WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1

[Well, it seems that you are all here now. Stuck, with a power, and with two individuals who are...very different from one another, inside an old, decrepit home. There's not much to do now than to stew, look for food, and figure out what the hell you're going to do to pass the time - if not get out of this place entirely.

There has to be a way, right? And what the heck happened to the fifteenth name on the list that was handed out? Is there someone else here? If so, who are they? Do they even exist?

So many questions to answer-and, it seems, more than enough time to try to figure them out, hopefully.


There are 15 (?) strangers in this place.]

Comments

[necroyalty]

Let's...hope.

But to another matter: Has anyone noticed something... missing, when they awoke? Even if I don't have my spellbook to jog my memory, I should still be able to...

[ She gives a vague hand gesture. ]

It's useless.

[hexposition]

Spellbook...?

[!]

I... yes, I know what you mean. It's... very troubling.

[necroyalty]

I've no particular special talent for magic, unlike some others blessed with such a thing at birth.

[ She says "talent" like she means, well, more than just a normal natural talent. ]

For those like myself with an interest in the art, there's little choice but to study.

[hexposition]

[Does Emma look almost... disappointed for a second? No, of course not, don't be ridiculous.]

Ah, I see. Well, even if you had such... "talent," I hardly imagine such a thing would be sustainable without studying. Even the masters require practice, after all!

[necroyalty]

I do suppose that if my brother spent less time enjoying more fleeting pleasures, he'd be able to master the arcane, himself. But he has his own areas of expertise, even if he's content to coast by as far as magic goes.

[BARDS...]

But it's refreshing to speak with someone who has some common sense. The bugbear woman was irritatingly obtuse.

[hexposition]

Ahaha... well, it's certainly not for everyone.

[...um]

I mean... I'm glad to be of service, but, ah. Bugbear woman...?

[That sure is a blank stare.]

[necroyalty]

The Embarrassing.

[ Not even using her name because holy hell Batman, is that title appropriate. ]

[hexposition]

O-oh, um... [Quietly, as to not be overheard:] The orange one?

Are... are bugbears typically orange? What's a bugbear...?

[necroyalty]

Large, hairy sorts of goblinoids. I've seen at least a few in my time that were at least somewhat orange.

Although even then, they wear clothes.

[yonosoymaria]

[The best lies are ones that are wholly truth, just missing pieces. And so....]

I attempted to heal a bruise on Mrs. - ah, excuse me, The Embarrassing's arm. I couldn't. The power is just... gone.

[No one here needs to know he can normally do far more destructive things. It's probably best to seem like nothing more than a sad young artist with some odd family traditions and weapons training than a battle-tempered witch for so long as he can.]

[necroyalty]

[ A CLERIC?!?!?! ]

I haven't tried anything besides some simple tasks as of yet, but it appears that even my trusty spectral hand is gone.

[ Why can't she even cantrip yo ]

[yonosoymaria]

[Something like one! Sort of.]

I'm not certain what could have spiritually exhausted everyone so much without also physically exhausting us. It may be the reasoning between keeping us barely fed, but...

[He frowns, and doesn't finish the sentence.]

This place just doesn't add up.

[necroyalty]

I've seen antimagic fields before, but none that are quite as...shall we say, selective?

[yonosoymaria]

I've never encountered one that would cover an entire building, and a curse effect keeping us completely drained would have to be renewed every few minutes, on the quarter-hour at the most.

[He sighs, and props his chin in one hand, leaning against the table.]

Though from what I've seen and overheard, I suspect there's less in common between all of our backgrounds than would make comparing experiences terribly helpful.

[necroyalty]

What was the last thing you remember?

[yonosoymaria]

I was...

[It takes work to figure out how much of his hand to show, here, but thankfully it's easily masked as distress. Again, a lie of omission, but not even that much of an omission....]

John and I - ah, my best friend and I - we've been working together at my home on a research project for quite some time, and the result was something neither of us wanted to accept. We quarreled over it, I stormed off to my bedchamber, and... I must have fallen asleep in my clothes, though I can't believe I'd be so distraught over anything as to do that. Then I was here.

[joinhands]

[Krone traces her fingertips over her collarbone, uncomfortable.]

I'm not exactly flashy, but "something missing" is more accurate than not in my case, too.

[necroyalty]

That's most concerning. Other than the gods themselves, I'm not aware of anyone with enough power to simply whisk us away to their own plane like this.

[joinhands]

Their own plane? [This is the first time Krone has actually heard about this properly?] You think it's likelier we've been swept to an entirely separate "plane" instead of just... somewhere else?? [But she's not aggressively skeptical, just trying hard to wrap her head around all this]

[necroyalty]

For a being powerful or skilled enough, it's laughably easy. The walls between the planes were... weakened, somewhat, after the Revelry.

[joinhands]

So transportation is easy, but ability nullification is hard...? That wouldn't apply to my case as much, actually, but it's certainly terrifying in the context of what witchcraft the rest of you are describing as losing without so much as a fight at the time.

[necroyalty]

I only shudder to imagine what manner of gods or demons are capable of such a thing. Someone who can bring us all here, then impose all these limitations upon us... is definitely capable of much more within their domain.

[joinhands]

I'm in complete agreement with you there... We should assume they're watching or listening to us, as well as putting some kind of—fence, security system, what have you—around the perimeter. Reinforced.

[whiterosefoes]

[Harriet's just steepling her fingers as she listens to this round of grievances.]

All of you are missing things? That could be rather bad... the last time I knew a group of people whose powers and items had vanished, it turned out we'd paid with them for something we didn't remember needing.

Which is one of many reasons I hate time travel, for the record.

[You know, since we've established that people are reading the scrolls now.]

[necroyalty]

I'm...not exactly sure I want to know more.