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

[teratias]

That would make sense. Why print something out when you can just have a digital copy that updates as required.

[Waver's careful, and he follows the lights from Shiro's eyes as they sweep over and under the unit. Then he notices how low the table's clearance is, and he walks over so he can tip it up off the ground just a little bit more.]

Careful so you don't get stuck. [No one wants a stuck robo-lion.]

There hasn't been any evidence of such communicators so far though, has there?

[spaceforged]

There's been evidence of next to nothing. Except for those capsule beds...they seemed to be on some sort of release system.

[He flattens himself to the floor and carefully scans under the table. Nothing that hasn't been found before. He slowly backs up and lifts his head.]

What we really need to do is discover how to get the power running and possibly locate a water recycler. We'd get some concrete answers that way.

[teratias]

A release system has to be hooked up to something, though..

[Waver's careful to stand just off to the side. It's to avoid being under foot, and also Shiro's current form would probably hurt if it stepped on him.]

I was in the kitchen earlier. There wasn't any obvious evidence of a water system, but if someone has water or ice magic, we might be okay on that front. Power I'm less confident about.

[spaceforged]

We'll need to find out where the power routes lead to. There's got to be some kind of source. Without knowing the race operating the ship...it's difficult to say.

[The purple light of his transformation returns him to human form. He breathes for a moment and adds,]

Until then we just have to keep breaking down doors. We might find supplies as well as an answer.

[teratias]

There hasn't been any obvious thing outside the ship to make the answer to source obvious? Like a nearby star and this thing's solar powered or something.

[Well, Shiro's a person and not a lion again. Waver's never going to be used to that.]

Is there a plan being thought of in case there's no supplies?

[spaceforged]

We have members of the circle that can conjure food. There's also the garden we could possibly have plant magic users revive. It's not much but it's something until we get the power running and find out what systems they have for water recycling and food production.

[He looks back towards the cafeteria with a thoughtful pause, eyes slightly narrowed as he thinks it over.]

The airlocks aren't working or I'd head out to circle the ship and see what I could find. I don't need air when I'm a machine.

[teratias]

I'll be honest, conjuring food actually seems safer than relying on a garden where the soil could contain stuff that our bodies would react to and whatever.

[Waver sighs, following Shiro's sightline.]

I don't know if going out is a good idea even if they were working. I mean, there could be stuff out there waiting for signs of life. This place is how it is for a reason.

[spaceforged]

That's exactly why I haven't asked plant users to revive the garden. Conjuring is safer and no chance of it being tampered with.

[He nods, seeing Waver's second point and says,] There could be, but we don't even know what's going on right now. Any information is a step in the right direction.

I'm concerned about why Astoria brought up the void in her saying she thinks we can be victorious here.

[teratias]

Hm. Maybe there's more void related things involved then. It would make sense since we're dealing with space as well, since...[he pauses, then frowns, waving a hand.]

You probably can speak to that with more knowledge than I can, but there's something to it, I think.

[spaceforged]

[He winces. Oh he could say a lot about the void.]

...she told me that the void I have been to and the one we faced in the rift are similar. They’re not the same but they’re close.

[He frowns too, looking at the far wall. They talked about moving souls before. But this is something deeper than that.]

You went inside the rift, right?

[teratias]

Similar. Sibling voids?

[Wow he hates it! Waver frowns at the mere thought, but Shiro's moved on so Waver can't linger and hey, void, go to hell.]

Yeah. That was...that happened. You did too, from the sounds of it.

[spaceforged]

or one void is the echo of the other. [The thought makes him frown but it had to be voiced.] And yes, I did several times.

It never stopped feeling like that other void. It had the same pull on your sanity. Space is...feels different. You don't lose all sense of time within space. That void?

It felt like if we weren't careful we wouldn't even know who we were.

[teratias]

In that case, the void isn't just about the physical world, is it? It extends to the internal thought process and space, which makes it a far more concerning thing. Not that it is the Void's fault specifically. It could just be it's nature.

[Voids....can't change their spots? Don't quote him on it.]

I get your point though, about how it would compare to space. [This is great. But Shiro is good at explaining the harder truths, Waver has come to realize that much.]

Do you think it's possible for one to mesh into the other, somehow? Not...not like a black hole, but a gradient of space into Void?

[spaceforged]

[He stares into the middle distance. All he can think about is the white hole pouring out strange energies to keep all out of the realm beyond it.

Waver is good at asking tough questions and putting pieces together. He wouldn’t have considered that angle.]

...I think they can. Space might be where the fabric of reality is thinnest depending on where you are. If that’s true then there has to be places where the two blur. And there is one place where the time and space are distorted. Where there is one,

[There could be more. He looks back through his memories to find more evidence.] I imagine it would take less magic to tear to the void from here.

[teratias]

Void and void-like enough to make a transition from one to the other much easier. There's no proof either way but...it sounds right, doesn't it?

[It's a hypothesis. One that maybe can be tested.]

....That does not make me feel any better about being on a ghost ship though.

[spaceforged]

...that’s one possibility of many. It could be something attacked these people. [It’s not a comforting thought but none of this is supposed to be. It’s a job and they’re meant to fix the problem...somehow.]

And yes...that sounds right. Space is full of so many things we haven’t discovered yet there is more than little chance that the answer is somewhere out there.

[Despite the seriousness of before, he grins. Space is so vast and beautiful. It is capable of terrible things but just as capable of the most wonderous sights he has ever seen.] There’s always something new to find out here.

[teratias]

If it's a void-like thing doing the attack, that also would account for the minimal amount of evidence relating to what happened here.

[It's a void so it doesn't leave marks.]

I guess. Makes everything seem really small though

[spaceforged]

Yeah, that's one thing they warned us about in training. Being out here changes one's perspective. It's worse if you actually see what the planet looks like as you leave it.

But...I wouldn't trade that for anything. It's also a sign of just how far people have come. [It's why he sought space in the first place. Shiro sobers, his grin disappearing as he adds.]

It would and that's what worries me. This ship probably won't be able to sustain another attack. If it ever left.

[teratias]

I'll take your word for it on both accounts. Leaving sounds...that just sounds like it'd end up being weird and messy, emotion-wise.

[Waver's interests have never been towards the heavens. Only to books, to proving himself, to his own little isolated world of magecraft. That's changed since, but there are still parts of it he clings to.

It's the words if it ever left that makes Waver actually let out a small, horrified laugh.]

Wow. I didn't think it was possible to make this worse but...you did.

[spaceforged]

It's an unfortunate possibility. Someone would have considered it.

[He sighs. After some of the things he's seen in the universe?]

Knowing how this goes, we'll know at some point. Let's hope I'm wrong.

[teratias]

I mean, we can hope, but we both know you're gonna be right.

[It's just How Things Work around here.]

C'mon then, wanna try the next room over together?

[spaceforged]

Sure. I could use something to dig my claws into.

[He cracks his knuckles almost thoughtfully. He can't tear into a door with his fists but there's something so satisfying about breaking in with fang and claw.]

And I like to try to look on the bright side. Even if cynicism and experience tends to win.

[teratias]

...Was that being literal?

[Waver squints, as if that will divine the fact. It's a near pun but not.]


[ooc: i feel like we're at a good wrap up point!]

[spaceforged]

[Shiro just grins at him and raises his eyebrows.] Could be. Let's find out.

[ooc: I agree! We good to end here.]