⏳ 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

[ragou]

[ Wary and lupineー those are the words Douman attributes to Amos, once the stranger opens his mouth again. The rapidfire rundown of their current situation (freezing, starving, being humored by an animal) inspires something twisted and amused; it really is so ridiculous, isn't it, the situation they've found themselves in.

This is what they are: lucky enough to have survived the apocalypse, stupid enough to have accepted the terms of their salvation, and pathetic enough to have scrambled here for their lives.

It's all a farce. Them, the gods, the universe. ]

Ah, of courseー a moment, if you will.

[ The paper doll glides smoothly from Douman's palm to the scatter of fractured glass, and releases a gust of wind that rolls the pieces to an inconspicuous edge, away from immediate contact. A magnanimous thing for Douman to have done, he thinks; it might've been another experiment in itself, hiding and waiting for someone to chance upon those shards, to see what happens when glass meets skin.

Oh well. He turns on his heels to face Amos properly, and smiles. ]

I find it all very interesting, how calm most of us Shard-Bearers seem to be. Most trials like this would drive one to the brink of insanity, and yetー it seems so banal to most.

[baltimores]

[ He watches as the blighted glass is dispersed; keeps his eye on the broken pieces even as they're moved up against the wall, like they might creep back towards them at any moment. Even as Douman turns back to look at him, Amos still has his gaze directed towards the motionless shards — and then, seemingly satisfied, turns back to Douman proper, letting whatever it was that had him on edge disperse from his system. ]

Don't get me wrong, not like I'm happy about being here — [ not now that he knows what being here entails, at least — ] but I've lived through the deaths of two different universes now. Guessing you've been through at least one since you're here, right? This is all annoying, but it's kinda nothing. 'specially if all we got here is a week.

[ If the otter was even telling the truth about that, but.

Amos takes a moment to really take in Douman properly — the way he just implied to not be bothered by any of this, the way his body language and expression reflect exactly that. A bit cheerier than Amos would ever be, but eh, some people are just like that. Could be gallows humour, which he doesn't have a problem with. At least it's not like the otter's weird brand of whatever it is wrong with him.

He tilts his head. He doesn't really recognize Douman, and so: ] You'd've had to have harmonized with one of the forces if you got your magic about you. Which one did you pick?

[ His answer could determine if this is gonna stay amicable, get really awkward, or take a turn for the worse — but at least the blight's out of the way. ]

[ragou]

[ There's a reciprocation of the sizing up, as unsubtle as it is necessary between two individuals who are in a faction-split world. Amos is built like a warrior from Douman's world, the capacity of violence etched into his physique in muscle and the stack of his spine. Practically-cropped hair, masculine.

(Maybe Douman should've chimed in on the Zenith roll call, but his kneejerk aversion to Communion'd kept him from it; next time, perhaps.) ]

I suppose the wrong answer would inspire your hands around my neck.

[ The delicate hourglass sits just above his clavicle, the sand within it a mixture of charcoal, crimson, and flecks of gold. Douman imagines it, the feeling of strong fingers leaving circle-shaped indents against his throat.

Might be fun. Hands folded politely in front of himself, Douman cants his head. ]

Hm! But there's no need for deceptionー especially not when the lie would be so trite. This humble monk has extended his loyalty to Zenith, and the lady of the House.

[ """Loyalty""". He delivers that last statement with distant amusement in lieu of sincerity. ]

And you? Are you prone to homesickness, sir? [ Sigh, Meridians. ]

[baltimores]

[ He meets Douman's gaze, his own level and comfortable with being sized up. Anything he's got to hide won't be found on his person, in his body language. Not like this, at least.

Amos inclines his chin at the notion that he would go for Douman's sand, just like that, and — yeah, maybe? He isn't so trigger-happpy, but getting the drop on him would be important if it came to it. Douman doesn't look like a fighter, but that doesn't mean jack shit. Especially not when the guy's got magic at his disposal—

And any potential scoping out or plans of attack are immediately rendered all for naught. Just a quirk of the eyebrow at the way Douman doesn't seem to care for actual loyalty — said to someone who would do anything for Yima with hardly a second thought — but they can skip past that. It'll only be a problem when it's a problem, and right now... ]

Nope. Place I'm from has been dead for almost a year. Highstorm's home now.

[ ... right now they've got absolutely no problems with one another, which invites a friendly little pat of Douman's upper arm, courtesy of Amos. (His normal move is to go for the shoulder, but the height difference might be a bit much.) ]

Guess that makes it home for you too, huh? [ Which is a good thing — the more the merrier. ] Think it's fair to miss it a little, actually, since there's actual food there, but it'll all be worth it if we've helped the Zenith out after all of this. Fuck if I'm not taking the hottest bath when we get back, though.

[ This is officially friendly co-worker chitchat now. ]

[ragou]

[ A man from a dead worldー practically interesting. He thinks of his own ostensible "homeworld" and the swept-clean slate that it'd become, the messianic human traversing its empty surface to rewind the clock on its destruction.

Heroes. Something acrid crawls up the back of Douman's throat, but he swallows it. Amos is pleasantly resigned, and it's a welcome change of pace.

"Ah", he breathes, when he feels a palm meet his arm. Unexpected, but easy to contextualize; military, Douman guesses. ]

We would be owed one, certainly! After that infernal otter's utterly lacking hospitality, any mercy that our dear Lady extends would be welcome.

[ How nice of Amos to be so friendly, when all of Douman's "coworkers" back in his world hated him on sight... A beguiling smile, and Douman leans forward like a cat bending to a palm on its head. ]

Are Zenith's champions rewarded handsomely for their achievements? Forgive me my ignorance, I'm very new to all of this, you see.

[baltimores]

[ Amos' expression doesn't change but for a slight raising of his eyebrows in acknowledgment as Douman leans in a little, perfectly comfortable with everything that is currently unfolding. ]

You aren't the only one new to all of this. I've been around a couple of months now, but this is the first time something like this has happened, as far as I know.

[ His voice is a pleasantly relaxed drawl, now that he knows he's talking with an ally (and that there's nothing here that can hurt him — blight blissfully brushed aside, and confident that if an enemy combatant were to walk in the two of them could handle them with ease). He offers up a half-shrug with one shoulder. ]

The otter's fucking crazy, but Yima isn't. One thing I know is she looks after her people. [ There's a bit more gravity to his voice there — he knows this. It's important. ] I dunno about being rewarded handsomely, but she'll do right by us. She's a good person.

[ More than that, if his shift from casual chatter to something almost reverent is anything to go by. Douman might be able to see the tattoo of the Exalt just behind Amos' ear, an aspect he embodies maybe a little too well — they're dedicated to their people, and one way or another, he has absolutely chosen Yima as his. ]

[ragou]

[ "A good person".

The assignment of those terms to the being that keeps them on her palm, at her beck-and-call, inspires something dark and indignant in the pit of Douman's gutー not because he resents being here, exactly, or the treatment that's been extended to him (not quite awful, by skewed standards), but because divinity is rarely ever good. Thinking of Yima as such feels so trite, so...

...well, human. Like anthropomorphizing the sun in an attempt not to be cowed by it. ]

I see! What a relief it is, to hear as much.

[ The act doesn't drop: Douman does sound emphatic about Yima's so-called benevolence. ]

I expect the only way we'll make it out of this situation is to remain true to our loyalties. To waver would be to doubt, and doubt may lead to weakness. I fear that most of all.

[ An amiable smile, despite the nature of his words. Reaching out, Douman brushes dust off of Amos' arm. ]

[baltimores]

[ Amos' expression brightens slightly, a soft sort of happiness crossing his features at Douman's acceptance. Well, of course he'd accept it, right? They're both Zenites. They're both here for Yima. That's how this all works — and Douman's already got it figured out. ]

Yup, that's what I figure. [ He turns his head to follow Douman's hand on his person before looking right back up at him, small twitch of his lips upwards for a moment. Yeah, this is basically friendship right here. ] Don't think you've got anything to worry about, though. You got your head on straight, right? You know exactly what you're doing here? Then there's no weakness. We keep our sand, get more of it if we can, spend it on resources for our people when it's time. Easy.

[ Is it actually that easy? Nothing about Amos' demeanour indicates he believes otherwise, so solid is his faith in himself; in Zenith; in Douman here and now, too, because it's clear that he gets it.

A beat as he tilts his head somewhat thoughtfully, wry smile crossing his features. ]

'course, other side's probably thinking that, too. Or at least the smart ones should be, but who knows how many of them there are.

[ if they were so smart why would they go meridian amirite ]