The Endless River

[voidtreckermods]

On the morning of day twenty one of the month of Kazoo there is a message on the ICP screens around the train. Their SCA's will light up the colour of the Void and show the following information.

World #398050 is a void nexus known locally as Tshering. As a void nexus this world has strong links with the void and the connection through worlds. World #398050 is home to the Endless River. Legends speak of this river being powerful enough to send thoughts from one heart to another across any distance. All that is needed is for you to know who it is you wish to reach.

On-board

The dressing carriage is open, filled with clothing best suited to a pleasant spring day. Light, airy and in a rainbow of joyful colours and florals. One closet is entirely filled with wide-brimmed hats bedecked with ribbons, feathers and ornaments. A stack of picnic baskets and containers filled with an alarming variety of passenger-suitable foodstuffs and flasked drinks sits in one corner, next to rolls of thick, weatherproof blankets in the four team colours.

The large box marked Do Not Use Yet, filled with small, empty jute bags, is hopefully still sat in the Luggage carriage, ready for passengers to grab handfuls of its contents as directed by the announcement.

Upon landing (after an appropriate countdown), the train remains on the surface, its carriages partially curved to form a gathering site for the day. Welcome to Tshering, the eighth void nexus!



A Day for Picnics

Tshering, system #398050, is a strange place, only habitable by grace of the passengers' SCAs. The sky is shot through with colours, a cascade of sunsets, and through it, the void shimmering through it in seams like a child's painting of the milky way. Still, there's a beauty to the chaotic mash of colours that soaks through its landscape, and in the shelter of the forests of towering funghi that dot its surface, the Void can go unseen by its visitors.

The temperature seems mild, suitable for the provided clothing, and if there are weather patterns around the world they've taken the day off. The funghi are sturdy enough that what air flow there is doesn't disturb their stalks, and carved grooves and holds in some of the larger examples indicate that climbing them to sit atop their glowing crowns is eminently possible, and, in fact, encouraged.

the Endless River

The Endless River is a font of pure chaos, flowing from a multitude of small rivulets across the area to a central reservoir, from which it pours directly upwards, away from Tshering's surface and out of sight, beyond the world's atmosphere.

Anything bagged and placed within the Endless River will also flow upwards and soon be out of sight, passing, presumably, into the Void. Scattered across the surface of Tshering are small, glittering pebbles, as described in the announcement.

The stones are pleasantly cool to the touch, and all passengers need to do is feel. Messages can be in any form that the Voidtreckers wish. Perhaps words, perhaps feelings, perhaps an image from their mind into the stone. Perhaps a mixture. Once they begin their message the stone will glow slightly and continue to glow as they secure it in the bag and cast it into the river. They will feel, almost instinctively, that they need to focus as they do so, thinking of the person they wish to reach all the while.

There are plenty of bags and many more stones; passengers will not be limited in their sendings.

Comments

[worthallthis]

Nah, not a race so much as... keeping ahead for practical and also amusement purposes. They swing up, brace their feet on the underside of the cap, and just-- launch. They catch the edge of the cap and dangle there a moment.

Thanatos might need to use his floating for that part. Your typical human probably wouldn't be able to make that leap without some kind of climbing assist.

[controlsthedie]

Thanatos isn't a typical human. He's a god.

He leans back but is unable to see the edge of the cap behind him due to the large hat he wears. Well, there's not much risk for him is there? Thanatos pushes himself off the stem, and as he launches himself backwards, he catches the edge of the cap and digs his fingers in. With some hand switching and swinging of his body, Thanatos manages to swing himself to the topside of the cap.

[worthallthis]

Soldat frankly doesn't know much about gods, and whether they have superhuman climbing abilities. They are, however, relieved when he makes the final jump and swing, after having scrambled up and out of his way. They flash him a quick grin. "Nice. So was it fun?"

[controlsthedie]

He thinks for a long moment, replaying what he did in his mind. Was climbing the mushroom fun? Or did Thanatos just go along with what Soldat was doing? He's not sure. What exactly is fun for him?

Mort squeaks, and that gives him something to reply with. "Mort enjoyed it."

[worthallthis]

Smiling wryly, Soldat says, "Well, as long as somebody did." Then, inclining their head in exaggerated respect to the toy mouse, they say, "I'm glad you had a good time, Mort."

[controlsthedie]

Mort squeaks again. Maybe it's because he cannot move on his own that he enjoyed the acrobatics from his snug little pocket.

"Mort's getting spoiled this departure." That's not necessarily a bad thing. Thanatos thinks his Chthonic Companion could use a little spoiling. He's been a very good emotional support guard mouse as of late.

[worthallthis]

"Maybe I should've brought my little ghost friend," Soldat says, regretting now that they hadn't even thought about it. "I never can tell if they care about new places and sights or not."

[controlsthedie]

"Are they on your bunk right now?" Thanatos looks off towards the train. "I could go fetch them."

It would only take a few seconds, and Soldat could show their little ghost friend around this peaceful world.

[worthallthis]

"Should be there, yeah. It won't be any trouble?" This teleporting thing would be really useful, but it seems like such a waste of energy just flitting to and from the train like that. "I could probably just walk back and still have some time before we leave."

[controlsthedie]

Except Thanatos shifts right then to grab the little ghost friend (Thanatos made sure to explain what was going on first) and returns.

"This is what I do for a living. I gather the souls of the dead and take them places."

[worthallthis]

Soldat heaves a little sigh, but accepts the plastic ghost, which bobbles over their hands. "Well. If there's a soul attached to our little friend, it's definitely dead." They smile faintly. "All right, little guy. You want to go climbing with me?"

The ghost rattles its chains a little, which might mean yes.

[controlsthedie]

Mort squeaks something which could be anything from confirming there's a little ghost spirit there to now Soldat has a better climbing buddy than no-fun-Thanatos to the weather being nice. Thanatos smiles, not bothering to translate for his friend.

"Enjoy the climbing," Thanatos says as he starts to float again. "Just try to limit the falling part, okay?"

[worthallthis]

"Yes, sir." Soldat sketches a jaunty mock-salute, and tucks the little ghost into one of their many pockets, letting Thanatos get back to rescuing other fallen, or whatever else he was doing. They have some mushroom parkour to get back to.