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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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no subject
[ What's more immediately satisfying is the fact that that incorrigible smirk has finally faded. Had he touched a nerve? Oh it’s time to get out the forceps and tease this under the microscope… At the explanation, though, Vidal regards the thin collar, apparently less of a choker necklace and/or some life choice to wear fetish gear in public than he’d assumed. ]
Like a chip or something?
[ Chipped like a dog at the pound? His eyes narrow a bit, but his brow furrows with more concern than suspicion. He’s played a part in his fair share of proverbial wing-clipping, but it was never anything that felt quite as intentionally permanent as this. Just a momentary stunning for safe handling or transport. Chemical buffers, electrical signals, lead-lined material, there’s a temporary solution for everything. ]
[ Repressing true potential is the antithesis of his entire career. ]
Why the fuck— [ Muttered under his breath before he catches himself. ] —Why, no, that… that checks out for humans, yeah, I’m not gonna touch the politics.
[ There’s a reason people with extraordinary powers tend to keep it to themselves. There’s a reason his work is covert. But where he’s from, those people are few and far between, nothing like an entire species(?) that couldn’t hide even if it wanted or deserved to. ]
I mean I assume it’s not something you can just rip out.
[ Consider his shop talk for the sake of causing revulsion momentarily disarmed. ]
no subject
But that was years ago. It doesn’t matter to the government, though, no matter how clean your crime record is.
He reaches and takes one of Vidal’s hands, hoping the other man will allow it. It’s more of a Jack is wanting comfort now and not the fact he’s trying to flirt with Vidal. Surprisingly. He cups his other hand over Vidal’s and his expression is rather soft— nothing like Vidal has seen before. ]
Oh, Vidal. You wouldn’t understand.
[ Vidal. Not Viddy or some other pet name. ]
We are required by law before a certain age before our powers come in. Some as young as five years old. Yes, it can be removed.. the technology on the outside and the inside, but it isn’t easy.
And they know. At least, they know when you’re back in my world. I’m sure I wouldn’t get noticed here, but I haven’t tried.
[ Mostly, he’s not sure where his chip is and is lacking the tools. He’s not the best surgeon either. He breaks all contact and takes a glance out the window. ]
My world is in shambles cause we have been at war for years.. which is why I don’t mind being here. I can run and hide. I can taste a little more freedom.
[ a little bit of backstory activated! Nice work, Viddy. ]
no subject
[ This right here is one of many reasons why the agency doesn't particularly answer to the government on anything. You point out one new little marvel and they swoop in to regulate it, like gun-jumping vultures picking the bones clean of something that hasn't even stopped breathing yet. That's clearly an entirely different situation, of course, but hey, deeply systemic racism and arbitrary government restriction of bodily autonomy? haHaHAHA he's from modern america dude he understands a little bit. ]
You'll never know until you try, I guess. But it was a nightmare and a half trying to find anything to take stitches out, I don't even want to think about putting them in.
[ Not to mention all the other shit that comes along with surgery, even back-alley-improv. Anyway, Jack ought to be grateful that gestures of pity are a hell of a lot easier than words, even if it does involve contact, because he can have that hand for the duration of his little sob story. The moment it's freed though, it'll be tucked away for safe keeping, arms folded. ]
Well I'm glad you can enjoy your little vacation for the rest of us, but I'm gonna be honest with you, I am not drunk enough for this.
[ He doesn't do drunk therapy to begin with and this is an unfair advantage you've brought, Jack. ]
no subject
Mm. Yeah. Neeeeever know 'till you try.
[ Finally a hand lifts in dismissal. ]
You seemed curious, so I thought I'd explain so maybe you understand why I have a Godzilla in there and your interested little mind won't be able to witness it. It's fine. We've lived like this for decades now and I'm just accepting it at this rate.
[ That's why his faction split. One reason. He got scared. He couldn't handle seeing his people die at the hands of his leadership. There's too much regret. That's why he's learning to just deal with it instead of continuing to act in the revolution. ]
I'm not asking for someone to whine to about all of this if you're thinking that, but I explained it even if it's difficult for me to.