westwhere | the sunken

the sunken | part i

THE SUNKEN

Image source.

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

Image source.

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

Image source.

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

Image source.

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

Image source.

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

Image source.

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

Image source.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Some days, I wish I had thought to ask that person their name. And then on others, I think it's better I didn't. He made me realize people were good even in hard circumstances. If I hadn't...

... I probably would have destroyed the country and everyone in it. I had enough power to. It would have been trivial. I could have just wiped the whole place from the map in an instant.

[He fumbles around to catch his bamboo hat and hold it up.]

He gave me this hat. And I've kept it with me ever since, as a reminder to myself. Some times, I feel like it's my most precious possession.

[America sits with that information for a moment, looking at hat. It's a profound moment someone her age might have tossed off if they didn't have her experiences.]

It is precious. It's from a very important moment in your life. From someone who turned things around, and you didn't even know who they were.

What did you do, instead of all of that stuff you could have done?

I helped catch the one who was trying to push me to do all this.

[Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but in essence, it's still true.]

And then... I asked the Heavenly Emperor to banish me from Heaven so I could live among the mortals and atone for what I had done.

That's a good start. Is that person unable to do that to others, now? [America takes the easiest explanation at face value.]

Does that really work? That kind of atonement?

Are you learning from mortals?

He's been stopped permanently back home but it took a few centuries.

And I think it worked, yes. It ended up getting me back into heaven after a good few hundred years, so I must have done something right. I hope?

And yes, I did learn a lot.

Centuries! You get to live a long time then, huh?

[She spends some time in silence, thinking over atonement.]

I guess if it worked, then.

Why are you thinking about all of this now?

Ah well... I'm not exactly... mortal, anymore.

[he gives a sigh at her question.]

it was a long time ago, but the ghost made it feel like I was back in that moment, where all I could feel was anger and despair.

So what are you?

[The sigh makes her consider that's enough, for now.]

You want some tea? [It wasn't something she did before, but during her brief brainwashing, she had tea regularly, and saw enough of the other adults do it when they were stressed, tired, sad, or just wanted something to go with a meal. It makes sense to make some, now.]

I'll boil the water for it.

Hmmm... I guess you could call me a god? We say 'Heaven Official', but that's basically what it means.

[The offer brings a smile to his face again. What a warm, sweet child this young lady is.]

You know, tea would be really nice. Thank you.

Heaven Official sounds so, well, official. Like you're all guards or something.

[And those lessons of paying attention do not fail her here.]

I'll get it started. Come on. Let's go to the kitchen area.

Alright.

[He has to laugh at her remark, because, well...]

We kind of are. We are supposed to protect our believers and answer their prayers, and fight demons and ghosts.

... And there's a lot of paperwork.

[ She starts boiling water on the constant fire they keep for warmth, and the restaurant itself. ]

Paperwork? Even at that level you have to do paperwork? You don't get someone to maybe do it for you so you can focus on your believers? Sounds like you're a very good God, though. Taking care of them like that.

I mean, back then I didn't use to do the paperwork myself. I had subordinates for that. these days...

... Well I guess I still do, in a manner of speaking.

And I tried to be good but it turned out I wasn't that good at it.

[He takes a seat to look at the fire.]

I was seventeen when I ascended. I was arrogant and full of myself and convinced I knew better than everyone. And now I know that what happened was not entirely my fault, but it was my fault that I was too blind to see what was exactly happening.

[More for her to think of.] Yeah.... There's a lot of stuff I didn't realize, but looking back, I can see it now. I know it's still my responsibility for not getting it, before.

That's part of being young, though, right?

So even gods are children once. Were you born a god, or was that something you decided to be?

Where I am from, all gods were born human.

They ascend to heaven through great deeds, or diligent cultivation. Some can ascend if called to heaven by another god too.

Before I ascended, I was raised by my parents, like most people.

So did you do a great deed, or did another god call you to heaven?

[ This is fascinating! ]

[ When the water is hot enough, America pours it over the leaves (covered in linen to strain) to steep for a bit. ]

Hmm, sort of both?

[He watches her as she steeps the tea. Looks like she learned how to do it well.]

I killed a demon, and the Heavenly Emperor saw it and decided to make me ascend.

[It's not perfect. The timing isn't down, just yet, but she's still able to produce a decent cup to Xie Lian.]

That's kind of awesome! Didn't know you were a demon slayer.

[It's fine, he's never going to turn down free food or drinks, no matter the quality.]

That was my first one. I guess it was impressive.

[Of course, the truth of that encounter is... a bit more complicated now that he looks at it in hindsight, like everything in his life, but as superficial a truth as it is, it is still a truth of sorts.

As she finishes the tea, though, he is once again overcome with how kind and warm she is.]

You are a good child. The people who raised you did right by you.

If it was your first one, it's very impressive! It's different when you have experience with it. [She's still getting the hang of fighting monsters and not just running from them, after all.]

[America's eyes widen in shock to the compliment, then her whole demeanor wilts. Her mothers.]

Thank you. They did. They really did. [In every way.]

[Oh, it looks like he might have touched something sensitive. Maybe she just misses her parents, that would be normal with being stuck here while so young.

... here, have a headpat, America.]

[America's not ready to talk about that. She likes and trusts Xie Lian, but talking about the incident is hard on her.]

[The headpat gets a smile from her.]

You want anything else to go with the tea?

I'll be fine, thank you. This will keep me warm.

[And hopefully....]

I hope she doesn't come back but just in case we should try to get some salt. And I should try to make a few talismans.

Good.

Salt? What does salt do? [That's a new one on America, but she's already looking for their stash. She might not trust Xie Lian in the kitchen, but she trusts him with this.]

It's an old folk remedy to keep spirits and ghosts away. It actually works, at least on most normal ghosts, and even a powerful one would be at least slowed down a little.

[People know a lot more than they are given credit for after all.]

This is a seaside town, they can probably spare some salt.

the sunken | part i

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)