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The Day The Stars Changed (Metro 2033/Various)

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Shadowed Sun - The Northern Gate
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    • Your name is Nasana, and once you were a nobleman's daughter, living in the light of the sun in the grand city of Meridian, knowing nothing of the outside world nor its troubles beyond what your father, a general in the army of the Sun King Jiran, who ruled nobly and with strength. To you, the Derangement and the appearance of new and hostile Machines were just tales told by the common servants, and if others were sent into the Sun Ring it was because they were to appease the Sun and bring peace to the Machines.

    But now your family has been banished, exiled into the coastal city of Sunfall to the east of Meridian, into the harsh desert lands across the sea to the farthest point of the Carja Empire, ceded to the exiled by Avad's 'mercy' to the Shadow Carja. Now your father drowns himself in drink and your mother attempts to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Your brothers joined the army, eager to prepare for the war that would restore the exiles to their rightful place and the old order restored.

    But you cannot bring yourself to care. Your happiness is now replaced by the hardships of living in a city that was originally intended to be a summer residence inhabited mostly by maintenance workers and supporting industries, not hundreds of thousands of people exiled from their homes, businesses and more. Sunfall is a slum city now, surrounded by the poor while the 'nobility' squabble over the best of the few resources available, and the army fights every day to defend against Machines.

    Your name is Nasana, and today you stand a young woman on the road towards The Demon's Gate, the lone entry into the Shadow Lands beyond the Carja Empire, into lands said to be cursed by Night and Shadow even with the Sun blazing high above at noon. Lands where the very air is poison and the lands are not only stalked by Machines but monsters that strike terror into the hearts of even the bravest hunters, men of noble blood who have faced down a charging Lancehorn or Sawtooth.

    But you must now pass through the barrier and into the Shadow Lands; in your dreams you have seen a city of ancient ruins, but hidden underneath the ruins is a civilisation wielding incredible power, and the knowledge of the Ancient Ones. Your dreams are clear, the knowledge of these barbarians must be brought to the true Carja so that Meridian can be retaken, and so you took up bow and spear before travelling to the north, undeterred by your father's rage or your mother's tears.

    Now, you stand at a stone fort, the soldiers manning the walls wearing the armour of the old Empire but they greet you as if you were not in Shadow. You ask them if they have not heard of Meridian's fall to Avad and his barbarian mercenaries, of the slaying of Jiran?

    "Of course we have heard, young one." The Captain explains with a gentle smile, "But the duties of the soldiers and priests here is greater than the squabbling of men. Here, we defend the Sun's Empire against the Shadow Lands and the monsters inside. And we provide aid and rescue for those fools who attempt to challenge the demons within for fame and glory." He stares at you, studying you, "But you are not here for riches, are you?"

    You explain to the Captain of your dreams and the holy mission from The Sun to claim the knowledge held by the barbarians who live within that ruined city, and are quickly ushered into the presence of the Sun-Priests, who listen to your story and ask few questions, only to clarify points of your dreams that seem important only to them.

    Finally, the head of the Sun-Priests nods solemnly, "The Sun has chosen her for a holy mission, but this child will need more than just bow and spear to brave the Shadow Lands." You flinch at the sound of a horn call coming from a distance before you hear the sound of the guards sounding their own horns as the Sun-Priest smiles grimly, "And here is the means to show you the way. Come child, we must negotiate with those who approach the gates now."

    Negotiate? Could it be that you are about to meet one of these barbarians so soon?

    The Sun-Priest shakes his head, "It is not so simple. There are barbarians, yes, and all divided into many tribes. But they all fear or respect the civilization you speak of that lives underground. The stories told, they speak of endless dark tunnels full of madness, of monsters that roam the lands in great hordes, and of a hundred cities underground." He shakes his head again, "Truth and legend are difficult to tell apart with these people."

    Following the Sun-Priest, you find yourself looking at a strange group of people, armed with weapons that you cannot identify. You see no spear, nor bows though one man carries a quiver of arrows, and they speak a language you cannot understand, with only a woman who appears to be a fellow Carja speaking for them, a translator.

    <...give you Nosalis meat and some Night Wheat when we return next.>

    "They will provide you with the meat of the long noses and grains from their farms when they come next in exchange for the offered goods, Captain." The woman speaks after listening to the strange tongue of the barbarians while the Captain nods.

    "We appreciate it. What will you ask of us in exchange for that...Vod-Ka, as you call it?"

    <What will you give for the vodka?> The woman asks in that same tongue before the man replies.

    <The green fuel, three kegs worth in exchange for three crates.>

    The woman nods and turns back to the Captain, "They will give you three crates of Vod-Ka for three kegs of Blaze." Three kegs of Blaze? Your eyes widen; even back in Meridian, Blaze is expensive to purchase and dangerous to handle, what use could barbarians have for such a thing?

    "Done." The Captain replies before glancing over to you, "Ah yes. We have someone who requires passage into your lands. They seek one of your cities."

    The woman turns to study you, eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Is that so?" She takes a step in your direction, "You there, girl, where are you headed? What is the name of the place you seek?"

    You quickly remember the name that dominated your dreams and manage to speak it with a confident tone, "Polis. I must reach Polis."

    That got a reaction as the barbarians immediately began muttering among themselves, one of them making a gesture with their hand as if it was some kind of primitive warding against evil as they spoke, before the leader barked something to the translator and she nodded, turning back to you, "We will take you to a trading outpost, there you will travel with a caravan heading to the Dead City."

    "How long will the journey take?" You ask.

    The woman shrugs, "Weeks if all is well. The Metro and Polis are deep in the largest concentrations of monsters and those war with the Machines daily. If you're unlucky, the Demons or Watchers will kill you, or it'll be Machines."

    You can't help but ask what would happen if something truly unlucky happened.

    The woman grimaces, "Then you'll become a slave. Not all who live in the Metro are willing to talk first." The threat of slavery sends a shiver down your spine as the woman waves towards the group, "Come on, we'll give you some basic kit and a mask so you can breath the air. After that, follow my orders and you should live long enough to see the trading outpost."

    You grimace but follow after the woman, staring uneasily at the strange mask she hands you a few minutes later; something about it reminds you of a traditional burial mask for nobility, the priesthood and Sun Kings as you reluctantly remove your headdress and carefully slip it over your face before the woman shows you how to tighten and adjust the mask.

    "There, you're as ready as you'll ever be."

    And with those words, you follow the party of barbarians into the darkness of the forests below, into the Shadow Lands.

    The party of barbarians wants you to earn your keep, how will you earn it?

    []Move ahead with one of their scouts.
    []Hunt with the woman.
    []Write In:
     
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    • [X]Hunt with the woman.

    Scouting would make us look impressive... if we weren't dealing with utterly alien threats.
     
    [X]Hunt with the woman.

    Sounds safer, if only in a relative sense. Hope we get back to our MC soon.
     
    [X]Hunt with the woman.

    Girl, you must be so deluded to pick up fights against the Metro and underestimating them as simple barbarians.

    You may praise the Sun, but they of the Underground fighting the good fight had fought monsters and things that would blot it out just so you could speak your drivel.
     
    You need an editor, dear author, and I find your knowledge of Metroverse to be lacking.

    Quest has potential though.
     
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