These prompts are definitely hinting at something... :) I was thinking over the weekend that it might be nice to find an Ilmatu or two hanging around in one of these Enclaves. I think Labdaris might have some ideas of how to make them scary.
When worlds collide "This doesn't look like England," said Tomasz. He looked around himself as though genuinely surprised that he was still in an abandoned quarry in Carcosa. "Has the King changed the decor since I was last in London, Sam?" "He has a new exterior designer," said Samual, his voice pitched to innocence. "An older man I think, who seems fond of the colour yellow." "Gold is a very regal thing," said Tomasz. "I think he might have overdone it a touch though. Tell me, is this enormous hole in the ground...?" "Hole 4 of the King's golf course," said Samual. "He's a very tall man." Lord Derby smiled despite himself. Worry -- why had the coin's spell failed? Or had it failed, there had been some signs that it was working at first, and then those men had arrived. Were they friendly or aggressive? Alive or dead, even? -- ebbed and surged as he found new questions and continually no answers. "You should see the size of his balls," he said. Samual's face was so comically shocked that he started to laugh, and Tomasz very quickly joined in. "I don't if the spell failed, or it was subverted, or what," said Lord Derby when the laughter died away. "I do know that we ought to find out who arrived." "And how alive they are," said Tomasz. The grim reality of their situation reasserted itself, and Lord Derby felt colder, slightly less alive, than he had when he was laughing. "A gate formed, milord," said Samual, who was having trouble looking Lord Derby in the eye. "Then it... changed, I think." "And translated," said Tomasz. Both men looked at him. "Direct translation from Polish," he said. "What would you say?" "Moved," said Samual. "But translated works." "Well it moved," said Tomasz. "To the black swirl. Which we thought was an inactive gate, I suppose? Was it a mistake to use the coin near it?" "Ah," said Lord Derby. "It could be, couldn't it? Perhaps the one gate attracted the other? And they interacted somehow? But... no, I wish we had someone who understood magic here." "I wish we had someone who understood Carcosa here," said Tomasz. "I don't." Now two men looked at Samual, whose blunt interjection carried weight of finality. "We know exactly two people who seem to understand Carcosa," he continued. "Lady Grace and the King in Yellow. I don't want either of them here." "Good point," said Tomasz. "Oh dear," said Lord Derby. He gazed across the quarry. "Maybe we should go and find out who arrived right now."
"Stop being mysterious." Tomasz glared at Lord Derby, who just started walking towards the steps cut into the side of the quarry. They were perilously shadowed, and behind him Samual swallowed hard before making himself follow. "I'm not being mysterious," said Lord Derby, talking and walking. "But Samual has a point: Grace seems very familiar with gates, and Carcosa. Can we really assume she isn't aware we just attempted to open one? She may be on her way here as we speak." "I think I preferred you being mysterious." The floodlights illuminated the first dozen or so steps, and then the walls shadowed them and let the darkness of the night conceal them utterly. Lord Derby descended as easily as if it were midday, and Samual made himself go second, aware that if he were last he would turn round and go back up. Tomasz, behind him, seemed as unconcerned as Lord Derby. By the time they reached the floor of the quarry Samual was soaked through with sweat and struggling not to shiver in the cold air. "Zatrzymaj się!" This voice was hard, military sounding. "Kim jesteś?" "Przyjaciele," said Tomasz. "Do you speak English?" "A little," came the reply. The voice sounded wary. "But whatfor might we?" Tomasz switched back to Polish, quickly explaining that English was their common language and that they were here to see if they could help. "I am speaking English the goodest," said Szymon, stepping forward. "Where are we?" "Carcosa," said Lord Derby. "Does that mean anything to you?" Szymon exchanged glances with Jakov. "Some," he admitted. In Polish he added, "Back again!" "Again?" Tomasz was quick to pounce. "You've been here before?" Lord Derby was hardly slower. Before Szymon could answer Tomasz was staring at Lord Derby. "Mówisz po polsku?" "A little," said Lord Derby. "My Bulgarian, frankly, is better." "You are Bulgarian?" asked Szymon. He frowned, confusion apparent. "No," said Lord Derby. "Do you know Lady Grace?" Jakov spat. "Eloquent," said Tomasz. "What ranks do you have? I can see your uniforms." "I am Sergeant," said Jakov. "These two report to me." "How did you get here?" asked Samual. "I mean, we saw you fall through the gate, but why?" The silence that followed made it clear that the newcomers didn't understand, so Tomasz translated, listened to the reply, and then translated back. "They fell through the floor of the bar they were in," he said. "In Poland." "When worlds collide," murmured Lord Derby.
3 comments:
These prompts are definitely hinting at something... :) I was thinking over the weekend that it might be nice to find an Ilmatu or two hanging around in one of these Enclaves. I think Labdaris might have some ideas of how to make them scary.
When worlds collide
"This doesn't look like England," said Tomasz. He looked around himself as though genuinely surprised that he was still in an abandoned quarry in Carcosa. "Has the King changed the decor since I was last in London, Sam?"
"He has a new exterior designer," said Samual, his voice pitched to innocence. "An older man I think, who seems fond of the colour yellow."
"Gold is a very regal thing," said Tomasz. "I think he might have overdone it a touch though. Tell me, is this enormous hole in the ground...?"
"Hole 4 of the King's golf course," said Samual. "He's a very tall man."
Lord Derby smiled despite himself. Worry -- why had the coin's spell failed? Or had it failed, there had been some signs that it was working at first, and then those men had arrived. Were they friendly or aggressive? Alive or dead, even? -- ebbed and surged as he found new questions and continually no answers. "You should see the size of his balls," he said. Samual's face was so comically shocked that he started to laugh, and Tomasz very quickly joined in.
"I don't if the spell failed, or it was subverted, or what," said Lord Derby when the laughter died away. "I do know that we ought to find out who arrived."
"And how alive they are," said Tomasz. The grim reality of their situation reasserted itself, and Lord Derby felt colder, slightly less alive, than he had when he was laughing.
"A gate formed, milord," said Samual, who was having trouble looking Lord Derby in the eye. "Then it... changed, I think."
"And translated," said Tomasz. Both men looked at him. "Direct translation from Polish," he said. "What would you say?"
"Moved," said Samual. "But translated works."
"Well it moved," said Tomasz. "To the black swirl. Which we thought was an inactive gate, I suppose? Was it a mistake to use the coin near it?"
"Ah," said Lord Derby. "It could be, couldn't it? Perhaps the one gate attracted the other? And they interacted somehow? But... no, I wish we had someone who understood magic here."
"I wish we had someone who understood Carcosa here," said Tomasz.
"I don't." Now two men looked at Samual, whose blunt interjection carried weight of finality. "We know exactly two people who seem to understand Carcosa," he continued. "Lady Grace and the King in Yellow. I don't want either of them here."
"Good point," said Tomasz.
"Oh dear," said Lord Derby. He gazed across the quarry. "Maybe we should go and find out who arrived right now."
"Stop being mysterious." Tomasz glared at Lord Derby, who just started walking towards the steps cut into the side of the quarry. They were perilously shadowed, and behind him Samual swallowed hard before making himself follow.
"I'm not being mysterious," said Lord Derby, talking and walking. "But Samual has a point: Grace seems very familiar with gates, and Carcosa. Can we really assume she isn't aware we just attempted to open one? She may be on her way here as we speak."
"I think I preferred you being mysterious."
The floodlights illuminated the first dozen or so steps, and then the walls shadowed them and let the darkness of the night conceal them utterly. Lord Derby descended as easily as if it were midday, and Samual made himself go second, aware that if he were last he would turn round and go back up. Tomasz, behind him, seemed as unconcerned as Lord Derby. By the time they reached the floor of the quarry Samual was soaked through with sweat and struggling not to shiver in the cold air.
"Zatrzymaj się!" This voice was hard, military sounding. "Kim jesteś?"
"Przyjaciele," said Tomasz. "Do you speak English?"
"A little," came the reply. The voice sounded wary. "But whatfor might we?"
Tomasz switched back to Polish, quickly explaining that English was their common language and that they were here to see if they could help.
"I am speaking English the goodest," said Szymon, stepping forward. "Where are we?"
"Carcosa," said Lord Derby. "Does that mean anything to you?"
Szymon exchanged glances with Jakov. "Some," he admitted. In Polish he added, "Back again!"
"Again?" Tomasz was quick to pounce.
"You've been here before?" Lord Derby was hardly slower. Before Szymon could answer Tomasz was staring at Lord Derby. "Mówisz po polsku?"
"A little," said Lord Derby. "My Bulgarian, frankly, is better."
"You are Bulgarian?" asked Szymon. He frowned, confusion apparent.
"No," said Lord Derby. "Do you know Lady Grace?"
Jakov spat.
"Eloquent," said Tomasz. "What ranks do you have? I can see your uniforms."
"I am Sergeant," said Jakov. "These two report to me."
"How did you get here?" asked Samual. "I mean, we saw you fall through the gate, but why?"
The silence that followed made it clear that the newcomers didn't understand, so Tomasz translated, listened to the reply, and then translated back. "They fell through the floor of the bar they were in," he said. "In Poland."
"When worlds collide," murmured Lord Derby.
Greg - they don't need any help making them scary :(
And yes, I may have been not so subtly requesting that you return us to this scene... but it worked so I'm not complaining :)
This is nicely done, and I look forward to seeing where things go with these six together. For the time being, at any rate.
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