TDM 003

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ NOTES\WARNINGS: Space horror, existential horror, clown horror, potential graphic violence & psychological trauma. Please add additional warnings as needed within threads. Your arrival does not go as anticipated. While most Etrayans wake up in the hospital, you find yourself somewhere else entirely. Not within the city bubble, not on the planet, but in a desolate room aboard a space station. There’s an endless mechanical whirring that can be heard from anywhere from just behind the walls, although the cause of the noise itself is difficult to discern. Instead of Aurora’s voice telling you of your situation, you are greeted by a man running past the sliding door of your room, opening it, and potentially a couple of others along the hallway. He stops just at the edge of the hallway, a hesitant smile on his lips as he raises a hand to the back of his hair. "Hey! Sorry about the uh–unexpected vacation? Trip? You can call me Alex, I’m one of the hands here aboard the Titan Eight. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but you don’t really belong here. Aaaaand neither do we! Haha, so at least we’ve got that in common. Right? We’re uh, stuck in the gravitational pull of a black hole of some sort and haven’t found a way out yet, and we keep getting random people pulled aboard." His hand smacks the wall next to him, and it opens up - revealing small handheld communication devices lined up behind it. "As you can probably tell, we’re getting used to it. Anyway. Feel free to take one of these, and read up a bit on the ship if you want. There’s a map, you were given a translator—" With a hand dropping to his collar, where a small button rests, "soon as we found you down below. Didn’t want you waking up and freaking out, did we? Just don’t break anything, please? Or don’t break it worse than it is. If this thing gets a big enough hole in it, or we run out of oxygen, or it, gods forbid, explodes, we’re all dead. I’ve got a thing I’m on the way to, but our AI, Aria, can lend you a hand with whatever. Just click her little icon on the comm. She's a bit basic, but she gets the job done." With a little salute, Alex turns himself around to run further down the hallway, leaving new arrivals to themselves and their little communicators. Looks like we’re not on Etraya anymore, Toto. For new arrivals, they will find themselves waking up in the sleeping quarters of Titan Eight, a space station that has found itself trapped just outside of what looks like it must be a black hole. The station is running low on supplies, but it has been for a very, very long time. Or at least, the crew seems to think it has. They’ll say they have two weeks' worth of supplies left for those currently on board, except every time they go back to their supplies, it’s still two weeks left regardless of the amount of time it’s been since they’ve last checked it. Even the crew seems to think it’s odd, looking at one another in confusion every time they’re counting their stock only to realize that it’s still drastically low but never too low. How long have they been here? Years, some seem to think. There are numerous children on board, some as young as nine, but no one on board is aging either. They have tried to track how much time has passed before, but it seems they’ve never been able to track it successfully. Journal entries all carry the same date even as crew members try to mark them differently — marks made on the ship and on bodies fade after midnight as if they had never been there to begin with. This is where the mission, and Etrayans comes in: remove the space station from the black hole’s gravitational pull. There are no further instructions, no limitations on how to accomplish this, and they are not given a time frame. Newcomers will not have this mission information on hand until someone who has stepped foot on Etraya proper can inform them. All of those who drop onto the ship were originally meant to be brought to Etraya and similar city bubbles, but the same pull that keeps the ship by the black hole seems to be preventing whatever method Echo and Aurora are using to get people to Etraya and is instead pulling them here. Titan Eight is not just an average space station. It was built by residents of Caerys 2, and used to serve as a vacation home for those who can afford the luxury rooms in the fourth quadrant. The first quadrant houses a carnival of sorts, the second hosts numerous vendors, and the third is where the crew, and unexpected guests, can be found during their off time. The fourth quadrant houses some of this galaxy's richest families. A mother and her two sons walk through the hallways, carrying umbrellas despite there being no natural light on board, but a closer look at them might explain it: they're so pale, their skin looks clear, dark black veins visible through skin. Their sclera are black, and their 'hair' isn't hair but long black feathers. Numerous guests aboard the ship don't appear to be human; rather, species' of all kinds. An engineer is more dragon than anything else: his long body extends throughout the engine facility, taking up a significant amount of space, but given the dragon himself seems to be leading all efforts to keep the ship running, everyone else tries to work around him. ⏵ whirlwind whimsy ⏴ During the daytime, Titan Eight is fun. Numerous rides are strewn about the wide open area: a massive carousel, ferris wheel, bumper cars, and various others. A seer will offer to tell your future, and performers gather in the big top, showing off their ability to bend themselves into unnatural shapes, or their lack of fear as they balance on thin wire high above the ground without a net to catch them, should they fall. One popular ride is the Tunnel of Love: a small boat that only fits two and steers itself through a tunnel that goes under the carousel. Soft, serene tunes play as various images play over the tunnel walls. While those who have been aboard Titan Eight for a significant period will likely see hearts, short videos of people holding hands, watching the sunset while swinging together - it's not the same for those displaced onto the space station. Instead, they'll see doorways into other worlds: an underwater city full of humanoid beings, a city bubble that looks like a small suburban area, a city built out of trees, or perhaps their own worlds: images of what they may be missing out on, or what could be. The House of Mirrors is also popular: a carnival worker will tell those passing by that it shows you other versions of yourself - who you could be, what you might become, who you once were, or the person you wish you were. Rumor has it the mirrors will whisper to you, telling you what you can do to avoid certain outcomes, or how to achieve others. There are also numerous carnival games set up: Balloon Darts, Ring Toss, Rifle Ranges - anything you could imagine at a carnival is set up somewhere. And given this is meant to be a luxury ship, everything is free of charge. ⏵ midnight entertainment ⏴ Titan Eight being stuck in the pull of the black hole doesn't seem to be the only problem. When the clocks onboard read 0000 hours, everything shifts. The fun carnival feels eerie. Children's laughter can be heard bouncing off the walls — sometimes sounding bright and cheerful; other times sounding downright sinister. Crew members and carnival workers suggest staying out of the first quadrant. After 2230 hours, they exit their workstations and find other spaces to hunker down in for the night. No one wants to be around when the excessively tall clown walks out of the House of Mirrors, dragging other clowns of various shapes and sizes right through the mirrors themselves. Carnival workers will explain they have tried breaking the mirrors but given how the ship resets at midnight, attempts to destroy everything have proved futile. The clowns themselves are odd. The tallest one has a smile filled with blood and a laugh that sounds like it belongs to a young child rather than the creature it is. It carries around a bloodied carving knife but doesn't reach for anyone who goes near it. Some clowns cry and sob, ripping fingernails from their nailbeds as they claw at the door leading into the central hub. Others laugh and scream, wandering around the open carnival area to cause damage wherever possible. Some hurt each other, or the other creatures wandering the carnival area. Most of them will attack on sight. During the nighttime hours, this is their area. And yet many remain around the House of Mirrors, guarding it, as if there is something inside of it that they must protect. Getting past them is near impossible: when one clown falls, two more rise out of the mirrors. When the mirrors are destroyed, the tall clown drags its hands against the broken pieces of glass, helping it to reform. By 0500 hours, the clowns have made their way back into the mirrors, taking along with them whatever they had been so protective of. ⏵ toucan play that game ⏴ While the fourth quadrant is generally reserved for guests who can afford to pay for the space and the staff who manage it, with the station stuck, they've opted to open the area to allow others to come and go during the day. In the center is a massive aviary, filled with birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of them have no feathers yet still manage to fly, some look as if they should have gone extinct thousands of years ago, and others are - completely unidentifiable, alien. Most of them are peaceful. But not all of them. Off in the far Southwest corner is a bird with three eyes, a long black tail, and a beak full of massive teeth. While it will not attack others, it will open its beak and speak in a voice that mimics one familiar to those wandering past it: a friend, a sibling, or someone who had long since passed, and says the last thing they remember that person saying to them, repeating it over and over again as long as they stay close to it. Outside of the aviary, there are exercise facilities, sunning rooms, a massive swimming pool and hot tub, areas for pets to rest and play with one another, and a large ballroom where dances are thrown once weekly. Residents dress up in their best gowns and suits, don masks, and dance away the stress of their situation. Staff and displaced are invited to join, although staff are encouraged to come to every other dance, so there are still enough to man the ballroom. ⏵ current player notes ⏴ Aurora approaches those currently stationed on Etraya individually, informing them of the mission at hand. She tells them that she is capable of releasing them much in the same way Echo originally pulled them onto the planet, but with a 'tether' still attached to keep them from getting lost too long. Time does not function the same way on the ship as it does on the planet; she suspects their time being on the ship won't register as any time at all to those remaining on Etraya, and that when they are pulled back, it will likely be as if they never left to begin with. Current characters are not pulled to Titan Eight during missions happening in game but in the downtime between them. Small rescue ships are docked at the Southeastern island, and she will send individuals off a few at a time. The ships will pass through the barrier without issue, but won't travel far at all outside of Etraya before they blip out of existence, and reappear in Titan Eight's orbit. They will also get a friendly introduction speech from Alex, and a ship communicator for any network-related needs while aboard Titan Eight! Earpieces will not work aboard the ship. When characters are pulled back, it will not be on rescue ships. Instead, they will find themselves suddenly dissipating at midnight, as the rest of the changes aboard the ship shift back to how they had been originally. The rescue ships disappear at midnight, along with the player characters. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ This TDM covers June to September. The TDM is game canon, meaning everything happening above is occurring within the game properly, and threads can be kept as game canon even if a character does not app. Time does not function the same on Titan Eight as on Etraya! Characters can be brought onto Titan Eight at any time and stationed there long before any of the Etrayans arrive to assist. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please reply to our mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. This is going to be an ongoing plot, which characters are welcome to try and solve, even if they aren't yet in the game!

Comments

[supervulture]

Oh, I don't know any card tricks.

But do you know real magic? Like, can you... cast fireball or something?

[tinflower]

No, I'm a wizard, but-- I'm not allowed to learn magic. I got told. But I do have powers.

[supervulture]

... an illegal wizard that does real magic? Or you can't do magic but you have other powers? [Tokio is trying here. It's a little outside of anything he's experienced.]

[tinflower]

A friend banned me from picking up wizardry books, but I still have an innate power. [ Nodding, nodding!! ] Innate. It's in me. And-- I do artificing, so--I know some from that.

[ Totally makes sense, right. ]

[supervulture]

[He's on a space station trapped around a black hole. There are aliens. Right now he's hiding from evil clowns, whispering about powers with a stranger whose name he doesn't even know. "Magic is real" might as well be happening.]

Okay. Um. I guess you probably have more options than I do. If I transform I'm pretty fast and stronger than a human but not a lot stronger, and I can fly. I could probably use my claws to tear them up if I get close enough.

[tinflower]

[ Ah. ]

Flying. [ He nods, and there isn't any lingering look on Gorgug's expression from that, other than a surprise that's equivalent to finding out if someone prefers pizza or burgers. Gorgug looks out at the rest of the area--wondering if those evil clowns will make an appearance soon. They might not have much longer to make a plan, but--what will work for them right now, and what they want? ]

Okay. [ Okay. ] I think--yeah, I'll attack a clown, and it's too much for me, if you distract it from behind, I'll try and get away. So if you can, if it's okay to transform and fly-- so it's easier for you to get out of the way if they come for you.

[ Coming for Gorgug though? No big deal. He's used to getting smacked around. ]

[supervulture]

Okay. [If there's a plan, Tokio will go along with it.] I'm ready whenever you are.

[He's not transforming yet, but he'll hold off until he needs to.]

[tinflower]

[ A plan it is.

Gorgug manages to get his axe in hand before the first laugh sounds--and honestly, what luck, that they could get so distracted by magic talk (what constitutes as real or fake) before the night finally turns. It echoes off the walls, the sound of sobs being tuned out under a crashing of steel to ground, a scratching like nailboards across a chalkboard.

And the first few clowns become visible--some which are rushing towards the far end of the room towards the door out, while others appear to be walking lazily, searching. Gorgug doesn't come out from their hiding place yet, either, but is trying to keep hidden with Tokiko, dipping himself and his axe...

...

...his axe that happens to glow red at all times, and stands out in the darkened state of the hub they're in. One clown perks its head in interest, then twists it--and starts coming towards them, a hissing from its mouth.

Gorgug looks back at Tokio, giving him a nod. Ready?

Because the next tag few seconds are likely to lead into a fight. ]

[supervulture]

[Gorgug gets out his axe, and Tokio takes off his shoes because he has wrecked too many pairs of sneakers and it sucks whenever that happens. There's a second where nothing happens, before one of the clowns turns towards them and Gorgug nods and Tokio nods back and braces himself for a fight.]

[tinflower]

[ There's no full level of surprise they can go for here, but what can Gorgug do?

Well, he knows they're going to make noise and attention, so he moves ahead on hurried steps. The clown's smile widens with a glee at the sight of the half-orc, who's swinging his axe back now that he know he won't hit Tokio (please don't be following straight behind him), and that allows him to lunge it forward at the clown the second they come both within range of each other.

An arm comes off, along with its upper body along with the rest of it. Both parts topple down, and there answers the question of if the clowns are particularly resilient--not really.

But what they are, are many, and those not trying for the door out of the hub are alerted to Gorgug, move faster than he can. He doesn't try to run himself, but to angle his axe, scanning the different directions he's now being ran at from.

There's six coming, three from three different directions--four likely to come in close soon. Would Tokio like to try anything, or see how Gorgug does first? ]

[supervulture]

[Tokio knows how to give somebody space. It's almost kind of nostalgic, like when he and Azuma would hang out after dark looking for bullies. But back then (a couple months ago) he'd stand back and watch and maybe help some afterwards. This time he's got an actual job to do.]

Hey! [Tokio calls, from a few steps behind one of the clowns.

It works, maybe a bit too well. The clown in front of him turns, and one coming up behind Tokio puts on a burst of speed as well.

For a second, it looks like he's going to get caught between the two of them.]

[then he jumps]

[The burst of speed that put him behind the clown in the first place is just part of what he can do, with his legs transformed. Jumping is another thing, and he hops up and backwards, his feet (bird feet, long toes and blunt talons) landing on the shoulders of the second clown.]

[a pause for just a second, Tokio looking more surprised than the clown]

[Then the two clowns crash into each other, and that turns their attack from aimed at the interlopers to aimed at each other. Tokio isn't going to stick around to get involved in that fight, so he jumps clear.]

[tinflower]

[ The ruckus Tokio creates is perhaps too well--even Gorug stops to look at what he becomes, but at least the clowns that aren't targeted by the now-bird Tokio also have the same reason to pause. But Gorgug remembers the clowns to his side quicker than they seem to remember him, or before they decide what they want to do--giving Gorgug the chance to grunt as he swings his axe to hit the side of the one immediately in front of him.

And thankfully, the other clowns have made a mess of each other (or are making a mess of each other, leaving Gorgug to concentrate on the pair he has. The one that had been behind the attacked clown shoves that one aside to thrust itself at Gorgug, getting in the way of his blade and grabbing at his face with sharpened nails that go in to dig in, scratch. Gorgug grunts again, but the nails don't manage to dig in well to his skin; still, they spill some blood in the time that Gorgug can grab them and throw them to the floor, just to get them off.

But the other one does the same that one had done, attempting to by-pass Gorgug's axe by coming towards his exposed side, grabbing him at his arm.

So annoying. Gorgug can get this, but maybe he looks like he can't; maybe Tokio will like to step in again, if he'd like, just to help Gorgug push them off quicker without having to drop his axe.

Or maybe he might be noticing that there's more clowns coming their way, out from the House of Mirrors...

(this was a good idea) ]

[supervulture]

You good? [Tokio calls back towards Gorgug. He's got his attention fixed on the clowns coming towards from the House of Mirrors, and his bird legs have been traded out for taloned hands, fingers long and bony and tipped with white claws, all wrapped in bandages.]

[This isn't like fighting alongside Azuma at all, where they know each other well enough to know what the other will do before he does it. It's not like fighting alongside Ely, where he knows she'll have his back and that he'll have hers, even if they trip over each other. It's maybe like standing next to Simon or Momoma, where he knows they can handle things and where he's just going to get in the way.]

[tinflower]

Gorgug good! [ He says, referring to himself in third person for no other reason than he's distracted in that moment. Without the added help, he shoves aside the clown by grabbing at their hair, then kicking them to the ground.

Another axe swing, another kill--but there's no time to really think about a breather, when already, swinging a look over to the House of Mirrors-- ]

There's more coming out. [ More clowns. More potential problems. Only those at the door leading out from the hub don't pay them any heed, distracted with their longing to escape; and those already in a fight with each other, clowns upon clowns.

But the ones coming from the mirrors? Oh, they're eyeing them, alright--and some are even running their way. ]

[supervulture]

Oh, we screwed up. [Tokio says, grappling with one clown as another grabs for his throat and catches a handful of feathers instead, shiny black and sharp enough to slice its fingers to the bone as it scrabbles for a hold. Just one wing right now, still sort of assembling itself together from feathers as Tokio snaps it open and throws the clown off.]

You think we should run? [He would absolutely like to run. He is not built for prolonged combat, and the sight of even more clowns heading their way is stressing him out.]

[tinflower]

We might've-- we fucked up, [ Gorgug says in agreement, and if that clown hadn't been managed to be thrown off--and even though it has, he helps Tokio with his problem: grabbing it before it can be completely thrown to the ground, and instead swinging around his body to the side--

and throwing it in the direction of the incoming clowns. Hello, please have your friend because we don't want them!! ]

Yeah, uh-- I like that plan. That's a good plan. We're coming up with good plans now.

[ He might be speaking a little frantic himself like, hm, yes, upon reflection: This is a bad position! ]