another time, but regardless of his choice they cannot tell him what they're doing to him at this time. However, the scientists/doctors who come to meet with him assure him that while this technique they're trying on him hasn't been successfully tested on humans, they have reason to believe based on laboratory settings and experiments that it will work. However, they are sure to treat it with a respectful gravity: he would be the first, and theoretically, it could be used to help treat Karterian citizens who've sustained arcane radiation poisoning.

All of this to say, they want this to work.

If Viktor complies... they will sunnily shake his hand, and thank him for his willingness. And then, he will lose consciousness.



<details><summary>Viktor will be gone for about three days, give or take; he will have only one moment of fitful wakefulness... cw: Drugging, Medical experimentation, Dubious medical horrors</summary>

There's only one moment where consciousness will visit him in this area, and he'll feel so drugged that he cannot move his body. The room is dark, but machines are alight with squiggling lines and measurements, the sound of an erratic beeping that doesn't quite match his own pulse. There's something in the back of his mind, while he's in this state. A voice that doesn't belong to him.

"You can't save us. You have to persevere and worry about yourselves."

There's a primal shriek down the halls. It sounds like a woman, or maybe a beast... An exotic creature from the zoo? There's a clatter, a clang, and a grotesque piercing sound of a blade into flesh before- oh. When he hears what a human woman sounds like when she screams, it'll become clear to Viktor that the first scream wasn't human at all. The second, however, was a woman. Following her scream comes a commotion down the hall, a stampede of clattering footfalls coupled with the hiss of a hydraulic door closing. Alarms continue to blare from beyond his room.

When a person comes into the room, they're breathing hard. They walk up to Viktor's IV, totally unaware that he's alert. "Please, let these ones work," comes a mutter under their breath. They inject something into the tube, and he'll be out like a light once more.

Rise and shine! Viktor is in Patho-Gen HQ, in a regular hospital bed. It's far nicer than the one he initially woke in to start with; he has a view of the city, nice white sheets, a comfortable set of pajamas they've fit him with... The clothes he'd been wearing before are hung politely on a hanger. The strange vision he had will feel dreamlike and surreal.

What Patho-Gen will explain to Viktor is this: He's been fitted with a second Augmenter. It's "inert," they say: there isn't a soul in this one. It should bolster his existing immune system and work together with his Terra-type soul to 'grow' in a direction conducive to his health. This is just the start of their efforts of course- and they'll warn that it may not work right away. That Viktor may even experience more negative, or uncomfortable feedback as his body adjusts to this 'hypercharging' of his ability to heal. Theoretically, it should permit his body to develop healed tissues in place of the ones that have sustained damage, even as far back as childhood. It is, after all, tech intended to help those who have developed arcane radiation poisoning.

They aren't sure what symptoms Viktor will face. They would love to learn what he experiences as he goes, as they attempt to determine what alterations would be best to help those who don't have Natural Souls like Viktor does. Once he feels well enough, Viktor will be escorted from the hospital. They'll even offer to help him to the Valentia, should he desire it.


What to expect if you decide to let Viktor go through with this: Will it fix his lungs, his myriad of other physical ailments? Not exactly. In the short term, Viktor is likely to feel moderately worse- with symptoms ranging from increased fatigue, nausea, and an unceasing sense of absolute dread. His Corruption will advance, but parts of it will come in strangely, either oversized or discolored or just failing to function as a living plant should. It's struggling, fighting to adapt to something, and will carry Viktor along with it whether he likes it or not.

For the first month, it's primarily just miserable, but he sure is growing, and he certainly isn't dying. The strangest part of all, is that amongst his malformed leaves, his Corruption may begin to take on the characteristics of those he spends the most time around. So Viktor might develop some feathers after spending long enough around an Aves, or his skin and leaves may crystalize in the extended company of a Golem. These growths may rot away, or may persist in some uncomfortably 'healthy' fashion, continuously developed and adapted to if his companionship changes. A wide enough circle of friends, and Viktor could develop into a proper amalgamation....

By the second month of this treatment, he will begin hearing voices. It will become quickly apparent that he's picking up on stray thoughts of those around him (as you see fit). It's intermittent and at this point uncontrollable, and could make existing in a crowd that much louder and unpleasant, to have this absolute torrent of information poured inside of his head. And the more he hears, the more his body may continue to develop/mutate, spurred on additionally by a distressed mental state. The worse he feels about it, the worse it gets, basically, as his body fights to adapt to a threat, even if that threat is his own perception of himself.

At the third month, Viktor may finally begin to feel some sort of equilibrium, or some kind of improvement(?). He is still alive, for one thing. And while the mutations continue, they're having some sort of regenerative effect. He may be a mess of plants and foreign growths, but he will be a stronger mess, the eye of the storm. If he's wounded, his body may display an uncanny capacity for self-healing- with an emphasis on the uncanny, as a cut fills up with fur, or teeth, or stone. But he will heal, at all costs. The voices are clearer, easier to keep track of, and they're there even when no one else is. They may not make any sense, but they're clear. This too might be something easier to adapt to by now, as if some part of his mind has been threaded through, expanded and rewritten by his growths to be able to handle the noise.

If you wanna go through with this, just get in touch with us at month 3 for more fun symptoms! Whatever Patho-Gen has implanted Viktor with will gradually have an impressively regenerative effect, but it won't be a clean sort of regeneration: oftentimes, parts of his body will over-compensate or borrow from inappropriate tissues to heal or augment itself to adapt to a changing world.</details>

These poor Spectral-types.

The one most lit may be the southern edge of Sophia and the southwest portion of Gloria, where the two meet together. This forms something of an entertainment district, and buildings in Karteria that are entertainment-oriented are often lit in Hollywood-style lighting. Thus, the most artificial light would come from these buildings, though there are surely pockets in other districts, particularly around theaters, clubs, or other ritzy entertainment spots.

Most dimly lit: East Sophia and the east side of Water's Edge. East Sophia was one of the latest districts to be developed, and it didn't quite make it before the city of Karteria had to respond to the catastrophes that started to fall upon their world. Buildings there are left unfinished and now a shell of nothingness, and sometimes this means they're left unlit. Water's Edge, particularly the part bordering East Sophia, is just a bit... run down. By the coast as they are, it's a bit ominous and quiet during the night.

Karteria's run off of one grid, but there are substations, and they're not clean-cut by district. Attempting to knock out power to a single district would be faulty, as districts often share substations. Basileios, for example, is split into two: one half shares with northern Belle Ville, and the other shares with northern Gloria. So on, so on.

Blood Lake! A fav of mine. The game of telephone is certainly a challenge, but all will be compiled and clarified as things are learned so that everything correctly learned is cemented, to get everyone on the same page. Otherwise, let me break these answers down into bullet points.

• Stop 1: The southern end of "The Woods". There are some gently rolling hills with creeks and rivers in glistening aqua that run through them. They're quite beautiful. Trees are not as dense, but there are pocket forests. The actual location of the #1 on your map is gonna be rife with insects, and these insects will leave nasty bites, even on Augmented Ones. Nothing life-threatening, but imagine a mosquito bite turned up to the nines. Enjoy your rash!
  
  <img src="https://alogos.dreamwidth.org/file/84549.png" width="450" class="imageshrink-actualsize">
  
  Along the waterside are deposits of Katalyth for sure, but even more lays beneath the surface of the water in this entire general area. It's not as heavy the further away from the water they get. Animals are largely absent close to the edges of the forest save for reptiles, insects, or birds... I am repeating a lot of the stuff from here, so instead of talking about the destination, I'll focus on the path to get there that you drew!
  
  The path from Karteria to this location as drawn is cutting right through Asphodel Fields, which is described here and in the body of this post. Aside from the skeletal remains of buildings, some of those skeletal remains of people could be found as well. Some of these bodies may be the result of people, maddened with arcane radiation poisoning, wandering out into the muck and meeting a quick death; others may be collections of bones, suggesting the death of families. Just as is true in the "Missing Persons" prompt, sometimes there are strange amounts of these bones? Like, just entirely too many ribs for one or two people. Maybe some vultures came by and picked at it all. Arcane radiation is present in all cases of humans being out here. Aside from what can be gleaned from the "Missing Persons" prompt and other things linked here, this won't yield much more.
  
  
• Stop 2: Blood Lake. It might have gotten its name because it's red. Karterians are so creative.
  
  <img src="https://alogos.dreamwidth.org/file/84765.jpg" width="450" class="imageshrink-actualsize">
  
  For sciency types, the color is owing to a natural phenomenon rather than anything insidious this time. Its waters are alkaline, mineral-rich and caustic enough to rival bleach. It's salty in there, and Blood Lake shows dilapidated signs of having once been a spot frequented by humans, with some old logs structured as fences or even guides to help get into the lake. But now, with just how alkaline it's become, critters that die within it or near it seem to become mummified/calcified. Wherever one of these corpses is found, lots of Katalyth grows nearby. But as for anywhere else at the water's edge, there is no Katalyth here. If there are minerals of any kind, it's chunks of salt!
  
  There are smaller bodies of water near Blood Lake that are far less intensely caustic, and owing to that, more pink in color. Once more, no Katalyth in these bodies of water! Lots of clay-like mud, though. Sorry, Gojo.
  
  The route there will be crossing through a lot of those same swampy marshlands, and encountering much of what else is found in Asphodel Fields. The closer they get to Blood Lake, the redder the water.
  
  
• Stop 3: The Southern Spires are positively covered in Katalyth. It would be impossible to scale them without touching some directly.
  
  <img src="https://alogos.dreamwidth.org/file/86168.png" width="450" class="imageshrink-actualsize">
  
  The Southern Spires are flat-faced mountains that reach tall, with dramatic sides facing the island of Orexis. Katalyth creeps along its surface and even embeds itself in some of these spires on the north side of them. For most of this group, that's all they'll be able to see of them, and climbing its face would be like rock climbing with insanity. The spires at this time of year do not have any snow on them, but there are some stocky trees at its base. Real stocky. Thick trunks, too. Thick enough that they feel like they should be much taller trees, towering and incredibly old. They're a bit strange, frankly: the reason for this growth is arcane radiation, but they're thriving, living, doing well.
  
  Fel, Aves that he is, may be able to fly toward their peaks. The tallest of them is about 13,000ft! Over them is the southern ocean, and the other side of the peaks are even steeper and even MORE covered in Katalyth, as though battered by the ocean's concentration of it. Along the way back to Karteria, welcome to more: Swamp, Mud, Marshlands, and Stink.

None of these locations are the "secret location" hinted at by the intel Brickston found. However, aside from Katalyth deposits, the world is doing swell without being touched by humans, and native flora and fauna are thriving, if a bit weird in general.

How ABOUT that bridge...

All that progress is paying off, but right now the bridge isn't quite explorable. Even strong Aves-types trying to fly over it will get knocked into the water (please go save them if this happens). It's dreadful. Hopefully the expedition teams can keep busy setting up those waystations and maybe even getting a break in between all this work....

And in addition to those waystations, because Patho-Gen is very interested themselves in making it to Kelesis (and, for reasons to help characters who are less mobile/less interested in being mobile a way to reach places outside Karteria), they are eager (or rather, willing) to entrust manufactured teleportation panels to characters who know what they're doing out there. This is a relatively new technology... and one that they'd been at a loss to do much good with, before now- as they lacked the ability to go deep enough into the wilderness for long enough to set up these things themselves.

But they would like an intermediary square to be set up somewhere mid-Asphodel Fields (as the range on these things isn't indefinite), and another near the bridge itself. (And, eventually, one on the other side of the bridge.) The starting point is conveniently within Patho-Gen HQ, and would be made accessible to all characters.

These are expensive and hard to produce, so please don't break them carrying them out there.... But this is something else to be occupied with in the meantime, and it will benefit everyone to have it available!

(We know BRIDGE is the direction things are going and next month will have all of the bridge-related information so hold pls. Sorry about the bridge blocking for now... It's a very long bridge.)

This is perfectly reasonable to us. Guild leaders of The Velvet Claw will likely hear them out and agree that they could surely talk their patrons into giving them an extra cut—especially if Caleb and Set agree to guide other less experienced Augmented Ones out toward Kelesis, through the marshes. They will be thrilled at their proactive scouting as well.

Caleb and Set will both help the entirety of the Kelesis Ho! mission go ever more smoothly. Having people who know how to navigate the area and take instruction from Patho-Gen to clear a path toward the southern edge of the island will be a huge boon. If they make it all the way toward the bridge...

The bridge has seen better days. It is not only coated with shards and growths of Katalyth where the ocean batters at it, but parts of it need some heavy-duty maintenance and repair to be safely traveled. The bridge is a magnificent thing besides, spanning about 35 miles, though since humans are completely unable to tend to it or even check on it... Well, that might be why it needs some TLC. For the duration of this log, the bridge will not be able to be cleared—but remarkable headway can be made to get started on its repairs. Imagine structural faults with the supports, fully caved-in portions of the road (wherein a person would need to either balance on beams or leap over the large holes, lest they fall into the ocean), and other such issues.

I hope this helps, and lemme know if you have any other questions.

Fabulous......

Come report it! This is just so that we can keep tabs on how Reputation is handled. You can detail whether you think your character could be associated/found out, or if it's a senseless murder with no way to link it to anyone. If the murder/meal can be linked back to your character...

Surely, there will be some fairly dire consequences. It will be a first for Karteria's legal system to process, as they've never had a human(?) eat another human before... and Patho-Gen will have to defend these actions. It's... likely that this individual will end up having some scientific/medical modifications made to their person. You know, to help make them... less dangerous, and to reassure the public safety.

Oh, that's hilarious. Camera snails.........

Who knows, maybe Sabo would be able to connect Round Snail Eyeball with those black ceiling orbs we know and love in modern society. (I hope that links properly.) Those are everywhere. Additionally, wellness centers have some extra styles, though the ceiling orbs are most common.

I understand now that One Piece is full of snails. Intriguing.

Yes, a staff member would respond poorly to technology being damaged. They know they'll have to write up a report to send to government officials, and they won't be happy to pay for the repairs/replacement, either... (We also encourage you to report it if you decide to have your character go through with this!)

Hello there! This is an excellent idea. Soul types can be inspired by flora/fauna from a character's canon. The limitations here would be as such:

1. Make sure that whatever the flora/fauna is, it's categorized correctly (that is, horse-inspired creatures do not work for Ruminantia-types; fictional fungi do not work for Terra-types), as we have plans involving unused categories.
   
2. Please only draw from your character's canon, not another unrelated canon. In another question we laid out a rule about Pokemon not being generally available as an inspiration, but if you were apping a Pokemon protagonist and wished to loosely inspire a Carnivora-type based on Purugly, that would be fine. Chocobos can inspire Final Fantasy characters' Aves-type. Lunar Tears can be incorporated into a NieR character's Terra-type. You get the picture!
   
3. Use common sense: if the source of inspiration would grant some kind of catastrophic powers that could break the setting, that wouldn't be great. If there is a rock out there in some fictional series that can end the world if you poke it, maybe just take some inspiration from it for your Golem-type, not all of it.

Hope that helps!

cw: non-consensual Sciences

We love some violence and morally questionable actions...

A character who is excessively violent will be treated to a heaping amount of force in return, and yes, it is permissible to damage these Patho-Gen grunts doctors. The consequences will be increased force, and more inclination to restrain/sedate that character and do some more non-consensual injections, sample gatherings, etc. Basically, the more an Augmented Ones acts up, the less Patho-Gen is willing to regard them politely.

Another consequence: for incoming players, we will have a Reputation thread to report any goings-on for this TDM! The more characters behave/misbehave, the higher/lower Reputation can go with various populations in the city. For example, acting up to doctors in the injection prompt and Enviolencing Them will definitely cause Augmented reputation to tank with Patho-Gen (and depending on how bad it gets, the government of Karteria, as they have to pay for all the damage...). But that's for future consideration! (Welcome to the TDM!)

That's really up to you, how you would prefer to play with it- whether the physical presentations change or remain exactly how he's used to.

So if you would prefer him to temporarily lose the ability to use those extra limbs, he certainly could- or, he could maintain that sort of 'baseline' ability. Keep those arms under control....

Oh dear. This would, indeed, provoke a reaction. While other conversational attempts or any sort of approach towards them would lead to immediate aggression, if Rowan were to use the voices of East Sophians, the creatures will freeze up instead. It's hard to tell if they're startled, confused- or whether they understand the words at all.

It's a temporary hesitation, and they will either turn immediately hostile afterward- or they will do their best to flee. They don't seem to be able to communicate in anything but violence or terror, the capacity for language on their own part lost.

It's hard to tell the condition of the owners of those souls. They don't give off the impression of something dead, at least; for all that they're flitting around, in and out of visibility, a bewildering dance taking place in the distance, they don't feel disconnected, lingering in discontent or loss. If there's emotions to be picked up on, it's... mixed. There's some that are content, playful and light; there's others spiteful and furious.

They don't respond to any attempt to communicate with them, but you are at quite a distance to them. It's possible that they just don't hear it- or that they're not capable of hearing anything.

The manifestations aren't permanent, so no worries about some awkward corpse-disposal outside Kelesis.... As for how long they do last, that can be somewhat variable. They'll always disappear as soon as the Spectral-type exits the area around Kelesis; they can't accidentally leave some living or non-living illusion residue!

While they're there and paying attention to it, the illusions can last from anywhere between minutes and hours. They're more likely to distort and eventually dissipate the more they're questioned, but will otherwise linger as long as is (in)convenient.

Yes, that could totally be possible! It should probably not be so hot/cold as to seriously hurt them (or hurt them at all, as her 'expectation' of what it should be like would take precedence, so if she thinks this is their normal, it would effectively be their normal), but she could absolutely change someone's temperature for a bit.

Daemon might end up feeling a bit itchier in the days preceding the solstice. Frustrated or restless, a vague sense of dread that's impossible to ease. It's constant, but worse during the (very long) day, yet has no definable cause or reason. Everything is terrible. Everyone is terrible. There's no escaping it.

It all comes to a head on the solstice itself, when all that pent-up agitation bursts. The feelings stop. It's probably something of a relief at that point, that it's all over, even if so much else is now wrong. At least it's a concrete wrong, like everyone growing eyes, and so many Karterians blinded. If you want to go the eye-horror route, Daemon's might express more explosively- fiercely reactive to whatever is going on out there. In any case, his abilities as a Spectral will be exceptionally stronger at the solstice and around it- easy enough that he might be using them without meaning to. (This could also include his mental/emotional state- as anything invoked from being a Spectral might be in similar full-force.) It should settle back to normal within a week or so... though he may continue enjoying the long days of Summer as only a day-aspected Spectral can.

There were once more farms around Karteria, more than the few clinging to survival at the edges of the barrier. Some of that land still belongs to the remaining farms, but has simply gone unused- being just too far out for them to do anything with. The ownership of the rest is muddled, with the prior farms having gone bust completely. The land is useless to Karterians, so there's no one interested in contesting the Augmented using it for now.

The condition of the fields is... mixed. The pieces closest to the forest have already begun being reclaimed by it. The rest is grassy and damp (though not marshland), but there's nothing about it that seems unfertile, merely unmanaged. Nature is doing just fine without human involvement. Arcane radiation is the only thing preventing humanity from coming in and changing that. A good thing that the Augmented are resistant to it!

There is the occasional charming (decaying) old farmhouse and those fruit trees that tell Gojo that this is a good idea. (Largely apple, pear, or plum- colder-weather fruits, or foreign equivalents. They're doing pretty well, actually, with a bit of friendly mutating.) The blackberry thickets are thriving a bit too hard. And it's... not an impossible idea, really. The Government will humor it; it keeps the Augmented occupied in ways that don't involve the destruction of public property. As for the request for 'farming equipment'... it would not be categorically denied, but there would be an insistence that Gojo's farming crew should reclaim what's already out there first.

What is out there, lurking in those old decaying (charming) farmhouses? Bits and pieces. A lot of it is rusted, but it was built to endure so it might still be functional underneath. Most of the seed that was left behind has already been eaten by enterprising rodents, but there might be a smidge remaining.

What isn't available could likely be borrowed by the few remaining farms. As there's already been some positive contact between them and the Augmented, they would probably be willing to loan out some extra tools. (As most of the remaining farms had to retract themselves, quite a few have more than they can use, amounts made for more fields, more orchards.)

And as they're already familiar with supply chains within the city... working in greater concert with would-be Augmented farmers would increase their profit (which is what matters in the middle of an irradiated, mid-apocalyptic landscape; capitalism must endure). (That, and most people do not want to see Karteria starve. There's some few who are earnest and honest enough to recognize that getting help is more important than a few numis.)

Should the Augmented productively produce a productive produce yield, however, it has been decreed that Patho-Gen MUST analyze it for safety reasons. The growing conditions beyond Karteria's little safe zones isn't clear to them, and they want to make sure no fruit or vegetables are carrying little bits of Katalyth for human consumption. Kind of like checking to ensure there isn't any pesticides riding with the veg, you know.

So yes, Gojo may become a farmer. Farm cats are a staple, after all....

Enjoy that tea and those bonus snack cakes! While she would demur over discussing herself directly, she would be happy to talk about what life had been like in Aparallaxia.

Living on a bridge had its quirks... she didn't know of anyone who drowned of falling accidentally into the sea (there are guardrails, of course, to protect against the clumsy or drunk). But there were a number of Childhood Tragedies, of a game being cut short because the ball was sent over the edge, into the ocean... or of some favored possession deliberately thrown into the waves by a rival.

The sound of the water was constant, and soothing; she's one of the few who go to Water's Edge for the sake of the water, and who doesn't view the ocean with distrust or distaste. It's the only place in Karteria that reminds her anything of home. It's still not the same as being surrounded by it, but even when there were storms in Aparallaxia, when she watched the waves lash against its edges, against the pillars supporting the structure, she never felt unsafe. In Karteria, nothing feels safe.

As for the squid... it is edible, after a fashion. Despite the Katalyth growing on parts of its body (don't eat those), the majority of its meat remains safe for consumption. It wouldn't taste exactly like what you'd expect... closer to a hybrid between squid and mammal, meatier in a disconcerting way. But there's nothing dangerous about it.

Short version: yes, all those examples are appable! For both Tav and the Dark Urge of BG3, they're naturally a bit more malleable than most, since neither really has any sort of 'standard' build. (As a sidenote, both Tav and Durge can coexist in the game, as they are considered separate people. BG3 just being special with its two malleable protags....)

For FFXIV, we would ask that player stick as close to Meteor when playing a WoL, as he does exist as something of a default version of the character.

Phantasia is a small settlement of... people, surprisingly. If characters explicitly ask Patho-Gen about Phantasia, they will sigh; the particular way they treat those who live in Phantasia is with the same sort of pity that they treat those who live in the outer city, in that many who live there are... defectors, of a sort. They hope they're doing alright, particularly since they've given them quite a bit of technology to live there as safely as they can.

Karteria's government will treat them with the same sort of pity. As you know, the world at large has become unsafe for regular people to live in without the use of a barrier; on the island of Orexis, the only place safe for people to live in is Karteria. Phantasia... is somewhat the only second option that they know of. (How Doxa is- long ago this was a small settlement, but they haven't had any contact from anyone there since the barrier was erected.) Phantasia's resources were a monetary drain on Karteria, so the government hopes they're grateful for this overture of good will.

So... why does Karteria insist on offering them any monetary support? Well, these people were of Karteria once... They don't offer much further explanation.

Eli and Childe would find first the evidence of overgrown farmlands on their way to Phantasia. They can't be tilled, used, or relied upon anymore; they've been let to the wilderness for many years. There's signs of humans having existed there, that much is undeniable. But at first, it'll be incredibly hard to find anybody.

As the further northwest they go, the more they'll find intense concentrations of Katalyth. We're talking entire manmade structures, sheds and old trucks, absolutely encased in Katalyth. It's enough to inspire unease and madness in even the Augmented Ones, with how much there is. (Some book reading back in Karteria might clarify why this is: Katalyth's first recorded incidence on Orexian soil is in the year 829, where it's documented on the northwestern shore. It'll require access to some of the archival files in the library, which can be very tedious; this might be the job for someone who is fastidious about reading and learning. ...There is very little else said about this, other than the marvel at this, as well as the unease it sparks in researchers- as well as documented notes about how they "must keep calm.") It's inhospitable. How could anyone live out here?

At the base of Alexane's Range, tall spires as steep as the Southern Spires but far more massive- despite the fact that these peaks are similarly encrusted with sickly, multicolored iterations of Katalyth (ranging from the usual turquoite, to yellow, to violet)- is a small settlement. Its barrier is less transparent than Karteria's, a dome-like, shimmering veil over a city about 2 sq mi at most. Stout structures in poor condition, akin to shacks, stand against the test of time. Small farms are dispersed between buildings... and the amount of residents? It's a small population of about 500 people, which is miraculous!

They are incredibly withdrawn, and are reluctant to acknowledge the Augmented Ones as anything other than a sign of the endtimes. They aren't hostile; they are stubborn people who are hardened by the direness of their circumstance, people who wake early and tend to what livestock and crops they have. Survival is their priority, while Karteria's people live in some semblance of comfort. But they're making it.

If characters ask these settlers about Karteria, they will face them grimly. Do not trust the big city. They don't have any actual personal anecdotes to share, and most of them have never even been to Karteria! But their people have developed something of a doomsday-like mentality of the world, and feel convinced that anything Karteria does to combat it is only going to hasten the world's demise. Summoning these otherworldly Augmented Ones...

Phantasians pity the Augmented, who have been yanked from across time and space against their will. This is a broken, unsalvageable world. This, their ancestors have told them. All of this nonsense about Controlling magic, about interdimensional reaching, about harnessing the world's resources for reckless development... This is mankind's own undoing! All they can do as this tiny settlement is live their small lives until the world ends, or until their barrier breaks.

But yes, aside from some very grim peoples who live an extremely simple lifestyle, the landscape is ravaged by Katalyth. The local flora and fauna continue to grow, doing quite well! But in these highly concentrated areas of Katalyth, especially closer to the shoreline, animals and critters seem to have... evolved some special traits. Rabbits have sharp, predatory teeth, or may have even developed eyes on the front of their head rather than the sides (uncanny, strange, weird); cougars are faster, more inclined to forage for vegetation, alert and cautious to the approach of Augmented. Creatures are evolving and changing in strange and nonsensical ways, but they're thriving.

Do Eli or Childe wish to report back to Patho-Gen about Phantasia's existence? While they are aware of them, they have had absolutely no contact with them and basically had to believe that their tech has been somehow holding up over all this time. They will be curious to know how they fare.

It's something of a mix of both. Were Katalyth not in existence, the Phantasians would still be skeptical and wary of outsiders. They don't want to live in the big city for a reason (even if that reason is 'we've always been here'), and anyone who turns up from elsewhere... why? It'd be hard for them to imagine a purpose that's to their benefit.

But Katalyth exposure, and its known influence over emotion... it's not doing anything good to the local mindset. Their smaller barrier isn't quite as effective as Karteria's, and the amount of Katalyth in the region is immense. It's amazing that they're surviving at all, but also inevitable that the emotional leakage from the arcane mineral is leaving its mark on their minds. It deepens pre-existing paranoia, provides more angles for it, more reasons to be afraid.

That said, it would still take a good amount of provocation for them to be hostile to outsiders. Katalyth is depressing; it provides more reason to believe in the inevitability of the end-times, and the apathy to do no more than continue toiling at their daily lives.

So basically: always paranoid, Katalyth making it easier to find more justifications to be paranoid and pessimistic and a bit odd.

1. Patho-Gen will aid in the efforts to build teleporter waypoints to help Augmented Ones make it to Phantasia. This will be helpful if they want to offer any aid to these faraway citizens, who chose to remain there despite the warnings that they needed to seek the shelter Karteria offered.

2. Their barrier could use a tune-up. This, Patho-Gen would agree with. They take pity on their suspicion of them, and decide it might be best to leave these efforts in the hands of the Augmented. In this case, Patho-Gen will offer whatever they can... Tools, special diagrams that might help with the constructs that create their barrier—something to help improve it compared to the roughshod one they have.

However, Patho-Gen scientists do not think it possible to undo the effects arcane radiation is having on these people. It hasn't been demonstrated to be possible as of yet... Not to say that they don't think it's valuable to offer them greater protection nonetheless. Even if their mentalities can't be helped, their bodies can be, and their physical health is something worth saving even if they remain paranoid.

The greatest obstacle Childe and Eli will face in attempting to work on the barrier may be the Phantasians themselves. They are extremely protective over their barrier; one wrong move, and ???? barrier fails?? Sure, the end times are coming, but nobody is allowed to take what life they have left and if that barrier goes down, it's over, right?! It'll require having some grace and patience, as they'll be reluctant to even talk about this save for a solid "no, we don't need your help."

... At least there's a way to convince them. If they're just waiting for their barrier to break, why not let someone attempt to fix it to avoid that fate? Similarly, Patho-Gen scientists will offer the advice to Eli/Childe that should something go awry with a single beacon that creates the structure of the barrier, it will only weaken the barrier rather than break it. Reasoning with locals that a single mistake won't completely destroy their barrier may help them reluctantly agree to the tune-up.

3. The people of Phantasia will remain completely reluctant to travel to Karteria, even after the overtures of assistance. The more this idea is pitched, the more they dig in their heels. It is not a friendly subject to them.

Over time, however, some may reveal something of the reason... And in future, more of this information may come to the forefront: some of their ancestors came from Lupê, very long ago. They are far removed from these ancestors, but citizens of Phantasia have been taught that Lupê rejected technology, and favored taking only what they needed. Moreover, Lupêans did not control nor tame their environment via Controlling magic or industrialization: they grew with it and existed among it. They were a peaceful, rational people who lived within their means, and the city just isn't their vibe! They live here out here to connect with the culture Lupêans had; their ancestors always warned them of the city. A complaint they have of Karterians, and everyone else, is that nobody is willing to "face the music." To them, this means... well, accepting doom.

(Interestingly, if one returns to Karteria to attempt to trace the lineage of any of these people (obviously using the names of parents or grandparents mentioned, as most individuals in Phantasia have been there since birth at this rate), they are not related to any Lupêans. Most of them, at least: there are a scant few who are. Similarly, their ideas about Lupêan culture is contrary to what Karteria has to say about the militaristic, vicious, unreasonable Lupê.)

Ciel could certainly conjure up someone who seems like they know what they're talking about, and who would happily answer any questions he had. Unfortunately, those answers aren't necessarily correct. They are probably not even remotely correct.

As the information is entirely based on what Ciel expects, or wants to hear. Even if he's not conscious of having certain biases or assumptions... the illusory figure would come up with something Ciel would find 'plausible'. The more it's questioned or disagreed with, the more irrational or meaningless its answers might become.

Conjuring up objects would have a similar result, with books and newspapers detailing whatever he wanted to read, with the text becoming more and more nonsensical the harder he scrutinized it.

A clever trick... and should Aemond (or any other Spectral-type) attempt to will Kelesis into existence, then he will find a Kelesis manifested neatly right where he expects it to be.

It's not the real thing of course, but instead whatever Aemond might imagine the concept of 'Kelesis' would look like. Even if he's not conscious of having a preconception of what the city is like, it would put together something that would fit, or make sense to him. If other Spectrals were told to do the same thing, they would also imagine up their own version of Kelesis. (If multiple Spectrals were together in one place and believed real hard about it... it would develop into a bizarre conglomerate of concepts.)

Advancing to 'the city' would still not get him or anyone any closer to its actual borders... but he would be free to explore his version for as long as he didn't question the details too hard. It would fall apart under too much scrutiny, more so than creating an individual entity.

It is very definitely a huge problem, and not one they were at all prepared to face. There are gaps in places they consider crucial, gaps in bureaucracy, as all corners of the city struggle to adapt to this new crisis.

Patho-Gen would be absolutely willing to put him to work. He would also be exceedingly well-compensated for this. However. They would be very, very troubled about this ability and his identity becoming well known. The richest parts of the city were struck as indiscriminately as the poorest- and they would do absolutely everything they could to monopolize Liem for themselves.

Of course, you'd be welcome to go this route, have some sort of kidnapping plot.... Or even willingly acquiesce to healing the upper class, and the upper class only. (Does Liem want a penthouse in Basileios? Because this will get him one. His neighbors still won't talk to him or want to look at him, but by god they will tolerate it for as long as he's curing the people who matter.)

If he does follow Patho-Gen's recommended advice, and keep this all on the very down-low... he will still be well-compensated, but less extravagantly so. He could have a residence of reasonable standard anywhere outside of Basileios. Questionable practices and ethics of the company aside, there's still plenty of people within Patho-Gen who would not want him or this ability abused- and would try to arrange patients for him in some manner of impartiality. (With some bias towards those in Patho-Gen... but they would also not completely freeze out the lower classes.)

With only two (at most) people a day cured, it would... not be any time soon that he'd get to everyone. (With a population of around 700,000, that means roughly 175,000 have been blinded... which means a mere 87500 days will see them all cured, if he somehow keeps that two-a-day schedule.).

Sorry for the delay on this! We've been mulling over some Tough Questions and hit a lil block on this one.

If Liem got kidnapped... It would usually be orchestrated by a shady individual, oftentimes the sort described in the MISSING PERSONS (prompt IV) quest on the second TDM. These people seem to have very few defining features about them, and dress so normally that they fade into a crowd. Again, these people do not work for the government, nor for Patho-Gen; they will not visit harm upon him, and will oftentimes perform the kidnapping only if Liem seems vulnerable in the moment. They may try drugging him, or using chloroform.

Where he'd often find himself is in a small room. It can be either a laundry room with a lock, or a bathroom, similarly locked. The bathroom has no medications in it; the laundry room has few notable features to indicate anybody's name. As if these rooms see little use... Which might check out, because they look like they belong to some very wealthy individuals. Probably have like, seventeen bathrooms and get servants to do their laundry. Sheesh. To add insult to injury, Liem would often be bound and blindfolded.

(If he demands either of these restraints be removed so that he could perform his magic... Well. Not much to be done about that, right? These nondescript businessmen/women would do as asked; they would try to turn off the light to keep the anonymity of their client, but it's clear that the room itself is quite ritzy. God, these rich people are trying to do all of this inside of their own homes!!! Ridiculous.)

The anonymity of the family would be maintained. There might be some sort of squabbling too far away to hear; a good assumption would be that the family members are arguing over who gets to be cured.

The compensation Liem receives will be paltry in comparison to what he'd receive if they were attempting to do this above the table: about 700 numis, or about $70 a person. They've learned that Patho-Gen is paying only a bit more (probably about 5000 numis per person, or $500 a person! (Like $1000 a day if he can do two people! Wowza!) Of course, there is a sliding scale on their end of things; impoverished sorts get their care reduced.) and are being stingy.

As someone who also plays a character who has a non-flashy soul, who loves to be flashy... We want to encourage everyone to be able to engage with this prompt, even if their character isn't flashy. The exclusive nature of the prompt can be used as an angle to engage with it: they may dig in their heels and say no, they do not agree to pay someone who isn't a pretty peacock strutting around, if you're not photo-ready then they simply don't consent to hiring and that's that!!

... They are still people, and they can be convinced. However, they may try to stiff payment anyway, claiming they never agreed. In the end, we'll leave it up to players if they want their character to net the full reward or not; The Smooth Grind can just give 'em a tip or something for being kind of neat, they guess.

It'll depend a bit on how awful this necromanced critter looks, at least to a degree. Having exposed muscle or bone may cause some deep concern from critters, more than without; they may have to process their feelings in very animal ways, which may result in overtures of aggression, affection, playfulness, arousal, fear... But ultimately, the animals will calm down once they've gotten over the whiplash of going from grieving to realizing that the one they've lost is... back?? Smells a little funny, but there they are, alive again.

Ultimately it'll go from "AHHHHH YOU ARE ALIVE??? (BIG FEELING)" to "well I'm glad you're back bud, you were looking real bad there." They will (usually) receive their friends back. As for how they respond to Hector, it will be with bewilderment (big feelings); it will settle down into further curiosity, following him around like he has treats or something. (Does one get positive reputation for healing the dead animals...? If only.)

One of the strangest things about the squid-mind is that it's not only intelligent, its thoughts are structured in a way that is eerily similar to that of a human. It's not identical, but it's close. Something cephalopodic has been fitted with it, merged to a degree that it would be hard to even consider them as separate entities... with the result a consciousness that is a hybrid of the two.

So any trauma that comes about from being on wildly different levels of consciousness would be minimized- but it'll probably be overwhelming all the same. The squid might attempt to use human language, on connection with Elanor's mind- but it's likely to broken speech, reflective of questions, and relying on impressions of its emotional state to get its meaning across. It can't properly ask who she and Set are, or what they are, or express the pain it's in (even though it's survived Katalyth growing on it, it's not a comfortable experience). Frustration will flavor its attempts, a despair over its own clumsiness, but it will genuinely try to hold a conversation of sorts with Elanor and Set. It will deliver impressions of 'WHO' and 'WHY'. There's a lot of imagery in its head, flashes of the Augmented who've been around this portion of the bridge, paired with more repetitions of the same feeling of curiosity.

As for bad things happening: this might be very uncomfortable for all parties involved! The squid doesn't know how to think softly, to emote gently. In its desperation for company and this hint of someone talking back in a way that it understands, it might scream that much louder. All of this is likely to induce more migraines, even temporary blindness, deafness.

It's not trying to hurt them... it's just excited, and trying to understand. Between its questions are visions of deep water, of emptiness. You all are the first non-fish it's seen in years. (There are some other impressions it provides of non-Augmented humans, not on the bridge, but on streets and in cars. In homes, in offices, in labs underneath bright lights and sharp knives. ...And beyond that, a city, bustling with life. It looks a lot like Karteria.)

And that's a good catch about the Blood Lake, as some information has diverged accidentally over time... the locations page will be updated to clarify this, but: Blood Lake itself (red) is uncomfortable to swim in. It's somewhat caustic, but not outright dangerous. It's just... very salt. Around it are pink lakes, which are safe, if not necessarily as medicinal as rumor would have it. They can be swam in freely. They are very nice to swim in!

Hello! Arriving PCs may begin digging into the flavor of magitechs and techs alike immediately. We would prefer to give more agency to players, whatever is most fun (and devious), so our 'line' is generous. Likewise, we also welcome many inquiries about tech and what powers it, so if you wish for your character to get nosy and try to unearth something crucial, we invite it.

Regarding what types of things that can be built: we have no limits reaching up toward a robot or computer if it's being built with the same version of magic Karterians use. Weapons, robots, clippers, coffee machines, go for it. Dismantling many sophisticated pieces of tech, including common ServiTons, will yield a sort of chip like a CPU, but it's infused with magic that gives the tech 'instructions'—a kind of controlling magic, which seems to be at the root of Karteria's native magic.

The point where we'd want mod involvement would be if characters were trying experimental/unstable builds (such as trying to incorporate Katalyth into tech.......), attempting to build something that took an immense amount of resources (resources aren't as abundant as they used to be, and native citizens will become alarmed if it's soaking up too much electricity/metal/mystery component), or if they decide to tamper with existing tech in the setting that seems particularly important—which would usually be something that is being actively mentioned in an event, or the like. Similarly, if a character wishes to learn about the tech they're handling, we can certainly give any inquiries something to work with. Also: if it causes property damage or harms the setting, we'll definitely have self-reporting threads in future logs so that NPCs can judge y'all.

Looking out for the poor squid....

It's unintentionally loud, and poor at controlling its own emotions when provided a foothold (or mind-hold, or tentacle-hold), but it is still intelligent. It will notice the difference in relative 'volume' of thought, and that Eleanor came away from the experience in pain. In future conversations (especially if there's more than one), it will attempt to modulate its thoughts somewhat... hold back some of that desperation for company. It wants friends more than it wants food, so it's trying not to hurt her. :c But it will take some practice.

Depending on how other people interact with it (whether they're neutral elements just trying to get by, whether they're also trying to communicate in some way- or whether they're trying to cut off those tentacles), this could lead to some sort of solution to how the squid is managed. With her persistence in conversing with it, it could learn what the Augmented look and 'feel' like, and will let them pass unimpeded. It might, like, put some tentacles up on the bridge, see if anyone wants to hang out... but it'll stop knocking people around or psychically attacking them. Any other characters trying their best to talk to it also helps! It's forgotten how to socialize....

If enough other characters are aggressive towards it but don't kill it, it will probably remain selective with who it tolerates, and hostile and skittish towards any unknowns, leaving the middle of the bridge still difficult to cross. Once teleportation is arranged on the Kelesian side, it's less of a practical issue for those just trying to get across... but exploring the bridge will remain a hazard.

(Of course, if enough people decide it's too dangerous to live, that's the other outcome...)

That is very likely, that if bits of the squid are severed, or parts of its Katalyth-growths otherwise knocked off, that those parts would fall onto the bridge. What a hazard... good thing Harrow is there on cleanup duty.

To gather it up in bones, it would be sort of like containing it in a thick glass jar... in that it would still give off radiation, and it would still provoke feelings of distress and unhappiness to be around it, but it would be 'portable'. It would also look much cooler to be surrounded by bone. And given a long enough time in contact with it (days to weeks, so it doesn't sound like it's necessarily possible, if she has to bleed out to maintain it the whole time, but for reference's sake:) the Katalyth might attempt to... attach to it.

So both of her options would work, in that they would let her move Katalyth pieces elsewhere without directly touching it herself. It will be unpleasant but possible!

As for the bones found from Asphodel Fields, she should certainly be able to glean some details. For that one in particular, the remains were of someone in their 40s-50s, probably female, and with signs of long-term illness, something that pre-dated whatever caused it to mutate. While it was never cured of it, it was made to persist for far longer than it should have; the bones have a history of someone miserable and anxious, that was terrified of living and dying in equal measure.

addendum: because i missed the may TDM shenanigans ...

the bodies found in the asphodel fields are said to have no evidence of souls. is there anything that harrow would be able to find out from them were she try to "read" the bone remains that momo has retrieved? for example, rough age, sex, any other physiological identifiable details ...

thank you so much and sorry about how many times ive mentioned bones in these questions!

Gojo and his special eyes.... His ability would function somewhat like the Syntrofos, in that they would agree that there is absolutely something there, but it's refusing to be seen in any other way. The sonar is hitting something, but all else is refusing to acknowledge it. Even attempts to ignore the faulty(?) senses and just move forward fails to work, as if the concept of 'moving forward' is being rewritten in real time.

To skirt around the edges, Gojo could feel that there are buildings, of a sort. Or... structures, parts of them, rough around the edges. The shapes don't really make sense for buildings. There's also a surprising amount of these structures that extend underground.

Moving figures, indistinct in their shape, also seem present in this sprawling city. Essentially, Gojo's Six Flags see a theme park of a bustling city, or at least hints of it—something's really there! But to the naked eye, there's absolutely nothing.

Here's the catch. To walk within 30 feet of Kelesis as it stands... That is awfully close! Even for a Carnivora-type like himself, resistant to the effects of whatever's going on with Kelesis, it's too close for the city's liking (not that it's sentient), and retaliation is in order. He will feel immensely disoriented, a sort of vertigo that leaves him dizzy and nauseous and unable to focus after he gets any of these glimpses, and direction simply won't make sense to him for a bit. Is it worth it?

Gojo and Mel may author their letter, and Gojo may do his best to shoot it in the vague direction of Kelesis. ...Let's hope it doesn't hit anyone on the way in, yes? Even if it's foam, what a shocking way to get in touch!

It'll take a day or two, as long as he's willing to stick around. But that response will eventually come—and though Gojo was the one who signed it, Mel is welcome to be treated to this message as well! Seems whoever the authorities are, they are aware of what's going on around their perimeter...

There is no formal "letter" in return. However, there will be a response. It'll take one of the following forms:

• As a message written in mud, water let to fill the streaks of each letter;
  
• A moment of excruciating pain in the skull, as if something squirms in their head to make room for this short message, though there is no precise "voice" relaying it;
  
• A person will step out from behind a tree (was that tree always there?). Their hair is nearly a shoulder-length bob; the roots are dark, the tips blonde. Their eyes are a deep brown, and the smile they wear is dreamy and soft. They will relay this message from memory in short, stuttered, unpracticed words, then say they must be off. As soon as they round a corner, they will disappear. (Attempt to touch this person, and they will disappear; the skies will darken slightly if this occurs, but it will not be a permanent feature.)

The message is this: "Karteria does much. Good and bad. They have protected us. They have harmed us. They are people, like us. We do not resent them.

Sorry. It has been long. Since we exchanged words with anyone. We will deliberate showing our city to you. Treat our citizens kindly."

god, yes. Spectral-types may pine for a loved one and they shall appear, controlled entirely by the work of their subconscious. This also means they may do spontaneous things, or they may do/say things that Spectral-type subconsciously compels them to. She would last until Aemond is interrupted or distracted, and she would disappear if Aemond heads for the bridge. She is the work of Aemond's imagination, and therefore under the control of his subconscious, but she'll be entirely tangible near Kelesis. So long as she's in Aemond's sight she can remain and do whatever... Aemond's subconscious version of Vhagar imagines her doing.

They can harm the Spectral-type, and they can harm all other Augmented Ones. If we use the illustration of Eli having a subconscious thought of "wow I want to stab that guy right in front of me," this inclination wouldn't even require making a duplicate of Eli. Instead, the person he's imagining stabbed is just... stabbed, knife and all, but with nobody there at the handle of it. It's pretty wicked.

(... Something, however, keeps this stabbing from being anything super lethal. So if he imagines plunging a knife through the chest, the blade is modified into something very shallow and short. Interesting!)

It's a dangerous game. For Spectral-types like Eli, he'll need to be cautious. (We also want to ensure that this remains in your comfort zone as well: if writing out an intrusive thought of Eli's actually happening is bothersome, it can be skipped!)

Orpheus' Song could have an effect on the squid! The squid itself is very loud in its thoughts, and very... intense about its feelings. A lone Aves (especially if they were more on the timid or uncertain side), would have a difficult time piercing through its mental 'shell', its fully-formed and overwrought defenses. But multiple Aves (and characters with similar abilities) working together could potentially work to calm it, or impose some other feeling upon it.

The influence would still be temporary, so as soon as they stopped their song, the squid is likely to retreat, taken by surprise. Its emotions weren't a deafened jumble for a little while, and it's not sure what to make of that. It will react with more curiosity towards Aves in the future, as likely to prod at them, as to pull them into the water (the prodding may still hurt). (If the squid is attacked during/after the song, it will also retreat afterward, and become more wary and aggressive towards anyone remotely bird-like.)

The bridge is approximately 60 miles long. Manmade structures exist on this bridge, dilapidated as they are... but the middle portion of the bridge is the Squid Zone, which is best indicated by the damage done to buildings and even the bridge itself. Partially why it's been impassable, as even some areas of the bridge have been destroyed or need repairs. A good jump from a Glire-type could clear some good gaps, but most characters need to get to work on patching up these impassable parts.

... While contesting with Squid-chan. Regarding boundaries, the increasing structural damage that resembles a good beating will be a clear indicator.

Indeed, this bridge is a collaboration of two cities, and combines three different styles of build. On the Karterian side, there is a long stretching portion of steel/concrete, supported both by dense, reinforced pillars and a bit of "don't worry about it" magic-science; on the Kelesian side, the bridge begins to dip lower toward the ocean, where some structures can do a bit of floating. It's made primarily of reinforced concrete on this side, but not as much Magi-Science BS.

Teleporters!! I myself do not know much about theoretical teleporter tech, and I'm willing to bet they're fairly simple. They work for one individual at a time; they're spacious enough to hold multiple smaller people, but this is not advised. (Patho-Gen won't elaborate, but there are chances that teleporting with a friend could cause the teleporters to fail. There's something-something about relying on a soul for teleporters to work, and just imagine the stress the machines undergo if they're moving a total of like, four separate souls (two for each character). It's not pretty.) The ones being erected at waypoints have a rating of being able to cover up 20 miles, but the range can be extended with the placement of another teleporter. Think of it as if it's all strung together with an invisible wire... Which means that theoretically, if someone were in the midst of teleporting and one of the teleporters failed, welp. That could be bad.

It takes about 30 seconds to travel 20 miles in these teleporters, so they're also not instantaneous. To the individual using the teleporter, they even experience that entire duration of time in a strange sort of quiet, with lots of rattling from beyond their claustrophobic teleporter cubicle. It can feel a little cramped and unsettling to use at first, but Patho-Gen suggests that all good things come at a price. Some staff members also allude to this not even being their "best rendition" of a teleporter, but if pressed, they double back and say that to make something even more sophisticated is... a huge drain on resources, as far as they know.

(That being said, they are also welcome to having some help refining these basic teleporters if anyone wants to help improve their design.)
Event timeline: we didn't end up specifying in the body, you are correct! This is to help make it loosey goosey as players prefer, but we imagine the Kelesis part of the exploration taking place during the latter half of the month. Of course, characters can zip right back to Karteria with ease using these teleporters, so nobody has to miss the summer solstice either!

Regaining the original animal might be somewhat complicated, given that living things don't arrive with characters... but gaining a 'new' companion through the treat system should be possible. They might even be fairly close to the original- falling right into the uncanny valley of similarity.

(As a general note: service animals don't really exist in current Karteria (though people have pets, which they leave at home, or take for (leashed) walks), with that niche filled by robots. Animals wouldn't be allowed inside public buildings, as they're viewed as inherently 'dirty', no matter how well-trained.)

Ahh apologies for the delay on this, the stories bit is taking a hot multiple seconds, but wanted to get this part out at least...

For the genius loci, there isn't something quite like that. Not exactly... or not yet.

Katalyth is very good at growing, at appearing. In addition to being miserable to be around, if looked closely at (really closely at, like under a microscope), it possesses a structure like nothing in nature.

To be around it causes mutations, and Katalyth itself mutates... adapting to something without thought behind it, grasping at everything it can and changing it. It's endless, ceaseless, tireless, without focus or meaning- but within all of that, could it not ultimately hit upon something that can think back?

So if there is a genius loci, it's a newborn. It is fragile as a thread, it is constantly being drowned out, suffocated and remade. But it may be piecing together something consciousness-shaped. It would be a difficult thing to talk to, as anything Harry might hit upon might not be 'alive' days later- or he could end up listening in to another part of its body, another facet that's also learning and dying, fumbling for meaning within the morass of terror and grief and growth that it's made out of.

1. The log will have some more information on Squid Interaction, and on the approach to Kelesis. More questions would absolutely be welcomed on the log post! But empath-types, Aves (and also other cephalopods), or people otherwise good at reading animals, would be able to pick up on the squid being intelligent, curious, and immensely lonely. For Kelesis, each of the 'sensitive' types will have a different experience, different things they'll be attuned to.

2. It's not too scantily dressed, but there's some amount of leg showing. Far more close-fitting compared to everyday wear, items that show off a neckline, that accentuate a waist. A tease similar to formal-wear, but it's also clearly not formal, so it comes across as a bit daring to Karterian standards. As long as Augmented fit the 'vibe', they won't be constrained to a particular outfit- especially as the point is to show off those fine (but only a little scary, and most of all not dull) Shifted/corrupted features! They don't want those wings hiding under long sleeves, or lovely whipping tails to be disguised under coats! They want those features accentuated!

Response to redsoil

More information will turn up with the log, but characters who can talk to animals will definitely be able to communicate to some degree with the squid. It'll be somewhat different from the experience of talking to either an animal or a person- like some bizarre halfway point, something that had forgotten how to talk to anything. Its thoughts are LOUD.

It's not widely known, but The Vibes Are There... really, Patho-Gen could have done with providing a manual about what to expect with some of these types (then again, it's possible that they don't know the details themselves). Hopefully as Spectral-types start dying off, they can spread that exciting potential to other Spectral-types. But regardless, how much a character can 'sense' of their impending death as a Spectral-type is up to the player, so it's certainly possible to feel it coming.

Given that this impending-demise-antsyness is due to the Natural Soul and not an actual failing of the body (though they would certainly want to try to clear that as a possibility), they wouldn't treat the task of stopping the process that seriously. Your Spectral-side knows what they're about. However, Patho-Gen would be interested in observing the process, and would welcome someone regularly coming in to get a load of tests done, really get a feel for how things are deteriorating, if it's something that can be measured. They might present this scientific curiosity as 'help staving off Corruption'... but in truth, they are more interested in seeing it play out.

It would probably be a mix! Familiar bug, unusual bug... not even necessarily unnaturally mutated bug, but just the result of evolution taking some of the bugs in different directions. Of course, there are the occasional ones that seem to have been mutated by arcane radiation, given that their developments are more... haphazard. Dragonflies with extra sets of wings, mosquitos with far too many mouthparts, water striders grown too heavy to stride. Most of the nonfunctional ones are just eaten by something else in the wetlands, but some of the developments might be advantageous, or at least not too much of a hindrance. A toxicity that makes them repulsive to the ambient amphibians and birds, or appendages that mimic the local snakes... nature is beautiful.

So really, she can find a combination of familiar, similar-but-localized, bizarrely-mutated, and mixes of all of those....

The squid has some very long tentacles, but an Aves flying high and discreetly enough could probably slip past. Very sneaky....

Unfortunately, some of the parts of the teleportation device are larger than that, so wouldn't be able to fit in a suitcase. She wouldn't be able to carry over a whole panel on her own. However, there are multiple pieces to their construction, and some of those components would be able to fit in her inventory. So even if she couldn't put together a whole thing, she could take care of some of the parts.

Legitimate businessman Silco turning up to do legitimate business... what's wrong with that?

The Government could very well be expected to balk, or laugh at the absurdity, the absolute nerve. Silco, who's been associated with trouble from the start, now wants an official license from them?

However- and Silco could well see some evidence of this discussion, a flurry of activity behind doors open and closed- he's not rejected out of hand. There are delays. This is not a normal case, and after what looks to be a lot of deliberation, a lot of back-and-forth... Silco is indeed granted A License.

(Do they actually trust him, or believe he's going to start playing within the rules? No, but the influence he's gaining in the underbelly of the city has caused concerns- and they think this may be one way to better keep an eye on him. To hassle, to distract.

If Silco goes ahead with his very legit business, he may expect a lot of auditing, a lot of bureaucracy thrown in his way.)

It's one of those gray areas, but for the most part, no! A Karterian would do the same thing at, say, a craft fair or during Salvation Day. It starts to become a "problem" in the Government's eyes when they start turning significant enough profit that they want to collect taxes on it... But nobody wants to enforce that kind of thing in RP. Generally speaking, if it's a main source of income for a character, they may require a business license but might not require a venue for that business, if that makes sense.

You can follow your heart on this one. License or no, let them do art...

HMM... We want you to be able to have a good time playing your character. If having their native powers is desired, we think there could be some kind of workaround that could be toyed with... When a character is brought to Karteria, it's their soul that's nabbed. If the familiar has a soul of their own/wouldn't be a playable character on their own, obviously that wouldn't be suited to roaming the landscape, with Katalyth growing at breakneck speed! An unprotected, singular soul would be vulnerable to arcane radiation just like anyone else!

For your specific circumstance, a bit of an odd, and even disturbing, situation could occur. When snagging your character, the familiar may be snagged alongside them. In such a situation, especially if it's an animal, Patho-Gen might decide to "kindly" imbue that familiar into an amulet of sorts—"For Protection," they say. (They won't be very moved by the notion that they trapped a living creature into jewelry, and won't be moved if there are protests lodged.) The essence of the familiar could be within this amulet, requiring the character to have it on their person to access their powers. It's just a situation we thought up of, but if you have another idea we are open to it! We want you to be able to have a good time.

If a castmember became indisposed?! Sheryl, what are you planning...

If pushy enough, well... In most cases, the Peacock Musical will have understudies. But assuming all of these people are somehow indisposed, they might humor at least a rehearsal with an Augmented One.

Do anything too off-the-cuff, and you're out.

Amateur reporters would be happy to get the opinion of Augmented Ones about this show that was supposed to portray the magnificent Peacock! If they have complaints, it's a sensational news story! The Sophian Herald is an entertainment news group mentioned in a Concluded quest (under "CAN WE HAVE A WORD?") that might be interested in something divisive and shocking like this. They have a penchant, however, for exaggerating accounts...

Miscreant Son: a deal made to spread the good word of 3kon: So. We couldn't figure out just how this lad would handle such a request. We let... a dice handle the fate. The roll was not favorable. Like, a 3 out of 20.

While the rich son would take advantage of Malkuth's 'generosity' and let her work a job for him (hell yes, he can work and NOT do shit!), and he'd also humor whatever request she has about listening to 3kon's music and even spreading it around... He is not fond of the Augmented, and isn't able to acknowledge that it's any good past his distaste of them. The rough crudeness of the Carnivora-types is favorable compared to the cutesy Aves-types that so many hoity-toity folk like, sure, but he's not fond of them.

The son says he'll listen. He says he'll tell his buddies. Whatever she wants. But he doesn't say he cares for it. In fact, he kind of treats it like a way to be mean when showing his buddies. Look at these things, trying to be normal! Weird, huh? It's really mean-spirited. Sorry, Malkuth... :c

But it's not all bad. It's a start. If he exposes it to some of his friends, they don't all necessarily side with his opinion, even if they pretend to jeer and mock what they hear and see. They have to all agree with him on the surface, and make fun of it... but they might actually secretly like it. It's an interesting start amongst the rich, finding something that is catchy, new, unique... but that they're embarrassed to like.

Buildings in East Sophia: WHY would you want one of those derelict things, a landowner would ask?! Additionally, the Government has problems letting any Augmented Ones own property in Karteria. Renting only! (Owning things is for rich people to do, and not for people who don't even live here normally?! (They really need to get over this if they wanna welcome in these otherworldly visitors, huh? B... baby steps.)) The answer to owning is: no. Renting, however? Yes. And renting a whole derelict building...

It's possible that Malkuth can cut a deal with someone who owns property in East Sophia that they can cut down the cost of even renting a whole building if she promises to polish it up. It's still their property, they're adamant about this, but if she can make it shine... The dangers of this, of course, is that the landlord can revoke the deal after a contracted amount of months and reclaim the property, but we'd rather let this matter be whatever's most fun for you to play out. If you want Malkuth to find a fairly kind landlord who isn't going to steal back the property as soon as she gets it habitable, that can absolutely happen.

To rent a whole building won't be cheap, and building/renovation supplies won't be cheap either. But with the help of some other Augmented Ones on her side, it might even be doable.

Characters can locate the individual messing with them via Calling magicks, indeed. They are doing it on a whim, just because they heard about it! They'll be real mum about where the info came from.

If pressed and prodded for deets, these magic-practicing Karterians have a he-said-she-said sort of web for where they learned this information from. A brother-in-law, who learned it from a work buddy, who learned it posited by a weirdo online via their various social media apps, who claims they don't know where they heard it from, they just thought about it on their own. ...It's not unreasonable, however, to guess that some part of Patho-Gen has disseminated this 'rumor' as a result of their experiments. What their aim is, however, remains to be seen.

Would Kaeya have heard the rumor? Unlikely. Karterians would be sure to be quiet about this kind of talk right in front of an Augmented One. But if you'd like to thread it out, he could have absolutely overheard it if it's of interest! Of course, the rumor's source remains unconfirmed, though it would be very easy to assume where it came from, given the circumstances. All people who talk about this stuff in public spaces (or even in their own homes) would be non-Patho-Gen staff, or if they're Patho-Gen staff members they'd not be very important or integrated ones.

Ooh, indeed. It'll be difficult, however. The interesting thing about the 'intent' of these parade-goers is that the 'intent' is fleeting before they actually try it, implying that it's very whimsy-sourced. They didn't come to the parade with the desire to try out magic tricks on the Augmented. It's more like a domino effect: the rumor's gone around, yes (its source cannot be traced but it's safe to assume it's some part of Patho-Gen responsible), and one person just... gets bored, and tries it out. Another person sees this and wonders if they can do it too.

So while possible to find them through these means, it might just be easier to locate a Karterian focusing very hard. By the time they're done with the spell is when characters are sufficiently implanted with the urge, and at that point the 'intent' part is over. They'll probably look obvious by virtue of looking stupidly smug about the whole thing, too.

If interrogated, their 'source' is a web of he-said-she-said. Their reason for doing this is because they were bored, and curious. Karterians are a curious-minded bunch, and a hypothesis deserves being tested! They will apologize, and say they won't do it again. They just had to see if it was true.

With their general network prowess, as well as familiarity with the Karterian network from having been looking at it from the start, they probably would be able to determine whether the service is properly encrypted.

And in this case: they would be able to find that Patho-Gen wasn't lying about this! There isn't any backdoor, secret access just for them: it really is genuinely encrypted, both in terms of message contents and the senders themselves.

That's right, that's something that pair bonds can potentially do at any time! It has no connection to Patho-Gen's machines, nor requirements beyond the characters themselves being pair bonded. It's more that the particular consciousness of the situation, being told to focus on their imprint (and that imprint actually having developed into a full pair bond) during that bout of testing might have stirred an ability like that into being.

(Of course, how easily achievable this is (and how inadvertently it happens) is up to the players. It could be that it requires deliberate concentration for both parties, or some manner of stress/agitation/strong feeling, or physical contact. It could happen fleetingly, or become a nuisance... whatever is more convenient for the players.

There is probably something of a max range... like if one party is in Karteria, and the other Kelesis, it would be easier to just call them on the Syntrofos. A general awareness/feeling for their state would persist at all distance unless explicitly smothered by something, but telepathy should be more of a short-range bonus.)

It would certainly be a... challenge to steal a car from the upper class. During the parade it would be exceedingly difficult to succeed, given all the attention on them, and the owners are quite protective (and proud) of their cars. If they're planning to liberate one from someone's garage, that's also... hard.

If they do have some plan for this:

1. The cars could reach 50-60 mph. If they have the knowledge and parts, they could hypothetically modify them. However, outside Karteria there aren't really roads any longer. There weren't that many leading outside the city to begin with (as the age of the personal vehicle had only just begun, and then abruptly ended), and they haven't been maintained. There is not anywhere to go with a car.

2. If they could make it out there... it's also probable that it would be found. There's not that many functional cars remaining in the city, and those that exist are monitored, tracked. Not because they're afraid of theft of the entire vehicle (as trying to move a car around the city would be very visible and quickly shut down), but instead vandalism, or the stealing of parts. There's some valuable metals in there!

3. The cars themselves would be along the lines of what's mentioned here. Vehicles solidly from the 1920s-40s in style. They're sleek, they're stylin, but they're not really all-terrain vehicles suited for roughing it out in the swamps of Asphodel Fields or the hilly, thicket-covered and tree-riddled Woods.

It's not quite like the Valentia (though it's likely that the movies that end up there are a part of the same circuitous route), as the staff at AntINKquity know somewhat more about what they're dealing with.

Strictly speaking, they still wouldn't be able to confirm where anything came from- but there's a suggestion of 'sources' from within the Government or Patho-Gen, connections that go deep. They might even surmise this openly- that if the Augmented can be brought here from other worlds, maybe they can also pull objects? Or... somehow grab the data from somewhere, if not the material itself? They seem to find the idea a touch fantastical, but they're also enamored of it.

While all good Karterians have a literary bent, those employed here are dedicated, and have a great love for research. To live in an age where they might read stories from other worlds... truly amazing, especially with how Karteria's literary scene has stagnated in recent years.

What makes it onto AntINKquity's shelves is not going to be an original, but a duplicate, or something piecemeal that's been stitched together with any number of unrelated articles. The general staff don't have access to the originals (if they even exist), but are good about cataloging the things they are sent.

Unfortunately for Saturn, the Augmenter delivered to her arrives pre-broken. But with her uncanny ability for deducing these sorts of things, she should be able to tell a bit about how and why it was broken:

It is only half of a 'complete' Augmenter (even a bit less than that, given that this part of the capsule doesn't have that much in it). The way it was connected to the other half is deliberately frail, built to detach on disturbance (which suggests that attempting to remove an intact Augmenter from a character will be difficult to achieve- not impossible, but difficult).

It is also... unpleasant to hold. Mildly so, the sort of feeling that would be easy to brush off (or go unnoticed entirely were the character touching it already feeling stressed, or upset). It doesn't get any worse the longer Saturn (or anyone else) holds it, but it's always there, a background hum of pessimism, of apathy. As a Golem-type in particular, Saturn may be more 'conscious' of this infliction, this small deadening of mood. While there's no visible residue left on the capsule, it has been in close contact with Katalyth. The capsule itself is inert, it won't kill anyone to stay in contact with it (or eat it), but it's absorbed some of those bad vibes, in a way.

The material of the capsule itself is otherwise sturdy- very sturdy, plasticy, artificial- made of some unknown composite material. It's only its connection to the other, missing half that's frail, as it's something that's otherwise built to seal off and protect its contents from the outside.

Thanks for waiting while we did some more brainstorming!

The treats page has a very distinct flavor of sampling from the world itself, alas. Things that are from 'home' are often replicas of them. Thus, if the goal is to try to bodyshare with their familiar...

Option one is going the amulet route, for the long haul option of first depriving your character of their magic and then granting it through questionable, experimental means. You character's familiar could be distilled into an amulet, rendered into just their magic... and your character won't get it back, which means that Patho-Gen wants to keep it. There will be opportunities to (oocly) volunteer characters for Situations involving Patho-Gen and their hunger for Science And Terrors, at which point they could mash the two together. This would at least provide a way to share a soul space, if you wished! (This also would not take any points to do, as it wouldn't be the same as a Natural Soul, nor would it behave like one.)

Option two: your character can arrive with their avian familiar pre-smushed into the augmenter, no redeems required! Consider it that Patho-Gen snagged more than they bargained for. The Natural Soul you select will be what dictates all of your character's features, however: the familiar will not dictate any of their traits, and will only be along for the ride (while granting your character their powers). Natural Souls are a bit more than they seem on the surface (<img src="https://emos.plurk.com/ae614ee6e6d6035afb3ad867b80774e3_w24_h21.png" class="imageshrink-actualsize">), which is why their traits manifest so starkly while another world's animal soul wouldn't have the same impact. (Of course, you could go the Aves route and have there be an Aves-type soul in there, the additional familiar soul, and then your character's soul, then see Bird Traits manifest. Three's a crowd...) These both have similar outcomes: the former has more suffering involved, and the latter is straightforward.

While the Valentia has gotten somewhat better about keeping around meals that suit different needs (or different palates), they have balked over keeping blood on hand for the vampire-esques (who may have their meals sponsored for an amount of time by visiting nearby clinics)... and they just haven't thought much about what Golems would need. (Few, unfortunately, think much about Golems in terms of 'needs'.)

They would be somewhat confused at the request; why couldn't a Golem just... go outside, eat some dirt there if that's what they want? But they might be convinced towards keeping a box or shelf somewhere with an assortment of rocks (as it's not particularly off-putting, just odd). If other Augmented are willing to donate rocks/other tasty inorganic materials, they will start keeping them on hand to dispense on request (and who knows, they might even add any nice-looking stones they come across to the pile).

Alas, they would not be told... the Valentia staff know a bit about some of the more mundane appetites, as they've run into a few different needs by now, but requests from Golems aren't something they've run into. (And Patho-Gen's own knowledge of these things is somewhat spotty... though they've attempted to crib somewhat from the information the Augmented themselves have gathered about their own diets.)

So were a Golem to ask the staff as to what they should eat, they would be offered 'normal' Karterian food (gelatinous mayo) until knowing better. (If the Golem was Shifted, or otherwise thoroughly corrupted and visibly not-human, they might be told to report back to their manufacturer for refueling or recharging, or whatever it was robots needed. They're there to serve people, not things.)

A handwave would be fantastic. It would keep things from getting messy..... especially since there will be Others Potentially Present. Celia will be by herself. There's very clearly an unease to her because welp this whole post was a lot, but she is not willing to relent due to discomfort. She's gotta know about Patho-Gen's crimes.

That said, she will remain as polite and accommodating as possible. Pal's refusal for of her aid during their conversation has made her very wary of overstepping, so she won't ask to poke around unless sincerely offered. Even then, re: his special eyes, she will only look and jot down notes; she offers that her field of expertise isn't whatever this is, but that it should be accounted for as a side-effect of the way Patho-Gen's treated him. There's no desire on her part to hungrily Learn Science from his condition.

... All to say that she appreciates this digest. (Sorry for the length... Celia wants to be OPEN, as much as possible.)

The Wild Souls aren't inherently different from Natural Souls, no. But it would be very visible to an Aves (or anyone else with soul sight/ability to sense these things) the number of souls a character possessed, and the Natural/Wild soul(s) do look different from whatever soul a character possesses natively.

Of course, it's up to the player to decide what their souls 'look' like, whether they can tell what a Carnivora looks like versus an Aves, or only that they are 'different' (or maybe they all look the same, distinct only in not being human(esque)). All Aves can have soul sight, but maybe some are a bit myopic...

1. The Golems and Terras do have detectable Augmenters! It's a small thing, but it's there.

2. Pulling one out of a still-living Terra is going to be difficult. They are certainly not going to cooperate, but assuming that anyone who's trying has the means to restrain/sedate the plant and the ability to do delicate surgery in a hell pit without light, they could remove... something. The Augmenter is a very small thing though, and under these conditions, they would only be able to pull out something that looks like... about half of a capsule, about a centimeter in size. It won't actually have all that much that's useful inside, almost like it's been hollowed out already.

It does have a number of indentations, absolutely tiny things, as though some very complicated (and very minuscule) objects or circuitry had once been placed inside it. There could still be some remnants there, hair-thin wires, but the 'bulk' of the capsule is missing. It wouldn't be hard to guess that this isn't the whole of it, but the other half seems to have been detached, broken apart and dissolved entirely.

Should the Terra still be alive at the time of removal: they will soon not be. The signs of Katalyth poisoning will be almost immediately in evidence, as boils progress rapidly through their body, spreading from the implantation site to all extremities. As they're already insane, nothing really changes there, but with their poisoning progressing so rapidly, they aren't likely to survive long enough to attack, should whatever is restraining them fail. But it's very clearly a miserable way to go, especially for the Katalyth-sensitive Terras.

Asking after Ingrid Chevron will inevitably lead to general confusion, as she's dead. She was old when she was the Director of Experimental Sciences and Augmented Affairs, and her role was to oversee the bridge between the Original Augmented Ones (the Karterian ones!) and their role as, well, experiments towards a better future. This meant that she was often placed in a role of secrecy, keeping her colleagues on both sides of the fence (the side of humanizing them, versus the side of trying to understand them) in the dark. Patho-Gen scientists who are Claude's age and older—so like, 50+—who met Ingrid don't seem to much like her, and describe her as a stony woman of few words. Ingrid herself faded out of her position in a very quiet retirement, especially after the OG Augmented died. No more experimental science, no more Augmented Affairs. It seems by the end of it all, she passed due to arcane radiation poisoning.

There is nobody who has occupied her role in this length of time. The Augmented were only recently brought back... Perhaps someone should occupy that role now, huh?

Ripping them in half with big teeth and/or shattering them is certainly effective. For the Terras, when they're denied access to light/sun, their regenerative prowess is similarly limited, and they can be taken apart by brute force. (Though the same general caution applies in that they are still generally stubborn, and could potentially survive and return, if their root systems aren't properly destroyed. Characters capable of sensing life/souls would be a good thing to bring with (or afterward), to make sure that any root system is fully dead, and not merely hiding/dormant. But they can all be killed with enough biting.)

And the same sort of goes for the Golems, as there's little visible difference between their 'alive' and 'dead' states. They can definitely be killed by being broken up enough, but it can be hard to tell what's 'enough' without someone there to see that the soul is indeed gone.

Squid will not react to this specific mimicry in any way other than friendly (violent) flails of its tentacles. But get a local Cephalopoda-type or, gasp, an elusive Cnidaria-type into the mix, and they'll be able to tell either by Cephalopoda-sympathy or Cnidaria-interfacing that the squid is... confused. Or excited? Mostly confused. It has a lot to think about after hearing that song, and it may retreat to do so.

It would be possible to feed on the Terras this way; they're great at providing nutrition to all Augmented! It would be difficult for a singular Spectral to kill one this way, though, unless they had already been weakened by something else. If not precisely 'healthy', they are fonts of energy.

The Patho-Gen scientists could be drained of life much more easily; if Brickston (or some other opportunistic Spectral) doesn't get there first, something else is consuming their energy into death. They make good snacks!

It wouldn't be possible to imprint on either, fortunately(?). Barring some experimental procedures to inflict a kind of bonding on the Augmented, Patho-Gen (and any other native Karterian) cannot be imprinted with. Whether the Terra could be, as they are also Augmented... is harder to test. It doesn't occur now, in any case; they are too insane, too furious and hateful. They would treat all contact as a threat. (And if they are subdued/shut off by one means or another, they would similarly lack the capacity to form attachments. Or it might not be possible in the first place.)

Light/Fire remains a danger down there. With some of the areas more under 'control', it's less of an absolute bad idea, but it would still have to be done very very carefully. The Terra benefit powerfully from light, so any damage done to them would have to outpace their growth. Adding poison to the mix, blocking off parts of the tunnels to carefully clear chunks at a time without activating everything... it's not impossible but it would be an easy thing to go wrong.

1. Alas, no! Should she produce her Syntrofos using her funny inventory box, it will be confiscated. One way or another. This could mean having to make her Shut Off via Augmenter technology, if necessary. Anything that spews out from her inventory is Patho-Gen property now.

2. Collar will be a difficult thing to remove. Tearing it off by force will decapitate the wearer. It requires being unlocked to be removed.

3. Flash freezing the Terra-types... could preserve the Terra-types! They will die in this state, and not all fruit/veg tolerates being frozen well, but some sorts will tolerate this treatment nicely. Tasty, Nutritious Terras.

4. A Terra-type probing beneath the city will find... an expansive sewer system!!! It's not particularly well-maintained, but at least one Augmented One has been going down there.....

   There are also transport tunnels in addition to the sewers, with some points of connection between them. They are also not in great shape, and it doesn't suit any Karterian in their right mind to live down there. There are all kinds of tunnels down there to be felt, but do so gently, for they seem unfinished and liable to cave in. Don't wanna harm anyone if they're down there, though who in their right mind would venture into this mess...?

Unfortunately, these collars will still decapitate her with sudden removal; if it doesn't, it'll at the very least cause her to bleed out very rapidly. If she is decapitated or otherwise killed, she will undergo what all other characters who have died go through: inpatient care at Patho-Gen HQ after some surgeries. Her memories of the event will be even hazier than most characters, and staff will be told that she woke during augmenter adjustment and lashed out while surgical instruments were at her neck, thus causing this accident. She will also awaken with the full effects of a force-imprint with Patho-Gen, feeling beholden to protect them above all else.

While the dreamscape is 'real' in the sense that emotions can be shared through it (to the point where even imprints have the potential to form should the characters connect well enough), it is not a physical space. Material tokens can't be passed between characters; any apparent acquisition exists within the dream alone. While a Spectral character might feel a greater ease in navigating these spaces, and be more at home there, they would still be unable to leave other dreamers with physical goods.

(Though a character who attempted to give something they had on them- such as a feather- might find that they had plucked it out during the night. It would still remain with their person, however.)

The Government would not comment; officially, this is a Patho-Gen matter, and it's not their place or responsibility to offer speculation. Not their goat, not their parade.

That said, while the Government has certain ties to Patho-Gen, they are not the same entity. They have generally had congenial relations with one another, but situations like this continue to strain that good will. There is an amount of alarmed grumbling within the bureaucracy over this supposed 'Augmenter failure'. They were not informed about this in advance, and many are sore about that. Even if opinions are still not great towards the Augmented, they would like to know where they are!

There is some scrambling within as they try to find answers themselves, but they're unlikely to come up with anything (that they could share, at least) any faster than the Augmented. But no, they don't like this and are irritated with Patho-Gen for the chaos this is causing- as they are not unaware of the invasions on Patho-Gen HQ, by Karterian and Augmented alike. If the citizens were indifferent to this (or on the side of Patho-Gen), the Government would have been more likely to stay out of this completely (besides using the militia to secure the safety of citizens against 'unruly' Augmented rioters). As it is, they're staying out of it, but they're also a bit annoyed at the disruption....

Unfortunately, none of the regular Karterians noticed anything when it came to the Augmented being collected. At the time, they wouldn't have thought anything to be amiss anyway; it's only in this aftermath (or... ongoingmath) of so many being taken that they're questioning Patho-Gen's treatment of the Augmented. Do they really have their best interests at heart? They deserve better than this!

Patho-Gen HQ is lately a mess of scents from all the people coming in and rummaging about. But especially early on, it would be possible to follow the scent of the kidnapped Augmented downstairs. The scent unfortunately terminates somewhere past where the Augmented can get to, but they were taken down. Other than that, it's just the smell of a lot of people, and what they've been up to (also a lot of harsh cleaners).

Oh sure, that would be just fine! It's just too bad for Aemond that he didn't think to look for specifics over which relative had been taken....

And that's entirely possible! Maybe his mind is adapting to all this being fucked with, or it's just too familiar enough that it's overriding the work they're putting in to make him forget it. Aemond can recall all the horrors sooner....

1. We're pretty loosey-goosey on the range of Fungi-type mind control if it doesn't have major impact on the game or fellow players. They certainly don't require line of sight, and they don't obey physical walls, but they operate within a reasonable radius of the Fugi-type. In fact, it might be appropriate to say that the more that the Fungi-type's environment is 'overtaken' by spores and their own mess, the larger their sphere of influence is. An untainted area may only grant 10-15ft of influence, while having a full 20ft covered by spores or growths might extend that range to 30ft or more.


2. Let's say Momo is trying to be discreet about his Fungi-type powers, and he En-Fungals a Patho-Gen scientist. His cell may not be turned into Fungi-type territory; thus, it may hamper Momo's ability to control the staff member once they move too far away. However, he would at least be able to get a rough intuitive sense for where that individual is, although it's nothing precise.


3. That is an excellent question... To get information out of a hostage as a Fungi-type would also require completely overtaking the host, so be prepared to kill a scientist if you go down that route. While higher thought won't be accessible to Momo, he will be able to get a very rudimentary feeling for the layout of the establishment—except this amount of information is quite vast, and it blurs together with other establishments the scientist is familiar with. Their apartment building, the gymnasium they went to as a child, the neighborhood they live in, the building they're currently in, Patho-Gen HQ... Oh! Well, Momo could figure out that one bit: they're not in Patho-Gen HQ, for certain. Matters that are more muscle-memory will be easiest for Momo to glean as a Fungi-type.

1. These patients are willing to talk. They are... very average people. To get an idea of what they might have to say, feel free to sample from this answer regarding the Ways Ciel Can Be Helpful to them. These individuals are bereft of the hope that they might be cured, and aren't... content with living their days dying in here. But them's the breaks. They're here willingly. Some of them offer that there isn't even a charge to their families to be here for this end-of-life care, and that studying their condition may someday help someone else. Maybe.

   
   
   

   Those who are too far gone to react may have some belongings, but they're much sadder things. No keys, ID cards, or the like. Just things like a small, dingy figurine from a loved one, a part-finished crossword book that gradually looks as though their ability to do the crosswords have faded, or a stack of the Karterian equivalent of the magazine Cook's Illustrated.




2. If Riddle used his own magic in a room intended to test native powers... The collars aren't ever explained to characters, but no doubt they are disconcerting to wear. As soon as Riddle attempts to null the collar, it will work—at least, while in the room. What precisely that did is impossible to tell... unless Patho-Gen attempted to, in this particular room, force Riddle to obey them by force-imprinting him. This feels just like an imprint should, but it manifests like an affection for... the entity of Patho-Gen, rather than another person??

   
   
   

   So. Largely, that collar's magical purpose, aside from things like tracking or acting as a quick IV or other practical purposes, is to enact this newly-developed Patho-Gen Patented "Force-Imprint," which somehow mollifies subjects into a state of contentment and obedience by encouraging that same magic that can be found in imprints, usually shared between two individuals. Weird. A situation where this could show up might be a replicated experiment as seen under the Carnivora-Reptilia-etc specialized test, but with the modification of using native powers as well! In such a case, Patho-Gen would find that their attempt to "force" an imprinted response on Riddle flat-out doesn't work.

   
   
   

   Of course, there is one difficulty. If Riddle attempts to tamper with the magic of his Augmenter, he will immediately pass out... and the presence of the Augmenter is all Patho-Gen needs to force him unconscious as well. Either way, they can, and will, try to shut him down once they figure out that his power is able to magically jam anything they try.

   
   
   

   Otherwise, the kinds of magic Patho-Gen can wield is standard issue Karterian stuff: Calling, which is a sort of persuasive, animalistic mind control usually used on just animals. Simple commands, like "fight," "heel," "come," etc won't work on Riddle if he's interfering with their magical abilities.

1. These individuals are largely standard citizens, nothing remarkable. How'd they get arcane radiation poisoning? Oh, from various things... Some were farmers, trying to make a living while doing important work out in what fields they could get to. Over time, arcane radiation managed to take its toll between the small plots of farmland that were protected... Other patients may say that they were trying to do charity work for outer city defectors, and managed to become too exposed. Citizens can take small dips into open air, but that time is very short, and it accumulates.

   There is one patient with something of note to say, who is a bit further along. They have a sort of rugged disposition, and don't care for idle chitchat or reminiscing. They lived their life impoverished. They were paid a lot money to run errands out in The Woods. They took on the job because they wanted to go out there and live, and the money they earned could go to their friends. Who paid them? Various guilds, not unlike the Velvet Claw, passed these jobs along; the identity of whoever asked for these jobs to be done was none of their business. They will say that yes, others do take these jobs on with the promise of money, at the expense of their health... but with the Augmented here now, they don't think these jobs will be around for much longer. They seem to have mixed feelings about that: it was an opportunity for them, but the cost was devastating.

2. You're free to have them come at this from either angle. They might be interested to watch Riddle use his powers for a bit, but the moment Patho-Gen themselves felt threatened by it, that's when they'd put him into naptimezone, and only for long enough to move him safely out of any power-permitting zones.

While native ability testing would never take place in the Katalyth room itself, it's not impossible that some (smaller) amount of Katalyth might be brought in to the former. It's also possible that they could do this for Gale, out of some awareness of his ability to absorb magic... or just to see how his magic would react to it. So he could probably cause a big explosion this way (before being quickly shut down). That's too much of a demonstration... though they'll be interested in how he corrupts afterward. But it's possible that he could kill someone/damage the room itself, and be treated a lot more brusquely/cautiously afterward.

Carnivora (particularly while bolstered with imprints) can regrow some lost parts. It'll take some time (no one's restoring limbs in the heat of battle), and is much slower than healing simple cuts (or even deep ones). It's not perfect though, and the more that's missing, the more likely that it just... stops part way. Closes the wound, calls the construction of half a finger good enough. Or maybe it manages the whole thing! So yes, it's a choose-your-own-stump adventure.

That amount of history sounds just fine! It doesn't need to be pages and pages, but enough to give a feel for where the character came from, and how they ended up becoming the person they are currently.

With her powers: if you would prefer them to be completely lost, inaccessible, that's entirely justifiable as it is. But if you would prefer her to keep a little of her magic, even at this distance from her goddess- there's also enough to justify that as well. So it's really up to what you would find more interesting to play with.

For buildings mistakably religious... the facades of, oddly enough, some banks, as well as libraries- might come across that way. Banks are ornate, frequently in older, established (and beautiful) buildings, with lobbies dedicated to the worship of commerce. But libraries overall might be the closest bet, as they have a meditative atmosphere, are lovingly looked after, and frequently have places set aside for quiet study, discussion, or debate. There's even features that could conceivably be mistaken for altars or pulpits... even if they're used by people speaking on non-religious topics.

The dead of Karteria are largely buried- though the graveyards that exist with the city limits are growing crowded as the years pass. Cremation used to be a viable alternative, but it actually takes quite a bit of energy to properly burn a body- an energy that had been found through Katalyth. With Katalyth no longer safe to use, cremation is still available, but it's now about as expensive as burial.

People can also choose to donate their bodies to science (or have this fate chosen for them by their relatives). This was... very popular for a time- avoid those pesky funereal costs by shoving the deceased into the loving arms of Patho-Gen!- enough so that they have more bodies than they can effectively do anything with. Patho-Gen now respectfully refuses most donations. Interesting corpses only!

For sign language, there is a local variant, and fluency in it would be a feature included in the universal translation. (As a general note, if a character didn't know any sign language to start with- just as if they were illiterate- the Augmenter's language imparting would be helpless to assist.)

Depending on how the militia behave, Patho-Gen could either be resentful/alarmed at this incursion on their property... or reluctantly appreciative of the help. Or a bit of both, depending on what part of the company is watching. They would attempt to cooperate rather than refuse them access, at least- as there's already been threats (and more than threats) of violence to their staff, and their own guards are insufficient to handle this level of outcry. (Not everyone has those clickers, and the clickers naturally don't work on Karterians!)

The staff themselves would range from relieved to have backup, to getting cocky from having backup (inciting both protesting Karterian and Augmented alike), to being nervous about their presence at all. It makes everything feel very serious, all of a sudden; why is this happening over some crucial Augmenter maintenance...?

How things turn out also depends on how the Augmented themselves react to this... of course that's not something that we can control, but it'd certainly be some kind of test of Set's forces!

Sorry about the delay, wanted to give Bruno a Proper Vision(tm) to take home with him.... But yes, native powers are the ones characters possess at home, and may also possess to some greater or lesser degree in game. (They are also testing Natural Soul-related powers, but in the native-power room, that interest takes a backseat.)

And yes, in the room where native powers are permitted to exist, Bruno could be treated to a taste of the future. And as he might expect, it's not a great one, and certainly nothing Patho-Gen would want to see:

Karterian streets, but there's something wrong.

The sky above is clear, clear; it lacks the familiar, protective translucence that stagnates the air but blocks the harmfulness of arcane radiation. The barrier has fallen.

While the heavens are clear, something like fog sticks close to the buildings, a haze that makes it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. It's not a true fog, nor mist, but something that distorts the view of everything around. Streets flicker in and out of existence, appearing to be twisted up by flesh and vine, before returning to normal.

The streets aren't deserted, but it's quiet. There's bodies- of Augmented and local Karterian- collapsed in alley and thoroughfare, curled up in doorways. As a mercy, they seem to all be largely alive... though with the barrier down, how long that will still be the case is numbered in days, when it comes to the Karterians. While there's movement, almost everyone seems to be unconscious.

Some kneel besides the downed, trying to rouse them- only to collapse at their side. In every direction, the same thing plays out.

Bruno's Patho-Gen captors will have a very peculiar reaction to this story. Assuming Bruno conveys it relatively accurately, they will be in hushed awe. The part of his vision he may hear one repeat with a sort of reverence: "Is it finally a sign of the end-times? If... If the streets are barren, did we find a habitable destination? Ha! We're right, right?"

Their fellows will tell them to hush up. Clearly, they're not supposed to talk like this in front of captives.

Patho-Gen's staff will ignore him when it's convenient for them, as it seems they're taking this vision the way they want to see it. Which is... pretty telling of some incredibly disturbing thinking! Some may look his way and register Bruno's protests, but chalk it up to the fact that most people were saved, so it's whatever.

With all the coming and going, it would be difficult to find a meaningful scent trail- but for the most recent departees, it might be possible to pick up on something: and it would be leading downstairs. The same direction as where the kidnappees were taken, and disappearing in the same impassable spot. If there's no chance of a scent trail being found, it is also possible to press some of the staff at this time, who would admit that those with failed Augmenters are taken below. There's a lot of restricted stuff down there, and none of the people working above know exactly where they end up. But it all points downward.

If there are any belongings that have been successfully collected (as Patho-Gen is fairly slow about doing this- and it's less likely to happen to characters living in established households with others), they might be found in multiple storage closets upstairs. There's no trace of the characters themselves up there, it really is just storage. Things like weapons seem to have been wholly confiscated, but miscellaneous personal goods are just laying here on a shelf.

Actually branding Golems (or any other type, really), is a bit too forward, even for the most callous of Patho-Gen. It would be an awful thing for optics, not something they could readily play off- and unnecessary, in their eyes. By virtue of being Augmented, they're company property. Anything growing from them is branding enough!

Even if sometimes the Golems/robot-looking entities get treated as belonging to the city, or to individual shops, depending on where they're caught standing by some citizen, that's a tolerable confusion (in their eyes). No one questions that they're owned, it's just a matter of by who.

An excellent and relevant question! Yes, while storming Patho-Gen it is very possible to commit some murders to the staff. Mowing down a crowd would be unlikely to succeed, as someone would be there to knock the offending character unconscious, but characters could absolutely kill or maim individuals. Even multiple individuals, if they caught them by surprise, and just kept exploring. Whether Eli is ever caught at the time, or manages to escape is up to you! As Patho-Gen has their hands full, 'catching' would, for the short term, entail being put to sleep and deposited in jail for holding until they could work out exactly what happened, and decide on a punishment. (If he escapes, it's likely that there is some kind of video footage/other evidence that places him there, and he would be served with any potential punishment later.)

Any murders should definitely be reported reputation wise, as Patho-Gen would have to decide case-by-case just how serious this was. It would likely be considered something of a crime of passion (as it's connected to this situation, and assumed to be prompted by it), which would permit some leniency. How lenient would also be determined by the brutality of the murder, the number of them, and so on.

Characters would at least face longer bouts of community service. Additionally, they would be made to wear anklet bracelets (or an equivalent over some other part of the body, should a character lack ankles). It would inhibit all native powers, and most Natural Soul abilities as well. Apart from their customer service tasks, they would be given two options:

1. They are otherwise allowed to go where they want, but the anklet will beep any time their adrenaline spikes. If it continues for more than a minute, the character will receive a shock and will fall unconscious. Patho-Gen assumes that heights of adrenaline are linked to some impending murders.

2. The character is held under house arrest. Apart from the times where they are going to and from their community service task, they are required to remain at home. The anklet will also force them unconscious if they leave their residence outside those times. Their adrenaline can go as high as it wants, as long as they're home.

Oh that's great, something like that could definitely work! It's up to you if you'd like Eli to run into more trouble, more staff to manage/murder, but it's also entirely possible that he and Gale would get away with the prize.

The already-suggested penalties would still apply (house arrest, community service) as a baseline, from his prior actions. While Patho-Gen could believe (accurately) that Eli was the one behind this incursion, with the cameras properly obscured they would have a more difficult time presenting evidence to that effect. Eli's not the only Spectral out there, can they really prove it was specifically him? (Or would they, if proving it entailed revealing more avenues of surveillance than they're supposed to possess?) The official punishment might well remain the same, catching him only for prior offenses, until Patho-Gen can present better evidence.

However, Patho-Gen itself has its suspicions... Eli could also abruptly find himself picked up for 'recalibration.' What that entails is a milder (or more focused) version of what the kidnappees went through. No prolonged testing, but he could come out of it with vague recollections of being operated on (though with little physical evidence of this), and with an unnatural attachment to Patho-Gen. For some time after, he will feel more comfortable, even docile in their presence; he would find it repulsive to inflict harm on any member of staff, and would automatically move to their defense if they were threatened. It doesn't necessarily change his thoughts, only those gut feelings and impulses. It's not permanent, but can linger for as long as is inconvenient to him.

This is no legal nor illegal act, only Patho-Gen looking after its Augmented... but it's also clearly punishment, or at least an attempt to curb these unfortunate anti-Patho-Gen sentiments and behaviors.

We think that with Eli there to counterbalance the effects, Gale will do just fine! It might be extremely hard for him to aid in killing anybody, and sometimes he may feel a flare-up of defensiveness on Patho-Gen's behalf, if you wish to play with this. The intent behind the force-imprint with Patho-Gen is to turn the Augmented into unwilling little doggy-protectors, having that Carnivora-type Gale come to Patho-Gen's aid should they require it. Of course, none of the Patho-Gen mooks who Gale and Eli encounter will know how to make the greatest use of this force-imprint, given that most of them don't even know it's there... (Beware of the members of Patho-Gen who do know if its existence. They are the ones to be feared most, but they're also the ones least likely to be encountered.)

Gale can absolutely be aware of these weird impulses, especially after the fact. 'Hey, why the hell did Eli coming for the throat of a Patho-Gen dummy make me snarl and want to protect them?' These are all feelings of protectiveness that can be resisted, and Gale can still use his powers to menace the staff. He may have a hard time killing or mortally wounding anybody, however... but with enough willpower, these impulses can be resisted if not being actively employed.