january 2020. welcome to the void.

[modblob]

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Seventh Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of January 2020
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

a. champagne supernova.

Normally, the changes in the sky are subtle, happening between glances or over the course of days.

That's not the case now, when the bright sky with its three suns is wiped away in an explosion of blue light, right at sunrise on the morning of January 1st. The light pulses across the sky in uneven blazes, sending out lattices of what might be lightning or something worse. There's no moon. No brightness. Just this lightning-storm brilliance in space, shedding little light on the world below.

And the suns don't come back on. As the day wears on, the supernova brightness in the sky starts to fade out and no new light appears. The sky is static and black, with no stars, no moons, no suns. The mild rolling blackouts that started with the opening of the relaxation room intensify with the sudden loss of solar power, as the backup systems try to compensate for the increased use of power.

For a moment, power goes out in Anchor entirely, leaving the place plunged into darkness.

The darkness doesn't last. Thanks to those generators everyone worked so hard to sort out, the backup systems struggle back to life, keeping the lights on and the bar, kitchen, and agricultural supports open, but there are some things that the limited power just can't cover.

b. tower of babelfish.

The first, and perhaps the most noticeable system to start failing, are the auto-translation programs. While not affecting every area in Anchor equally, communication between those who speak different languages is going to be a lot more difficult. The effects are spotty, coming and going, sometimes completely failing, leaving only people's naturally-spoken languages available. Sometimes it just struggles, making conversations sound a lot more like babelfish translations than recognizable speech. People themselves seem to be affected differently by the translation struggles, depending on who and where they are. There's no rhyme or reason to when and how it fails. But the problem persists through most of the month.

c. the hidden passage.

The second system failure is harder to spot.

At the end of what seemed to be a maintenance hallway, a set of doors have appeared from behind what used to be a shielded hologram of a dead end. The doors stick out from their surroundings: thick metal, barred heavily from the outside. A clear attempt to keep something locked away inside, not to keep people from entering.

For those adventurous enough, or foolish enough, to wrestle the locks open, a problem will reveal itself. A short flight of stairs, leading down into an area flooded by murky water. It's hard to see more than branching halls down below.

Those who choose to brave the water will find a hallway lined with bulkheads and sealed doorways, all guarding rooms that could be accessed with the right combination of smarts and brute force. It's the question of what would be ruined by the water if the doors are opened that might give people pause. What kind of secrets could be wiped out or destroyed if the doors are forced and the water passes through the bulkheads? Can the water be drained? How?

But there is one room open, or mostly open, where the bulkhead doors didn't quite manage to seal when the area flooded. It'll be a squeeze, for bigger characters, but the flooded room beyond contains artifacts preserved behind glass - strange medallions, strings of glowing beads, broken sceptres, arrows fletched with feathers from creatures no one has ever seen before.

Only one object isn't sealed away. It's a handful of small orbs, with shifting colors, held in place by a shield array that still seems to function, for the most part. They can be touched, can even be removed from the stand with the right know-how or a willingness to smash stuff.

But once an orb is touched, the colors start to spin more rapidly. The more it's handled, the brighter and faster the colors shift. Whether it takes hold immediately or not is up to you, but those who handled the orb will find the bright colors start to glow under the surface of their skin, in the shape of veins, glowing bright for a few minutes before fading. And those people bring a different kind of contagion back with them to the surface. Memory loss, communicated from one person to the next via contact. It can be partial or complete, or not happen to your character at all - they can be an unwitting "carrier" of the effects, passing it on without experiencing the losses themselves. The loss can last from hours to weeks, with carriers being "infected" for the duration of that time.

It also leaves behind magical traces, ones that don't fade after memories return. The cleverest might start to wonder if it wasn't a kind of inoculation, though against what, it remains to be seen.

Navigation.

Comments

[kaballin]

Smarter than you look.

So you're gonna trust that tenta-face has our best interests at heart here?

[abheirrant]

I trust that wherever he came from, he's utterly mad, and that cannot be good.

[That, and Poison gave him a far clearer answer: they shouldn't go prodding around down there, lest they release something far worse. He might not trust that Joe fellow, but he comparatively trusts here.

There's some garbled words on his end, like a machine is trying to talk. He sighs irritably, both at being bothered by a man he instructed not to speak to him ever again, and at the garbled voice.]

If you wish to get yourself killed, be my guest, but I am not about to stick my nose into danger and possibly end both our lives. You realize I could've rotted right through the generators, right? You didn't tell me what they were for.

[kaballin]

Yeah, and crazy people hoarde shit.

[What is Carlisle doing over there...]

They're backup electricity for the place. And you didn't rot thru them so it all worked out. I'm not seeing what the problem is.

Are you in the arcade? What is that sound?

[abheirrant]

No. It's nothing. What- what sound?

[That EXTREMELY LOUD SOUND the game makes when he dies, that's what. More digitized sproing sproing sounds come in behind him.]

Look, the point is that we could have made a real problem, and I would prefer not to do that again. Ever. Did you not get enough spoils last time?

[kaballin]

That definitely sounds like a video game. You play video games but you don't know what a generator is?

Yeah we got a lot of good shit but there's even more shit to be gotten.

[He's heading for the arcade now. Prepare yourself.]

What, do you want a better cut? I'm already doing some underhanded shit and cutting Qubit out of this. He can do his own dirty work.

[abheirrant]

[He snorts audibly, irritated to be called out on his technological ineptitude. He doesn't play video games. He plays just this one. That's different.]

What does Mister Qubit have to do with this? Did he speak with you?

[kaballin]

Yeah. And I know you ratted me out, so as penance, to make it up to me, you can help me out now.

Snitches get stitches and all that.

[Behind you Carlisle.]

[abheirrant]

I see no reason I should make it up to you at all, you absolute oaf. And furthermore, I did not 'snitch' so much as explain to Mister Qubit where I acquired the technology I gave to him, which, as you recall—

[What's that reflection he sees on the screen? Is that someone behind him? That's someone behind him, isn't it? Please don't be someone behind him.]

[abheirrant]

[Spoiler: it's someone behind him. Correction: it's the aforementioned absolute oaf behind him. Carlisle just lets out a yelp as he looks behind him, so panicky that he drops his phone, the device clattering to the ground.]

Wh- what are you- when did you get here?

[kaballin]

[Carlisle, you are his favorite person. He just laughs, because seeing the tiny nerd panic warms his blackened revenant heart.]

How did you survive this long without getting stuffed in a locker and starving to death?

I like your defense, very clever. You didn't snitch you just snitched in a different way. You'd make a good jailhouse rat. But that's not the point; me and you are gonna go on a little adventure.

[abheirrant]

[It's a good thing Carlisle comes from a world where getting stuffed into a locker isn't a thing, or he'd have suffered. He trembles as he backs against the Snake*bert machine, his glowing eyes darting from Kabal to the door. Unfortunately, Kabal tactically placed himself between Carlisle and the one exit to the room, meaning that fleeing isn't an option. He looks back toward Kabal with apologetic resignation.]

Right. An- an adventure. Let me just—

[He stoops to pick up his phone. Better take that with him.]

[kaballin]

My other lackey already checked if it was safe, so we're good there.

[Hear that Carlisle? There's multiple lackeys, wonder where you fall on that pecking order.]

I like you when you're agreeable like this. Come on, this won't take long.

[abheirrant]

You have other lackeys? Why not get them to help you?

[Carlisle already knows the answer to that, but it's best he say something distracting as he gets his phone and -- discreetly as possible when he thinks Kabal isn't looking, which is not very discreet at all when he's relatively inept at typing on a phone and has to peck for letters -- starts up a quick message to Qubit. Don't mind him, Kabal. Please don't mind him. He's just checking his messages.]

[kaballin]

Because you're better at doors.

I've got you who can get into locked places.
Another I can chuck into dangerous situations and see if he survives.
And one for tech nonsense.

[He absolutely does not know any of these peoples names either. He's the best boss.]

Who're we talking to?

[Please Carlisle, share with the class.]

[abheirrant]

[Carlisle barely manages to hit send before Kabal calls him out. He fumbles with his phone, lucky he's able to hang onto it at all.]

Nobody. I'm just, um.

[Sending a desperate-but-polite plea for help to the aforementioned "tech nonsense" lackey.]

[kaballin]

Alright, life lesson: If you're bad at lying just stay silent. Somehow you're even more suspicious now.

[And he's about to swipe that phone right out of Carlisle's hands. And then hold it over Carlisle's head because that's what being six foot four is all about.]

Look, I'm trying to mentor you here, and you're pretty much the worst student of all time.

[abheirrant]

[Carlisle is a tall fellow in his world and in this one, but Kabal is taller, and those extra four inches are plenty to keep the phone out of his reach. Carlisle could try scaling him and stealing his phone back, but he's reluctant to even place a hand on Kabal for fear of reprisal. Also, there's no telling where he's been or if he showers, and the last thing Carlisle needs is another reason to worry about the cleanliness of his own outfit.

So after trying in vain to reach his phone and snatch it back, he just gives Kabal a hard glare instead, as though that'd be a legitimate threat.]

Give it back!

[kaballin]

Nope. In fact, let's see what we have here.

Oh. Lookit that, making friends, I'm real proud of you.

[He tries to lean an elbow on Carlisle's head while he types back to Qubit.]

Sometimes I don't know why I bother to try and improve your life. It's like you don't appreciate the sacrifice I'm making here.

[He tosses the phone back to Carlisle, then shoves him in the shoulder which probably doesn't help him catch it in the slightest.]

Alright, lets go meet your bff.

[abheirrant]

[Freed from Kabal leaning on him, Carlisle stumbles as he's shoved in one direction, barely catching himself rather than his phone as he trips over his own feet. He shoots Kabal another furious look as he collects his communicator and takes a look at what it was he was typing. Though Carlisle considers immediately messaging Qubit back, he figures that a. Qubit would come anyway, and b. Kabal might take his phone again and keep it this time, and he'd rather have to go about figuring out how to get another one.

So the clergyman tucks the device away for now, wondering how quickly Qubit can get down to where they are, especially when they already have a head start on him. He hopes he didn't just accidentally lure his friend into trouble, though Qubit didn't seem the least bit intimidated by Kabal when they'd spoken. Hopefully, his hubris isn't his downfall.

Toward the lowest level they go, every step taking them closer to the maintenance hallways.]

What if what is down here is dangerous, Kabal? It is Kabal, isn't it?

[kaballin]

It'll find out that I'm dangerous too.

There's security in you being useful. I'm not gonna let anything kill you, because you make my life easier. See how this is mutually beneficial? Do a little theft, live to breathe another day.

[abheirrant]

[He mutters something about how he'd have to be alive in the first place to live and breathe another day, irritated his question went unanswered (again), but he has a more pressing question to ask about now.]

And Mister Qubit? Is he useful, or would you just let something kill him?

[Or would Kabal kill him himself? Because that is a legitimate concern.]

[kaballin]

Which one is Qubit? Is that the tech guy with the dumb hair?

Yeah he could probably die and we'd be okay. We've still got Peter. It'll be fine.

[Downstairs they go~! Kabal leads them to the flooded corridor, a little annoyed Brian isn't still there so he can chuck him into the water again.]

Which one are you then?

[Yes that's him asking Carlisle's name. Feel honored.]

[abheirrant]

[Carlisle stops at the water's edge, clearly not thrilled about the prospect of going in there, even if there is a modicum of satisfaction in finally having Kabal ask his name.]

I'm Carlisle Longinmouth. I told you that last time.

[Didn't he? He did, but to be fair, Kabal had been drinking and threatening him within an inch of his life less than ten seconds later over a necklace, so it's likely his introduction went in one ear and out there other just as quickly.]

[kaballin]

Yeah. I wasn't paying attention.

[He's honest, if nothing else.]

You don't disintegrate in water do you?

[he looks like a strong breeze may end him, so best to make sure.]

[abheirrant]

No, but I'm not eager to be drenched, either.

[If only he'd been as honest as Kabal - if he claimed he'd melt, perhaps he could have avoided this endeavor entirely.]