westwhere | the sunken

the sunken | part i

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

They just weren't a thing, but she might enjoy some of them if she had a chance. America would second the refund part. This isn't much of a trip!

"We should. You can show me which ones you like the best!"

She adores Xie Lian, utterly, but.... "Sometimes the person who makes the meals...makes people sick. He's really sweet, and means well. And he's just trying to help. But it can end in disaster."

Kamala points finger guns in her direction. "Oh, I've got you on that! We'll start with Smash Brothers. It's the ultimate test of how well you handle losing." She is already imagining which member of the party will break the controller.

Now she's picturing people puking. Her nose wrinkles. "Oh, my God! I can never go there. I love food too much. I'll just keep going back and expecting things to be different!"

"Smash Brothers. That sounds fun. Do you smash a lot of things?" Not that America thinks it's fun when she damages something when running away or fighting, but it could be.

America's eyes widen when Kamala says she loves food too much.

"We all try to help out. I can make tea, and chowder now because of it. As long as you tell me you're coming, I'll make sure to take my shift," America offers. She didn't even need to keep helping out after they all got their memories back, but for the time being, it was something to do.

Kamala nods eagerly. "Yeah! It's so great, America! So! You get to pick a character and so do your friends and then you get into this massive battle royale with them. Each character has their own abilities. I love switching between Pikachu and the Wii Fit Lady." She confesses since at least the second one is a controversial choice in her friend group.

She nods at the rest, smiling widely since it is nice to be thought of. "I'll let you know ahead of time. The last thing I want to do is call Allison crying about food poisoning." She winces at the thought before realizing that probably needs an explanation. Kamala quickly tacks on, "She's kind of my guardian here."

As long as there's smashing. After all, America has no idea who Pikachu is, or the Wii Fit Lady. She kind of has an idea of Pikachu - she's seen some kids playing with yellow creature toys before, but she doesn't know a lot about Pokemon. Either way, there's no controversy for her in regards of Wii Fitness Lady.

"I'll have to see this for myself and try it out. Anything you like to play here?" Because America's tried to pick up some of the games the kids play in Yancai, but they don't hold her interest for too long.

"Yeah. I don't want to have to send you home like that, either," America admits with a wince at the idea of having to tell Allison what happened. "You know Allison, too? I really like her. She's awesome." She had helped America when she first arrived, and then impressed her again as a pirate when America's memories were gone.

"That's pretty cool. Do you live with her?" Guardian.... Does America really have anything like that? Maybe Stephen, but she's not sure she would want to call him about food poisoning.

"Here as in this place?" Kamala sighs. It sounds totally bratty to her ears, but... "Not really. I think they were onto something when they said video games were addictive. Nothing is as fun." She shrugs. It kind of sucks, but she can't pretend otherwise.

Kamala immediately brightens at the rest. There is nothing she likes discussing more than cool ladies. She's totally normal about it! "Oh yeah! She was the first person I met actually. She rescued me from the sea. It was all super cool and dramatic. She's basically one of my favorite people ever which is saying a lot since I am obsessed with Captain Marvel." She chuckles, daydreaming for a second about Carol Danvers in flight before snapping back to reality. "I live with her whenever I can. She's a good roommate."

America just thinks Kamala must like video games better, is all.

"They must be really amazing, then. But maybe I shouldn't play...." It would be bad if they were both addicted, right? America might say that, but she looks more amused and ready, than anything else.

Kamala might not be chill about cool ladies, but her excitement is infectious.

"That's awesome that she saved you. She really likes to help people, doesn't she?" America's eyes light up. "I actually know about Captain Marvel! She also helped in that whole Thanos thing, right?" She recognizes the name, at least.

"I didn't even think about getting a roommate for long term. I like the people I ended up living with. They're all really nice."

Kamala reaches out to shake her arm. "Oh, my God! You better play at least one round with me!" She laughs it off quickly if it isn't obvious enough she's joking. Kamala nods at the rest. Allison does like helping people. She's wonderful like that in Kamala's eyes.

The teen stops abruptly once America basically drops a bombshell on her. "No way! Are you from my world?! That's exactly what she did!" She squeals in delight. "This is fantastic! Where do you live?! We could totally do a team-up! Or I can take you out for gyros! Do you like movies?! We should go!"

"I will, I will!" America laughs. It's okay if Kamala is joking, America really does want to play - Kamala makes it sound so much fun to play video games.

America's eyes widen. She's clearly not had a lot of - or the right - discussions with Stephen, perhaps.

"Wait.... Okay, I'm not from that universe. I'm from a different one." Her hands move with her as she tries to explain this one. "But I was in that universe last. It's the one where Stephen Strange, and a bunch of people, were blipped. That's the word they used. Then they were brought back and kicked Thanos' ass."

Her lips twist up a bit, before she frowns. "I was training with Wong when I left." So not even on the same continent at the moment. "But if I can figure out how to get to where you are when we get back, I want that." Go out? To the movies? Like a friend thing? OMG! America goes back to smiling, some sort of joy filling her. She can have a friend? Back home-ish?

Kamala listens attentively as they walk together. She wonders if it's like her great-grandmother coming from a different dimension. Is this common? Did no one else know about this? It barely matters now that the people trying to destroy the world are probably dead.

She claps when it is pretty much confirmed they are in the same universe more or less. This is perfect. "Then it's totally a friend-date! You're going to love Jersey City! Ammi will send you home with so many leftovers. It'll be awesome."

America wouldn't know how common it is, but yes, it's a lot like that, or exactly like that.

"If we can find a way of getting in contact, I can make a portal to Jersey City!" America realizes. She could even probably find pictures on the internet and figure it out from there.

"Yes!" Pause. "Leftovers? Like food?" More food is always good.

Kamala gasps. This is totally happening. She immediately starts rattling off her contact information. "I'm slothbaby on every platform. You can dm me! We could even exchange numbers for my parents and Wong." She huffs because old people, am I right? It doesn't even occur to her that America might not have any of those things.

"Oh! Yeah, it's Ammi's superpower. She makes sure every guest leaves home with food. She'll make sure Wong gets some too." She is not above bribing America's guardians for this.

It is totally happening! Just...not anytime soon, America fears.

"I don't have a platform," America answers, face scrunching up in confusion. What is a platform? "Slothbaby? Aren't sloths those cute creatures that move really slow?"

There's a laugh. "Yeah, we'll exchange numbers for them. I don't even have a number...." So many things she's still learning. "But we can see if I can get one. And a platform!"

Brilliant smile to finish it off.

"Perfect. I want to try all the food." And Wong is probably easy to bribe.

Kamala realizes pretty quickly America has no clue what she's talking about. It doesn't bother her at all. They can have fun setting them up together. "Don't worry about it. I'll set you up once we're back." She promises without realizing America may not even have a phone. Oh well, she tried!

"We can eat our weight in gyros while you learn the wonders of social media on my Earth."

"You will? You're so nice!"

She really has no idea, but she thought she did. She knows of social media, but hasn't had time to mess around with it, much. It's hard without a phone.

Kamala's energy is always infectious, but especially, America means it when she says, "I want to do all of this!"

Especially the eating part, but she wants to learn about new things, too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

the sunken | part i

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I wish canon would do this, but not holding my breath

Same... I need the mcu girls to go have fun together

That would be so good

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