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

MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF | OTA

[mollymocked]

𝙰𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙴, 𝙾 𝚂𝙻𝙴𝙴𝙿𝙴𝚁

[In the northeast wing Molly wakes up and immediately goes rigid. The capsule-like shape of the cot is a bit unpleasant and there's something kind of fucked up to wake up and see nothing but silver. It sets off a panic response that goes bone-deep, a half-remembered trauma of waking up with dirt in his face and having to crawl out of a shallow grave.

Needless to say... Not a great feeling. He leaps off the cot and staggers back a bit, trying to get his bearings, and probably tripping over someone in the process because he's more focused on trying to get an idea of what's in front of him rather than what he's backing into.] Sorry, sorry. Is- Is this normal? Is that how it happens every time?

[He's not anxious. You're anxious.]


(𝙽𝙾) 𝙴𝚇𝙸𝚃

[The rest of the ship isn't much better, Molly is learning. The windows are startling and give him a sick feeling in his stomach and the whole place is confined and unpleasant, and he's found himself pacing restlessly, hand in his pocket, worrying his cards a bit. If there was ever a good time to do a reading, it'd be now when he's out among the bloody celestial bodies, themselves, but that would require him to sit down and stop moving.

He keeps getting turned around, and he keeps losing track of where people are, which is worse. That's how he finds the EXIT, and that's how he meets with a most unpleasant series of events that send him skittering back the way he came. As soon as he notices someone else, he tries to fan out his coat and look like he didn't just tear down a hall like a frightened child.] Hi.

[So casual.] Is it just me or is this place awful?


𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙾𝙾𝚁 (𝙸𝚂 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽?)

[Closed doors are always a problem, and Molly only has a rogue who can pick locks, and nothing on his person, but that's fine. There's a simple solution and that solution is... Stand in front of a door, tilting your head and looking puzzled and someone will be along to offer assistance.

Works every damn time.

And should they not stop, he'll even throw out a:] D'you have something that might get this open? Or punch it open? I'm not really picky.


𝙻𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙶𝙴 𝙻𝙸𝚉𝙰𝚁𝙳

[You can count on a character from a Dungeons and Dragons-based society to do one thing in a crisis: loot. And Molly hasn't started tearing the place apart yet, but he has been wandering around the lounge looking for anything that looks interesting and trying to find any kind of secret compartments or hidden treasures. It's the reasonable thing to do when faced with an abandoned place.

To an average person... It looks like there's a purple horned devil-looking person sticking his hands in everything and poking his head places and occasionally pocketing things as he finds them. It's fine. This is normal behavior.]

lounge lizard;

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie wouldn't consider herself the fun police sort, she's gotten herself into heaps of trouble in the past, and she will definitely get herself into heaps more in the future, but she's an honorable gremlin. looting is tactless at a time like this!! well, it's always tactless, but still. it is definitely tactless right now, in a place like this.

so when she catches this chump with his head in an overhead compartment, slipping something shiny into one of his pockets, she clears her throat and plants a hand right onto her hip, tapping one foot. ]

What have you put into your pocket?

[mollymocked]

[Molly, much like a cat who has been caught trying to snatch fish from the aquarium, looks utterly unashamed at being caught. He does not break eye contact- though given his disturbingly solid eyes, it's almost hard to tell exactly whether or not he's making eye contact- and just pulls out... Well, it looks like a Nintendo Switch, but neither of them fucking know what that is.]

I wasn't sure if we were at the point as a group where we put everything into a pile and redistribute it among ourselves once everything's been properly searched. Good to know.

[adelphoi]

[ he's not even remotely sorry!! oddly enough she's not too weirded out by his look.. probably because there's a race of people on hydaelyn that are like, demon lizard people that look a lot like him, even if they don't dress quite so extra??

anyway, she narrows her eyes. she won't ask for it back, because she's not his babysitter, but it's clear that she disapproves!!! ]

That sounds suspiciously like an excuse for looting, I should think.

[mollymocked]

I thought that was obvious. [He pockets it again, seeing as she isn't going to press the matter, and raises an eyebrow.] If you come across an empty place with no people in it that seems completely abandoned, what else are you supposed to do? No one's here to use any of it. Might as well be useful to someone.

[Like isn't this?? common sense??]

[adelphoi]

Taking it without any need of it, or even any knowledge of what it might be, is not only disrespectful, but greedy, however you choose to frame it to sound kinder to your ears.

[ ugh, pirates!! thieves!! they are the Worst. ]

We've no idea where these people are, and we have no claim to their belongings until we are sure they will not return.

[ sorry molly, she's actually not super goody-goody in comparison with her friends, but she has a Code.. ]

[mollymocked]

[He doesn't know he doesn't have need of it!! WHAT IF THIS NINTENDO SWITCH IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING. No, he really took it because it looked interesting and figured it'd be useful in trade to someone.

But he doesn't care enough to argue the merits of looting and he's never going to go HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT I'M TERRIBLE, because he doesn't believe he is. Instead, he just rocks back on his heels and goes Full Insufferable.]

I feel like you've given this speech before. That feels really well rehearsed.

no exit

[thedarkbond]

[Ren's pretty sure he's been up this corridor before, and his suspicions of what it was are only confirmed when he hears someone running as fast as they can in the opposite direction of it. He stops just before the corner, out of sight enough that he can spot who it is slightly before it would be easy to spot him.

Despite the circumstances, though, it's kind of nice to see Molly again, and Ren gives a slight, thoughtful hum as if the question Molly just posed is a matter of extreme seriousness.] Mmm, it's a little bit boring so far...did you find something weird down the hall?

[Clearly Ren doesn't know what's down there already and is posing a genuine line of inquiry.]

[mollymocked]

A lot of bad decisions. [His own, specifically.] This is not really a good place to be chasing things, is it? That's probably what happened to the poor bastards that lived here.

[He's fine. He's not nervous. You're nervous... Except where Ren is not the least bit nervous as far as Molly can see, and Molly's poor ability to persuade anyone of anything is doing him no favors at all. He knows what he heard down there, and it's still echoing in his head.]

[thedarkbond]

[Well, that's not wrong, considering what Ren heard when he went down there earlier, and he laughs softly at the remark.] Mmm, maybe...though that would be kind of obvious, I think. It wouldn't be very interesting if it was just a scary door that caused all this.

[Granted, scary door is probably just indicative of a broader problem on this ship, but if they're getting effects that potent up here, Ren is both a little curious and a little leery of what they're going to find on the lower floors.

For now, though, Molly looks pretty ill-at-ease still, so Ren offers him a hand out in case he needs a little physical presence to calm him down.] Do you want to look somewhere else, or see if we can find our way back to the lounge...?

[mollymocked]

How many scary doors have you met? [He speaks midway through an exhale, baffled to the point of not being able to hold it in, so the words come out breathless... But he's still gonna take that offered hand.

Sweet, sweet oxytocin.] I would love to go where they're keeping the liquor, but since I don't think that place exists, I'll settle for sitting down and processing this for a moment.

[thedarkbond]

Well, I met that one earlier...and I think I saw another one off in another direction. So maybe they're like our minibosses... [Don't mind him, he's just going to trail off briefly into gaming terms, because he does that sometimes.

When Molly takes his hand, Ren wraps his own around it and squeezes it a little - and also immediately glues himself to one of Molly's shoulders, because he has no sense of personal space like that.] Right, I don't think I've heard about anyone finding any of that yet...but I guess the lounge is fine too. I think it's this way?

[Ren points back in the direction he came from. He's terrible at directions, but he can...probably find the route back. Maybe.]

door

[paladorable]

[ It seems half of this place isn’t even working, which is worrisome if they’re to survive here for any amount of time. Arenvald has been picking around, poking his head into whatever area he can for signs of life – whether that be his fellow Circle members or the ships original crew. The latter seem to be all but nonexistent, but there are plenty of the former around.

Arenvald only spares Molly’s appearance the briefest of looks – and only then it’s because at first glance Arenvald marks him for an Au Ra. Not so, apparently, but pretty close. ]

I can see if I can get it to budge, if you’d like.

[mollymocked]

[Molly's tail flicks idly like a cat's, which is appropriate because he does seem to faintly resemble a cat waiting to be let in or out somewhere.]

I'd appreciate it. [There's a gentle lack of sincerity in his voice, but that is, unfortunately, his natural speaking voice.] I'm not very good at brute forcing things. More of a footwork person, honestly.

[paladorable]

I am just one man, but I can try.

[ Arenvald is of course aware of what he looks like, tall and broad and easily appearing like he is very good at brute forcing things. The matter here is that Arenvald has no idea how these doors work, and if they’ll respond to brute force at all.

Nothing for it but to jump right in, he supposes.

He curls his fingers into a groove in the metal, getting as good a grip as he can, setts his feet and pulls. For a moment, it doesn’t look like the door is going to budge despite his exertions, and then there sounds the horrible grinding of metal on metal and the door slides open, just a touch. It’s not enough to fit through by a long shot, but they could certainly look through the crack. ]

… Think I might need an extra pair of hands if we want it to open more than that.

[mollymocked]

That I can do. [But first... He's gonna peer through that darkness to see what his tiefling eyes see, which is not a whole goddamn lot.] Fuck. I can't tell if it's anything worthwhile or not. This could be a waste of time or it could be a delightful surprise, which is about all anything in life is, really.

[He steps back, and places a hand over the long scar on his chest that his open shirt doesn't cover.] All right. I'm gonna get a little weird.

[And he just pulls a fucking quarterstaff out of his chest in flash of light and blood red sparkles. It was extremely anime. Molly is not impressed by the fact that he did it at all, which is saying a lot considering it's maybe the second time he's done it ever.]

(no) exit

[formleg]

[Hunk is currently lost, but seems to have something in mind since he is carrying some stuff tucked under his arm. Mostly it's a small tool kit and a tablet that looks strangely like the screens that might have been seen in the rooms.

He seems to be pretty preoccupied, but Hunk isn't so distracted that he doesn't notice the man loitering in a hallway trying to appear casual.]

Uhm...hi. [Pause.] Yeah, I'd say this place is pretty bad. Nothing seems to be working and I think I might be lost....again.

You?

[mollymocked]

That brings up an excellent point, actually. How do you even avoid getting lost? Everything looks exactly the same.

[Is that a deflection? Why yes it is! Also a legitimate complaint, because seriously. Why?]

[formleg]

[Hunk looks over his shoulder.]

You have a point. Normally a ship this big would have some kind of markers to designate what hall you're on...possibly even sign posts to tell you where to reach different areas. The only writing I've seen so far is just the name of the ship on the hulls.

[He looks back to the purple guy.]

Actually, I have a theory that their navigation might be on these screens...but with the power down I haven't been able to do anything with it.

[He adjusts some of the items under his arm and holds up a screen to demonstrate what he's talking about.]

I was going to try and patch into a part of the ship with more power...but so far that hasn't worked either.

[mollymocked]

[Has everyone here been near, on, or aware of one of these things??? Molly keeps that indignation to himself, because he doesn't want to know the answer.] A name, incidentally, that sounds like "horror logic," so take that as you like.

[Never underestimate a Critical Role character's ability to either mishear or intentionally mispronounce something.

He stares at the screens. He slow blinks. And then he lets out a sigh.] My first time out of the bloody temple and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Moreso than usual. At least most days, I have the environment to my advantage.

[formleg]

I...hadn't thought about that. [He shudders, hoping the name thing is just a coincidence.] Ugh, the ship is creepy enough without that association, thanks.

[Hunk nods, sympathetically. He doesn't know this Molly guy very well, but he can understand feeling out of your element.]

That's sort of how I felt the last place we wound up, which was my first time out of the Temple. I can try to give you like a crash course on some of the tech...but I'm not sure how much good it would do since most of it isn't even working anyway.

door remix

[flask]

[Yeah, okay, Molly's got a rogue who can pick locks, but even if these doors worked like real, proper doors, Nott hasn't got a single object that can substitute for her missing lockpicks on her. Not even a crossbow bolt.

So, while he's standing around trying to look equal parts pitiful and pretty, she's trying to cram her claws into the crevices between the door and the wall, or perhaps in the mechanical ports and... effectively electrocuting herself. Whoops.

She immediately sticks her finger in her mouth to soothe her ouchie.]

Ow! Shit. Ow. Okay. It's trapped.

[Yeah??? Sure???]

[mollymocked]

[One of these days Molly will realize that he doesn't understand how magic and rogues work, because he just assumes they're a catch-all solution to all things he can't do himself, but that day isn't today, and Nott did just get electrocuted, so traps?? Checks out.]

So this is a thing that happens to people repeatedly, right? Being sent places to solve problems? [It's at the point where he's becoming pressed at being bested by doors.] And so, to deal with that, they remove most of our abilities, our weapons, and anything useful we might have had on hand that could actually give us an advantage.

[Does not compute??]

two months later backtag nbd

[flask]

[Nott continues trying to figure out the electronic lock with solely her claws to help her. It's... taking a bit, alright. There's some kind of panel she's managed to pry off, and now she's trying to figure out the wires behind it. They seem to be powered by lightning magic.

It would help if she could Dispel Magic, but, well. They left their wizard at home. And also magic doesn't work, anyway.]

I guess so. It isn't that different than home if you think about it.

[You know, adventuring. Going new places. Solving the local problems. She's really just talking as an afterthought, concentrating on trying to figure out the trap.]

The only difference is we don't get rewarded and have basically no resources to do anything. But hey, maybe we'll feel real good about it.

[...Okay, maybe Nott is just feeling a little agitated right now. She tries slashing through one of the wires at random. It sparks slightly. Hm.]

I just don't get what we're supposed to be helping here. This place is deserted. Everyone's obviously already dead or something.

[mollymocked]

I don't feel really good about anything right now. This place just... rubs the wrong way.

[He glances down the hall as if expecting ghosts or something to just start moving through the walls to come and accost them, but the halls remain eerily deserted and somehow that's worse.]

Maybe they wanna know how they died. And, admittedly, I'm a little curious of that myself. Not enough to stay if the witch changed her mind and had us fuck off, but enough to keep moving.