INTRO LOG #1

[bequiet]

INTRO LOG #1
Muzzle and Mute
Content Warnings: Disorientation, memory loss, confusion
Themes: Arrival, survival, exploration, horror

You wake, standing. A thick, muddy red dust coats your skin and clothes - it sticks to your tongue and blocks your vision. Inhale and it chokes you, exhale and your breath puffs out in front of your face in a transparent maroon cloud. It tastes of copper, tangy and harsh. Movement is difficult, every limb tingles and aches. Look to your left, your right. Evenly spaced in each direction stands another person indistinguishable in every way from the next. You're disoriented and lethargic, unable to grasp onto a single thought. A pinprick of light blooms ahead and grows steadily larger; a door has opened.

Hands grip your wrists, push at the small of your back and guide you out of the darkness into a room with four walls and a thin, sagging ceiling. The plaster is peeling, the air is musty, and the floor is slick. White plastic piping juts up from the center and curves into multiple spouts, clean water flowing in uneven streams. Those hands pull your clothes off and clear the dust from your body, redress you in handsewn jumpsuits. By the time they’re through, you will have begun to come back to yourself.

A finger is pressed to your lips. Kind eyes meet your own and a single word is whispered - hush.

Led out of the room in a line, you’re taken down a short hallway and into another, much larger room. There’s a woman waiting for you there, a child hugging her leg, and a cloth bag in her hands. She reaches in and pulls out a device, passes one to each of you. Once finished, she begins to move both hands in graceful gestures, a language. One of the people who helped you lifts their device and the screen lights up, tracks the woman’s hands. Letters appear on the screen and you understand the device’s purpose. She tells you what she knows and it’s not much.

This world is haunted. Noise attracts them, so it is not allowed. Communication is through body language, soundless writing, and the device. She tells you that your feet must be light and your mouth never used. There is a community outside these doors, where you can survive together, but only if you agree to one thing: complete and total silence. You'll have time to talk it over. You may ask one question and receive one answer.

Acceptance allows you to journey outside. The ground is marked in pathways of sand, lining the paths to each building and everywhere in-between. You notice that the locals hold their devices always, aloft and glance to it often. It will not vibrate or make a sound to signal a message. Notices appear. Rules. Guidelines. Feet on the sand and never anywhere else. To open a door you brush your fingers along the hinges - oiled and you may enter. If not, take the brush from the can sitting nearby and coat the metal with the dark liquid.

Now, you're to settle into your new home.

The Man in the Hat
Content Warnings: Heavy lifting, following the rules, alcoholism
Themes: Moving in, survival, exploration, horror

Once you’ve claimed a room for yourself, it’s time to acclimate to the community. Natives will ask what you need and take you along the sandpaths to different areas in the city to gather supplies - furniture and the like. Heavier items will require assistance and will take longer. Houses are mostly empty so if you and your housemates need something, you’ll have to carry it and put it inside the home. Do not make any noise or the natives will refuse to help you. Getting to know your housemates is key to a smooth transition. They are going through what you are right now; take the time to get to know them. Make house rules.

As the first day gives way to night, the natives can be seen moving at a faster pace outside. They’re hurried, though not frightened. Some even smile at you. When the sun sets behind the ruins of what was once picturesque Reims, your device will signal that it’s time to meet at the center of the community. There, natives will stop each person and give them a small gift - a trinket, a token to show that they are trying their best to make all the new arrivals feel at home. These are all items from the character’s home or from another character's home (they will not be anything that belongs to anyone else). Small, soundless and either something taken during the application process or something brand new. They will have no powers to speak of and are meant to be a momento. If asked, the natives found them the same way they found each of you.

Then the party starts. Sort of. A soundless, stitled kind of celebration. Fun is meant to be had, but it’s not an overly joyous occasion. The natives simply don’t know how to cut loose. There will be extra food in the form of one and two; Phillipa even brought some of her homemade bread. If you stumble across a man wearing a hat, the only man in town who does, and agree to go with him when he offers to show you his house - he’ll gift you with a jar of hooch; it’ll burn on the way down.

Sound Eaters
Content Warnings: Threat, danger
Themes: Survival, exploration, horror, game plot

It’s the second day of your stay, and the natives call for an emergency meeting at the Town Hall. Everyone is paired off (see below) and are asked to walk the perimeter looking for anything out of place and patching any areas that might have been affected by weather. Once finished, the same is done on the inside, and when the community leader is satisfied, the main hall is opened up so that everyone can congregate. Characters, during this time only, are allowed to make sound. This is so that the natives can explain why silence is so necessary...

The Sound Eaters.

In an effort not to frighten everyone, the natives won’t go into the history just yet, but they will warn that when someone makes a sound, it attracts them. They don’t know what they look like because they are so fast. If you’re too loud, then in the blink of an eye, you’ll go through a room reset. This is because either the natives ‘silenced’ you or the Sound Eaters have. They will explain that the room came at the same time the Sound Eaters did and that it doesn’t work for the natives. Sometimes, it doesn’t work on new arrivals. Death, for those born in this world, is permanent. If you attract them, you’ll get someone killed. Hence the need for no noise. During the meeting, the natives will tell each character of their own experiences. Their losses. The families they have left and how they’d do anything to keep them alive. They don’t know if you’ll be reset, but is that a risk you’re willing to take? The meeting will last a few hours and will end on a somber, ominous note - at the end of the month, they are taking everyone to meet them.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun!

NAVIGATION

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Comments

Ignis Scientia | Final Fantasy XV

[ebonyengine]

a. Man in the Hat

[This is quite possibly the worst party Ignis has ever been to. And he's been to countless royal and noble functions back in Lucis. The no sound rule has left everything uncomfortably quiet and he finds the food unimpressive. It's not bad, but it's merely unremarkable to him. At least it's edible.

Normally, he's not one to interact with strangers beyond business until he gets to know them, but he recognizes that all of the new arrivals are in the same boat, so if anyone cares to approach them, he'll give a wave hello and offer the following message on his device:]

Care to follow the gentleman with the hat?

b. Teamwork (for Qetzi'ah Morrison)

[A patrol is nothing new to Ignis. He's been on plenty of them as a member of the Crownsguard. But patrolling a new location and being asked to repair damaged things is something that's out of his scope experience. Hoping his companion might be better at this, he types out a message.]

Does everything look alright to you?

[He genuinely has no idea.]

c. House Five

[The house is nice enough, he supposes. It's better than sleeping outside where he suspects he wouldn't even have the luxury of camping gear. He's not entirely sure about sharing a house with strangers, but between this and having nowhere to sleep at all, he will take his chances with the unknown.

Ignis wanders around the house, getting a feel for the layout and other details, such as the furnishings that have been hauled in and the architecture, for he thinks that maybe if he can identify the style of housing, he can figure out something about this place he's found himself in. Alas, they offer him nothing.

In particular, he seems interested in the kitchen, examining every piece of equipment, surface, cabinet, and drawer carefully.]

d. Sound Eaters

[Listening to the explanations, Ignis thinks it sounds terribly too much like a horror movie or video game. He turns to the nearest person.]

What do you make of this?

[Gosh it's nice to talk.]

e. Wildcard

[Choose your own adventure.]

D

[xochipilli_cursed]

[As he's no expert on anything he's supposed to be going up against, and how horrifying it is to hear about people getting picked off for the mistakes of others, he doesn't have a funny response to this.]

I think we play by the rules for now because... well look.

[He motions vaguely towards the kids with his hand.]

It's like whatever is out there has hostages.

[ebonyengine]

[Sadly, he thinks this fellow is right. This is not Ignis' home, but he can't turn a blind eye to people who are suffering.]

I've never seen such desperation before.

[And he thought he had it bad. His country being occupied by a power mad empire doesn't seem so bad now.]

In essence, we are all hostages all the time.

[xochipilli_cursed]

[Aaron has seen signs of a future as bleak or worse. So this isn't something all together unheard of for him. The specifics are unique though.]

I guess so. You don't happen to have a lot of experience with ghosts do you?

[ebonyengine]

[Ghosts? No. Not unless you count rumors of ghosts that turned out to be not ghosts.]

Daemons, yes. Ghosts, no.

D

[lowkeycrazy]

Honestly? I remain unconvinced that this isn't just some sort of psychological experiment.

[Were you expecting that sort of cynicism from an eighteen-year old, Ignis?]

[ebonyengine]

[No, he wasn't, but he can't help but let out a little chuckle. It's not unlike something he would answer himself, if he were a few years younger and less familiar with monsters that lurk just beyond the safety of settlement boundaries.]

It's entirely possible, but if it is, I have some serious concerns about the ethics of this experiment.

[lowkeycrazy]

[Akechi raises an eyebrow at the chuckle. Do you think he's joking???]

Hence, why we're isolated. And presumably why they're so eager to toss around death-threats as well.

[ebonyengine]

[Honestly, he can't tell if Akechi is serious or not.]

And what do you believe to be the purpose of this experiment? It seems to be needlessly complicated and elaborate.

[It would involve mass kidnapping of random individuals from, what he can tell, a vast variety of places. The last thing Ignis remembers is preparing to get on a boat. There would also have to be an explanation for why his memory suddenly cuts off right at that moment before finding himself...wherever this was.]

A

[comesaround]

[ Karma just pauses to consider something before an amused look crosses his features and he types something out on his device, turning it toward Ignis a mere moment later. ]

Only if I have someone going with me. I tend not to follow strangers until I know their intentions.

[ebonyengine]

[Someone of a similar mind. There's a reason Ignis is asking someone to go with him rather than just going himself.]

Hence my asking. I feel marginally better following a stranger if someone else is with me. Even if it's another stranger.

[comesaround]

[ That has him raising an eyebrow before a smile replaces it, typing a message out with ease. ]

Call me Karma. If we know each other's names then we wouldn't be strangers anymore, would we?

[ It's just his logic. Nothing to worry about. Though in his eyes it sounded reasonable since normally strangers were those who didn't really know each other so this would sort of solve that issue, so to speak. ]

[ebonyengine]

[Solid logic, if he's ever heard...seen any.]

Then I'll return the favor. My name is Ignis.

[Of course, he likes to know more than just people's names, but for now, this is enough to cross the threshold of "let's follow the not at all suspicious man in the hat"]

Shall we go?

c. house five! (assuming they know by this point they're in this together, if that's okay!)

[cxivth]

( creeping out from beyond the breakfast nook comes noctis. his arms are folded over his chest as he leans against a wall opposite to ignis, staying silent as he watches his friend's inspection from the corner of his eye.

after awhile, he reaches down, and flips something out from his pocket. the item that the natives had found and returned to him... the picture of himself, gladio, ignis and prompto— the one they'd all posed for with the regalia at hammerhead.

he looks down at it for awhile, laying there on the counter, then looks up at ignis, his question written clearly on his face.
if not here, where do you suppose those two are, now? )

yep that's cool!

[ebonyengine]

[The fact that Noctis is here with him brings about conflicted feelings in Ignis. On the one hand, it means that he knows for sure that his prince is safe and sound and that he needn't spend every waking moment worrying about him and thinking about how to get back to his side. On the other hand, he doesn't want Noctis to be here, not in this mysterious, miserable place where Noctis can't be...well, Noctis.

His eyes fall onto the picture and it strikes a pang of sadness in his heart. Noctis may be his number one priority, but Gladiolus and Prompto are just right below him and he shares Noctis' worry. With all the time they've spent together, it just doesn't feel right to not have the four of them together.

He doesn't know, and his worried expression probably says it all. He wishes he could give Noctis a concrete answer, reassure him that the other two were safe and sound and they would be reunited soon, but the truth is he can't. So all he can offer is a shake of his head. He doesn't know. He hates that he doesn't know. He hates that he doesn't have the slightest idea of where their friends are or what's going on or what they can do about the situation. He hates that he can't fix this.

All he can do is offer his assistance and comfort, like he's always done since they were children.]

[cxivth]

( the truth was, ignis' presence was one of the few things that helped noct keep it together right now. well, that and the fact that there were possibly flesh-eating deamons just waiting to get a taste of the first person that made a peep.

he wanted someway, anyway to vent his frustrations, and at ignis' shake of his head, his hands ball up into fists to indicate just that. noctis pushed himself off of the wall with a foot, bringing his arms down through the air noiselessly, in a frustrated display. he turns around, kicking at nothing as he does so, looking at his retainer again with a pained look. almost something akin to that morning they'd been confronted with the grim revelation of insomnia's fall.

the others, the wedding, altissia!
what about everything they'd been working towards together?! they'd been... so close... )

[ebonyengine]

[Normally, Ignis is one to admonish Noctis for throwing a fit, but in this case, he's fine with letting his charge get his frustrations out. The sight of a silent venting is unusual, to say the least, but this situation they've found themselves in is unusual in every possible way. At least Noctis has the control to keep it as quiet as possible.

Never in his life did he imagine that what was supposed to be a joyous, carefree trip to the wedding of the century would turn into a string of one hardship after another, and just as things were beginning to look up...this happened.

Ignis does the only thing he can do, which is put a hand on Noctis' shoulder. A gesture to convey comfort and devotion. They might be lost in some unknown place and separated from the others, but he's here for him. He's going to support Noct and help him through this, the same way he always does. They'll find a way out and back home.

He hopes.]

A

[gotyourselfapilot]

[ Poe always wanting to be on the move didn't really want to be at this party. But it was probably meant to create something for them. The trinkets were a nice touch to the evening too. He was happy to get something from home that he cherished a lot. It would keep reminding him why he keeps going. Never giving up because it's not something his parents ever did. But he was trying to make sure fears weren't becoming a reality back at home.

While being here they were all in it together when it came to the new arrivals. Plus they all stuck out with the jumpsuits. Poe didn't know what to think about the stranger in the hat. But if there was something in it while following gentleman besides into an elaborate placed trap he'll tag along with someone. Because maybe it could be? Poe gives a tiny wave back while answering back. ]

I'll go with along just in case something might go wrong.

[ebonyengine]

[Ignis is not normally in the habit of following random strangers in hats, but in this case, he's willing to take a chance on it when the alternative was staying at this "party" where everything was quiet and everyone was pretending to have a good time. And if this venture went south, he was reasonably confident in his ability to get away.]

Wonderful. My name is Ignis, by the way.

[gotyourselfapilot]

[ Poe would agree with the party being eery with the whole silence and quiet. People typically spoke to one another, there was much more noise. People would be making toasts of some kind. It was weird but the only good thing to come from it were the trinkets from home. Poe could easily get away but he would make sure Ignis did too. ]

Poe Dameron. How do you feel about this whole party? I personally think it's strange. Even if it seems as if they are trying to keep us in good spirits of being here.

[ebonyengine]

[How does he feel about the party? He has many words about it, but because typing them all out would take a long time, he opts for a condensed version instead.]

I don't like it, frankly. I hardly think a party, even one as muted as this one, would do anything to encourage anyone here. I hope it wasn't just an excuse to gather us all in one place.

[He's half expecting something to go terribly wrong.]

[rou_gui]

[ Qetzi is a young woman in her twenties, long dark hair and big dark eyes in a square, pale face. Her expression is, almost without exception, frowning... ]

Is this a new task to you?

[ It is not to her. She lived in an ancient wood house out in the woods, its maintenance and repair was inevitable. ]

[ebonyengine]

[He is most thoroughly ashamed to admit that yes, this is new to him. While he's capable of many things and handled many duties back at home, he still lived in the lap of luxury with others to take care of laborious tasks like this one.]

I'm afraid so. Most of my knowledge is in administration, cooking, sewing, and housekeeping.

[Basically a glorified maid-butler combo.]

[rou_gui]

Then keep watch, and I will do the work.

[ She's used to doing it alone anyway. ]

[ebonyengine]

[It's nice to not be in charge for once, and Ignis does as he's told, keeping watch and leaving her to work. Having little to do but stand around and watch for danger, it strikes him how truly silent the place is. Even the quaintest little towns he visited on his unplanned cross country roadtrip across Lucis were much louder than this. There's no sounds of people going about their daily lives. No children playing loudly outside. None of the sights and sounds that usually accompany life.

It's really unnerving.]