f2020 | SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2020: THE SYNOD IS CONVENING.

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2020: THE SYNOD IS CONVENING.

All fourteen Gates simultaneously reverse polarity. For the next seven days, and only these seven days, any imPort stepping through a Gate will arrive safely in the Porter building: the only place on this fractured planet that can safely contain the energy of the imPort community in its entirety.

SO IT BEGINS
THE SYNOD

THE

DEATH

TRAIN

While the Gates are the simplest form of transportation, those making the journey to the Synod from the White Tower have the option of travelling by train, if they wish. Despite the playfully grim moniker, there haven't been any recorded fatalities on board the Death Train in many years. Or ever, really. Raw, untamed entropy doesn't do anything as simple as kill.

For that delightful reason, passengers will be reminded at frequent intervals not to attempt to leave the train once it enters the active zone of the Porter's defenses, or to do anything that could jeopardise the integrity of its shielding.

The journey is relatively comfortable and takes approximately two and a half hours. A limited menu of pastries and alcohol is available from the buffet car. The smallest tables seat two.

As the train passes through the entropy-saturated wasteland of the Deathdome, the view from the heavily tinted windows of each of the train's four-person cars is impossible to comprehend: every atom of the landscape is in a constant state of flux, scattered in endless possibilities across the multiverse.

WELCOME CARPET

Inside, you get the impression of three towers; no view from outside is possible. You're totally sealed inside for the week, by the same Fate-built tech that shields this place from the ravages of cosmic radiation— the train station is built into the structure, entrance tunnel hermetically sealed.

You're greeted by welcome robots, primitive little things full endless enthusiasm and covered in dents. What they lack in intelligence they make up for in persistence and durability. Each and every ImPort is assigned their own personal robutler.

Though they tend to hinder more than help.

Boop boop boop boop. They provide you with a complimentary swag bag. Inside is one (1) t-shirt, one (1) top of the line tablet (pre-loaded with this year's Agenda and a simple game app that looks suspiciously like 2048), a stress ball, personalised souvenir pen and eraser (but no pencil), and of course, a lanyard keycard for accessing the comfortably adequate accommodations provided for all attendees.

Given the week-long Synod, your room itself is a decent suite, furnished with dark colors, redolent with a smell you can't quite place. You may find yourself assigned an unexpected roommate, which may feel awkward considering you'll find arrayed on the beds, a half-dozen complimentary tickets to the spa, restaurants and the power gym, with its preternaturally durable equipment.

Robutlers constantly remind: do not attempt to leave the Porter facility or do anything to jeopardise the integrity of its shielding.

CONVENTION

Talks and panels take place in the convention area, which feels like a miniature city within the Porter's defenses, a hive with padded audience seats, wide stages, and complete with holographic audiovisual equipment that's curiously compatible with presentation software from every city.

Here, ImPorts will present and debate various topics regarded as major concerns for all. [OOCly, players are invited to suggest topics! Scroll down; they will be added below.]

This is also something of an expo, where cities practically demonstrate— or show off their good works. From the latest hovertechnology models to demonstrations of healing powers, playful duels in the forcefield-enclosed stages to magical books that temporarily transfer skills on touch, this is the place to pretend you're showing off your cards... while playing the most important ones close to your chest.

PANELS AND DEBATES

PRESENTERS

TOPIC

Joseph Kavinsky vs [N/PC]

White Tower ImPort Overpopulation and Dimensional Instability

Tony Stark and other technopaths

How Technology Will Save Us

Joshua Foley

The Mysteries and Intricacies of ImPort Physiology

Count Dooku and volunteers

ImPort Factions Must Align Against the Shared 'Resistance' Threat

Jin Bubaigawara (x3)

The Twin Cities are NOT Dimensionally Unstable No Matter What You Heard

Kang

Bridging Old and New: Maintaining Infrastructure with Limited Modern Resources

EVENING

EVENTS

Every night of the Synod, ImPorts gather to dine in a grand hall with a ballroom party. Each dinner is hosted by one ImPort city, gruntwork complete with robutlers-- which guarantees food safety, and complete with multiple cuisine options, cultural decor, and entertainment.

Given the range of cities represented, food options vary from greasy burgers to six courses of seafood and blue venison, and rarefied vegan fare.

When ImPorts aren't here eating, they're most often talking. Ergo, it's not uncommon for low-key drama to break out, but this year, the majority of Synod days seem to be passing uneventfully.

Fortunately, speeches are reserved for daytime. After dinner, it's time to dance.

The last song of the night is always obscure music no one can quite remember the words or melody to afterward. It's a slow dance song meant for two or more partners; the ballroom grows dark and the world seems to fade away. Or rather, it just fades back into one's hotel room.

THE BLACKOUT

On Monday, September 21st, shortly before the Gates are due to resume ordinary function and allow attendees to leave, the Porter building suffers a power cut.

Abruptly, all the lights cut out. Music stops. Your faithful robutler freezes in place, unresponsive— though its internal systems appear to be running, the centralised command hub that it relies on has fallen silent.

Though the robutlers are out of comission, technology-minded ImPorts and their tech drones hasten to reassure that systems analyses are underway. Within a few hours, repairs begin, the estimated time being two days.

In the meantime, thanks to the diversity of powers on hand, there is enough food and water. Candles start to circulate. It might even be a little romantic, if it weren't for the chaos outside. Characters might find themselves trapped in an elevator for a few hours, or compelled to seek comfort from one another.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Boring?"

Absolutely nothing about any of this is boring, but then again Wen Ning is still being amazed by everything right now.

He'd seen Xue Yang around already, and he'd been told that he was in this world at the start, but he hasn't approached him until now. Here at the party would not only be a poor time for the other man to attack but it would also be easier for Wen Ning to slip away if he had to. He moves in next to the shorter man, setting an empty plate down in front of himself.

"How is it boring, Young Master?" The title is given out of false courtesy only.

Xue Yang's eyebrow quirks up. How interesting that he would encounter the Ghost General here. He had been seeing this man walking alongside Wei Wuxian throughout the day during the convention. But he never would have expected him to approach. When they had both been members of the Wen clan, he had barely even acknowledged the man.

"Political talks? Ways to save the world? All of these events are nothing but rich leaders trying to promote their propaganda. I saw enough of it on our world so why would I have any interest in it here?"

He then waved his hand dismissively towards the party around them, "Forced intermingling while they lock us all away? Hardly my definition of fun. Are you saying you are enjoying this imprisonment, Ghost General?"

"It's not true imprisonment if I can still move around." Wen Ning's mouth forms into a thin line at that comment. After all, the man next to him is partially responsible for his many years spent in a dark cell. At least he remembers very little of it, which can be both a boon and an annoyance.

Casual conversation, especially one where he might actually be grilling the other person for important information, isn't his strong suit at all. But that doesn't mean he can't try, as awkward as it might be. Not many chances like this are bound to happen.

He reaches a pale hand across Xue Yang's field of view and picks up a hors d'oeuvre by the toothpick sticking out of it. "And they have these." He says this in complete seriousness. How can you not enjoy a tiny sausage treat?

Xue yang doesn't like being forced to stay inside the building. Every time he tries to go back outside they simply force him to turn around and go back. It's frustrating and he doesn't like feeling caged even in such a large space.

He stares at the little sausage that passes in front of his face. He hasn't ever tried such a little piece of food and so he turns his attention to the plate that now holds more of them.

"Is this little piece of meat really making all of this worth while?"

He finds that hard to believe even as he reaches out and takes one, sticking it into his mouth.

"No. But they're neat." He pops the one he'd been holding in his mouth as well, but doesn't add any more to his empty plate. Wen Ning's huge silver lining to all of this is how much he still finds everything immensely fascinating. Not even Xue Yang can take that from him - well, as long as there aren't any nails involved.

"If you're so restless I'm surprised you're behaving yourself." Wei Wuxian has been here for some time. The same might apply to Xue Yang, which would mean he would have a better idea of his limits and what he'd be able to get away with in this place. It makes him very curious, even if just interacting with him could be bad news.

All the eyes around them makes it easier.

Xue Yang finds the little sausage odd but not unpleasant. Certainly not enough to make staying inside worth it. He had been munching more out of boredom then because he was hungry.

He makes a tsking noise as if he is insulted by the insinuation that he doesn't know how to behave himself. "I've learned there is no point in causing a fuss in here because they don't seem to care when you do." Plus the little robo-butler that likes to follow him around seems to ensure he doesn't cause too much chaos.

He had behaved himself for most of his time at Yi City. There are a few exceptions. And his first few months certainly don't count.

"Has your patriarch sent you here to baby-sit me?"

When Xue Yang puts it like that it makes him sound like a child, only wanting to act out for attention. Wen Ning doesn't believe it's anywhere near that simple.

The way he says 'your patriarch' makes him frown a little, but it's not an unexpected thing for the other man to say. Bringing up their connection as though Wen Ning is nothing but an animal on a leash following him around is what a lot of people have done in the past in order to push their buttons and he pays it no more mind than that.

"No." He can at least be somewhat serious here. Caution and disdain makes it easier to avoid some of the usual social hang-ups. "I haven't talked with many people from our world in person." Aside from Wei Wuxian, obviously. "I was just unfortunate enough to come across you first."

Xue Yang has always followed his own code of right and wrong and done whatever he felt like to achieve his goals and exact his revenge on those that have wronged him. On this world there isn't really anyone he desires revenge on so it is just him biding his time.

"Unfortunate.." He laughs and picks up a cookie from a tray. He will say one thing about this place..it has excellent desserts and sweets. "We used to be on the same side, why are you so upset at me?" Not that he really ever had any true feelings of loyalty to the Wen clan. It was mostly they were the most interesting of the sects to be a part of and they gave him the freedom to do the things he wanted for the most part. His interactions with Wen Qing and her brother had been limited since they worked very different aspects of their sect leader's goals. But the connection is still there.

Why are you so upset at me?

Wen Ning gives Xue Yang a long, blank stare. Putting aside for a moment the whole incident at Yi Village, or what he'd done to Song Lan, Xiao Xingchen, and that young girl - which is quite a lot to put aside - there is still one very obvious transgression on his part that he surely can't have forgotten about, no matter how long ago it was.

"...You stuck nails in my head." Very big nails. Resulting in years of darkness. Very unpleasant to remove.

Xue Yang stares at the other this time. That is a pretty valid reason to be upset with him. But really..how does Wen Ning know that he is the one who did it? It's not like he signed the nails or something. he had left basically no tells on those at all. And he hasn't really gotten a chance to use that tactic a whole lot. Hasn't really had a need to for the last few years.

It's actually slightly amusing that they were able to figure out it was him. Perhaps his tactics are more well known then he realizes.

"You shouldn't be able to remember that but then again you never were particularly obedient." It was a shame really. It would have been so useful to have Wen Ning bend to his every command. He apparently still needs practice. He shouldn't be surprised that he has been able to regain his consciousness since Wei Wuxian is certainly smart enough to be able to figure out the nails were there.

"If you intend to pay me back for the experience, it might be better to wait until we are outside of this building and there won't be hundreds of people here to stop you."

Edited 2020-09-19 22:37 (UTC)

"I'm not going to attack you." It would be pointless here. In any case, Wen Ning doesn't hold much of a grudge for what was done to him specifically. Whether or not Xue Yang had helped them, he still would have been locked up by the LanlingJin clan leader. If anything, the nails were almost a boon - having to be fully cognizant for all those years locked up in a dungeon could have been torture. No, other people had more right to vent their anger on the man than he did.

Though something about their interaction seems off. It could be that Xue Yang has simply had too much to drink, but he should know exactly why Wen Ning is aware of who's responsible. He knows they were all aware of what was shared in Yi City.

"You..." he starts to ask about it, then stops himself. Wei Wuxian had touched on the issue of time, and while he still doesn't truly understand it, he knows enough to think there might be some time issue involved here. He recovers with: "You've been here a while, right?" Fortunately, a stutter is already common for him.

That is a complicated question. He hasn't been on this world particularly long but long enough to have established himself. "I'd say it has been about half a year." Just long enough to understand how the world works while still enjoying some newness every once in awhile.

He has actually been fairly well behaved during that time considering how much damage he can do in six months back home. But he doesn't really hold any grudges with anyone here and he is in a different faction from most of the people from their world. So he doesn't really have reason to interact with them.

Xue Yang is well aware of the problem of timelines. He has encountered it numerous times while being on this world. It seems most of those here have far more memories of him then he has of them. "This place is interesting so I don't mind a small vacation." His favorite part is the plethora of sweets and candy as he picks up another cookie to munch on because free food is the best food.

Half a year. So not nearly as long as Wei Wuxian, and he can't imagine the other man has interacted with him much - unless it was to tell him not to interact with him. He's not even sure what Wei Wuxian would think of him speaking to Xue Yang now, but his curiosity has gotten the best of him.

"Interesting until you're locked up, you mean." Xue Yang's love of sweets is only vaguely known to him, as he only had a a second-hand recounting of the story to go by. It's strange to see him enjoying items off the snack table, as if he's the same as any other guest and not a murdering sociopath. Then again, he has no idea how many other people here might also be murdering sociopath's. He and Wei Wuxian couldn't even be considered the best exceptions given their history.

"Why did you come to this gathering in the first place?"

"Curiosity. Why would this place want to draw all of us together? Are they trying to get rid of us all at once?" He has heard stories about the ones in charge and so he felt like coming and seeing it first hand. And if they were out for blood then he definitely wanted to enjoy the bath. He looks around the room.

"It's like a whole herd of potential toys for powerful people. The fact that we are locked up here just means they definitely have ulterior motives and all the nice things they seem to be doing is just a cover."

Xue Yang has seen enough of that in his lifetime. All the sect leaders do it. Bribe people into bowing before them.

"I think if they were trying to get rid of all of us they would have made attending this more obligatory." He didn't have to come. He'd come along so he could look after Wei Wuxian. Of course they could have taken this into account. The might have already had a good idea of who would show up and who wouldn't.

But as much as he hates thinking it - Xue Yang has a point. There's no reason to believe they haven't been drawn into a trap of some sort. Wei Wuxian had probably even known this going in. But it would be hard to pass up the opportunity, especially for someone in his position.

"What are you going to do if they try to drag you off somewhere?"

He smirks at Wen Ning at that question. "Fight. What else would I do?" Why would he just let someone drag him off? Of course he would make it incredibly difficult for them. Xue Yang is resourceful and knows he could take on just about anyone. Or at least he thinks he can.

"I may have come here willingly but that doesn't mean I would just let them kill me or whatever it is they intend to do." And he is sure that something interesting will happen. It is hard to think that this many people gathered together wouldn't spark some sort of excitement.

"They would have taken all our strengths and weaknesses into account, I would think. If they plan on doing anything like that." He knows they have to have that sort of information in this place. It went along with whatever crazy technology allowed them to be dragged there in the first place. If they were trapped here for several days their potential adversaries would have had plenty of time to take note of who was present and bring up their files accordingly.

"Are you sure you could fight them?"

"One can never be sure of anything, especially in this world. But I am confident in my skills and that is all I need. If I can't get away, I'll definitely make them regret taking me."

Xue Yang knows how to be obnoxious and he has always been pretty hard to capture. "What will you do if they decide to capture us?"

"...Hopefully not be near you." He's not even sure himself if he's trying to be funny or if that's a serious answer, because it feels more like the latter. It's not as if he could trust the man to watch his back in that situation. He'd be just as likely to stab it.

"I guess it depends on how it happens." He wouldn't want his escape attempts to accidentally harm someone else.

He laughs, obviously not at all offended that the man might not want to be in his presence. He can hardly blame him considering what they have been through. ANd he certainly wouldn't help Wen Ning if he needed it. He has no attachments to the Ghost General.

"I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens, if anything."

He hopes that it does just so he can be entertained and watch the chaos. Even if it means he is captured, watching it all unfold would be very amusing.

"... If anything," Wen Ning agrees, knowing full well that there will be something.

Perhaps he shouldn't have talked with Xue Yang, as it only upped his paranoia, but at least there's less concern about an altercation between the two of them, or between him and Wei Wuxian. For now.

"Try not to make yourself sick before they drag you off."

"Showing concern for me now?" Although getting sick might just be the way to get out of being locked away. No one would want to deal with someone who was physically ill.

He looks amused as he picks up a couple of the other snacks on the table. He would like to try one of everything since most of these things he has never seen before. And being free means he doesn't have to limit himself.

"I'm showing concern for this place's nice rugs." Wen Ning is pretty sure that someone being sick wouldn't keep them from being dragged off - especially if they're just going to be tossed somewhere else for a while. But he doesn't know anything about anyone's plans for them. That's part of the problem.

"It'll be unfortunate if it turns out there's been something in the food all this time." Very few of them would be able to avoid eating anything for a week.

"Then I suppose we all will be sick or dead in a few short hours and their trap would be successful." Xue Yang doesn't seem particularly concerned about it. He has done a little research on poisons so he has some ideas about how to counter their effects if he should start to feel the effects of something. But overall he is not concerned with whatever this place throws at him.

"Might as well enjoy the food before it turns on us."

Wen Ning suddenly doesn't feel like eating anything for the rest of their stay, however long that ends up being. He wrinkles his nose slightly, an uncommon gesture for him but one he finds appropriate.

"Then I'll leave you to your... what are these, anyway?" He's not sure if he actually wants to know the answer that badly, but that doesn't stop him from asking.

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2020: THE SYNOD IS CONVENING.

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