The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

[swanaldo]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

mabee the sucker went inside the shell for protection and is stuck inside. Brutus suggests somehow using someone elses magic to counter the magic in the shell. Brutus has a strong feeling sucker is trapped in there. or someone talk me out of it with a more sensible tactic

[kodster]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Right, due to pressure on MSN (*cough*Shane*cough*) Tarein will enter the shell first, the dagger held ready but not in a threatening way.

[swanaldo]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Brutus will follow with wired reflexes on the ready. any danger and Brutus will be there GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

(Message edited by swanaldo on July 22, 200

[alex_holt]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Chapter 5

Tarein approaches the huge shell, steps through the entrance and vanishes€¦ Brutus follows moments after

Inside the finds the same place as Brutus described - a cave with torchlight, but given that they has more time to look than the troll€™s previous visit, she also sees the full picture.

Up a slight slope and partially hidden by a rock directly in front of her, is a village. It currently seems to be in the midst of some kind of celebration - the whole village is covered in banners of black and gold just like the pole outside, and in the market square there appears to be some manner of feast going on. The whole place is deep beneath the ground and everything is illuminated a fierce orange through the torches that provide most of the light, though Tarein also glimpses neon-lights, a hovering orb of light and numerous different electric light bulbs - it would seem that whatever lights here is not in steady supply€¦ There seem to be three shops that they can see offhand - a supplies shop, some kind of pawn shop and a clothes shop.

The pungent smell they had smelt outside seems to come from the feast in the market square. The beings here are mixed and varied - a fair number of humans are present, a troll like Brutus lumbers by, a being 12 foot tall seemingly made of solid metal and with eyes that seem to burn with white fire strides by, a weary look on its face. Three ape like creatures with grey fur converse in the corner, one holding a book with its foot. What appears to be a floating armoured orb drifts away, seemingly just an eye that rearranges floating sections of armour about itself. There is a huge black eel in a tank on legs that speaks through a small speaker at its base. There is what appears to be a meter long Chinese dragon with a face like a pug covered in pale blue fur that seems to ripple as if it was water.

They notice one of the creatures approaching them - it resembles a large blue ringed octopus in all ways except that it is wearing a top hat and a golden mayoral medallion and carries an ebony cane.
€˜Grrrrreetings strangers!€™ it exclaims in a voice that sounds something like Lloyd Grosman if he was speaking through a jelly. €˜Wwwwwelcome to Underton!€™ it pauses for an instant€¦. One of its strange eyes stretching towards them both, peering from one of the companions to the other€¦.
€˜Ohhhh€¦.. you must be Fallers! Ohhh, I€™m dddrreeadfully sorry, I should have realised, you must be hhhhooorrribly confused. You are in luck, we had another faller just ttttoooday, we can explain to you both at the same tiiiiime€¦. Do you have annnnyyyone with you at all?€™

********************

Outside the magic fish raises its squeaky little voice:
€˜Errrr€¦ Excuse me sirs, but may I point out I€™ll need to remain here so you best ask your questions before you go anywhere, I€™m afraid that hanging onto me for use later is considered €˜cheating€™ by the guild€¦ Oh€¦ they are ever so strict these days€¦but you must ask me here€¦€™

[swanaldo]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

After chatting with Tarein Brutus heads back to tell the others.

[kodster]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Tarein: *looks to Brutus, then back at the octopus thing, sheathing her blade* Yes we do...err...weve lost one of our company...this, er, faller youre talking about, it wouldnt happen to be our missing groupie, would it?

[majinb]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Im gonna ask the golden fish what happened to Sucker!

[pcbore]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Ill hang around and listen to the question/answer session first while Brutus and Tarein come out and invite us in.

Once invited, Ill head in using my electric form and the first thing Im going to do is look at what theyre eating. If theres anything catfish shaped, there will be an electrical apocalypse.

[alex_holt]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

The Octopus manages to look confused for an instant, then works out what you are asking
Ohhh no no, a Faller is a word for someone new to this world.... you see, this world is something like.... errr... lets see.... well its like we are the very bottom of the multiverse, and anything that somehow manages to fall out of somewhere else, usually ends up here.... its a little difficult to explain... but the presentation will help do a better job than me

*******

When asked the question, the fish goes into an odd little trance, muttering to itself for a minute or so.... then, in a uncharacteristically clear and ominous voice

The fish has been taken into shadow. He is not dead. Not yet. But do not seek him, for that would bring about both is doom and yours. If it is meant to be, you will find him in time.

The fish snaps out of it....
Ooh that question must have touched a nerve with a higher power, I dont usually get to do that voice... hmmm... well it sounds like he was taken by the shadow thigns, I assume you must have witnessed them yourselves, they arent very subtle... well I suspect there are other people who can fill you in on them better, and from more personal experience

[majinb]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

next question: what are the motives of this higher power?

[alex_holt]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

The fish rolls its eyes....
I wont count that as a question as I cant answer it to guild standards...

I would *guess* that the higher power is almost certainly the shadow collective - its basically just the combined power of all the shadows which somehow amounts to one being. No one knows much about the shadows at all really, I mean they appeared not long after all the Lords fell a thousand years ago this week..... and they seem to be energy vampires.... but there is very little we know for certain about them in our psychic fishipedia, what with considering that they make more than half the world almost uninhabitable at any one time... I mean Im quite impressed you guys are out here at all what with how many there are in these woods at night...

[majinb]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

alternative question 2: tell us what benefits might we get from entering the village ahead, especially ones we might overlook?

[alex_holt]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

The fish seems quite happy,

Oohh, I can do this one, thats easy.... well quests! Im sure you could get loads of quests, you adventurey types love quests right? Hmmmm.... and shops to buy stuff, and food..... hmmm... food is always good.... hmmmm.... it seems there is someone there too who would join you in wherever you go.... hmm.... well.... errr.... oh and be sure to show that dodecahedron to a mage - he can show you some more functions.... and errr.... there is a diamond ring lost behind a rock near the entrance, and the owner will give you a reward for it.... the owner is the banshee by the way hmmm..... also there is knowledge in there.... I dont know what exactly but apparenly two of you have been here before, and that knowledge may interest them in how the world has changed... Oh and ask after Randall Steel.... hes not there, but looking for him will put you on the way to discovery

The fish has an intense look of concentration on its face for a moment...

Errr... is that enough? Oh and apparently the spiced pork is particularly delicious, what with it being the Doomfall festival and all

[alex_holt]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Chapter 6

Those interested proceeded over to the presentation, which turns out to be a powerpoint presentation on an ancient desktop pc running windows 95. The presentation seems to have been hastily amended today to update it, there are numberous typos in the bits that reference current events. In there already is a lean looking elven woman with two rapiers who the party presume to be the other fallen.

The presentation runs down the basics of the world:

- This universe forms what is essentially comparable to a plug hole cover - when things fall out of other universes they don€™t cease to exist but are instead €˜caught€™ by this world. This means that this universe contains things that have fallen from every other universe, ranging from a single bacteria in some cases, to entire galaxies. This world is an alternate earth that fell through, though no one seems to know exactly from where, and its population is comprised of all manner of species from any number of different earths is a strange very multicultural melting pot.
- The world used to be run by a number of €˜Lords€™ beings of massive power who acted as kings, though their individual temperament varied greatly. However, a thousand years ago this year they vanished in varied fashions. Some seemed to die of illness, others went down in spectacular battles against foes, although no one can remember who exactly those foes where.
- There are rumours of the most powerful Lord still living, though his floating castle crashed into the mountains not 20 miles from here, but no body was ever found as with the other lords. If he still lives he is well hidden.
- Today is exactly one thousand years to the day since the castle crashed, hence the Doomfall festival - after the lord a €˜Lord Doomforall€™ - a name with which two of the party are all too familiar.
- Since the lords where broken the shadows emerged. No one knows exactly where they came from, although some seem to be vaguely human, some are utterly alien. They seem to be guided by some greater consciousness but are all individually mad. Not directed but more herded. They make anywhere in the dark impossible to inhabit without them being taken unless you are a race that naturally emits lights.
- They attack by swarming over a foe, leaving a dark ectoplasmic residue. No one knows exactly where they are taken. People will occasionally return from this, but almost inevitably they are different than before and shortly disappear again, never to be seen again.
- The northern reaches of the world are only inhabited much in the summer, and in underground (and magically protected) cities like this or floating cities that roam around.
- There is a prophecy that the shadows will only leave when someone who was once one of the Lords returns to his citadel.

The Octopus looks between those present - and then addresses them.
€˜I totally forgot - this woman is named Ferri, and she€™s just as new here as you. Can I suggest that she tags along with you lot, if you are all together you can help each other adapt.

Ferrienna joined the party

[leorcc]

The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

Dirge and Cerberus check out the town. This world makes a welcome change from slaying zombie animals and combatting Aliens. For now.