Big City Living (Midpoint Mingle)

[midpointmods]

The town of Midpoint: called thus because it is at the exact center of the game arena, a busy little Western town full of strange people, many of whom don’t look remotely human, because this is where all the players gather and live. Midpoint Saloon: called thus because it is the only bar in Midpoint. It’s also the biggest building in town, four stories high, dotted with windows, painted a jaunty yellow and decorated with red and green flowers in all the window boxes.

This is where your veteran teammate points you. Or just stomps off to and hopes you follow.

Downstairs is a bar and tavern, Old West style, right down to the upright piano in one corner and a raucous crowd of locals - largely locals, but with a healthy smattering of unusual or downright alien faces that clearly indicate the presence of other Players - eating, drinking, gambling, and getting into trouble. There’s a broad, bearded man behind the bar, waving cheerfully at you as you enter.

The rest of the night and the next day is yours to do with what you see fit. Explore the town, take a long nap in your new room, try to get to know people... everyone is here for the next twenty-four hours before travel to the mission site, so it’s a good chance to scope out the competition, at the very least.

Comments

[givemyrightarm]

Irene honestly rather appreciates her own horse's attitude, inconvenient as it is for her. At least its spirit isn't broken, unlike others she could name.

She listens solemnly when Fuwa answers. "Tell me about them," she says, then pauses and adds, "Please."

(In her defense, this entire mess is the first contact she's had with anyone else in literal years if not decades.)

[ragingwolf]

"Nicholas St. North runs the Saloon," he explains. "Big old buy with a white beard and tattoos, pretty hard to miss. Nice enough, but don't start any shit or he'll come down on you hard."

His horse nickers quietly, and Fuwa absently gives his neck a scratch. "Soap runs the stables. He can be a bit of a brat, he's one of the youngest Players, but he's good with animals. He can teach you anything you need to know about taking care of them."

[givemyrightarm]

"Hm." Though Irene is thankfully unlikely to start any shit anytime soon (Quickswording the door to Teresa's room at the inn she was taking refuge in that one time notwithstanding).

She nods at the information about Soap. "I'll remember." Then, after another few moments of silence: "What else do we need to know about this settlement?"

[ragingwolf]

"It's the biggest, it's the dead center of the arena, and it's the only inn where we can stay for free. It's more or less neutral territory." Partially because of rules, partially because no one wants to get run out of town for something stupid.

[givemyrightarm]

"How restricted are our movements, both within and outside of it?"

[ragingwolf]

"We can go about twenty-five miles in any direction from here. There's only about half a mile behind the jails before you hit the forcefield. It's like a big fence," he adds for clarity, tugging on his reins to get his stubborn horse to turn. "If you touch it you can get pretty hurt."

[givemyrightarm]

"Small territory." There've been warriors who had larger.

"How badly hurt? I assume the... forcefield... isn't fatal because they want our deaths to be entirely within the missions?"

[ragingwolf]

"It won't kill you if you touch it, but try too hard and it'll lay you out for a while," he says. "I don't know of anyone who's brute forced their way through it."