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

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. ]

[invasif]

It could be the tiniest thing in the world.

[ She exhales, expression gentle and sad. ]

As long as it grows.

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie has no real talent for comforting people.. but she tries to smile in a way she hopes is heartening. ]

I've no doubt it will.

[ she's a professional, after all!! ]

[invasif]

They give me comfort. All the death in the world, and there's still flowers somewhere.

[ So maybe there was no need to comfort her, as long as she could just keep readying this soil for these seeds. ]

[adelphoi]

Well, not to tap into particularly heavy themes, but I suppose that is the nature of the world, isn't it?

[ where there is death, there is birth, where there is shadow, there is light, the dichotomy of the universe seems never to change, no matter where she goes. it seems a fundamental law of all things. ]

[invasif]

For now. It's not indefinite, all things end.

[ She and Astoria may have had a little tiff about that concept. About how much success the Circle could really hope to find. ]