etrayalogs | MISSION 005 PT 2 & ARRIVALS

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MISSION 005 PT 2 & ARRIVALS

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: September 27th-???
WHERE: Throughout Etraya
WHAT: New Arrivals! With a side of mission 005.
NOTES\WARNINGS: Horror elements, including fear-inducing landscapes, distorted environments, unseen predators, mental/emotional distress, potential body horror, corruption, possession, brainwashing, and compulsion.

⏵ disrupted arrival ⏴

Your arrival does not go as anticipated.

Aurora, the AI that keeps Etraya in order, had been overtaken by the Im'mari earlier in the month, her systems corrupted by its influence. While efforts have been made to save her from succumbing to it, much of the city is still in disrepair.

New arrivals will not awaken in pristine hospital rooms, but will instead awaken within the Dhaliwal-to-wall Bookstore. Cots are laid on the ground surrounded by books. Kneeling beside them is a woman - or rather, Aurora, with her new body that is vaguely similar to the makeup of those from Connor's world. Her features are strangely serene, with light hair framing her face. Those capable may recognize that she is machine, rather than flesh and blood. Beside her, a vital monitor thrums as it monitors the newcomers, checking them over for any abnormalities that may require her attention. Those who may have arrived injured will find their wounds well-tended to.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Her voice is steady, tinged with something almost apologetic. She offers a slight smile, looking over her charges. "We are in the midst of a mission that has... gotten out of hand. My name is Aurora. You have been chosen to protect your home world, and I am here to assist you in achieving that goal. The multiverse has begun to fall apart, and Echo will only be able to protect some of them. You are here to show them the importance of protecting your world."

She will remain to answer questions for those who respond to her politely in turn. For those who opt to be unkind, Aurora will simply shake her head in disappointment and pull herself up to her feet, moving to check on her next charge, if any remain. Otherwise, she has other matters to attend to.

Each newcomer is given an earpiece to connect them to the others residing on Etraya before they exit the bookstore.

Welcome to your new home.

⏵ into the fractured city ⏴

Once the initial shock of arrival wears off, they're left with the daunting reality that is Etraya: a collection of islands teetering on the edge of collapse, still reeling under the influence of the Im'mari. The streets outside are eerily quiet, but signs of life and activity are scattered throughout the city.

Aurora provides a moment to gather their bearings, but the weight of her words hangs in the air: there is no time for complacency here. Etraya may be fractured, but it is still home. For now.

Whispers of Im'mari's influence linger in the city, and numerous individuals who have been drafted have become infected by it. Faint shadows seem to move just beyond sight, strange echoes sound in the empty alleys of Nova City, the hospital appears to be temporarily taken over by something otherworldly, and while many within the city are beginning to figure out their next steps in taking care of what's happening, others are left reeling, consumed by the fears that haunt them.

It may be wise to scout out a few safe zones among the untouched areas of Etraya. Ramsey Farm seems to remain... mostly peaceful, outside of the havoc caused by Mena the goat. The catacombs under the city proper also seem to have escaped Im'mari's notice - for now. And while it may be covered in snow and cold, the Wolf Cove also seems to be relatively peaceful.

Outside of safe zones, others who have been present in the city for long may provide useful information, if one were to seek them out. There are strange objects imbued with dark magic hidden throughout Etraya by Gorgug and placed strategically to affect those who come into contact with them. Those who are perceptive enough may be able to find and neutralize these objects before they spread further terror.

With enough effort, perhaps things will return to normal.

⏵ whispered influence ⏴

The air in Etraya is charged with tension, thick with the weight of something ancient and malevolent. Whatever it is has already begun warping the landscape, but what lurks behind the shifting reality is far worse. Im'mari, a fragment of the cosmic horror that ravaged Moorecroft through the night, managed to follow those who returned to Etraya on their journey back home. Its insidious presence creeps through the city like a shadow that refuses to lift.

This isn't just a fight against fear. It's a slow devouring, a feeding on the darkness that lingers in every corner of your mind.

Im'mari is not a distant beast; its very essence has embedded itself into the heart of Etraya, infecting wolves, plants, and even a few of those who currently call Etraya home. Its influence spreads like a whisper in the night, quiet at first, almost imperceptible. But with each passing moment, with each shudder that goes through one's spine as they face their fears, it grows stronger. The more one struggles, the more it feeds.

Can you feel it? The weight of it pressing in?

⏵ through the veil ⏴

The whispers grow louder.

Perhaps you see it in your friends. A little shift in their tone, the way they hesitate before speaking. Or perhaps it's something deeper--subtle changes, things you'd never normally question. Maybe they seem more irritable or doubt themselves in a way that feels foreign. You wonder: is this just the strain of the mission? Or is it something darker?

"It's easier if you just give in."

And the more you listen, the more your world bends. You swear you hear something--a voice, someone calling out to you. Or was it just the wind? The scent of blood hangs in the air, though when you search, you can't find its source.

Suddenly you see it on the walls--a message, a memory from your past--something that grips you with a cold fear. It settles deep in your gut, but it's too late. The image lingers at the edges of your vision. Your mind is playing tricks on you, isn't it? Or is it something else? The longer you linger in the halls of the apartment complex, marketplace, or the hospital, the more the world twists around you. Objects shift in your peripheral vision - did that lamp just move? Did that thing lingering just at the edge of your peripheral vision just speak your name?

Im'mari is everywhere now, its influence seeping into the very walls. While Aurora has been freed from its web and continues to work to regain control of her city, Im'mari tightens its grip, refusing to give in. The stairs creep beneath your feet, the scent of rot clings to the food in the diner, and the hospital's medical rooms are empty... or are they? Was that a scalpel, or something else? Paranoia begins to creep in, the lines between reality and illusion blurring the longer Im'mari maintains control.

And grows bolder.

Words, sounds, and images warp the world around you. Faces appear in the shadows. Scents that shouldn't exist hang in the air, triggering memories you'd long since buried. Blood, ocean waves, familiar voices fading in and out. The longer you stay in these places, the more paranoia seeps in, eroding your defenses and wearing you down.

Many objects may seem harmless, but Gorgug's magic has imbued them with dark energy. As you pass them, the whispers begin. A stair creaks underfoot and suddenly you're back within a memory. A stone shifts, and you catch a glimpse of something that shouldn't be there. These objects are traps, set to trigger the worst within you.

Each time a memory comes to life, it seems to warp the world around you - the hallways stretch, the lights flicker out, and you're certain someone is following you. The paranoia builds, a creeping dread that won't leave. You have to find the source. Break the spell, or endure it continuing to spread.

⏵ cottage in the woods ⏴

As you travel deeper into the twisted forest, the air grows heavier, more oppressive. The scorpions that guard the way to the cottage scuttle through the trees, their pincers sharp as they block your path. Vanessa lingers there, her appearance changed, eyes glowing a fiery red. Black veins pulse beneath her skin with the same dark energy that courses through the Im'mari. Along with her are her guardians, ready to fight to defend her.

The closer you get to her, the more distorted the forest becomes. Light blinks in and out, disorienting you. You're not sure which way is forward, and the scorpions hiss from the shadows, attempting to lead you away. But you must keep going. Vanessa stands at the heart of it all - broken, feral, lashing out at anyone who dares to approach.

If you get too close, you'll hear the whispers.

"They see evil in you. You're no different."

If confronted, she may call upon her magic, using Verbis Diablo. But if you act fast, you can attempt to stop her before the words take hold.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

There is a header for new arrivals if they wish to talk with Aurora!

For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. Please keep an eye out for new comments, as we have many new characters and players arriving! All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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Riz has lost track of how long he's been in the hospital for.

It feels like he keeps stumbling into horror after horror, and no matter how hard he investigates, he can't find a way out. Every window just seems to lead to another hallway, every door to the outdoors swings open just to dump him right back in again, and on top of all that, now someone's decided to throw some seriously spooky laughter into the mix for no good reason.

He creeps around the place, firearm in hand, up until he runs directly into someone who seems to have very much the same idea, only with two guns. He's a lot bigger than Riz, though; out of place among most of the humans around here, Riz stands out with his short stature and green skin, the large ears now pinned to the side of his head as he tries to figure out if he should just turn tail and run or not -- if this guy's just another victim of this place or not.

"I, uh -- I come in peace?"

He's not lowering his gun. He's not stupid. But his voice is earnest enough, what's visible of his expression in the low light strained with uncertainty.

Jason doesn't lower his gun either. Fear is coursing through his body and he's on high alert for the Joker. But he's been trained well enough not to be trigger happy at the first thing he sees. Or in this case, first person. The man's skin coloring and ears are unusual but he's not the first green person with pointy ears Jason has met.

"You better be," Jason says grimly. "Who are you?"

"I'm, uh -- Riz?" Riz's voice, still tinged with the youthful boyishness of a young man who hasn't quite become a man yet falters a little as he tries to think of a way to answer the question that would both make sense and allay any further suspicion before he gets shot in the head. Back home, he could just say where he was from, where he was trained, and that would either curry him some favour or completely fuck him over, depending on how others feel about the Adventuring Academy.

With this guy? All he's got is his name. "My name's Riz Gukgak. Um, I have business cards? I'm stuck in here, same as you. Who are you?"

"Jason," He says shortly. "Stuck here too and wondering if someone around. Did you see anyone else here?"

If the Joker really is around, he can't be hard to miss.

"I mean, yeah, a few people! There's a bunch of us stuck in here, only I think we're just getting separated from each other. And also ghosts, I think? Definitely ghosts."

Riz isn't scared of ghosts, per se. He's even friends with one, for god's sake, and Zayn is a pretty chill dude to hang out with now that he's no longer corporeal and trying to shove people in the hallway. He is, however, a little scared of these ghosts, being that they definitely seem like they're more than willing to do some malevolent haunting and quite possibly a possession or two.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" He jerks his head over towards the wall, putting two and two together. "Like whoever's responsible for that lame graffiti?"

"Yeah," Jason says shortly. "Don't suppose you met clown around here?"

He's aware of how ridiculous question sounds like to anyone who's not aware of the Joker but he doesn't care. He's got other priorities to think about.

"A clown?" Riz's eyes widen in alarm. Typically, he'd think it's a little cliche -- spooky clowns are pretty well-trodden ground by now, through all of the books and movies he's personally devoured, but he knows there's something more sinister afoot here.

"No. No clowns here, but... there were some issues with clowns before, in these crystal shards people were trapped in. There were a bunch of clowns that'd go after people, but when we got them out, they came out in -- pieces? Hold on."

Riz takes out his crystal - very much like a mobile phone, just on a slim crystal instead, some archaic nod to the magitech being used - and holds it up so Jason can see the video, of the dismembered arms and legs and torsos decked out in full clownish regalia, wriggling madly to try to attach to one another. Once an arm finds its way back to a torso, there's the sound of Riz swearing underneath his breath, and the feed cuts out.

"Did they look like this?"

"No," Jason says, even though he would love to have the Joker dismembered. "As far as I know, he can't put himself back together like that."

He gestures at Riz's crystal.

"What were those things?"

He's guessing they were more than just clowns.

"No clue. All of this bullshit happened not long after they became a problem, and our focus had to kind of, uh, switch," Riz says, gesturing around at the labyrinthine hospital around them. It bothers him, actually, how little they know, but even the shit he does know? They don't really have time to get into it now. Not while they're still trapped in here.

"What's with your clown, then?"

"He's a mass murderer who only cares about what's 'funny' to him. He thinks the whole world is a punchline," Jason says.

Echoes of someone laughing come as he talks.

"Okay, so... you're running away from some sociopath who took his whole schtick way too far." Riz holds up his firearm in what he believes to be a helpful sort of way, now that it's not being pointed at Jason, and is instead ready for whatever threat will come their way.

"So if he comes and tries to kill us, we just shoot his ass. It's two against one." His head swivels to catch where the sound of laughter is coming from, bouncing back a couple steps to put some distance between himself and the sound. It could be that Jason is lying or otherwise misrepresenting the situation, but... fuck it, Riz has put bullets in more clowns than he cares to count on that horrible spaceship. What's one more?

"What can I expect? Any powers, tricks up his sleeve, that sorta thing?"

Jason's also trying to track down where the laughter is coming from. It feels as though the echoes keep bouncing off of the walls.

"Joker venom. Breath in that stuff and you'll literally die laughing," he says. "No powers as far as I know but the bastard's always somehow gets away."

"Okay, don't love that."

That said, it's not an entirely foreign concept to Riz -- he'd seen Adaine pull off one of her laughing spells enough times to know just how horrific it is to be forced to laugh until your stomach aches and your throat constricts, tears flowing freely from your eyes as though some invisible force has got you by the neck.

Preferably speaking, he'd like to avoid that.

"That just means we need to get to him before he pulls all that off." He glances up, ear twitching at the laughter. It could just be a trick. This Joker guy could very well not be here at all. But Riz's philosophy has been to always be prepared; the safest option is to simply assume the worst is correct, and assume there's some jackass serial killer that needs to be put down.

"I think it's coming from over there, in the overnight wing," he says, pointing to where he thinks the sound may be coming from. He pauses. "Are you... hunting him down? Or did you just wanna try to get the hell out of here?"

"Hunting him," Jason replies grimly. "If he really is here then he needs to be stopped before he starts anything."

He starts to head towards the overnight wing but then he pauses.

"This could be dangerous. Best if you turned around now."

He doesn't want to give the Joker an opportunity to have even one more victim.

"If I was scared of danger, I wouldn't be here in the first place, would I? And if I wasn't used to danger, I don't think I'd be as heavily armed as I am."

Riz knows that many regard his degree of equipment to be a bit of overkill, but Riz prefers to call it preparation. He's been in too many risky situations to take any chances with this sort of thing, and he sure as hell isn't leaving some other guy - even if he is a stranger - on his own to get himself killed by whatever killer is haunting him.

"C'mon, I'll watch your back. You've got a history with this guy, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Jason replies grimly. Echoes of the Joker's laughter keep going. "You trying to look for something here too?"

He still doesn't like the idea of bringing along someone he doesn't know for something as potentially dangerous as finding the Joker.

"Yeah. Answers. This is one of the places where that... fear monster, or whatever the hell it is, is at its strongest. I thought if I could just get to the root of everything that's going on, I could figure out how to kill it." He turns to glance over at Jason, staring assessingly at him. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt. By killer clowns or otherwise."

Which is to say, if this guy's facing down some sort of fatal threat, that makes it Riz's business too. "I don't think I ever got your name?"

"Name's Jason," he replies. He's more focused on following the source of the laughter. "What fear monster?"

There's still not a lot Jason knows about Etraya and he's hating it more with every minute. He knows he's at a disadvantage during this critical situation.

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MISSION 005 PT 2 & ARRIVALS

through the veil!

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