Vertigo

Chapter 2 ~ Welcome to Vertigo

Soul Deck caught my eye the very first time I stepped into The Hub. What appeared to be a quaint little old fashioned pub from the outside actually contained a separate hub for the Vertigo card game. A world where your only weapon was a deck of cards, and in order to increase your cards you had to defeat bigger, and badder, creatures. It wasn't something Jupiter would be interested in playing, but I loved card games. Poker on Saturday nights had been a staple for a long time. Then there were the various battle card games that came along, each with their own rules and artistic depictions. In virtual spaces they had even gained some animations, and depth. The battle fields had grown, becoming something tangible.

The Soul Deck pub had old wooden shaker tiles on the roof, a swinging door for the entrance, and white stucco walls. Simple, clean lines, and aged paint. If I hadn't seen the advertisements in the Trading Card Game forums for Vertigo I probably would have overlooked the pub.

Even though I expected it, it was a bit surreal to step through the doors. The Soul Deck, like many buildings in The Hub, was bigger on the inside. Physical space was a construct of reality, but in virtual space there was no limit. What appeared to be a two story saloon on the outside opened up to more than ten stories stretching up toward an open sky once inside. I had to crane my neck upward in order to see to the top of the building, and even then I wasn't sure I could see past the fog of distance.

Each floor appeared to have a slightly different design. On the bottom floor there were simple cinder-block columns holding up archways that led to old wooden doors. On the floor above the columns were finished stonework, the doors thick oak with steel barding. Each floor became a bit more ornate until the upper floors that I could see had marble colonnades with fluted sconces, and silver inlaid gates that glowed with faint magic over the archways.

The building was a hub within a hub. Each portal took you to a different level of the game, and the bar allowed you to mingle among players without worrying about levels. The Soul Deck was a safe zone, in effect, where players could trade cards, tips, sell items, or find others to duel with in the mini arena. Once inside the gates all bets were off. Player-verses-player was in effect on all levels, so if you weren't interested in being attacked by fellow players you had to find a different game.

There were dozens of people scattered throughout the building. Several were entering and exiting various portals on different floors. Others were gathered around tables on the ground floor drinking and sharing stories. On the far side of the ground floor there was a small arena with two combatants and a small crowd. There were two creatures currently brawling on the floor, but they were only a foot tall so I could not see what they were from the far side of the lobby.

From what I understood of Vertigo, the arena inside Soul Deck was a practice arena used for small bets, and . The full size arenas, complete with elements, full size creatures, and major spell slinging, could be found out on the floors. The first arena was the most common since anyone could enter the first floor, but to battle in any of the tournaments in higher levels you had to be able to get there first, though you could buy a pass to be in the audience.

I took in Soul Deck and all the unusual people scattered around the room. I wasn't quite sure where to start with the game. There was no big exclamation point hovering over anyone's head proclaiming a quest available. But it was a bar, so why not start with the bartender?

I made my way through the room, weaving between tables and a few people trading cards. There weren't a lot of people in the bar, just enough to feel cozy without being overcrowded. The bar itself sat in the center of the room, a wide circular area with stools spaced evenly around the outside. Several people sat in small clusters, or alone, having drinks and looking through more stacks of cards.