Event: Opening!

[trainmasters]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 1, starting in the morning
Where: ???

[It's morning on the Aurora and 36 newcomers, including you, are waking up queasy in their beds to the dim orange glow of emergency lights and the blare of an alarm. Lying beside you is what appears to be a smartphone -- but it won't turn on, and there's nothing to tell anyone from a lower-tech society what it even is. In fact there's no explanation for anything. All you can hear is the shrill alarm, and all you can see outside your windows is blackness. There's no sun, moon, or stars, just a complete, all-encompassing darkness and, if you look from the right angle, a view of the rest of the train hurtling through it.

The room you're in is oddly decorated, with a theme reflected by the clothes in your closet, all in a colour scheme that matches the colour of your smartphone. You may find a few other items in the closet as well -- things you need in order to access your abilities.

After a few seconds, the train jerks and shakes with impact. The alarm fades out, and in its place a recording begins to play, broken and full of static.]

"Heroes of Distant Stars, Welcome ......... The Aurora. My name is ... Prince of Stars. The worlds you knew have unfortunately ......... by Malice, and for that I can only offer my deepest condolences. You ...... why you alone were saved. ......... to that is simple: our numbers are too few. We can no longer repel the Malice. Without you, ......... You must use ......... to bring back the Light. Rely on your teammates for support, and ......... victory.

Please, save us all. You are our only hope."

[The recording repeats endlessly after that, with only a brief pause between -- a young man's voice, sad and desperate, over and over in the silence.

When you try to leave your room the door, while evidently automatic, needs to be manually dragged open. After that you'll find yourself in a two-floor dormitory in the same theme as your room. There are seven total doors in the hall, and stairs down to the elaborately decorated main floors. There's food in the fridge, but no actual power on to keep it cold, so if you want to eat you should do so now before it spoils. The doors are all similarly out of order -- they must be pulled or pushed open and shut in their sliding frames, and they don't have any locks to speak of.

At least you're not alone -- each train car has five or six total occupants, all who've been given the same set of colour-coded clothes and useless phone as you. Some of you are confused but intact. Some of you remember nothing before waking. Some of you remember, but have lost all the power you know yourself to carry. And yet there are no answers. Only the train, the darkness, and the increasing sound of lapping waves.

Look outside now, and you'll see the train has landed on an island in the midst of sea so calm it's like one big, black, mirror. The island itself has a beach of fine black sand, on which the train rests. Nearby is a huge pedestal above which floats an odd cube in the center of two concentric metal rings, all spinning like a gyroscope. It glows with black light and a malevolence so intense that even those without magical senses can detect it.

Further inland, however, it's all tangled growth and unintelligible whispers. Entering the jungle will prove terribly dangerous -- it's full of black snakes whose venom will leave you dizzy and nauseous, or if the snake is big enough could even stop your heart. There are furry pig-like beasts that are edible, but they're accompanied by carnivorous monsters reminiscent of tigers with horns, six eyes, and saber teeth. Some plants are harmless, or bear edible fruit, but others let off spores that cause frightening hallucinations, and others will reach out with tendrils to try to pull you into their many-toothed maws.

But it's not the jungle you have to worry about first. It's the water sneaking up the beach as if it's alive -- if you let it pool ankle-deep around you, it'll drag you with terrifying speed into the sea, pulling you under with intent to let you drown, your corpse to feed the unknown horrors deep below.

So what will you do, Heroes of Distant Stars?]

[[OOC NOTE: The only items in your character's closet are clothes and any mod-approved item-based power exceptions. For the duration of this event, all unnecessary systems have been disengaged. This means there's no power to anything but the lights and health pods, and your Chain will not come on. This will last an IC day or two, depending on game speed. For now make friends, and figure out as much as you can on your own until the Aurora's Prism comes back on!

You can make separate posts if you want a team meet-and-greet, etc, for your team only. This post is for engaging with the outside or hanging out in public spaces!

Also, this is an official Event post, so you can all add 300 sparks to your sheet if you tag in!]]

Comments

[distained]

[ OKAY 2 OPTIONS:

1. There he is, stumbling out of the train looking like he's had fifty days better than this and he doesn't even remember why. There's a dangerous moment where he hiccups and looks like he might vomit, but hey. He manages it. Decked in pink.

2. He's just coming up to you with a very intent and desperate sounding: ]

Excuse me! May I have a moment of your time?!

[unperturbed]

[Was not paying attention, but stands straight up when addressed.]

Oh- yes, of course?!

1

[friskmanagement]

[After somehow getting out of your room and getting outside, you spot someone else out there. You walk towards them and notice -- they seem to be about to blow chunks. You should probably stay back so you don't get any on you.

But you go up to them anyway.]

Uh...are you okay?

[Okay's kind of relative right now.]

[bowtiedbones]

[in green and looking VERY FRAZZLED, but]

Oh! Um, sure? What do you need?

[nihilmancy]

[Looking him over suspiciously.]

Ask.

[unperturbed]

[?????????

This short person throws some soft boots and a coat on over those... leopard print pjs... and just leaves his hair down. Clearly this is presentable enough. If your character is also on Ginger they might meet up in the halls, but otherwise he can be found standing on his toes to peer out a window somewhere else on the train.]

[bowtiedbones]

[in Thyme colors, but hi5 for pajama+coat combos. why get dressed just to explore a mystery spook train??]

See anything not super weird out there?

[stakesthesame]

Whhhaaaat the stuff...

[ wandering out of the train and staring up at the cube, then out at the rest of the island. ]

This place is wild.

[bowtiedbones]

[not stepping away from the door of the train, but watching anybody who ventures out further]

It's creepy, right? Like super creepy.

[bitterwiththesweet]

Can't say I'm a fan.

[friskmanagement]

[You stumble out of the train, still in your pajamas, if for no other reason than to get away from that recording, and look around. You look to one side and see black water. You look to another and see jungle.

You look up and see...a cube of some kind?

Staring at it sends a shiver down your spine. You don't know what, but you know there's something very wrong with it.

Frankly, this was all confusing enough without you being a total amnesiac. At least there's some other people around too. And at least some of them look as befuddled as you. Misery loves company, or something.]

Does anybody know....

Anything. About what's happening?

[vitellina]

[ There's a girl wearing a goat skull just sort of tilting her head at you, like what the fuck ]

I wish. This is the dumbest thing that's ever happened to me.

[ out of the 0 things she remembers, ]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ tttentatively stepping off the train, only to take one look at the Bad Feelings Cube and pull up short with zero warning. hope you didn't just walk into her! ]

[bowtiedbones]

[SQUEAKS]

[bowtiedbones]

[opens the door to look outside......




closes it and retreats to peeking out a window instead]

This is soooooo creepy.

[nihilmancy]

[A smol young woman steps out of the train, staring suspiciously at everything around her. She doesn't understand this. What was that about being rescued? She doesn't feel rescued. For all she knows, she's been kidnapped. The thoughts racing through her mind, the anxiety, it's making her head hurt. Why can't she remember anything?]

[friskmanagement]

Uhhh, hi.

[You notice someone in different clothes from you looking kind of distressed and approach them. A shocking coincidence, because you're feeling kinda distressed too.]

You don't...have any idea where this is, do you?

[heavenlyvisitor]

[ There is a boy in the doorway to the Hazel cabin staring out wordlessly at you as if waiting for either a. an explanation (from you, and not the recording) or b. you to fix this. ]

[unperturbed]

Hello!

[This short passerby with fuzzy ears and a fuzzy coat breaks the silence first.]

[unaffective]

[ you probably shouldn't walk too fast or run in trains but that's happening

there's a girl in senna's uniform bounding up to you suddenly, troubled, desperate: ]

- Pardon - pardon me, if I may have a moment of your time -

[ or you could just like bump into her. or vice-versa

that can also happen ]

[vitellina]

[ hi I have a goat skull on ]

Unless you know where we are I don't really care?

[obsidien]

Hero of Distant Stars... What a great big bloody joke.

[His grumpy voice doesn't match the flowy, almost elegant Jasmine outfit he's wearing. But it does suit his general appearance!

Though Sidurgu really doesn't feel like a hero, and doesn't want to feel like a hero. He doesn't even want to be one.

He's simply parked himself to a window, not even thinking about venturing outside.]

[agoodnoe]

[ A young man is pressed up against a window, looking outside in... wonder? ]

How fascinating!

[bowtiedbones]

You like the view?

[vitellina]

[ There's a person in Licorice's uniform, wearing a goat skull on their head that covers their face, just staring at the cube. ]

Man, I still hate this.

[ghostfromthemachine]

Seconded? Seconded.

[ part of me wants to roll around near it like a cat sunbathing and it's CREEPING ME THE HECK OUT ]

[voreaciously]

[Deux options:

80H opens her door with little issue after gathering what things she has and dressing in the clothes provided. Purpose and intent form the cadence of her steps, though she has no more understanding of these events than anyone else, as far as she knows.

It is pitch black outside, which is deeply unsettling. If you are running around or by her she will reach out to grab you, gentle, but firm, her expression placid and calm.]

A moment.


[The train does not hold the answers she needs that she can find, and so she ventures outside for answers, and perhaps sustenance and supplies.]

Something is terribly wrong, here.

[The Malice...is that what she is feeling, here?]

[vitellina]

[ grabbed, and immediately starts trying to twist away ]

Wow hey do you know what personal space is?

[marmitekeef]

[ There's a dark-haired young man with violet eyes skulking around in Licorice clothing - he went with the shirt, shorts and stockings and then threw the coat on over it, with the hood up. It's almost like a uniform, kind of.

First, Keith explores the train, peering out the windows with a frown. ]

What a strange ship.



[ Later, he's exploring the island, sticking close to the train and the beach for now. But that cube and its foreboding aura are clearly important, and suspicious, and in need of further examination. ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

This certainly isn't like any boat I've ever heard of before.



I think.

[ at least it doesn't match her preconceived notions of what a boat should be like!! ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ After she's escaped her room and the car designated for Hazel, a young woman wearing--her bed sheets?--can be found standing bare foot at the doorway of a train car, staring out at the black sand beach and the huge pedestal and floating cube. ]

What is that?

[friskmanagement]

[You're walking around outside the train when you spot someone in the doorway, looking at what you've started referring to as the Bad Cube.]

I dunno, but i-

[You stop and look at her for a second.]

Are those your pajamas?

[You don't have much room to talk, since you're still wearing yours too.]

[cadeuces]

( Hello, Aurora Express passengers! This is one(1) Mom from the Team Mom Squad and she's bringing coffee and stew with her, because she had some time to waste until she had help prying the door open from their car to the next and cooked for far more than the five people in her group.

Hungry? Thirsty? Looking for something hot to fill the pit of dread settling into your stomach after stepping foot on that weird ass black sand? Come sniffing around and receive an offered portion. Then, almost under her breath and definitely to herself: )

That message certainly skipped some pertinent information.

( It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to try and track down the broadcast equipment and see if they can't get the full message (you must use what now? to bring back the light?), because it sounds better than approaching the void cube putting off what little light exists beyond the train itself. )

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ here is someone literally sniffing, and then locking on to her and that stew with probably a hilarious amount of unsubtlety. why yes, she is absolutely looking for more things to try to fill that pit of dread, thank you! sidling on up, wide-eyed ]

Goodness, you work fast.

[s2g]

[ first point of order would normally getting off this goddamn train. the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up after he caught what must be the hundredth loop of that recorded message, and if he has to hear it loop one more time, he's gonna lose it.

he'd been alright with leaving it to Livio, to run down the goons and demons from now until forever. he'd been satisfied, and he'd finished his go on that dustbowl of a planet.

hadn't he?

now—getting off the train would be well and good for him, except that Wolfwood hasn't got the comfortable weight of the Punisher on his back, doesn't have heat strapped to his ribs, and he's never seen a body of water like this. like, he's never seen a body of water. he doesn't much like any of that, save for that stretch of black-blue. so he's freezing on the gangway connection between cars and just... gazing out at it all in mixed awe and wariness, bracing himself on the rails. ]

Purgatory, huh...

[ makes the wandering priest shtick seem a little cheap in retrospect. ]

[friskmanagement]

[You quietly walk up behind the guy standing between the cars and listen to him talk to himself.]

What's purgatory?

[It's the land of the dead that's between heaven and hell.]

Oh.

...wait, are we dead?

[howlsitgoin]

[Here is an idiot without his memories, standing on the beach in Hazel's flannel pajamas and making a face at the water. He's got furry wolf ears and a tail that's perky with slightly tense curiosity.

He keeps letting the water pool an inch or so and then side-stepping and letting it go again.]

What is this...?

[cawnflict]

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Don't like the water?