the clock tower

[groundrules]

Happy Hallow-elevator! The clock tower event lasts between 22 October and 8 November. ICly, the tower incursion stretches around a week, and you’re welcome to have your character investigate something else, if they finish early!

THE CLOCK TOWER

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ALL IS AS ALL WAS| TRIAL & NO ERRORS | THE TOWER

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ALL IS AS ALL WAS

Play it cool, as Serthica’s customs officers pore over your passport papers, before grudgingly allowing you overground. Minaras, you hear, is hunting a delinquent.

Both it and Eidris fare well, with no sign of the damage that preceded the Unwinding. Locals no longer behave eerily, dragons and clockwork droids roam freely, and everyone hates taxes.

Yet perfect strangers insist they know you. Your assigned address leads to a different house. The roads, buildings and architecture look ‘lived in,’ but changed.

No one remembers the Unwinding.

■ Burlap mannequins sometimes watch from mirrors, windows and reflecting surfaces.

■ You might hear shifting and scratching in Eidris walls.

■ Minaras has doubled its bounty for a man not unlike Leonard McCoy.

■ Black fungal spores are found on the increasingly voluminous experiment vials, specimens and supplies thrown out by Minaras medical facilities.

■ Frail and confused, Ellethia survivor Zenobius finally awakens. A short thread is up for RNG grabs.

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TRIALS & NO ERRORS

The guard troops that Eidris and Minaras assign to the Neutral Zone now protect King Thivar and High Councillor Arabella during the annual Sanctuary Reckoning trials. Both adjudicate cases that violate the ceasefire.

Prolonging the trials buys time for your companions in the clock tower.

■ Create a distraction — flood the judgement hall rooms? Fire? Illusions?

■ Pose as trial participants: perhaps you are of Eidris, and you caught this wicked Minaraian raiding your home? Mayhap this wretched man of Eidris stole your girlfriend? Wait, you’re a Minaraian who wants to kill King Thivar?

■ …organise breakouts, if Thivar or Arabella have your jailed. You are first imprisoned in makeshift Sanctuary cells — all but poorly locked, glorified closets. Get a trial sentence!

■ Thivar and Arabella treat the trials as a box-ticking exercise.

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THE TOWER

As Eidris and Minaras play court, you can infiltrate the Neutral Zone clock tower of Vassarizhia.

■ Only token security remains. The door is unlocked.

■ Karsa supplies paper talismans that must be burned in the watch fire at the tower’s top level.

■ Each burned talisman amplifies the reveal spell that Karsa activates. Link a finished burning thread by 8 November to help the cause.

■ A November mod post will describe how much of Serthica’s ‘undeath’ characters can see.

■ Placing Magnus’ dragon eye before the tower’s telescope will allow characters to always see Serthica’s undeath, moving forward.

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✘ ELEVATOR ETIQUETTE

Imperfect stillness dominates Vassarizhia: your footsteps do not click, words die in your mouth. The tower’s rickety gear slither silently. Your heartbeat aligns with the clock’s tick… tock.
You have the growing, gnarly certainty that you have invaded something ancient and alive.

The tower’s entryway level is large, deserted, stacked with gears. At its core is a dilapidated open elevator shaft.

A large sign says to find and pull the floor lever, if elevators stop.

■ There are two elevators. Each narrow lift can hold up to four people, crammed. The upper half of the carriage is chain-link fence, while the floors contain hatches that sometimes open mid-travel for 30 seconds. Hold on to ceiling-bound leather straps.

■ The ropes holding the elevators are thick, but tattered.

■ The elevator’s creaking squeals can awaken swarms of 1m-tall bats and bat wyverns. They rattle the lift, but ultimately withdraw.

■ The elevator can stop at as many levels as you want (or none!).

■ Beyond the second level, you feel intensely paranoid and see your companions as the persons you most hate/fear for five to 10 minutes. Reaching the top, you are tempted to cut the lift ropes of those who follow. (The ropes and elevators recover, after crashing to the bottom. )

■ On each floor, as you exit the elevator, a nearby wall shows a different scratched instruction, signed by DAVID.

LEVEL I: THE LABYRINTH| LEVEL II: THE ANCESTOR | LEVEL III: TAG! YOU’RE IT
LEVEL IV: THE ROOM WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS | LEVEL V: IT’S RAINING (AGAIN)

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LEVEL I: THE LABYRINTH
CONTENT WARNING: MINOTAUR, BODY HORROR

Step into a jail maze, flooded to knee level. Confusing corridors narrow, widen and contort, while wall torches dim.

Intermittent howling reveals you’re not alone. Hiding, you see child-like chalk drawings of forest animals on walls — and a great minotaur. Keep silent.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

■ Collect some of the many discarded daggers or axes. Rope bundles float in water — use them to paralyse your captive or briefly force them under your control.

■ Don’t linger in one place: rotting, bodiless hands surface to restrain you.

■ Bad news, if you swallow water when the minotaur or dead hands try to drown you: your skin stretches and bursts, while your bones pop and extend. You mutate into a half human, half woodland creature, all bloodlust. ( Inspiration, anyone? ) Your companions should still recognise you; between hazy memories and constant pain, you might struggle to remember them and even attack.

■ Morphed characters can (painfully) return to normal within minutes of re-entering the elevator.

■ A smaller and distressed three-headed minotaur also roams the labyrinth. Two of its heads sob, while the third urges you to hide with it when brother approaches. It tries to throttle you with a noose to make brother happy, if you follow. David did say.

■ The minotaur and its sibling have poor sight. They cannot enter a corridor where you’ve drawn or laid down a line.

■ Pull the lever, and a straight corridor leads you to the elevator.

TOP | LEVEL II | LEVEL III | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

LEVEL II: THE ANCESTOR
CONTENT WARNING: GIANT SKELETON, BLOOD DRINKING

Here, only barren stone and thin rivulets of fresh water pouring from wall fountains with sharp-tipped ornaments — your spilled blood quickly infects the basins. Knives, pins and bowls have been abandoned nearby.

High pressure and vertigo overwhelm you. Follow a rhythmic heaving to where the upper half of an enormous skeleton — the Ancestor — has broken through a wall. White, silk thread fetters it. Dried blood rims its cracked mouth. Before it, the stone floor has been tarnished, up to a 5m radius.

The Ancestor appears dormant, a crown of iron thorns on its head. It clutches the lever tightly in its right hand. Above it, an engraving urges, SPILL WINE FOR YOUR ANCESTOR.

■ David S P’s elevator scrawl says, WATER TO WINE.

■ Dally staring and you feel dizzy, nauseous, depressed and compelled to share your close-death encounters. Before you know it, you are stepping into the Ancestor’s radius…

■ …where it plunges for you, if you don’t bear a filled cup. The silk ropes keep the Ancestor from reaching beyond 5m.

■ Two carvings under his fists read HONOUR THY FATHER and DISHONOUR THY MOTHER.

■ Quickly distract the Ancestor from crumbling his captives, tearing their arms or attempting to eat them.

■ The Ancestor is instinct-driven, consumed by thirst. It cannot see or smell, and only remembers taste. Sounds divert it.

■ Improvise: there is no actual wine here. Infuse water, spill blood, or vocally pretend you are delivering wine, and the Ancestor might spare you.

■ If sated, the Ancestor releases the lever.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL III | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

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LEVEL III: TAG! YOU’RE IT
CONTENT WARNING: SCARECROW, SKINNED CREATURES

Enjoy pitch dark, dread and bile spreading in your gut. Take a candle from near the elevator and roam through small, unlocked rooms that feature tattered beds, strips of tanning leather and blood or wax spilled on the floor.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, O CATCHES IT.

■ Ahead, you see candle-bearing mannequins that dance a hora to the same song played by Jim Kirk’s music box: “Up the mountain, in the grove, hand in hand to Ke-Waihu, fresh harvest’s a treasure trove, each fall we feast anew.”

■ The creatures are patched abominations of wax, skinned flesh and burlap. In the middle of the hora is a wiry scarecrow, eyes blazing with candle fire as it points a large cleaver. In certain lights, the scarecrow’s face briefly contorts into that of your mother. It wears priestly robes that Arc III survivors may recognise from the House of Ravens.

■ As the dance finishes, you notice the lever in the middle of the circle, where flame spells out TAKE THEM, NOT ME. The game begins.

■ The abominations run, gleefully manic and screaming TAAAA~AAAAAG. YOU’RE IT! The scarecrow unflinchingly cuts them down while pursuing you. Hide in the abandoned rooms, or risk snuffing your candle to avoid detection.

■ Some abominations slap you, hold you, or alert the scarecrow. Others offer shelter. A few peel off wax skins from their limbs — showing black fungi beneath. They murmur, IT NEVER GOES AWAY.

■ Parchment strips fall from the scarecrow’s sleeves, reading, HAPPY NAME DAY, MOTHER KNOWS BEST, THE SIN RAN DEEPER THAN SKIN, IF YOU CAN BEAR IT, IT’S A GAME.

■ Bless David: draw the scarecrow into a drawn or makeshift circle to trap it.

■ Intense, paralysing fear arrests you, if the scarecrow catches you. The wax abominations chant, TAKE THEM, NOT ME. One might even take pity and move your numbed mouth to utter the words. Say them — and the scarecrow lands deep cuts on your arms, then pursues your companion.

■ If you betray someone, the abominations take the appearance of your worst version: whether physically mutated, with a temper that amplifies your worst features, or both.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL II | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

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LEVEL IV: THE ROOM WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS
CONTENT WARNING: MANIPULATION, MENTAL COERCION

You enter a quiet room. The lever sits on a table, beside rope and a dagger. As you approach, your surroundings transform: perhaps your dearest dead appear to warmly welcome you. Crowds of your doubters celebrate your success. Or you are in a calm oasis, where nothing hurts.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, THIS DREAM IS A NIGHTMARE.

■ Whatever your deepest wishes, the room’s vivid illusions provide. With time, your beautiful dreams deteriorate into horror. Sometimes, you hear whispers of, Make a wish.

■ The room increasingly drains your life force. Within half an hour, you have gaunt flesh, brittle bones and a hunched back. Or you might feel compelled to harm yourself, clawing your arms and face, or pulling your hair out.

■ The damage comes undone minutes after reaching the elevator.

■ The room focuses on one person: if someone joins you, they see fainter echoes of what the room shows you, but they are not enthralled. They must coax or drag you away.

■ If you are under the room’s influence, it forces you to make any later intruders stay.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL II | LEVEL III | LEVEL V

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LEVEL V: IT’S RAINING (AGAIN)
CONTENT WARNING: PLAGUE, THE CHILD

At the tower’s open-sky top, fire crackles from a small stone pit, shielded by a familiar, immovable blood-spattered white umbrella. Nearby, discover an immense rusted telescope and other discarded astronomy tools.

You trip on rain-battered yellowed bones at every step. One skeletal hand holds a watch piece, engraved for Mr. David Sebastian Pumpkins.

■ David S P’s has only scrawled his signature.

■ You might reach the flame easily, or be overwhelmed by sickness, black fungal spores blooming on your fingers, while you cough blood and experience intense fever. The symptoms wane once you reach the fire.

■ Burn paper talismans and link finished threads to help Karsa’s spell.

■ The child with a fox mask from the Unwinding could appear. Sign up for one of three short threads, which must finalise by 3 November.

NOTES

■ Some of the bigger plot clues have been emphasised, to help navigate through the horror details.

■ You can hit up some NPCs during the trials.

■ Check out plotting posts for last-minute team-ups.

■ Back to the top.

QUESTIONS

Comments

iii: obligatory yellow wallpaper reference goes here

[snowcleave]

[ The things coming out of the walls almost makes the man made out of straw seem like a kitten. She’s pulled towards a wall unexpectedly, her feet dragging against the ground as she does what she can to beat the hands back with the scabbard of her saber, planting the tip of Youhuang against the ground in the hopes she can use it to pull herself backward.

There’s another ripple, another set of hands are there, peeling the wall back, exposing the pestilent black mold she has come to recognize and fear. With a cry of desperation, Fei uses all her weight to throw herself back and wrench herself free of the wall’s grasp, trying to avoid being pressed against what she knows will harm her worse than any of the massive beasts this tower holds. ]

wildcarding it up.

[growlies]

( There's a three-headed dog monster roughly the size of a wolf in the middle of this game on this level of the tower. Each of its heads aim an attack toward the abominations chasing after it - flame born from its opened, parted mouths. The strength of this fire sweeps up several of the abominations at once. Another one of the heads reaches out to latch hold of the arm of the abomination.

Cerberus craves violence, destruction, and there is no one to hold on to the chains wrapped around each paw.

But more are coming, and so is the scarecrow. Red doesn't see her yet - Fei. The shock and worry might be enough to force her to shift back alone, but so much of this monster is what is alive now, awake now, unafraid and ancient and made for death itself. )

[snowcleave]

[ Were it not for the way it fights against the Scarecrow's creatures, Fei would have written the three-headed hound off as another manifestation of this world's ugly power. Instead, she sees something else in need of defense and doesn't hesitate to charge ahead.

Unsheathed Youhuang sings as it cuts through the air, moved in an arching spiral that provides Fei with all the cover she needs to overwhelm each creature she encounters. She keeps the creatures back, felling one before she speaks over her shoulder. ]

Little doggie, do not turn on me once I get these thorns out of your paw.

[ She has been on this floor long enough, thank you, and with such an ally at her side, perhaps this is her chance to reach the elevator and go further up. ]

[growlies]

( The shock of seeing Fei there is nearly enough to send Red rattling back into her other form despite the fact this isn't the right time for it when they're still being assuaged. Fei steps forward to defend her - the monsters without fear or wariness or anything of the kind, and it'd fill her with emotions if she had any ability to process.

Red knows she has to stay like this so she grips hold of the violence inside of her, forces herself to remain like this: flame and claw and teeth.

There's no complications when she's Cerberus. There's only tearing into another abomination that comes Fei's way as Fei takes on ones that come at her, and they start to cut a path through. )

[snowcleave]

[ In truth, Fei hadn't been sure what response she was going to get from the three-headed dog either. When they're rushed a second time Fei's quick to cover her larger companion's back, moving with them side-by-side as they beat their way through. ]

Together, we can take the Scarecrow. Do not leave me and I will not leave you.

[ They aren't even through this thatch of horrors yet and she's already gearing up for the next big fight, as is her way. ]

[growlies]

( Red doesn't know if the Scarecrow can die like she could not die at one point when she existed in the Underworld, but if they can slow it down, if it can be prevented from stopping Fei. Her loyalty to the woman that calls her meimei (little sister) shines through even in this current state like a tether back to her own humanity.

She doesn't want to let anything touch her.

And there it is in the way of the path to the elevator -

The scarecrow with its scythe, and Cerberus responds, rushing forward - scythe blade to the shoulder where fire flows out instead of blood. All three heads biting down as flame erupts from between its teeth. )

[snowcleave]

[ As much as she wants to, she doesn't gawk at the flaming dog as it bears down on the Scarecrow. The hound is like nothing she's ever seen before, but as awe-inspiring as it is, that fire streaming from the wound on its shoulder tells her it's not impervious.

Like a shot she's behind the Scarecrow, Youhuang held across her chest as her free hand pools qi in her palm before expelling it as she brings it to hit against the creature's shoulder, making its hold on the scythe weaken, if not fall away completely.

The strike gets the creature's attention, at least, pulling the blade away from Cerberus before swinging at Fei, who is waiting to parry. ]

[growlies]

( Even in her current monstrous state, Red-Cerberus can recognize the power in the warrior beside her, can be impressed by it and grateful for the diverted attention. The scythe drops to the floor with a clatter as it swings wildly at Fei who parries it in turn. With the scarecrow's back to it, Cerberus' heads reach out and bite hold on it from behind and the side at different spots, tearing into it.

Flame erupts through and around it before it falls.

They may not have been able to kill it but they have bought themselves time, and there's a huff of a sound from Cerberus. Red's struggling to hold on to the form at present especially with the wound upon the shoulder, but they can get to the elevator now. They'll get to the elevator.

Except it's right before the doors that the shift is forced - Red's too tired to hold on to the form anymore, and one moment there's a wolf-sized monster beside Fei and the next it's Red. Her shirt is torn where the scythe had scraped across her shoulder but otherwise, there's no evidence of any injury. Just a lot of exhaustion. She blinks and curses and presses her fingertips against the floor and keeps her head low. )

[snowcleave]

[ Uncertain what's more bizarre - the flaming multi-headed hound, or the fact that said flaming hound was just her friend in another form, Fei says nothing for a long moment, looking down at Red's crouched shape in utter shock. She knew the young woman was special, but she could not have anticipated to what degree that word fit her.

Wary, she looks around, checking back the way they came before holding her hand out for Red, aiding her ascent back to a stand. ]

Xiao meimei– [ Fei moves to speak more and stops, not sure what there is to say. She's not the most eloquent person, and while most of the time she manages to sneak by relying on her husband's gilded tongue, in moments like these, she's on her own. ]

You...are, ah. [ Another short-lived attempt leaves Fei frowning furtively, still looking down at Red's bright hair. ] Is it you, or is it this place doing something to you?

[growlies]

( Red grabs hold of her hand, using Fei's help to push her to her feet. Her eyes burn. Her throat locks with emotion when she still finds it in her to call her meimei after all that. She knows they're not exactly safe here so she's already moving forward towards the open doors (exhausted, aching, bruised, fuck this place). Fei is powerful, strong, a bad ass. She's the one that's taught her how to fight when she's like this, who calls her family (somehow, impossibly), but she's seen too many people in this Tower that she cares about get fucked up, and she doesn't want to see that happen to her, because Red's having too much of an emotional crisis to step forward.

It's only when the elevator doors close that she rests her entire back against the wall of it, and still keeps her head ducked, trying to let her emotions level out before she speaks. )

It's not this place. It's- it's me. I'm sorry. I should have said before- ( But she didn't know how. But she was scared. ) It's just a weird fuckin' thing to put to words, and I didn't-

( Finally, she glances over at Fei. ) But I'm really glad you're in one piece.

[scrapgege]

[And then there's a hand catching her shoulder and pulling her back with rather more ease one would expect from those long, elegant fingers... but once you remember this is the guy who flicked a person through a wall and didn't react to being stabbed, it makes more sense.

At the same time, the bandage around his arm suddenly unravels and shoots towards the wall and cleanly cuts through the limbs coming out while deftly avoiding getting any black stains on itself. Once done, it comes back to warp around his arm. It doesn't have a face, but it somehow still looks like a puppy expecting praise.]

Are you alright? Did you get any of that black thing on you?

[snowcleave]

[ Of all the people she'd want to have to face the challenge of this dangerous tower with, the seemingly indestructible Xie Lian is a welcome sight. It's not one she dwells on, too busy looking down and taking stock of her well-being, ensuring that while those spores got close, they hadn't had a chance to make contact, and after a few assuring pats to the front of her tunic, Fei gives him a nod. ]

I'm fine. Let's keep going. All of these walls can grab you.

[ Fei lifts Youhuang again and moves forward through the corridor, prepared to cut back anything that tries to grab either of them. ]

Your bandage is a useful weapon.

[scrapgege]

[Well, he's not completely indestructible, but he's certainly more sturdy than most.]

Ruoye is a spiritual weapon. It can both protect and attack, if need be.

... Did you see where the lever is? I don't think I spotted it at all in the middle of all this.

[snowcleave]

Toward the west lies the keeper of this floor. [ And like the skeleton on the one below him, Fei means to confront it.

She ventures forward before halting abruptly as a new set of gnarled hands reach out from the wall. ]

We will have to be careful until it's time to fight.

[scrapgege]

Why don't you leave these to me and conserve your strength?

[Once again, the white bandage flies and slices through the limbs almost effortlessly.]

Your sword will be more useful against the ones that can walk.

[snowcleave]

[ She does better when she's pointed toward what she's supposed to hit, and considering the unknown floors above them, Fei is willing to silently acquiesce to Xie Lian's offer and preserve her strength for what lay ahead. ]

The ones on this floor that can walk may require both of us.

[ After everything that has come before, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. ]

[scrapgege]

I can help with those too.

[If only he had a blade himself... haaa, but it's useless lamenting. Maybe at some point he'll finally get his hands on one.]

Do you know which way we need to go? this place looks like it might try to turn us around and I don't have the best luck with that.

it is time for violence

[fushichou]

[This floor is pretty gross, but it's also more comfortable for someone created for combat. The mannequins and the big spooky scarecrow aren't great, of course, but Kanesada doesn't fear them, necessarily. It's just a matter of not getting caught by them. And, well, he does have his trusty sword in hand, so as long as he doesn't get careless, he doesn't worry too much.

Apparently, he can say the same for some of the other people who have gotten stuck here. That woman getting dragged into a wall? Not great. He rushes over, sword already drawn, and slashes at the arms of the wall-dwellers so they'll release their quarry. He's able to slice through one, but the others are only wounded. Or, well, as wounded as things get here. Can they even feel pain? With their luck, probably not. But he does enough damage to loosen their hold, at least.]

Now! Pull away!

[He makes sure to step back from the walls, as well. How embarrassing that would be if he ended up in the same predicament he'd just rescued someone else from.]

hello my love

[snowcleave]

[ When she's cut free Fei doesn't spare any time with catching her breath, as much as she wants to, springing into action after stooping quickly enough to secure Youhuang back in her grasp.

One hand rests on the sword's spine as she lunges towards a set of hands as they stretch towards her rescuer, cutting them free of the wall before she grabs onto the man's shoulder and pulls him further down the corridor, where the passage starts to widen, hopefully making it harder to get caught. ]

Have you been trapped on this floor for a long time?

[ She's given herself up so others can go ahead, but, it's getting old, maybe she's finally crossed paths with the right person to get her out of here. ]

blows late kissu

[fushichou]

[All right. All right! Nice. This lady may have gotten stuck, but she definitely looks like she knows her way around a blade and Kanesada can respect that. He lets her drag him down the hall, even if it is a little unceremonious, but keeps his eyes and ears open for any more nightmare monsters.]

Dunno how long, but it's been too long.

[Satisfied for now that nothing is chasing them, he leans down closer to his new companion.]

They can hear really well. We have to be careful. But I've managed to set some of the mannequins on fire if we can find more candles without giving ourselves away. I think it's the big scarecrow guy we really have to worry about, though.