(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

I guess it's in case you lose one... I dunno otherwise.

We'll see how you take to this magic system. I've had it for a long time, but I've never seen someone sees it but can't have it explained to them... and it gives some interesting perspectives on "magic".

Picking up language may be a good idea, but food and clothing comes first of course.

Well I'll buy one and if it isn't too busy I'll ask if he knows where he can buy clothes (like by miming out putting on pants and pointing at the money.) I'll start eating pretty much immediately after the wrap gets into my hands. It's been so long since I've had warm food...

The food is really good, especially when that hungry... He's still hungry after he eats it, but less so.

They indicate the market is quite a ways down the wooden hall, (going to the right if you face the cliff face).

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

We'll see how you take to this magic system. I've had it for a long time, but I've never seen someone sees it but can't have it explained to them... and it gives some interesting perspectives on "magic".

Well, we'll see but suffice it to say Julian's probably going to be a bit more obtuse and incredulous.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Picking up language may be a good idea, but food and clothing comes first of course.

Not sure how that would be accomplished any faster than the base 4h/day rate (possibly modified by linguistics).

Originally Posted by ericthered

The food is really good, especially when that hungry... He's still hungry after he eats it, but less so.

I try my best to find something to wipe my hands with. Perhaps there's a fountain around here. Worse comes to worse I could wet my hands from the misting outside.

Originally Posted by ericthered

They indicate the market is quite a ways down the wooden hall, (going to the right if you face the cliff face).

Well let's head deeper into the hall and look for anything that resembles a clothing stall. A thought crosses my mind as I head deeper; how big is this place? They couldn't possibly fit this whole building on that narrow little platform outside, could they? They must have tunneled into the cliffside, but how could they do that with nothing more advanced than pickaxes? This is really strange...

When I find a clothing stall, I'll try and find something that would cover my lower half, and ask what the price is.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Well, we'll see but suffice it to say Julian's probably going to be a bit more obtuse and incredulous.

fair enough

I try my best to find something to wipe my hands with. Perhaps there's a fountain around here. Worse comes to worse I could wet my hands from the misting outside.

Julian could use the wall... if he wanted to impose, he could wipe his hands on the cloth the vendor has on his cart... or on the clothes of a passerby. Stepping outside is an option, where he can find vegetation... though it strikes him that there are not many doors outside, all things considered.

Well let's head deeper into the hall and look for anything that resembles a clothing stall. A thought crosses my mind as I head deeper; how big is this place? They couldn't possibly fit this whole building on that narrow little platform outside, could they? They must have tunneled into the cliffside, but how could they do that with nothing more advanced than pickaxes? This is really strange...

The place is lined with wood, so you can't tell, but the structure winds along, with almost all of the doors on one side. As Julian moves forward, he begins to feel a light vibration in the air and hear what sounds like a distant waterfall. Occasionally, he passes openings to the outdoors. The structure also seems to be trending upwards.



Finally, Julian arrives at the main market... which is busy and bustling... and pretty much identical to his dream, except that most of the people are different... but the layout is right. He even remembers where some clothing merchants were...

When I find a clothing stall, I'll try and find something that would cover my lower half, and ask what the price is.

A "full" but minimal set of clothes is 8 coins. He can find a light cloth that will cover his loins for 4 coins... he has 3. He's able to observe the haggling and figure out the general clothing prices before he asks...

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Julian could use the wall... if he wanted to impose, he could wipe his hands on the cloth the vendor has on his cart... or on the clothes of a passerby. Stepping outside is an option, where he can find vegetation... though it strikes him that there are not many doors outside, all things considered.

Eh, I'll step outside again. I don't think I've seen a clock around here. Or maybe I have but I don't know how to read it. If only for some indication of the passage of time.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The place is lined with wood, so you can't tell, but the structure winds along, with almost all of the doors on one side.

Does it snap back or does it just wind round and round like a slinky?

Originally Posted by ericthered

Finally, Julian arrives at the main market... which is busy and bustling... and pretty much identical to his dream, except that most of the people are different... but the layout is right. He even remembers where some clothing merchants were...

Yep, definitely not a coincidental television dream. Must have dreamt of a different day. Or they build markets like this one like box stores.

Originally Posted by ericthered

A "full" but minimal set of clothes is 8 coins. He can find a light cloth that will cover his loins for 4 coins... he has 3. He's able to observe the haggling and figure out the general clothing prices before he asks...

I don't suppose I spotted any loose change on my way over here. I really don't want to be skipping breakfast tomorrow. I guess I could offer two coins, but I really doubt the merchant would offer the light cloth for that. I guess all there's left to do is write a diary entry and find somewhere quiet to sleep.

2023-01-28 (?)
Dear Diary,
I haven’t a clue where I am. I was sleeping in the storm drain, as usual, and when I woke up I was on this platform, wet from what I assume is a massive waterfall. Apparently this cliffside is really high up or something, because there’s all this cloud cover well below the platform. I didn’t have a shred of clothing on me, but I did have my diary. Why would anyone literally steal the clothes off my back but not take my diary?
The area I’m in now is some kind of market that I guess is built right into a cliffside. It seems to wind upward, probably towards the source of the waterfall. The lower area where I woke up was relatively quiet, but in the higher area it’s a lot livelier and more commercial.
The people here are really weird. I’ve never heard any language that sounds like what they speak around here. They don’t look quite right either. You got people with wings, web handed people, a bearded lady; the most normal was this grey skinned woman with really pointy ears. It all looks too real to be a costume or something… They all kind of stared at me; it probably has more to do with my immodesty than anything else.
This place is extremely primitive. The guards in these parts are armed with spears of all things. I mean, if it was like, “oh, we don’t want to kill people”, they could have gone with tasers or billy clubs. I suppose you could just use the non-pointy end of a spear, but it’s obvious they don’t have a better option.
I’ve managed to find legitimate work; I’m a minor miner. They’re having me carry away “Vasic”, this odd black stone. They have me crawl into this really narrow tunnel and haul baskets full of dirt and rocks around on my hands and knees. It really hurts not having anything to cover my legs with. The entire mining operation is exceedingly primitive, no mechanization at all. Of course, it’s not like coltan miners in the DRC use anything besides shovels.
They use this Vasic as a light source, hung over the marketplace, as flashlights. I’m not sure how it receives power, and it doesn’t seem to produce any waste heat, though the light is warm. I think you could even tan under it. Surely, I would have heard of this material in science class. It doesn’t seem to obey physical laws. Then again, there’s more in heaven than earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy. They create this rough feeling, like there’s a divot, even though they’re not touching anything. It also smells like ozone when I’m around them… Maybe it’s like the “pins and needles” feeling, but I don’t understand why it’s different. For that matter, I don’t understand why it manifests as a smell either.
For all my work, I got paid four tiny copper coins. I can buy some kind of vegetable wrap from a local vendor for one of these coins. I was never a big fan of vegetarian food, but damn if this wasn’t the best thing I’ve eaten in ages. Maybe it’s because it’s the only I’ve eaten all day or because it’s the first warm meal I’ve had in like a month. I guess that means if I have three meals a day, then I’m going to be clearing one coin a week. That makes about a week before I have enough to buy even a minimal set of clothes. Maybe I could “make handkerchiefs” if I could blend in better. I suppose I could go for five days and hope to steal the difference, but I don’t really blend in that well to begin with.
I had a dream about this place before I arrived… I originally wrote it off as a television dream, it seemed so unreal compared to my normal experience. But with what I’ve experienced today, and how exact the market was… Is it possible that I’m still dreaming, or maybe hallucinating? I suppose if I can read this tomorrow morning, I’m probably awake and aware right now.
—Julian

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Eh, I'll step outside again. I don't think I've seen a clock around here. Or maybe I have but I don't know how to read it. If only for some indication of the passage of time.

The clouds and lighting seem unchanged, still hanging below that cliff, and sending up that same amount of mist, with the roar of the waterfall faintly in the background.

Does it snap back or does it just wind round and round like a slinky?

It moves upwards at an incline, like a road winding up a mountain canyon.

I don't suppose I spotted any loose change on my way over here. I really don't want to be skipping breakfast tomorrow. I guess I could offer two coins, but I really doubt the merchant would offer the light cloth for that. I guess all there's left to do is write a diary entry and find somewhere quiet to sleep.

You could try haggling for cloth rather than clothes if you want...

You do notice other vendors selling dry food, and possibly cheaper.

Rolling Urban Survival... Julian struggles to find a good spot to sleep: space seems to be a premium, and he wants somewhere where he won't get kicked for blocking the way or fined. The space here is very tightly used though... which makes sense, given that its all constructed space.

What will he do to find a spot?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The clouds and lighting seem unchanged, still hanging below that cliff, and sending up that same amount of mist, with the roar of the waterfall faintly in the background.

Weird... Must be really far south of the equator. I'm pretty sure I spent at least ten hours awake so far.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You could try haggling for cloth rather than clothes if you want...

The one you mentioned that cost four? It'd be pretty aggressive, asking for a fifty percent discount.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You do notice other vendors selling dry food, and possibly cheaper.

Well I guess I'll check to see what they're selling, and how much they're charging for it.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Rolling Urban Survival... Julian struggles to find a good spot to sleep: space seems to be a premium, and he wants somewhere where he won't get kicked for blocking the way or fined. The space here is very tightly used though... which makes sense, given that its all constructed space.

What will he do to find a spot?

Even in the lower section? Maybe I could sleep out on the platform. Nobody seemed to bother me when I was sleeping there earlier.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Weird... Must be really far south of the equator. I'm pretty sure I spent at least ten hours awake so far.

GM cackling

Well I guess I'll check to see what they're selling, and how much they're charging for it.

The main item is dry rice, but there are also some yams. One coin can get two large yams or what looks like a heaping double handful of rice.

Even in the lower section? Maybe I could sleep out on the platform. Nobody seemed to bother me when I was sleeping there earlier.

The platform is an option... if Julian wants to look out in the lower sections that's fine...

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

GM cackling

Well, I know how much you enjoy doing weird things with the sky.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The main item is dry rice, but there are also some yams. One coin can get two large yams or what looks like a heaping double handful of rice.

Hm... It's risky eating raw rice. I dunno about eating raw yams either. Can I find boiling water or something?

Originally Posted by ericthered

The platform is an option... if Julian wants to look out in the lower sections that's fine...

Well let's look around in the lower sections; it'll be better than getting all wet. Maybe there's somewhere in that hole in the vegetation.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Hm... It's risky eating raw rice. I dunno about eating raw yams either. Can I find boiling water or something?

Looking around for boiling water, there's nothing in the market... They do sell pots, but he can't find any fires, anything the start a fire with, or anything that is being sold to be burned.



Looking around for another food vendor, he finds one... and discovers the vendor is boiling his dough in a pot sitting above three black stone disks... and the disks have a faint reddish light coming from them.

Well let's look around in the lower sections; it'll be better than getting all wet. Maybe there's somewhere in that hole in the vegetation.

Looking in the lower sections gives that platform again, and heading shallowly into that hole shortly he can find a section that's mostly dry...


Some of the lower sections also have shops where he might be able to sneak behind some goods and sleep there.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Looking around for boiling water, there's nothing in the market... They do sell pots, but he can't find any fires, anything the start a fire with, or anything that is being sold to be burned.

I don't suppose I see where they get their water. Though I suppose that could be as easy as: "Way above where the waterfall is" or "Hold a pot outside and wait until it's full."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Looking around for another food vendor, he finds one... and discovers the vendor is boiling his dough in a pot sitting above three black stone disks... and the disks have a faint reddish light coming from them.

I guess that's also vasic? I don't suppose I've seen any vasic disks just left around in a public space, much less any that are glowing red hot. I wonder how the lighting ones and the heating ones differ...

Originally Posted by ericthered

Some of the lower sections also have shops where he might be able to sneak behind some goods and sleep there.

Well I suppose they might not notice me, but they'd probably lock me in with everything else. Or I could oversleep. And then they'd catch me in the morning, and then I'd be arrested. Or worse. Let's try to avoid being seen as a troublemaker, for now.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Looking in the lower sections gives that platform again, and heading shallowly into that hole shortly he can find a section that's mostly dry...

Well, there are worse places to sleep. Like where it's wet for one. How deep is this hole anyway?