The Storm came. You remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that.
You don't know how long you slept, but the dreams were short. You remember the expanse of stars and galaxies in your direct view. Every world and solar system ever known to man was present in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You also witnessed the Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. Your Earth and similar planets were assimilated by the Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of your world. That was when she told you what happened. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new. The details weren't clear, but you knew it was a part of a deal with the entity known as Darma.
Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station. Your body is still cold; it all felt like a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — Regardless of your will, you find your body doesn’t respond to you immediately. Instead, you hear a voice begin to resonate deep within you.
 I have seen much... But what I am not accustomed to, is being unable to see.
It was never our wish for those we saved to go through such an ordeal. People... are unpredictable. And you, Refugee, still continue to surprise us. That is why we cannot allow you to die just yet.
Refugee, I no longer have plans to intervene with this world — I have already done too much. Here on out, what happens below... must be resolved by you, its people, and fate. You and your friends before you have proven yourselves. Our eyes are upon you, and our hearts with you.
The Natha have become aware of how ill-prepared many of their new refugees are for the hardships below. While Darma has decided against direct intervention, the other Orbiters echo the opposite sentiment. With their homes destroyed and the ongoing trials that await them planetside imminent, they do not want refugees to descend without knowing exactly what they're getting into. Therefore, Roman and Zasere have set out to host a workshop in order to train the refugees for complex environment of El Nysa.
A new area has opened in Thesa Station: the Exhibition Hall. This vast open space has been configured to rival the size of the Hangar Station, with the north and south ends decorated accordingly. Refugees that have managed to return to Thesa will notice that the north end strongly resembles Olympia, while the south is a near replica of Wyver. Upon entering, you're given a goodie bag containing some postcards from either cities. There will be a variety of workshops available throughout this area. Each workshop is held in its own unique training room, separated only by high-durability glass for individual demonstrations to be observable to all in the vicinity. Workshops will focus on a few major topics that refugees should keep in mind when they reach land.
I — A HALL DIVIDED
The north side of the Exhibition Hall is fashioned to look exactly like a small section of Olympia. There are ghost-like projections of its people, seemingly going about their businesses as if to demonstrate their everyday living. There is even enough space for them to setup an example of a typical starter dormitory, and it wouldn't be a coincidence if it reminds you of room displays of the furniture stores back in your homeworld; Roman has been particularly inspired by magazines of various worlds.
Refugees who have been living or have visited Olympia will be highly encouraged to "sell" the Empire to the newly awoken. Until you find someone who is willing to do that, you'll find a fancy brochure inside your goodie bag, highlighting the benefits of choosing Olympia... however, there seems to be an earlier draft of it floating around, also.
Over on the south side is decorated will all kinds of tropical plant-life. Strangely enough, crossing the threshold of north and south, you'll also get a taste of the jungle heat, or is that only your imagination? Regardless, the presentation is to mirror the north: the Wyver people are shown as projections, making the space feel as populated as the canyons of Wyver. The sample living space is quite different here; all around, tents and wooden shacks are built to demonstrate what refugees might expect when living here. Similarly, refugee who are currently residing in the jungle city are also encouraged to talk about life there. The same brochure highlights this for the newly awoken.
On either side, you will be able to grab small trinkets from either cities; samples of food and wines, stickers, pins and buttons, and even photos of some of the more well-known natives. Wait, are those paintings of older refugees? Weird, but it's supposedly what you would expect from a convention for Darma's planet of El Nysa.
II — BLENDING IN
When you deal with natives, it's normal to feel a bit of anxiety. As far as you're aware, the natives don't know that you not only came from space, but other universes entirely. After this crash course, hopefully you will have the confidence to maintain a sane conversation with a native without getting any strange looks!
- A) One side of the demonstration room shows various scenes from Olympia and Wyver. They seem to be showcasing the day-to-day interactions of regular natives, but you might find that some of the projected individuals in the examples are strangely familiar, even under all the effects and filters. In fact, after taking a closer look, you'll find that these are relatively poor imitations of the refugees that have arrived before you, even though you're assured that they're just a coincidence.
 — This is Focket and Warrior 67. They were both refugees that were exiled from Olympia for a quest that resulted in all those involved being framed for a biological warfare attack! Focket and Warrior 67 decided to run off to Wyver where they currently live a peaceful quiet life allegedly. And that's the beauty of El Nysa! If you accidentally commit treason in one city, you may try your luck in another!
Before long, it becomes very clear that the instructional examples are meant to be the pre-existing refugees that arrived on the station to greet you. After all, there aren't many talking raccoons or white-haired soldiers with visors. Perhaps they're an early-riser from home, or a stranger that you met in the Mess Hall, or even in this very room with you. Makes you wonder where they got this from, doesn't it? At the very least, one thing becomes very clear: The Natha Orbiters weren't lying when they said they were watching.
- B) While there are ample 3D renders and projections all around the floor that anyone can have access to, you will immediately notice that there is an excess of them in the corner. These are renders that were wrongly coded or mistakenly conjured up, hence... you might notice "Koralle" is looking a little furry, or that one of the Wyvern Shamans look a little more fish-like. Either way, these renders still manage to serve a purpose.
In this corner you will be paired up with someone. Either you or them will be given a "role," and you must convincingly act and converse as such. For example, if one of you are given the role of "Wyver King," one of you must act accordingly, and the other must treat them with the proper respect. From there, the renders will judge.
If they give you a pass, you'll be allowed to the exit. If you don't, then you might be here for a while. As a general hint, things that seem to give people extra "performance points" are: mentioning certain landmarks, figures, or other key details relating to El Nysa (see: the brochure). This is a workshop for this purpose, after all.
III — PLANET NYSA EXHIBITION
Perhaps you've heard of this prior to opening your eyes here on Thesa Station: a promise of power in exchange for diligence and loyalty. Show them you are capable of "earning your keep," and the Natha Orbiters may bestow you with powers of your own.
In this workshop, the Orbiters are now allowing refugees to physically test these powers; this time, outside of the comfort of the virtual reality modules. From healing spells to the ability of flight, the sky is almost the limit with these newfound abilities. These powers are temporary, however, and do not last any longer than an hour. You're free to sample as many abilities as you'd like. But, once one is in effect, you cannot gain another without the first one running out its course.
Closest to the exit was the wildlife exhibition, summoning renders of both flora and fauna of Olympia and Wyver. This was meant to showcase the types of wildlife those heading planetside could expect. Don't let the promise of "projections" fool you! These renders are as poisonous, as dangerous, and as realistic as you might expect if you were seeing the real thing. In fact, they have become so unruly that some may have escaped their stations and are running amok, terrorizing everyone (Especially Zasere, who prepared them himself). On the bright side, you've still got those nifty borrowed powers, right?
Monsters aren't the only things you should be worried about. All over, the plantlife that found exposure from the chaos. From the broken glass that once contained them, some flora will have effects that may temporarily ail refugees in its vicinity. Be sure to check their labels if you are caught! Roman has begun handing out gloves and gas masks for this special occasion, being unwilling to destroy the specimen himself. He encourages all to contain them rather than kill!
While most of the flora and fauna have been handled rather quickly, the more agile ones can be seen around the station. One may have found its way to your meal in the Mess Hall, another may be hiding in the bathroom facilities. Wherever they are, it never hurts to practice some caution. Hopefully this gets cleared up before Darma catches wind... but even she would admit this is the most lively Thesa Station has been since that July many months ago.
IV — SOCIAL-LINKED(in)
By miracle, there are still some quieter parts of the hall. This may be an appropriate time to check out your smart phone. Aside from the expected "Omage" app, there seems to be a new one called Social-Linked. There, you may find a profile waiting to be posted. The app allows for the user to fill it in, but there is also an auto-function! upon pressing it, it will generate a shockingly-honest answer based on the Natha's observation of your history. Roman will be your only friend in this app, with his very own profile:
| ●●●●○ THESA |
  |
ROMAN
@romannoodles (∞), Thesa
I WAS A: Butler! I still am, and I'm happy to serve all of the new arrivals!
I'M SKILLED IN: Cooking, cleaning, anything that involves making your life better!
I'M LOOKING FOR: Consistency!
ALSO, I'M: Not entirely certain if the "auto" profile function is to your liking. Feel free to edit if it is not to taste!
So, have you decided on making your own profile? Perhaps you used the "auto" function on accident? Regardless, once your profile is out there, it's out there. And like the Omage app, it will match you with someone. NOTE: Please use the form below to fill out a profile! Whether it's auto-generated or filled by the character is up to you!
Far away from the chaos, you managed to find the massive section on the station known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to enter this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor — you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken.
Feel free to wildcard prompts within Thesa Station!
These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose. Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below. An AC-length thread may be submitted for THREE (3) NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by April 17th. Network threads are not eligible.
We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for REP.
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gathering intel
Congrats Allura, your question brings all the brothel workers to the yard.Zevran's been "local" for long enough to know better than to assume every person who looks like an elf is actually an elf in the way he's used to. Still, he'd be lying if he didn't admit that he's comforted by the sight of pointy ears. Turns out they're weirdly ubiquitous across realities. Who'd have thought?He offers Allura his most beatific smile.] Certainly! A lady of your charms can ask me anything.
The Red Light district is where Olympia's houses of prostitution, erotic baths, and other such pleasure establishments lie. It's the only one of the two major cities with strict districting--Wyver is more a hodge-podge of disparate zoning, much more organic.
[He lets that settle in for a breath and then continues, frank as ever.] It's also much more wanton sort of place, where on the full moon the city descends into a state of lust and exhibitionism.
[He sounds amused, like he's completely messing with her head. He is not.]
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Just wait until she finds out what milkshakes do.Also, do you want Allura to never visit Wyver? Because this is how you get Allura to never visit Wyver. Zevran’s flattery brightens Allura’s smile for about 5 ticks before his extremely blunt explanation has the heat rising to her face, burning her ears. Her face looks like one might expect when someone has swallowed a fly by accident.]I-I see. [To her credit, her reaction is more out of being pulled entirely out of her element than any sort of judgement on the nature of those professions. Much like the Elusian live sacrifices, or the human’s cow milking, it was simply alien.
Not to say that there’s not a good amount of embarrassment there. The Alteans, especially Altean royalty, fell on the prudish side, with their high collars and long sleeves; you don’t just ask a stranger about topics of this nature. Not that this stranger seemed to mind. Her embarrassment only grows two-fold with his descriptions of full moons in Wyver.,] Surely you are joking…
[Paying someone for private services is one thing but out in the open?]
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Believe it or not, that's one of the more socially acceptable things that go on down there. The locals get very rowdy when they're on dragon's blood. There have been serious fights.
[He grins.]
Other than that, it's a lovely place. Just avoid the city on festival days and around the week of the full moon, and you should be fine.
[Feel free to call his bluff, I mean, this all sounds pretty made up.]
no subject
[The brochure on Wyver had mentioned something about Dragon's blood. She already has enough complicated feelings over beverages harvested from living creatures.
Speaking of the brochure—she frowns, casting the stranger with a suspicious eye.] The pamphlet on Wyver did not mention anything about full moons or anything like [she gestures vaguely, the brochure still in hand,] that.
no subject
You don't believe me, madam? I'm crushed!
[Of course, this is Zevran, so with him grinning like that, it isn't convincing. The smile stays, but he goes back to his normal posture.]
If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone who was here since August.
no subject
I am not sure who August is, but at least we are in agreement that a second opinion would be wise.
[Unfortunately, if he isn't lying, that means asking another stranger a potentially mortifying question.]
no subject
[He's just a font of information today. Too bad it all sounds like bullshit right now, first impressions being what they are.]
August was when the bombing happened in the Olympia market. There are a few people around who've been here since then. Of course, if you can't find one, you could always ask on the communicator.
[He knows you're not going to do that, red as your face is.]
no subject
Presumably the Alteans have a similar sort of story to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and at this point a lot of that is coming to mind. His information about months sounds believable enough—if only because now she remembers the humans using such terms before—but at this point she's unsure how much is truth, or perhaps truth wrapped in falsities.
Although, compassion wins out over suspicion, briefly, at the last bit, and her eyes widen,] A bombing? That's terrible!
no subject
[Congrats, he's never considered that other people wouldn't have the same sort of calendar set up as Thedas! That earns her a pause as he's distracted by what other people might think about time as he percieves it, and then he has that uneasy feeling he gets sometimes when he remembers that he's living on an alien planet; a rocky marble spinning through an infinite black vacuum full of incandescent stars made of gas and radiation and what might happen if the sun explodes, which isn't a thing he'd ever thought about before coming to El Nysa, but every now and then it pops back up in his brain these days and he has to have a stiff drink or just lay down on the floor for a while until the nausea goes away.
(Don't think about it. Just...just don't think about it.)
Clearing his throat, he continues, hoping he didn't go into that thousand yard stare he gets sometimes when he thinks about how tiny he actually is in the universe. There's a tightness around his eyes, he can feel it. Hopefully, she doesn't misinterpret it.
Deep breath, Zevran.]
Well, that was months ago. Things were briefly amiable between the two cities, at least while the Olympians were living in Wyver, but then things got a bit worse. There have been other incidents, as well.
Most of the refugees are trying to calm who they can, but their pleas mostly fall on deaf ears. A few brave souls set out on their own to help people who've not chosen a side, native and refugee alike. There's a group of us who'd prefer to wash our hands of the whole mess as well, and one or two war dogs, chomping at the bit to cause mayhem for their adoptive homelands. We're a mixed group.
no subject
[But she doesn’t comment further on inferior measurements of time, instead she watches him, tilting her head to the side at the far-off stare as he’s working out something internally. It only lasts long enough for Allura to find it odd, but he snaps out of it, and the thought passes.
She makes a face. War. The details are different but some things don’t change, no matter the distance from home.] And on which side do you fall?
[War dog? Indifferent middleman?]
no subject
Granted, it's not comforting in a good way. But it's familiar. He shrugs, still thinking about the crushing weight of the entire universe somewhere in the back of his mind. So the tension of that is still there.]
I live in Olympia because that's where I first started rebuilding my life. I have no unshakable loyalty to them, however; I have friends and acquaintances in both cities and some who've chosen neither. If it came down to trouble and I had to leave, it would not pain me overmuch.
[Zevran purses his lips, and hums, tilting his head.]
Politically, however? Given everything going on at the moment, I feel we'd much better be served as a group by going our own way. That has its own difficulties, of course. And it goes without saying I'd not speak such treason among the natives. I've no wish to make my own life more difficult than it would otherwise be.