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Priority Log - Part 1
Log 02 Priority (Part I)
The Mine Car
As characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new message…
> ▮▮▮▮▮▯▮▮
> ▮▮*
> OVERRIDE: TUTORIAL MODE DEACTIVATED.
> OBJECTIVE:
>
NAME: The Mine Car
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT: Gothic era
DANGER LEVEL: High
GENERAL STINKINESS: High
COMMON DENIZENS: Humans, ornithrops, bearkin
CUISINE: Peasant gruel, bird seed
There is no sender. Or objective?
But that's fine, probably! The car itself is completely functional, and features a fully developed society.
Passengers will arrive in this car and be immediately greeted by a fog that chills them to their core. The car around them is vast, and yet deathly silent. They'll find themselves starting off in a forest of petrified wood, the ground hard and unyielding underneath their feet, with flora and fauna in various stages of decay around them. While the fog around them is thick, the lights of a nearby village can still be seen from a distance, and as they travel, the dirt road will give way to cobblestone.
Eventually they'll be greeted with a signpost, welcoming them to the town of MINECRAFTIA.
While Minecraftia's denizens are harrowed and distressed, they're quick to warn the passengers traveling through of the ailment, a mysterious illness that is plaguing their town. It's been leaving even healthy youths bedridden, and while the town mayor has passionately declared that he will find a solution, it appears that there's no cure in sight.
Locations
Minecraftia is a foreboding little town, even in the daylight, with murky skies above and fog blanketing the roads. Still, the denizens persist through their daily routines, and won't stop the passengers from exploring.
Clinic: The town's only clinic with the town's only doctor. It's a small, rickety building that operates all hours of the day. Between the rapid spread of sickness and the steady depletion of supplies, it's a grim place to be nowadays. Anyone healthy who visits might be roped in to help, and those who look ill will be quarantined with an uncomfortable bedroll and thin blanket.
Cemetery: Located on the outskirts of town, the cemetery is home to dead bodies, even deader earth, and a deadpan gravekeeper. The exit door is here in a flower-covered plot, but cannot be opened.
Chicken House: A barnyard building home to the town's chickens. Lately they've been more worked up than usual, and taken to flying the coop and finding refuge by digging their claws into the scalps of bystanders. Agitating one chicken may cause a whole flock to descend on you!
The Dark Woods: The village is surrounded by what was once lush woods, but the trees now stand dark and eerie, an unusually thick fog rolling between them. While there are some of the usual, woodland creatures chirruping in the dense silence, they're hard to find. Monsters, meanwhile, are much more common.
The Mines: In the heart of the woods are entrances to the town's expansive system of mines. Stepping inside shows that the dirt and stone is laced with beautiful gems and minerals, but passengers will be shooed away by miners if they try to explore any deeper. It seems there's several dangerous mine shafts underfoot, as well as past attacks by what seems to be mole monsters.
Mayor's Mansion: The largest building in Minecraftia, situated on a hill. While Mayor Chadsef's staff welcomes guests, they will be cautioned not to explore past the lobby, which just smells a little like cleaning chemicals thanks to a diligent maid crew.
Denizens
Players may use denizens as convenient in threads, as well as these NPCs, except for the Mayor. He's a very busy man!
Madam Vermeer: The Madam is a human extremely afraid that she'll die before seeing her son marry. Which means that she is hunting the streets for eligible men and women, and whisking them in droves away into her mansion to be made over, trained in the art of serving, etc. before presenting them to her son.
Cassy Cassatt: Cassy is an ornithrop and the owner of the chicken house. She's shorthanded nowadays, but business-savvy enough to prey on considerate bystanders. She'll rope anyone she sees into helping out, whether it's collecting eggs, feeding or breeding.
Turner: Turner is a bearkin, and one of the nurses at the clinic. He's taken to drinking his weight in mead whenever he's off the clock, and it's not uncommon for his body to be seen unconscious on the road. He'll try to flee or swat blindly if anyone tries to help him, but he really does need help getting home.
Chadsef: The mayor of Minecraftia, who is notably wealthier than the rest of the citizens. He's young and inexperienced, but carries a Birds of Economics degree, and is determined to bring jobs to the town. He'll just need to make sure people are alive to do them first!
Other
The longer that passengers remain in the car, the more they'll learn, and soon they'll realize the following:
- They are not immune to the illness. They can't determine what it is that triggers it. At first it's a sense of fatigue, then hunger and irritability. Then, the numbness will begin, starting in their extremities and spreading up their limbs, until that numbness turns into pain. Eventually that pain will lead to madness, a state of delirium where they begin to behave erratically, endangering themselves and those around them.
- There is something in the woods. Though the passengers saw nothing when they arrived in the woods, at night they can hear growling. Venturing outside will reveal grotesque creatures emerging from the fog, rampaging into the town and tearing flesh and stone with their massive claws. These creatures appear rabid, familiar but warped, and they swarm the town with no regard for their own safety or benefit. Examples: (1) (2) (3) (4)
- Corpses are disappearing. Despite deaths, the cemetery isn't seeing any more business. Rumour has it that a certain wealthy denizen has been paying to have the corpses taken away. But to where, and why, remains unknown…
Numbers
Numbers! Everyone starts with one that glows on their bodies — as a fun thread mechanic, we suggest they're somewhere visible, but it's up to you!
Because while this is not IC knowledge yet, numbers are determined by how troubled your character is. This may be based on their past actions and crimes, but also alienating habits, regrets, personality flaws, trauma, etc — a higher number does not necessarily mean they're a bad person, but it may signify a difficult time in their life, or substantial personal issues.
As passengers enter this car, they'll notice that their numbers may begin to change in response to certain actions and decisions. The general rule is that numbers change as characters work through their issues. If they make a decision that serves to better themselves, their number will decrease. But if they make a decision that is ill-intentioned, their number will increase. Players can change their number as they see fit going forward.
OOC Notes
Exploration: Players may submit on-going threads here to get a short mod tag with further discoveries in any given location. Characters can potentially earn items or clues as to the car's objective this way. Please limit your explorations to one per player; we will let you all know if we have the capacity to do more!
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anakin skywalker | star wars | ota
[They walk into this train car and its as if all the air has been sucked out. Anakin feels it immediately, a quietness he can't explain or articulate, like the edges are curling in on themselves. He's surprised when he hears the first few locals talk about a disease, but as he makes his way into town he finds that maybe he's not as surprised as he thought.
There's no objective hanging over them when they reach this car- just a bleak expanse of trees and browning grasses, and then the equally bleak town. Anakin doesn't wonder why they don't leave. He knows that sometimes you can't.
And with no other direction that feels strong, worthwhile- Anakin finds himself roped into helping at the clinic. He restocks supplies and blankets. If you're sick or bringing someone else by, he won't hesitate to help you find a spot to sit and rest, or scrounge up what passes as medicine here. If you're helping at the clinic he's probably offered to carry something for you, or Anakin has found a quieter moment to offer you a cup of tea and ask:]
Heard any stories that jump out at you?
ii. HELLO NURSE
[Well, it looks like double-duty tonight.
He recognizes Turner, the literal bear of a nurse, from his time spent helping around the clinic. And he'd be more worried about seeing him passed out in the street- if he hadn't watched this guy drink about his whole weight in mead. Anakin crouches down beside him and gives the guy a shake, but when that barely (ha ha, bearly) rouses him, he sighs. Then starts trying to lift Turner's arm around his neck.]
Hey. [He calls out in your direction.] Could you give me a hand with this?
iii. HUNTER GATHERING
[The sickness effects people around town, but signs of decay can be found everywhere. Plants and shrubs, the air itself. He keeps thinking that if they could just figure out a perimeter, to know where this stuff is and isn't then they could have a place to start. But that's looking less and less likely by the day.
Whatever the cause, it doesn't change the fact that a new influx of people means more mouths to feed. Anakin, who will eat just about anything that sits still long enough, makes a habit heading into the forest to forage for what edible plants and animals can be found. He isn't shy about asking:] Wanna come along? Could probably use all the help we can get.
[But it's possible that he might have found you in the woods already. True, he's wearing dark colors and may blend into his surroundings, so if he's attacked by a more experienced passenger- well, he had it coming. Probably. And if he accidentally scares you because he heard movement and came to check it out-] Sorry-
That one's on me.
iv. HIGH STAKES TRUTH OR DARE
x1 only please, can probably only get kicked out once.
[The town isn't the biggest he's ever seen, but it's still hard to miss the largest house around. As far as motives go, he's not sure one is panning out for Mayor Birdbrain. By all accounts he's made promises to the locals about seeing an end to the sickness and blah blah blah economy. Sucking the life out of every living thing around wouldn't line up with his interests.
Anakin's own personal worries lie more with the cause of the all-over decay than they do with the stories about missing corpses. But he was going to have to check this place out sometime. Which is why he's here now, not only in the... very sanitary smelling lobby- but also listening to a tour?? Or at least one of the staff members offering details at length.
With his arms across his chest, Anakin leans slowly into the space of the person next to him, speaking out of the corner of his mouth. After all, the hallway into the rest of the mansion is right there... and he's bored.]
Dare you to make a break for it.
iii.
Do you know where the village is? I saw dim lights earlier, but I was chased into this place by several creatures and have yet to find my way out.
[No time for introductions, he's got things to do and places to be that isn't this forest anymore.]
no subject
Crouched low in the brush Anakin squints against the dim light, examining a small cluster of leaves for rot- plucking what can't be saved and tucking the rest into a pouch he'd borrowed from the clinic. He's just pushed up to his feet when he hears the twig snap beneath his boot- and the sudden surge of adrenaline, not his own, is his only warning for the incoming swing.
A swing that stops short.
Anakin, who had stiffened on instinct, stays still as the lance finds him and then lowers. The man behind it, in lieu of a 'my bad,' makes a request. Anakin's eyes go from the lance to the lancer; for a guy that's made so many dubious first impressions he's being pretty judgmental.] Yeah, I can lead you back. We're not far out.
[His head nods faintly in the direction of the trees that surround them.]
Just need to finish up here first.
no subject
Thank you, are you foraging for something?
[Perhaps he had been in this car longer than Estinien had. Nothing surprised him about his train car predicament anymore. Time, space, none of it seemed to make any sense the deeper he went.]
Mayhap I can help?
no subject
As far as he's concerned, this man has asked for help and Anakin is able to provide it: no interrogation required. His hands clap against each other as he dusts them off, shaking dirt loose from both the knuckles and creases of his flesh hand, and the joints of his durasteel one- but it's clear that the question catches him off guard.]
Oh- yeah.
[Or maybe it's the offer of help that's done it. He frowns thoughtfully at the grass. The grass doesn't respond.]
The clinic is running low on supplies so I figured it couldn't hurt to scrounge up anything edible. This place seems pretty unprepared for the disease. If it keeps going on like this there won't be many locals left to make sure the sick will eat.
barrels in, wildcards a-blazin'
Even so, it's where people die. And Jinwoo needs dying people.
He walks through the clinic quietly, dispersing his soldiers into the shadows of those who look as though they're ready to draw their last breaths. It's quick, subtle work, and it doesn't take long before he finishes. ]
It's done.
[ He draws back to Anakin's side, expression neutral as he gazes over the number of those suffering from the sickness. Seeing it in front of him like this, he understands the urgency and the willingness to do the very desperate. ]
We just have to wait now.
no subject
They've lost so many that there are some nights now that Anakin can't- can't comprehend it. It isn't real when he's just staring down stretches of months on end and that's what feels so wrong. As if he's crossed some kind of invisible boundary between Before and After.
Does that make him relieved now? To find himself part of a dying world and to be grateful that he doesn't feel nothing?
He doesn't know these people, they aren't his patients or anything like that. But Anakin recognizes what it means to be scared and have nowhere else to go. To not want to be alone. It's crowded but relatively quiet inside. A few locals talk to each other in low voices from their beds, others try to sleep. Anakin changes a few cool cloths and brings water here and there, but mostly he's just trying to give this other guy space while he does- whatever weird magic he's doing. When they finally reunite its at the far end of the room, and the corner of Anakin's mouth tugs thoughtfully.]
Do you think we should stake out more than one place? Some of the locals say it's safer to die in the clinic than in their own houses.
no subject
Not to say Jinwoo isn't human. He's just forgotten how to situate himself into the role.
So Anakin's suggestion is met with a sidelong glance and a moment of silence. Jinwoo supposes they're in this together now. He's used to others trying to take charge, command the group, and refuse to listen to their companions. The more time he spends on this train, the more he's learning that its passengers work in consideration of those they're with.
It's a change of pace from what Jinwoo is used to, but it's a pleasantly welcome one. ]
... That's not a bad idea. We'll have to be discreet, though.
[ He doesn't want to raise any suspicions of the townsfolk and whoever else might be watching. ]
no subject
In some ways its like being deployed, with a different battalion instead of the 501st. Life here isn't communal, but where he's used to coming up against suspicion or hostility, he's found near constant acceptance and a sense of cooperation from his peers. Like this guy, Jinwoo, who's doing this just because he can, and maybe because someone asked.
Anakin turns his face out towards the room at large and his expression remains calm and impassive. He's right, discretion will probably be as necessary as luck. His voice is pitched low.] If we split up to watch different places and the thief comes to yours- Do you have a way to let me know?
[If they could increase their odds of catching this in the act it'd be worth the effort. But that means they'd need a way to reach out to each other for backup. Anakin knows he could rely on the Force himself- but what about the inverse?]
no subject
Jinwoo's stretching it a bit thin with all these summons, and at this point he's squeezing his mana dry to keep up the numbers. This normally wouldn't be an issue, but he's found that arriving on the train had placed certain limitations on his abilities. Even now when the town's illness should be dealt with by his status recovery, he can feel it lurking at the very edge of his defenses.
But one more. He can summon one more for the sake of this mission. ]
I'll leave one of my soldiers with you.
[ His shadow stretches out for a brief moment to connect with Anakin's own before disconnecting. ]
Will you being staying here, then?
no subject
Anakin doesn't feel any differently. Whatever it is that's changed it's outside his perception. His brows come together and his weight shifts- making room for one of the clinic's nurses to move by.] I don't know how they could get away with it with all these people around. But if anything gets in or out, I'll know it.
[It's hard to know how much is true and how much is town gossip. In a place already heavy with fear stories can take on a life of their own. Jinwoo has covered the locals inside, the ones looking worse for wear- and they're dividing their resources. This place must have a morgue of some kind. He has no idea how a corpse could mysteriously disappear in a place with so many eyes. But if they're doing this, might as well cover all bases.]
If I see something- [Two fingers lift, gold-plated tips tapping against his temple.] You'll know it.
Do I need to tell you not to pull any heroics?
no subject
But one mystery at a time. The confidence Anakin exudes is an assuring one, and Jinwoo nods in response. With their own set of eyes and the eyes of his soldiers spread out in the shadows of the dying, something's bound to show.
He moves to turn away, a morgue separate from the clinic also on his mind, only pausing when he catches the question. ]
Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing.
[ And then he heads toward the exit to scope out the town. ]
no subject
A complete stranger, powers he doesn't understand, a place where people are getting sick and dying- it's a great setup for disaster. But this is pretty alright. He could get used to more missions like this.
Anakin watches him go-] Weird guy. [Before turning to find a spot for himself. With so many of the dying already tended to, he'll head to one of the quieter places inside: a room reserved for those who have just left, or who will be leaving soon.]
no subject
The clinic staff are quick to notice, and will certainly shoo Anakin away as they prepare to move the body out of the clinic. He can try to follow, but because of the body disappearances lately, they will be distrustful and send him away.
However, they've accounted for this! As the deceased is moved outside, they are left with one of the bearkin staff to make funeral arrangements, and there is a young woman there to receive the body. Jinwoo a la shadow soldier will see that this woman at a glance could be mistaken for an undertaker, wearing a dark cloak, but strangely... she has a maid uniform on underneath? She slips the bearkin a coin before taking stock of the body.
Then, the woman seems to notice something, squinting at the body's shadow before whispering something under her breath and waving her hand with a flick. At this point, Jinwoo will feel his shadow soldier being dispelled, and will see nothing else.
If they should regroup where this happened, there is no trace of the woman, or the body. However, there is a small glass flask that's been dropped that Anakin is welcome to happen upon. It contains a potion that when consumed, will grant him the ability to turn into an animal of his choosing for one log. It comes with the side effect of making him incredibly clingy, which is not IC knowledge. ]
no subject
A maid... He's got ideas, having seen maids at the mansion where he'd had his dancing lesson with Felix, but this is no ordinary maid. She'd been able to both notice the body's shadowy occupant and dispel his soldier with a flick of her hand. His mind is piecing together the puzzle as he rounds the corner toward his destination and comes upon... nothing. Shit.
Meanwhile, the shadow soldier he'd left behind will appear before Anakin and gesture with his hand to follow after him in order to lead the other man to where Jinwoo is waiting with a frown on his face. ]
no subject
Anakin quietly sits vigil. He doesn't know this person and now never will, so he holds the man's hand instead of searching for words. And as his breathing changes, in those last moments- there's a strange light. Little particles that seem to come... come out of him at the very end.
There isn't much time left to him after that. He carefully withdraws his hand, looking at the dead man one last time before he's- summoned. The sight visibly startles him in its newness, but instinct urges him into motion. Anakin follows the shadow soldier as quickly as it can go, reaching outward into the living force to search for danger as he rounds a corner. And is relieved to find Jinwoo there, unharmed. The line of his shoulders softens as he jogs forward, closes the distance.] What happened? Are you alright?
no subject
He's broken out of his thoughts at Anakin's arrival and he nods a greeting. ]
I'm fine. Frustrated, but fine.
[ The soldier that had led Anakin here returns to Jinwoo's shadow. ]
I saw her. A woman dressed in dark clothing, but I caught a glimpse of a maid outfit underneath her cloak. She handed one of the clinic staff a coin in exchange for the corpse.
[ He runs a hand through his hair in agitation, gaze shifting to the spot where the exchange had taken place. ]
She took notice of my soldier somehow and got rid of it so I didn't see much else.
no subject
But he isn't harmed, not visibly anyway. He nods at Anakin's arrival and runs a hand through his hair and Anakin listens attentively, frowning at the empty space as if it might bring the woman in question back. Replay everything. A woman in dark clothing, a maid outfit underneath- disgust mars his features.] So the clinic's getting paid off. [Does it include Turner? Is that why that bear is able to afford to go drinking every night?
Something glints at him in the dirt and Anakin approaches the place where the corpse had once been before he crouches down. The gold tips of his fingers land on... a little glass bottle? Anakin frowns at it, brings it with him as he climbs back to his feet.]
You saw more than I did.
[His head nods once, in the direction of the clinic, where he'd just come.] Someone coughed up little glowing particles, spores maybe, before they died. But the staff was pretty quick to get me out of there.
Guess now we know why.
-Has that ever happened before? Someone getting rid of your soldier?
no subject
And now they've landed here, with not much to go off of despite their troubles.
He shakes his head at Anakin's question, gaze flitting back over to where the exchange had just recently taken place. If only he had been a bit quicker... ]
Not that easily. Not without a fight.
[ His frustration isn't easy to hide. He hates the not knowing. ]
She's powerful, whatever she is.
no subject
[Because who else would be able to afford cleaning staff? Where else have they seen maids? He's never going to hear the end of it from Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan and that terrible plan with the terrible disguise.
But more worrying and far more to the point, is the way Jinwoo elaborates. Even without his expression, frustration leaks into the Force like a slow bleed and gives an answer long before the words do. Not easily. Not without a fight. Is this the reason so many combatants have been brought aboard? That this is their first taste of the enemies they'll face?
Still... to have taken a corpse and just... vanished? Vanished where? How?]
Was it just the one?
no subject
Just the one.
[ He's really regretting that he hadn't been able to catch up with her. While they'd been able to gleam some information from this, the same was done for the other side by spotting Jinwoo's shadow. ]
They're going to know that we know.
no subject
Is it possible for there to be only one? How were the medics contacting her to let her know they had a corpse? Why the rush to get rid of it so quickly? The thoughts sit uneasily inside him, and in response, Anakin bears into what they can confirm. Jinwoo is right; they're going to know that we know. At his side Anakin nods, arms coming up to fold across his chest.]
So will they make the first move, or are they going to try and keep up the facade.
no subject
And he assumes the rest of the town's occupants will feel the same. ]
Let's not give them the chance to decide.
[ There's still so much left in the dark, but Jinwoo has always been more on the hasty side of things. He's also a one-man army, so the answer on what to do next comes easily to him. ]
We let the others know, and we move first.