Original Questant - Interactive Fiction - Exploring a Non-Euclidean Reflection, Traipse your way to the SafeRoom

[Meridian]

Spoiler: author's note 7/11/2024

Author's Note:
All 'commands' in the prologue were not user submitted, and are written as example commands.
They should be considered 'autonomous' actions of the protagonist character you control.

---

You... wake up?

You dont remember going to sleep, or where this is.

"Who am I?" leaps to your thoughts before you can ask "Where am I?"

You.. you dont know.. you dont know the.. the answer to these questions.

"Why dont I know this?" you find yourself asking.

​

[X] Calm Down, search your surroundings​

You do your best to suppress the questions flooding in..
You lean against a wall trying to center yourself. There are more important things, right? Such as whether you're somewhere safe or not.

A look around the cramped space reveals no cameras, so you aren't in some sort of torture palace.. hopefully not at least. The stickers pasted now and again in the room are probably a good indication that you're just in an abandoned building.. at least there's plenty of wood to knock on with all the windows boarded up.

[X]Examine Exits​

The supposed "exits" all seem boarded up- and you missed one of them.

The signs pointing to this include the air flowing against your face, and that you can clearly see the last of the six windows is both empty and stretches onwards as a crawlspace would.

There might be a point to the stickers aside from making it less weird to be in.

You dont feel ready to check it out, and move onto checking the floor to see if you dropped anything while you were unconscious.

You find a messenger bag slumped against the opening of it.
It feels just familiar enough that you're certain this bag is your's.. or at least if it isn't you'll find out soon enough and apologize to who it belongs to.

[X]Open the bag​

You open the bag to find two things.

• a gel pen (it feels weird to hold)​
• a scrapbook (it feels right to hold)​

You set the pen back into the bag, but keep the scrapbook in your hands and turn it over, and over.

It just feels right.. and you know it must be important to you.

Trying to pry it's latch open even yields you no answers to what's going on. The thought to pry it open with the pen occurs, but you dismiss it expecting you'd damage either and waste your time... and you dont feel like making it easier for someone else to snoop on your keepsakes regardless of what they are.

​

[X]Write on the wall "SOS"​

Someone said it best that when lost the best thing you can do is wait for help to show up rather than wandering off. They also said the most important thing is some form of shelter.

If you're going to be stuck waiting around for help you should probably put up some sort of sign say if you're away from this room to gather snacks.. well once the protein bars run out. That sign would also be useful if you were asleep so that someone doesnt think this is your bedroom.

You'd rather them not think this is your bedroom.

How do you convince them otherwise..

Right, the idea to write on a wall.
You compromise and use your pen to scribble onto the wall a plea.

It takes a while to fill in the outline you make, but eventually it's there for a rescuer to lay their eyes upon.

All you need to do is play the waiting game.

[X]Nobody: Come​

It turns out the waiting game sucks.. but at least you had a distraction for a moment.

It takes you a grand total of (another) several minutes to realize you're probably not stranded in a wilderness survival situation. If someone were to come in here they'd see the message, and clearly yourself, so there's no point in it.

There's also no point in staying in place.. you dont have much to survive on even if you have shelter.

[X]Cross it out and leave an updated message​

You cross it out, but decide not to update the message.. is "nevermind?" or "gonna brb to figure out where I am I guess" really that useful to your supposed rescuers?

It wouldn't be clear at all.. but it might be to the point that you're not here.

Either way you can live with this.

[X]Exit​

You suppose a peek wouldn't hurt... but you do need to move the cubby over to get leverage and pull yourself up.

..You only realize afterwards that it may have been best to put the bag in the exit before trying to climb out, as you stumble and nearly fall flat backwards.

Before long you're crawling to freedom, sweet sweet freedom.

This isn't freedom, it's another tunnel.

Ok, you admit to yourself that there's a light at the end of the tunnel so there's probably freedom at the end of it, and you aren't crawling towards freedom anymore so there's that too.

You can walk to freedom at your own pace.

[X]Inspect Walls​

You look at them. They sure are walls.

It makes sense given that you're in a tunnel. They need those to keep the ceiling from collapsing atop you, at least the ones you've heard of need those.

What does stand out to you about the walls is the twinkling stars hanging in the void behind long panes of what you assume to be glass.

You're not sure you want to reach out in-case you're proven wrong. You have a hunch that it'd be too tempting to try and throw something through and not get it back, or worse try and climb out and fall.

It raises the question of if you're in a tunnel why can you see the sky?

You could be somewhere in orbit, you suppose.

You decide that since you cant do anything about it, and since the tunnel hasnt decided you shall meet your untimely demise in a timely fashion.. that you'd rather keep moving for now.

The light you'd seen at the end was not the exit, but a bright fluorescent light lining the tunnel. As you look down the next corridor it seems to be the same.. and the same after it leaving you wondering how long they run on for. There seem to be ports every so often like the one you had crawled through to enter the tunnel, and some seem to be labelled as 'maintenance access', but you're not quite sure that's where your's actually led to.

After the seventh or eighth star-lined corridor you come to a junction, and the light filtering in at the end of where you can see of it.. it feels like it's at least somewhere else.

The exit from the tunnel corridors pays off, and you come to find.. well you weren't expecting this.

Ok maybe you were expecting to get to the surface when you initially found yourself in a tunnel, and you expected to get outside when you left where you woke up, but the sky's...

You turn around and enter the tunnel just briefly enough to check. The stars still shine down from above the tunnel you look above to the sky outside it.. where it is clearly some point in an afternoon.

As you linger out in the open you feel like you're hearing something in the distance, as though you're eavesdropping on a conversation..

[X]Go around and greet the voices​

It's like there's people just around the other side of the structure you exited from.

Its only like that, however, as you cant get a clear read and it doesnt feel the same as hearing the rest of the forest's sounds.

Spoiler: transcript

"This doesn't go anywhere"
"Crawl out from the NER regardless ; Wait, really?"
"Cmon we got a" ; "Spawn point" ; "Pursuer could expand ; the last thing we are in need of is disentangling from the NER"
"I know when I'm out voted. Lets head back."

You make an attempt, but eventually find the brush to be too thick.

So you call out a general "Hey!" to get their attention

But it doesn't change anything, and it doesn't change that what you're hearing feels the same way a song you only heard a few times but still tried to memorize the lyrics to.

It takes a moment, but you can tell whoever they are there's definitely multiple of them in a group. Someone is better than nobody being out here.. so you feel confident in trying to catch up to them.

The path ahead stretches for a while from what you can see.. you hope you can catch up to them before it gets dark.

 

[Meridian]

Spoiler: transcript

"Always in old shows buuuut there's clearly a human once."
"Cmon we cant leave an offering behind?"
"I'd rather not be caught"
"general intuition says"
"how long til we're back?"

The path feels almost well-worn into the hillside as each step traces another's.

Down the distant hillside you think you can spot some form of animal, but its shape is obscurred by both underbrush and the shape of the shade cast by the canopy alike.

Regardless of what it is.. it doesn't bolt as a result of the conversation you continue to overhear as you trail behind the group.

Spoiler: transcript

"a true expression of your people?"
"kind of ok give me a second"
"One and done that's your second"

It's been a short while of treading the path, but you can tell now that there's definitely a group of people. Some more than two and definitely less than five.

You feel like they know each other well enough that they likely call each other friends.

Sometimes you feel just distracted enough that you might trip over a branch, and from the way that the shadows in this part of the trail glimmer and reveal some underlying shape of the world around you.. you dont think you want to trip here.

A split in the path arrives and only one option remains as the result of a large and dying tree having fell across the other. With assistance you may have been able to climb over it, but the shape of it is irregular enough that you expect you'd fall down trying and only tire yourself out.

It's frustrating as you expect the group went along that route.

With each step it feels as though you are not any closer to the group ahead. The delay slowed you down, and while you could still tell they were nearby along the other path you had to maintain a steady pace in an attempt to keep ahead.

In time you've reached a clearing and a decent vantage point. The path you were along winded about the lower hillside and had to take a bit of a turn to reach it, but you're back onto the same trail.

Some form of beast browses through the grass in the shade of a tree at the border of the clearing, but it doesn't pay you anymore attention than you do it. Either way it clearly doesn't mind your presence in its midst.

You dont have any clearer a view of the group you'd been following.

You at best can tell that they're distantly ahead, so you continue on your way.

Spoiler: transcript

"Its something along the word's archaic"
"You know normally I know normally"
"My vote's the voidship."

Their voices sound off in exchange to each other as call and response, but without any to your own no matter the volume you try to reach.

Your calls became hoarse over the last.. it's probaby been half an hour since you have been following them if you had to guess.

You find yourself in another clearing, and the edge of it ahead is thin enough to reveal a fence-line closing off another clearing.

You're starting to consider whether heading back is the better course of action.. and yet this is the first sign of another structure than the one you had exited from. Anything that's a sign of people is better than wandering a countryside you dont know.

So you trudge onwards.

You can see a building up ahead. It looks like it could be someone's home.

While you can't hear the group.. that's enough for you.

Spoiler: transcript

"This path does not equate to being worth our time."
"I heard it leads anyway"
"So sallyforth we must!"

You dont see them, but you can hear them.

The back patio is furnished. You contemplate sitting down and taking a break, but know it can wait.

You knock on the back door and call out to anyone inside. You repeat the process for at least several minutes before you sigh and resign yourself to checking if the door is unlocked.

It is.

Reconsidering whether you want to enter uninvited you decide to sit on the patio furniture and wait.

The sound of the wind blowing through the trees fills the air, and even some beast cries sound out from the woods like a natural chorus accompanying it.

If you hadn't woken up in a some sort of basement in the middle of what you can only assume is the wilderness somewhere.. this would be a lot more relaxing.

You find yourself taking comfort in the moment for the minutes it lasts.

 

[Meridian]

Entering the house you can't help but think that there's no sense in being rude, and so you close the door gently shut behind you. The interior isn't horribly dark, but something about the wood drinks in the light such that it barely travels.. leaving things gloomier than you otherwise expected.

Spoiler: transcript

"how's it looking, our dear jump ahead" asks the first whisper to appear

The same as the hall stretches onwards so too do the whisperings.

[X] INVESTIGATE: Open the second door on the right​

Spoiler: transcript

"I'd rather check the far end than see just how far down any door goes." overlays the next

The door opens to what looks to be an underwater space.

You reach out and touch it... and pull back a wet hand.

[X]INVESTIGATE: open the first door on the right​

When you press the door inwards it feels like you're being pulled along with it, so you let go of the knob.

The door flies off into a starry void.

You stand there stunned for a moment.

As the moment passes you know you haven't been dragged into a vacuum, and feel mildly relieved if still a bit confused.

You look at where the door attached to the frame and see that it didn't seem like it was very attached to begin with. It looks like it was loosely attached.

[X]Traipse: Follow Exit Sign​

Spoiler: transcript

another hallway crossed perpendicular to the prior in the log cabin.
"Not a bad formation, dont you think?" was said
"I find it needlessly intertwined. Form with slivers of function and yet none of purpose. Shuffled chaos." the reply came

It's.. a perpendicular hallway.

Crossing through it you immediately find that there is another set of doors along both the opposite walls from where you came, and along that same wall.

You figured from seeing the other two doors open, but you know now that the interior of this cabin has to be larger than the outside. You have a feeling that you could get easily lost in this place, and decide to follow through to the next room.

Spoiler: transcript

Only the trail end of whispers from elsewhere intrude on this space, with the next room's trailing off into a question turned towards the listener: "You?"

This time the whispering sensation you've been feeling splits.

Back the way you came sounds a bit like it did before, but with something else on top of it..

At this point you're fairly certain you're not hearing them. You know where they were said, and you can hear them without the people who said those things being here.

There's still more further in as well..

[X] CONSIDER: Pelt Rug​

It's.. a rug alright. Weirdly shaped but it's a rug.

[X] INVESTIGATE: Pelt Rug​

The more you look at it the more clearly it looks like it's the skin of some creature.

Something feels off about it.. like it's based on the same thing, but isnt actually the creature's skin.

The teeth in the head shape still look real to you.

If you moved the little table atop it you could definitely try and take it with you.

You're unsure if it you tried rolling it up whether it'd actually fit within your bag.

[X] CONSIDER: Memorabilia​

This room doesn't feel anymore a home to you than the others did so far.

You take a look at the images that decorate the room and dont recognize a single face. You recognize them as faces and that they are probably people who exist somewhere, but no names come to your mind.

[X] TRAIPSE: Onwards​

Spoiler: transcript

"Looks like it's barely primed too" comes across as well as the faint whisper from the prior room
"so... I'm fine with leaving somethign behind for others, you?"

The next place is a pantry it seems.

You don't know if anyone lives here, but know you haven't heard anything else move in this house...

[X] CONSIDER: Bread Jar​

Spoiler: transcript

"so.. I'm fine leaving something behind for others, you?" is centered and more visible as the other fades

The first food you've seen here.. protein bars for hikers and travelers alike. Each one seems to be a different flavor from 'mocha' to 'sunberry delight' to 'salted caramel' to 'maple pancake'.

You have the distinct feeling it'll be fine taking a few. You stuff a few in your bag, and then put one in your pocket for easy access.

The onset of another phantom conversational thread weaves itself in, and you pick up the impression that there'll still be more for other.

[X]CONSIDER: Towel​

Spoiler: transcript

"That does look to be a source token.." is said as the prior messages fade away into background noise of the space.

It looks to be a towel initially. At least you want to assume that's what this long strip of cloth is for.. but a part of you wonders if it's a tablecloth.. or just meant to hand there and look pretty.

If you wanted to use it as a towel you'd need to make space for it.. or figure out how to carry it in-case you need to run.

You think it might be worth coming back for.

[X]TRAIPSE: Leftwards​

Spoiler: transcript

"Its a shame this doesn't go anywhere yet" states one
"It will" replies the second
"I dont wanna wait around for that" in turn responds the third
"A pity, so shall you suffer until that time" notes the second
"I dunno its kinda nice here.. makes me think of those games" the first will have said
And after the first will have stated further "Uhhh the fantasy ones"

Past the pantry you find some sort of pottery workshop.. or maybe a warehouse?

You weren't expecting the immediate next room to be so crowded whether for the objects or the phantom voices

[X]Smash Pots, Get Finances​

The urge to commit wanton destruction of an object overtakes you, and you comply with the urge. Hefting the piece of ceramicwear above your head (lets be realistic, it's heavy, you almost definitely toppled it over, but it's nice to imagine this little power fantasy right, you reassure yourself) and swinging it down against the ground in hopes of finding some form of currency or reasources to survive on.

The first attempt and it's contents only yields a hollowness like you've been feeling since waking.

The next attempt might be different that same urge beckons.

[X]SMASH ANOTHER​

You let out a sigh and pick another close-by pot up with the thought that this time might be different. If this was in enough videogames for the whispers to be discussing it surely people would keep something in pottery in abandoned labyrinthian buildings.

As the ceramics shatter and crumple into a heap of shards.. you spot something!

It seems someone lost a couple sticky-note pads inside.

At least you could write on something other than the walls now.

[X]SMASH ANOTHER​

You give into the urge once more and wonder when the cycle of violence will end.. possibly never. You're getting used to the carnage, the screams of terror from innocent pots.

Spoiler: transcript

The prior statements begin to fade into obscurity, and those that follow fade into notoriety.
"I dunno it's kinda nice here.. makes me think of those games." says the first
"You will need to be more specific on what sort of game you are referring to." comments the second
"Uhhh the fantasy ones?" replies the first
"I think I know what you're talking about, the one with the twink in a tunic?" says the third

As you nudge aside the innards of your victim you find a frayed-off zipper!

Wait, no, this was probably already sitting on the ground to begin with.. you could probably do with searching your surroundings more thoroughly. Given the track record you're unsure if that'd result in anything substantially different anyway.

[X]COLLECT SPOILS OF CONQUEST​

You decide to pocket the sticky-note pads, and decide to even take the zipper by stowing it away in your bag. It is nt like either takes up much space, so taking useless junk (and useful junk) isn't exactly a problem.

[X]Collect Pottery Shards​

Given to impulsive behavior you pick out an assortment of shards from your fallen foes and deposit them into your messenger back.

Hopefully they wont scratch anything up. Only way to tell is time's passage.

[X]TRAIPSE: Archway​

As you come out from the exit you find yourself in the middle of a meadow of some sort. The wind blows across the hill you're atop, and the meadowland stretches both to your right and left.

Among the distant sounds of animals you initially think it's the onset of more phantom senses filtering in from your surroundings.. but nothing appears in your field of vision the way they had before.

As it continues you realize it sounds like someone's talking to themselves from down the hillside.

[X]Head Left: Find out what the source is.
[]Head right: Avoid it if you can.

---

(The prologue side-story is a pre-determined set of events that happened before Klevas reached the shrine. Any and all commands in this sidestory are intended to evoke what can be done during the normal course of Questant. Commands at the end like this show what would have been chosen for Klevas to get to where they are at the in-media res start of Questant, and cannot actually be voted on. The bolded result just shows what will happen at the start of the next update because of how I cut this one off)

 

[Meridian]

As you descend the hill you see with considerable ease some sort of large boat stranged in the meadowlands, and just in front of the brush obscurring the way up it you can make out some sort of standing in front of it.


When you get a bit closer you can overhear them exclaim "Bah! It's not actually bloomed.. well there should be one in this place."

You deliberate on whether to get their attention, but ultimately decide being alone any longer could start to wear on you.


[X] "Are you lost too?" you call out

The figure visibly tenses, and turns a bit of their head towards you. You briefly make out the sight of muttonchops and an eye giving you a look over before the rest of the scalemailed head turns to face you. Their form relaxes, and they turn about and begin to clear the distance between the two of you.

Spoiler: transcript

"Are you talking to me?" The figure asks.. and you immediately feel something pressing onto your thoughts, leaving you with the impression what eyr pronouns are, "I'm pretty used to NERs by now, though I have still gotten lost in them before."

You can't help but ask "What's a ner?"

Spoiler: transcript

"You just passage in? It's okay if this is your first time in a [NER].." ey asks, and you feel something beyond yourself once more pressing against your thoughts.
You didnt know how to refer to them before, and now the same you feel your thoughts drifting.. no pulled.. towards the shape of what ey speaks of.

A NER... standing for 'Non-Euclidean Reflection' in reference to the human philosopher Euclid and the geometric system he was first to propose. A common abbreviation used by many of the void where you are, and the place you are now.

You feel like the world around you is spinning.

Considerable as a living creature all spaces within it are pieces of it, and they change like you do. People build them, sculpt them, and even inhabit them if they choose to.

Everything you say, think, and do within them will possibly change them.

You struggle to say anything at all as the knowledge of where you are flows into you.

Spoiler: transcript

"..I'm gonna circle back to the start buddy, but just lemme know when you're ready" ey says, and positions eyrself so that you could lean against em if you felt unsteady. You're not quite sure you want to do that and start to take a step back, and nearly stumble as you try to keep stable. Eyr arms swing around you, but remain spaced enough of a gap. "Dont wanna touch ya without knowing it's alright, but I'm not gonna let ya fall either."

You nod to say you're fine with em touching you, and try to catch your breath in eyr grip. You feel like eyr strong, as you're able to put a fair bit of your weight onto eyr grip and not feel unsteady.


You steady yourself upright once more, and voice "..I think this is my first time."

Eyr expression shifts a bit, and while the plates of eyr face dont make it easy you can assume it's a frown eyr making as ey say "I'm gonna hazard a guess that you dont know how you ended up here."

When you shake your head, ey continues, "Guess you're the lucky sort running into me, as I think I can make that dizzy spell up to you. My way of being in this life is helping folks, especially like yourself, get outta NERs." ey throws eye arms out to put up a display as if to say 'check this out', and then asks "I'm also gonna guess you've been wandering aimlessly for a bit, and that you'd rather be done with it sooner than later?"

You nod albeit unsure where eyr going with this.

"Then just stick around me for a bit, and we'll get you outta here. I've even got a bit of a gift for you," Caestellau notes, "hm.. there's some stuff that's gonna be best done where it's safer."

"Is it unsafe out here? It looks uh.. pretty empty?" You say, and look about the meadow, and up to see it could probably be described as overcast.

"Most of the segpocks in a NER are, but it's not always gonna be that easy. There's one along the way I came that'll be good for taking a break." Ey says and offers out one of eyr hands, "So, mind following me for a bit?"

You nod, and take eyr hand in your own..

[ Caestellau has joined your Party. ] ​

Spoiler: transcript

"Yeah, has a whole human mythic reincarnation cycle thing. It's a long-running series right?"
"I guess on another earth it would have been. The company that owned it went under in a recession and pivoted back to love hotels... How did you hear of it?"
"A human in the dorms had a collection and I got to try a few.. did you try the love hotels?"
"No but a friend did. She said the worldbuilding needed work."

Spoiler: transcript

Caestellau shares "I came to this part of the NER from a place called a safehouse"

You recognize the phrase thankfully from your mind's more normal vocabulary as a place that people wait out danger, usually in plain sight, and speak up,

[X]"That's a type of place to hide, right?"

"Yeah you definitely can do that there, but it's usually just where people like you and I take a much needed rest after a day of traipsing a NER." ey says "It's how I got here, and a way out of this place too."

"So it's safe?"

"Safest place in a NER usually."

Caestellau leads you along the top of the hill towards the slope up from it, and once atop you can see the edge of some woods.. and more importantly what look like a flight of stairs that leads nowhere atop some concrete.

[X]Inspect: Treeline

Spoiler: transcript

"are.. are those trees.." you trail off, struggling to dedide on what to say
"those ones?" the carapaced stalwarte points off in the distance, hazarding a guess

"Yeah, they look like there's something.." you say, and are unsure whether to say they're encased in soemthing or glowing, "on them. It's not the sky.. are the trees alright?"

Spoiler: transcript

"Uhh," ey states, reaching to scratch the back of eyr armored head as the lights atop eyr head dull for a moment, "Dunno. If it's not my wheelhouse I go on vibes. It's probably something with the NER.."

Ey'd said that the place you're in, the NER, is composed of the (smaller?) places you came through. It doesn't entirely add up, so you say, "What's happening here to make the sky come apart?"

"Someone explained it like the parts of the NER influence each other. Everything's connected right? The way they conflict with each other causes changes."

"In this case yeah.. My best guess is it's something about the way transit shrines grow?" ey looks off a bit unfocused, trying to think of what to say next

[X] Wait until later to ask.
"Anyway, we'll be taking the stairs down." ey says, pointing out the freestanding flight of stairs you'd already noticed.

You decide to state the obvious by saying to em that "It doesn't go anywhere.."

The alien stalwarte trods over to the foundation and swings an arm out to gesture down, "You're looking the wrong direction."

And you can immediately see down into a messy stairwell entry.

"..oh, you're right. I wasn't expecting they'd go down."

"Down there's the first direction we need to head. Good place to take shelter too."

With each step downwards there seem to be slightly more buttons littering the stairway you're traversing, and soon you can hear the sound of the armored alien's footfalls brushing aside just enough of a pile to make a path for you... as well as the growing avalanche of buttons that precedes the two of you.

With no moment like the present, you speak up.

[X]"So what was up with the sky?"

Spoiler: transcript

"You'll see it happen when you traipse deep enough into a NER. Stuff degrades.. somtimes until it breaks down entirely."

"Like the sky'll be gone?"

"Maybe eventually? Sometimes things get replaced entirely, or they just change a little at a time."

The lumbering alien turns as if to take the next flight of stairs down, but stops blocking the way as if instead to say you've arrived. "This space will do plenty for our needs my friend."

"So.. what are you?"

Ey practically beams, the plates of eyr face shifting towards a giddy smile, and before ey replies with whats on eyr mind, they stop, "Y'know, you should shit down actually," ey gestures to the steps you're standing atop still, and you take em at eyr word and sit upon them. Now ey goes back to practically bouncing in place, "Good, good." ey says and takes a moment.

Spoiler: transcript

"Oh now, I am just your typical errant [ Stalwarte ], at your service," ey says sending your world spinning again as eyr wings spread out.
Something aligns to your mind once more, and this time it's the idea that when push comes to shove this one would gladly take blow by blow for the sake of your survival.
"Right, right.. suppose I'm glad I didnt give you any of those on the way down.."

Some Stalwartes choose to specialize in replicating the way of another, and in this instance it is of the Escorte. The typical Escorte is one who ensures others find their traipsing of the void a smooth one whether from one end of a NER to another, or from strange port to their nomeplane. The Stalwarte speccing into this is likely to be found by the side of their chosen charge, contracted or not, and serving as a companion in the moment until it passes.

Spoiler: transcript

"Just let me know when you're ready, alright?"

Anyone tasked with performing the way of a stalwarte will find they best serve by way of the front lines of any conflict, so long as they are not tasked with a charge or defending against the likes of flanking or attack from the rear of a Party.

As the rush begins to wane again you can see Caestellau swing above between the digits of eyr hand a length of beads. You think you can make out eyr own face in eyr palm before the next understanding makes itself known to you.

Some Stalwartes choose to specialize in replicating the way of another, and in this instance it is of the Patronne. The typical Patronne is a friend to all and a stalwarte that specs into this will find themselves lending a shoulder to cry on much the same, and in kind lending that which sustains others as they are able. A stalwarte like this isnt an uncommon sight amongst a welcome wagon or an asylum granting ship.

It passes again, and you're able to look up at em long enough for em to notice.
You decide to note that you'd been curious about what sort of alien species ey belongs to as you've never met one of.. whatever ey might be.

Spoiler: transcript

"Ah.. that's a bit of a longer story because I'm a hybrid," ey says, and taps eyr hands together as ey form the words, "you'll meet folk like me who aren't a member of just one species, now and again, and then there's some folk who even change their species.. so that sorta question gets complicated fast."

With the conversation drawing to a lull, ey adds "With one of my parents being a hybrid too I've got about three different species I could talk about.. it's probably best I tell you about my heritage another time."

Spoiler: transcript

"But hey, probably answers why I'm in this NER. A while back I decided I'd probably do alright with keeping those new to the void safe," Ey says, and strikes a light pose to puff out eyr chest, "I'm happy to stick by you for about as long as it takes for ya to get your bearings, or get you back home. How about I get you set up with some basics?"

Eyr confidence shows as they make a show of the pose, and it's striking just how large of a person they are. With what you now know of stalwartes you find yourself wondering if that's a hard requirement for the role, or if eyr stature's an unrelated matter...

You tilt your head as if to ask what ey means, and are met with em saying "Mind opening your bag?"

You reach over to your side and present the contents, and then pull some of what you had in your pockets to show em as well.

Spoiler: transcript

"Those aren't the slimmest pickings I've ever seen for someone who squarefell their way into a NER but I'm glad you ran into me when you did." Ey says, and ey raises an arm to which another symbol like eyr face phases into being. Its mouth opens, and out slides a glass bottle of water, "Even if I hadn't spec'd into patronne I'd be keeping supplies on me for folks like you."

Ey passes you the first bottle as another quickly follows out the same floating symbol. "If I had the time I'd be trying to help you catch a starter cognion and get you an inventory system," Caestellau muses, "and while I've seen a few and know there's plenty worse to find yourself in, this still isn't the safest NER to traipse."

Once you've bottles stowed away in your back ey smiles, "Alrighty, so now you can satisfy your hydration in-case of the worst. Is there any way you prefer to collect your thoughts?"

You try and think of something, but don't come up with much.

The stalwarte looks over your things, and gestures to the scrapbook and pen, "Writing them down is among the safe bets I suppose. You attached to the scrapbook?"

You shrug, and share that you haven't been able to get it open since you woke up.. and share a bit of how you got to where you met em.

"Well if it's been with you from the start it probably's on the important side." ey says, "I'll try and get you a way to interface with your memories. That or a profile's usually the easy stuff to help a new voidtraipser with.."

Spoiler: transcript

"Yknow I took on an artificiere minor for a spell before I switched to escorte." Caestellau says, puffing up for you once more ready to share a new idea, only to droop and stop eyrself before continuing "Dunno if you're familiar with the concept, but it's about giving an object new properties."

This one at least feels on the easy side as you volunteer, "Oh, enchanting?"

"Exactly!" Ey says, and holds out eyr guantlet, to which you pass the pen, "Now I wasn't all that good at it past the introductory course or two but I did learn enough to make a decent patronne in cases like this.."

Spoiler: transcript

"Now this is a sight," ey says, "Something must've happened to your pen in the fall too.. I was gonna give it a light enchant, but it looks like I can crack its exophysioshit open a lot easier-"
The stalwarte's lights glow brighter, and you can see eyr guantlets light up in kind with the same green light as ey grips the pen from both ends.

You only realize ey is going to break it in half too late to stop em.

To your surprise, ey only bends it enough to send hairline cracks across its surface.

Something about the light in the area dims as soon as ey does.. and you can swear you see something move in the mirror behind em.. and before you can turn around to look if there's something behind you the shadows in the mirror push free like serpents to coil around Caestellau and strike at the pen's seams.

They pulsate, rushing to fill an impossibly small space, and the whole time the Stalwarte cackles with joy on eyr voice.

You've stood up considering whether you should run, and find that the moment has passed. The lights are back to normal as though nothing had changed.

Spoiler: transcript

"I'm no expert but my friend what you just saw was a very good sign," ey says handing you back your pen, "That little thing's voidtouched now, and while it's too soon to tell I'd like you to do me a favor and keep it out at the ready while we traipse. Should know sooner than later what's going on with it."

---

This one seriously took a lot longer than I had meant for it to, but wahoo I can finally show you The Third Character.
Eyr design amounts to "gentle xenogiant". I found it fairly funny that the tallest possible species was chosen in character creation, as ey and the cleric that'll show were both intended to be "as far as the first person you meet in 'the backrooms' after wandering alone, these are probably some of the scarier ones to see ; kind of a relief that this stranger has 0 reason to hurt you and would be weirded out at the idea of that".
Now they're just respectively 'slightly taller person who could still take you in a fight' and relatively similar.

Mainline'll probably be Monday evening.