Throughout history, people lived along the shores of Dunnstads. Many of them took up fishing as a way of life, learning how to navigate the waves using tools and the stars from a young age. The oceans and rivers were ripe with bounty, and its people did not stray. They held giant feasts to celebrate their hauls and give thanks to the gods who blessed them with the means to live. The cycle continued for hundreds, if not thousands of years. But every now and then, the fishermen would have a bad season. Weather patterns would fluctuate, destroying their equipment and docks and turning back trading caravans that would have delivered fresh supplies and much-needed upgrades. Strange plagues would affect the creatures that lived in the sea, and the people would only draw in diseased fish and crabs and have to destroy them. Marauding pirates would burn and pillage all they saw along the shoreline. It was during these darker times that the people of Dunnstads sought help from darker entities. Cults popped up throughout the province. Firstborn sons and virgin daughters disappeared, as did livestock from the inland farmsteads. Rumors swirled of indescribable, malevolent forces attacking those who did not bend the knee to them. Neighbors turned on one another with accusations and, eventually, bloodlust. The folk of the shore laid awake every night, nothing but the light of a candle to give them any warmth or hope, wishing that it would all end. And eventually, it did. Life would return to the waters, the skies would calm, livelihoods were rebuilt, and the people gave thanks once more to the gods that provided for and protected them. Madison found herself exploring one such village, a sleepy little fishing hamlet named Meriden. It was home to less than a thousand, situated by a small bay where crabs and lobsters could be caught by the net-load. It had all the necessities of life; a couple inns for travelers on their way towards the bigger, busier settlements, a market or two, taverns dotted around town, and a wharf. Settled along a busy highway, Meriden saw its fair share of action from travelers. It was also a private little place. Its citizens tended to keep to themselves. Whenever a stranger would approach, conversations stopped, and the air grew thick with tension and animosity. Who were these people? Why won't they just buy their supplies and be on their way? Why can't they just leave us alone? Most people passing through were doing just that--passing through. But Madison? She was here for a reason. Meriden was a town wrapped in a shroud of rumor and mystery, its history tainted by tales of black magic and mysterious occurrences. It was hell enough for her to pry out some information on the place from neighboring towns; but cracking open the townsfolk was turning into an even bigger hassle. Fine by her; she had no problem being an even bigger shitlord to a bunch of smelly, greasy fish-fuckers. The sound of coins rattling on the pocked surface of the bar rang through the tavern. "Look, all I want is a wee bit of information. Is that too fucking much to ask?" The stout barkeep's beady little eyes stared at her, devoid of any life or probably intelligence whatsoever. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, miss." Madison's scowl only deepened as she forcibly pushed the gold towards him. "Not until I get some gods-damned service around here." "The only info you'll be getting is how get back on the road out of town, with that kind of attitude." "Oh for the love of--" Madison incredulously screamed at the fat little bastard. Her fists came down hard on the bar, shaking her half-finished pint. She could feel her HP meter tick down a notch or two as her hands and wrists suggested that she didn't have another outburst like that please. "Look, I'm just a history chronicler, looking to learn more about this place." "What the hell for," one of the patrons shouted at her over his own frothy drink. "You writin' a book or somethin'?" Madison turned to the man, her voice dripping with venom. "Yes, as a matter of fact!" The book that will spell the end of your family line as your children become sterile, your wife fatter and uglier than she already is, and you break out in so much fucking acne that your friends will only be able to identify you by your rotting teeth and horrid stench! The barkeep drew her attention back with a stern warning. "I'm not telling you anything, I don't care how much gold you try and give me. We here don't much like your kind, with your snooping and your questions. We just want to be left alone. Now finish your drink and get out." A dark, twisted fire grew in the pit of her stomach. Who did these assholes think they were, shutting her down like this? Madison just wanted a few simple questions answered, a few curiosities sated, a few relics added to her growing collection. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why where they acting like real people? Madison reached for her drink, which may as well have been colored water for all the taste it had. Bringing it up to her lips, she hesitated for a second before throwing it in the barkeep's face. He started screaming words at her, but she was already out the door and back in the streets of Meriden before he could come around the counter and throw her out himself.
Dunnstads seemed this perfect little place to go to for relaxation, and to enjoy a more innocent side to the game. Comet ventured on the inlands' outskirts to tiny villages or farms where the people were so kind it seemed inhuman. There'd been the orphanage ran by cultists but... not much had bothered the young woman. It had been safest and calmest and by far a location with very little fog the shroud such an image of perfection in her mind other that plundering pirates every so often. They could easily be taken care of. She'd figured this out during earlier days as a newbie. Though ideally having a job out on the sea to steal treasure worth money hardly bothered her Dunnstads wasn't the right place to do such a thing in her untainted eyes. Especially deeper into civilization where, today, she decided to venture. The further in turned into the more people became weary or wanted to watch her every move. It was definitely suspicious to the attentive pink-haired woman who more than simply noticed how moves were calculated as if no one could be trusted. Tension rose in the air. She felt as if invisible walls surrounded her; closing in with a force that made even the skin on her bones uncomfortable, so Comet escaped. Or at least slipping into a nearby tavern could be called escape temporarily. How odd everything seemed turned anxiety into a fresh panic and speeding heart beat. Being more than worried about image and the thoughts of others and how to present herself already served as forms of attacks on her broken soul. But the townsfolk downright sent foreign chills down her spine - things seemed off. Never before had she been to Meriden. And most likely she'd never visit again if possible. Promises weren't solid within the game, Comet told herself, as she settled down at a table. Though the young woman planned to calm herself down before quickly leaving the area a scene at the bar interrupted these mentally-made plans. Another woman - noticeably much more careless about Meriden's pressure on the mind than Comet - desired knowledge about the town. Which, though she wasn't thinking in the same way, the Archer decided wouldn't be too bad of an idea. Gathering information proved to be a favorite of Comet's hobbies. And what better way than to ask the locals? Of course, the bartender didn't plan whatsoever on returning the favor for a nosy stranger. The pink-haired woman stood, following the other as she angrily pushed her way outside in a fashion unsurprising seeing as her reactions had been building up to an easily observable turning point. Comet was able to catch her, fortunately, and paced by the woman's side with visible amusement and a deeper intrigue. Certainly she couldn't be apart of the citizens residing in Meriden because the aura was completely different. Better, in fact. She felt much more comfortable within the space of this stranger despite all the dangerous possibilities held within the capabilities of another within Terrasphere. "I could help. We can work together. On finding out why this place is... wrong. I don't like it here at all and nobody will say anything, so we gotta figure out stuff on our own. Two heads are better than one, right?" she spoke in a hushed tone but loud enough to attract the other's attention. "Oh. My bad. I'm Comet, it's nice to meet you-... I saw how interested you seemed in there. You definitely got my attention. I guess I thought you wouldn't mind if I approached." with a lop-sided grin of sincere friendliness she waved at the strange woman in an effort to gain favor rather than become a nuisance - which she assumed would happen anyways - and possibly turn the meeting into an adventure.
Madison nearly jumped out of her skin when the pink-haired woman fell in step with her. She towered over her by several inches, her long coral hair swept back and kept in place by a headband. Bright emerald eyes shone on her angular face as the woman offered the friendliest, most honest of smiles. The cursemage was immediately suspicious of her. She introduced herself as Comet, speaking a million miles a minute as she explained why she interrupted Madison in her brooding anger. "Madison," the witch finally replied, trying not to make it obvious that she was looking for a sign that she was about to be attacked. She raised her hand in the air, her spidery fingers slowly uncurling into a facsimile of a wave before falling back to her side. Nobody in Meriden had willingly spoken with her about anything, let alone even looked at her. She was stonewalled at every opportunity, even denied room and board at most of the places around town on account of her nosy questions. It was clear from the scowls plastered on everyone's faces that she was not welcome here. And then here comes this weird-ass girl, all rainbows and friendship and teamwork? Comet did have a point, though. Whatever was happening in this sleepy little fishing town, they wanted to keep it quiet. If she was here to investigate, then yeah, two heads were better than one. So long as neither woman lost theirs at the end. Well--so long as Madison didn't lose hers... Madison discreetly slid a random card out of her inventory, hoping for a bit of guidance. Glancing at it out of the corner of her eye, she pursed her lips and quietly disagreed with the deck's suggestion. But, fuck it; always trust the cards, right? "Sure, yeah, I could use the help," the cursemage said with a forced smile as she pocketed the card. She still had her misgivings about being suddenly approached like that, but hey if the offer was there and nobody else was going to be of any use around here, could she really turn down the offer? Madison turned on her heel and continued walking through the streets of Meriden. "I don't like it here much myself, but something is definitely off about this town and the people living here. I'm not sure if you can feel it, but this place kind of reeks of black magic. Once I heard the stories of the place on the road through Dunnstads, I couldn't help but to swing by and see what the deal was." She would keep this to herself for the time being, but the witch heard rumors of cult activity and ominous books filled with forbidden knowledge and rituals handed to mortals by malevolent beings looking to spread their influence in Terra. To Madison, that was basically combining chocolate and peanut butter. As she left Brisshal behind to spread her wings and get to know the world like Lucia suggested, she of course found herself interested in exploring the dark, dusty corners and uncovering what horrors might be lurking in the shadows. Meriden seemed like one of the best places to dive into at the time. She turned her focus back to her new associate. "You said you've been looking into matters here as well? Have you uncovered anything on your own?"
Without an immediate response Comet began to fret over her approach. As if Madison's possible answers only consisted of negative ones. As if fate never played into her hands as she would wish. Yet it seemed that the situation happened to be completely opposite of what thoughts swirled within such a constricting mind. It kept that smile on her face. It kept her eyes shimmering. Best of all, Comet could partner up with someone to figure out what made Meriden so different from the rest of Dunnstads. The difference bothered her. Ruined what peacefulness formed the lands by a glittering, salty sea from the young woman's perspective. "A great name choice. It fits you." the words rung honest and all sorts of charming yet no amount of speaking to a new companion could possibly distract her poisonous thoughts. In fact, purging things - fueled by a gut churning judgment - that weren't worthy of existing hardly bothered her. Vivian's racism and violence rather than diplomacy to improve race relations had been first of many stubborn opinions to begin Comet's growing idea of what's right and wrong. Of what should be kept, or rid off. Though usually she'd catch the odd movement on Madison's part the pink-haired woman found herself preoccupied by shifting into a perfect posture - fiddling with insecurities. In order to become presentable next to a seemingly lovely slip of a lady. A dark, independent sort of beautiful that Comet believed rivaled her own. "That's great~ I figured you'd be interested," she spoke confidently, assuredly, and in a warm manner to attempt to bring Madison closer. To draw the other in as she had with others before. "I did notice something felt strange. Wrong in a way... but stories? Do tell. I can't say I've figured much out. I've been following my instinct, and that led me to you," thin eyebrows quirked, curious. Curled pink lips turned down a bit, nervous. The mixed expression resonated both worry and delight in what a mystery revolved around Meriden. "At least I was able to sketch a map of places visited so far. Might be useful to keep marking things down. I'll keep my eyes peeled but feel free to take a look yourself." fine, practiced cartography skills marked themselves onto a thick piece of paper scribbled onto pulled from a neat inventory. Comet hoped @Madison Freebird would be at least a little impressed. Hoped she could be somewhat useful without anything to give back.
When @Comet offered the parchment, the plagueslinger took it with a nod. She had to admit, the pink-haired woman's mapmaking skills were pretty good. Comet had painstakingly sketched the surrounding area--including a rough estimation of the town and its main thoroughfares, the countryside nearby, and the shoreline to the east. The taller woman scribbled various notes and observations on certain landmarks, including one odd outcropping of stones in the woods along the water. She made a mental note to ask about that one later. But first, Madison had been asked about the stories she heard. "Dark and twisted tales," she summed up, "which from what I understand is the norm around here. I don't know what it is about seaside villages and the macabre, but there you go." The witch neatly folded up the map and held it by her side. "The stories I heard on my way in involve the occult. A nameless group of people kidnapping travelers and sacrificing them to some sort of malevolent being. Bunch of chanting, bunch of dancing around inside a ritual circle. You know, the fun stuff." Madison shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know exactly what they're up to, but I'm here to find out." Here to find out what tools they use, what texts they read from, and the eldritch being that they are shedding all this blood for. Not to become one of them, heavens no; to further my own studies into ritual magic. You never know, could come in handy someday. Drawing a bit closer to Comet, Madison flipped open the map again. "If the whole of Meriden is in on this, then they probably already know to keep an eye on me. But if there's one thing I know about cultists, is that they have to stick to their schedule. Don't want half of everyone slowly turning into fishmen while the other half are busy scooping up the brains that are melting out of their noses." She jabbed a finger at the circle of stones near the shoreline, where Comet had circled and drew a few question marks. "I feel like this might be important. What can you tell me about it? Have you been here already?"
"This may sound silly... but maybe if we make ourselves the victim that could be our way to figure out what exactly is going on. Just a thought," she shrugged, quite unsure of what many possibilities may lay in their future or ones that were simply hiding in plain sight. Both a frustration and confused lay towards the mystery of the town. They ruined her concept of the beautiful seaside. And, most likely, were following evil deities who took it upon themselves to taint the world of Terrasphere. Being more of a woman inclined to take down those who even indirectly went against her in the name of justice her main goal pertained of discovery and an end to Meriden's misdeeds (if there were as many as rumored or suspected or felt in a churning gut against the dark place). "I-That's what I'm here for too!" Comet nodded in agreement with Madison, but at the same time felt responsible for reproving her loyalty to the "mission" as much as would be needed. If and when they figured things out the pink-haired woman knew she hadn't any sort of idea of how to deal with things other than through diplomacy... and others types of methods should the situation turn to them. Magic wasn't in her forte. Not that she happened to be interested in it other than for the fact that how exactly it worked created an inner curiosity. Better to let Madison know now than too late. "I'm not sure about religion or worship or magic in this game, so you know. They aren't topics I've managed to study yet... unfortunately. Hopefully you've taken up masteries or maybe research that may help us when there's possible confrontation? Not that I'm trying to lean on you to do everything of course." the last statement tacked on as a sense of comfortableness in an atmosphere Comet felt closing in on her. She certainly wouldn't be impressive to Madison despite having map skills without much knowledge to fall upon. Surely she had tried to study, and succeeded, but to reveal information that may refute itself would be detrimental to her confident demeanor that would come tumbling down in the face of embarrassment. "That's a really good idea. At least time will be on our side if we have nothing else. Do you know a lot about cultists in general, then?" she spoke with hope and determination in her voice as self-doubt truly began to step back from her sensitive soul, creating room for other virtues to step in and take control. The question hung in the air for Madison to grasp and answer. Comet held a desire to get to know the woman more. Her companion had bright yet daring eyes, a seemingly kind soul, and natural leadership skills that she admired. "I couldn't get too close to there actually..." a shiver crawled down the young woman's spine as she thought of the inquired location. "without feeling something... Err something strange, and deep. Kind of like I was being watched and whoever or whatever was watching me knew every one of my vulnerabilities. Thought it might be important in some way, especially since I noticed shadowy figures heading inside the circle from the woods. I'd have gone in there, but being alone and having dread hang over me made things difficult. Although while leaving I noticed the sound of chanting in my ears rather than from the location itself. Pretty creepy, huh?" she decided to leave out the part about running away in fear afterwards for the sake of her own dignity. The eeriness, however, couldn't be denied therefore Comet felt the right to have fled the scene without backup or preparation or knowing much of what was going on.
