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.  INVESTIGATIONSThe 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! |
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acatalepsy_logs2019-02-12 12:27 pm
no subject
Great crystals...I wonder if crystals are a universal theme of magic. Most starships are outfitted with a crystal full of a portion of the energies of a living creature called a Balmera. It's a mutual exchange, some of our energy for theirs.
Can you tell me more about these great crystals? I can tell you more about Balmeran crystals in exchange.
no subject
Where I am from, all life and aether flows from and through the Mothercrystal. She is the heart of all things.
[ completely normal, right. ]
But all lesser crystals are simply condensed aether, though they vary in power and size and elemental charge. I've never heard of a crystal powered by a living creature.. more often I've seen only the opposite.
no subject
For us, life or quintessence moves throughout the universe. We're all part of the flow. In death, we're reduced to our life force and returned to the whole. [Unless something prevents that. It isn't important to talk about. This is about life and crystals.]
I don't know if there's a grand force that directs it or if there's a heart to it. [He pauses and traces a circle on the glass.] Balmera have more life than most of us. It seems like the runoff grows on their surface and further down, inside the tunnels. Think of it like a planet you know has a mind of its own.
And all Balmera have people living on them that tend to them and in turn, are protected. ...how does the aether condense into crystals? Is it a natural process?
no subject
anyway, she's not so unfamiliar with what he's talking about - once more, it is a familiar thing given a different name. all worlds have a heart, they breathe and live. ]
Hydaelyn is no different. The mothercrystal lives like any other great beast might, I suppose.. and she certainly has a mind and voice of her own.
[ she shakes her head. ]
Usually, yes. When aether - what you call quintessence - is in great abundance somewhere, it concentrates into crystals of all kinds, so you can imagine that they are quite useful and potentially powerful.
[ they're like.. batteries, of stored aether, if she was tech savvy enough to know that word. ]
no subject
...I can. How big do these lesser crystals get? Battleship class crystals are about as large as my other shape. I’ll show you.
[He moves far enough away from her and shifts, purple light swirling and expanding into a truck sized mechanical lion. He places his metal paw against the glass as his mental voice same as before speaks up.]
The real Black lion also has a crystal core. But I’m not entirely sure what it’s made of. It’s interesting how many worlds know some form of energy that flows through the universe. First time I’ve heard anyone else talk about crystals and their power.
no subject
Crystals have no particular set size where I come from, they grow larger the more aether is infused into them, generally. Think of aether as water, and crystals as.. ice. The more water is present, when it freezes, the larger block of ice you will have.
[ it's the closest metaphor she can think of. ]
Some are small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, others are enormous, as large as great towers, or larger still. I suppose it is not so surprising that there would be such a thing across worlds, a.. thread that connects us all. Our worlds have lifeblood like any other creature.
no subject
It makes you wonder. Does reality itself have lifeblood and a consciousness? All these threads and a lot of them have a common element. Maybe the heart of it all is one giant crystal just like your Hydaelyn.
[He itches to know. He wants to find out whatever he can. Shiro shifts his feet in a restless manner. He'd pace if he had less control. It's enough to press his paw back to the glass.]
Questions like that are why I ever became a space exploration pilot in the first place. ...if you don't mind my asking. What made you want to travel?
no subject
Oh.. back home, you mean?
[ that must be what he means, considering she didn't exactly travel here by force. ]
Well, I left home seeking answers, at first, but once I experienced the world in all its vastness and wonder and cruelty and color, I could not turn back. I suppose I became entangled, and that was that.
sorry thought I hit this back!
Entangled, that sounds...I like that description. It fits. In a way for all the frustrations and lack of choice we've had on where we go.
I feel entangled in this journey we're on right now. We don't entirely know the stakes or who the players are...but I can't look away from it either.
no worries!
but she wants to help people. the worlds they visit - those people are in real trouble, in real pain, and she could no sooner ignore their plight than she could her own, her opinions about astoria have no bearing on her willingness to help others. ]
Neither can I. "To ignore the plight of those one might conceivably save is not wisdom—it is indolence."
no subject
I agree. We're here and we can do this job. Or she wouldn't have lifted us from our worlds in the first place.
[He drops his paw and lays down up against the glass. He's not tired but it's nice to lay here and see the stars the same way he used to be able to from the Observation Deck of the Castle of Lions.]
We should be able to find more answers once we get the key systems up and running. Any ship no matter what function they serve has logs and recordings. Even if someone wiped them we'll be able to find the fragments of the data in the system.
And getting to other floors could yield more clues.