Exiles in Elseworlds

The catacombs under the castle feel more like a hotel than a dank cellar. The walls are a pleasant pastel blue, hung with paintings of African landscapes and idyllic pastoral scenes. A rich, sunny, indirect lighting fills the hallway. Regularly spaced doors lead off to small rooms. Each one has three coffins, one along each blank wall. One room has a set of matching tapestries hanging above each coffin. The next is decorated with vintage Coca-Cola advertising. The one after that looks like the inside of a Jackson Pollack painting.

There are no shadows, no dark corners; nowhere to hide.

Roberto DaCosta rolls out a well-worn laminated architectural map. Some areas have been drawn on so often the wax pencil is permanantly inscribed. He scrubs off as much as he can using the hem of his shirt.

"I wish I could call the Storm Queen cocky, but that would imply she doesn't know exactly what she's doing. You can find one of these in every village in North Africa. Anyone who wants to see the Queen is welcome to visit. Just don't expect to come back."

Someone used permanant marker to write names in specific hallways; Pete, Meggan, Jono, Piotr, Illyana, Tessa, Wanda, Erik, Pietro. Roberto pulls out a marker and carefully writes in Dani and Sooraya. He pauses, staring for a moment at Dani's name, then closes his eyes and stands.

"People who think their children could be Barons some day take them through the front door." His voice drips with bitterness. "People who think they can steal something usually try the back passage. This one has a coin slot to open the door." He taps the map. "Last time, I went in here, through the servant's kitchen." He scowls. "They actually offered us a bowl of soup. The masters don't like it when the prey is too hungry. We give out too soon."

A vein on his forehead starts to twitch.

"We're going in here. Through the catacombs. If I save my power - and if Dazzler's 'battery effect' works, we can take out the weaker of them at the start. The fewer we have to fight the better."