⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳

[beleos]

ARRIVAL

All Bearers have heard whispers of them - the Oracles. Mysterious and unknown entities of an abstract nature, they serve as the heart of each faction’s cause - both as a means to an end and a very real stepping stone in achieving their objectives. To claim an Oracle means growing ever closer to victory: to see your homes restored as they were, or to herald in a new one of your making.

So you go.

A Cornerstone has been set up for each faction; one for the Zenith and one for the Meridian in Yima’s manor and Heliopolis, respectively. They warn you that upon transportation, your safety cannot be guaranteed and there is no telling what waits for you beyond - to be prepared. To make sure you have whatever you deem necessary with you before you go, as there is no telling when - or how - you will be coming back. CONTINUED HERE...

NOTES

Upon your arrival, you woke up with an HOURGLASS NECKLACE. Please refer to the Time Mechanics on the OOC Summary and bottom of this post for details on its usage.

The COURTYARD is frozen in time. Player Characters and the Great Tree are the only signs of moving, free life in the courtyard. During the intro, time magic does not work.

Characters are free to investigate but cannot move beyond the courtyard if you choose a prompt during the intro. You may mingle among your fellow Bearers or speak with [MR. TIBBS] if you so choose. (Also? LOOK AT HIM HELP)

Iconoclasts and Stargazers will notice Aspect benefits/detriments now.

All characters will be weak for the 24 hours - think like mild flu - and unable to leave until Mr. Tibbs has dispersed them. This is the time in which any threads with the NPC will be carried out.

The INTRO concludes with said dispersal of PC’s once interactions concluded. They will be sent to a location around the castle of your choosing; they are free to move about freely from here. Your prompts can start with you waking alone or in the presence of others - whatever you’d like!

Your character will innately understand how to use time magic from this point forward. It will come naturally to them, like a skill they were born with.

CASTLE: OVERVIEW (p a s t)

The Scorching Isles is home to the Atirat, a people of sea-dwellers who have the ability to walk on land. (Think mermaids with the ability to shift back and forth between human and mermaid forms.) As such, much of the Scorching Isles is covered in large bodies of blue water and glistening pieces of ice to accommodate their lifestyle.

THE CASTLE, however, is what dominates the landscape and it's where the Shard-Bearers will be spending their time. The white castle with colorful glass windows is obscured by a thick layer of clouds and fog. Nearly every location on the island has a thin layer of fog that rolls through it, which gives the entire Island an inescapable chill. The castle has artfully built rooms with a CAVALCADE OF DECORATIVE ICE, lavish mirrors, and white plants accented with blue decorations. Several portions of the castle are submerged due to the aquatic nature of the native residents.

And everywhere you go, you find them - STATUESQUE BODIES FROZEN mid-movement. They are haunting reminders of the power in your Hourglass - the very real power to decide their fates.

The castle has many winding paths to explore, as castles often do. There are sleeping quarters, HALLWAYS, a wine cellar, and a few large rooms presumably for diplomatic affairs. Players can use these rooms at their own leisure for whatever purposes they see fit. (Exploration, combat, or supply gathering.)

However, many of these rooms will require some strategy to access their full potential! Atirat were much more comfortable being underwater than many Kenosians may be. Therefore, rooms of higher importance may be COMPLETELY SUBMERGED or require swimming through an underwater pathway to reach them. Very minimal supplies will be kept out in the open for all to reach. More desirable supplies - such as warm clothing, small weapons, treasure, and the like - will be located past or within one of these flooded areas.

Players may gather supplies within and preserve their Sand or use their Sand to make other rooms accessible and gather whatever lies within! The larger the asset you attempt to unfreeze, the more Sand it costs - and the more drained/vulnerable you will be as a consequence, so choose your path ahead wisely.

Currently, a pervasive fog is preventing you from wandering beyond the Castle's limits. Should you try to venture past it, your Sand will rapidly be stolen and you will find yourself suffering the same fate as the islanders if you don't move back to safety quickly... However, if you ask Mr. Tibbs what lays beyond the mist - he will tell you about the thriving farmland, the once-bustling village surrounding the castle, and the beautiful coral reefs beneath it. Sadly, they're beyond your reach - but maybe if the Bearers decide to unfreeze them when the week is up...

LIBRARY (s a f e z o n e)

The ROYAL LIBRARY - A treasure trove of knowledge, history, and glimpses of a fractured past scattered throughout. The lower floor of the Library is void of much reading material and contains several intricate-looking art pieces on decorative pedestals.

A spiral staircase dominates the center of the room, with its once delicate structure overtaken by sheets of formidable ice; it leads you toward the upper levels where a sea of books awaits. There are isles and isles of books, most perched on intricately carved shelves. Many books lay in piles or are discarded onto the floor, and scattered papers are common throughout.

Curious Kenosians may pick out books from the shelves and read on various topics, but players may also pass through this room on their way elsewhere. This area will function as a safe haven where violence and the taking of others' Sand is not allowed; do not disturb the books or Mr. Tibbs won’t be happy!

NOTES

Characters who wish to receive a book with lore specific to the island may comment [HERE]. You will be RNGed a book from a pre-written list of topics. The books may give you a deeper look into the island, its inhabitants, and its history! (Only 1 book per player! Please assume all other books they read are about commonly-available topics.)

THE EATING PARLOR (p a s t)

There are no basic amenities on the island. No hot water, no warm beds, and no salacious magazines (that you know of. heh heh). That would make the Eating Parlour a wise stop for anyone. After all, this could be the perfect chance to procure some provisions!

The EATING PARLOUR has all the equipment one would need for meal preparation. Dried plants hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with mason jars filled with every strange manner of presumably edible thing (Is that a head over there? Hmm… maybe you should check).

The parlour also comes with a garden under a massive windowed dome so that the inhabitants could have fresh produce at hand. Many plants have withered, but there are some salvageable plants if you know how to look for them. But beware… Some of the plants have a strange blue glow. These plants can spell potential disaster.

If someone should make contact with these glowing plants, they will crumble into glass shards - glass that will quickly burrow its way under the skin and curse that person with Blight. Blight will make all resources within that person's vicinity slowly age and eventually crumble to dust. (Which I relate to on a personal level tbh.) Iconoclasts will be immune to its effects.

NOTES

Please see the "Blight" section below for more information on its effects.

TREASURE ROOM (f u t u r e)

Faint singing can be heard coming from this room. Once you hear the song, it dulls your senses and leaves you in a haze. There is no stopping your feet from guiding you to it through the doors and into the Treasure room. The door slams shut at your back, sealed with a wall of ice and magic.

Players will find themselves lured to an icy chamber bordered by a ring of cold blue fire. There is a deep pond that surrounds the platform you’ve found yourself standing on. Beyond its glassy surface and crystal clear water, one can glimpse all manner of treasures - from crowns, jewels, ornate statues in various statues of repair, scepters, spears, and books that seem impervious to the water's cold chill.

As you come to your senses, you will find yourself frozen in place and at the mercy of a large statuesque being before you. This beautiful and horrifying figure in a perpetual song is the SIREN, the only Atirat you’ve seen in person. She measures nearly 20 feet (6 meters) from her head to the tip of her long-finned tail. She cradles an icy shard in her arms, singing to it as if it were a child.

She sits serenely in front of a large hourglass filled with white sand, which is bordered by a spear and a lance. Emblazoned in faint text at the base of where she sits reads: “The future lies in our hands.”

NOTES

Welcome to the Siren’s Chamber! Players must use their wit, charisma, or some good ol' fashioned elbow grease to escape the room or break the Siren’s magic. The Shard that the Siren holds contains dormant time magic that players may activate by using the Sand within their necklace. Players can access the future in 5-second intervals and use whatever they find in that time period to escape their predicament.

For example, if they activate the shard by using their time magic, that shard will begin to glow blue. The room around them will shift, and it could change to a point in the future where there is a sword nearby. If you can grab it, now you have a weapon! When the 5 seconds are up and time returns to the present, you will still have that weapon on your person. You may also try verbal communication if you’d like. If your character is someone who would try and talk their way out of a situation diplomatically, they may give it a try!

It is up to player discretion/creativity to think of a scenario you’d like. Each “future" does not have to be the same across player encounters! What one group experiences may be tailored to the player wants (because branching timelines exist). Let your imagination run free!

HALL OF MIRRORS (p r e s e n t)

Should you reach the rightmost wing of the massive castle Library, you will find a door hidden in the very back of one aisle against a wall; it looks as though the door used to be concealed by magicks that have since dissolved.

The stairwell leads down and into darkness. Once you reach the bottom, shimmering light cast from an unknown source beneath sheets of glistening ice will illuminate your new surroundings; you are in a maze of mirror-like ice. This labyrinth is silent save for the quiet creaking of shifting ice that may disquiet you and leave you uneasy regarding the stability of this area… but it holds beneath your feet.

Mr. Tibbs had told you that the “Kaleidoscope” - where your Sand is counted - rests through here, so eventually, you must brave the journey. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe the product of an especially active imagination…?

Did you just see one of your reflections move without you?

NOTES

Please refer to the OOC Summary for details on the Hall of Mirrors!

THE BLIGHT and TIME MECHANICS

BLIGHT

Blight is an infliction that will age supplies and infect people with a creeping disease that steals their Sand. For objects, this includes weapons, food, and items like cloth. It will take a few days to deteriorate things beyond use - so watching your supplies and acting accordingly is in your best interest. Generally, it will make it more difficult for PC's to get by given that their already scarce resources will dwindle and deteriorate - especially since it's 'contagious' through touch.

The Blight will not act quickly enough to severely hamper infected persons, but repeated exposure will cause effects to a person's body - notedly protruding VEINS in the face and extremities, a lower body temperature, and increased agitation. These effects start out mild and grow more severe with each 'dose.'

Characters must touch an object/person that is Blighted to become inflicted with Blight themselves. When that happens, it will become easily identifiable as Blighted from the faint blue, shimmering outline around the infected subject, as well as the WITHERED, FROSTBITTEN or ashy appearance it takes as it progresses.

However, there is one single perk with Blight. (Or is it a perk?) Players will feel reduced impact by the cold surroundings, making the climate around them somewhat more hospitable. Beware of falling victim to a chill you can't feel...

TIME

To use your Sand, each character is granted access to and innate knowledge of a spell they channel from their Shard that automatically manipulates their Hourglass. This allows the remote control of Sand (aka gathering and dispersing), as well as the ability to pull Fragments of time from Shards.

Fragments are literal pieces of you taken from your Shard. They manifest as memories or images displayed on little shards of broken glass (think of the memory being played out in real-time on the mirror's surface), and can be crushed to convert into Sand automatically, either voluntarily or by force. The only stipulation is that the parties must be close to one another, and the Fragment must be exchanged while both Bearers are still. This means someone has to give it to you, or you need to immobilize them before you take it - one way or another.

Once the Fragment is crushed, the memory and associated time of that person's life is lost and your character will suffer amnesia until the Oracle is claimed. How deep this goes is up to you; they could lose a large chunk of time - even all their memories surrounding a person or place for a big payload of Sand, or they could lose very little for a meager net gain.

Sand is automatically gathered or distributed by your Hourglass and added/subtracted to your running total. No need to micromanage. Convenient!

Please note that using Sand to unfreeze anything (resources, a door which can be then opened, etc) is an unpleasant experience. Each time you use Sand in this way, your character will be left feeling weakened and flu-like for an hour or two, which will leave them vulnerable. This effect stacks and scales up to outright KO-ing them for a few hours if they go crazy, so unfreezing too large of an area is off the table!

NOTES

• An OOC POST will be coming shortly explaining how Sand is going to be tallied and the Oracle claimed.
• Should your character attempt to unfreeze any NPC's, please respond [HERE]. NOTE: unfreezing NPC's may result in physical violence with CW's for severe mental instability/illness and a potential reference to self-harm.
• HAVE FUN!!!

CODING

Comments

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian watches with interest as another appears. It’s not the sort of thing he’s unfamiliar with at all, for he was once well known for granting excellent familiars, but after one too many “accidents” (as he would call them), it was the sort of thing he decided was more trouble than it was worth. Though his familiars had also been considerably more prone to biting. The little papers are therefore a novel version of it. ]

Ah, not so embarrassing, I would say. It is very interesting, at least to me.

[ He takes another step closer to take a better look, but then it’s down into the water. ]

Did something down there catch your eye? Or merely curiosity to see?

[ragou]

[ The familiar floats, its cyclops eye staring at Sebastian with an eerie awareness; Douman lets it circle in their periphery for a few beats, idle as he peers into the expanse of the water spreading in front of them. ]

A bit of both, I supposeー there seems to be an office of sorts at the bottom of this pool, [ he gestures down into the depths, where the faintest outline of a semi-study is visible among murky shadows. Something that looks like a desk, a cabinet, and rows of impossible bookshelves. ] And it's so often that the rooms of bureaucrats are treasure troves of illicit information.

[ Big smile. Humans simply have not changed from the time he served in the Heian court, centuries ago; he doesn't expect alien races in other worlds to be any different. ]

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian watches the familiar for a few moments more and stares right back at it’s odd little eye, but he ends up just smiling a bit more as he looks back to the water. He can guess an interesting use for such a thing, but he keeps the thought to himself. It’s never a bad thing to have familiars that can be inconspicuous, after all. ]

True enough. If there is a sort I would guess to know all the juiciest secrets, it would absolutely be the one simply doing paperwork.

[ He nods solemnly as if it’s familiar work to him, and it is. In a sense, at least. He’s definitely done his share of work like it, but it’s still nothing compared to the bureaucrats of Hell, which he solidly is not. ]

Well. If your shikigami is not able, I suppose I can take a peek.

[ Sebastian says it confidently and with the tone that this isn’t abnormal in the slightest. The chill and the depth of the pool would definitely not be doable for most, though. ]

[ragou]

Hm? Hmmm?

[ Bureaucrats are freaks, Douman agrees, but Sebastian's easy transition into offering his own hide for the sake of juicy desk-warmer gossip is slightly unexpected. He doesn't doubt that Sebastian isn't quite normal, in the conventional sense (still trying to feel out if the "s" in "servant" is lowercase or capital), but for him to bring it to light in this context is...

...surprising? Mm, not quite. Maybe Sebastian really is the altruistic type. Douman's brow hikes, but his smile remains largely amiable. ]

My, my! Would you truly risk your comfort for the sake of my curiosity, Sebastian-dono?

[ A hand flies up to his mouth, a perfect picture of theatrical scandal. ]

[cutlery]

[ The theatricality again gets Sebastian to laugh a little, and he mirrors it lightly as he gives a slightly exaggerated shrug in return. ]

Well, it is my curiosity too at this point. I do not know if we should be so lucky, but it would be a terrible shame to pass by something of interest. At the very least, all my explorations so far have yielded curiosities. Nothing of importance overall, I think, but interesting, nonetheless.

[ He looks to the water again ]

Besides, it would not be risking my comfort. The cold does not bother me so much as others.

[ragou]

Well, well. In that case, for your potential sacrifice, this humble monk will offer something in return.

[ Reaching into the folds of his robe, offering up a book with worn spines and obvious magical attempts at decoding anything potentially hidden within its pages; it might even feel a little cursed, touching this thing, but it's ultimately harmless. ]

Records of shifting seasons, and a drastic solution to an encroaching problem. I doubt bureaucrats would've known anything about the esoteric nature of the magic proposed in those pages, but I remain curious, very curious!

[ Strangely sincere about this point. His smile turns somewhat less obnoxious, slightly muted. ]

As curious as I am about you, though, mmm... I suppose that's a bit less pressing.

[cutlery]

[ As soon as Douman reaches into his sleeve, Sebastian’s expression shifts to curiosity, then to interest as he produces a book. He’s definitely been intrigued by what the library had to offer, but also not so much as to spend his Sand on any of the books. So, he takes the book with care and starts to flip through. ]

Interesting… And quite a troubling problem indeed.

[ He has a bit more to say about it, but he’s stopped before he gets into his theorizing as Douman expresses curiosity about him. That gets him to laugh gently and look up from the book with a slightly sly smile. ]

Not pressing, no, but it is at least a curiosity I can answer to.

[ He wouldn’t mind questions at all since while he could just admit what he is… There’s a fun to having it teased out. Especially so with a monk, but that’s just playful bias. His eyes drop again to the pages of the book as he reads it, though clearly he has no problem continuing to hold a conversation while he does so. ]

Not that I will answer every question, mind. I do like to keep some air of mystery.

[ragou]

[ Douman would sooner consume Sebastian than attempt to exorcise him, trulyー maybe another Ashiya Douman from another timeline would've been repulsed by the thought of a demonic entity among their ranks, but likely not. No matter how hard he'd triedー and he had, once upon a timeー Douman'd never been able to achieve "conventional".

But, hm. Games, then. His expression turns as serene as the water in front of them, his lips lightly curved to the shape of his amusement. ]

But of course. What would we be, if we were always so obvious?

[ Says the guy who gleefully made exposition-heavy villain speeches half the time he'd ever appeared in his game's subplot. Contradictory as ever, a liar by nature. He taps his chin, thinking of what question he'd like to ask.

Ultimately, he settles on: ] What does the word "Servant" truly mean to you?

[ Wordplay. No matter how Sebastian replies to this, Douman figures it'll be a fun little insight into his mind. ]

[cutlery]

[ The question is a surprise to him, and it’s open in his expression. He had expected something about how the cold wouldn’t effect him or some little hints he had dropped while they had been speaking. So, just in that reaction, it probably answers Douman’s core curiosity about whether the word is capitalized or not, but he hums out a thoughtful note before he answers. ]

Well… A person in the employ of another, but with a particular power dynamic behind it. A servant need not feel loyalty in their heart, but they are expected to at least make a show of it.

[ It’s a perfectly earnest answer, and even in the more loaded context of Sebastian’s Covenants, he wouldn’t phrase it any differently. The stakes may be more intense, but how he carries himself will always be the same. So, naturally, he’s curious why Douman would ask. ]

If I may, does it ring differently for you?

[ragou]

[ A sensible, accurate answer without it being the exact one that Douman is looking for. He hums as he listens, encouraging words with light, chimelike sounds of approval; so close, so close, and yet.

Still, there's a certain satisfaction in receiving Sebastian's insight into servanthood. The man didn't couch it in terms of morality like "subservience", and only implied that the terms of employ is decorative rather than substantive. That, in itself, seems to please Douman. ]

A fine show you'd make, I wager!

[ In response to Sebastian's definition. Douman sways briefly, as if the momentary displacement of balance helps to restring his thoughts. ]

Mmmmm... on my end, it rings similarly! Quite similarly, in fact. Though the employ I'm envisioning tends to be more arcane, and the terms of the servitude more extreme.

[ An obscure, opaque description. ]

[cutlery]

[ Douman is hard for Sebastian to read, and so he’s not sure if the answer was satisfactory or not at first. He nods lightly to accept the praise and politely agree, and only cocks his head in curiosity as he continues. Though as soon as it’s elaborated upon by being called arcane, there’s a slight quirk of Sebastian’s little smile. It may not be specific, but in a way, it almost doesn’t need to be. ]

Ah, I see.

[ There’s a little more stress put on that “ah” that’s a note of recognition. Sebastian’s friendly smile cools, and there’s a more open appraisal as he takes in Douman more seriously. He hadn’t indicated which side of the equation he falls on, so Sebastian considers both. He’s certainly… an odd sort, to put it lightly, and that makes him think perhaps he lies on the same “side” as Sebastian does. That’s deserving of a little more caution, but it’s not how Sebastian outwardly expresses it.

He seems to relax a bit, and gives a casual shrug in response. It’s nothing secret, after all, so he ends up admitting the truth of it easily. The reaction is likely to give him information in return, after all. ]

I admit, I am sometimes in such employ as well. I would daresay it even used to be necessary for me to manifest among mortals, but Kenos has changed the rules a bit, clearly. I cannot say with certainty, but I like to at least imagine that Lady Yima saw use for a demon without such bindings.

[ragou]

[ There we go. "Demon". One without a clear contract, in the same way that Douman is an entity without a clear Master. Lines and parallels, drawn quickly and with wicked glee. Douman's lips curl, the amusement semi-serrated. ]

Ah! A demon... how fantastic! This humble priest is omnivorous, you seeー a creature with an affinity for both the harmless and the harmful!

[ Craning forward, tipping towards Sebastian the way a sunflower bends towards light. Too close for comfort, in some contexts; a cat arching itself into the nook of someone's personal space. ]

Lady Yima certainly has good taste, to have such esteemed company within her ranks. I, too, am a demon of sortsー a beast of circumstance, a walking shadow! Relieved of my homeworld burdens, given independence here in Kenos.

Ah, the joy of being untethered! [ As if he wasn't already unhinged back in his world, as if he has ever been good at anything but pursuing his own interests. ] Mmmmm, Sebastian-dono, how good it feels to have found a kindred spirit in you!

[cutlery]

[ It’s been interesting to see how people react when he reveals himself so casually as a demon. It’s all very different and ranges between the sort of disgusted fear he’d seen in Anders and the more curious excitement of people like Misa. Douman’s is definitely towards the latter end, but Sebastian doesn’t miss the sharpness. It’s hard to with a word like omnivorous used, but it just gets Sebastian’s smile to lift at the corner of his eyes, even as Douman steps in more closely. ]

Well, then that is good to hear. I admit, I have my reservations with priestly types in terms of how they might find my presence.

[ Not… that it was something he was all that concerned about in general, much less with Douman. Indeed, as Anders himself had found out, Sebastian was more likely to just prod at those that found him distasteful. ]

Though in that sense, I am also surprised to hear that you are a demon. Of sorts.

[ He repeats that phrasing with punctuated, but playfully toned pauses. Anything similar to him is intriguing, but also something he’s deeply interested in understanding. His sort of demon isn’t exactly hospitable to their own, but Sebastian also thought of himself as more reasonable and distinguished than most. When necessary, of course. ]

If I may, what sort do you mean?

[ragou]

Mmmmm... perceptions of demons and spirits differ greatly depending on context and homeland. In this humble monk's opinion, one can hardly fault an entity for its inherent natureー as the sun rises from one side of the sky so that it can fall towards the other, an entity is as an entity does.

Without distinction, and without value.

[ A wobbly explanation of his personal moral system (or lack thereof); Douman doesn't feel beholden to this either, biased as he is about certain things and exceptions. But he says it as if he's convinced, smile stamped and tone light. ]

As for what I am... hmmm! I am Ashiya Douman, an onmyouji from a bygone era, reborn into the modern age as a spirit. Previously, I was bound to servitude under a world-conquering foreign entity, but alasー

[ "ー"I fucked up hardcore". He doesn't say that. ]

ーsaid world is no more! [ In more ways than one. He sighs, dramatic, holding his sleeved hand to his face. ] How tragic, for my second life to have been interrupted so rudely, but ill deeds rarely pan out as well as one intends.

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian finds no fault at all with the description. It’s something he’s explained to people here in Kenos, sometimes in earnest and sometimes to downplay his nature. Demons were all sorts of things, because it was a bit of an imprecise word, in his opinion. Or, more accurately, it had just come to encompass many kinds of things, some real, some not. But when you’re older than the word itself, talk of their nature seems apt.

So, it’s also interesting how Douman describes himself. Some of the defensiveness softens because it assures him that they’re absolutely different enough that he needn’t worry about the “manners” that he was used to applying to his own kind. The name and the profession may not mean anything to Sebastian, what with his dalliances being very solidly in what would be considered the “Western” world, but servitude he does understand. And indeed, with this new understanding of Douman, he understands the curiosity about what “servant” might mean as well. ]

Well, well. I suppose being greedy enough to want contracts of servitude is rather universal. In fact, I would have said that until recently my service was purely to the whims of humanity, but this matter of our worlds being destroyed broadens horizons a bit…

[ Since though it was nothing formal, he’d definitely consider working under the Regent to be not dissimilar to a “world-conquering foreign entity.” But! No need to get into that. ]

Well, a second life now within your own hands is not so bad. Was your binding the sort where you were… [ Sebastian trails off lightly, but with a bit of a musical tone to it as he searches for the right euphemism ] I will say able to negotiate your terms, so to speak. I take up my servitude by choice, but I understand that is not a luxury all have.