acatamods: (Default)
acatamods. ([personal profile] acatamods) wrote in [community profile] acatalepsy_logs2019-02-12 12:27 pm

welcome to the horologium.






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!
juniberries: (armour; in the cockpit)

[personal profile] juniberries 2019-02-26 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[she could easily say yes. keep it at that, not expand on the exact nature of the voices beyond that. but, again, she knows it's best to be honest.]

Yes. My father's. [a pause.] And, on occasion, my mother's. I'm not sure if it's me, or the ship, or...

[she shakes her head.]

There is truly something wrong here.
lonered: (S6-26)

[personal profile] lonered 2019-02-26 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not you.

[Keith admits, quiet, but certain. A breath.] I've heard voices too. It's the worst by some of the doors. And it's always people who aren't here. Krolia's, mostly. My dad, too.

[And while there is some tiny possibility that somehow this universe is connected to their own, that the Blades could have found their way to this ship too -- there's no way his father would be here.]

Something is definitely going on. [He shakes his head.] We need to figure out who sent the distress beacon that Astoria mentioned.

[And whether it was a genuine call for help or bait for a trap.]
juniberries: (armour; looking back)

[personal profile] juniberries 2019-02-26 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[she frowns, sympathetic. she still only knows vaguely who Krolia is, and cannot place a face to the name. but this is the first time Keith speaks of his dad. placing a hand on his shoulder, she moves to stand next to him.

and...well, she'll say what's likely on his mind.
]

I cannot stop thinking about the distress signal Lotor once used to lure us...[her voice trails off, and her hand moves from Keith's shoulder. clearly still shaken by that, despite what has now passed between her and Lotor.] I think, with the current status of the ship, that may be a possibility with what is happening here.
lonered: (s727)

[personal profile] lonered 2019-02-26 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Keith offers a faint smile, betraying ever so slightly how on edge this whole thing has him, but he appreciates the comfort.

His expression darkens in the next moment, and he nods in agreement.]


Yeah. I was thinking that too. It could be a cry for help, or it could just as easily be bait for a trap. One that Astoria threw us all straight into without even hesitating.

[So. That's a comforting thought.] Now all we can do is be ready if this goes south.
juniberries: (armour; true peace...)

[personal profile] juniberries 2019-03-01 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
It seems to be a recurring theme with what happens in the Circle. Were we given better briefing... [but. like she should be one to comment on impulsive acts that put others at risk.

to Keith, Oriande may seem far flung. but to Allura, it remains the very last memory she has of their home universe before being brought here. regardless for how long she's been brought here.
]

I wish there was better organization among us. We can be ready, I've no doubt about it, but there are many here where this is their first jump.
lonered: (s702)

[personal profile] lonered 2019-03-05 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
We aren't even keeping track of who comes and goes as closely as we should.

[Never mind organizing beyond that.] I know some people have talked about it and tried. We should keep trying.

[Despite the influxes and exoduses of people. There are so few here who have been with the Circle from the start, and Keith can't quite stop his thoughts from straying to friends that he's lost to what he hopes is their returning to their homes.]

But for now, we're here. [He offers a start of a smile in her direction.] So we'll have to figure it out. Shiro and I have been working on doors. There's got to be some clue somewhere.