August Event Log: Part II

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: Approximately two weeks into the exile
Where: The core of the crashed Moira
What: The travelers reach the ship's Ingress and discover the truth of why they're here
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label your content!

A NOTE: As this log functions as something of a short-term bridge between the previous event and what comes next, it is being posted separately from a more standard log that covers a longer time period. As seen on the calendar, that log will be posted Saturday.

a change on the wind

Without warning, the part of the Moira that houses the Ingress and the energy signature that brought the travelers there is no longer closed off. Doors unlock and open, revealing yet more halls that lead deeper into the ship. Only when everyone has entered and come closer to the Ingress chamber do their surroundings change.

Instead of a dark, dead ship, travelers find themselves upon the planet Aueia, home of the space whales, the first world opened to them after arriving on Thisavrou. But this world, too, has been touched by the life-twisting storms that still rage across the landscape, stirring up dangerous waves in the fluid that makes up the "seas" of the planet and leaving dead spaces on the dry land that normally teems with life and local habitation.

After approximately one hour, just as impossibly, the world blurs around the travelers and becomes Deslora, a world that once resembled nothing so much as the inside of a funhouse or a circus, but whose colors have been turned black by the storms and whose native fauna, including the clown bees, have been twisted by the storms that have somehow made their way inside.

And so it goes, the world on which they walk changing once an hour. The sleek, futuristic world known as Asteroid 276 looks more like a post-apocalyptic wreck, with the outer walls of the space station shaking so hard from the storms that it appears they might give way—and they start to, just as another shift begins. On Escoria, the water feels thick with some contaminant, perhaps the rot of those who once lived in the water, for only monsters shark-like creatures remain. And then they stand upon Aioros, a planet that is no longer poisonous to all because after the storms have ravaged the planet thoroughly, nothing upon the planet lives.

nothing but white

Finally, with just as little warning as the first shift, the world blurs a final time and travelers find themselves in a featureless room, a large space with soft light and no visible doors. Any pets or companion lifeforms that accompanied them to the Moira are no longer in sight. As they begin to get their bearings, a single humanoid being steps through a wall as though it were nothing but a hologram. Upon him is a silver strip of cloth—the marking of a Savrii intermediary, and he is not well; a great strain is etched upon his face, his coloring is pale and he holds himself as though barely able to do so. Whatever the travelers might wish to say to him, whatever sounds they would otherwise make, they'll find they cannot—for a brief time, some outer force has inflicted silence upon them. That same force will prevent them from coming too close to the intermediary just yet.

"I wish that I could—I would apologize for bringing you here." His voice is as tired as he looks, and a strange combination bitterness mixed with desperation can be heard in his tone. "But I haven't brought you anywhere. None of this was true—from the moment you thought you stepped through the Ingress, it was a simulated reality, technology and our power combined to occupy you while they decided what to do, while they made their plans. It was to be peaceful to keep you docile, but I knew better, I knew you had to see—"

For a moment, the Savrii flickers, like an old television signal being interrupted. When he reappears, his expression has grown even more urgent as his words quicken.

"You have done great damage to our home but you are the only ones who act, who might listen. They told me, the whispers in my mind that grew clearer when you broke the Ingress—the mother and her child. They told me what could happen, that it will if we don't change, but they won't, they don't even know how—the storms, the end of everything. We are not as protected as we think. This could happen to Thisavrou too."

Then he flickers again, returning with wide eyes and speaking even more rapidly.

"This was not an act of cruelty. This is a warning. You had to understand for yourself what is at stake. When this simulation ends, when they discover what I've shown you. They are trying to truly send you away, and you must not let them or all may be lost. Please. Please."

There is a sense of release as ambient sound returns. Travelers will find they can approach the Savrii to ask questions (or to punch him if they so choose! Though anyone who wishes to commit excessive violence will find that death just doesn't take), and though he is nearly panicked now, he will answer as many as possible in the time that they have.

Eventually, though, he will emit a sharp gasp and disappear once more, not returning this time—just before everything goes black for the travelers.

Comments

[ruffboi]

[Yeah. No, that's okay. He knows he Magnused this up. He's hit with the sinking feeling that he Magnused this up very hard. It just didn't even occur to him, this entire time, to think that Taako wasn't upset on behalf of saving his own skin, but also on Magnus' behalf too? But it seems cruel, to have looked at it that way. He knows Taako, and knows he isn't cold or indifferent, no matter how much he likes to pretend to be?

Anyway, he's not sure what to do to fix it, to take back not just what he said but his unfair attitude, so instead he grabs Taako and pulls him into a hug.]

'm sorry. I did Magnus it up.

[chaoticlootral]

[ Oh is he really gonna be made to have this out all the way to the logical hug conclusion in public. Embarrassing. No one else is even paying attention, but, gross? As always, he has very little idea of what to do during this process except just sort of stiffly stand there and - this time anyway - gently pat him whenever he can reach with one hand. There, there.

He doesn't really have it in him to be mad about it anymore, though, because it is a relief that he's back with apparently no lasting damage (as disappointing as not getting that robot arm is). When did he get this bad. Terrible. Everything he says is kind of muffled because he's sort of plonked face-first into Magnus, but he's seemingly fine with this for the next however long as his one concession to Magnus' emotions. Consider it a gift. ]

You did! You did. Lup said it was kind of your thing, apparently. Shit if I know what that means, but, you know, we can rebrand.

[ruffboi]

Yeah. Gotta add that in addition to the Magnus brand meaning fighting as many cats at a time as possible, it also means never letting down the team.

[At least, that's the best way he can say, without getting sappy in a way he might not be allowed to, that he gets the problem is that he let down the team, and not just because he wasn't there to swat cats away from Taako.

However, Taako is kidding himself if he thinks this hug is a concession to Magnus's emotions. This is your comfort hug, buddy, because you felt sad that he died and because he hurt your feelings. Drink it in. He squeezes him one more time, and then lets him go.]

You and Lup hitting it off, finally? I have to say, I think she's kind of great.

[chaoticlootral]

You're really sold on this whole fighting cats thing, okay. I was thinking maybe we move away from the cat-themed trademarking entirely.

[ Taako is definitely kidding himself, and letting him continue to kid himself about this is also part of the apology Magnus owes. That only seems fair. Fixing his hat afterwards like this has all be one big imposition, he should be so grateful he got a hug that long. ]

Don't-- Don't rush my development here, I've still got some reservations at the What The Fuck Motel about whatever is happening there. I get that you've bought the whole bridge, but I'm not an investor yet.

[ I mean, sure she's great, but also he can't just like admit that. ]

[ruffboi]

I don't mean only cats. But fighting things is going to remain a part of the brand, and if they happen to be cats, so be it. [Realizing how lame the cats sound.] Okay, I should probably say that I was mildly poisoned and didn't just get picked off by some cats for no reason.

[He shrugs at the Lup comment.] That's fine! But at least we can stop having to avoid her now, right? Because I don't want to do that.

[chaoticlootral]

Fight whatever you want! My dude, I'd never stop you from keeping fighting as your brand, what we're moving on from is the losing part. [ The cats do sound really lame, bruh. ] I probably shouldn't say that's another thing I was right about, so I won't.

[ He simply shrugs back. ] Like I told her, we weren't avoiding anyone, we were operating in different circles to negate conflict. You can operate in whatever circles you want, brohambre.