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etrayamemes2024-06-12 03:15 pm
etrayamods) wrote in etrayamemes2024-06-12 03:15 pm
Entry tags:
TDM 003
 ⏵ arrival ⏴ NOTES\WARNINGS: Space horror, existential horror, clown horror, potential graphic violence & psychological trauma. Please add additional warnings as needed within threads. Your arrival does not go as anticipated. While most Etrayans wake up in the hospital, you find yourself somewhere else entirely. Not within the city bubble, not on the planet, but in a desolate room aboard a space station. There’s an endless mechanical whirring that can be heard from anywhere from just behind the walls, although the cause of the noise itself is difficult to discern. Instead of Aurora’s voice telling you of your situation, you are greeted by a man running past the sliding door of your room, opening it, and potentially a couple of others along the hallway. He stops just at the edge of the hallway, a hesitant smile on his lips as he raises a hand to the back of his hair. "Hey! Sorry about the uh–unexpected vacation? Trip? You can call me Alex, I’m one of the hands here aboard the Titan Eight. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but you don’t really belong here. Aaaaand neither do we! Haha, so at least we’ve got that in common. Right? We’re uh, stuck in the gravitational pull of a black hole of some sort and haven’t found a way out yet, and we keep getting random people pulled aboard." His hand smacks the wall next to him, and it opens up - revealing small handheld communication devices lined up behind it. "As you can probably tell, we’re getting used to it. Anyway. Feel free to take one of these, and read up a bit on the ship if you want. There’s a map, you were given a translator—" With a hand dropping to his collar, where a small button rests, "soon as we found you down below. Didn’t want you waking up and freaking out, did we? Just don’t break anything, please? Or don’t break it worse than it is. If this thing gets a big enough hole in it, or we run out of oxygen, or it, gods forbid, explodes, we’re all dead. I’ve got a thing I’m on the way to, but our AI, Aria, can lend you a hand with whatever. Just click her little icon on the comm. She's a bit basic, but she gets the job done." With a little salute, Alex turns himself around to run further down the hallway, leaving new arrivals to themselves and their little communicators. Looks like we’re not on Etraya anymore, Toto. For new arrivals, they will find themselves waking up in the sleeping quarters of Titan Eight, a space station that has found itself trapped just outside of what looks like it must be a black hole. The station is running low on supplies, but it has been for a very, very long time. Or at least, the crew seems to think it has. They’ll say they have two weeks' worth of supplies left for those currently on board, except every time they go back to their supplies, it’s still two weeks left regardless of the amount of time it’s been since they’ve last checked it. Even the crew seems to think it’s odd, looking at one another in confusion every time they’re counting their stock only to realize that it’s still drastically low but never too low. How long have they been here? Years, some seem to think. There are numerous children on board, some as young as nine, but no one on board is aging either. They have tried to track how much time has passed before, but it seems they’ve never been able to track it successfully. Journal entries all carry the same date even as crew members try to mark them differently — marks made on the ship and on bodies fade after midnight as if they had never been there to begin with. This is where the mission, and Etrayans comes in: remove the space station from the black hole’s gravitational pull. There are no further instructions, no limitations on how to accomplish this, and they are not given a time frame. Newcomers will not have this mission information on hand until someone who has stepped foot on Etraya proper can inform them. All of those who drop onto the ship were originally meant to be brought to Etraya and similar city bubbles, but the same pull that keeps the ship by the black hole seems to be preventing whatever method Echo and Aurora are using to get people to Etraya and is instead pulling them here. Titan Eight is not just an average space station. It was built by residents of Caerys 2, and used to serve as a vacation home for those who can afford the luxury rooms in the fourth quadrant. The first quadrant houses a carnival of sorts, the second hosts numerous vendors, and the third is where the crew, and unexpected guests, can be found during their off time. The fourth quadrant houses some of this galaxy's richest families. A mother and her two sons walk through the hallways, carrying umbrellas despite there being no natural light on board, but a closer look at them might explain it: they're so pale, their skin looks clear, dark black veins visible through skin. Their sclera are black, and their 'hair' isn't hair but long black feathers. Numerous guests aboard the ship don't appear to be human; rather, species' of all kinds. An engineer is more dragon than anything else: his long body extends throughout the engine facility, taking up a significant amount of space, but given the dragon himself seems to be leading all efforts to keep the ship running, everyone else tries to work around him.  ⏵ whirlwind whimsy ⏴ During the daytime, Titan Eight is fun. Numerous rides are strewn about the wide open area: a massive carousel, ferris wheel, bumper cars, and various others. A seer will offer to tell your future, and performers gather in the big top, showing off their ability to bend themselves into unnatural shapes, or their lack of fear as they balance on thin wire high above the ground without a net to catch them, should they fall. One popular ride is the Tunnel of Love: a small boat that only fits two and steers itself through a tunnel that goes under the carousel. Soft, serene tunes play as various images play over the tunnel walls. While those who have been aboard Titan Eight for a significant period will likely see hearts, short videos of people holding hands, watching the sunset while swinging together - it's not the same for those displaced onto the space station. Instead, they'll see doorways into other worlds: an underwater city full of humanoid beings, a city bubble that looks like a small suburban area, a city built out of trees, or perhaps their own worlds: images of what they may be missing out on, or what could be. The House of Mirrors is also popular: a carnival worker will tell those passing by that it shows you other versions of yourself - who you could be, what you might become, who you once were, or the person you wish you were. Rumor has it the mirrors will whisper to you, telling you what you can do to avoid certain outcomes, or how to achieve others. There are also numerous carnival games set up: Balloon Darts, Ring Toss, Rifle Ranges - anything you could imagine at a carnival is set up somewhere. And given this is meant to be a luxury ship, everything is free of charge.  ⏵ midnight entertainment ⏴ Titan Eight being stuck in the pull of the black hole doesn't seem to be the only problem. When the clocks onboard read 0000 hours, everything shifts. The fun carnival feels eerie. Children's laughter can be heard bouncing off the walls — sometimes sounding bright and cheerful; other times sounding downright sinister. Crew members and carnival workers suggest staying out of the first quadrant. After 2230 hours, they exit their workstations and find other spaces to hunker down in for the night. No one wants to be around when the excessively tall clown walks out of the House of Mirrors, dragging other clowns of various shapes and sizes right through the mirrors themselves. Carnival workers will explain they have tried breaking the mirrors but given how the ship resets at midnight, attempts to destroy everything have proved futile. The clowns themselves are odd. The tallest one has a smile filled with blood and a laugh that sounds like it belongs to a young child rather than the creature it is. It carries around a bloodied carving knife but doesn't reach for anyone who goes near it. Some clowns cry and sob, ripping fingernails from their nailbeds as they claw at the door leading into the central hub. Others laugh and scream, wandering around the open carnival area to cause damage wherever possible. Some hurt each other, or the other creatures wandering the carnival area. Most of them will attack on sight. During the nighttime hours, this is their area. And yet many remain around the House of Mirrors, guarding it, as if there is something inside of it that they must protect. Getting past them is near impossible: when one clown falls, two more rise out of the mirrors. When the mirrors are destroyed, the tall clown drags its hands against the broken pieces of glass, helping it to reform. By 0500 hours, the clowns have made their way back into the mirrors, taking along with them whatever they had been so protective of.  ⏵ toucan play that game ⏴ While the fourth quadrant is generally reserved for guests who can afford to pay for the space and the staff who manage it, with the station stuck, they've opted to open the area to allow others to come and go during the day. In the center is a massive aviary, filled with birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of them have no feathers yet still manage to fly, some look as if they should have gone extinct thousands of years ago, and others are - completely unidentifiable, alien. Most of them are peaceful. But not all of them. Off in the far Southwest corner is a bird with three eyes, a long black tail, and a beak full of massive teeth. While it will not attack others, it will open its beak and speak in a voice that mimics one familiar to those wandering past it: a friend, a sibling, or someone who had long since passed, and says the last thing they remember that person saying to them, repeating it over and over again as long as they stay close to it. Outside of the aviary, there are exercise facilities, sunning rooms, a massive swimming pool and hot tub, areas for pets to rest and play with one another, and a large ballroom where dances are thrown once weekly. Residents dress up in their best gowns and suits, don masks, and dance away the stress of their situation. Staff and displaced are invited to join, although staff are encouraged to come to every other dance, so there are still enough to man the ballroom.  ⏵ current player notes ⏴ Aurora approaches those currently stationed on Etraya individually, informing them of the mission at hand. She tells them that she is capable of releasing them much in the same way Echo originally pulled them onto the planet, but with a 'tether' still attached to keep them from getting lost too long. Time does not function the same way on the ship as it does on the planet; she suspects their time being on the ship won't register as any time at all to those remaining on Etraya, and that when they are pulled back, it will likely be as if they never left to begin with. Current characters are not pulled to Titan Eight during missions happening in game but in the downtime between them. Small rescue ships are docked at the Southeastern island, and she will send individuals off a few at a time. The ships will pass through the barrier without issue, but won't travel far at all outside of Etraya before they blip out of existence, and reappear in Titan Eight's orbit. They will also get a friendly introduction speech from Alex, and a ship communicator for any network-related needs while aboard Titan Eight! Earpieces will not work aboard the ship. When characters are pulled back, it will not be on rescue ships. Instead, they will find themselves suddenly dissipating at midnight, as the rest of the changes aboard the ship shift back to how they had been originally. The rescue ships disappear at midnight, along with the player characters. This TDM covers June to September. The TDM is game canon, meaning everything happening above is occurring within the game properly, and threads can be kept as game canon even if a character does not app. Time does not function the same on Titan Eight as on Etraya! Characters can be brought onto Titan Eight at any time and stationed there long before any of the Etrayans arrive to assist. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please reply to our mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. This is going to be an ongoing plot, which characters are welcome to try and solve, even if they aren't yet in the game! |
arrival
Fabian blinks for a moment when he spots her ears. It's not like it should be all that strange, given just how many people there are with those sorts of ears where he comes from. But this place has been noticably different, with most of them present coming from his own world.
In fact, it's only the second time he's come across a half-elf here. Someone like him, because Fabian is definitely sporting the exact same kind of pointy ears. It's surprising, but not surprising enough to point it out. It just pauses Fabian's reaction for a moment, but when his mind has processed what he's seeing here, he just smiles. ]
Why, of course! It must be strange, suddenly finding yourself so far away from Spyre, huh?
[ .. Someone hasn't quite realised yet there are worlds out there with half-elves other than Spyre.. This place could've fooled him though, given just how many humans he's ran into. It feels like they're the only beings populating other worlds out there! ]
no subject
[But the presence of another of Elven lineage
especially so handsomehad been enough for Marcille to calm down. Even if this was a strange place amidst the stars, at least there was one thing that was somewhat familiar.]I'm no stranger to being far from home... But the last place I was in was a Dungeon. I'd like to make sure my friends are okay... Or, if that's not possible, I guess I just want to know how we're so high up here at all.
I've seen ships, [she added after a beat, distracted by thoughts of the threats that Shuro and the other Tall Man had made about reporting her use of dark magic,] but sailing in the sky like this is well beyond anything I thought was possible.
no subject
[ It's not impossible, but Fabian does look a little bit more confused at that mention. He's not exactly from your traditional fantasy world, after all. Sure, there are dungeons, but it's more just meant for training, nothing too serious..
Hence why the young man definitely looks like he has to think for a moment here, sorting out his own thoughts before he arrives at: ]
Were you there with your party? Out on, uh.. [ ... ] Some sort of adventure?
[ At least he does know the concept of an adventuring party! He's part of one! ]
no subject
[She said evenly, as if this were a normal situation-- because it was, mostly. At the very least, it was understandable.]
The party I'm with and I fought a dragon in the dungeon... And we were about to lose. Our cleric managed to transport us out just before we all died-- but she stayed behind.
We're going back in to save her... From the dragon, the dungeon, and whatever magic the Mad Mage has her caught up in.
no subject
I'm sorry. [ He gets how difficult it is when one of your party members is in trouble, after all. Especially your cleric. Fabian recalls seeing Kristen die more than once, and he also remembers just how determined all of them had been to do something about it.
He can't imagine this stranger's party is any different. You just grow that close if you're always adventuring together. ]
Especially since.. I don't think you're going to be able to get back to that anytime soon, sorry to say. When this place drags you in, it doesn't seem to let go of you so easily. Not until we've done what we're supposed to do here.
[ And he imagines Marcille doesn't have the time for that. Not if she has to go back right away to save her fellow party member. It's the sort of thing that requires haste. ]
no subject
[The black hole that Alex had been worried about was obvious, but she knew precious little about the rest of what was at stake. Marcille's brows furrowed, a show of her own worry about her missing friends, but she didn't dwell on it further.
They were all capable and clever. If luck was in their favor, they would be reunited all over again.]
no subject
[ There's some scepticism in both his tone and his expression when he says it, but it isn't directly aimed at her. No, it's definitely way more meant for the people who put them into this situation in the first place.
It kind of reminds him of his own arrival in that other place, and the way he straight up ran away in confusion before anyone showed up to tell him what was going on. ]
The people in charge of this place really are terrible hosts. [ He grumbles, clicking his tongue. ] Well, they told me that we're supposed to get this ship away from that black hole.
[ A slight pause, and then admitted with a tone that sounds like he's trying to underplay it, like he's worried about losing face in front of her: ]
Not that I even know much about ships like these. I don't even know why it is called a ship when it doesn't even look like one! [ This is an insult to pirates EVERYWHERE, Marcille! Please understand! ]
no subject
[With the strange device, the change in location, and her concern over her friends (especially Falin), there had been several matters that she needed to juggle in that momemt.]
I honestly wondered the same thing. Ships are guided by the wind and have an obvious way to steer it. How can we get away at all when we don't even know how this vehicle works?
[She does understand-- not in a piratical way, but she understands!]
no subject
[ Fabian makes a vague hand gesture. It's hard to tell what he's trying to express with it - other than the fact that he's having a hard time expressing any of this. This isn't his expertise! ]
I don't know, some sort of engine? Maybe if we can find where it is here, we can just try to steer this thing in the other direction, away from the black hole.
[ The boy lets out a sigh, shaking his head. ]
If they really wanted us to do this, they should have pulled in someone who knows more about this stuff, like my friend Gorgug.. [ Fabian only knows how to ride motorcycles! Not spaceships! ]
no subject
[Marcille sighed, once more rattling her brain over the complexities of a structure that had both infinite strength and infinite depth.]
The only way I can see us getting out is finding an unlimited power source for this ship's engine, and then pushing the mechanisms beyond what they were designed for in order to achieve a speed that's greater than the black hole's strength.
But, there's one problem: I'm a mage, not an engineer.
no subject
[ ...
He pauses for a moment. Like he's wondering if what he's about to propose isn't majorly stupid. Fabian doesn't know, being neither a mage nor an engineer. It makes it hard to find out these things, especially when his friend is usually also the one who takes care of Fabian's beloved motorcycle when something is wrong with it.. ]
Could that unlimited power source not just.. be magic?
[ Fabian does know a little about magic. He's also a bard, after all, not a fighter. But he's not the same kind of bard as Fig, the type who mainly utilizes magic to attack.
Hence why he sounds a little more uncertain. ]
If you saw the engine, couldn't you try to power it with your magic like that?