INTRO TO VERTILINE
On the surface, Vertiline is a pretty nice place. When the Called arrive, they wake inside a small, round room filled entirely by a wide, comfortable bed, or, if they're terribly unlucky, a bathtub. Stepping out of the bed (room) and into the area proper reveals a larger living area. There is a panel on the wall with three buttons. Push one. Go ahead, it’s okay. Ah, pushing a button triggers a hum of machinery, and the tiny bedroom rotates to the right and vanishes, replaced by a closet the same size as the bedroom. Push the next button, and the room rotates again, revealing a bathtub. Push the third, and the tiny bedroom reappears. Interesting. There’s a little angled door nearby. Going through leads to a small, simple bathroom.
Between a pair of chairs near the far wall is a small table, and on it a handheld communicator. A sleeping capybara lies curled up in one of the chairs. Mostly on the chair. Okay, it doesn't really fit and is slowly falling off. On the floor are a capybara-sized harness and saddlebags. The saddlebags are filled with a spare set of clothing in the appropriate size, and some basic travelling supplies. Water. Food. Going outside and down the small staircase leads the Called to the outermost portion of the temple complex. Once outside, they find themselves in a lush jungle, dotted here and there with what look like clusters of giant artichokes. Looking behind, they will notice that they’ve just come out of one of these artichoke pods.
They will also notice that the capybara is following them. It's fine, it's friendly.
The jungle is...an interesting place. It appears to be largely free of human life--aside from people coming out of similarly artichoke-shaped pods here and there. There is what looks like a remarkably well preserved temple here. Parts of the outer temple have crumbled, succumbing to the effects of age, and in places the fallen ruins prevent the Called from going further, but the inner temple is largely intact, the various rooms converted into kitchens, a dining hall and so on. One long hallway has even been converted into a haberdashery, with curtains hung here and there to make makeshift fitting rooms. One room near the back of the main temple is strangely open and empty. There are no idols, the tapestries on the walls are plain cloth, and other than the flowers littering the floor and the small chair near the back, it’s mostly unadorned. Odd.
Outside the temple is more interesting than the inside. There are large statues lining the walkways (and at other, seemingly random points scattered through the jungle itself). Some of them grin widely at passersby. Others have long since lost their faces to the ravages of time. They could be guardians or gargoyles of some kind. Or they could be idols of long-lost gods. It’s hard to say. Whatever the case, they’re cleaner than the surroundings. Someone clearly cares enough about them to at least attempt to hold back the jungle’s relentless growth.
It’s not until the Called leave the relative safety (and boredom) of the jungle, that they’ll find human life that appears to be native. As they emerge from the trees, they’ll find themselves greeted by (or is that confronted by?) an overly cheerful gentlemen. He welcomes each and every Called warmly, thanking them profusely for coming. It’s clear he’s delighted to see them, however angry some of them may be, and he’s more than happy to answer questions.
“This is Vertiline,” he tells them, “our paradise and our home.” He explains with a smile that the Called have come at a good time--good for the locals, that is. He tells them about the frequent attacks. That the locals are overwhelmed by numbers. That Vertiline is a world filled with magic, but it never seems to work quite right for those born there. For those still confused, he helpfully points out the map on their communicators. There are a few small dots marked--villages, he says, where the locals will be more than happy to welcome them.
He encourages the Called to explore, telling them that the land is wide, and no part of it is left untouched by the beasts that invade.
Naturally, the Called are curious. None of this makes sense. And of course it doesn’t. Why would it? But they will find that if they press him further, if they ask any more questions, the field they stand in will suddenly come to life, quail and sparrows and mockingbirds bursting into the air. The buffeting of wings is so strong that everyone present is forced to run for cover. When the birds finally settle down? The man who greeted the Called has gone.
Between a pair of chairs near the far wall is a small table, and on it a handheld communicator. A sleeping capybara lies curled up in one of the chairs. Mostly on the chair. Okay, it doesn't really fit and is slowly falling off. On the floor are a capybara-sized harness and saddlebags. The saddlebags are filled with a spare set of clothing in the appropriate size, and some basic travelling supplies. Water. Food. Going outside and down the small staircase leads the Called to the outermost portion of the temple complex. Once outside, they find themselves in a lush jungle, dotted here and there with what look like clusters of giant artichokes. Looking behind, they will notice that they’ve just come out of one of these artichoke pods.
They will also notice that the capybara is following them. It's fine, it's friendly.
The jungle is...an interesting place. It appears to be largely free of human life--aside from people coming out of similarly artichoke-shaped pods here and there. There is what looks like a remarkably well preserved temple here. Parts of the outer temple have crumbled, succumbing to the effects of age, and in places the fallen ruins prevent the Called from going further, but the inner temple is largely intact, the various rooms converted into kitchens, a dining hall and so on. One long hallway has even been converted into a haberdashery, with curtains hung here and there to make makeshift fitting rooms. One room near the back of the main temple is strangely open and empty. There are no idols, the tapestries on the walls are plain cloth, and other than the flowers littering the floor and the small chair near the back, it’s mostly unadorned. Odd.
Outside the temple is more interesting than the inside. There are large statues lining the walkways (and at other, seemingly random points scattered through the jungle itself). Some of them grin widely at passersby. Others have long since lost their faces to the ravages of time. They could be guardians or gargoyles of some kind. Or they could be idols of long-lost gods. It’s hard to say. Whatever the case, they’re cleaner than the surroundings. Someone clearly cares enough about them to at least attempt to hold back the jungle’s relentless growth.
It’s not until the Called leave the relative safety (and boredom) of the jungle, that they’ll find human life that appears to be native. As they emerge from the trees, they’ll find themselves greeted by (or is that confronted by?) an overly cheerful gentlemen. He welcomes each and every Called warmly, thanking them profusely for coming. It’s clear he’s delighted to see them, however angry some of them may be, and he’s more than happy to answer questions.
“This is Vertiline,” he tells them, “our paradise and our home.” He explains with a smile that the Called have come at a good time--good for the locals, that is. He tells them about the frequent attacks. That the locals are overwhelmed by numbers. That Vertiline is a world filled with magic, but it never seems to work quite right for those born there. For those still confused, he helpfully points out the map on their communicators. There are a few small dots marked--villages, he says, where the locals will be more than happy to welcome them.
He encourages the Called to explore, telling them that the land is wide, and no part of it is left untouched by the beasts that invade.
Naturally, the Called are curious. None of this makes sense. And of course it doesn’t. Why would it? But they will find that if they press him further, if they ask any more questions, the field they stand in will suddenly come to life, quail and sparrows and mockingbirds bursting into the air. The buffeting of wings is so strong that everyone present is forced to run for cover. When the birds finally settle down? The man who greeted the Called has gone.