realitymods | The Hosts

★ The Hosts

The people who maintain the Machine and this experiment are all mod characters. Some are helpful, some are misguided, some are cruel, and some are dancing to a higher power's tune. While they can change and may appear with varying frequency, there are some constant influences.

★ The Shop

The shop is a quaint wooden cottage that happens to be perhaps a bit futuristic on the inside. It's run by Jhil and Roen and the double jokers on the gaudy sign make it hard to miss. They're all too happy to sell characters the things they need - even information - for the right price. Can they afford their prices? That depends on what they have to lose. On the plus side, their employer wants them to hire new employees. As long as those employees don't try to get into the back room, behind the purple curtain... Oh, and don't even try to attack them. The door has a trigger to detect harmful intent, and you really don't want it to go off.

Though NPCs can see the shop, whenever they try the door, it is locked. They may, if they are lucky, catch a fleeting image of them in the window, but they won't be allowed in. Regardless of what they try to use - magic, technology, or explosions - they will not be able to get into the shop. The door will open only when player characters are alone (or alone with other player characters).

★ Main Hosts

Wolf ☆ Unlike Derogative, Wolfgang Albrecht is actually a completely normal human. Well, mostly. Hailing from a world where dimensional paradoxes are common, he searches for a way to save his home before it succumbs to instability and is swallowed forever. Though he dresses and sounds like he's from Britain, he'll be the first to tell you that he has no idea what Britain is.

Clumsy, well-meaning and earnest, he's a departure from the old manipulators of the Plane and he's in a class of his own. Like you, he's desperate for answers and unutterably alone. Wolf might be the only friend you have.

Recently he's acquired something of a following, and is one of two powers vying for control of the Machine.

Jhil ☆ Somewhat mysterious to lay eyes on, she's a woman with long red hair and two distinctive black horns curling back around her ears. She dresses in dark armor made of leather and mail even though she spends all her time working in the shop. She has a sharp tongue and is somewhat cranky, but if you want information, she's got it.

Roen ☆ A short man with chin-length black hair and two small black horns that curve forward slightly. He dresses in gray cloth armor embroidered with gold thread in various patterns. Unlike his cousin Jhil, he's generally very hospitable, if not a bit nervous.

Da Tian ☆ Wolf's former doctor and friend turned traitor. He is tall and striking, hawkish features and black hair braided down his back, as well as yellow eyes. He raised the 'angels' and released them on people just to see what would happen.

Shaman ☆ A little girl who works on the Machine. She dresses like a butterfly cocoon and talks in riddles, much like Meredith before her. It's rumored that she is actually upwards of a thousand years old.

★ Former Hosts

These people no longer can be contacted, but their info is here for reference.

Raymond ☆ Raymond Keys works for a man named Jed, and that's all he has to offer on that situation. He looks stunningly average, brown hair, brown eyes, average height, dressed in greys and like he can't decide between business or casual. His stature and appearance always seem like he's just barely tolerating being there.

And when he says you make him sick, he means it. He comes from a long line of people with the ability to sense the inhuman, but no one has ever had it as strong as him. He has no problems treating you with utter contempt and disgust, but will at least play at being nice to get his job done.

Jacob ☆ Jacob Kross seems to be a normal sort of guy; a bit of a jock who is into cars. Short blond hair and an average height, frequently dressed in jeans and t-shirts. He has a friendly demeanor seems to mean well- just don't mention keys around him.

Oh, did he mention it yet? He's looking for a key. A specific key. It's very important. If you happen to find it, please, he needs it.

Rita ☆ Rita Blake is clearly more refined than her boyfriend. Black business suits and classy, serious glasses are her attire of choice, and her long black hair practically blends in with them. She's a bit odd though, in her way. She always seems familiar to men- she always reminds them of someone they've met before.... Maybe in a dream?

'Grey'/Charlie ☆ Dead. As it turned out, he was host to something quite terrible. Who knew?

Derogative ☆ Derogative is an insufferably cheery, usually asleep, new addition. When dealing with most humanoid beings, he tends to take on a human form; a man in his early forties with short, messy brown hair, bright green eyes, and usually dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket. Though when in the shop, he tends to prefer his natural form: a giant canine-like animal with a golden ankh on his chest.

Most of the time he does odd jobs for whoever needs him for anything, he takes his role as Guardian seriously, but it would be best for everyone if he just remains as doofy and scatterbrained as he allows himself to seem.

The Twins ☆ The Twins are comprised of a girl and a boy - Lapis and Lazuli respectively - who look shockingly young and like perfect, pale porcelain dolls. Everything about them is sheet white and neat, wearing old-fashioned clothes, cropped hair and generally seeming quite delicate if not rather unsettling.

Don't be fooled. The Twins are sly, amoral business types. Everything has a price and nothing is sacred. They appear to have ties to everything corrupt - the mafia, crooked cops, etc - as well as everything good - heroes, orphanages, whatever - and keep their cards close. People tend to end up in debt to them but if you have what they want, they might just be your best friends.

Also, they have a creepy tendency to talk in unison, as if they share a mind. The only way to tell them apart is Lapis's slightly higher voice and the fact that they each wear a braid but on different sides of their heads. (Lapis wears hers on the right, Lazuli's on the left). If you listen closely when they move, the sound of gears can be heard.

Roe ☆ Not much is known about this woman. She fixed the Machine after it crashed from misuse, then disappeared. She seems to be irritable, because she very much is. Recently she has appeared again in glee at character suffering and annoyance that they were getting a vacation. She's a bundle of joy.

Meredith ☆ Meredith Sault represents what she simply refers to as 'the Order.' It has a real name, but she doesn't think that you need to hear it. There's something distinctly eerie in her mannerisms, from the distant voice to the fluidity of her movements. Her robes hide her eyes in shadow, but her lips, often curled in amusement, are always visible.

Meredith is not your friend, but she is not your enemy, either. She will not be bought, coerced, convinced, or made to care, for she values little and considers everything to be transient. She will not attempt to trick you, but she often speaks vaguely - or else callously offers shattering information, a small smile the only hint at her reason for doing so.

Laith ☆ Dead. Laith Kolter seemed like the usual harmless research slave right up until she showed her true cards as a master manipulator. Notable for controlling a long-term peaceful Plane resident into slaughtering half a dozen people and hampering the investigation. Ruthless, unfeeling, and willing to put her own life on the line for the sake of making a new world, Laith took the secrets of the Machine to her grave.

★ Contact A Host

In this post, you can ICly contact a mod character. You should leave a comment of whatever your character is doing to get attention - going into the shop and so on - as you would with normal tagging. If you have a preference for what character you get, give their name in the subject line. For the purposes of this post, the characters that can be contacted at any point are Wolfgang and Jhil.

However, if you do not specify which character you want, you may receive messages from others involved in the workings of the Machine.

[Loki enters the shop (dressed in his normal attire; his armour is back home), the note folded neatly in his hand. He isn't too sure what he may find there; this establishment is unlike any he has ever seen. But this sale is not the only reason he seeks the shop out. Though his experiment has ceased and his powers returned to him, he is still a bit put out that it happened in the first place.

The fact he is no closer to discovering the secrets of this Astral Plane than he was before also continues to frustrate him.

But no matter. He casually begins to look around at the various wares on the walls, wondering what may catch his eye.]

[Oh, there are all sorts of things, Loki. From a section of weapons, to books, to pet related items. Wines and mirrors and tucked away in a corner a statue or two. Keys and toys, fireworks, old ancient things that don't even appear to have a clear use. Letters, blueprints, scripts, regular tools like hammers and wrenches.

There's really quite a selection. And then, of course, there's the man behind the counter, looking focused down at some paper in front of him. The very image of a man who looks really stuck on a crossword, that's the look of him. He's there for your use; he certainly can be of help if there's anything more specific in mind other than window shopping.]

[The books and mysterious objects draw his attentions the most, but even he has to admit how widely varied the selection is. It's pretty impressive.]

What do you know of these? [His eyes are still on the mysterious objects, but the books are next on his list of things he's taken an interest in.]

[He's almost startled - half so at most, he had really been lost in thought - when Loki speaks. He tries to follow Loki's gaze and ah yes.]

Those? To be honest, I have no idea. I mean, they're old, I know that much, but I couldn't tell you anything past that. I don't tend to mess around with the merch personally. I stock the shelves and try to keep an inventory that doesn't involve poking my fingers into something that might actually be a device meant for removing the fingers of some poor, unwitting bastard who stuck 'em in there trying to figure out what the thing is.

A wise decision. [Though the lack of knowledge is severely disappointing.] One must exercise caution these days.

[But they are old... Then again, many of the things look like they are. He wonders many things about the shop's wares. But which item could be his ultimate solution to preventing his brother from ascending to the throne? Which can finally prove him worthy to his father?]

And these books? What do you know of them? And these keys? If there is a key, there must be a lock.

I'm not much a book reader. But I know some of them aren't in english, some are your trashy pulp, some are, you guessed it, Certified Old. You can paw through them if you like.

[He scratches his neck.]

Now, the keys... you've got your skeleton keys, your house keys, your fancy old time lock keys, car keys, just about any sort of key you could want. Some come with what they go with - one or two of the car keys come complete with car - but some don't.

[There definitely aren't any cars on Asgard, so he only has a passing familiarity of them as a means of conveyance the mortals use. Many of these things can fall into that category, actually.]

How much for them all? All your books, mysterious items and the keys and the locks they go to? [He means it. Look at his serious face. He has to see what these can all do himself; some may come in handy in the future.]

[His eyebrows go up, a bit caught off guard by that response. His voice is a little incredulous.]

All- all of them? God, I'd have to do some serious math on that one...

Yes. All of them. [He turns to face Jacob, his hands folded behind his back.] I have plenty of gold to use for payment.

Shit. Uhhhhh.

[He starts trying to do math on some nearby paper. Kross, you absolute meatheaded moron, why didn't you bring your calculator today. Why did you think today would be a relatively math free day? Teach you to think you can get through the day without math.]

I think... a hundred thousand in dollars might be the lowest I could go but hell if I know what that is in gold.

My knowledge of mortal currency is extremely limited, but... [He reaches into his pocket, withdrawing a drawstring purse filled with gold coins, all of them bearing the insignia of the All-Father] I believe this just may be enough, if not more than what you seek.

[He sets the purse down, its heavy weight clanking on the counter.]

[He rubs the side of his face.]

Then, uh, I guess it's all yours. Do you want to haul all that shit out yourself, or do you want me to send it to you, or...?

[Loki smiles thinly] With that much money, you ought to be able to hire people to package everything nicely for you, and reward yourself with an expensive dinner. [Meaning there is no way he is carrying everything himself. He's a prince of Asgard, after all, and that's what servants are for.]

I believe you know where to send everything; you sent me the letter there previously, and that is where I will receive my purchases. [He claps his hands in front of him.] If we are finished, I will be on my way.

[Catch Loki before he leaves the shop, otherwise, he'll be going~]

The Hosts

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