Intro Log: The Forgotten City

[atlasmods]

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS This time for real! WAKEY WAKEY. As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice: There are more stasis pods. Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not in it. Hurry and wake those guys up! SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID. With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The "Seedlings" and "Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered. The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down. Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times. The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic. DON'T GET LOST And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good! Lucky for everyone else, it looks like finally there's some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out! OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO. Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option) OOC The Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for Discovery, and The Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings. We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!

Comments

[superblack]

That ship is a part of... whatever all of this is.

[He can say that with certainty.]

We may have come from that ship, or something like it. The symbols on our suits were in there.

[Saying that the suits adapt though... Not surprising, not really. But what kind of tech was this that could allow such a rapid change?

And why would it need to adapt so quickly? Why would it change, but never allow any kind of removal of the suit? The suit itself could might as well be a walking prison.]

I'm not sure how our suits could open it, though. It's worth a shot.

[adamance]

It may prove to be a matter of lining us all up to find out who, exactly, is able to open it. We're growing in our numbers, though some have left. We'll have to do it quickly. ["Left" and "disappeared" are really the same thing in Lexa's book. She's uncomfortably aware of how many people have gone missing since day one, and she imagines that the newest batch of individuals will likely have those who meet the same fate.]

And if it proves to not work, I'm sure someone can fashion some kind of explosion out of the pods. If it's happened once ... [It can happen again.

But with a warning this time.]

[superblack]

[He could do it, but he's not about to offer right now. He can't play all of his cards yet, especially when they know so little, or if they're all being watched.

They're probably being watched.

Bruce, too, has noted how many have come and gone. Those unable to survive would naturally be the first to go, but the fact that not much of them has been left behind is... disturbing.]

Hopefully it's that easy. I don't plan on taking this with me everywhere.

[adamance]

You may be able to find someone to help. [The words "find" and "someone" are said in a straightforward manner, but there may be the sense that it's not that simple. Lexa is fond of "delegating" tasks to others, all in order to see how they might handle themselves in the process. The fact that she can trick others into doing more here because of their physical capabilities is a boon to her. Bruce has proved himself to be as strong as he previously suggested, but there's still an obvious human limitation at play. To some degree.]

There are those who flaunt their strength. If we're forced to bring this further, I'm certain one of them would gladly grant you their aid. [This is less of a condemnation about Bruce and more that the others are almost too willing to give things away.

It's why she'll later want to find out what all they're capable of. It seems like a worthy endeavor.]

[superblack]

[He raises a brow at her comment, her wording.]

Not fond of a show-off, are you?

[His tone is light, yet there isn't much of a joke there. She must not like people who make fools out of themselves for the sake of their own ego. It's a tactic he employs himself... as Bruce Wayne. A convenient trick, really, a personality flaw expected of men like him.]

You might be right that some of those show-offs might be willing to help.

[adamance]

I believe in the value of displays of strength, but not when that strength leads to little caution. There are numerous people here who think their abilities make them invincible. I'm not willing to deal with their remains when they see differently. [Pragmatism has its place. Jessica and Clark are both so willing to overextend themselves. Anakin seems as if he's the same way, but he has a ruthless edge that she can't help but respect.

That rough edge can go a long way.]

But until they crumble, it's better to use what's available. [Harsh but honest. Lexa's used to a culture that says these things openly.]

[superblack]

[And wasn't he the one that made sure the invincible could bleed?

Where Lexa comes from is no mystery to Bruce. In fact, he understands and empathizes with the ideas. Yet he can't say he agrees in it entirely, if only because there's no easy answer. The strength of Krypton destroyed Metropolis, but that same strength saved Gotham.]

Careful with your words. I've seen good men fall, strong men. I'm not letting that happen again.

[Naive words, he knows, but threats can't be handled by one way alone. He learned it the hard way.]

[adamance]

[As a woman who died before she came here, his words give her ... a very real reason to hesitate. She looks at him for a long moment, as if she's processing his words. Nothing about how Lexa observes him makes it seem as if she's startled, or if there is any reason to read the silence between them as "awkward." No, it is processing, plain and simple.]

You mean to stop death itself from occurring?

[superblack]

You can't stop death once it happens. I mean to stop more good men and women from dying. Sacrifices are expected, but they shouldn't be the only resort.

[And it pains him, stings in ways he can't even describe, knowing that people just die around him. His parents.

His proteges.

Clark.]

They don't all have to die for the greater cause.

[adamance]

I don't disagree, though some sacrifices are necessary. That said, you may find that many of the people here don't agree with your perspective.

[And as callous as Lexa is, she can't help but see it as a thing that they are better off capitalizing on. Unless she grows fond of them. In those situations, she leans harder on her own inherent selfishness, but that's not something she's bound to advertise anytime soon.]

[superblack]

Not a lot of people do.

[It doesn't bother him in the least, honestly. If it was supposed to irritate him in some manner, it doesn't.

He'd learned not to compromise over the years, both a blessing and a curse as of late.]

[adamance]

My approach is to remind them of their value to us while living. I don't know that it's gotten through to them.

[Lexa has her doubts. Back home, people would wait for every word she had to offer.

But here? It's clear that she has to reconsider how she approaches others. There are some things she won't change, but ...]

[superblack]

You know, most people don't like being told they're useful like things. They're people.

[He says with a raised brow. He knows how useful people are, sometimes he even exploits that, but it'd be a stretch to say he's completely heartless to only call out their usefulness. He knows people a little too well.

God knows how much he's done for his own people in Wayne Industries, and for the Robins.]

[adamance]

Then perhaps they should act as people who value themselves than shields that can be lost. I haven't asked them to act as they do. [Lexa isn't going to say that she disagrees with him. The idea of seeing her people as objects gets under her skin. But the individuals she's encountered here seem as if they are all too willing to lay their lives on the line.

So, she's taking a different tact.]

[superblack]

They haven't thought to act any other way. It takes a suggestion, sometimes. [And that was the difference between his old self and his reforming self. Not reformed. Bruce isn't there yet, he knows it. Under his skin is a spirit of cruelty and violence.]

[adamance]

And deciding that you're the first to suggest it makes you sound self-important. [It's a statement that could sound a bit combative, and in a way, it is. But Lexa feels that it's necessary to point it out. Regardless, she's never been against playing Devil's Advocate.]

[superblack]

[He gives her a look, completely flat, almost verging on dead eyed.] And you're putting words in my mouth. I said it takes a suggestion, not that it was my suggestion.

[adamance]

[If someone can both be oddly prideful and also blank-faced, Lexa has pulled it off. She doesn't even blink in the face of his reply.]

I was merely drawing one of the conclusions available from your words.

[superblack]

"Merely." Something tells me you do that more than once or twice. [He sighs. He's too tired to really look defiant, especially to someone of her age, but what does it say that he's just tired and not annoyed?

He's seen too much in his time.]

That's going to piss someone off one day and while I have a feeling that you don't care, it won't end well at some point.

[adamance]

[Meanwhile, Lexa is perfectly aware of what her antagonism does to people, and doesn't care. It's not what got her killed, and it's made her enemies. But there's a balance.

And in her opinion, she's only gained more insight on Bruce.]

I've led my people into war. I know that a few barbs can be the cause of that war.

[It's an overly convoluted (unnecessarily so) way of saying "I know I piss people off."]

[superblack]

[Doesn't he know about it.

Of course. He's Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Batman took care of the war, made more enemies than friends, and summarily pissed off the entirety of the underworld in one fell swoop.

Bruce Wayne is just an eccentric businessman and a playboy.]

You run a gang or should I assume this is more of a civil war?

[Though "war" is an accurate descriptor of what happens in Gotham's worst places.]

[adamance]

A "civil" war would imply unity among the different clans. Unfortunately, that's not always been the case. Still, it would be the more apt descriptor ... I command a whole people.

[Even at her age. She may be in her early twenties, but there is still a great, great deal of youth on her side. All the same, there's the sense that while she can be caustic, she's not unaware of the fact. She utilizes it like a weapon to try to seek out weak points.]

[superblack]

[He has a lot to say on the matter, but he holds it back. Ask too much, and he suspects he'll be met with a level of hostility or lack of any real answers.]

Bad time to remind you we're not a whole people here, right? [He can only shrug. They're not to a point where they need to wage war and unite to that level, not yet. Stupid to assume they might not get there, though. Bruce had to be prepared for all possibilities, and if they do get to that point?

Well, he knows who to call.] You'll be the one leading us into fights, and probably out of them too. Don't start fights between yourself and the few people that are here. We're already short-handed as it is.