welcome to the horologium.

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players welcome to the horologium. Some of you know it is coming. The World Jump, the chaotic thrust into a new universe. But some of you are new, and though you know what the mission is, it is a bit . . . troubling, sitting around and waiting for something to happen. But eventually, you get a message on your watch. It shows Astoria . . . dark hair framing her features, her voice light and musical. She sounds like herself, for the first time in some time . . . that spark of determination back in her eyes. A MESSAGE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH. "It is time, my beloved Travelers, to go to our new destination . . . and I want you to know that I have the utmost faith in you. Akvos' loss has hurt us all, and I know that many of you doubt our mission. But please believe me when I say that you have done the best job anyone could ask of you. Akvos' destruction was not your fault . . . and to our newest members of our Circle, welcome to our journey. I can only hope that your journey here will work out to the benefit of us all." That being said, you are journeying to the Horologium . . . it is a ship that has sent out a distress beacon. I am not sure when, or where, but I can feel great darkness, emanating from that place. I believe you all can combat what is done there, without interacting with the Void . . . so please, be safe, and I will see you all when you return." And, just like that, there is a pull in your stomach . . . your vision blacks out and you feel the sudden sense of vertigo, a sensation of falling, and then . . . nothingness. You open your eyes, and you are suddenly waking up in the midst of . . . fog? THE AWAKENING. When you wake, you are greeted by metal — there’s an expanse of silver all around you. The cot you’re laying on is somewhat rigid, like a flattened wedge of cotton more than anything, encased in a capsule-like structure. Should you inspect your surroundings, you’ll find that there are three more cots in your room..or more notably, another person in the room in of itself. Depending on where you’ve been roused from your slumber, however, you’ll find that your circumstances differ. ➜ If you’ve woken up in the northeast wing of the ship, there seems to be a pool of saturated pink goo at your feet. It sticks to the bottom of your heel and collects at the very center of the room, oozing from the cracks and crevices within the metal lining of the walls. And even more notably, the goo has a particularly saccharine scent, as though it’s meant to be...consumed. Looks like you had the misfortune of waking up in the wing adjacent to the kitchen. ➜ In the northwest wing, the ship is functioning at an all time low. When you wake, the room is illuminated for a brief moment...before flickering out, only to leave you in pitch darkness. Power returns to the room intermittently and only for a few seconds at most, but it appears as though you and your newfound roommates will have to navigate the darkness if you want to leave. ➜ In the southwest wing, the fire alarm in your room has been activated for some inexplicable reason. It’s an obnoxiously loud siren that slices right through the whirring of the machinery around you — and it goes as far as to trigger the sprinklers hanging from the ceiling. Water sprays from above you, hopefully ensuring that you’ve woken up if nothing else has. It doesn’t seem to be draining either, so it may be for the best that you escape with some haste. ➜ In the southeast wing, your circumstances are for the most part rather unremarkable. An untouched room, mostly intact...until you try to open the door. It won’t budge — unless you have some form of super strength, your muscle power is rendered useless on its own. You might just have to commission someone else to help you... Beyond your room, the word “Horologium.” stretches across the wall. Welcome to your new home. WHISPERS IN THE DARK. In a way, it feels as though you’re suspended in time. The ship is always humming, always whirring as it makes a haphazard attempt to function. The noise comes to a halt every so often, leaving you with nothing but silence and the idle creaking of the floor beneath you. There are remarkably large, bright white doors that divide each and every wing. A circular window is positioned at the center of all 4 of these doors: but nothing can be seen through it. It’s likeness is that of a black hole’s, like someone had gone as far as to paint over it. On every door, the same word is emblazoned in black lettering: EXIT. Except the word itself appears to be scratched out to some degree — as though it were scrubbed out in a fit of desperation but remained no less. When you see the door, you might be overcome with excitement. Or perhaps not. Regardless of what your reaction is like, the lights around you will dim and flicker at an alarming frequency. For a moment, it’s almost as though the gravity around you has slowed, and the hallways are becoming narrower by the second.. Voices and faces from the past emerge in your mind. You see someone you shouldn’t; they’re calling for you. They’re here with you right now, beckoning you to come closer... If you reach the door and attempt to open it, it won’t budge. And the further you walk away from it, the more the effects will subside. But there’s no telling if you’ll sleep well tonight. INVESTIGATIONS The ship is fitted to house approximately 500 people — it’s a bit of a ghost town, however, lived in but abandoned no less. The chairs are in the mess hall aren’t aligned perfectly. The tables are a bit crooked. The lounge is lofty, but not pristine. The rooms may be barren, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that they were somehow someone else’s before they became yours. There’s an array of locked doors, varying in sizes and shapes, all of which withhold something potentially useful to you. You may be inclined to visit the lounge, the mess hall, rifle through the bedrooms . . . the ship is yours to explore. However, how you interact with the ship is….entirely up to you. There is something to be found everywhere. Regardless of what you do, where you investigate and how, you might be tempted to look behind your shoulder. After all, every decision you make matters...right? (Every Player’s investigation prompt has the potential to differ greatly as your investigation will require mod input. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you would like, we are here to help and provide you with the information necessary.) Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before!

Comments

lady ILDE

[invasif]

WAKING UP - THE NORTHWEST WING

[ It is pitch black, but if you wake up in some tandem with Ilde it will never be quite that. The charm around her neck glows, and she unclasps the chain to lift the ball of still burning cinders overhead, to make it easier to see. It shines on her face, pale and grim. ]

Are you alright? I can make further light, but it will have an effect upon you.

WHISPERS IN THE DARK

[ Something this modern is not familiar to her, at all. She gets lost almost immediately upon wandering off on her own. This doesn't frighten her, precisely. She can still hear Circle members chattering intermittently on the comm, she can call for help if she truly can't find a way back...

She pauses as she hears some unfamiliar sound, as her mind turns that constant whirring into voices singing or murmuring... The human mind is very good at that and she frowns. She lifts her hand to touch the charm around her neck for comfort. ]

Who's there?

[ Her voice is small but stern in the empty hallways. ]

A DREAM OF GARDENS

[ As soon as she hears a garden has been found, she wants to see it. But her dismay shows almost immediately when she gets there and sees the state of it. There's no one to blame, there's no one here to tend to it, but it disturbs her all the same. ]

No, no, no...

[ She whispers, reaching out to touch many of the plants individually, like acknowledging unique children. She digs her fingertips into the soil... It feels dry more than anything else, smells earthy enough for her to assume the plants simply haven't been watered or weeded in much, much too long.

First, she tries to invigorate them with her Astoria-power. Lights swirl around her like little faeries, but rather than reaching out to invigorate the plants, they stay around her. They clearly think they have nowhere to go, nothing to do. She gives up quickly, instead deciding, ]

It will have to be worked on by hand...

[ Tending the garden isn't why they're here, at all, but she rolls up her sleeves and starts on it almost immediately. ]

gardens;

[adelphoi]

[ a garden is certainly among the more interesting sites to visit in this place, if only because it is a reminder of earth and stone and solid ground. incredible and impressive as this massive ship might be, alisaie is a simple girl who, in the end, prefers her feet on the ground.

a shame, however, that it seems as if the plants have been disregarded a little too long, even if it gives them a bit of a clue to how long it has been since the ship's denizens mysteriously disappeared..

anyway, here she is, hovering in the doorway for a moment to survey the space, but it soon becomes apparent that she is not alone. after watching in silence for several long moments, alisaie finally approaches, a deep crease in her brow as she surveys the wilted leaves. crossing her arms, she frowns thoughtfully. ]

Are they able to be salvaged?

[ she's definitely thinking about food opportunities here.. ]

[invasif]

Of course. [ An immediate answer, without any thought. ] That is the beauty of plants. They can always be sown again.

[ She uses the back of her hand to wipe a strand of hair out of her eyes. ]

Though I doubt we'll be here long enough to reap anything of it.

[adelphoi]

[ ah. she wilts visibly. ]

I see. So they won't be of any use to feed us.

[ she'd been so excited for like one half of a second.. ]

[invasif]

Not on their own, it would require some magic to be of use to us.

[ Sorry to disappoint! ]

Would you like to help me? Working in the soil is still enjoyable.

[ She thinks so, anyway. ]

[adelphoi]

[ well alisaie has plenty of magical expertise, but no knowledge of any spells that would help nurture plant life, and she's certainly no botanist.

still, who knows how long they might be trapped here? akvos spanned several moons, and mayhaps these plants shall be a boon to them in one way or another, even if not to provide food. besides, anything is better than sitting on her hands, so alisaie rolls up her sleeves, though she hesitates. ]

I've no experience with botany..

[ but she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty! ]

[invasif]

There's no need to be an expert.

[ She smiles faintly as she turns her eyes back to the work, pulling up the dead and rotting plants. ]

I was only a little girl the first time I worked in the garden, and I didn't know anything.

[adelphoi]

[ what better thing to do when you're out of your depth than to be a copycat? alisaie watches for a few moments, then follows suit, digging away anything in reach that seems to be dead or beyond saving. at least she doesn't seem to mind the dirt beneath her fingernails. ]

'Tis a lifelong hobby, then?

[ she's just gonna.. start a pile of dead stuff over here. ]

[invasif]

I think it was the first time I ever loved anything.

[ It had been a hard life. ]

I would have been content to do that forever.

[adelphoi]

Well.. I suppose you can. This is hardly a sprawling garden, but.. 'tis something.

[ it seems a little unnatural, hemmed in by the cold sterility of these ship walls, but.. well, a garden is a garden, however small and mostly dead. ]

waking up

[paladorable]

[ One second the lights are on, the next they’re off. As if Arenvald wasn’t disoriented enough with all the strange technology and the odd structure of the place.

Thankfully there is a small beacon in the room – and it’s attached to a somewhat familiar face. ]

Ah, hold on. I’ve got it, actually.

[ He doesn’t know what sort of “effect” this light if hers might have, but better they don’t take chances. Arenvald holds out a hand, sunlight gathering on his upturned palm, dim at first, but increasingly brighter until they can get a decent look at the area. It’s pleasantly warm on top of being a light source. ]

There we go.

[invasif]

[ Oh, isn't that handy. She is able to lower the necklace, to her relief, and put it back around her neck. The cinders were her prized possession, she prefer them there-- safely attached. ]

That is very good.

[ She comes closer to examine it. ]

Different, than my little faerie lights.

[paladorable]

This is the power Astoria gifted me. I guess it’s a good thing, since she keeps landing us in the dark.

[ Actually, Arenvald’s sunlight has come in handy a few times. Of all the things, he’s glad he ended up with something that can be useful. ]

Nice to finally meet you in person, Lady Ilde.

[invasif]

You as well, ser.

[ She does much prefer the comforts of formality. ]

I notice that light is warm... are you able to weaponize it?

gardens

[hatamon]

[ Takeru knocks on what passes for a door frame before entering; between the dim lighting and overall empty, desolate nature of the ship, he figures it pays to be cautious about not sneaking up on people. Finding the room already occupied isn't a surprise, really, considering their limited food supply, but what he doesn't expect is to see someone hard at work on plants that he might've dismissed as a lost cause. ]

Do you think anything here survived?

[ It certainly doesn't seem like it, even from just a cursory look around. Brown, dead leaves and air heavy with the scent of rot--this place is everything a garden shouldn't be. ]

[invasif]

[ She shakes her head as she pulls up another set of wet leaves. ]

No, even the plants that don't require much water were left unharvested.

[ Onions, potatoes, those could do well untended for a little while but you still needed to pick them before their produce went off. ]

[hatamon]

[ Well, he supposes that answers the question of how long this place has been abandoned. ]

But you think you can get some of them growing again.

[ His voice carries a hint of surprise, but it isn't really a question--obviously she wouldn't have thrown herself into the effort if she didn't think something could be done. ]

I don't know if it'll help, but there are a bunch of vegetable seeds in one of the supply rooms.

[invasif]

[ That gets her attention right away. Eagerness flickers in her otherwise restrained expression. ]

I would certainly try. We don't know how long we will be here.

gardens.

[insubordination]

[ once he's heard that a garden was discovered, roy was immediately interested in tracking it down. and while he isn't surprised to find someone else there, he is surprised that it is ilde. ]

I didn't peg you for someone with a green thumb.

[ as he enters the garden space, careful not to step on, you know, any of the plants. ]

Is there any hope of restoring them?

[invasif]

Oh? And why is that?

[ She's been mostly polite with Roy thus far, but now she's almost daring him to say something untoward. ]

By your own list there is someone who can control plants. If I can get things cleaned up here, I will inquire.

[insubordination]

[ there's a slight upward twitch of his lips, at her first question, before he stoops, resting his elbows on his knees, to watch. ]

A gut feeling.

[ but he doesn't offer anything more than that. ]

Restoring these would certainly help with food on the ship, if we're abandoned here for longer than anticipated. The work would certainly be appreciated by the rest of the Circle.

[invasif]

[ And oh yes is she here to be appreciated. ]

You may entrust the task to me. I will let them know if we have success.

[insubordination]

[ hm. ]

Do you want any help?

[ he pauses before reaching out a hand to gently turn over a leaf on one of the plants, curious. ]

I can't say that I have a green thumb [ quite the opposite, given his penchant to burn ] but I've been known to perform manual labor once or twice in my life.

[ read: do u need him to get you anything ilde ]

[invasif]

I would like you find out how long it will take to get these sprinklers working, thank you.

[ Don't touch my plants firebro. ]

[insubordination]

[ you know what, ilde, he's going to force you to be his friend one day, BUT FOR NOW. he will sigh, hold up his hands, and straighten up to stand. ]

Yes, ma'am.

[ he'll get your stupid sprinklers working if it's the last thing he does. which it might be, given where this ship is heading. ]