EVENT #11: ADVERSITY 4590683

[expiationmods]

EVENT #11: REMEMBER YOU ARE MORTAL

This event takes place in conjunction with a player plot that is open for participation! Participation in that plot is not needed to experience the world effects outlined in this log. You can find the log for the player event here!

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand)

-Over time, characters have discovered that the world of Expiation is actually a large, elaborate simulation run by an AI that seems to be intent on helping them atone for their crimes. This news is well-known by the Chosen, enough so that any new character who wishes to handwave this knowledge is able to do so.

-In September 2024, that AI needed to be reset as a consequence of some catastrophic systems failures. So far, there has been no downside to this reset–but the AI has also been strangely absent since then.

-Things have been quiet in Aldrip since September, aside from the routine arrival of new Chosen. The locals seem less than happy with the Chosen, though, as if they have already branded them all criminals. As if they no longer trust them…

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11

The moon looms large and full over the buildings of Aldrip this morning.

… Wait. The moon?

It’s true: Aldrip seems to have settled into an eerie perpetual twilight, lit by the full moon and little else. The ambient lighting is dim, but not dark, still light enough to see by. Which is good, because nothing else seems to be serving as a source of light. No sun, no street lamps–nothing. How odd is that?

In fact, it seems that no electronics are working during this strange week. Tablets don’t turn on, computers won’t work, even the lights inside the houses are unresponsive. STEM club’s dark web devices remain capable of some rudimentary communication, however.

The Dark Hour permeates Aldrip entirely. Well. Almost entirely–more on that in a minute. But first: monsters of all kinds will be more prominent during this time. If you would like to add new monsters to the bestiary, you can do so here! Monsters will be more aggressive and enterprising, freely roaming the streets of the city and attacking more boldly than they otherwise would.

Now, all is not lost, here. Because some Chosen-owned spaces remain immune to its effects. Notably: the Inn, the Willow Clinic, and some other player-run businesses can serve as safe houses, as well as some storehouses that were constructed long ago. The lights will still go on in these locations, though the network restrictions above still remain in effect.

For the most part, monsters and other event happenings will avoid safe houses, though if you’d like to play around with that, we see no reason why you shouldn’t. Just remember that characters and players who choose to limit their participation in the event are making use of these spaces, and be respectful of that.

As for outside of the city…who knows? A thick, impenetrable mist surrounds Aldrip, keeping all characters within the city for the duration of the event. Anyone who may have been outside of Aldrip before the event began will mysteriously find themselves inside the city as the Dark Hour takes hold. Better make your way to a safe house…and good luck out there.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY

Who is the monster and who is the man?

It seems that monsters aren’t the only obstacle roaming the city. The Chosen may find themselves facing doppelgangers, of themselves or of fellow Chosen. In terms of appearance, they may be identical to the Chosen they reflect, to the point of being difficult to tell apart. Some may have minor changes–different eye color, different clothing, things like that. But in many cases, it may be impossible to tell which is real and which is not based on looks alone.

These doubles reveal a dark reflection of the characters they look like: their deepest fears and regrets, repressed desires they refuse to admit, feelings and experiences they’ve never told anyone about…all of these things and more will come to the surface with them. These doubles desperately want to see a character’s accused crime confronted, and they will do anything to make that happen, even resorting to violence if they must. The doubles have all the original powers and abilities of their real counterparts, making them extremely difficult (but not impossible!) to fight one-on-one.

Some characters may find themselves inexplicably drawn to their doppelgangers, as if called by some force. They may feel compelled to seek them out, as if they’re unable to rest so long as their double roams free. This is an optional effect, but should you be looking for an excuse to get your character out and about–please feel free to utilize it.

Doubles can be injured and incapacitated, but not killed; the only way to eliminate them is through acceptance and recognition. Characters do not have to do this alone; in fact, having some moral support or coaching may prove useful. Confronting the double and accepting or seriously reflecting upon the crime they’re charged with will make the doppelgangers first turn docile, and then disappear, leaving the original character feeling lighter and more sure of themselves.

A MINOR TECHNICALITY

What happens to a simulation when the electronics stop working?

Good question.

Occasionally, you may see what looks like a strange, thin line, just from the corner of your vision. Early in the week, trying to look at this line straight on reveals…nothing. It seems to vanish.

As the week continues, this strange happening seems to intensify, bit by bit. By midweek, Wednesday or so, you’re able to look at this line head-on. It seems to be a small crack, little more than a hairline fracture, outlined in light. As the weekend creeps closer, this crack seems to grow, bit by bit, becoming more pronounced, the gaps between it getting larger.

By the weekend, it’s wide enough that you can see through it.

What you see is difficult to describe. You seem to be looking into a large metallic structure, so large that the end seems to curve off into the horizon. How far does this go on? There’s a ceiling overhead, so high up that you can’t make out details. Much of this structure seems to be empty within, but you see a floor at foot level, made of metal.

The gap is wide enough that you can stick your hand right through it. When you do so, you begin to feel a strange tingling, starting at the tips of your fingers and extending to the part of your arm that goes into the crack. Nothing about your hand changes, really, but when the tingling subsides, you get the strange sensation that you’ve been unable to feel anything with that hand, up til now. Something about the air against your skin feels more real, here. As if your senses were muted before…

The crack never widens more than this. It is sometimes visible to just one person, and sometimes it can be visible to a group. This crack can appear in any surface, in any location, but it always looks the same and always reveals the same structure within.

Interesting…

ENDING

In conjunction with the conclusion of the player plot, the Dark Hour comes to an end one week later, on November 18. Monsters vacate the city, the sun reappears…this happens slowly, over the course of the day. By Tuesday, the network and electronic usage is restored. By Wednesday, the crack in the world seems to be gone for good. By the weekend after the event, all doppelgangers seem to have vanished.

This is fine, we always say. And it is! Everything is back to normal!

…

Or is it…?

WILDCARD

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

[computation]

[ Root has been mercilessly planning assassinations since she was about fourteen. To her, reluctance and squeamishness about violence reads as quaint and sheltered. Not exactly a four year old, but somebody she does need to babysit.

She glances up at the sound of the gunshot, rapidly assessing whether Koharu can handle it for another minute more. She catches the exhale and second follow-up shot and gives her an approving smile before turning back to her work. There's now a set of little glass vials re-filled with a different liquid set beside the Lysol can. Root scoops up all but one of them into her ammo bag, finishes off the last vial, and leaves the scattered remains of apothecary and cleaning supplies a mess in the already ravaged store. ]

Get down!

[ She has the sharp ringing authority of somebody launching a grenade. Root grabs Koharu by the arm at a safe moment, making sure it's between shots -- she's no amateur -- and hauls her down behind the counter as she throws one of the vials over it and at the encroaching pack of hounds.

It shatters on the ground and vaporizes into a fine mist that smells intensely of citrus and pepper. ]

Hope that works on hellhounds, [ she mutters under her breath as she pulls her shirt up over her nose. Root immediately grabs her shotgun and stands to turn and check. Dogs don't like citrus or pepper and a deterrent would work a lot better than pumping them all full of her entire bag of shells. ]

[cupidsammo]

[ Luckily for the both of them, Koharu is intimately familiar with the warning call that comes the second before chucking a grenade. It snaps her attention away from the window, though Root yanks her down before having to think about it herself, curling back against the counter in anticipation for...

Actually, she isn't sure what to expect; a bomb doesn't set off, nor does a flash ever come, but when Root tugs her shirt over her face, realization dawns upon Koharu.

In that time, Root's science experiment appears to be working its magic. Irritable snorts and grunts come from the hounds that have collected by the broken window—one of them whines, even, pulling back away. The ones who linger the longest eventually start reaching their limits, scampering away from the offending scents.

Koharu, meanwhile, looks up toward Root from her spot on the floor expectantly, lifting her left hand toward her face just in case. ]

[computation]

[ Glass shrapnel is nothing to sneeze at, so Root wasn't taking chances with sticking either of their faces above the counter. Satisfied it's working, she grabs the Lysol can and offers it out to Koharu, shirt still pulled over her nose in a comical pseudo-mask. ]

Trade you for my gun back -- treat this like pepper spray. We're going out the back. And keep staying behind me, got it?

[ It's been a while since she played escort mission for someone, but Root knows how to do it. She has the forward momentum and briskness of someone absolutely comfortable with what they're doing. ]

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu glances between the can and Root, flips the safety switch on the pistol back on, and offers the handle back to her. ]

I'll stay close—promise.

[ And with that, she accepts the Lysol and shifts back upon her feet. ]

time skip perhaps??

[computation]

[ Root accepts the pistol, slings her shotgun over her shoulder with a strap, and then pulls out a second pistol, one for each hand. It's basically her trademark at this point, and for good reason: she can actually fire both simultaneously at two different targets, with frightening accuracy. If she's conserving shells, it makes more sense to give Koharu the dog deterrent spray and her take both pistols. ]

Off we go!

[ She leads them toward the back door and marches out into an alley, covering angles with practiced assurance. Her goal is to get Koharu to the nearest safehouse -- and until then, she's not going to distract them with a lot of conversation. ]

time skip ahoy

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu follows, and off they go.

Though there's a few obstacles along the way—fortunately, a little easier to deal with—their journey is swift, and soon enough they're at the doors to the inn. Koharu throws a cautious glance over her shoulder to ensure there's no other dangers following them, but once it seems clear, she nearly throws the doors open to hurry inside.

Wearily, she breathes out: ]

Ugh. Finally... Will we be okay here?

[computation]

[ Root follows her at a more measured pace, but she's not casual by any means; she enters swiftly, walks up to a table in the lobby, and promptly starts unloading her various weaponry onto it so that she can reload it all effectively. ]

Should be -- seems like they're avoiding it. At least, this is where I've been bringing anyone else I run across, and they're still alive!

[cupidsammo]

[ That's more reassuring than otherwise, at least. ]

R... right.

[ Now that she no longer needs to stay on the alert, Koharu finally collapses into a nearby seat, yet a tenseness remains in her shoulders as her face falls into her hands. There's still a tremble to them as she slips out a long exhale, like she's attempting to expel some anxiety. ]

Right.

[ It's fine—she's okay. Just another close encounter with death, if cupids were even capable of dying a second time. Softer, but not quite level: ]

... Thank you for helping me.

[computation]

[ Root gears up again and re-equips herself, unwilling to be unarmed for a moment in the current climate, but she glances over at Koharu slumping into a chair with some sympathy. Sometimes she gets impatient with the Machine's insistence that they stop to help little old ladies cross the street, by which she means, save random peoples' lives, but there is a silver lining to it that she's come to appreciate. Here she is, doing it purely because the Machine would want her to... and that's who she is now. ]

Don't mention it. You know, you're a pretty good shot for an angel.

[ Does she get to ask about the wings now? Because-- what? ]

[cupidsammo]

[ A beat follows, then Koharu lifts her head just enough to blink absently at her. For a moment she thinks that isn't quite right, before deciding it feels a little pedantic to be correcting that right now. Her heart is still racing and she's coming down a hell of an adrenaline rush, so really, what does it matter.

Instead: ]

Um—thanks. I'm still a beginner, but I've been trying to practice more.

[ Nevermind Koharu feels awful about needing to shoot in this scenario, but a small part of her thinks at least she wasn't totally useless out there. ]

[computation]

[ Okay, she'll hold her questions for a moment. Other, more normal people need a little time to adjust to their dramatic violent interludes; not something that's really ever been true for Root, or at least, not in a very long time. But she can be patient with it in this specific circumstance where they're in a safehouse. ]

We can practice later if you want, [ she offers, because she has nothing better to do. ] I'm Root. Probably a good idea to know how to handle a weapon around here.

[cupidsammo]

[ She considers the offer, then nods once. ]

Okay. I guess it would be.

[ Koharu had been given the impression that as long as one didn’t travel too far from the outskirts of town, they should be safe, but today (tonight?) appears to have proven otherwise. Not that she blames anyone for saying otherwise; maybe this is just a weird anomaly?

She couldn’t say. Either way, she can’t remain defenseless anymore. ]

My name’s Koharu, and I… could use the practice, if you would be willing.

[computation]

Sure thing. Every place is a good place to have a gun, [ Root returns jovially, practically sing-song. Root doesn't think Aldrip is particularly dangerous, but that there's people around at all make it dangerous enough, even without factors like their simulated environment setting up tests for them coming into play.

Trust no one you aren't close with and be prepared to shoot at all times. That's how Root lives her life. ]

I'm gonna head back out, see if there's any other lost little lambs I can shepherd home. But I'll probably be stopping by on my way back for dinner, if you're still here.

[cupidsammo]

I will be.

[ Koharu can say that much with some semblance of confidence; she could not be paid enough to walk back out that door. ]

This is where I'm staying, anyway, so I don't have anywhere else to be.

[computation]

In that case, I'll be back for dinner, [ she tells her, still perfectly cheerful as she heads for the door, fully armed.

Root pauses by the exit to unload two vials of her dog repellant bombs. ]

You keep these and the Lysol just in case. Save a plate for me, okay?

[cupidsammo]

[ Some people sure can face danger in the same manner one would take a casual stroll through the park, huh. Koharu wishes she could be like that.

She nods again, more firm this time. ]

I'll make sure one is saved!

[ It's the very, very least Koharu could do. ]