acatalepsy_logs | welcome to the horologium.

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welcome to the horologium.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

awaken - northwest.

[[ooc: only accepting two tag ins for this prompt!]]

[this isn't where he fell asleep. that's for certain. before Merlin even opens his eyes. he can feel the difference in the bed he's in, that the softness he's used to isn't there, and something must have happened again. another world, so the message had said, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. still, he's intact, and breathing air this time - and so when the lights cut out, he closes his eyes again.]

Ten more minutes...

[let him doze a little. and process what to do first.]

investigations.

[really, he can be found everywhere, but he's not letting go of his staff as he does walking around. sometimes he's peering at a smaller locked door as if trying to gauge something from it. other times he's in the lounge, sprawled in one of the more comfortable chairs, hands occupied with something small and tricky, if the look on his face is anything to go by.

sometimes Merlin's in the mess hall, and taking advantage of the working light in there to be writing in a book, head bent over his work as his hand works over the page, pausing every now and then. and perhaps he found his way into the workout facility, where the lack of gravity is proving to be a bit of a problem, as he floats sort of in the middle of the air, looking vaguely put out by it all.]

time.

[of course, the pervading feeling in this place is that they're not alone. that something's out there, with the rumbling, with the inability to say when is when, with the limits on what they have. it's not easy, nor is it possible to really block it out.

Merlin's in the lounge when the next rumble happens, eyes closed and lying on one of the couches, and the Sound echoes through the ship. the electricity flickers, the world shakes - and his hand tightens just slightly on his staff.]

Something is waiting.

[he says it like it's a simple fact.]

wildcard.

[have a different idea? want something specific? hit me up!]

Edited 2019-02-13 06:04 (UTC)

[ Merlin had always been quick to distance himself from humankind. He spoke of it as decidedly separate from himself, and corrected Bedivere whenever he offered words to the contrary. He was not human, and he could not truly understand their feelings.

But despite all his insistence, Bedivere could only think of the man sleeping soundly across the room as just that—a man. There was nothing alien in the unguarded expression, nothing unrecognizable in the relaxed lines of his face.

Regardless. ]

Merlin. I believe a sense of urgency is required of us.

[ The words may have come out harsh on their own, but he speaks them gently, intending only a light rousing. Without waiting for a response, he begins to search the room, opening drawers and rummaging through their contents. ]

Mmmph.

[the groan of protest is all he'll give, and he turns, releasing himself from the capsule after a moment. slowly, he'll sit up, swing his legs over the side, and stretch - a twin size cot is not really going to easily cut it for him, but he'll manage.

it's still dark in the room, so he extends an arm to feel around, fingers reaching familiar smoothed wood close by, and his staff in hand is instantly something to balance with.]

Another world so soon? We're being kept busy.

[ He glances back as he hears him stirring, but quickly returns his attention to his investigation of the furniture. ]

Are we? How much time has passed since the last 'mission?'

[ There is some reservation attached to the last word, though it was more so from uncertainty than skepticism. That wasn't to say he lacked misgivings, but he couldn't be sure who was listening.

He retrieves a jumpsuit from the dresser, first unfurling it for his own inspection. Grey, made from material he did not recognize. He turns around, holding it out so as to examine it better. ]

If I had to guess? Somewhere around a month. You appeared shortly after the last one ended.

[getting up from the bed, he rolls his neck and stretches, trying to get a feel for this place.]

The Horologium, she said...what a peculiar name. Ah, I suppose it isn't any stranger than Chaldea for a place.

[ the rumbling is certainly concerning, and and it is made all the more eerie and disconcerting by the relative silence of the ship. there is always sound around them, the quiet hum of electricity in the lights and the walls, but compared with the colorful noise that has always surrounded them at the temple, and the many worlds they have visited, this ship is all but silent.

and so it makes the rolling rumble feel that much more insidious and threatening when it appears, periodically, again and again. it makes her stomach tighten up with a mild anxiety that tickles at the back of her mind, a chilly finger down her spine, accompanied by the soft clicking of the flickering lights. if she had any idea what horror films were, she'd sure be making some distinctions here.. ]

What?

[ the sound of his voice gives her a bit of a start; she'd hardly noticed him lying there. ]

Waiting?

It's only my thought about it, but doesn't it feel like that?

[opening his eyes, he turns his head so he can look at her from this seemingly relaxed position.]

Being watched, as though we're locked up in a huge box of metal. That sound every so often. Like a countdown, or a very slow heartbeat. It feels like there's something far beyond just us here and the remnants of a group from long ago. And whatever it is, it's reeled another group back in again.

[ well, that's certainly one way to put it - a way that sets a chill down her spine yet again, her shoulders tensing. alisaie prefers a threat she can face head on, preferably with a rapier in her hand; all this mystery and waiting doesn't sit well with her. ]

I suppose so.

[ she says stiffly, then sits back in her seat. ]

Well, the sooner it rears its ugly head, the better.

At least hope it gives us enough time to make sure we'll be able to manage past a week or so. Supplies keep your fighters strong, or something like that.

[a brief pause.]

Well, it's not like there's a shortage of people willing to rush out and cut off said ugly head, anyway.

merlin - ota.

awaken

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time

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lounge

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Work out facility, because why would a Waver ever be there

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mess hall

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