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synflux2024-09-28 12:07 pm
synfluxmods) wrote in synflux2024-09-28 12:07 pm
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TRAVEL LOG #3: KIDNAPPED CHARACTERS ONLY
THE CHOSEN
โถ CASTLE BRAN
The last thing you remember might be speaking to a friend, making merry with a stranger, or enjoying a quiet night against the backlight of the bonfire. Your memories between then and now are a blur—one moment you were in the village, and the next you are here, arising from your slumber and finding yourself in a lavish room with gothic and archaic decor. The windows of the castle are bolted shut so no light goes in and no soul escapes, but candles have been so kindly lit for the captured to find their way. If you can manage to unbolt a window and peek outside, all you will see is a dark fog, obscuring all light and thrusting the castle into an eternal night. The room is old, dark, and eerie, but clean, looking very much lived in and cared for. Within every room, the skull of a wolf has been carefully placed, almost like it oversees the inhabitants.
Welcome to the Castle Bran.
Outsiders, whom attendants within the castle will so reverently refer to as the โChosenโ, will find themselves waking up spread across the many rooms of the castle. All their belongings were left behind at the village, and theyโll find that theyโve been cleaned up and dressed carefully in fresh, white linen. Another thing they might notice immediately is that they have been completely stripped of all their powers and weapons, rendering them as strong as any other human.
They are free to roam the many rooms and hallways of the castle but they cannot go any deeper than the ground floor. The attendants of the castle, who appear to be villagers from the town, will follow them and try their best to tend to their every need, be it food, water or a fresh bath. Attempting to question the attendants is a fruitless endeavor: they sing praises of the Lord of the Forest but provide no other useful answers, always diverting the topic back to how wonderful their protector is and how blessed the Outsiders must be to have been chosen by him.
Welcome to the Castle Bran.
Outsiders, whom attendants within the castle will so reverently refer to as the โChosenโ, will find themselves waking up spread across the many rooms of the castle. All their belongings were left behind at the village, and theyโll find that theyโve been cleaned up and dressed carefully in fresh, white linen. Another thing they might notice immediately is that they have been completely stripped of all their powers and weapons, rendering them as strong as any other human.
They are free to roam the many rooms and hallways of the castle but they cannot go any deeper than the ground floor. The attendants of the castle, who appear to be villagers from the town, will follow them and try their best to tend to their every need, be it food, water or a fresh bath. Attempting to question the attendants is a fruitless endeavor: they sing praises of the Lord of the Forest but provide no other useful answers, always diverting the topic back to how wonderful their protector is and how blessed the Outsiders must be to have been chosen by him.
โถ HOSPITALITY TREATMENT
Chosen who try to break their way out of the castle will be hit with a psionic wave, forcing them into a state of calmness, placidity and contentment. They might even be treated to pleasant hallucinations or relive happy memories. Thereโs no reason to be afraid, after all. The Lord of the Forest will take care of you. Any attempt to hurt or kill the attendants will be met with no resistance from them, almost like they are content to accept their fate. They will then be replaced with another attendant right away, rendering the effort meaningless. The bodies of any dead attendants will be left there to rot until someone complains about it enough, at which point the corpse will be carted off to the dungeons.
At this point, escape seems futile. The dark fog surrounding the castle renders it virtually invisible to the outside world and communications between the Chosen and the Outsiders in the town have been cut off. It may feel like there's nothing you can do but sit pretty and await your fate ...
At this point, escape seems futile. The dark fog surrounding the castle renders it virtually invisible to the outside world and communications between the Chosen and the Outsiders in the town have been cut off. It may feel like there's nothing you can do but sit pretty and await your fate ...
โถ WE SAVE OURSELVES
After days of strange dreams and curious findings, it seems that help will take some time to arrive. The Chosen will have to save themselves even without their powers. Based on some observations, they may infer that something is cloaking the castle and making it difficult for others to locate it. They have to find a way to disrupt whatever is keeping them hidden.
With each day, they may notice something about the wolf skulls that hang in each room. Every time they look at one, it will trigger their flight response as if they are prey facing off with a predator. Some may feel frightened, anxious, hopeless, or submissive until the skull is out of their sight.
If they can push through those feelings and draw out their fight instinct, they can take the skulls and destroy them. After destroying a skull, a wave of energy will come from it. The energy will give them brief headaches, vertigo, and a short bout of irritability and impulsiveness. Some characters may recognize the feeling as Rift poisoning.
Each time they destroy a skull, the character will receive a microdose of Rift poisoning. Without their LILITH suits to protect them, they can experience extreme poisoning which results in flu like symptoms, mental and physical fatigue, and hallucinations which will make them more vulnerable to the psionic waves. However, with each skull destroyed, the fog around the castle begins to lift ever so slightly. After the air has cleared, the rooms feel safer and less oppressive, making them the perfect place to rest and recover. Unfortunately, if the servants notice, they may replace the destroyed skull with a new one.
With each day, they may notice something about the wolf skulls that hang in each room. Every time they look at one, it will trigger their flight response as if they are prey facing off with a predator. Some may feel frightened, anxious, hopeless, or submissive until the skull is out of their sight.
If they can push through those feelings and draw out their fight instinct, they can take the skulls and destroy them. After destroying a skull, a wave of energy will come from it. The energy will give them brief headaches, vertigo, and a short bout of irritability and impulsiveness. Some characters may recognize the feeling as Rift poisoning.
Each time they destroy a skull, the character will receive a microdose of Rift poisoning. Without their LILITH suits to protect them, they can experience extreme poisoning which results in flu like symptoms, mental and physical fatigue, and hallucinations which will make them more vulnerable to the psionic waves. However, with each skull destroyed, the fog around the castle begins to lift ever so slightly. After the air has cleared, the rooms feel safer and less oppressive, making them the perfect place to rest and recover. Unfortunately, if the servants notice, they may replace the destroyed skull with a new one.
โถ AFTERWORD.
Chosen characters may use this log to interact with each other and investigate the situation. It is HIGHLY encouraged to collaborate with other characters and share the clues you have been given.
Everyone who is kidnapped will have their ocular implants turned off, thus rendering communications between Chosen characters and characters who were not captured impossible, and any sort of location tracking will not function. However, certain characters will be given the opportunity to send a short message to the rest of the Outsiders. Players may use this post to have IC discussions about what information they want to provide to the rest of the team. If sending out a message, please submit your message by 11:59 PM GMT on the 10th of October so that mods may post it on the network.
Furthermore, characters can destroy skulls to slowly lift the fog around the castle. The number of skulls they will need to destroy is not specified, but it will lift during the next log.
The purpose of this log is for investigation and collaboration. We understand that players are excited to have terrible things happen to their characters. You can expect that information to be given on the 15th. Timeline-wise, characters will be kidnapped late at night on the 7th and then be freed around the 15th.
Everyone who is kidnapped will have their ocular implants turned off, thus rendering communications between Chosen characters and characters who were not captured impossible, and any sort of location tracking will not function. However, certain characters will be given the opportunity to send a short message to the rest of the Outsiders. Players may use this post to have IC discussions about what information they want to provide to the rest of the team. If sending out a message, please submit your message by 11:59 PM GMT on the 10th of October so that mods may post it on the network.
Furthermore, characters can destroy skulls to slowly lift the fog around the castle. The number of skulls they will need to destroy is not specified, but it will lift during the next log.
The purpose of this log is for investigation and collaboration. We understand that players are excited to have terrible things happen to their characters. You can expect that information to be given on the 15th. Timeline-wise, characters will be kidnapped late at night on the 7th and then be freed around the 15th.
EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
1. CASTLE BRAN: Some Outsiders will awaken to find themselves in a mysterious castle and referred to as 'Chosen' by the castle servants. They are stripped of their belongings and powers, and have been freshly bathed and dressed. They are allowed to wander the castle but cannot leave or go further than the ground floor.
2. HOSPITALITY TREATMENT: Outsiders who try to leave will be hit by a psionic wave that leaves them feeling placid and happy, and may even cause them to hallucinate pleasant events or relive happy memories. Since there is a heavy fog around the castle and communications are cut off, there appears to be no method of escape.
3. WE SAVE OURSELVES: After several days, Outsiders may begin to infer that there is something cloaking the castle and preventing it from being discovered. The source is a multitude of wolf skulls hung up around the castle. Though the skulls induce fear and hopelessness in anyone who looks at it, destroying the skull will cause the fog around the castle to slowly lift. Outsiders who destroy skulls will suffer the effects of Rift poisoning.
no subject
An Omag...I'm not sure. It could be an acronym of some sort? Or perhaps an abbreviation, or misspelled "Omega" [Oh we're not getting into that...]. That the parts are all listed out and seem parts of the wolf.....
[His mouth presses in a thin line. Sacrifices. Deaths. Corpse blood.
.......He speaks quietly, unnerved. ] You don't...think they intend to obtain those reagents from...us...?
no subject
It could be. But, if they intended to do that why let us have so much free reign of this castle? They would have had a chance to do it already.
Shout out to abbie for pointing out the possible Romanian language angle
[He shifts uncomfortably. A fair point, but still...] Perhaps they still need to make other preparations, and allowing us to wander is just. Easier? [Free range sacrifices. Lambs for the slaughter.] And maybe they need other materials first, or are waiting for a certain time...I'm not sure. It's all rather ominous...
no subject
[ the faith she's got in him is. stunning. anyway, she'll tilt her head at the rest of dan heng's thoughts. ]
I was thinking the last, actually... We just had a big festival for the good harvest, so maybe it's the same thing: they're waiting for a particular day, rather than fattening up us up like children in a gingerbread house. It's not like we can leave, and we really are sitting ducks powerless as we are -- of course they'd just let us wander, they're probably confident we can't do anything anyway.
[ which
they can't really! they can be minor annoyances, but that's really about it! she's aware! it doesn't feel great, but she'll deal! this is no different than the city! ]
Any botanist in thr group? Flower enthusiasts?
Dan Heng goes a bit pale at Malkuth's musings. He hates being powerless. What does a house made of bread have to do with this...? ]...perhaps for a certain phase of the moon. Some celebrations revolve around that. And...the wolf connections make me think of the Borisin from my world. [Space werewolves. His expression darkens. ] They could draw power from a full moon. Maybe it's something similar. [Not likely but he's throwing ideas around. He sighs, tired. ] You're right...I wish you weren't. I hate just...waiting.
no subject
... it reminds me of a picture from a child's book - you know, for one who's learning what the parts of the body are? So you would point at the parts to learn what to call them: this is the pelt, the skull, and so on. You need these things to make a body.
[ so, yes, maybe that's what the connections are. ] After all, if the ... wolf kaiju has a skull for the head, then ... maybe it's incomplete.
no subject
But they may be indeed pieces to reconstruct for this...creature. Somehow. It's just...strange, because "omag" is such an odd one out from everything, is it not? [He's made a rough recreation of the wolf drawing--he's no artist--and has been drawing tentative lines to the likely corresponding pieces...omag has nothing to connect to.]