The Nexus (TEXT)

[Greem]

>Adventure: Open.
The year is 18XX, some time during the period known as the “Wild West”. The place, a small town in the Arizona Territory known as “Vulture’s Gap”. There’s not much to do here, but after a few incidents with rowdies the locals don’t like to poke their noses into other people’s business. The US, Europe, all of them are mostly the same, except for one small detail: Magic exists, has since the world began. Mages are generally divided into two camps: there’s the Shamen, who use the magic nature and God gave ‘em and often work all their lives to become great masters of the magical arts, and there are Sorcerers, who make deals with demons and other powerful entities for a quick and easy route to enough power that they run a high risk of killing themselves. Not that they mean to, of course; it’s just how the deals work.

>Narrator: Explain more about magic.
The flow of magic is awful chaotic. It flows along certain lines that change as the years wind on. These lines spread magic out into the rest of the world, but casting while you’re on a line is always a little bit more powerful. The real prize, though, would be to capture one of those rare points where multiple lines meet —*a nexus. Every nexus is attuned to one of the elements of Magic. And each and every nexus is sought and fought over. Of all the great wars in history, only a few haven’t involved control of some vital nexus. In the past few years, however, even the legendary power of a nexus has been in decline for no reason. The nexuses of the world are still much more powerful than the rest of the world, but they seem to be dying.

>OK, switch back to the action.
Currently, we’re outside Cole’s General Store on a particularly warm July day. Standing in front of the store is a young man covered from head to toe, trying his best to remain calm. He’s wearing a brown duster, thick brown pants, a serviceable cotton shirt that looks like it breathes well enough, boots, thick gloves, a wide-brimmed hat, goggles, and a bandanna. What little of his skin can be seen looks sort of purple, which most would dismiss as a trick of the light. In truth, he’s somehow a nexus… one that’s still got the power of old, somehow. Seeing as you’re about to become him, I guess you should also know that he’s sixteen, he’s American, and his name is… is…

Well, hell, what was his name anyway?

[DaggerDoom]

> Virgil Vacuus

[Fearkan]

> Virgil Vacuus

This

[Mythee]

> Troa Eplegant.

[Greem]

>Enter Name.
Your name is Virgil Troa and you’re an outsider in this town. Your weird looks mean that you’ve kept your clothes on even in this godforsaken heat. At least your guns can be used with your gloves on. That, at least, is a blessing. Your two revolvers remain at your side, not that you have any reason to use them at the moment. Not like you’re in any particular peril, especially since the townsfolk here don’t mess with outsiders.

This one-horse town has a few main buildings, but you’re not too comfortable heading into the church right now. It’s not Sunday, and you’re not feeling like entering the House of God needlessly, since it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t like you too much what with your stupid curse and all. Yeah, you’re a nexus, but the whole condition is a curse. Even if you weren’t already mostly shunned because the only real magic users out this far west are either Indians or sorcerers, and you look like a sorcerer who made an especially bad pact, there’s still the matter of being a nexus, and having to stay this far west —*or else people will try and keep you caged up. And you just want your freedom.

But it’s hot out and you figure you’d better get moving. There’s two ways out of town, and once your out far enough you can ditch some of the heavier clothes for a while, or there’s the tavern, which will probably be a bit cooler. The street heading out of town (well, the only street in town, technically) leads NORTH or SOUTH, and the proprietor of the tavern is, if the sign out front is right, a man named DENNIS. So you guess the only real question is: NORTH, SOUTH, or DENNIS?

[DaggerDoom]

> Virgil: Go to DENNIS' tavern.

[Mythee]

> Use Booming Magical Voice to Demand refreshments from Dennis