Post by Roderich Edelstein on Aug 11, 2010 16:48:40 GMT -5
OOC: Aww yeah. Chaos, mass panic, and mutant moles. Who's in?
IC: In a way, Big Rock – or Große Fels, as the locals called it – was beautiful. Nothing compared to the intricate, ornate churches, castles, and government buildings Roderich remembered from the prewar world, but the city had a sort of natural awe-inspiring feel to it. The settlement had started in the shelter provided by the mountain, but as the population swelled, they began to cut straight into the rock to accommodate. Perhaps it was merely out of necessity, but Roderich liked to believe that the inhabitants of Big Rock were trying to take back the control of the land that humankind once possessed, and doing so in an artisan way. It was the first step in rebuilding the world as he saw it.
Besides, Big Rock was the closest thing he had to home. The people still spoke his language, albeit in a slightly modified dialect. As far as he knew, some of them still thought of themselves as Austrian, and that was the only thing keeping him alive.
Roderich pondered over all of this as he walked down a side street of the town itself. Aside from a few glances at a strange face, none of the people paid him any heed. He’d only been here for a few hours and had already learned that many of the citizens of Big Rock didn’t mind newcomers, but they didn’t exactly give a warm welcome. He didn’t mind this, of course; privacy was one of the few things of which people today had an abundance.
A sign hanging over a doorway caught his eye. It labeled the two-story building as an inn, so immediately Roderich’s interest was piqued. Just the thought of sleeping in a bed was enticing, after camping night after night out in the wilderness.
A drink wouldn’t hurt, either, he reasoned as he opened the metal-plated door. He had made it to Big Rock, hadn’t he? That was reason enough to celebrate in his opinion.
The first floor of the inn was a large common room with tables and mismatched chairs scattered about. Against the far wall was the bar, an array of dingy bottles displayed behind the polished stone countertop. Old light bulbs and candles alike gave the area a warm glow, despite the fact that the entire structure was hewn from rock. Several patrons lounged about, talking quietly in groups of two or three. A few looked up as Roderich entered, but for the most part he was ignored – except by the innkeeper.
“Good day, there, sir!” a burly man called out, his voice friendly and inviting. He walked up to Roderich, standing a good four inches taller than him and a great deal thicker.
“Hello,” Roderich replied simply as he shook the man’s hand.
“Ernst Schwann, at your service. Tell me, what can I do for you? Perhaps a room for the night at this fine inn?” He gestured toward the stairs leading up to what were presumably the bedchambers.
Roderich let himself bask in the man’s affable aura. “That would be delightful, thank you,” he said, already imagining what a great night’s sleep he would get tonight. Ernst crossed the room and produced a room key from behind the bar.
He walked back and handed the key to Roderich. “Room number four, up the stairs and to the right, Mr.…?” he trailed off.
“Edelstein,” Roderich said curtly. He figured that he didn’t need an alias here (he’d lodged in much shadier places before), but it was always a good idea to stay on the safe side.
When he realized that he wasn’t going to get a first name out of this Mr. Edelstein, Ernst went on undeterred. “So, what brings you to Big Rock? I haven’t seen you around before, I don’t think. We have a pretty tight-knit community, and I can at least recognize all the faces, but you’re not from around here, are you?”
Roderich’s opinion of Ernst was quickly fading from gratitude to annoyance. The last thing that he wanted at that moment was to stay and talk to this man, who looked like he could go on for hours. Roderich was about to make up an excuse about business in the city to attend to, but a strange noise caught his attention. It was almost like a weary groan was coming from… everywhere.
Before he had time to process what it meant, the earth itself began to tremble, rattling the entire building. The glass bottles behind the bar clinked together, and one fell off its shelf and shattered. It was as if the world was protesting, and its wrath was centered on Big Rock.
Trying his hardest to keep from falling as the ground beneath his feet pulsed epileptically, Roderich ran outside the inn without a thought of the other people inside. The entire mountain was convulsing, sending several boulders from its heights barreling down toward the town. He watched in frozen horror as they crashed into the unsuspecting buildings on the fringes of Big Rock, and he didn’t wonder why this was happening because the only thought going through his head was this is the end.
But nearly as soon as it had started, the quake was gone. In shocked awe, Roderich could do nothing but observe the dust settle from the air to the ground, revealing terrified looks from the townspeople, who thought that their mountain fortress could keep them safe from anything and everything. Worse than the palpable fear that now saturated the air was Roderich’s gut feeling. He had once known this land, and perhaps he still vaguely did, but he was almost certain that this was just the beginning, and there were much greater consequences in store for Big Rock in the near future.
IC: In a way, Big Rock – or Große Fels, as the locals called it – was beautiful. Nothing compared to the intricate, ornate churches, castles, and government buildings Roderich remembered from the prewar world, but the city had a sort of natural awe-inspiring feel to it. The settlement had started in the shelter provided by the mountain, but as the population swelled, they began to cut straight into the rock to accommodate. Perhaps it was merely out of necessity, but Roderich liked to believe that the inhabitants of Big Rock were trying to take back the control of the land that humankind once possessed, and doing so in an artisan way. It was the first step in rebuilding the world as he saw it.
Besides, Big Rock was the closest thing he had to home. The people still spoke his language, albeit in a slightly modified dialect. As far as he knew, some of them still thought of themselves as Austrian, and that was the only thing keeping him alive.
Roderich pondered over all of this as he walked down a side street of the town itself. Aside from a few glances at a strange face, none of the people paid him any heed. He’d only been here for a few hours and had already learned that many of the citizens of Big Rock didn’t mind newcomers, but they didn’t exactly give a warm welcome. He didn’t mind this, of course; privacy was one of the few things of which people today had an abundance.
A sign hanging over a doorway caught his eye. It labeled the two-story building as an inn, so immediately Roderich’s interest was piqued. Just the thought of sleeping in a bed was enticing, after camping night after night out in the wilderness.
A drink wouldn’t hurt, either, he reasoned as he opened the metal-plated door. He had made it to Big Rock, hadn’t he? That was reason enough to celebrate in his opinion.
The first floor of the inn was a large common room with tables and mismatched chairs scattered about. Against the far wall was the bar, an array of dingy bottles displayed behind the polished stone countertop. Old light bulbs and candles alike gave the area a warm glow, despite the fact that the entire structure was hewn from rock. Several patrons lounged about, talking quietly in groups of two or three. A few looked up as Roderich entered, but for the most part he was ignored – except by the innkeeper.
“Good day, there, sir!” a burly man called out, his voice friendly and inviting. He walked up to Roderich, standing a good four inches taller than him and a great deal thicker.
“Hello,” Roderich replied simply as he shook the man’s hand.
“Ernst Schwann, at your service. Tell me, what can I do for you? Perhaps a room for the night at this fine inn?” He gestured toward the stairs leading up to what were presumably the bedchambers.
Roderich let himself bask in the man’s affable aura. “That would be delightful, thank you,” he said, already imagining what a great night’s sleep he would get tonight. Ernst crossed the room and produced a room key from behind the bar.
He walked back and handed the key to Roderich. “Room number four, up the stairs and to the right, Mr.…?” he trailed off.
“Edelstein,” Roderich said curtly. He figured that he didn’t need an alias here (he’d lodged in much shadier places before), but it was always a good idea to stay on the safe side.
When he realized that he wasn’t going to get a first name out of this Mr. Edelstein, Ernst went on undeterred. “So, what brings you to Big Rock? I haven’t seen you around before, I don’t think. We have a pretty tight-knit community, and I can at least recognize all the faces, but you’re not from around here, are you?”
Roderich’s opinion of Ernst was quickly fading from gratitude to annoyance. The last thing that he wanted at that moment was to stay and talk to this man, who looked like he could go on for hours. Roderich was about to make up an excuse about business in the city to attend to, but a strange noise caught his attention. It was almost like a weary groan was coming from… everywhere.
Before he had time to process what it meant, the earth itself began to tremble, rattling the entire building. The glass bottles behind the bar clinked together, and one fell off its shelf and shattered. It was as if the world was protesting, and its wrath was centered on Big Rock.
Trying his hardest to keep from falling as the ground beneath his feet pulsed epileptically, Roderich ran outside the inn without a thought of the other people inside. The entire mountain was convulsing, sending several boulders from its heights barreling down toward the town. He watched in frozen horror as they crashed into the unsuspecting buildings on the fringes of Big Rock, and he didn’t wonder why this was happening because the only thought going through his head was this is the end.
But nearly as soon as it had started, the quake was gone. In shocked awe, Roderich could do nothing but observe the dust settle from the air to the ground, revealing terrified looks from the townspeople, who thought that their mountain fortress could keep them safe from anything and everything. Worse than the palpable fear that now saturated the air was Roderich’s gut feeling. He had once known this land, and perhaps he still vaguely did, but he was almost certain that this was just the beginning, and there were much greater consequences in store for Big Rock in the near future.