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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 20, 2010 22:46:10 GMT -5
Day 3, after Made to Measure, At the Bazaar, and Master of Docking. Possibly also after Grimlock and the Technicolour Dream Coat. So let us assume that it is getting dark now. Because investigating a Devourist church in the dark is the best idea ever, am I right? Open thread.
Emirate Xaaron would have liked to have repainted himself so that he doesn't look so much like a... well... pimp-slash-drug lord.
But there is apparently a Devourist church here!
He's fought zombies. He's fought demons. If the myths of his people are true - and he knows they are, at least in his own reality - those are just the warm up course.
So it's totally logical for him to hare off on an unknown, dangerous planet, as long as he gets someone to escort him down from the damn ship, so he can then go meet up with Prowl.
Assuming that someone does indeed escort him down and through customs, after some fruitless time being chased by the gold-buyers and trying to read public maps, he and whoever is unlucky enough to be dragged along with him will find themselves outside a rather ominous-looking edifice as the setting rays of the sun cast long, dark shadows.
The building does not so much have steeples as it has horns, and the windows are all quite green, with a fair amount of orange, purple, and two-tone grey used in the colour scheme. Despite the theoretically cheery colours, the whole structure is metal as all get out. Even the spikes have spikes.
The gutters around here are stained a bit red, but that's just rust, right?
Brightly, Emirate Xaaron announces, "Now, we just need to wait for Prowl to make it here, and we're set."
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Post by Breakaway on Apr 20, 2010 23:29:44 GMT -5
Someone did indeed escort Emirate Xaaron through customs, and that someone was Breakaway. As far as he's concerned, he's acting as honor guard to a ranking officer, which is serious business, so he's on his best lubricant and polish behavior. If the Emirate doesn't like being 'sirred' and saluted, he's probably sick of Breakaway by now. But at least he's effective at shooing away the worst of the riff-raff.
As they arrive at the Devourist church, Breakaway takes in the scene, looking at the architecture and marking possible sniping posts. Looking up at the facade of the church, he says "If this is just what the people who worship him built, I'm beginning to see why everyone is so terrified of this Unicron character."
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Post by Prowl on Apr 20, 2010 23:45:56 GMT -5
Prowl approaches the church from the opposite side, his new sword at his side. He looks up at the church, looking almost alarmed at the decor. He was hoping for something a bit more spiritual, not spike-tual. He sees Xaaron (how could he not?) and then walks over and bows.
"Emirate Xaaron," he says and then looks back to the church, "is this the building you wished to investigate?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 22, 2010 22:54:37 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron will accept being 'sirred', though it doesn't thrill him. It makes him feel like the 'Admiral on board' - a useless, decorative command figure that just gets in the way of the real running of an operation.
Hence why he's been itching to get down to the surface and actually do something.
Quietly, Emirate Xaaron explains for Breakaway's benefit, "In my reality, all the Transformers were originally created to fight Unicron, who was an extraplanar being locked into an asteroid. He transformed the asteroid into a mobile planet capable of eating other worlds, so that he might again," yes, again, "render the universe a barren void. However, we forgot our original purpose, for the most part, and took to fighting each other instead." He sighs. "No idea if this Unicron is the same as the one my kind was created to combat, but we do know that he has destroyed planets before. Inhabited ones. There's some footage back on the Event Horizon, if you haven't watched it yet. I... wouldn't mention any of this once inside, if you catch my drift?"
He nods to Prowl and confirms, "This is the Church of the Holy Devourer, though, there are... a number of other churches around here that also seem to revolve around planet-eating." He frowns. It's a bit disturbing.
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Post by Breakaway on Apr 22, 2010 23:22:18 GMT -5
Breakaway sirs everyone who he's sure outranks him, unless he's being insubordinate. It's just he's not entirely sure of the rank structure here yet. "I got some of that on the radio, but thanks for filling in the details, sir. Must be nice to know your species's purpose. In my universe we were spawned from a mysterious artifact. I guess that just means we have to find our own purpose." The jetformer shrugs, sending multiple tons of kibble up and down. "Roger that, sir. I'll keep quiet on the planet-eating."
He looks back up at the massive, garishly painted edifice again. "Given that they've got a big temple in the middle of the city, I think this is probably the creep-you-out-and-ask-for-money kind of cult and not the kill-you-and-eat-you kind." Breakaway then pings the structure with his radar. "At least when anyone's watching."
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Post by Prowl on Apr 24, 2010 10:12:07 GMT -5
Prowl listens carefully to what the Emirate says as well, taking note of what is said. It does seem rather important, after all, and he can't help but wonder if there is something like that back in his own reality. His optics narrow at the thought.
"Well, we will be careful," Prowl says, and turns towards the building, looking up at it before looking back at the two and motioning he's ready to go in. "I am not sure if they will have anything that... Hmm. No. That doesn't enjoy our presence." He glances around at the dark skies that are barely visible behind the the building, then at the building itself.
Looks like something Lockdown would build and call home if the color scheme was changed.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 24, 2010 20:18:27 GMT -5
"Nice?" Emirate Xaaron mutters darkly, "I am not so sure."
Primus made them to die in his stead, fighting Unicron, so that his overly violent warrior children and the enemy of all life would end each other, leaving a universe free of both of them. Emirate Xaaron cannot deny the elegance of such a plan; it just bothers him that it calls for him and everyone he's ever cared about to die. That's a mite troublesome.
(No, he's never talked to someone from a future wherein Primus changed his mind and died for his children instead. Emirate Xaaron would still be peeved, though, since Primus did manage to specifically get Emirate Xaaron killed in the process.)
He clarifies, "More, I'd appreciate it if you don't mention the whole ancestral enemies of Unicron thing. These church-goers might not appreciate it." He winks one optic off for a moment, smirking.
He follows after the bold ninja, and once inside, the church quickly reveals a rather confusing layout. There are tentacles hanging from the walls, and it is obvious that one can put money into the tentacle's grasp, and the tentacle will put the money in a collection box. More spikes, of course, and the requisite orange, grey, purple. and green. The lights, in particular, are all that sickly green.
Frescos of Unicron eating planets cover the walls and ceiling. There are also frescos of Unicron transformed and grabbing spaceships and eating them whole.
Emirate Xaaron frowns thinly, and he feels ill.
More ill than before.
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Post by Breakaway on Apr 24, 2010 23:50:04 GMT -5
Breakaway brings up the rear, alert for trouble. "Won't say a word, sir," he responds to the Emirate. The jetformer steps in the door wipes his feet on the mat, taking in the architecture. Then he pauses and transmits on the shortwave. //If art is supposed to be anything that provokes an emotional response, this place is definitely art. Don't think I'd want to meet the artist, though.// Out loud he says "This place is like the inside of something's digestive tract."
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Post by Prowl on Apr 25, 2010 19:39:34 GMT -5
"I believe you have the general idea of what the architect was looking for when he... she.. it. When it built this," Prowl murmurs quietly to Breakaway, once he enters as well and stands next to him. He looks over at Xaaron.
"Will you be well?" He asks in a whisper. He looks over at the windows and frescoes, then feels the same sort of ill feeling that Xaaron is probably feeling. He masks his feelings the best he can and casts his gaze down, almost making look like he's actually being reverent.
He is, in fact, disgusted beyond belief.
"I am starting to think that this was a bad idea to explore this building," he looks back up and then steels his nerves and starts further in. A nearby clergyman in the corner by a fresco looks over at the Transformers, its eye stalks turning instead of its whole body turning. It hisses something to a fellow cultist that sounds particularly like "Gold." Prowl notices this and glances over, and then turns back.
"They've noticed us," Prowl says to Xaaron.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 25, 2010 20:20:29 GMT -5
Indeed, the place does seem to be laid out a bit like a digestive tract. There is even a a glass-coated fountain spewing a foul green acid that bubbles, steams, and hisses. There are no pennies at the bottom of the fountain - they'd likely be dissolved.
Emirate Xaaron shrugs, "I wouldn't know. I've never been eaten." He fixes a peculiar gaze on Breakaway, but then, he pauses by a fresco that depicts Unicron plunging into a star - and emerging on the other side, unscathed, leaving the poor, ruined star to collapse into a black hole. That is... just exaggeration, right? His expression twists.
He murmurs to Prowl, "Whether or not I am well doesn't matter much. We need to know what we may face." He glances sidelong at the clergyman, who definitely does not seem happy to see him, and he whispers back to Prowl, "So they have."
Emirate Xaaron fixes a smile on his face, and he strides over to the clergyman, asking in a friendly enough tone of voice, "I'm new in town. If I may ask, when is the service?"
The clergyman scowls and snaps, "Midnight. Everyone knows that."
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Post by Breakaway on Apr 25, 2010 23:06:20 GMT -5
"I've never been eaten either, sir, " Breakaway responds in a low voice, returning the Emirate's odd look, "The ambiance here just creeps me out." The jetformer looks at the clergyman. If it was him, he'd tell the guy off, but in this case he'll let Emirate Xaaron do the talking. He just glowers at the priest. What's his problem?
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Post by Prowl on Apr 25, 2010 23:42:46 GMT -5
Prowl says sourly, "I have been eaten. It is not pleasant."
He check his internal meters and then looks over at the two, "Midnight approaches, and it seems we'll be staying for the, ah, mass?" he shifts a bit uneasily and then looks at the seating. "I'd be more comfortable standing."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 26, 2010 21:46:58 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron gives Prowl a look that borders between thoughtful and incredulous. He says firmly, "I shall take your word for it."
Some of the lay members of the church have started to arrive, filing in, mostly not paying the robots any attention. A few glare, and one of them, a beagle-like woman, crouches down and scoops up her pup to cover his eyes, huffing, "Gaudy infidels. Have they no respect for the dark?"
The pews do look distinctly uncomfortable, having a rather toothed design to them.
Emirate Xaaron murmurs to the other Autobots lowly, "I think it would be best if we kept near the exit."
Another clergyman, this one looking something like a land-walking cuttlefish in an orange robe, horned hat, and fake beard, approaches Breakaway, who seems to be the least upsetting to the cultists, of the trio, perhaps because he is spiky and tan. In a smooth, baritone voice, he asks, "I say, are you from Lithone, by any chance?"
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Post by Breakaway on Apr 26, 2010 22:27:59 GMT -5
Breakaway wasn't expecting to be addressed. He glances over at Emirate Xaaron for guidance and receives a subtle shake of the head.
Turning back to the cephalopoid, he replies, "No, we're not from Lithone. Sorry if we've somehow offended anyone, we don't know much about your religion. We were hoping to learn more, if you've got a minute?"
Posing of Emirate Xaaron done with player permission.
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Post by Prowl on Apr 27, 2010 23:21:18 GMT -5
Prowl makes a 'hn' sort of noise, looking over at the clergyman. He gives the being a bit of a glare before retreating back next to Xaaron.
"I hope this is fruitful," Prowl says. "I've never been a more unnerving place."
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