Multiple Settings NoWhere. A Paradox Pocket Realm ( Open to Everyone )

[Lord0fFate]

While I was in a state of deep thought I felt my attention taken from me as a... maid... yes a maid I do believe to be comes up to me asking if there's anything I would like... I hesitate for moment as I find myself aimlessly looking in the maid's direction suddenly I nervously adjust my jaunty hat "Oh umm I uh.. offering?" I stutter "Yes, what is offered.. here?"

 

[active_mind]

Mariah looked at the newcomer, already on high alert, trying to decide whether to ask to go through the large doors and follow Val, or if she should stick around and find out more about the place she was already in. No, she would first investigate this new person and try, without being caught, to explore the rest of the inn. Then again, doors didn't work the same way here than they did at home. Would she be throwing herself into danger by exploring?

Considering her options, she got closer to the mysterious man, fire crackling in her hands, ready to throw it at a moment's notice, but then she walked away again, scooting along the wall until she spotted a hallway. Where does it go? ...well, screw being sneaky. She just walked down it, looking for a door, or any sort of hint about where she was.

(If that's not allowed right now, let me know and I'll change it. Arkaeis )

 

[Arkaeis]

active_mind (exploring is encouraged just note that like the doors, long hallways are subject to shift around someone i.e. you could start at one end of the hall and as you move along what is behind you is changing so by the time you get to the end of the hallway you can go back the way you came and still end up somewhere else.)

 

[active_mind]

(Awesome.)
Mariah creeped along the hall, staring at the ornate, yet strange decorations that adorned the walls. She ran her fingers along the walls, amazed, the hall seemingly having no end. That couldn't be true... Right? She grabbed the doorknob of the first door she saw, then frowned. Locked. Moving on, she started to feel as if this hallway was almost... alive. She shivered, suddenly feeling a bit creeped out, and so she turned around. Arkaeis

 

[Arkaeis]

In a way that was subtle, the hallway that she walked down became slightly convexed as inexplicable ripple of change seemed to pass her by unnoticed by the eye. She would pass an archway on the left side of the hallway that certainly hadn't been there before. It led into what was a grand ballroom, which was gilded with gold and ivory giving it a regal appearance. Pictured.

Its openness was inviting, yet the emptiness of it also seemed rather lonely. At the far end of the ballroom stood two solemn vanguard, a pair of twin grandpiano's one the lightest shade of ivroy gold inlay adorning its feet. The other was like the color of burnt obsidian, darker still with an inlay of firestorm opal. Without words, they almost begged to be played giving off a sense of allurement.
this stranger approached the new door inside the reliquary.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

LordOfFate

The maids neck clicked before spinning in place. "I-i can serve you anything you desire. Would you like something to eat or drink? In fact, master would be happy if i would ask what exactly you are peckish for-or." She smiled, which appeared as a smile semicircle with two small fangs filling the gap under her upper lip. The maid cocked her head the other way and a sharp snap would shoot through the air. Oblivious or ignoring it, her plastic smile never fades from her flat nearly featureless and slightly yellowed porcelain face.

 

[Lord0fFate]

Folly-Derrezzed

I think to myself 'despite her um.. machine like qualities.. she.. it? Her smile does make me feel more welcome at least and she seems kind hearted so that's all that matters really....' I take take in a light breath.

"Umm, if it's not too much of a.. hassle.. an apple pie would be.." I sharply pause "I would much like an apple pie, if that's okay." I say somewhat quietly under my breath dipping my head forward at a slight angle.

Talking to new people is kinda scary, you never know what they're thinking about you, oh my what am I talking about... just be polite and happy towards who ever you meet, just like Ms. Wallop said. 'I put on a happy expression seen through my eye's'

 

[active_mind]

Barely even noticing the ripple of change, Mariah walked slowly into the ball room, her footsteps quietly echoing in the room. She couldn't believe her eyes. The gold reflected in her eyes, and for the first time since this strange event happened, she broke into a full smile, raising her arms and doing a slow, full spin before stopping and staring at the pianos. Her smile faded. Peculiar. Why two? And so different at that. Drawn to them strangely, she looked back and forth at the two, before walking to the rather dark, burnt looking one. She ran her finger along the top, in awe, then she sat down. The last time she had piano lessons, she was only 9.

Still, she sat down and pressed her fingers gently against the keys that seemed a bit stiff. But, the piano made a beautiful noise. She played a simple, slow tune on it, the echoes of the song bouncing around in the room oddly. Mariah was deeply involved in the hypnotic tune she played, almost oblivious to all else.

 

[PixelSymphony]

The fog which swirled about Val'sharra caught her by surprise, and by reflex, she dropped low in a three-point stance, a hand shooting under her cloak to grip the sword strapped to her back. She was quickly surrounded and cut off from all sight, and her senses flared as she tried to listen through the curtain of mist, uncertain as to what entity had managed to penetrate whatever magic it was that formed her room, but too far along her escape to a new life to be taken down now. Suddenly the same sound as before reverberated in her ears, drowning out all other noises in the area. As she winced slightly at the cacophony, the fog suddenly cleared to reveal the galactic starscape that now stretched out before her. "What... is this?" she exclaimed with a gasp, her mouth agape in sustained awe as the realm continued to reveal its secrets. She straightened up slowly, still uncertain if she should believe her eyes, but just as her test of the house earlier revealed the reality of the forms she saw before her, so too did a tentative touch of one of the massive opal pillars, the stone cold beneath her fingers as if itself floating in the endless vacuum of space. "How... what... why?"

Silence came from her feet as trod up to a few of the items of display, their power and mystique radiating through the glass (or what she suspected was designed to look like glass) containers. She very nearly placed her hands and face against the cases to get as close a look at them as possible, but reconsidered after she remembered what happened the last time she'd chosen to touch an item on display in a private collection. Ugh... if I never have to escape a mansion full of death traps again, it'll still be too soon... Before she had another moment to think, the very air in front of her seemed to twist in upon itself until it formed a silvery sphere, floating in midair. From this orb, a small object emerged, levitating towards the demon girl to float gently in front of her like some sort of... prize? As she took hold of the golden lens, recognizing it now as a magnifying glass like some classic detective might use, she caught sight of the extra attachment at the end of the shaft. "A skeleton key? That's awfully old fashioned, but... I get the feeling it's not the mechanical wards it interfaces with that makes this place secure..."

"So a portal to the Reliquary of this place now exists in the back of my closet, and apparently I now hold a key to it. I... each of these concepts on their own are perfectly understandable but putting everything together it's just..." Val shook her head; she was far too tired at this point to be able to manage everything that had happened within the last few hours. Resolving to try and work things out in the morning, she climbed the stairs back up to the rear of her closet, closing the door and locking it behind her. As the doors closed, they seemed to meld into a solid wall, now completely resembling just the normal back of the small storage room, were it not for the small keyhole still present.

With little remaining stamina, she cast off her cloak, fully revealing the small arsenal she had been carrying around the entire time, then slowly went through the process of disarming and stowing each piece of equipment away in the weapons locker that had been so kindly provided to her. Then, without another word, she fell onto her bed, the pillowy soft comforter fluffing up with a "whomph" as she passed out from exhaustion.

 

[Arkaeis]

@active_mind As she continued to play the acoustics drove the sound throughout the large room. As the melody continued onwards, something strange occurred; a complimentary melody began to be heard. At first they started slowly with a few low notes that echoed her own, but before long they branched out in complex ways that brought about near perfect harmonies. As the music continued onward, the dullness that existed in the room prior to her arrival began to fade away. Suddenly if she were to open her eyes the room would look almost oversaturated as the deepest hues of color washed over the room giving off the feeling of bright happiness. The sounds were eminating from the other twin though no one sat at its bench it seems as though it couldn't help but play along. The music permeated the air journeying far beyond the room that it came sdarted, echoing softly within the entirety of the Haven.

PixelSymphony Harquin turned towards the sounds the reverberated throughout the Haven, it was a warm song the provoked emotion. For a moment he inclined an ear, as if to ponder the various places that it could be coming from. As soon as the solo turned to a duet, Immediately a small gasp of validation escaped his fanged smile. 'Ah ha so thats where lady Mariah wandered off too.' He thought to himself before his gaze was redirected to the newest member of the troupe, it was a man dressed in a garb that he knew all too well of. This man was a mage, of what caliber he was not yet certain but there had been many like him who had stayed there once upon a time.

Seeing that maple was currently engaged with helping out the new tenant his eyes focused on her form and without words he commanded actions from her. 'Be sure that he is taken care of with the up most degree Maple, we wouldn't want a repeat of prior incidences.' His thoughts were broadcast to the automaton silently, and in response her gaze momentarily turned toward him the she nodded her head in confirmation.

'Someone tell charles that we will have a meeting in the back office later today, alone.' He continued on before his head turned back towards the doorway that Ms. Val had gone through. His whiskers twitched and eyes dilated as a ringing only he was aware of seemed to set off if only briefly.

"Fucking noWhere... they just got here..." A curse of mild frustration slipped out of his mouth, as he became aware of what the realm was up to in what seemed to be a brief amount of time.

'You don't even know the girl, and you're already granting her access to my damned collection' he seemed to yell mentally as though he were having a conversation with an entity outside of himself. The only response was an emotion of warmth and acceptance that pooled over him. 'But.. you char-' Harquin suddenly sprang off the ground as if incredibly startled his only response after landing back on four paws was a small hiss and a yowl accompanied by his ears flattening with discontented. "Fine- but it doesn't mean I have to like it" he muttered to himself obviously emotionally wounded from an apparent yet invisible chastisement.

'Lionel wake her up, she would have been asleep for hours by now.' He commanded without a word before shaking off the cold feeling of dread that the realm put upon him. Harquin then sauntered off to a room behind the front desk and shut the door awaiting charles.

As soon as the door closed it seemed in the blink of an eye to be different, it opened and from it came forth a what appeared to be a adolescent but who was garbed in a matching butler uniform that was obviously tailored to suit his frame.

A youthful smile accompanied the being as he cornered around the desk and rapped quietly on the doorway that lead to the guest rooms. Ageless eyes peered curiously through the crack and he opened the door into Vals room approaching cautiously.

"Room service." The thin red ather sweet voice rand through the air and morning light of Vals bedroom. Although it had been only a few moments to the rest of the haven inside this place it was already the next morning, and to Val it would be as though a full night slumber had passed.

Lionel waited at the doorway for a response as he dare not intrude upon any of the guests.

 

[active_mind]

Mariah heard the accompanying music that played perfectly in harmony with her. She messed up a few notes, startled by it at first. She looked over at the other piano. No one was playing. She knew at this point she shouldn't be surprised, but it was all just so surreal. The room was now bathed in color, and she gasped. Looking around in awe, she felt even more compelled to play, so she did. She changed her tune a little, seamlessly transitioning into a more cheery tune, reflecting the happiness she felt building in the room.

Mariah almost felt as if she was in heaven. She kept smiling. When was the last time she had felt this happy? Months? Years? She laughed, almost too happy. Calming herself, she took a deep breath, pausing her playing. The room got eerily quiet again, and she felt the happiness decrease in the room. She couldn't caught up in something she knew probably wasn't even real.

Mariah put her hands down, then raised one, playing a little ditty with one hand quietly. Should she look around some more? She really didn't want to leave this wondrous room though. It made her forget, and that was more appealing than remembering where she had come from, and why she was running when she has appeared in this strange realm. Sighing, she stopped.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Val'sharra woke with a start at the rapping at her door, instinct kicking in before consciousness and making her reach for her nightstand to grab whatever weapon she could find. A slight panic washed over her as her search came up empty, and she was halfway through leaping off the bed and considering a window escape when her mind finally caught up to her, reminding her as to the exact details of her current existence. Oh, right... I'm not on the run anymore. It was strange to think of herself as safe, in a location where she couldn't be traced, but given what she'd had to do to get here, she doubted anybody would be following her any time soon.

"Room service."

"Ah, j-just a sec!" Val still needed a second to calm down and get her heart to stop attempting to tear itself from her chest before she tried to converse with the hotel staff. She slid open the doors to her closet, quickly snatching a robe from a hanger and throwing it on hastily, then taking a deep breath and letting it slowly filter out her pursed lips. A few moments later, she strode over to the doors, opened them to reveal the young man in a service uniform on the other side. "Oh, um... good morning!" she said with a somewhat shaky smile, "T-thank you for the wakeup call, I probably would have slept halfway through the day otherwise. Ah..." she continued, her rapidly progressing mental state reminding her of a few questions she wanted to ask, "since you're here, is there some way I could have an outfit cleaned? N-namely the one I was wearing the other day?" she nervously asked, not really wanting to say aloud the somewhat unique garments she possessed. "They've kinda been through some... things," she admitted sheepishly, remembering exactly how her harrowing escape from the eyes of the Inquisition ended.

"Oh one more thing: how do I order breakfast?"

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Lord0fFate I'm so sorry, I got caught up in things!)

The maid bowed in compliance to the mage's request. "Of course it isn't, sir. Ill get you a pie right away!" she cheered, turning around on a heel and prancing out of the bar area, disappearing from view. A brief moment of silence and the mechanical maid returned back to the bar area with a platter. It held a white plate with a thick slice of hot apple pie. The crust was lightly browned with the filling nice and dark. The sugar caramelized perfectly to taste. It was what most would consider a perfect slice. Of course, she brought with her the rest of the pie, set nicely in a steel-colored tin pan. In case if the new tenant would fancy another piece after it. She bowed in the clicking of her joints before serving it to him, sliding it across the darkened wood counter in front of him. She smiled wide once again, craning her head to the side. "Please enjoy your stay here in the Haven! If you require my assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. When you wish to retire, please let me know. I'll show you the room." She said, nodding to a small brass bell that had a dark wood handle on it. It wasn't there previously, or so you'd swear. The mage was left with the silence of the now empty room. And the heavenly smell of brown sugar and apples. The maid poured the mage a glass of milk for them, to wash it down. She bowed in a snap. To take care of the new tenant was her goal and take care of him is what she will do! Her eyes glowed a faint lantern yellow as she spoke to her master telepathically. The thought of the previous instances is too terrible! Too...foggy. She couldn't remember what she did wrong before. She didn't wish to know so she wouldn't commit the same mistakes previous to her.

 

[Lord0fFate]

Folly-Derrezzed (No it's totally okay )

As the kind maid took her leave I found myself left with a gleeful smile across my face. "So this place is.. the Haven?" My eye's scower across the room in awe but suddenly my attention is immediately brought back to an... exquisite looking apple pie slice!

I think to myself 'surely looks are but mere deceptions of the eyes alone...' I fan the aroma to my face as I hastily examine the pie slice from various angle's "Oh my, this pie is...!!!"

I take a fork bringing it to my mouth slowly savoring the first moments of...

'Hmm not too sweet, easy the taste buds to ease into.. Oh yes, the tartness is there but.. ah... slightly ripe and firm apples must've gotten mixed together in the basket. Not a problem though, overall... nine out of ten! I love it!!'

I happily devour the slice downing it with a gulp of milk as I jubilantly slump my elbows unto the bar table but then... my eye's wonder over to a pan with extra pie left in it... 'I shouldn't... I must keep my composure, although, there is no one else around.' I slyly look around as my hat jolts from side to side. "Aha! Don't mind if I do..." I reach over bringing the pan to myself as I proceed to indulge in gleeful humming.

 

[Arkaeis]

active_mind

The room only seemed to fade but for a moment as she left a gentle duet continued between the pianos though their music did not have any effect on the atmosphere of the Haven like hers had. The halls of the Haven would continue to be bathed in a richer color, not only to her but to everyone as if the Haven itself was in a brighter mood after hearing her song. Once she got into the hallway everything shifted around her silently once again, ending up in the hallway that she had first traversed down. The door that was locked situated further up the hall,If she tried to turn around she would be met with hardness of a cool wall. The music softly faded into the distance until it was out of earshot, what other secrets could be hiding down the next corridor or beyond the many locked doors.

PixelSymphony

The Boy moved slightly closer into the interior of the room directing her to what appeared to be an empty space on her wall, he pressed gently with one hand and with one a soft click revealed a seamlessly hidden cabinet door that opened to reveal her outfit which had been cleaned, pressed and were hanging neatly on felted hangers.

"Any time you need an article of clothing cleaned just change into different attire and our team will attend to it." He said with a smile as he turned to face her.

"As for breakfast, it is either served by one of the attendants in your room or in the buffet hall located just on the otherwise of the bar. Our menu is quite extensive so you may order nearly anything you like however the Haven doesn't carry dragon eggs, Phoenix eggs, or unicorn for consumption. We do have a great coconut-crusted Pegasus, and my personal favorite braised Leviathan in a juniperberry-skygin reduction." Lionel continued kissing two fingers and licking a rather pointed canine.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Val'sharra gaped in surprise at the display of service put on right before her very eyes; she was quite familiar with magic, and versed in a certain form of it herself, but this was beyond anything she had ever seen, reaching into the world of prescience and reality-warping. Then again, given the earlier demonstration of how each occupant's room was very seemingly summoned up from their very desires, perhaps she should have seen this coming; clearly whatever realm she now resided in did not play by the standard rules of the day. Blinking rapidly in quick succession as she attempted to rectify the latest miracle she had witnessed, she turned to the young boy and bowed slightly, a choked "I see, thank you" her somewhat ineffective attempt to retain any semblance of decorum in the current situation.

Said shred of decorum was instantly shattered the moment the concierge began to speak of the available morning meals, her eyes going wide at the descriptions of the exotic meals that were available. Dragon eggs? Coconut-crested Pegasus? Braised Leviathan in a juniperberry-skygin reduction??? Again, the strange dichotomy of being familiar each word individually, but being completely taken aback by the concept that their particular combinations representation assaulted her brain similar to how one might experience opening a can of roasted nuts only to be assailed by a mischievous spring loaded device. It was so innocuous and yet so bizarre at the same time that her mind was sent reeling, and her only respite was to try to cling onto the small fragments of normality she could manage at this time. "I-I believe I will pass on those offerings," she finally stammered out, forcing herself to remain resolute. "I... think for the moment I would just like a bowl of oatmeal, and I shall obtain it in the buffet hall myself." She gave a assertive nod to herself, self-satisfied that she was enduring this parade of strangeness successfully, but then her confident facade face broke and she was back to her same nervous self. "Um, actually... is there any thing sweet I could add to it? I... actually don't really like plain oatmeal that much..."

 

[Arkaeis]

[Last post im going to make before event start, but others please feel free to post.]

Lionel was pleased with the awestruck look that was stuck on her face, it a as almost always the same there simply weren't many places with the level of service that the Haven could provide. So the natural reaction to the impossibility of it all was acutely expressed in the look he had seen countless other times. His eyes keenly focused on her mouth, rather surprised when she said the word oatmeal.

'What a human thing to eat, I suppose this demon also inhabits that realm... perhaps they are related in some way.' The boyish figured mused silently to himself, tuning in once more as she inquired about various options.

"Well yes, the breakfast bar- like the banquet hall are always open. I cal also assure you that the pairings of fresh fruit, exotic spices, various other ingredients are almost infinite. " Lionel co tinued to explain in his high voice trying to sound as professional as possible.

" I would like to warn you mildly though; madam, you see the guest rooms in the haven are quite often on a different time table than the rest of the spaces. So although you've been alseep for hours in here.. to the rest of us.. it has only been a few minutes.. time like space here is fluid, ever changing like a river that washes over us tugging our frames along. Sometimes its a speeding torrent while other times it seems to all but stop completely." As he said all of this his eyes looked around the room admiringly.

With that Lionel bowed concluding the exchange.

"Is there anything else that you could possibly be in need of m'lady?" He asked, having now fulfilled his assigned duty by Harquin he waited to be excused.

 

[Arkaeis]

[Event Start - Round 1]

From outside the Haven was heard an explosion followed by a rather terrible shrieking. The overcast sky immediately darkened and crimson streaks of lightning raced across the sky, echos of it's thundering booms caused the Haven to tremble in it's entirety. From the windows of the Bar and inn could be seen long stretching tendrils of chaotic black energy, covered in veins of crimson like electricity racing through a circuit. The arms writhed about flinging purposelessly here and there grasping any object that it could , and as it touched things it changed them. Making inanimate objects come alive with destructive purpose as it's aura spread to them like an infection.

From behind his office door cold feline eyes dilated to the thinness of a sliver as keen ears listened to the carnage that was being unleashed outside. Suddenly the office door opened, as if by it's own accord and racing out of it came the frantic figure of Harquin who leapt onto the county with the swiftness of a trained assassin.
'No, no, no, no, no, no...' He cursed the air of the mental landscape as his eyes finally caught glimpse of one of the squid-like black arms.

"Fuck." It was the singular word that escaped this mouth before he leaped off of the counter and bolted down the hallway past Mariah.

'Charles gather the others and meet me in the Reliquary, I fear we've been robbed! If they stole what I think was taken.. everyone here is in grave danger'
Commanded Harquin as he ran rounding a corner.

Each hallway seemed to shorten themselves around harquin and every door he came across opened themselves in preparation for his arrival. This is what a perfect picture of the Haven and it's master working in tandem to to mitigate a potentially lethal situation. Finally he Turned his last corner at at the end of a shortening hallway was a single pair of Cherrywood doors, as he ran down the hallway one could see numerous spells and enchantments and wards and technology automatically disable themselves as he approached them. Finally he reached the Reliquary this place that held so many objects that in the wrong hands could bring about a disaster of apocalyptic proportion, in fact many of them had in other realms.

Charles appeared from a doorway adjacent to the bar, once he got to the foyer he called the attention of everyone there.

"I Apologize for the inconvenience this is to everyone, but in light of the current events taking place outside Master Harquin has changed me with summoning you post haste. Please everyone gather into the foyer and proceed to follow me." Due to the nature of the announcement The Haven resounded it through it's halls in a way that everyone would be able to clearly hear it regardless of their location inside it's halls.​

 

[active_mind]

Mariah flinched, hearing the explosion, her eyes widening. Then she shrieked and threw fire around her in a circle as the building trembled, trying to fight a threat she couldn't see. She stopped, extinguishing the flames as she saw the cat run past her in a panic. "...Harquin?" She heard him make the announcement, and her eyes turned red, already beginning to go on the defensive. She watched in awe as things magically warped around him, doors opening. This told her that Harquin must have a deep connection to this place. One that she couldn't hope to understand.

Mariah heard Charles' voice echo through the Haven as another tremble rumbled through the inn. Panicked, she dashed towards where she thought the foyer was. She arrived shortly thereafter, and when she saw the darkness in the sky, the fierce red lightning streaking across it, her jaw dropped. This was wrong. So wrong. Her hands trembled a bit in fear. "This is not going to end well."

 

[PixelSymphony]

Val shook her head in response to Lionel's final question, dismissing him to return to the front counter. "What a pleasant young man. Still strange to hear the particular words coming from his mouth as they were, but... at least he was polite." She closed the door to her room and disrobed to begin her morning routine; for once, she was going to have a nice relaxing day of self-care, no longer worrying whether Church agents were around every corner. She was going to shower, pick out a nice outfit from her wardrobe, and have a restorative breakfast while she chatted with the other denizens of this locale about themselves.

Little did she know how wrong her prediction was to be. She was just towelling off when the explosion occured, sending her diving for the floor and again reflexively reaching under her bed for a weapon that was not there, cursing to herself as she low crawled over to her closet and quickly grabbed the SPP/84 out of its holster, bringing it to bear in front of her with a speed that revealed her training. ... no contact. Okay. She looked left and right from the crack in the door, pushing it back open as she now carefully swept her room. Clear. What the hell was that? she wondered, before Charles's resonant voice informed her of the urgent situation. "Oh this isn't good, she groaned, grabbing the freshly laundered duty gear and turning back to her closet to begin gearing up.

A few moments later, she burst into the foyer from her room, her cloak aflutter as she moved with deft precision. She was wearing her outfit from the previous day but now carrying a noticibly large rifle on her back; true to his word, Charles had carefully transported its case into her room. "Mariah!" she hurriedly asked, seeing the girl from the previous night, her eyes ablaze, "are we under attack? Wait-" As she sidled up to the front door, peering through the glass to the outside world, her face fell upon witnessing the aberration and its spindly tentacles. "Oh... oh no..."

---

Interaction: active_mind

 

[Lord0fFate]

As I finished the last remainder of pie I lent back stretching my arms out coming to a deep sigh as I patted my belly...!!!
"What in the!?" I then winced covering my ears as they rang sharply from the sound of what I thought to be a massive explosion of some kind, but suddenly there after I heard a voice beckoning out unto me, but not to I alone..

Anxiously I looked around the room as a sudden massive rumble shook the building beneath my feet "Oh my!!" I stumble a little bit steadily regaining my footing 'Okay Lloyd think think... The voice.. came from... that way! I think!!?'

I violently thrust my pointer finger in a direction and without much thought I grabbed my staff running towards the voice of where the foyer might be? 'Ugh! Couldn't I enjoy myself a little longer!?' "This better be good!" I shouted as I held tightly to my hat sailing myself through various doors and hallways. "OOF!!!" I trip and crash through a door head over heals finding myself in... "Is... this the foyer?" I mutter loudly whilst laying on my back.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

As the explosion not only rattled the physical world of wood and dirt, it sent shockwaves of paracausality throughout the smaller pocket dimensions that made the rooms of the Haven. In the middle of the foyer, where the strange mage fell and laid dazed in their own rush, energy began to concentrate within the center of the room. The black wind rose from the ground and scattered with blazing white digital patterns appearing and dissipating with the emergence of a bulky metallic grey golem of sorts. It looked around and began to march outward in response to the invasive power that loomed over them all. A small antique lamp that was possessed by the storm suddenly flung from a nightstand towards it. A chrome tendril sprouted from its back and whipped it out of the air in a crack. It shattered at its feet, not even looking at the mess around them. They focused on the clash of colors that hung in the sky through a window that opened in a creak and closed violently. It continued to do so along with the other aspects of inanimate objects that sought harm. Sought to hunt. Like wild animals, they pounced, missed, and crashed across the room and counters. The chrome tendril from before sprouted from its back once more, thickening and gelatinizing into the upper torso of the yellow lagomorph. "Hey! I can see were partying here. I was itching to destroy something. Although, yknow, lamps never flung themselves at me! This is awesome!" She cheered, darting her gaze quickly to see a young man becoming them to follow him. Nana nodded to the machine and they began their move. The rabbit laid their chin on top of Its head as it marched.
(This post is bad, I know.)

 

[Arkaeis]

[Event Round 2]​

Now that the new guests of the Haven had assembled in the foyer amidst the crash of a newly hostile lamp, Charles' expression shifted into a more human state and visible irritation could be seen by a furrowed brow and keen eye. With purposeful certainty he stepped forth and drew up his sleeves revealing what looked to be a very intricate set of cybernetic inscriptions akin to a glowing tattoo which visibly pulsated with a golden colored energy. With a flick of his wrists into a gestured hand-sign something akin to a holographic series of cogs appeared in front of him like a living interface, it hovered around his forearms and he interacted with it as though it were existing in physical space. After a few gestures his left forearm rotated independently of his hand until a soft click was heard and immediately his entire arm reconfigured into something more machine like visible areas of pure energy were present and as it changed and reconfigured the plates of paneling would shift to fit the new form. It looked something akin to an ion cannon however at the end it pointed into the shape of a key head, with it he approached the doorway that had lead to the pocket dimensions that normally held the guest rooms.

Before trying to place his manufactured key into the keyhole the iris of his eyes were flooded with the same colored energy.

"Haven, administrator one two seven- Charles Ignis Danborough- requesting emergency access to main access route; Directory, safeguarded rooms, Reliquary." He stated into the air and in the blink of an eye the door matched the entrance that Harquin had ran such a long ways to. Sigils on the frame of the door began to glow a muted cyan but then dissipated fading back to the natural color. Only then did he place the key in the lock and opened the doorway to the massively sized room that was brimming with powerful artifacts. From over his shoulder he addressed the group.

"This way please, and hurry. " He said so as he held open the doorway so that the group of travelers could enter. Once all of them had done so, he closed the door behind them.

Harquin stood just far enough in that they had to descend a few noiseless stairs to join him on the completely transparent floor that gave way to the vista of a grand galaxy which spiriled on the other side far below them.

Charles Integrate with the Reliquary Index. Harquin instructed through their internal link. From the foyer Charles very quickly dissipated into the yellow energy then faded from his physical existence.

"Sir, there are no known unauthorized breaches recorded." The echo of charles' voice rang strangely through the room confirming that he has merged with the index.

Harquin silently nodded to the group signalling them to follow as his pace continued to quicken to a slinking bounce across the sightless floor entering down one of the wide spread isles in a very particular direction.

" Access records for item P one-thirty-eight." Harquin commanded as he sauntered along the group of them in toe.

"Sir, there is no record of that Artifact." Charles responded from beyond physicality.

"Check for faults." He replied doubling back down an isle between an exhibit as if trying to access the quickest route to the intended item.

"There are no- wait.. there isn't a record of any corrupted data, it's as though it simply wasn't there. Sir how is this-"

"-Possible, honestly I'm not sure.. but I intend to find out." Harquin's pace slowed from a jog as they approached a low standing romanesque altar above it swirled a pattern of energy that made one think of a galaxy. The energy swirled counterclockwise hovering a few inches above the altar.

"Shit." Harquin quietly said to himself in a hushed tone, before turning to address the group.

"Alright, everyone we don't have time for me to explain all of then complexities of what misfortune has befallen us, nor the rules of the realm. So you will get a very quickly abridged version now, I will not repeat myself so listen up. This room houses thousands of powerful relics from all over the multiverse, and it has been robbed. What was taken is a very powerful artifact known as the gemma magnificare, or more commonly a Focus Crystal. It is normally seated here, and unless it is returned to the reliquary for safekeeping I am afraid that it will very quickly be our undoing. So all of you know by now that this realm is rather particular, it is sentient and has a will of its own. It is not the only will housed within NoWhere, adjacent to the Haven is imprisoned an entity of pure chaos, housed behind an ancient gateway that has kept it's will at bay. Now it is imbued with the near limitless power that the focus crystal supplies, so we will have to pry it from it's cold chaos-imbuing tentacles." Harquin explain in haste, as another thundering boom echoed through the reliquary.

"Now, get over here and place your hand on this altar. It will protect you from the energy and will allow you to survive contact with the chaos and remain unchanged." Harquin stated.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Val'sharra's eyes lit up with recognition as Charles revealed the arcane sigils inscribed on his left arm. "Are... are those-" she began before his intricate hand movements initiated their rapid transformation into a control screen, the automaton revealing a purpose to his existence beyond mere hospitality services. Gears spun and keys turned, and before Val knew it, the door that had just previously been a portal to her neongothic chambers was now a pathway directly to the private collection mysteriously linked to the back of her closet. Safeguarded, she noted to herself, I knew there was a reason I held off on touching anything. As she descended the stairs, Harquin's orders echoing from the vastness of the space, once again she was struck with the grandeur of the scene laid out before her, the museum-like presentation of each item doing little to hint at the sheer power held within. Careful not to bump anything with the stock of the long rifle she carried over her back, she made her way onto the center area of the floor, the galaxy slowly making its grand cosmic motions beneath her feet somewhat unnervingly. The caretaker of the hotel appeared to be preoccupied making a preliminary investigation into the matter with Charles (or who she assumed was Charles, given the voice she was hearing), so with a bit of a mind to look into certain aspects herself, she quietly peeled off from the group.

"A demonic operative appearing suddenly in the midst of countless artifacts and that's not even what's causing this," Val moaned to herself with a bit of an eyeroll. She quickly made her way back to the spot she'd been summoned the last time she was in this place, the small magnifying glass-come-key appearing in her hand as she instinctively inspected it. The key's purpose was self-evident, or at least she thought, but why a magnifying glass? None of the items on display looked particularly minute, and it wasn't as if museum patrons were regularly issued hand lenses upon entry to an exhibit anyway. I'm getting off-track. Leaving the matter for future deliberation, Val'sharra lifted the glass to the level of her eye, peering through it carefully as she began to inspect the area. The fact of the matter was an intrusion into a highly secured area that just so happened to have a back door into her closet fomented a fair amount of concern for the integrity of her personal space, and so she found her self very carefully examining the wall for any sign of intrusion before eventually moving back towards where the rest of the group had gathered.

She stopped the instant she saw the altar. "Erk- I ah," her words came out, jumbled in surprise as the magnifying glass quickly disappeared beneath her robes. Was she about to be in for a world of unpleasantness? No angelic figures... no depictions of deific battle... mostly geometric patterns... okay, I think I'm in the clear. Indeed, she wasn't getting the usual nausea and head-wrenching pain that indicated she had strayed too close to a particularly religious artifact, and as she gingerly moved closer, she breathed a sigh of relief as nothing continued to happen. "Ah... i-If there's no record, it means this was premeditated," Val'sharra added to the conversation as she rejoined, experience with the subject clear heavy in her voice. "People don't hide their tracks if it's just a crime of opportunity. Somebody's had an eye on this Focus Crystal for some time and had a plan to get it unnoticed." The demon girl sighed quietly, her shoulders slumping slightly as her eyes averted themselves towards the ground. One day in a new life and I'm already being thrust back into my old ways. Maybe I was a fool to think I could ever truly escape this fate. She shook her head gently and then spoke. "I... will try to help how I can." With a look of shaky determination, she stepped up to the altar, placing her left hand upon it.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Tin-Tin's gaze focused intensely on the holographic interface that the service unit has summoned to alter his arm into a key. It understood immediately what they represented. It was a puzzle. A lock. For what, he didn't know but theorized a thousand possibilities within a second. Nana accompanied him with curiosity as runes appeared and dissipated, the doors opening into a room unlike any other. Not special, but unseen from other living quarters. Tin-Tin ran into the room after the service unit. Its purpose was more than for service, though. It appeared to be a Gatelord. Trusted to guard and access the more powerful rooms. Nana hopped off of the machines back with a soft thud. Like if you threw a beanbag onto the floor. "This place is awesome. You got so many artifacts. Makes you wonder why you collect them all from all over the multiverse if you just keep them here." She commented, almost too loudly. She sauntered towards the alter and wafted her hands through the swirling mass of energy, cackling to herself.

"Not a demon. Evidence that this individual has entered and retrieved this artifact without any detection from either this Realm or Gatelord Charles suggests they don't really exist. They are nothing." He said in a deep scratchy voice, marching towards the altar and placing its stiff metal-plated hand onto the marble. It looked between all the participants. He doesn't fear things. Not in his nature. However, the fact that this power could harm him was concerning. What was more interesting was how the gatelord phrased it. "Unchanged". As if this chaos doesn't actually cause harm, but just changes someone. He looked at Nana who was grinning at the demon, wiggling her brow. He couldn't allow that to happen. "This Entity might not be a physical thing. It's comparable to a hole. A thing that bends the world around its shape. Thus it would leave no trail. As its path was simply moved out of the way." Not only that, but the machine theorized that this thing could be some sort of..Consumption. Something that erases the fabric of space. Thus when it took this item, it ate all records of its existence.