Scene #7547: Raising Pandemonium

Owner	Pose
Vergil	The forest feels different now. The ambience of the fae is gone, retreated. But in it's place is a demonic buzz. It's a slightly similar yet wildly different feel. The fae made you feel tingly, like the pins-and-needles feeling you get when you lay on your arm for too long. But the demons make the blood pound through your veins, make your vision red. So it's kind of funny that the five demons present are all doing their best to be polite and accommodating for those willing to help them. They're cleared a footpath, with trees having been cut down or simply uprooted and the dirt underfoot stomped flat. They've also made a large clearing, having gathered stones and wood to serve as raw material. It is here, upon a large stone, that Amii sits and begins to explain exactly what they need out of this place. It will be a home for the demons that wish to work with humans, like him. However, he is well aware of the reputation of demons, and there's no guarantee that the elves won't come back. For that reason, it must be a SECURE dwelling. A place easy to defend, and to fight from. However, it must also be COMFORTABLE. The demon world is a brutal place, and the delight all the demons here feel at simple things cannot be understated. Amii hopes that they will convince others to their cause. The place must have AMENITIES. Water, obviously. Even demons need hydration sometimes, and also sanitation. As carnivores, they'll need livestock, but also the ability to grow feed for the livestock. And gas and heating would be nice; most demons prefer it warm. The last thing they need is a bit unusual. The habitat must be PROFANE. That demonic buzz in the area needs to be stronger, more consistent. This is both to promote the wellbeing of the demons who live there, but also to quicken the spirits of the Devil Arms Amii's crew has collected. They hope that with time, they might be able to revive the demons within. Speaking of said Devil Arms however, they face an issue with them. At the moment, they have stored the weapons in the demon world so they might quicken. But now that they will have a new base, they need to retrieve them. But other demons have heard tell of Amii's faction now that they've been more active, and that puts a target on their back. At some point, they are going to have to make that journey. The more people that go, the safer and faster it will be, but that will detract from building the base. However, the five demons here aren't just going to stand by and let everyone do all the work. Each one is willing to learn and assist however they can. AMII, as a wholly humanoid demon with the most exposure to human society, is a good all-rounder. Having him help on a project will help you get more done. Sabnock is a big, strong fellow, a fact he punctuates with a flex. With his help, any task that involves heavy lifting will take less time. Leraje, being a towering figure, is well-suited for working in high places. He can speed up construction of anything higher than a single storey. Stolas is very wise, and surprisingly learned on all manners of strategy and management. Having him involved in any planning or preparatory actions will ensure better results when the plan is put into action. Haborym, the great bullsnake, doesn't have hands, but a powerful body and the ability to burrow. With his help, anything that involves digging will be sped up.
Hesinca	The sudden appearance of a glowing floor tile heralds Hesinca's arrival, as usual. "Alright. So," she says, once she gets the layout of the place a bit. "First up. Anyone who needs a break, I've got my Pocket Netherworld here," she says, reaching down and picking up the glowing floor tile before moving it somewhere more central and convenient. "It's got a full-service restaurant, a motel, some other stuff. And also-" She reaches into the tile and pulls out a shopkeeper. "Welcome to the Rosenqueen Item Shop, Demon Settlement Branch," says the shopkeeper, who is still being held up by their shirt. "I have no idea where these guys get their stuff from, but they've got a lot of it," says Hesinca, dropping the shopkeeper on the ground without preamble. "And of course you've got me, I'm a small evil business owner, I know enough of my stuff to be dangerous." With that established, she calls Stolas over. "Pick a spot, I'll get some fields cleared for your ranching operation," she says. "And then set up your ranching operation."
Cantio	After the last time the demon's allies were called into this neck of the words, Cantio's looking considerably more subdued than her usual self. Rather, she's being more careful about announcing her presence right away, trying not to jump at every little thing as if she's keeping an eye out for something or someone. It's not until she sees several familiar faces that she finally approaches Amii and friends, taking copious notes on what their current goals are for building this settlement. Then comes time to actually figure out what to prioritize first. "Something defensible would be pretty important to have sorted out sooner rather than later, since not having a secure place just makes everything else easier to lose. Maybe some large walls, but decorated to not look too imposing..." Taking a cue from Hesinca's magic tile antics (and greeting the shopkeeper quietly), Cantio pulls a cube-shaped drone out of nowhere and pulls a small toolkit out of that. "And if we build it right, we could even make something that'll double as entertainment space. Almost like those ampitheatres from other human civilizations, or stages that you could use for training and shows!" She sounds eager enough, looking towards Stolas in particular. "Anything we build will need to be checked over a couple of times before we commit anything to it, though. Otherwise, we'd end up wasting more time gathering stuff we've already used."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Haborym!" The Green Knight calls the snake demon by name, beckoning him with a gesture of a meaty green palm. "Thire is watere and shit doun binethe the earth. 'Tis cleped... grunde-watere? Ithinke I." He doesn't sound like he knows what he's talking about. There's a glance between Hesinca and Cantio to confirm that there is such a thing. "Aniwis, let us todelve, 'til we ifinde hit--thanne... thanne... ithinke I we shalt dight a wel, that thou might ofdrink." He scratches sausage-sized fingers against his bushy beard. He's more used to surviving on what exists, than making someplace survivable after the fact. But... "It shalt rain ofte, here-a-wei," he says, and this time he's more certain of himself. "Whanne-so we unk bothe hath todelved and ifound the grund-water which shalt fede thy wel, thanne I shalt dight a cisterne to cacche the rain." He leans in close to the snake. "And aloue me todrink ifirst--my nanytes shalt tel if the watere is tained or nay." With that done, he kind of aimlessly starts looking for places to tap for a well, dragging the blade of his axe in the ground to use as a dowsing rod. He saw it in a movie once.
Vergil	Hesinca takes up the task of getting a ranch going. The moment she brings it up, Sabnock approaches her. "Oh, there's a thing about that," he says, lion jaw flapping. "So the human farmers nearby, they have communal grounds for rearing their animals, and they're willing to cut us in on it. That would save time, and free up our land for other things. But they have their own rules on things like how many animals you can have at once. Might be a bit of a pain, considering how much we can eat. What do you think?" In essence, taking the farmer's offer would save TIME and free up nearby space, but the demons would have to deal with their rules and regulations on livestock. Cantio wants to get to work on defences, and also incorporate entertainment. "Well, perhaps not 'entertaining,' but there is something that would help the aesthetics if you would follow me," Stolas says in reply to her with a soft hoot. Guiding the woman away from the camp, they soon arrive at a wall of beautiful rose bushes, bristling with uncomfortably sharp thorns. "Left over by the elves," Stolas explains. "And quite likely bristling with their power. If they ever decided to come back, they might be able to turn our defences on us. But one cannot deny how beautiful they are. And those thorns would deter intruders. Shall we use them?" Utilizing the elven roses in the construction of their defences would save TIME, allowing the project to be completed more quickly. But it may cause complications down the road, if the elves decide to mount another attack. Haborym seems on-board with digging for groundwater. But it becomes abundantly clear that neither of them knows a thing about how to do that. But the bullsnake will not be deterred. With a hissing moo, he begins to move away and gesture that Bercilak should follow. After a short walk, the two find themselves by a great lake. Haborym thrashes by the shore, burrowing into it to create a small trench for the freshwater to pool into. He seems to be suggesting that they dig a stream to cut through the camp and reunite with another stream across the forest. This would be a large TIME investment. But the abundance of fresh water AND fish would be a big AMENITIES boost.
Hesinca	A hint of a frown tics at Hesinca's face as the humans' offer is described, and Sabnock's misgivings are made. "If it weren't for the fact that we just finished a war, I'd say go start making plans for taking over that communal land..." She looks down at the ground, with the same motion and facial expression someone else might use for looking up at the sky and pondering an answer. "Don't enter into a deal you'd be tempted to break," she says, finally. "I'm pretty sure that's somewhere in the 666 Habits of Highly Disfunctional Demons. Thank them and turn down their offer politely, if you want, but just don't take it." "It'll help in the short term a bit, sure, but if you know that what they're offering, the limits and conditions on it, isn't going to satisfy your people, you're going to be tempted to push on it, put a few more cattle on there above and beyond the communal limit, take it from me," says Hesinca, Lawful Evil Paragon. "And you don't want to have flare-ups as a result." "It'll take more time and take more of your land, but I'd still do your own ranch instead of relying on the communal one," she says, summing up her position.
Cantio	"Groundwater can be pretty... Um. Unpleasant, yeah, if it's not treated." Cantio confirms to Bercilak, chuckling and grimacing at the same time at the thought. "A well would be good for getting it out, at least, and there's certainly methods to prify it that should be doable even here..." What those methods are, she doesn't say. She probably doesn't know. Turning her attention to Stolas, she follows the owl demon over to the wall of rose bushes, taking out her sword to draw it lightly against the bushes themselves to test their sturdiness. "That'd certainly be convenient, but their potential danger to anyone living here at the worst possible time can't be understated. Hm..." Time versus security. Efficiency versus... Also security. After hemming and hawing on it for what feels like a solid minute, Cantio finally shakes her head. "It's too risky to keep this here, especially since we just fought them off last time. Leaving it around might even make the faeries think they have some right to return if their things are still here if they attack again, and the aesthetics might clash with what we're making here." Clearly, she has some kind of visual design in mind for this. "Something just as tall... No. Taller. Imposing, even, but clean so that it's obvious that it isn't going to fall easily. Something that even humans would be find impressive." She pauses again, tapping a her finger to her chin and adjusting her collar afterwards. "But we can find other uses for it, probably. If their power is still in there, then it we might be able to repurpose it. Maybe as fuel to power a plant, or..." She starts sounding uncertain, looking to Stolas again as if trying to get some clarification. "... Demonic furnace, maybe? Or... Um. Are pentagrams really a thing, or is that just a human assumption?" She's pretty obviously pulling stuff out of her ass now, but the attempt is there.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Hah! God shit!" Bercilak gives an emphatic thumbs-up to the snake, once he realizes what the intent is. "I shalt assist thusly." Holding his axe up to demonstrate, he taps it into the mouth of the nascent trench. Two wooden braces sprout from the earth to hold it in place, and he motions for his demon friend to continue. Bercilak is not concerned with TIME. Potable water is something you want to do right--and besides, he's Bercilak. What even is time, anyway? The cheek of the axe is used to pack in any clods that might be disturbed by their efforts, ensuring that the trench can weather the gradual erosion of the water as effectively as possible. He follows behind his giant, nonverbal friend, quite comfortable with, and fond of, large snakes. "Whanne-so we journei to--EI, CANTIO! EI, HESINCA! EI, AMII!--the othere watere, sheu me where-awei thou lest the cisterne. Afte... thanne, we shalt till the earth, awene I, that thou might hath fruits for thy souping-places." Wiping the sweat from his brow with a grin as he winds up for another hew through the earth, "What say thee?"
Vergil	DAY 3 Sabnock nods in response to Hesinca's reasoning, making his large head wobble. "You have a good point. I did not wish to refuse the humans their kind offer. We wish to live in peace with them, after all. But perhaps securing a later peace is worth the initial rejection. We shall rear our own beasts here." The work begins. Sabnock might not be much good at building fences, but his great strength is ideal for lugging hay with which to feed the animals until the grazing grass grows in. He also uses his own head to pound the earth flat in places to create even plains. Once the land has been sectioned off, Amii approaches Hesinca. "In regards to what we shall rear," he begins, talking in a low voice. "Haborym took issue with the suggestion of eating cows. Their likeness to him... it's unfortunate, considering the size of cows means they can provide a lot of meat. I'm uncertain how to proceed." The great bullsnake is uncomfortable with the idea of raising creatures akin to him for food. Ceding to his feelings without something to replace the abundant meat cows bring means AMENITIES will take a hit. But pushing the matter without soothing his feelings may make him upset. Stolas hoots at Cantio with obvious bemusement. "A fair idea. I will reflect on my pool of knowledge and see if I know of any 'demonic furnaces.' But your point stands; we shall build our own walls." The great owl's planning comes to fruition. Taking Cantio's musings, he returns with the idea of a great stone wall, treated and polished to make it black and glistening like obsidian. Simple, but evidentially otherworldly. The foundations are dug and laid, before Stolas approaches Cantio with a new idea. "We can do it with normal stone milled nearby," he explains. "But we can also build with stone mined in the demon world. It will add to the ambient demonic essence... but doing so adds time that we must spend there. That is risky." Building with the demonic stone will add to the PROFANITY, but will add an extra day to the time they must spend in the demon world. DAY 4 Bercilak and Haborym dig the new creek. Thanks to the bull snake's digging prowess, it still takes less time than anticipated, but they're still behind everyone else's projects. But it's worth it once the water begins to flow. It adds a pleasant ambience, and flowing water is usually healthier than stagnant. But as the knight mentions tilling, Amii corrects him. "We don't need much farmland. Just enough to grow animal feed. I would rather spare some space for natural beauty." However, Stolas interjects. "Now hold on Amii. If we were to grow fruits as well and sell them, or even ferment and sell them, that would contribute to our war chest." Neither demon has strong feelings on this, so they look to Bercilak as the one who volunteered his efforts. Leaving some land for simple plant growth would add to COMFORT, but growing fruits for trade would mean more AMENITIES. SECURITY: 1 COMFORT: 0 AMENITIES: 3 PROFANITY: 0 TIME NEEDED FOR DEMON WORLD TRIP: 6 DAYS
Hesinca	Hesinca, who is horse-shaped herself, listens to Sabnock's explanation patiently. "Don't worry, I'll go explain the situation to him and get him to drop his objections with as much tact and diplomacy I can muster," she says, truthfully. Then she goes over and punches Haborym in the gut. "You're being a little demon baby! Stop being a little baby!" she yells at him.
Cantio	After days of hard work, things start taking shape! Cantio even puts in some grunt work of her own, strangely keen and just a bit obsessed with getting things done here with frequent power naps instead of spending time getting a full night's rest. It'll be fine. She's tough enough to handle it! For now, anyway. "Regular stone, or..." She's not actually sure what the stone from the demon world is called, and she's somewhat wary of just calling it 'demonic' stone. It's not like there's demons ground into the rock, right? Even though it'd be pretty easy to assume that dead demons' matter might have seeped into it over however many centuries... It takes her another minute to realize she's been spacing out about that right in front of the owl. "Oh! Um. Yes, it'll be risky, but if it's going to be a new home for demonkind and a symbol of unity, then it'll be worth it." Cantio says with certainty as she reveals a number of small cubes that expand into considerably larger cubes that float upwards and reveal... Crudely printed faces with colors similar to Cantio's usual outfit. Also, little clampy hands. "These should make it easier to bring the materials back, too. They can gather and compress the materials into a digitized form so everyone else can focus on the actual mining work and defense instead of picking up stuff and worrying about hauling it all back."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak heartily claps Amii on the shoulder. "I lik thy ithinkinge," he says with a grin. His tank-top is gone, having been stained to unsalvagable levels with dirt and mud. "Loke upon this." [Vicinity] Hesinca: You're being a little demon baby! Stop being a little baby! Bercilak shouts back at her. "Ei, speke not thusly of my ladde, sib!" A glance towards Haborym. "'Tis like so: cowes art bestes--thou'rt not. If 'twould bicalm thy herte, I shalt quell an ape and iete hit," he says, nodding in equally unhelpful solidarity. He then clears his throat. "Natural." With a roar (it's just fun to do) he hauls off and swings a haymaker, deliberately bringing the axe close to everyone around him just to show his control of it, as he... Gently taps the heel against the nearest tree. Nanites swarm, administering chloromutagenic compounds, trace radiation and microsurgeons to modify it into a fruit bearing variant of its former self, a wholly unique kind of seeded fruit soon hanging from its branches. "Hau dost that heme?" He could render such changes in the trees, and--"Per happes I could do swich for the shrubbes, so als." It wouldn't take up any additional space, and it would be pretty, but it wouldn't be as profitable or as nutritionally substantial as farming.
Vergil	DAY 5 Haborym coils up in response to the punch and snarls at Hesinca, flames sparking from his nostrils. The tension in the air immediately spikes, but Bercilak's interjection settles it. Mostly just by confusing everyone. "He's right," Amii interjects. "Just because you have a cow's likeness, does not mean you are one, and the fact that we might eat cows does not reflect on how we view you." The bull-headed demon seems abashed, but relieved. And so, with their blessing, an order is places for livestock. Cows and pigs mostly, as their size means they can provide the most meat. But how to deal with the remains... "Bury their carcasses whole," Stolas opines. "An abundance of death and rot will contribute to the profane atmosphere." Amii however, disagrees. "I've heard tell of humans turning waste into fertilizer. Death into new life. It would help our animal feed grow, ensuring we can keep more livestock." Hesinca finds herself the accidental authority on farm life by mistake, so they look to her. Unless she has a third option, they can either bury animal waste and byproducts, increasing PROFANITY, or use it to fertilize their plants, increasing AMENITIES. Cantio suggests using the demonic stone. "Very well. We'll put this matter aside for then," the great owl says. "Now... you previously mentioned a furnace. I may be able to do you one better." Stolas scratches a diagram on the ground of some kind of... power source. "I believe we may yet be able to convert the elven vegetation into power through demonic sources. Not only would this provide our home with energy, but it would bring a level of profanity that we need. But, we would need to cultivate these plants. Keep them outside the walls perhaps, but still retain elven influence too close for comfort. However, thanks to Haborym and the knight's efforts, we have running water. We could just as easily build a water wheel. Much more efficient, but less profane. What do you think?" The owl provides two options; continue to cultivate the elven plants as fuel for the demonic engine that would provide COMFORT and PROFANITY, or use a mundane water wheel that would only provide COMFORT. "Hmm... this doesn't look bad at all," Amii replies to Bercilak, examining the fruit. "I agree," Stolas says. "If we have a unique product, we're sure to find some niche. But, I must ask you another thing sir knight." The building that will be the actual fortress is starting to take place. Thanks to everyone's communal efforts, they have the makings of a small castle going, with subterranean levels. "How shall we decorate? We could make our demonic heritage part of it... or we can build for actual comfort. Or design in a way to repel intruders. Or go minimal to maximise the use of our space. What do you think?" Any option seems good to them. In essence, Bericlak is being asked if they should build in a way that supports SECURITY, COMFORT, AMENITIES, or PROFANITY. SECURITY: 2 COMFORT: 2 AMENITIES: 6 PROFANITY: 1 TIME NEEDED FOR DEMON WORLD TRIP: 7 DAYS
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	It's been a day. Hmm. He's spent it growing fruit. Hesinca is here too. Has been here. Wasn't there something... "O, yea. Ei, Hesinca!" Bercilak's friendly address is meant to draw her attention. His axe is planted haft-first into the ground. His heels dig into the dirt and he throws a right cross, smiling wide. That's right! He was going to engage in some Hands. But there's a problem. Amii needs an opinion. Well, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Hesinca can stand a lot more than one punch, and it's not like this is gonna be a fight to the death. "What?" He looks over his shoulder towards Amii. "O." Wide open for counter-attack, he strokes that bushy beard once more. "Sikerte is my awening," he notes. "Yon elves might ayen-come, as thou bisaie. Bisideforth--" He was going to say that they could always decorate later. He probably won't get the chance before he and Ms. Disastre are fully engaged in unnaturally strong roughhousing.
Cantio	With the matter of what kind of stone to use settled, Cantio's next task with Stolas becomes figuring out how to power this new home for demons. Squatting in place to get a better look at the diagram, she keeps glancing from the diagram to the outer area of where they're planning all this out and getting work done to aid her own mental mapping of the place. "I'm not too fond of the idea of outright cultivating their plants, but... That's not to say we couldn't learn how to control them ourselves in time. It's a big if, though, but..." This one's giving her more trouble. She rubs her head lightly, mulling over the owl's words while slipping an earpiece on and tapping away at a tablet hastily before chucking it into her conveniently somewhere storage space. It's taken her this long to realize she's not entirely sure what 'profane' even means in this context, and it'd be too embarrassing to ask out loud now. Luckily, with the power of MODERN TECHNOLOGY (and a screen reader), she gets that definition read to her via that earpiece, and it gets some more gears turning in her head. Divinity's supposed to be a source of power for deities, and she's been looking to harness that kind of power for herself already. Couldn't the opposite be true, too? "Let's take that risk. Outside of the walls is good. If the plants are hardy enough, we might even be able to grow them in pits or hanging gardens, perhaps. Either way, this place needs more profanity all over it!"
Hesinca	> Hesinca finds herself the accidental authority on farm life by mistake, so they look to her. Unless she has a third option, they can either bury animal waste and byproducts, increasing PROFANITY, or use it to fertilize their plants, increasing AMENITIES. "... I'm... sorry. Are you... asking me what I should do with literal shit?" Hesinca is saved from the question by her face getting punched in. "Sorry, really busy with this!" she says. It becomes clear after a moment that she's too busy with fighting Bercilak to answer the question, not the way around, given that she's putting all of her focus into sweeping Bercilak's legs out from under him, grabbing him by the ankles, and swinging him around in an unnecessarily complex airplane throw.