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[Team 4*] It's Dark and Hel is Hot


Dave ST

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Eden, Arizona. Population 21. It was about 150 back in 2000, but times had changed and the people were moving on to bigger and better things. Here's the kicker, it took 13 years for the population to drop to 21 from 150 and in the span of seven months it was back up and beyond 150. Now, it's somewhere in the span of 300+ and seems to be growing by the week.



Fishy?

Damn right it's fishy. That's where you come in. The Council has decided that something supernatural is going on and has dispatched you four young Scions on a quest to investigate.

I'm thrusting you right in because I don't want to skip the part where people have a 55 page question and answer with the Council when all it really boils down to is... "something weird is going on, investigate" For sake of argument, you have enough money to survive on, have a vehicle, yadda, yadda.


It's Dark and Hel is Hot

Welcome to Eden

Physical - / Mental ● / Social ●●

Eden, Arizona.

Yeah, you'd seen enough boring, flat desert to last all of you a life time. The mountains were pretty, off in the distance but honestly this long trip down I40 hadn't been the most memorable. A few shared stories, some laughs, loud music and arguments over what station to play, and, of course, excessive amounts of junk food and rest room breaks. The benefit was obvious though, to be outside of the camp and seeing the world. The trip was easy enough, the air conditioning worked and through Fate or luck, they'd had no breakdowns.

Eden itself was like an old western style town, less than a mile long and singe avenue that cut right though it. Shops and store fronts, bars and hotels all lined the main strip with a few (three or four) streets that cut off into the 'city's' 'residential' areas. Seriously it was all of one square mile in size and most of the old weathered buildings looked like they'd been through some remodeling lately. Considering the nearest Home Depot was miles away, it left one to wonder.

So, here you all are outside the Garden of Eden hotel right along the strip along with a few other 'tourists' who have come to see what all the hype is about. The streets are booming though and all sorts of people are out and about in there jeans and cowboy hats, going about their day.

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It's on you. Do your thing, hit me up with questions in the OOC, and start investigating.

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"Ugh." Makaela grimaced, groaning expressively as she stretched away the lassitude of the seemingly endless drive. Tugging her unruly blonde locks into an elastic band, Poseidon's daughter peered with obvious skepticism at the tiny, dusty desert town. What was it with crazies and deserts, anyway? "Y'know, I remember seein' photos of the Great American West in school. Clearly," she stated flatly, "our textbooks were lyin'. This place is seriously bodgy. Lookit," she pointed for emphasis at the open framework and plywood that marked a fairly slapdash remodel in progress. "I can't imagine anyone would willingly come here without havin' a few 'roos loose in the top paddock already, but I'd probably go nuts if I was stuck here."

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"Oh I don't know," Ariel replied as she squinted around, shading her eyes. "It has a certain rustic charm. Or probably had, before all these people showed up. Look at them all. What are they doing? It's not as if there's many shops or attractions. And you know something else? Where are they staying? There's not enough houses for them all, and I don't think this little hotel can pick up the slack."

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She shuffled her duffel bag over to her other shoulder...it was a little heavy. Even dressed lightly, in a light brown windbreaker, white tanktop and good pair of jeans, she was already starting to sweat in the oppressive Arizona heat.

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"On second thought, lets talk inside. I feel like a vampire out here."

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An experienced world traveler, Nadya had endured the road trip in high spirits. She hadn't passed through terrain like Arizona before - her one trip to Las Vegas had been through... unorthodox methods - and the stars at night has been bright and close. Any journey to someplace she'd never been was a joy.

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As for the... village, well, she been through towns as small in the Carpathians, the Black Forest, and elsewhere in Europe, some centuries older than the United States itself, so she didn't have an issue with it per se, despite preferring large, cosmopolitan cities herself. But whereas those possessed a quality of history and age, Eden just felt worn down, faded. Though it seemed the village was being polished and patched up of late.

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And they were here to find out why.

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Nadya slid easily out of the passenger seat, seemingly not as tensed as Makaela, and slung her rucksack over her shoulder. Dressed in frayed jeans, a white, long-sleeved mesh top and a pair of cross-trainers, the petite young woman's face was a bit shiny and her hair somewhat limp from the heat, but otherwise, she was refusing to let the oppressive climate get to her - or at least willing to admit it.

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"Do not mention the wampyr, bine*?" Nadya said absently, running her hands through dark hair curling from sweat as she took her own look around town. She wasn't entirely sure what Makaela had said, but she agreed with the sentiment, mostly. The idea of being 'stuck' in one place was foreign to her. There was always another road to walk. She grinned, nodding at the others. "Let us see if we can be getting a room or two, yes?"

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There were a lot of people in the street, but they mostly looked like locals or what passed for such in a boomtown. And that was the town felt like, a boomtown from the wild west - she'd seen Deadwood. Nadya led the way through the worn, wooden facade of the Garden of Eden and into the lobby. She kind of wished she had a pair of cowboy boots with spurs and she was going to find herself one of those hats. Blending with the locals could be useful.

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More wood, dark hardwood, some carving and brass fittings, the floor smooth with age and wear. She glided up to the front desk, the cooper surface as long and smooth as a bartop. She paused for a moment, eying the back of the concierge, flashed her teammates a smirk, rose up on her toes to take a quick glance at the sign-in book, then slapped the bell on the desk with the palm of her hand.

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"Hello? We are wanting some rooms, if it is possible."

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Translation
Bine = Okay
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Atticus had been quiet all throughout the trip, his thoughts elsewhere. If fact they was squarely on the magical breastplate secured safely in the duffel in the trunk of the car. He resented the fact that he needed it; that he needed anything from his father, a man-god-whatever he hadn't even met. It rankled him that he needed the gifts from his dead-beat dad for his own survival.

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Atticus sighed, put on his magical sunglasses as he got out of the car and retrieved his duffel bag. The Arizona heat blasted him and he instantly began to sweat despite being dressed for the heat. Following the girls into the hotel, Atticus gratefully took a back seat and let Nadya take the lead. All three of the girls we new and he reasoned that the camp leaders wouldn't sent raw untrained Scions on a quest they couldn't handle. He waited patiently just inside the door while Nadya attempted to secure them lodging.

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Inside the Garden of Eden the first thing they all noticed was scent of delicious baked goods. All manner of cookies, cakes and assorted pastries lingered in the air a he best par was that eclairs were 50% off three o'clock and it was 2:47. Directly to their right, was a door cut in the wall the connected to the adjacent building, the only security was a small set of cute saloon style doors that could be held in place for a small slide bolt lock. What would stop people from crawling under the doors was anyone's guess... but hey, they were the children of Gods, it's not like stranger things hadn't crossed their paths. Apparently everyone shared everyone else's cooling bill in this place because on the far side of the bakery were identical doors that connected to the neighboring business, and so on.

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'Hello, my name is:'

Bethany :)

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The pig tailed blonde spun about, both energetically perky and scared half to death all at once. She was as wild west as your average seventeen year-old could get these days: dark blue jeans that'd never seen a rugged denim life, her western pattered plaid shirt was about as visually striking as a Picasso while tripping balls. Thankfully her cowgirl hat was cute and she, herself was lovely in that perky, blonde, naive sorta way. "Well, golly dang it y'bout scared the bejeesus right outta me!"

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If they four Scions could have awkwardly cocked their eye brows anymore, her giggle and smile made it happen. "Well, lessee here. Look t'be four'ya an I jes so happin'ta 'ave four rooms left! Can you b'lieve it?" None of them were particularly violent, but slapping the smile and perky dimples off this girl's face was quickly climbing their bucket list to the number one spot. "I s'ppose y'all're here fer the Epic Eden Retreat too? I tell ya', werd travels, dudn'it?"

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She slid the keys to their rooms over to them, all were right next one another 201-204. "Y'all enjoy yer stay here at the Garden of Eden."

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[Perception, All, Success] She returned to her work, smiling again before she did and the ladies noticed the way she bashfully smiled a bit more at Atticus than anyone else (you sexy beast, you). So there you stood holding keys to rooms that you didn't pay for, sign for, or offer up any I.D. for.

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Creep factor rising.

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Get your rooms, get situated and decide how you (as a group) wanna proceed. When you have a game plan (and you lemme know), I'll chime back in. I know you really have nothing to go on aside from some weird behavior and a hot blonde country girl you wanna slap, so please, ask me questions guys. I'll answer what I can within reason.

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Although I'm usually loathe to ask for a party leader, maybe you guys can decide on one of you to be the 'spokes person' in an OOC sense. That way one you all agree on where you're at, that person can tell me "Okay, Dave, we're ready!" and I'll get it going.

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Oh, don't feel the need to rush either, Bethany is avail for conversation, as a clerk though she didn't feel the need to probe for life stories. She's not ignoring you, she just went back to her duties. (I wasn't sure if I made that apparent in the text, so I wanted reiterate it)

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Ariel stared dumbfounded at her key, then at the back of Bethany's head, and was then compelled to act by some quirk of British genetics.

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"Excuse me, miss...miss Bethany?"

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The cowgirl turned back around and turned that hundred-watt smile back on. "What can I..."

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"I'm sorry," Ariel said, "But do you honestly mean to tell us you have exactly only four rooms left, and they all just happen to be adjacent to one another? And we haven't even paid for them yet." At the girl's poleaxed expression, she relented a little and dug out her wallet. "What's the 'epic eden retreat' then? And how much for the rooms?"

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"Well you're right! Daggumit I'm so flustered with all these tourists I done plum forgot!" She sighed and rolled eyes in the most adoribly flustered way. She sorted through a few things and soon enough, after some old fashioned paperwork (with actual paper and pens, no fancy card swipers here, folks!) the four had rooms. The concept of them all being adjacent and the coincidence of the matter seem lost on her completely.

"Epic Eden is something we've done for years. We open the hot springs up in a couple days and everyone in town just spends the day relaxing in the warm waters. It's been great for tourism in the last few years, heck most people have just decided to move right on in and stay here in Eden. Neat-O, huh?" She tilted here head beamed a gigasmile in Ariel's direction that could have melted her retinasif not for her Wal-Mart sun glasses protecting her. "Them springs have brought this town back to life, lemme tell ya."

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"These hot springs sound like sumthin' I'd sure like to see," Nadya agreed, affecting a faint southern twang and folksy friendliness, if not Bethany's bubbly blonde vapidity. "Any other festivals and the like, here in Eden we'd able to catch?"

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There was power in tradition and ritual, and it wasn't impossible for it to be co-opted by Titanspawn for their own ends. This place was already giving her the heebie-jeebies, and the coincidence with the rooms they almost didn't have to pay for didn't help. Some faerie or creature using the hot springs to control or feed off the population seemed as feasible as anything at the moment.

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"... Apple-pie Bakin' an' Eatin' Contest, Annual Eden Cook-out, The Forsyths' Travelin' Circus comes each year... " Bethany perkily informed them about the 'special' going-ons of Eden, without apparently needing to pause for a breath.

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Thinking about the rooms, Nadya shot Ariel a scowl behind Bethany's back. Creepy town or not, the veteran traveler in her was annoyed at losing out at the chance for free rooms. You never pass up a free place to stay when you're on the road - within reason, you don't have to be stupid and take the invite inside a white, windowless van and the like - that's just good sense.

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"Golly-jee! That all sounds just wonderful!" Nadya gushed, hiding a wince as Bethany appeared entirely too pleased with her feigned enthusiasm. It felt like she was teasing a puppy. At the moment, what she really wanted was a shower to wash away the sweat and grime of their long road trip. "And if we're still about after th'Epic Eden Retreat, we'll be sure t'take a gander at those. Speakin' a which, we're didja say th'Hot Springs were?"

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"Well..." Bethany noticably slowed her speech. She seemed visibly irritated that Nadya switch accents in the middle of speaking with her. Perhaps she felt she was being made fun of or being patronized. Either way, the bubbles and mirth seemed to immediately fade after the 'Golly-jee' left Nadya's lips. "Few miles north of town, just take the road right across street there." She pointed out of the hotel to a lane across he way that lead the Eden Mesa, not far from town. Won't do y'much good," She said slowly, failing to wrangle her accent. "Sheriff and the mayor have it all locked up til t'marra. Cordoned off I think is the term you city folk use. Buuut..." She took a deep breath, even pausing to give Nadya the stink eye. "Some of us are having a super secret party tonight, over at Culver's Gulch... just the uh... sixteen t'twentyish bracket, if you get me. Gotta keep it quiet cuz there'll be drinkin' an' dancin'...with boys."

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It honestly didn't look like she wanted invite you guys after the accent thing, but with all of you being around her age and obviously looking for something to do, she caved. "We'll all be meetin' bout eight or so. Y'can't miss it, it's a large ol' shack out there with loud music coming from it."

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Again, you can talk amongst yourselves, go to your rooms, or do whatever. You have few locations available to you at the moment (the springs and the party). Let me know what you decide.

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And quit picking on the way people talk. Geez, people... you're guests in their fair city for cryin' out loud. :)

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"We are thanking you for the invite. Bethany," Nayda said in her regular accent, grimacing slightly at her gaff of practicing accents so openly. She ducked her head apologetically at the taller Bethany. "And me, I am being sorry for any offense I have given you. I am Roma - a Gypsy - "

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"Uh-huh." Bethany gave Nadya the stink-eye, scrunched up her nose, then reluctantly gave her a tight nod. "Whatevah ya say," she replied a bit shortly, then gave the rest of the group a more genuine smile over the head of the short, young woman, before heading back towards the front desk. "See y'all later, I guess."

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Nayda sighed, running a hand through her sweat-dampened hair. "Me, I'm needing a shower," Nadya claimed. "I say, we get cleaned up and changed, and while looking around town, decide if we wish to investigate the Hot Springs or go to they party, or split up and do both. Sounding good?"

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Waiting only an instant for an answer, Nayda quickly entered her room and dashed for the bathroom to take a nice cool and cleansing shower.

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"Seconds on shower!" Ariel quickly blurted. Then she answered the question with, "Definitely going to the party, but we should look around the town first. We'll have time to do all of that. And we should really not split up. That is a horror-movie nono. We stick together."

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  • 1 month later...

This post reflects the action 'look around town'

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After some time in the showers and washing of the desert sweat and dust from hours in the car, the four of you set out among the streets of Eden to see exactly what all the fuss is about. Bethany hadn't much to say as they filtered out but everyone could tell her expression was a bit smug. She was apparently still a bit sore over Nadya insulting the way she talked.

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Just like in the old spaghetti westerns, Eden was set up like a single lane, one horse town in the middle of the desert. It was about a half a mile long, with an intersection smack dab in the middle. At the intersection the town continued for another half a mile in either direction, like a '+', with businesses running along the north and south route and apartments and such running along the east and west route. No matter where you walk there is always someone in your way, like a mini New York there are just people everywhere leaving you to wonder how much could these people seriously have to do in a town where nothing is going on.

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'Ma'am' and 'Darlin'' are uttered about every ten feet wit tip of a hat as the four of you wander by. Along the business lane there are several stores, mostly clothing stores and tourist shops. There are two clinics, one a general practitioner and the other veterinary hospital. A grocer, a feed and tack store, several other down home sort of stores, like a deli and a bakery.

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If you wish to investigate things further, I'll need specifics. A location you want to look around, an investigation roll, and an action post.

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