phantasmalrift | DUNGEON - BELLMARE ENCLAVE (BELLMARE MOUNTAINS, PT 2)

The shadows are starting to grow very long as you crest his particular ridge - it's not night yet, but it will be soon. In the shadows of the afternoon, with a tall mountain already blocking the sun, lies a snow-covered valley that is different from the ones you've come across thus far in your investigation.

This valley is home to a town, and unlike all the settlements you've seen so far - Incendia, the Telovia mining town, and the manor - it's very much active. There are actual people in the streets, visible from above, going through their days on snow-free streets, bundled up against the cold.

Those of you who asked were told of the handful of people who didn't go into the slumber of stasis as the Fissure conditions of the world grew worse and worse, instead isolating themselves and trying to continue living their lives as they could. Now, it seems, you've found exactly such a group.

Welcome to the Bellmare Enclave, and enjoy your stay.

[[OOC: Welcome to part 2 of the dungeon! For the most part, interaction with the town's NPCs can be handwaved as described on the main information post. Worth noting are the following major things: The Bellmare Enclave isn't expecting visitors, though the people are generally friendly to the new arrivals. They don't know about the time dilation effect of their Fissure - to them, it's only been about eighteen years since the Slumber Plan was put in place and they withdrew from the world. And finally, by a similar token, they have no idea how far the Fissures outside of their own have grown - while it's not uncommon for them to find odd objects from time to time, they'll assume that the characters are just arrivals from other places within their own world, rather than outsiders, until told otherwise.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[Mai listens and nods. She thinks for a moment.]

The illusions... Other variations? Infinite Churches. Like Akiras. It makes sense.

We practically live in our armor, anyway, too, like--honestly I'd recognize my teammates more by voice than by face at this point. Given I didn't realize Tucker was black for a year.

Visions are weird but, y'know, they're fine and all, they're--divorced from any actual emotion? Which is nice. 's not like it's beamed directly into my head. But if I keep going down this tunnel and suddenly there are a whole bunch of me--

...actually I'll have been there and done that, too. So long as one of them didn't go crazy and kill a bunch of people. And so long as one isn't yellow.

Okay. So a Church wearing yellow is bad. I'll remember.

...Strange. If these are real variations... Is this Fissure more attuned to other worlds?

The one that went a little crazy wasn't the yellow one, just--man, the yellow one has such a stupid story, I thought it was such a good idea and it turned out so dumb.

...But I don't necessarily think you're wrong? About the other worlds thing. We already know, or like we're fairly sure, that Phil's opening up spacetime trying to find its missing piece. If this is where Phil is, then it stands to reason it might be more...spacetime-y?

...Why Phil?

[What kind of name is that.]

I dunno, I wanted something that sounded F-y like fragment, and I was thinking of Greek letters, and we already had Phi, so I went with Phil instead? Never said it was good.