Game: Incubus (Solo)

She looks at you angrily, then exasperatedly.

Just.. Just.. Git!!!

Go!

As you turn away to leave... she pulls you by the back of the arm again, this time, it's more gentle.

WAIT!.. I can't let a sod like you get whacked here - yer gonna stay 'ere 'til I'm done patrolling.

Her voice and facial expression is a perfect mixture of anger and genuine concern.

Where are ye from anyway?

She hesitates for a moment... as if trying to appraise whether you're speaking the truth or not.

Firefly.. the names Firefly.

She goes on to tell you about her duties as a patrol guard for the Planarium owned by inventor Teusic Rowe. From what she tells, the planarium is a marvel indeed. A fantastic building flanked with marble pillars sitting atop the building is a marvelous dome that maps out a random world. Those who view this giant half globe notice that not only is the world different from day to day but you can actually see the weather change across its surface. The inside of the building is an amphitheatre below the dome with the seats tipped back to watch the dome's darkened inside surface. A magical device is centered at the heart of the building, it's able to project an actual (yet very distant) image of any plane, demiplane, or prime world on the inside of the dome.

She doesn't divulge any information about the magic device itself, or Rowe, but of late less than amicable characters have been trying to find their way into the Planarium. She's one of the many guards hired to keep trouble at a minimum. You notice that she enjoys talking, and her harsh demeanor quickly melts away. You two could be good friends by now- well, if it weren't for the tense circumstances under which you met. She seems half marveled/ half unsure about your Styx water story (lots of barmies rattle their bone-box about things stranger). She remains guarded about her personal history though, as she just met you, and knows better than to be too trusting of an apparently clueless sod. She then asks you about how you got out of the Styx.

Well, ye can visit the Planarium during visiting hours -

From your vantage point in the alley, the streets are still deserted. The planarium is about a block away (and its guards are still vigilant, even at this distance - this gives you an idea of how important this magical device could be).

There is an unnatural silence still hanging around... like the calm before a storm.

It's usually quiet, and always odd here, quit rattlin' yer bone-box and stay close!

Several hours pass without either of you saying much, just patrolling near the alleyway. It's quite uneventful, and soon, the haze above lightens as morning comes.

You notice that she seems a bit more tired (you, being what you are, have no need for sleep).

Aight cutter, stay safe, and remember what I told ye about wanderin' these parts.. or any parts.. at night.

She waits for you to say your goodbye.

She gives you another suspicious look - neh, I'll be fine - I've been doin' fine without someone watchin' over meh back up until now, and I'm gonne keep it that way.

Her nose scrunches. She becomes angry again.

Ye couldn't bob me if yer life depended on it! I was worried ye were tryin' ta get wi me! I'm not one o' those easy lasses!

With that, she walks away, presumably either back to her home, or back to the Planorium.

You aren't sure, but the empty streets were slowly but surely becoming populated once again. Soon the city awakens completely and Harmonium Guards, street merchants, local thugs, Demons/Devils/Angels/other Outsiders, and just about everyone else eventually pass your way.

Of particular interest is a short elven woman in cheap leather armor, shouting "Tout! Tout!" every so often. Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to her.

------
Places of interest in this particular area (according to various signs and billboards):

Offices of the Planar Trade Consortium
Bigby's College of Academic Arts (now defunct)
The pillaged Hall of Records
The Planarium

OOC: I use the Sigil Map and Sigil Venues section (from this website) to detail where you are. You might want to check it out - or better yet, I'll have you purchase a Sigil Map - in game, and then you (both you and your character) can look at it, and visit any place that piques your interest, rather than having me detail the major places of interest in an area in Sigil - this way, I can focus on the more detailed, minor areas of interest, while you have a map of the major landmarks.

Some places, (like the Planarium) of course, aren't going to be on the map, because I made them up or got them from other sources - but I'll give you a pretty good idea of where they are once you access the Sigil Map from this website.

Well, you've come ta th right place Sirrah!! I can help you find anyone, or at least give you a lead... for the right price!

She thinks for a moment... Yeas!!! She takes out a small, brown package from her person..

I need you to deliver this to my sister Tara in the Lady's Ward. She's also a tout, and moves around a bit - so you'll have to look around to find her. When you've done that, come back, and let me know. If you do this, I'll tell you anything I know!

Yea, keep it on the whisper... I'm not telling what it is, but it's not exactly something someone would want to keep out in the open - it's not dangerous or anything, but it's not really legal. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but in that case, you'll have to come back when you've got some jink.

It's got a few wards on it, and can only be opened by me or my sister - so I don't have any issues giving it to someone. So enough of this rattlin' are you in?

A little, she's short elven, her name's Tara - she's a tout - tell her Talia sent you.

Thanks blood - now what'd you want to know?

OOC: This elf has pale skin, green eyes, and black hair, so her sister probably shares some features.

She frowns for a while...

Zakarius the Sinker? no, don't think I do... It's a pretty common name. But, if ye're looking for a lead, I can tell ye to try Tara in the Lady's Ward where the Sinkers have their headquarters. She might know more darks about the factions in that Ward than me.

What else d'ya want to know?

She looks at you oddly. So... you want to know the Dark of the Planorium, eh?

She looks around, then lowers her voice to a whisper. I'll give ye the Golem's Truth**:

Teusic Rowe was a former Guvner who quit before the shake up. He was interested with mapping planar realms and layers more than knowing the laws behind them. In this spirit he built the planarium, the ultimate window onto the planes.

The object of interest is the large wooden "altar like" device with glowing lights, lenses, and levers is Teusic's personal invention. The device is bigger than it looks, stretching down into the basement. Down there it has two sounding probes (enchanted crystals) dipped into the permanent ends of two shifting portals. One is located in the mouth of a barrel, the other in an old windowpane removed from a building.

Now here's the Dark. The planarium is more than a window onto the planes -- you see, old Teusic found a way to predict and manipulate shifting portals. Each world projected on the outside and plane projected on the inside is a result of his device picturing the actual worlds themselves. Why two images? Well the first attempt (the outer dome) came from his attempt to project images to the stable end of a shifting portal, whilst the inner images came from more advanced magical knowledge that allowed him to control another shifting portal's location. So far this effect has only worked on the second of his two portals and hasn't been able to be applied to any others.

The Problem is that many fiends are frequenting the planarium lately. It appears chant has been spread that it can be used to view large scale troop formations and movement in the Blood War. Chant goes that some fiends are planning to gather here, break into the lower stories, and shift the balance of the Blood War.

OOC: **
Golem's Truth: A secret that must be kept on pain of death. Chant goes it comes from the use of the Prime word "emet", or Truth, to animate a golem, and the fact that erasing the first letter of it yields "met", or Death. Many golems have the word emet written on their foreheads, when it can be erased by their makers, in case the animation process goes wrong...
Another explanation is that this comes from the children's' saying that if a secret isn't kept, "The golems'll get you."

Oh yea, anything in this Ward, I know... say, I like you cutter, what's your name?

aright, off with ye then! stay sharp!

She seems enamored by you as her pupils dilate to get one last look at you.

OOC:

so was firefly -most females will be infatuated with you. Lucky dog, you. this means that they'll probably be willing to divulge more to you than the average cutter.

OOC: there are two ways to get to the Lady's Ward - Spireward through the Guildhall and Market Wards, or Downward through the Hive and Lower Wards.
Which way do you take?

Also, On your way to the Lady's Ward, do you want to get there as quickly as possible, or take your time and enjoy the scenery - weird question, but one that needs an answer nonetheless.

so Dire, just out of curiosity, were you able to get the last thing I posted on enworld about the three possible entrances to the Hive Ward?

Ok, so to get to the Hive from the Clerk's, there are 3 possible entrances, each of which holds its own perils: Darkwell Court, Khaasta Row, and New Tyr. The closest to you , from the former Hall of Records, is Darkwell Court.

From your basic knowledge of Sigil's Wards and sub-wards, here's what you know about each area:

New Tyr

This small squat was settled by a number of bashers from a Prime world called Athas some years ago. The self-sufficient and tough bashers that call it home typify the area; they respect strength but seem mighty peery of wizards and gith of both varieties. In recent years, the residents have taken a great shine to the clerics of a number of Sigil’s major temples that have preached to the community in order to gather converts. The concept of deities who exist and answer prayers seems almost a novel concept to the Athasians, and a growing minority of them have converted to several of Sigil’s major faiths with gusto. Among the population, which is largely human, there are a number of half-giants, various genasi, and a number of odd human/dwarven half-breeds called muls by the locals. The citizens of New Tyr have attracted a large amount of attention from the Sodkillers for their seemingly inbred toughness, resilience, and work ethic. Thus far, however, the faction has had little success in persuading the Athasians to fall in any numbers towards their own philosophy.

Darkwell Court

The stretch of kips known as Darkwell Court lies between Whisper Way and Sandstone Row in the edge of the Hive closest to the Clerk’s Ward. This community and its peery-sounding name are home to the largest population of githzerai in Sigil, and true to form, the insular bashers have constructed a slice of their monastic society from Limbo within Sigil. None of the typical spiked, razorvine wrapped, bladed eaved kips common to the rest of Sigil. Instead, the homes are dull, flat-roofed, rarely over a single story high, and rounded in places. The wizened matriarch of the community, Divin Anesh controls everything within the tight-knit court, more or less, and those wishing to do much beyond simply walking through the court would do well to request to speak with her.

Khaasta Row

This small neighborhood, adjacent to Darkwell Court, is the home of a number of the reptilian Outlands species known as khaasta. The group, knowing full well their reputation among most Cagers as a race of mercenaries, barbarians, and raiders, rightly fears retribution from less than trusting neighbors. Faced with this local opinion they keep mainly to themselves and rarely bother others, especially the githzerai nearby, who at worst seem content with their neighbors who share the same “keep to themselves” attitude.

It's up to you which route to take. You don't yet know of any shortcuts (portals) around the city, so you're going to start by walking.

You pass through New Tyr without incident, and now enter the Marble District, named so for its cluster of a few blocks of gray and white marble buildings, it’s a spot of relative calm and civilization inside the ocean of urban wasteland it barely rises above.

Most official government buildings in the ward reside in the Marble District, as well as a branch of the Minder’s Guild that has taken to selling their services to a number of alehouses and less reputable members of the Hive’s so-called society. In addition, a number of shops and taverns that sell quality goods and ale, not the watered down swill popular elsewhere in the ward, and the walled in kips of several jink-laden bloods of the ward call the Marble District home. Principal among these businesses are Benni’s Tap, a favorite drinking spot for the knights of the ward, eager to spend their jink and not have to sit next to unwashed, or in the case of some bars in the gray district, undead bubbers.

At the edge of the district, away from the official buildings, yet separated from the rest of the ward, a number of boarding houses and fairly well maintained tenement homes are called kip by most of the skilled craftsman and honest shopkeepers and peddlers of the ward at large.

OOC:

Go ahead and look at the Sigil Venues List, if you please -and feel free to explore any of the venues in the immediate vicinity. Of course, if you just want to get down to business and not push the three-day deadline, that's completely fine too. I just wanted to let you know that you have that option.

Also, how am I doing DMing.. anything about my style you find interesting, annoying? Anything you want me to change?