World Tree MUSH

     Still very new to the world tree and it's vines, having only been thrown out of her own world a day ago, Diantha has figured out that these strange 'vines' connect worlds, but doesn't really know exactly how they work and has absolutely no idea where they lead. Today she finds herself in a beautiful yet alien world. It's clear skies, dense forests, and beautiful meadows would make her feel very comfortable, if it wasn't for the strange machines roaming around that despite their mechanical bodies, seemed to have the body shape, movements, and in many ways, basic instincts of animals. Quite thirsty, she moves towards a stream she sees up ahead and kneels and sets down her staff as she takes a drink, and after quenching her thirst a bit, she pulls a small metal canteen from a cloth pouch which hangs around her waist, and is the only thing she's wearing at the moment. 

     While she's filling it with fresh water, she hears a roar and nearly drops the canteen, instead a fair bit of water sloshes out of the end as Diantha moves to grab her staff with her other hand and stands up to see a trio of strangely wolflike machines looking at her with eerie glowing eyes. She quickly screws the cap on her canteen and tosses it back into her pouch as she turns and breaks into a run. The Sawtooth 'pack' chase after her, and they are fast indeed, pushing the dryad to move as fast as her hooves will take her. For now she's able to keep ahead of them, barely. But she knows she can't run like this forever, and fear grips her as she wonders if these strange machines ever get tired.

    Lately Aloy has been keeping to her own world. So many things to take care of, and her people, though not very kind to her at first, are still hers to look out for. All the world activity has made things hard on the tribe, after all. She still tries to keep track of vines, though... and there has been a lot of activity in this area recently.

    Seeing a strange creature fleeing Sawtooths demands action! And she CAN have that action, as a large robotic beast, glowing in strange twists of blue, stampedes in from the side and crashes into one of the Sawtooths! Aloy is just ahead, the redhead popping up from the leaves, "Over here! That won't hold them for long!"

    It's a strange thing, to suddenly be ejected from a home you have known your entire life, to be deposited on a foreign world's surface, the sun shining, the plants blowing in the breeze, the metallic life forms wandering by... wait, that is different. That is very, very different. It's why a weapon drives itself into a tree, and its owner pulls itself up into the safety of branches and leaves to try and gather their composure. 

    Clad in red, with only her nail to her name, Hornet now looks from one Horizon to the other, bewildered at what she sees. There's no sign of Crystal Peak, no sign of King's Pass. No sign at all of entrances down into the depths where the city she calls home would lie. "Where is this...?"

Demi hasn't had a chance to explore other worlds lately. She had her hands full with keeping Motabia's environmental systems operational. Still now that they were working properly she had a chance to study the technology of other worlds. She had overheard talk about robotic animals that were attacking people which got her attention. She can't help but to wonder who build such creatures.

 It doesn't take her long to run across one of the people being attacked and her programming takes over as she does her best to assist. Noticing someone stunning the creatures, she tries to finish off one of them before it has a chance to recover. Photonic energy shoots from her hand as she tries to short-circuit the Sawtooth.

     Diantha is so busy running for her life and contemplating turning around and trying to defend herself before she's too tired to do anything, that she doesn't even notice the two women who come to her aid until the crashing and shooting starts. She slows a bit and quickly turns at hearing Aloy call for her to follow, happy to follow the strange human who hopefully knew how to survive in this crazy world. Once they were seemingly in the clear, hopefully far enough away that the Sawtooths wouldn't be able to follow them, she flashes a nervous smile toward Aloy and Demi, her heart still pounding. "Thank you both. I'm afraid I'm rather lost and... far from home, you could say... I'm Diantha." She offers, sounding a little out of breath.

    Still on her perch, the one from Hallownest is taking stock of herself and her surroundings when she spots the trio not far off from the tree she's calling hers, for the moment. They're just close enough that she can make out Diantha's dilema is the same as her own. As a result, she decides to drop down from the tree. 

    With her nail at her back, she's slow to approach out of caution alone. She doesn't say a word, at least not yet. She wants to let them see her first, and move forward based on reactions.

    Aloy sees Demi joining in and breathes a sigh of relief. The photonic energy probably can stun the Sawtooths a bit. Distracted by the need to get the others to safety, Aloy doesn't notice Hornet's plight at first... instead leaping up at a rock, to allow the boulder to provide some protection from the Sawtooths. There's a narrow path, too small for the Sawtooths but large enough for the dryad, so it's perfect for the trio.

    It's when she fires off a tearblast arrow to draw the Sawtooths away in another direction that she sees Hornet drop from the tree. This is NOT a robot, but obviously not native. Her bow nocks another arrow, but she doesn't draw the string, instead panting to the other two, "Are you two all right? Sawtooths are dangerous in packs." And alone, but she's used to them. Her eyes are on Hornet, while she talks to the others, clearly wary but keeping her weapon lowered. She's seen enough nonhumans that even a bug isn't an immediate enemy, and she did just help out an android and a taur-creature.

Demi does her best to analyze Diantha but the only results she gets is that she's some mixture of humanoid, plant and animal. The best conclusion she can come to is that she's some kind of biomonster. She's a bit surprised that the sawtooth is only stunned, maybe it had some type of electrical resistance. This wasn't the best time to ask questions though. She follows the pair into the path. "I'm unharmed but that creature is more durable than I expected. You're welcome, my name is Demi."

     Diantha gives a better, more genuinely pleased smile as Demi introduces herself. "Pleased to meet you." She replies, finally starting to relax when Hornet shows up. The insect-like humanoid vaguely reminds her of an insect race on her own world. They don't have the best of reputations though, to put it mildly, so Diantha is glad, even optimistic at the fact that this being was probably not from her world, and might not be as reprehensible as the Klaxxi. Still, she holds her staff close and watches carefully. She'd already avoided death once today, and wasn't planning on pushing her luck. "Hello." She eventually calls to Hornet, deciding to be friendly and hope for the best.

    It seems Hornet can appreciate Aloy's caution, but much in the same way Aloy sees a bug, Hornet sees ... well, not a bug. There are plenty of other beasts where she hails from, but none quite like the group that are before her. Her hands are held out, palms facing the group, in a clear sign of 'I'll do no harm' as she wanders closer, gaze slipping toward any nearby sounds in case these 'sawtooths' try to come from another direction.

    "It appears I am lost, same as you," she offers to Diantha before regarding the rest as she continues. "I am going to assume none of you have heard of the kingdom of Hallownest, so in that case, I will simply ask where I am now, if you could be so kind? I have no desire to harm any of you, I assure you."

    The Sawtooths are preoccupied for a bit longer, so when Hornet says she is lost, Aloy gestures. "Climb on up. The Sawtooths will calm if we leave them alone long enough, we're outside their normal operating range." She tucks the arrow back in, looking at the other two.

    "I'm Aloy. You're in the realm of the Sun King, Carja, just outside of the Pure Lands. Sorry about the Sawtooths... they'll calm in a few more years, I'm told, but we haven't had any luck in speeding up the process. Guess you all took a wrong turn in the Vines, huh?"

"Actually, I overheard that there was people being attacked and I was curious about how the creatures here operate. I'm assuming there's no technology capable of releasing an electromagnetic pulse on a wide scale?" It sounded like the best way to deal with the threat. "Sorry, I've never heard of anywhere called Hallownest. From Hornet's appearance she's assuming it's some kind of colony of humanoid bugs.

     "You're lost too? I can certainly relate to how you feel. I already greatly miss my home of Azeroth, as troubled as it is. I also fear that greater suffering, perhaps even deaths, may be caused due to the timing of me becoming lost in this strange network of worlds, for war is once again beginning to rage on my world, and a terrible attack had just struck the city of my Kaldorei brothers and sisters. I was on my way to provide whatever aid I could to heal the wounded and ease the suffering of the refugees." She explains, finally nodding to Aloy. 

    "So yes, I guess you could say I took a series of wrong turns to end up here. Not sure how I got into this network of vines and worlds in the first place, but does anyone know how to go back to where you came from?" She looks and sounds hopeful as she asks, but braces herself for what she expects will be bad news on that front.

    After the invitation, Hornet's limbs slip back to her sides. With little effort, she hops up onto the rock formation, offering a thankful nod to Aloy as she takes her in, listening to the description of the area, before blinking at one word. "I've.. seen no vines here? Unless you mean something else." Seems that Hornet is quite new to the World Tree overall. 

    An acknowledging nod is given Demi, "No apology needed, it is much as I expected. Most of that city is underground, but there's no signs of what rests on the surface here as well. I'm just confused about my sudden arrival here, that is all."

    Hearing Diantha explain her plight, and the mention of all these vines, multiple worlds, and the war she had left behind causes the bug some mild concern. "You haven't found your way back? That's concerning. My home, thankfully, is in no immidiate danger, but I'm concern for it just the same." Just -what- has she gotten herself into?

    Aloy and Demi are the veterans here then. "This is my home... well, this world is. My actual home is to the south. I can show you a city to get your bearings... Meridian would be best, they've seen enough offworlders there. Vines are what people call the... doorways or tears between worlds that lead to other worlds."

    She sighs, making her way toward another part of the rock. "This way, we can talk while we move somewhere safer. I don't know if there is a way home, but there might be. Some end up far from home, but for others it's a few hops away. This world is near a few that I know decently well."

    Demi asked a question that's interesting. "Electromagnetic pulse? You mean like a signal to shut them down? We don't want to do that. The machines are behaving erratically lately, but they're here to terraform. They're made to keep the planet alive and heal it. The really hostile war machines were already shut down... at least locally."

Demi remembers what Wren told her about Mother Brain and the circumstances on this world sound awfully familar. "That's understandable, I run the environmental systems on the world I'm from myself. Without them the planet would completely turn into a desert. Of course being over 1000 years old they're starting to break down regardless. Is there some kind of central AI that controls the machines?" She can relate but that also leaves her with more questions for Aloy.

 "An underground city? That's certainly different. Is there problems with burrowing creatures there?" Such an idea wouldn't work well on Motabia.

 "I'm sorry to hear that Diantha, I could assist you some with providing medical assistance if we're able to relocate your home world.

     Hearing that there was a chance she could find her way back to her home world gave Diantha hope, even if no one could tell her whether it will be easy or difficult to find the way back. She nods as Aloy starts to lead them away from the rocky outcrop and apparently toward somewhere safer. 

     "Right, safer sounds good. It's interesting that those strange machine creatures are healing your planet. I usually don't like machines, but those I could almost appreciate if they didn't just try to kill me. I am a dryad, and a druid, so I have a very deep connection with nature. I've been tending to many areas of my world and helping to keep nature in balance for hundreds of years. Some recent events and the actions of certain groups have made that task more difficult unfortunately. It seems my world is always in some sort of turmoil. I do appreciate the offer of assistance though. I guess until I find my own world, I can help others."

    Hornet hops off the rock, moving to follow Aloy as she listens. "Connections between... multiple worlds. Mm.." This may be where the Pale King came from, or perhaps the Troupe's dark carnival. Things that she could talk about another time, if people seemed interested. "Intellectuals within the city had believed other kingdoms, other worlds may exist beyond Hallownest's borders, but we had no clear evidence of it. I'm sure they'll be extremely interested should they discover these 'vines' as well." .. Meridian? "Another city would be a good start. I can get supplies and .. well, begin my search." There was nothing else to do, after all. She had to find her home, hopefully sooner before later.

    Wandering after Aloy, Hornet's tone seems to brighten when Demi asks about Hallownest, "Mm, yes, fully underground with only a few small bits being on the surface. A place for beast and bug where we can enjoy freedom and wisdom gifted to us by our king. It's home, despite its flaws. No issue with such things, most groups of bugs tend to congregate in one area or another. There's a whole tribe dedicated to the upkeep of the city so issues such as cave-ins are hardly even thought about." If nothing else, talking about her home is something Hornet enjoys. 

    "I'm in agreement with the.. dryad. It is kind of you to help those that find themselves entirely removed from what they consider familiar, and so suddenly. 

    Aloy glances back at the various nonhumans discussing such things. "A whole city underground? That I haven't seen yet. Meridian is an amazing city though. I'm more of a wanderer, but I have a house Avad gave me. I can put you up in there until you can figure out what you're doing." She just met them and decided to do that? Well she isn't using it.

    "There are a lot of strange worlds out here. You're lucky... the people of Meridian aren't the most accepting of offworlders I've seen, but they'll leave you be for the most part. Enough to find a trader or traveller who can give you direction." She frowns. "Was I supposed to just leave you there? I have a conscience."

    The topic shifts. "I'm sorry to hear about your world, but it's good that the others aren't in danger. Mine is... normally not like this." She nods at Demi. "The AI controlling the machines was destroyed a few decades ago, we're still trying to put her back together, but..." She holds her bow up. "Not a lot of knowledge on how here. The machines are normally a lot more passive. Some of them, like the Tallneck, still are." She points in the distance, where a massive, tall machine is barely visible walking in a steady circle, with a saucer for the head. "But most will get hostile if you get too close. So be careful."

Demi frowns a bit at Diantha's comment, she figures it's nothing personal but she does have feelings. She rather focus on trying to help people, "Who originally build the AI? I'm assuming they're no longer around. In fact this world sounds quite a bit like Motabia where there's a lot of technology that few people know how to operate. A place to gather more information on what's going on here would be helpful." She wonders if there's any broken machines for her to research on there.

     Diantha usually avoids most cities, and is a little anxious for how she'll feel about this one. But she isn't going to go rejecting the hospitality of Aloy on a strange and dangerous world. She certainly didn't like the idea of spending a night here out in the open wilderness with those machines, alone. "I don't usually enjoy cities, but considering the circumstances I'll take up your offer. An underground city on the other hand, reminds me of the Barrow Dens in Moonglade, though to actually live underground, I'm not sure I could do that." 

     As for Demi, Diantha certainly wouldn't have been quite that blunt about disliking machines in Demi's presence if it wasn't for the fact she thought the woman was human. She's not really had the opportunity to meet many androids so far, and the machines she's used to seeing on her world are the goblin made, forest shredding variety, so one can't blame her too much for her distaste. When Demi frowns, then changes the subject, she does wonder if it was from something she said. "Did I say something wrong?" She asks with a bit of concern coloring her voice.

    "So long as they do not bother me, I will not bother them," Hornet replies, speaking of Meridian and its people. Your hospitality is quite welcomed, Aloy, thank you." She'll just have to see Meridian for herself before deciding just how civil its people are.

    As for the discussion about AI, this is something that Hornet has no knowledge of. The tallneck however, does gather her attention as its pointed out. "There's nothing like that at all in Hallownest. Nor this 'A.I. you speak of. Such created beings are .. crude at best in most cases."

    "It has its perks, and often times with the spaces and caverns as large as they are, it is easy to forget you are underground. There's ample lighting. The main city gets a rather large amount of rain even when there's none on the surface. The entirety of the Greenpath can be thought of as a large underground forest, with the Fungal wastes .. exactly what it sounds like. It isn't simply dark caverns and moldy burrows, that's why it's so impressive to us that live there."

    Aloy looks at Diantha, eyes flicking to the lower half. "Your world must be one of the more fantastic ones." And from hearing Hornet, not just that one. She considers. "I've been here longer than I thought. I should see what my friends are up to the next world over."

    But Diantha's concerns are heard. "My house is at the edge of the city," she reassures. "I wanted one that I could slip out of without going through the front gate. I don't think you're built to rappel down, but it will keep you away from the crowds. Hornet here looks capable though, maybe she could find a way?"

    Demi asking the hard questions. "The machines of the ancients are beyond the ability of us to understand. Some of the surviving AI, though... they know how to repair the central authority. It will take time, though."

"Technology isn't bad in itself. It sounds like you haven't had the best experiences with it though." Demi has no idea what Diantha's world is like. "Are the people there in your village anti-technology?" She wants to know what she's getting into before she goes there.

     Diantha nods to Hornet. "Hmm, if your city has that much open space, then maybe it would be bearable for me. On my world there is a city that dwarves built right into a mountain. I've never been there, but I've heard it's enormous with incredibly high ceilings, but also rather warm, due to the molten magma flowing under the streets which they use to power a massive forge." She responds to Hornet and enjoys making the comparison, finding some amount of amusement in the similarities between what are likely vastly different worlds. 

     To Aloy, she next responds to the information given about her home. "Ah, the outskirts should be more palatable, yes. As for climbing, no, not in this form anyway. But I have ways of getting around that if I need to." Diantha answers, not spelling out what she's talking about, but still leaving a clue. Finally she shakes her head at Demi. "Well, not exactly. I don't know that I'd even call my home a village, more of a grove, but like Aloy, I've been a wanderer for some time. Most of my experience with technology has been goblins using their creations to reduce vast forests that have been home to my kind for thousands of years to fields of stumps with alarming speed, and drawing oil from deep underground, while poisoning the surface."

    Seems Hornet is following along, mostly quiet as she listens to the conversation of the others. She's trying to get an idea of what this world is like, and the ones of the others, but has a lot of her own concerns wandering through her head. "Mm. If you need a different way out, and it's a bit of a drop, I can probably figure something out," she decides, making the note to Aloy and Demi both 

    "Sadly, the science of Hallownest is not something many may consider advanced if such artifical things are normal in these many other worlds. I would suggest reserving judgement while beyond your own borders. Better to judge on an individual basis so that you don't end up making an enemy of someone that could be an ally."

    "Ah, interesting. As deep as Hallownest goes, we never went so far that we encountered any kind of activity down in the depths. I imagine that is a good thing as firerock welling up from the depths would be terrifying to most bugs. It makes me wonder what is far below the White Palace. It's not a place people are allowed to venture, but then again, most have no reason to go so deep."

    "You should be fine," Aloy replies, dropping down to the grass. "I've never heard of Hallownest or Azeroth or any of the worlds you've mentioned, but I haven't beeen outside of my own for a long time. We'll have to take a look." She stares outward. "All right, I'm going to circle around to make sure the area is safe, then meet back here to guide you in. My word will get you past the gates easy enough, I still have some reputation in Meridian. After some rest we'll hop on the nearest mapped vine and see what we can find tomorrow."