INTRO LOG

[cyclists]

Week Zero
32 in Competition

The transition from unconsciousness to the waking world is practically seamless. Though you're certain this wasn't where you meant to end up, for a few brief moments it's hard to grasp the situation and take in your surroundings.

A soft twilight lights your way, casting a glow over the sprawling village that fans out around you. Just outside of the large meeting hall you'll find yourself awakening among several others who have found themselves in this place. There's a sense of peace that looms over the area, the only sounds being the cheerful chirp of a stray bird or two and the babbling brook that runs through the village itself.

Stand up, dust yourself off and set out. There are plenty of places to explore and should you venture far enough you'll even find several little houses throughout the village. It may take some time, but as you check out each house you'll soon come across something that belongs to you...along with something that doesn't. It seems that this new residence is yours to share. As for the village itself, the other buildings appear open and well-stocked, providing you with a variety of amenities to utilize. The paths leading out of the village, however, are guarded by four ornate wooden gates. No matter how hard you try, they will not let you past. It seems that the time isn't right yet.

Speaking of, the only way to truly track the passage of time is by charting the movements of the sun but that can prove to be quite difficult as well. As the sun dips below the horizon and the night sky fills with stars, the bell at the shrine rings out to signal the end of your first day. No one else has arrived. It's only you and these strangers for now.

It seems as though you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with your fellow companions. Make yourself comfortable; when the time is right, answers will appear.



Welcome to the soft intro of Subdivided! This is your intro mingle and the current conditions will last through the weekend until Monday, June 3rd at which point the weekly log will go up. Your characters will not know anything about the partner system, how powers work or any plot-relevant information until Monday. However, characters are free to discover their power through trial and error and will have access to their item from home immediately.

Please note that an additional top-level to introduce NPCs and Game Mechanics will go up on Sunday, 4 PM EST.

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[tothemaxwell]

Efreet, the great spirit of fire.

Undine, the great spirit of water.

Sylph, the great spirit of wind.

Gnome, the great spirit of earth.

[There's a kind of tingle in the air as she says the name, each one dropping without a hint of irony, full of pride.]

I am their lord, and the lord of all spirits. I watch over humans and spirits alike, in order to protect their world, and their future.

[twinsightful]

Then does that mean you're a spirit? Or a human? You look very human. [This is a lot to think about, and he glances at the scroll on the wall listing all of the powers. None of that escapes him, but he's waiting to see what she says first.]

[tothemaxwell]

Hmm? I am a spirit, although I suppose you could consider this summoned form more of a temporary physical "vessel". I can feel and experience pain and death, but I am not subject to the more typical human conditions. Whoever did it must have quite a bit of mana to spare.

[she perks up]

But I do have practical experience as a human, too! Caloric consumption, running noses, and much more... hmm, that's probably the reason for my "human literacy". Certainly not how I would have put it, but it will serve.

[twinsightful]

[The longer she talks, the funnier this sounds. He's quietly letting her continue to explain as he sort of just accepts this, not entirely believing it but finding it to be a unique little story. He's never met anything like a spirit before, so it's a little hard to grasp.

Then again...they all came from different places somehow, so it's entirely possible. Ugh. This is confusing.]

Mana? Like magic stuff? [He's still giving her a once-over. On the other hand, she would have to be non-human to have hair that cooperates so well. He'll give her that much.] So what your scroll says is that you're good at pretending you're human and no one can notice the difference right away. How long have you been in this..."vessel"?

[tothemaxwell]

This vessel? Let's see...

[She considers.]

...Twenty minutes, perhaps?

[twinsightful]

[...]

What.

[tothemaxwell]

Well, when I was summoned to this land, I obtained a physical vessel.

Until then, I was a spirit, in the spirit realm.

[THIS IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD...]

[twinsightful]

[Well. OKAY.]

Do you remember what happened to you in the twenty minutes you were put into a vessel? [Between that and waking up here, he means.]

[tothemaxwell]

Yes, of course.

I woke up in the square. Then I walked in here, and began reading these scrolls.

[twinsightful]

No no no. Before that. [...wait a minute.]

Did you gain a vessel because you came here?

[tothemaxwell]

Correct.

Before that, I had no need for one, as I was in the spirit realm. There, I merely kept my form as a spirit.

[twinsightful]

[Cool, that's totally normal.]

So why do you think you were brought here?

[tothemaxwell]

That's very much what I would like to know.

The amount of power it takes to summon the lord of spirits on to the physical plane of existence, subverting my own power and the typical process, as well as construct the vessel, is considerable in and of itself—but this doesn't even appear to be a world I'm familiar with, which means that it must have taken even more than we could possibly imagine.

[Her face is suddenly very serious.]

That's without considering the number of other people brought along, as well. It seems wasteful, and above all, dangerous. And to what end?

I am very interested to meet the person, or people, responsible for this.

[There's something sharp in her words that suggests that, were a reasonable explanation not provided, there would be Trouble.]

[twinsightful]

[Well this lady means serious business and he can 100% respect that.]

I don't know anything about power like what you're talking about, but if all of us came from different places maybe they're getting their power from somewhere else? [...] Do you think we can change their mind? There can't be a great reason we're here.

[tothemaxwell]

No. I don't suppose there can be.

[There was rarely a reason the Maxwell was summoned for a reason other than...

Well.]

With that much power, and considering that my access to artes has been removed, we will have to consider our options, once our host shows themselves.

[twinsightful]

[Hope Milla's ready for questions all the time.]

What're artes? Like magic spells?

[tothemaxwell]

Yes, I suppose you could make the comparison. They are attacks that use mana to make requests of spirits, and harness the powers of the elements in battle.

I've been trying since we arrived, but it seems I am either unable to sense or feel spirits here... or there simply are none.

[twinsightful]

[...he points at the scroll of powers.]

I'm going to assume this might be why. If you could call for help from those four spirits, you could probably use all of these.

[tothemaxwell]

[She looks at the scroll of powers for a moment, thoughtful, then at Kaoru, and nods.]

You may be right. In that case, it may even be situational to this world. My powers would overlap the local rules, so one cancelled out the other.

What a shame. I would have liked to meet the local spirits responsible for the elements here.

[twinsightful]

Do you think they're spirits and not something else? There isn't proof of who's responsible for any of this yet. Maybe it's a wizard or something.

[Nodnod.] But canceling out your powers makes the most sense if that's what this is about. I wonder if you'll get them back later.

[tothemaxwell]

I wonder.

[...]

Your name is Kaoru, correct?

[twinsightful]

[A surprised blink. It's obvious, given it's on his scroll, but he wonders why she brings it up now.]

Yes. And you're Milla. [Right?]

[tothemaxwell]

That's correct.

Kaoru, what is a wizard.

[twinsightful]

[Oh my god. He looks baffled for all of three seconds before he just goes with it.]

A wizard is somebody with lots of magical power that can cast a bunch of spells and do all sorts of things. Usually they have a wand or a staff and also long beards and pointy hats.

[tothemaxwell]

Oh! I see. It's simply another name for an artes user.

[It's her turn, now. Pointing to the scroll, she smiles.]

And what is a tanuki?