The Pregame
After
Carter City(Broken City) and
Desert X (Broken City) stranger than usual events began to unfold in Barton Town and the surrounding areas. One of the participants in Broken City found herself losing a child of the Fae that she considered like her own daughter. In revenging the child's death, she became president of a powerful company, Creation Corp, a subset of GCorp.
With the help of her new VP, Leon Invetigation, that company became instead, Imagination Station. Getting rid of the old, included retiring one Nicholai Conrad who was not happy about his retirement in the least, but got a small amount of revenge by taking a crystal with a rose petal that had been the previous company president's good luck charm from the small android like creature called Belle as well as all company research concerning the jewel.
It is when Leon and the Particpant from Broken City, one Samantha Browning visited the child's grave at the
Temple of Falis. There, she found a small crystal pendant with what appeared to be a crystal rose petal on the inside. From that moment on, she was like a woman possessed.
Several days later after the graveside incident, Samantha returned to her office only to find the supposed child sitting on her desk. She called in Leon once more, to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But he confirmed the reality and they both listened while the child spoke, telling them that she had been chosen to play in a game for the fate of the world, that other people would need to be found and brought into this game. It couldn't rest on the fate of only one. Then handing Samantha a note, the child disappeared. Her fervor once more ignited, Samantha headed out as well, leaving Leon in charge, while she searched for the answers she sought. Eventually only to collapse by her 'friend' Rafe who tucked her into bed. But she then left, in a strange zombie like state.
Shortly after this was going on, a strange woman child found herself in Raging Tofu's
Fire Brand Tavern There she met Owle, a young shapeshifter who was blessed enough to be able to go into the Dreaming that this strange woman always had one foot inside the reality of. There Owle met more strange women she believed to be the muses of Legend. They charged her with finding the champions of Balance. Those who would enter into Chaos in order to save the world. As part of their charge, they gifted her with a crystal rose that no one but she would see until the time was right, not even her mind sister would know anything.
Owle then left the woman at the bar, only to return later and find a small android child who was seeking Samantha as well, apparently following the energy signal of the crystal pendant the woman had been carrying. Listening to the child, Owle began to grow suspicous that this 'Samantha' might know what was going on, little knowing that it was that same woman who had in Broken City, taken a shot at her her and would have killed her if not for her shapeshifting abilities.
Letting the child lead her back to Imagination Station, she found out that Samantha was missing and that Leon knew not where she had gone but was trying to find her. Thanks to Owle's crazed ramblings, something clicked in Leon's mind and he went to the internet and found the Encylopedia Bartonica that some antisocial asshat had made concerning the Gaian world and found entries about the
Temple of Chaos. Thinking it might be the same one, they began on their search to find it and hopefully, Samantha as well.
While all this was going on, Conrad had his own plans. Taking the research from the company in addition to what was now 'his' good luck pendant, he began plotting and planning what he 'knew' would be that uppity woman, aka Samantha Browning's downfall. He had the pendant, he had his own money, he was going to find the Rose of Chaos and get his own wish.
Samantha on the other hand, had indeed found what she was looking for. Guided by some unseen force, she wandered from her apartment after a tiring day of research into the Void, eventually finding the temple. The petal allowing her entrance, the bracelet that she had been given by her mother activated some strange things and the next thing she knew she was fading in and out of conciousness, lying half naked on an alter with blood beneath her.
Shortly thereafter, Conrad Nikolai came with his own groupies and easily gained access to the temple through his petal. But then he too was laid out on the altar, unable to know why or how he got there, himself covered in the dark sticky substance.
Dreaming that he was banging on of his bunny groupies, he woke to find Samantha over him trying to warn him to get out of the temple, but instead he tried to molest her to which she promptly responded with a nice kick to the groin. Grabbing his crouch he then hobbled towards her as she fled towards the door only to have it fall open and admit Owle and Leon.
Owle came in as Sam flung herself at Leon for security from Conrad. The young VP was flustered and curious as to what was going on. However, Owle recongized the mind sig of Sam as that of the person who has tried to kill her in Carter City. Leery now, she walked over to the altar and touched it, the rose she carried with her now able to activate the game.
To be continued....
