WEEK 4

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 4

[After the meeting, Lilac gives everyone a small vial of something red. Those who left the meeting receive it from the rats on the crew. She gives instructions as to how to take it. Take in a drink, preferably tea. Drink it slowly. Make sure you can get to your bed once you finish. The headache will come quickly.

Nevertheless, even as everyone slips into sleep, they are visited once more by the Conductor in what must have been a dream. Or was it? It's not clear.

She is quiet as she speaks, looking out the windows, even though the view is obscured by the glass.

"I know you think me as a monster. Maybe I am after all these years. I have no illusions. But I cannot regret the things I've done.

"Nor can I regret the Bazaar...it was so wonderful. It opened my eyes to the truth of things and opened doors I never could have seen on my own. It was the first time I felt true love for another. I wasn't the only one-my daughter, too, passed through the Wicket. Saw the sea more sunless within the Bazaar's body. Learned as I learned. She sought to rival me in symbols, in marking skin."

She closes her eyes.

"She is dead now, of course. Everyone I knew in the Neath-on our Earth-is. Well. Almost everyone. London endures, naturally. But the Echo Bazaar...it's beautiful promise...it's gone. The Seventh City will never fall, and it's Message will forever remain undelivered. Of all the creatures in the universe who might remember it, I am alone in honoring it.

"Perhaps it's noble. Perhaps it's foolish. In any case, maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it's the thought that's important. As long as I am here, there is yet a possibility that the deed may be finished, somehow.

"Still, I wonder. Maybe you have the answer.

What happens to a Message, when neither the sender and receiver exist anymore?"




As the day dawns, everyone wakes up to the sound of howling winds and darkness. Their head hurts, but they do have a new memory to accompany the ache. They are also at a new port. It is a dark place, teetering on the edge of safe space and the unknown in between void, where those who enter rarely return. Or, so you have to assume, right? Either way, that blackness on the deep horizon doesn't look particularly fun to try to drive through.

There is a legitimate fear in Lilac's expression that betrays her for the first time, as she lets everyone disembark, including the unicorn and the young man, who quickly jump onto another train to get away from this place. She also refuses to leave the train. She does leave you with a fair warning.

The Synod of Carcels is dangerous, in its own way, and everyone can feel it. Everyone can feel something hanging in the air. It's not natural. It's bending reality. It's also not something that started with you or your arrival. Yet it threatens to become that way, to become part of you. You can feel the temptation gnaw at you. You can hear the winds whisper of it. There is a hunger here-and knowledge as well.

The question, of course, is whether the price to uncover those things is worth it-and what will be found here with the price that is paid. But as the Conductor said-a reckoning cannot be postponed. Not forever.


There are eleven strangers left in this place.]

((IMPORTANT OOC NOTE: This week and it's investigations involve major Fallen London spoilers, in particular spoilers regarding Seeking Mr. Eaten's Name and one of it's endings. If you, as a player here, are playing Fallen London and do not wish to be spoiled, let us know, and we will make sure you are not given any ending spoilers to the best of our ability. We will also be marking spoiler-filled comments with tags, and we request that our players do likewise, in consideration for those who might look through this post in the future.

With that said, have fun, and remember-all shall be well.))

Comments

[telecosmetic]

[Hey, is that the skittering of little rat paws...? A swarm of rats comes rushing past, their squeaks slowly shaping into a familiar voice.]

King! Do you know where Caleb is?

[unwittingking]

[…Eliza is very lucky King's already seen a couple ghosts at this point, because otherwise he'd probably be running back to the train at this point.

Instead, he's stand still, unsure if he's full of disgust or shock...probably both, really.]

I...haven't seen him today. You need to send a message to him?

[telecosmetic]

Yeah, I'm fine with you telling him. It's not like I really want to talk to him myself anyways. His fire powers are your best bet for breaking the Witch barrier around the train. He just needs to fire at it from within somehow!

[unwittingking]

[Ah, right. This.]

I guess we can try that, but I'm not sure if it would work, since his fire freezes things instead of burning them.

[As they both saw at Proto's trial.]

[telecosmetic]

Both fire and ice are elemental attacks, so it shouldn't matter what it does. Just...make sure he knows his power is needed here.

[unwittingking]

…right, forgot that for a second.

[Don't mind him just feeling like an idiot right now.]

I'll make sure to tell him that.

[telecosmetic]

Yeah. [A sigh seems to emanate from all the rats at once.] How's Zack doing? I haven't seen him anywhere around here...

[unwittingking]

[He sighs as well.]

I think he's doing alright. He...didn't take it well, of course, but he's mellowing out a bit. He let me hug him, and he wants to help with Minato like you asked, so...

[He thinks that's somewhere in the middle? Or at least not in the bad area.]

[telecosmetic]

Really? [A few of the rats scurry closer, wrapping their forepaws around his feet.] I'm so glad to hear that... [Her voice does sound much more relieved.] Keep...keep looking after him, okay?

[unwittingking]

[He shivers, but stays where he's standing. He's never been afraid of rats, but this is just freaky for him.]

I plan to, so don't worry about that.

[The guy deserves some comfort after all of this.]

[telecosmetic]

Good...[The rats release his feet and go back to collecting in a swarm, before one of them suddenly stands upright.] Oh, right! Minato! How-how is he? [He seemed pretty bad off last she saw him...]

[unwittingking]

[Thank goodness...]

I...haven't seen him in a while, but I think he's doing okay? He hasn't broken his hands again since, so...I think he's doing alright.

[telecosmetic]

Ah, that's good to hear...do you still have healing potions left?

[unwittingking]

Yeah, we still got a bunch left. Luckily, we didn't have to fight a monster again, so there are about as many left as you probably remember.

[telecosmetic]

Oh, that's good to know. Hopefully Minato doesn't hurt his hands again...

[unwittingking]

Yeah.

[He sighs]

If it helps, I'm pretty sure most of us, if not all of us, are concerned about him and trying to keep him from doing any more stupid things.

[At the very least there are four very determined people to keep him from hurting himself again.]

[telecosmetic]

Yeah...keep it up then, okay?

[unwittingking]

Will do. Promise.

[Now...well, he's offered it to Proto and that other kid, so...]

Anything...anything you want me to tell your family? After we get them out?

[telecosmetic]

Tell them...I love them. Always. And I'll do my best to find my way back. [She will knife her way out of the afterlife if she has to.]

[unwittingking]

Got it.

[He gives a small nod, but gets somewhat curious at the latter statement.]

Have you...have you come back after dying before?

[telecosmetic]

Huh? Oh, yeah, it didn't really get a chance to come up...but I died before in Town A. I was murdered that time, though. But us dead all got to come back in the end.

[unwittingking]

...huh.

[It’s not really said in disbelief, so much as he’s surprised that it could be so easy, without some sort of divine intervention.]

Well, if we’re lucky, we might be able to figure out how to do that again.

[At the very least, he’s going to try and help them come back. Happened once, should be able to happen again.]

[telecosmetic]

[Technically, it was a ritual run by a goddess, so maybe divine intervention is the right phrase for it?]

Yeah. Keep a look out for books of rituals and stuff like that. And maybe if you break the barrier you can contact those gods you know.

[unwittingking]

[Okay, yeah, that makes way more sense.]

Alright, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for anything like that.

Is...is that what’s keeping him from answering?

[To bad Eliza died before his freak out at an actual statue, otherwise she would have some context here. (And also probably a good laugh then!)]

[telecosmetic]

It could be, right? [The rats tilt their heads to the side in unison.] Witch barriers are really weird, and I think they do cut you off from the outside world to some extent...so if it's the same kind of barrier, breaking it will probably help a lot.