open | event | All Shook Up!

[ironwood]

Characters: Teams Alpha, Beta, and Charlie; also, everyone!
Date: February 17th (through 28th)
Location: Tu Vishan's shell damaged areas (multiple locations), sewers
Situation: There are a number of damaged sections of Tu Vishan's shell and the kedan are working at repairs and, where the turtle's flesh itself has been damaged, healing. There are many convoluted sewer passages now open that Foreigners technically could access, if they can make it past the police that have been stationed around each exposed area.
Warnings/Rating: Medical examinations, blood & gore references, sewage; to be updated as needed.


Exposed Areas
The damages sustained during the dive event are not excessive in number, but are plentiful enough to require work groups of kedan to be deployed in a twenty-four/seven repair schedule. They are signed into each area through one of Evandau's direct reports and their numbers are counted throughout the day to enforce strict controls over those that have access to Tu Vishan, their most precious resource.

Those making it past the checkpoints or sneaking through gaps in the sentries find that the Emperor did not lie about the damages done. There are scars near each damaged bit of shell that shift into spider webbed stress lines and end with the jagged edging of broken shell. Kedan workers are busy trying to clear away broken shell and install metal-and-wood framing that will hold these pieces back in place when they are done.

Beneath the surface, some are working at dams and blockages in what appears to be an ancient sewer system. The walls are smooth and indicative of architecture done in concert with the natural growth of the turtle. Lanterns provide some pinpoints of light where dark mosses have grown over the bioluminescent shell itself, but the further one goes from the work sites, the more one must rely upon the natural lighting of the shell in order to proceed.

At the core of each operation are the best healers that the kedan population has to offer. They can be seen tending torn and blooded flesh of a momentous scale, mending the damages done directly to the turtle to the best measure that they can. These areas are the most stringently guarded, for Tu Vishan is most vulnerable beneath the armoured layer of its shell.

Sewage meets most that enter the tunnels rather than skulking about the sites, with an unpleasant smell lingering in the nose and mouth the longer that one stays there -- oh, and in the clothes, which may make a stealthy exit more difficult if one is not downwind. The tunnels twist and turn aplenty, crossing one another with a design more evolutionary than engineered. Those that wander in are at risk of becoming lost beneath the surface, with only a few doors and small closet-like rooms to be found where tools were stored once upon a time.

Be wary, Foreigners! There are many a kedan patrolling these areas and they will give chase in an unauthorised party is found. Evandau briefed a number of the teams himself, advising that Foreigners are all considered unauthorised. Parties subject to arrest are to be brought to the surface and handed over to either the police or, once it's in place, Raylan's civilian team for eventual escort to the palace prison.

OOC: Thread headers (and starters for the teams) are provided in the comments area of this post!

Comments

OOC: QUESTIONS & NPCs

[ironwood]

Have any questions about this leg of the event or a request for mod-controlled NPCs? Ping us here and we shall respond asap!

TEAM ALPHA

[ironwood]

There is a crack about three inches wide and seven inches within the sewer walls not far from the westernmost damaged section. Peering in shows little at first glance, for there appears to be something covering the walls within and barring the natural bioluminesence. Once a lightsource is placed through that opening, the viewer can see that there are many cabinets and shelving units, plus what appears to be a rotted out drafting table.

Most importantly, a door on the opposite side can be found. One that finds their way around the tunnels to this door will find it is covered in dark moss. Brushing that away will reveal that there is no handle on this side, but a slot in it can be seen that a small hand could squeeze through and work the handle from the inside.

Once inside, explorers will find that most of the material inside is decayed beyond use, with many ancient books of plans beyond restoration by the growth of mould and the damages humidity plays. Individually sheets, for the most part, are similarly destroyed, but for four rolls of a hardier material stored in hidden drawers and behind furniture about the room. These four rolls can be laid out together to form a full, multi-layered set of architectural schematics of the Palace of Landed Sky itself. However, the sharp eye might notice that there are some secret entrances and exits included on these plans that cannot be seen by the idle visitor.

[storm_warning]

Ororo's been laying low for the most part and keeping her neck from sticking out too fair. It's part self-defence (she will never forget Evandau beheading kedan at that September festival and she likes her head attached, thanks) and part the isolation of being the only one from her world. There are X-Men, sure, but they revere her as some sort of experienced mutant goddess. Great for the ego, but the proof's not in the pudding in her mind. She doesn't see herself as that Ororo and the idea of disappointing them's an odd stress she doesn't care to deal with.

That's why she heads into the sewers without alerting them, nudging a bank of fog to cover the work area in the early morning and dropping down in the thickest part of it. There are fewer workers at this site and that makes it easier to slip by and the distance from Keeliai's deterred many of the Foreigners from it, so she figures on a mostly quiet venture.

The air is dank and the stench of sewage thick the further she moves from the ventilation at the break. Ororo walks to the edge of the tunnel, balancing against the upwards curve from the floor to avoid getting too filthy. She's pretty sure her face is going to freeze in position, nose crinkled up to try and block the smell, but that thought?

Yeah. That thought gets dropped to the wayside as her fingers -- lightly trailing along the wall for balance -- slip into a crack in the wall. She tightens her grip instinctively, fingertips brushing on what feels like cool metal on the other side and not the shell or slime she expected.

"Weird," she murmurs, extricating her hand from the crack and peering into it. There's not much to see and she's not exactly a glow-in-the-dark kind of mutant that could toss a hair in there and let it burn brightly. The closest she has is ball lightning and that's a recipe for disaster at the best of times. "Great. Finally find something other than crap and I can't see a thing." She rolls her eyes. "My kindgom for a flashlight."

[magicalpadawan]

Molly can sympathize with the 'being the only one from her world' thing -- it's not the most fun. But, at least, it gives her ample time to explore and figure out ways of her own to try and get home. She's still intent on that, Chicago can't be left alone for too long, with her dad in the state he is and Thomas off moping.

So she's taken the opportunity to slip into the sewers too -- being an illusionist certainly comes in handy. She heads in with no problems, not entirely bothered by the lovely stench -- but damn, she wishes she knew a levitation spell or something. Oh, well. Her boots have probably been through worse, honestly.

Is that someone up ahead? She freezes in place -- then after a moment, realizes that if it were a worker they more than likely wouldn't be talking to themselves and it would be markedly less silent. So she carefully follows the sound of that voice, peering around until she spots a dim figure up ahead. She murmurs a quiet word under her breath and a small globe of light appears and heads in Ororo's direction, and Molly gives her a cheerful enough wave.

"How about a wizard instead?"

[storm_warning]

The light's a surprise and it shows in the way she jumps and orients on Molly, body tense and the air currents shifting at the thought that she might need to beat a hasty retreat. It reminds her briefly of ball lightning, but the fact it doesn't touch on her senses as weather to influence (not that she can do much with lightning once it's triggered; headstrong's about the only term to define it) fits with the simple offer that follows.

Wizard.

Huh. Weird.

Weird as a mutant to a baseline human, she guesses.

Ororo makes herself relax, though it's only about one part effort to two parts success. "Neat trick," she comments, pointing to the light. "They teach you that in wizard's school?"

TEAM BRAVO

[ironwood]

At the eastern wall of Keeliai there is a series of small holes in the shell of Tu Vishan that lead into what appears to be a sewer. However, there is little fresh sewage here and what remains is dried into a mucky layer with twice the pungency of its fresh cousin. Those intrepid parties that brace the stench will find themselves in a convoluted series of passages.

The muck trails off after about fifty meters and there are cleared and caged-off sections of the shell that act as hall lighting for the next twenty meters before the passages come together into a room roughly ten meters by three meters. Laid about it are a series of metal tables and very old scientific equipment that appears to have come out of the forties. The exception can be found on the table furthest from any door, where five small boxes of very old blood slides reside. They are labelled with a numerical sequence and any testing of these slides would prove that the blood is very old and unlike the kedan.

Set next to the blood slides is a very, very old tome written in a very ancient form of the kedan language. While incomprehensible to the explorers, there are some interesting diagrams and what appears to be very old dates in addition to the text. The diagrams cover a wide variety of subjects, from unfamiliar constellation maps to rough sketches of large tubes and pipe systems.

[cmdreffingshepard]

Shepard is used to dank, dark, dirty places. She's seen it all, really, and she's okay with getting dirty. Once she gets past the police patrols, it's relatively easy for her to move around undetected - it's also not the first time she's done a solo recon mission. She kind of wishes she had some of her crew at her back - Garrus, of course. Tali, or Mordin, Wrex, Grunt. Anyone, really.

But that's not an option now, so alone it is, all senses on high alert, quiet as possible, just in case there's another patrol lurking around the next corner.

[alpha_squad_leader]

There's no patrol lurking around the next corner. In fact it looks like there's nothing at all because Victor Borkowski is in camo-mode. After he and Santo had been chased by some of the police and gotten separated, Victor's electing to play things safe and stay unseen when he hears someone coming. When it's Shepard that comes into view and not a police patrol, Victor relaxes.

"Excuse me," Victor speaks up as he becomes visible slowly. Hands up to show he's not armed just in case, he offers a little nod. "Did you happen to see a big guy made of rocks anywhere down here? I seem to have misplaced him."

[cmdreffingshepard]

At the sound of his voice, Shepard spins around, but she's got good training - the best, in fact, and she quickly points her sidearm away from the stranger. He's not a kedan, not one of the foreign volunteers to police the area.

"No rock-like people, no," she says brusquely. "You're the first person I've come across since I slipped the last patrol, actually." Her non-reaction to his sudden appearance, and his description of his friend, well. Shepard has known enough aliens not to be bothered by the idea of someone not being human.

TEAM CHARLIE

[ironwood]

Roughly three kilometres south of Keeliai is a large, well-guarded breech in the shell that the primary workforce is focused on repairing as it cuts under a major roadway. This hole is jagged and large with many bits of debris still lodged in it that a stealth-minded person would have little trouble using to mask their descent.

The tunnels within this hole are patrolled of a distance of approximately one-hundred meters before the vigilance tapers off and easier exploration can be managed. There is an abundance of sewage in these tunnels as they follow their labyrinthine path beneath the shell's surface.

A persistent party could find section of tunnel another four hundred meters along that seems cast a shadow in on itself. Closer inspection shows that there is narrow passage hidden against the wall that leads into a clean, well-maintained door that has three separate bolt-locks on it. These can be picked or broken, as they are hardy against kedan, but not designed to the strength some Foreigners possess.

No alarms go off upon entering the room, which appears to be a recently used medial examination room -- very recently, by the fact there is a body covered with a white cloth laying on the metal table in the center of the room. All along the walls there are diagrams of the human and standard kedan bodies, plus a handful of jars with preserved body parts within them.

Those dismissing that for the curiosity of the body will find a potentially familiar face beneath the cloth. The body of Clint Barton (canon: MCU) is laid out, with surgicially precise incisions made across his torso for the sake of opening it. It appears that the attending party had been midway through the process of removing the internal organs when drawn away from the task.

One last surprise awaits this team, for there are two doors leading out of the examination room. The first opens into a passage that leads to another door; beware, for the party conducting the examination is likely to return soon! The second leads to a small observation room in which two other familiar faces sit. Asami Sato (stickshift; Legend of Korra) and Shifu (shifu_sifu; Kung Fu Panda) appear very much alive, but mainly in the medical sense of the word. They will look to and interact with any that address them, but they are emotionless -- for all appearances, they seem lobotomised more than anything.

[tendnottoweep]

Natasha's progress through the tunnels has been fast, silent, and solitary - she's aware she can't possibly be the only one trying to investigate, given how disinclined the foreign population tends to be to actually follow orders, but if anyone else has made it this far, she's hoping they'll distract any security while she does her job. She almost misses the passage off the tunnel, but it's exactly what she's looking for; it's considerably simpler to pick the lock than it was finding the door, and in a minute or two she's easing the door open slowly.

She pauses with it barely open, listening intently for any sign of movement inside, one hand on the door while she pulls her gun with the other. No sound. No sign of security. This is almost too easy.

[tactile_telekinesis]

Well, Kon had obviously heard what the Emperor had to say and obviously he chose to completely ignore it. That was just how he worked. He got past the kedan guarding the hole by using nothing but his speed. Kon wasn't as fast as Superman, but he was still pretty damn fast, and to the four kedan that were near him it would have felt like nothing more than a quick breeze.

Stealth wasn't his strong point at all, it never had been. But there were times when he knew busting in just wasn't the right answer, so he flew through the tunnels and avoided the patrols, slowing down when he was clear. It wasn't long until he picked up on the presence of someone else and found Natasha by following the faint sounds she made. He hovered and watched as the last lock was picked and the door opened. He noticed the gun and moved closer.

"You know, some people would consider that breaking and entering."

[tendnottoweep]

Natasha spins, gun trained on his head in an instant, and holds it there for several long seconds. She can't remember his name, but she recognizes him as one of the foreigners - after a moment, she sighs softly, and drops the muzzle of the gun. She'd hoped she could get in and out without running into anyone, kedan or foreigner, but not everything could go according to plan.

"I'm sure they would, if they knew I was here, but I don't plan on that happening. Are you planning to help me, or get in my way?" Because she will knock him out and leave him here, if it's the latter.

RALLYING

[ironwood]

[Characters being a lookey-loo or seeking potential partners in exploratory crime are welcome here! This header is for all above-shell interactions.]

WORKSITES

[ironwood]

[Stealthy characters capable of moving about the actual worksites are welcome to thread here, but beware that the police are keeping a close eye on things!]

[seriouslytwisted]

[Raph remembers talking to what's-his-face (actually he doesn't think he even bothered to ask the guy's name) about the giant turtle they're living on having wounds along his shell.

Man. He hadn't thought it was this extensive. He gets that awful taste in his teeth, like he just bit down on metal, as he crawls silently past the guards along the shadows of the worksite. Sympathy pains or something, that's what that taste reminds him of.

He can see from here the cracks and gouges in the shell, wonders if having this many people with their germy hands all over the open wounds is causing any infections. Shell rot is the worst.]

Donnie! [he hisses over his shoulder.] Hurry up!

[boselfdestruct]

[This was such a bad idea. As he'd told Raph - repeatedly! - when his brother had first mentioned this. What was the first thing you do when landing in a closed society in another dimension? Apparently go around breaking all the laws you can. Don wouldn't even be here if he couldn't justify letting Raph go alone.]

[Still, Don takes a moment to jerk away from where he'd paused to examine the sheer breadth of the wounds. He'd been gritting his teeth without realizing it and shakes himself off, hurrying after Raph.]

Shh!

[He keeps his voice quiet. There was a reason they had all worked out a complex system of hand signs, but there were some things even Leo and Mikey couldn't prepare for.]

You said there were sewers down there?

[Infection, at the least. He'd be surprised if there wasn't already, and resists the urge to rub his shoulder - the closest to his own shell he can reach. How is a turtle supposed to heal like this, people poking at them, the wounds so open people could - ugh - people could crawl into them, surrounded by ocean water and constant sun?]

[seriouslytwisted]

[You shh. Raph punches Don on the arm when he finally catches up, glancing around the corner of the wall at the patrolling policemen.]

That's what the guy said.

[And sure, he's supposed to be standing guard making sure people don't do exactly what he's doing right now, but since when is Raph law enforcement? He needs to see what's going on for himself.]

SEWERS

[ironwood]

[Made it into the sewers? Have at thee, intrepid explorers! And remember that some areas are still patrolled, so don't get too cocky lest an NPC give chase...]

[sophos]

When someone tells a demigod not to do something, there's a ninety-nine percent chance they're going to do it. Which is why Annabeth started staking out the worksites invisibly almost immediately after the Emperor's warning went up. She'd studied architecture long enough to pick up with ease the ways to get down to the sewers, taking care to note the best times to get down there and best ways to sneak past any security, too. Life experience for half-bloods, to be honest.

So it's in the dead of night that three demigods crept their way into the sewers, and Annabeth wonders when the idea of traipsing through guck and mud and stench lost most of the "do not want" it should have had.

Light isn't an issue, not with celestial bronze to help guide them. The biggest issue here, for Annabeth at least, is not stopping too long while she examines the designs along the walls as they slosh through. She'll just keep holding up her knife to cast light on anything she deems interesting enough, in between holding it out in front and leading Percy and Leo behind her. She treads carefully and slowly, listening for the sounds of any kedan who would undoubtedly arrest them if found.

"It definitely looks more natural than man-made," she mutters, half to herself, half to them both.

[kelpful]

Percy falls in behind Annabeth easily, keeping his own sword drawn for the light. He's not too sure if the kedan count as mortals in this place or not, but if it comes down to needing a weapon, he's kind of surrounding with ammunition.

Really gross ammunition, but beggars can't be choosers. While 'King of the Sewers' hadn't come up in his little war with Leo, he makes good on the name anyway. There's enough water in the mixture for him to be able to move it out of their way as they walk.

"It's a part of the turtle." He blinks when he says it, not sure where it came from, but knowing he's right. "They didn't like, cut into it or anything."

Percy looks over at Leo, wishing he was Hazel or Frank or Grover for a second and then instantly feeling bad for it. He likes Leo, he's just not used to working with him yet. That'll change. "You okay, man?"

[Closed to Kyle]

[histruename]

[This guy... he's not exactly the stealthiest, with his massive frame and eyes that glow like small, dim lanterns in the eerie, bio-luminescent darkness. Those heavy hooves trudge through the knee deep sewage, and he's getting an uncomfortable crick in his neck from stooping in the narrow tunnel.

Cursing quietly to himself, Hellboy stops and listens for any hint of someone nearby. Everywhere he looks it's pitch blackness where a thick layer of moss covers the tunnel like a natural, musty carpet where small lanterns only offer pinpricks of light farther down the tunnel. Dripping condensation is a rhythmic blip, blip as it hits the water below. Voices echo wordlessly in the distance, the only sign that he's not alone.

He risks flicking on his flashlight. His nature grants him a lot of advantages, but he can't see any better in the dark. The weak beam travels over a whole lot of nothing... cob webs, moss, the invading roots of trees hanging like gnarled fingers protruding through the bone and waiting nets to snare anyone who dares to venture through.

Looks like a pretty average sewer, if your average sewer was carved into the back of a massive, living turtle. But here the tunnels look more architectural, far less of the gruesome, bloody mess of broken shell and meat he was forced to duck through earlier. But there has to be more. There has to be something down here the Emperor's trying to protect.

Hellboy knows there will probably be consequences for his actions tonight, but at this point, the information is worth it. Here it's too hard to milk answers out of anyone who might know anything. It's even harder to trust what you can get. Times like these, all he can do is start sniffing around where he shouldn't and see as much as he can before he gets caught.]

[imaginate]

[Kyle's been lucky to avoid anyone trying to get past him on patrols. For one, he's not feeling up to roughing anybody up, and two, he's got enough on his mind. He puts it aside for the job, he did promise Raylan he'd do it.

So when he sees a shape headed to the sewers - the one he was sure he'd just passed and seen nothing around - he follows. He's not exactly stealthy himself, so for the first few moments in the tunnels he floats above the sewage, attempting to figure out what exactly he noticed. He doesn't want to unnecessarily injure anything that might be native to the tunnels.

It doesn't take him long to realise that Hellboy isn't in that category.

There's a short splash and as he lands in the sewage, and turns around the corner to confront the intruder. He's much smaller in size, and definitely not noticeably armed for a confrontation, yet-] Tunnels are off-limits.

[His voice is authoritative, cold, and clear. Once a cop, always a cop.]

[Closed to Leonardo]

[meanandgreen]

[Raphael's been nothing but a sullen nightmare to be around ever since the arrival of his other self. Just knowing that he's out there, using his identity and his name makes his blood boil. But right now they have other things to worry about.

The Emperor said to stay away from this place, so obviously they had to go check it out. Whatever she was hiding down here had to be good, and just knowing that there were sewers down there drew them in like a magnet.

Slipping by the guards patrolling the worksites was a piece of cake. With a lifetime of ninja training under their belts, he and Leo could've done it blindfolded.

But stepping into the gaping mouth of broken shell makes him wince, the jagged scutes and bone protruding through the upturned earth reminding him all too well the enormity of the creature this city was built on. He knows what that's like, having your shell busted in like that. He has the scars to prove it. The memory sparks a phantom pain he has to push into the back of his mind.

Stay on your toes. It'd be freaking embarrassing if they got caught by these lowlifes.

But once they enter the pitch black tunnels, he's washed with familiar senses. Soft mud squelches between his toes, the dank, organic smell of earth, mildew and rotting plant matter floods him with a feeling of comfort.

He feels like he's home again. It makes him realize just how homesick he really is.]

[duelkatana]

[They're dealing with a tyrant. From the moment she publicly threatened to execute civilians, her own people, Leonardo has felt disgust twisting his stomach every time the Emperor's image comes to mind. The warnings of Tu Vishan's damaged shell was like dangling a carrot in front of their faces - she had to have known they'd all rise to the bait.]

[So Leonardo and Raphael are being careful. Chasing the bait is better than starving, so long as you're good enough to get in and out before the hunter closes in.]

[They slink down into the sewers, and as the shadows swallow them whole, Leonardo's senses opens up to the world around him. The soft, cool mud and roughened patches of hard floor beneath his feet; dripping water trickling down the tunnel walls. Echoes of the guards shuffling through the passageways drift in the air, folding around them and sounding vaguely of clanking pipes in the walls.]

[It's not home, a voice quietly chides him. He knows. The hard patches of earth are too jagged, the smells are too organic. Even the darkness is wrong - it seems to wrap them in gentle shadows like a blanket, where the ones of New York are hungry and deeper than the greatest canyon.]

[It's so simple, to lose yourself in the darkness. But here, the wordless comfort feels like protection and love where ravenous greed should be. It's nice. It's wrong.]

[It's not home.]

[Leo stops, running his hand along the walls. There are breaks in the shell here, places where bone has fragmented into cracks that fan out like a spider's web. He narrows his eyes in the darkness.]

Don would flip his shell if he saw all this.