epidemiology | EVENT ★ WELCOME TO TERRA FELIS

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EVENT ★ WELCOME TO TERRA FELIS

WELCOME TO TERRA FELIS

Characters leave Woodhurst suddenly and without notice, but once they come out the other side of the rift, they aren't in Oska. Instead, they'll find themselves in the middle of a springtime meadow. Flowers are in bloom, the bright blue sky is above, and birds chirp overhead.

And then there are the cats.

From all sides of the meadow come housecats of all shapes and sizes, indistinguishable from mundane felines in every way until one of them speaks: "You're the third team today," it says in the calm, clear voice of a man. "Come along."

CENTRUM COLONIAM

Centrum Coloniam is the primary city of Terra Felis and is where the government, a constitutional monarchy, is located. Situated high above the ground, the city is accessible via teleportation pads located at guarded entrances all around its base; the teleportation pads to return to the ground are not guarded at all, and anyone may travel freely whenever they wish.

Terra Felis operates on magitek, a complex combination of magic and technology that recruits should be familiar with: it's the same technology that runs Oska and the jewelcomms. Centrum Coloniam is lit by glowing, floating orbs that turn on automatically in the darkness, and its machinery seems to run itself, with only a few technicians scurrying about every now and then. The buildings all have tall, vaulted ceilings, as the cats prefer to walk along raised platforms rather than the floor, though furniture and utensils might give larger species (that's you) some difficulty.

However, the cats receive enough visitors where most buildings (except private residences) have been situated with human-sized doorways, though if you're very tall, you may have to stoop a bit. All in all, characters ought to be relatively comfortable here if they have a good sense of humor -- though dogs or other canine companions will be met with suspicion if not outright hostility. Even enlightened sapient felines are not without their prejudices.

The city of Centrum Coloniam is shaped like a circle, with the government in the center and four districts located to the north, east, south, and west. Radiating out from the city are four long spokes of parkland, separating each district.

AREAS OF NOTE:

ROYAL SQUARE. Where the Queen's opulent palace is located. She is much too busy to see visitors right now, but the Prime Minister, a plump persian, will greet anyone in her stead and answer any questions. Surrounding the palace in a circle are the parliamentary buildings and other governmental structures.

ACADEMY SQUARE. To the north of the Royal Square is Academy Square, Terra Felis's university district and home to the Royal University. The cats focus mainly on scientific, mathematical, and magical pursuits, though there are smaller colleges for history and law. This is also where the library is located, though it is all nonfiction (and written in Latin), as the cats don't seem to have much use for entertainment.

Also located within the Academy Square is the Royal Magitekkery, where the magitek specialists are hard at work developing new spells and technology. This is where the interdimensional rift machines are located, and where scientists and wizards are monitoring for news from Oska. If characters would like to ask more about magitek or inquire about Oska, they may speak to the Royal Scientist, a rather snobby sphynx.

GROOMING DISTRICT. Home to many spas, salons, and other businesses focusing on individual pampering, the Grooming District is located to the east of the Royal Square and is where the majority of the locals are employed if they are not involved in politics or magitek. Though their primary clientele are, naturally, feline, they are largely excited to work on aliens and will do their best to provide whatever services they can.

Of particular note are the Terra Felis spas, where soothing mud baths and shi-miatsu massage are very popular with their regular alien visitors. They also have natural hot springs available, though you'll have to wait for a Turkish Van to assist you, as all other spa attendants refuse to risk getting wet.

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT. Unless you are going to be roughing it down on the ground, your lodgings will be here at a hotel especially outfitted for human-sized visitors. The proprietress, a friendly tabby, will give you directions if you need them.

Hotel rooms are outfitted with private bathrooms, a table and chairs, a vanity, and a television -- though the programming is primarily educational and news, except for the channel that plays nothing but endless videos of birds and fish, and the "alien station" which plays what appears to be soap operas starring bloblike creatures. The beds are probably the most unusual thing here for visitors -- although they're big enough for humanoids, they're just gigantic, fluffy cat beds.

The houses here are not built for alien visitors larger than a cat, so if you make a friend, you'll have to visit them elsewhere. This district is also home to a number of shops and restaurants, though you might have trouble finding something to eat at the latter unless you live on a purely carnivorous diet. If you would like a little more variation in your meal, you will be offered a tray of wheatgrass; the kitchen at the hotel is staffed with cooks more accustomed to a human diet, so you might have better luck there. As cats are allergic to alcohol, there is no liquor in Terra Felis, but locals will offer you catnip on the sly if you mention you want something to help you loosen up.

MUSEUM CAMPUS. The pride of Centrum Coloniam, the Museum Campus is located to the west of the Royal Square and home to museums covering everything from history to astronomy. (There is no art museum. If you were interested in seeing what cats consider art, the answer is nothing.) There is also a rather large and rather popular aquarium, as well as a zoo which features both native animals and animals from all across the galaxy. The zoo is home to an extremely complex breeding program, and the Royal Zookeeper, a scatterbrained black longhaired cat, is happy to explain their methods.

Outside the city, the ground is home to meadows and forests, plus smaller villages for more rural cats. Characters are welcome to spend their time exploring the wilds if the city life isn't for them, where they may run into animals that one may expect to find in medieval Europe (deer, bears, wolves, etc). Apart from the cats, there is no other sapient species on the planet.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Terra Felis! Contact with ALASTAIR NPCs remains mysteriously closed, and the native cat population has no idea what's going on with Oska either.

Please use this post to plot amongst yourselves!

The two other ALASTAIR teams in Terra Felis are Team Unicorn, an elite team of six (five humanoids and one talking kangaroo), and Team Ambrosia, a 20-recruit magic-focused team that consists of elves, humans, and satyrs. Unicorn had just begun their mission when they were suddenly rifted to Terra Felis, and Ambrosia was in the middle of what was apparently a very epic battle.

Questions about Terra Felis can be directed here. You may also use this comment to ask (brief!) handwaved questions with cat NPCs.

Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may also submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Wanda's already had a tour. A second look around this place can't hurt matters. It's an alien planet. Were it any other day (or if Pietro was here) there wouldn't be anything keeping her from walking everywhere she possibly could. Even now, unconsciously, she's acting like her missing half. ]

[ The cats are having a curiously soothing effect: there were many strays on the Sokovian streets. She pauses when she passes Peter, watching him with the fascination one has for someone trapped in an unexpectedly hilarious situation. ]

Have they eaten yet?

[ It'll be his best chance for escape. ]

( yes, unexpectedly hilarious indeed. he doesn't really see the humor in it now, but perhaps if it were anyone but him he could see the amusement in it. as it is now, he's genuinely concerned that he will never be free of petting cats. it's not the worst fate a guy could have, but still... not how he was planning to go......... )

I have no idea.

( the twins don't answer — simply purr louder underneath his finger-scratches and adoring strokes. he has no idea if that means they're inclined to the idea or not. ) Is there food around here somewhere?

Not far.

[ Always the facts, with cats. A smart one knows where to go looking for food. ]

You can take them.

[ And leave them there.... ]

( take them to food. right. good plan, stranger, good plan... though next Peter dusts his attention down to two loudly purring cats with another new thought of panic. )

Do you think they like to be carried? ( Gustav flattens his ears, opening mismatched eyes to glare, as if in silent reminder that he can very well understand. he can very well respond, too, and chooses not to... leaving Peter just as lost as to whether it was safe to carry sentient cats. )

I think they can walk. Can't you?

[ She levels a Look at Gustav, who's realised they're going to have to do a lot more than be extremely cute in her direction to get anything out of Wanda. ]

Come with us.

( Gustav and Boris have not stopped their rampant purring, yet their eyes are no longer closed in delighted delirium, they're matched on the interloper as if they sense the challenge she represents. Peter, meanwhile, looks almost intimidated to be in the middle of it.

probably because he is.

Gustav lifts an airy paw before suddenly dropping to the floor, winding around Wanda's ankles like he belongs there. Boris follows, reluctantly, sitting at Peter's feet to suddenly wash with a great deal of conviction. )

I'm going to take that as a yes to walking.

[ She bends to scratch behind Gustav's ear. ]

You like that.

[ It's a ploy though, she's only doing it long enough to disarm him. Wanda picks him up after a few minutes. Gustav eyes her but decides the scritches are appropriate payment. Wanda cants her head sharply to Peter. They'd better hurry. ]

( bold move, Wanda. Peter is deadly silent with wide eyes, as if Wanda has picked up a bomb, and not a rather small cat. after a few seconds without explosions, he lets out a breath he really shouldn't have been holding in the first place.

come on, Peter. they are cats. )

Okay, let's go, then. ( Boris sees his brother getting a lift and meows indignantly, so Peter bends to scoop him up, too. ) Do you know which way we're going?

[ They're cats. Very intelligent, very alien, but cats. Wanda murmurs something thoughtlessly affectionate to Gustav. It's easier to be like this in front of animals. They don't ask for much. ]

This way, I think.

[ She glances over her shoulder to make sure he's keeping up. ]

What's your name?

( the cats are alien to Peter because the very fact they are cats, the fact they live on an alien planet is just a bonus. he's not so easily affectionate to the tiny creatures, he barely knows what he is doing. it's clear his company does, though, and it's nice to witness, even if he wouldn't know where to start if he wanted to echo it. )

It's Peter.

( the fact she doesn't know that in the first place might indicate she's pretty new, and he doesn't recognize her... though in 80 people, that's not necessarily a hard feat to accomplish. ) You're with ALASTAIR, right? Know which team?

They told me Audentes.

[ If he had any doubts she's new, there it is. She looks back again, now curious, at him. ]

What about you?

Audentes, too.

( which makes them teammates. he's always done his best to keep track of his teammates, though it's almost a hundred names to keep track of. )

Do I get a name, too? Or are you wanting to keep onto it for now?

( he wouldn't hold it against her if she did. )

[ Were she less mired in grief he might have gotten a more playful reply. As it stands, Wanda offers, ]

Wanda. You?

( he can get being too upset to offer any jokes. he's usually full of them, and usually bad ones... but not right now. )

Peter. I guess we'll be seeing a bit of each other, if we're teammates.

We might.

[ She eyes him critically. ]

American?

Sorry to disappoint.

( aka: yes. a little bit. what gave him away... )

I am from Sokovia. [ she adds, after a moment, ] I live in New York now.

( Geography is not where Peter puts all his nerdiness, so it's not that weird that he's not sure where that is. he still pauses, for half a moment, trying to place it and failing...

before the second addition truly and completely steals his attention. one of his hobbies is just talking about New York. )

New York? Really? I'm NYC born and raised. I'd never really left before... ( he waves a hand. ) Space kidnapping.

[ It's such a ridiculous term for what's happened to bring them here that she snorts. ]

What is your version like?

( he gets the sense that earning a half-laugh is an accomplishment. there's a quirk at the corner of his mouth that could be a smile if he'd allow it, but nobody can be sure. )

I dunno. Insane? Wonderful? Beautiful? All of the above... some crazy criminals with unbelievable weaponry, but that's sort of a more recent thing.

( he won't go into their goblins and lizards, it's for the best. )

[ It feels like a smile, she'll take it as one. Amusement transmutes to sharp curiosity. She looks over her shoulder at him with a flicker of recognition. It sounds a lot like her Earth. ]

What kind of weaponry?

( a sigh. not exactly fun to talk about, how his childhood friend turned into his enemy, pumping himself full of spider-toxin in search of a cure, and sending armed thugs after him in his newfound hatred of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. )

There was a guy named Rhino? He had a military grade armored suit, made him taller than a bus. And ... well, to be honest, nobody has been from my version of New York yet. I'd be surprised if you were.

It sounds like something from my world.

[ Let's settle the matter of the cats they're both carrying. There's comfortable seats for them, Wanda sets hers down and sits beside him, not intending to abandon him just yet. She gestures for Peter to join her. ]

Are there [ this is a terrible word ] superheroes?

( Peter delivers his cargo before he joins Wanda. the twin blinks owlishly at the cafeteria, accepting the change of location before sprawling on the table like he owned it. okay, do that then, kitty cat...

were there superheroes? before, he'd have avoided the question, or agreed without admitting anything. now that he's forced into honesty, he's got less to hide behind. )

Yeah, just one. ( a half breath. ) Me. I hear about versions of my world with whole teams of supers working together, but in my world, it's just me.

[ Her eyes widen. Wanda knows what's missing from her life — Peter has no one but himself. Loneliness is a wretched existence. And he doesn't look any older than her, but Wanda never thinks of herself as young. She and Pietro left that behind a long, long time ago. ]

[ With complete certainty, ]

There will be more. If there is you, they will try.

[ There'll be people born with it, or made into it, or those like her, who reach for it claws drawn. ]

It's what happened in my world. There will be aliens, or enhanced abilities in humans... it may take a long time for others to fight with you.

[ That's always the way. ]

Perhaps they are waiting in the shadows for the right time.

cat party.

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