==> ALPHA: Unite.

[austereastronomer]

You are AVISPA KUSBIR and you are standing on LOMAW, looking up at the SECOND GATE. You’ve jumped through almost all the other gates, and you know that next is Hirune’s planet! You’re almost there, with Kaprao, Lyn, Phylus, Pherae, Durian, Perrix, Zirreh, and Kalfour! So you send a message to Hirune, secretly, because you have husktop glasses. She’ll be prepared because you’re helping, absolutely!

-- apiaryCryptonaut [AC] began pestering austereAstronomer [AA] --

AC: Oh, oh oh oh!
AC: Hirune, Hirune Hirune Hirune!!!!
AC: I think we’re 4bout... to be on your... pl4net, 4bsoutely, we 4re!
AC: I’m going to go... first, through the g4te!
AC: Like this, y4y, yes!
AA: Oh, you're almost here?
AA: That's, ah, good, very good to hear.
AA: Yes, everything is going well, isn't it.
AA: —ah, and I almost forgot, here's a map of where all the traps are. They're, well, fairly deadly, so... do try to avoid them.
AC: Oh, um, w4it, tr4ps?
AC: But oh, 4 m4p!
AC: This is good, yes!
AC: Phylus can use this... 4nd m4ke 4bsolutely sure... we don’t get hurt!
AC: Phylus is re4lly re4lly... re4lly re4lly good with... m4ps, he is, yes!
AC: But oh, 4lso, we’re... 4ll here, we 4re!
AC: Perrix jumped in l4st... 4nd he just l4nded!
AC: 4nd um, it’s re4lly... re4lly re4lly re4lly d4rk.



While you are not entirely wrong, you are also mostly right. You and the others are surrounded by a LOT of darkness in most directions, and though you remember this world and its darkness from when Hirune entered the game, it’s really really really really different to actually be here. So instead of wandering around in the darkness, Phylus promptly leads the way with THE MAP that Hirune had sent. It’s really helpful, and also you finally notice the LIGHTS that were actually really close by. How did you miss those?

Either way, you’re tired of being a group of NINE TROLLS so you start being HIRUNE KYSELY instead.

AA: Are you making progress all right? It's quite unusually dark here, as you saw before on my entry.
AA: I can't quite tell, but I think there must be a heavy cloud layer that keeps it so gloomy.
AA: At some point it seems someone placed lanterns on some of the peaks, but I can't imagine it was the consorts, since they live largely underground.
AA: Whoever it was, I doubt they're around any longer.
AA: Maybe they were killed off by the same illness that's affecting the consorts now...
AA: Although I suppose I should hope not, since that rather bodes ill, doesn't it?
AA: That's another thing I should warn you about, actually.
AA: I haven't gotten sick... at least not yet, so hopefully their illness is not communicable to our species.
AA: But it would probably do to be careful.

The illness WORRIES YOU, frankly. All your efforts to provide relief have mostly ended in no improvement... and you've watched a fair number of the friendly, hard-working mole-people who greeted you upon your arrival SUCCUMB TO IT.

Hopefully some of your more MEDICALLY-MINDED teammates can help. You just always feel like you're SO CLOSE to hitting upon a solution, like it's somewhere inside you, but none of the conventional routes known to you have yielded much fruit. Maybe there's some unconventional idea you haven't hit upon yet, but sometimes you feel like the BOOK LEARNINGS you value so highly have nonetheless left you a bit at a loss in situations like this.

AC: Oh, um, we’ll be... c4reful, we will, yes!
AC: Or um, you c4n... m4ke sure to tell... everyone too, yes, y4y!
AC: Bec4use we’re here, yes!
AC: Or um, I think... we 4re, 4bsolutely, m4ybe?
AC: So um, hello hello... hello hello Hirune, yes!

She’s not kidding, either, there are totally NINE TROLLS now gathered outside of your hive.

You take a deep breath, and try to push down your brain's reminders of what happened THE LAST TIME you were around this many trolls this close together. It's different now. They're not the same. It's going to be PERFECTLY FINE.

Yes, you're sure it'll be fine. Breathe in, breathe out. Time to go greet the first trolls you've seen in person in years—and (as you're beginning to think of many of them) your friends.

HIRUNE: ...H-hello, everyone.

Comments

OOC ORGANIZATIONAL THREAD

[austereastronomer]

At the top of Hirune's hive, she and Avispa have added four rooms on four floors each that you can stay in, with the basics in furniture. If you're claiming a particular room, please note which one here! There's also a common area set up on the ground floor for meetings and socializing. If you have questions about the layout of the building/planet/etc., they can be answered here~

[apiarycryptonaut]

Avispa will be taking the fourth room, on the fourth floor!

Decided to make a super-simple, super easy sort of reference for everyone to put where their troll will be residing right over here! Feel free to edit in and add yours to it!

[artful_transgressor]

Lyn will express a very clear preference for a room with a window. If all the rooms have windows, he'll pick a room on the fourth floor; if none of them do, he'll pick a room on the first. (If only some of them do, he'll pick the highest-up room with a window he can get.) Beyond that, he has no preferences.

AKA if he doesn't have a ready escape route he's not going to live there

[austereastronomer]

They all should have windows, since all of them are outward-facing!

[artful_transgressor]

He'll pick a room on the top floor, then~ The one not directly next to Avispa's, which I suppose would be the first one, because he likes you gurl but you give him such a headache

Re: OOC ORGANIZATIONAL THREAD

[quarkylass]

THERE IS NO UNDERGROUND HIVE 8( (also ignore the journal I can't sign out)

So Phylus will be on the first floor somewhere. Because he doesn't like being up high unless it's climbing.

LOCATION: COMMON AREA

[austereastronomer]

This room has a small couch and a few chairs and footstools large enough to sit on, and has a few lamps scattered around on the floor for lighting. It's undecorated, as it's a fairly new addition to Hirune's hive.

LOCATION: RESPITEBLOCKS

[austereastronomer]

There are four squarish rooms on each of four floors, with a staircase connecting them. They contain each a desk, a chair, a recuperacoon, and a lamp. One of them is yours!

4.4: Little bee's puzzle room

[apiarycryptonaut]

You are AVISPA KUSBIR and you have predictably taken the FOURTH ROOM on the FOURTH FLOOR. You are absolutely excited about this fact, so excited that you have decided to adorn your 4-4 room with FOUR PILES.

In the first corner is your PILE OF PUZZLES which is comprised of no less and no more than 44 different kinds of puzzles. The second corner contains your PILE OF SKULLS, which happens to contain several KOMESH SKULLS. The third corner contains a large variety of ROBOTICS and TECHNOLOGICAL MACHINERY; it all looks very complex, but you've pieced together a lot of them. Also there's a robotic arm on top that looks ready to be used! Lastly, in the fourth corner, is a pile of HONEYCOMBS, SNACKS AND OTHER FOODS that you have accumulated over the past little while!

Anyone who visits will find you sitting on your PILE OF SKULLS, incidentally with your large CHAIN SKULL sitting beside you. Alternatively, you're still signed into Trollian.

-- apiaryCryptonaut [AC} has signed on. --

[timeasone]

-- debuggedDemiurge [DD] began pestering apiaryCryptonaut [AC] --

i solved it

!!

[apiarycryptonaut]

Wait, who is this? What is that username? The color is familiar, but wait, what, huh? You stare for several moments before responding.

W4it, um, huh, wh4t?
Wh4t did you solve?

[timeasone]

why ria and ira counted as one player
and some other stuff, too
it's a bit complicated, but i don't recall that bothering you..

[apiarycryptonaut]

Oh, oh oh oh!
4nd bec4use they h4d... the s4me pl4net, yes?
Th4t w4s re4lly confusing!
But oh, um, you... solved it, you did?
W4it um, how, when... they couldn't solve it?

[timeasone]

yes, that too
and well they did solve it sort of
i'm just the result

but to start more closely at the beginning
basically
ria and ira weren't supposed to be two people at all

[apiarycryptonaut]

W4it, w4it w4it w4it.
W4it w4it w4it w4it!
W4it, w4it, w4it w4it?
W4it w4it, w4it, w4it!!!!
Like 4 puzzle th4t... turns into two but... c4n be put b4ck?
So it's 4ctu4lly one... puzzle 4g4in, combined, m4ybe?
Except not 4 puzzle?
So um, w4it, then.
You're Ir4 Ri4 Ri4... Ir4 Ri4 Ir4, m4ybe?
Together, not split up?

[timeasone]

yes, like that
...pretty much exactly like that, in fact!
i'm aria
which is much shorter to say than ira ria ira or any other combination of the two names
nice to... meet you??

[apiarycryptonaut]

Oh, um, but, w4it... 4ren't you still Ri4... 4nd Ir4, m4ybe, 4ri4?
So um, then, I... think I've 4lre4dy met... you, 4bsolutely, yes, y4y!
4nd um, you're 4bsolutely... still in the victory... squ4dron, yes, you 4re!
4nd um, oh, w4it... how did you solve... not being two people?
Or um, 4ri4 inste4d... of Ir4 or Ri4?

[timeasone]

yes you're right
again
but still it does feel like we're a whole new person, sort of
so it seemed like the thing to say at the time

...oh that's
well
it was not what i'd call fun or exciting
or any other positive adjective i can think of for that matter
and for right now i'd rather not talk about it to be honest

[apiarycryptonaut]

Oh, um, I see?
So um, then, um... y4y, hello 4ri4, yes!

4nd um, oh, th4t... m4kes sense m4ybe, yes.
You don't h4ve to... t4lk 4bout it, no!
Don't worry, 4ri4, no!

1.4: Visiting Phylus

[apiarycryptonaut]

You are AVISPA KUSBIR and you are about to visit one PHYLUS INATTA in his room! He chose to reside in the FOURTH ROOM on the FIRST FLOOR and that means that you absolutely have to visit him!

Of course, you've taken a moment to change clothing before leaving, you are now wearing an improved version of your previous lightweight armor which features your colors and a skull hoodie. It is definitely the best armor, and it's made perfectly to not block your horns! That's actually exactly why you're not WEARING A SKULL right now, because your hoodie basically is one!

But you make it to Phylus' room and... pretty much just bounce right in, not releasing the ISIS PUZZLE you have held in one hand.

Hello Phylus, hello hello... hello, how 4re you!

Re: 1.4: Visiting Phylus

[mapmaking]

You are more than a little AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, so you're positively thrilled that Avispa seems to enjoy coming to see you, and that you don't have to go all the way UP to find her. Her outfit is cute but somehow TERRIFYING, which makes your emotions a little mixed -- why does she like skulls so much? It's practically terrifying. But she's so cute. It's a dilemma.

When she bounces in you're in the middle of unrolling one of your many MAPS for inspection; she startles you and you end up with the map on your HEAD.

Classy!

avIspa--x!
uh--x
hI Im okay jusT lookIng over my maps--x
I wanTed To know how far from my planeT we are--x

[apiarycryptonaut]

Upon your entry, you are greeted with the sight of Phylus wearing a map like a HAT. You're not sure if he's doing that on purpose or not, but there're a few flashes of unfortunate HAT-CAUSED CASUALTIES that come to mind that you quickly shake away. You don't want to remember those TERRIFYING DERSE AGENTS.

Oh, um, re4lly, m4ybe?
How f4r 4re we?
Or um, wh4t did... you m4ybe find, Phylus?

[mapmaking]

Thankfully you are blissfully unaware of the looming danger of the DERSE AGENTS, and instead you let the paper slide off of your head.

noT very far--x
There are only a few planeTs beTween us here and my own--x

[apiarycryptonaut]

Oh, y4y, th4t's good!
Bec4use, oh, right, yes... my pl4net is next!
Which me4ns m4ybe then... it's Duri4ns, 4nd then... it's yours, I think?
Th4t's not f4r, no!

You're piecing it together in your head, finally, remembering how you'd jumped through the gates to go to see Phylus.

[mapmaking]

yeah--x
durIan Is my server and youre hIs--x
avIspa--x
I can see your hIve now--x!
we can Trade ThIs TIme--x!

[apiarycryptonaut]

Oh, yes, we could!
Th4t would be re4lly... re4lly re4lly re4lly fun!
Um, I think, yes?

LOCATION: OUTSIDE

[austereastronomer]

The Land of Spires and Silence is very, very dark. The area around Hirune's hive has been set up with floodlamps to make it possible to navigate without falling into one of the many large pits that dot the planet and connect the surface to the underground tunnels where the mole-like consorts make their homes. In the distance, one can see what appears to be tall, spindly mountains; some of the nearer ones have a light at the top of them. One may run into imps out here.