the sunken | part i

[groundrules]

THE SUNKEN

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Welcome to the first log of Arc VI: the Sunken, which covers 15 May – 2 June and doubles as a test drive meme.

Back/forward date as needed! The calendar date suggestions are indicative.

The TDM is open to everyone! If you decide to apply to the game, you can get an invite from current players or the upcoming enabling meme — or participate in the test drive meme and get in touch @ groundrules to chat things over. We currently have 13 slots available for new players.

Test drivers can use this post for logs and network posts — old timers, please make your network posts at eastbound.

LOST AT SEA | TEST DRIVE TOURISTS

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You wake, gasping, in a stormy sea, your thoughts slowed to a confused trickle. Skill, floating wood or a kindly stranger — who you can’t understand — help you to reach shore.

Villagers discover you collapsed on sand and provide critical (if rickety) communication and translation devices. They say you are in Sunken Yancai, a fishing village progressively overtaken by waters and cursed by the secretive ‘ladies of the lake’ to transit through time.

■ Rescuers group newcomers and supply questionable village couture, warm meals and accommodations in abandoned, half-flooded homes or spare small boats anchored in Yancai’s waterways. Huddle up, recover your strength and don’t think too hard on why your memories are hazy over the next three days.

■ Come morning, you visit village leader Quanze Tsaymien, then the sorceress Karsa — who explains you are otherworlders summoned into Akhuras by undead lords who wish to weaponise you in their battle against humans and one another. Karsa is an associate of the Merchant, who leads otherworlders towards ancient transport beacons east.

■ One such beacon rests dormant in Yancai. The group must infiltrate the village and wait a few weeks until it shifts to a point back in time when the beacon was active.

■ Newcomers are handed passport papers with their new identities in Yancai, where they may be known as a bankrupt merchant, perpetually drunk sailor, whale hunter, raft surveyor, mermaid who has just gained their legs, crab collector... feel free to invent a dutifully hilarious apt role for their seaside sojourn.

OLD TIMERS | THE DRIFTING

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You dragged yourself here in a haze. You arrived long ago, as if in a dream. You were born and bred in this village. In truth, your memories of reaching lively Yancai feel nebulous and alarmingly inconsequential.

Characters are facilitated new identities and dwellings by the Merchant, or believe they have had them all along.

■ A weary Karsa warns to say nothing to party members with altered memories, until the sorcery that affects them runs its course.

■ Memory-altered characters progressively regain their memories within three to five days (by 20 May). They have their memories partially or fully back at night ( midnight to 5 a.m.). Throughout the day, memory regains can trigger migraines, eerie confusion and paranoia.

■ Hauntings begin once characters have fully regained their memories.

■ Once everyone is ‘back to normal,’ Karsa explains that Yancai periodically transits through time. The memory alterations are a magical solution endorsed by the village council, which ensures locals mentally weather these shifts. Villagers continue to blithely accept you as part of the community.

(DON'T) HOLD YOUR BREATH

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Karsa reunites the existing party and newcomers, issuing first assignments. The Merchants’s information suggests the beacon of Yancai will be online once the village travels in time within weeks. A dubious Karsa asks the party to check on the beacon, located in the former House of Commerce of the largely inundated merchants’ district. Reach it by rowing boat.

■ Villagers say the Master of Commerce, a famous musician, took precautions against intruders.

■ All ground and lower floor entryways of the palatial House were boarded to restrict flooding. To enter, pick locks or climb the putrid stairwell towards upper balconies.

■ Inside, the hissing of running water — and, in the lower levels, of thin, slippery leeches whose bite numbs your limbs, while they attempt to feed. You seem to experience pronounced vertigo when entering any decaying rooms covered in black mould.

■ The beacon is located on a dais in the basement vault room, where water rises near 1 meter. Only a few scattered scrolls and golden decorations remain among decorations, while a large ceiling carving writes, greed deafens man to the cries of his conscience; music sets him free.

■ Some tiles of the marbled floor stand out as you wade — step on one, and all doors abruptly slam shut, while dozens of obscured holes in the wall start to rapidly spill water, threatening to fill the room to the ceiling within the hour. You hear the tinny, waning sound of a village song played from a hidden source.

■ To stop the pouring water and open the doors, sing the song you hear, or find the music box that produces it amid debris on the water-covered floors. Wind it, and it plays its song in reverse, revealing the voice of a laughing elderly man who says, Depressingly, Anurr was right to worry.

■ Don’t forget to check the beacon — and report back to Karsa that it looks structurally untarnished.

THEY SLEEP

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After surprising revelations at previous citadels, Karsa tasks you to investigate just how… permanent death is in Yancai. Villagers share that their dead are buried in a strange rite at sea — part of which will take place within days.

■ The dead are ‘entombed’ in one-man sarcophagi ships with carved and chained lids that depict their likeness. These burial boats are set at sea on the first day of each season and return three months later.

■ Join the harbours around 22 May, when mourners gather to receive the burial boats. Characters must pretend to be greatly anguished relatives, acquaintances or debt collectors to join the grieving.

■ The boats float towards you, seemingly of their own volition. Gaze afar and spot a boat carrying a man in black — the same who haunts some characters — who observes until the last burial ship has reached the piers, before he disappears.

■ Sailors draw up the boats and unpeel the untouched chains and lids, to reveal… no corpses. Peer closer and find neither biological signs (stench, liquids) of discomposure, nor the magical chillness of spaces where cadavers have lingered long. Scratch marks litter the inside of some boat lids.

■ Mourners seem grateful that the waters have ‘accepted’ the bodies. Some say that their relatives whose boats have yet to return must have been stolen by the ‘ladies of the lake,’ a villainous witch coven. Speak to mourners or sailors for clues.

■ Linger long near opened burial boats, and you feel tempted to throw yourself into the sea, slowly losing consciousness — until someone rescues you.

AMONG US

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On 25 May, village leader Quanze Tsaymien drags the chained and half feral mistress Miang-si to households and Yancai’s largest market square.

The young woman, he says, was seduced by the ladies of the lake — the furtive witch coven that condemned Yancai to time travel. Luckily, the village elders have… coaxed Miang-si back onto the righteous path.

■ Miang-si is brought door-to-door to point out her 'accomplices.' Ill at ease, villagers whisper of similar witch hunts leading to false accusations and blood-curdling repercussions.

■ Both men and women are suspected and brought before Miang-si. Perhaps she takes an eerie interest in you, getting especially close to catch your scent, touch or remark on (in)visible hurts, or even dotingly kiss you. If you whisper quickly while she’s near, you might be able to ask one question.

■ If you are patient and kind to Miang-si, she briefly squeezes your hand as she withdraws. Within the hour, you find blood writ on your palm that warns, Our fat moon rises red.

■ If you are agitated, or if Quanze rushes her during your visit, Miang-si erupts into sudden, side-splitting cackling — while you find yourself croaking like a toad, or transforming into one and retaining human speech. The spell dissolves after eight hours.

■ Quanze’s long-suffering men say this sorcery breaks faster if you kiss one of the curmudgeonly emerald toads that hide in some of Yancai’s lakes. Catch one such delightful, slime-spitting creature or barter it from merchants at a costly premium.

ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT

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A full moon is set to rise within days of Miang-si’s visit, on 27 May — just as Yancai shows signs of time shifting. Villagers are prone to stilling and staring askance, seeming lost or adrift.

The village itself evolves: one moment, the same house appears freshly new, then drowned, while waterways overfill with water, then seem barren. Overall, the village deteriorates.

■ That day, the sun suffers a midday eclipse, while droves of black birds circle the woods and village outskirts, attacking those who come close.

■ The waters increasingly thicken and darken, preventing boats from entering certain waterways.

■ An exceedingly bright moon and a diffuse lunar replica rise with nightfall. Come midnight, the village is alive with the sounds of ripping, structural collapse and shrieks. Tar-covered corpses emerge from the waters, clawing on and climbing up piers. They swarm, drawing passers-by into waters to drown them. Help them — and foremost, yourself.

■ Light and fire keep the dead at bay. On some waterways, wildfire now spells, WHAT IS WET WAS WRONGED

■ Weaker alone, fresh corpses climb into your rowing boat, pretending they are innocents who seek shelter. They betray themselves by speaking very slowly, struggling to keep track of the conversation or obliviously peppering it with details of their death. They stubbornly ask questions about you, repeating your answers, and become violent if you say they are dead. Push them into the water at first opportunity.

■ Quanze Tsaymien and other men of the village take arms, urging villagers to barricade in the nearest home, harbour or warehouse and weather the night. They advise to be silent and beware the dead who imitate living voices, warning not to touch any black mould or water that suddenly appear in your home — which alert the dead of your presence within.

■ Some dead try to tear you apart, while others seek to feed you a disgusting, tar-like black mould. A small taste of it makes you sluggish and feeble for two-three hours, while an entire fistful can kill.

■ If the undead infiltrate your house, hold your breath, do not move and keep from screaming. The dead have weak sight and olfactory senses and might pass you by, as long as you stay silent. It can be more efficient to fool than kill the dead.

■ By 5 a.m., houses start to replenish themselves, gaining a new appearance, while water and mould retreat. The dead withdraw into waterways. Outside doors have been marked with blood: vertical lines tell how many living people remain inside; horizontal ones count how many within died overnight.

■ You step to seize a brave new day — while Yancai enters a new time period (further details due in the next plot update).

NOTES

■ The game enabling meme goes up on 25 May.

■ Hit up available NPCs here or in their new inbox!

■ QUESTIONS.

Comments

[recklessenough]

That would be one way to look at it. [ He'll agree but otherwise let that matter rest for the time being. It would take too much time to try to explain. Time that would be better spent focused on their situation here and now.

Though the comment about tasting the energies of the dead does draw a second glance from the youth. ]

That is a skill I would rather not imagine. Death-glows are bad enough. [ Lockwood bows his head in response to the Eastern style greeting, keeping his hands to himself, where otherwise he would have extended one. ] Anthony Lockwood. I usually answer most readily to Lockwood. A pleasure to meet you. [ He has the social graces for such introduction and uses them, before relaxing his manners a bit to process the rest of what the other man has said. ]

In my reality it can be either. It depends upon the strength of the spirit attached to the death energy. I haven't had much reason to try to determine if my Talent works here or not, at least not until today. I suppose a lot would depend upon whether or not there is spiritual energy to go with these deaths; and of course, [ he motions at the scratches in the wood ] if there was even a death involved.

Is this a regular occurrence in this world?

[weifinder]

Lockwood it is, then. Wei Wuxian might be easiest for you to use, shortening either will keep me looking at you oddly. Even after two years here!

( He says that last with a hint of a laugh, before gesturing for Lockwood to join him in walking away from this coffin: from the building sensation he's noted and catalogued, used to the force of outside suggestions seeping into his consciousness and unconsciousness in this world. Wei Wuxian is a strong swimmer, has never felt compelled to seek out water in a desperate manner, and yet he feels a growing urge claw up his spine.

Is it the boat? The coffin lid? The waters themselves? A compulsion from one to flee could explain the direction of the dead in their leavings, but he holds silent on that at first, listening to Lockwood. A talent, said in a way where the word has more than the single meaning, or stands in for something beyond the concept of talent alone. Spiritual energy, which Wei Wuxian can easily answer on. Death, which he can agree on too. But he paces himself, as much as he paces along the shore, eyes flicking from one empty boat to another, keeping the crowd of mourners at their backs in such an angle that their mismatched expressions won't be so blindingly obvious as to merit emotional response. )

You'll want to be more specific. Which occurrence in particular?

[recklessenough]

[ Two years. This person might be exactly the experienced visitor to this world that Lockwood was hoping to encounter.

He matches his own long legged stride to the pace set by the other, left hand coming to rest comfortably on the hilt of his rapier while the other hung by his side. Head up, he tilts it in such a way to show he is listening, while at the same time keeping a close eye and awareness of their surroundings. ]

This happens a lot then? [ Don't worry Wei Wuxian, that was a rhetorical question. ] Well, I suppose we'd best start at the basics. Do we always live in this village? Is this our base of opperations?

[weifinder]

( He keeps moving towards the outskirts of this ceremonial beach, an eye turned towards the open, empty boats and the waters. He felt less drawn to them now, inclining him to believe the feeling originated with the boats — thought provoking. Compulsions might be placed on the living or the dead. )

Hm? Here? No, no, we move from beacon to beacon, managing to send a number home each time before the beacon fails again. So much energy, they're reliable in short bursts. We've only just come here in recent weeks, the last place was a fortress called Alem.

( Glancing back to the young man, he smiles. Lifts his hand and gestures out towards the waters. )

Took a transport called a train and then boats to get us here, with time disturbed, which is unique to this place. We haven't seen the version of restless dead who doubtlessly are here. Everywhere we stay has one or more version.

( Cheery in his matter of factness over that truth. How quaint! So many different dead to contend with. )

[recklessenough]

[ Despite the dire circumstances of his own reality, Lockwood can appreciate the factual, bordering on casual, attitude towards death and the dead. In his opinion it was a sort of armor that could help you avoid being paralyzed by imagination. ]

So there is always some manner of death or the dead that we are dealing with as we move from place to place? Is it all related to these time disturbances?

[ He grew up with The Problem. All its lore and history are second nature to him. Finding himself in a place where he has to learn a whole new set of rules, is a bit disconcerting.

Not that Lockwood will ever admit that aloud. ]

[weifinder]

( Two peas in a metaphorical pod of learning a different world's system after deep familiarity with the one they grew up with. Wei Wuxian glances at Lockwood, lips curling up a touch more. )

Here, the curse seems to be two part. Both of death and of time disruption. Which could mean the people in those boats weren't dead the whole time, or could mean that the dead were strongly called out of their resting places. Or something else. Can't discount anything at the moment.

( Finally at the edges, he pauses, turning to survey the scene behind them. The mourners, the empty boats, a few of them being collected and dragged back on shore, perhaps for future use. Or to fall apart, depending on how time shifts next. )

This world was cursed decades before we arrived. Maybe I should get Nacho to write more pamphlets...

( He sighs, shaking his head, before his gaze comes back to rest on Lockwood, and his hand comes to rest at his hip. )

How much did Karsa tell you when you found yourself here? I assume she's who collected the most recent lot of you.

[recklessenough]

[ Err...

The latter question causes Lockwood to wince, internally. Because he knows that the answer to that question isn't so much how much Karsa told him, but rather how much had he been listening. ]

You would assume correctly. [ That is an easy enough answer. ] But there was quite a lot to go over. Matters that sounded more pertinent to our immediate circumstances. [ Which is what he focused on. The rest may have gone in one ear and out the other. ]

What would be some highlights you would have 'Nacho' put in his pamphlet?

[ Somewhere, in some reality, George is rolling his eyes at Lockwood still trying to ditch any responsibility that required reading. ]

[weifinder]

( A somewhat amused look sideways at Lockwood — all is fair, Wei Wuxian had been terrible at studying because he picked everything up too fast and didn't need to study, per say, but his attention holds better on situational importance and he's been here for years. Nacho was the result of a man walking face first into a situation where he ended up called out on his own contributions to blackmail, and Wei Wuxian's petty vengeance. )

We're on a world at war with a handful of dead warlords created after an intelligence of some kind was summoned from the other side of a mirror into this world. How that's reflected ( hah-hah ) on life and the inconstant state of death here isn't unique only to the time since the country responsible, called Ellethia, fell to its own research, but it's plunged this world into a kind of war it hasn't expected at large before now.

( Which isn't particulars enough, but that conversation is large and long, and so far, Lockwood hasn't indicated he wants that so much as the simplicity. )

Resurrected dead existed here before the current warring lot. Now it's widespread, linked to curses that often have a basis in what we call dark waters, and present here, I'd stake my robes on it. Those boats, the empty ones? If time reversed and people lived again, or if the dead within each boat was called out and to the waters, part of what we'll need to determine is how the curse and dark waters are present here. So that when we activate the beacon to send people home this go around, and we move forward, no one's consumed or converted in the process.

( A pause, the raised eyebrow, a hint of good humour but also seriousness in his eyes: )

You did catch that we're prime fuel for the undead warlords, ah? We, specifically, carry more energy coming from our other worlds, that our capture and use creating creatures of death is a primary fear of the man managing our eastern trek, and a point we need to avoid at all costs. Including our resurrections back to ourselves, and ties to the ones who resurrect who aren't the dead.