epidemiology | EVENT ★ OSKA BURNING

Entry tags:

EVENT ★ OSKA BURNING

The scene that greets you after the mist of world hopping fades isn’t a pretty one. You may remember Oska from your first, brief trip here — it was a stately, serene place, a grand castle usually wreathed in low lying clouds or gently sunny. Not so today. The damage done to Chantes by the demons and chimeras pales in comparison to what has been done to Oska.

Only one tower of the formerly impressive castle stands upright, the others have been knocked down and torn to rubble, some of which is still smoldering or in flickering flames. Most of the castle has been flattened, entire rooms torn apart and laid to waste. No exterior wall is without gaping holes, as if some army and their immense battering ram had needed a whole collection of entrances to storm this castle. Nothing is untouched, and worst of all, the underground larder seems to have been completely buried in a fall of rocks from the kitchen’s exterior wall. Even if you were able to dig it up, it’s dubious much of the food is unspoiled or intact.

If there is any up side to all of this destruction, it’s that no bodies can be found amid the mess, human or otherwise. Even the livestock are missing. Personal effects can be dug out of the ruins, and it seems very clear that this castle was populated until recently. There remains not one soul to tell what happened, though.

Well, almost not one soul.

The network that usually connects the jewelry is completely nonfunctional. Attempting to access it only brings up one static message, repeating for as long as you care to listen to it:

Something [ SHHKT ] --rrible has happ-- [ The message cuts out frequently, replaced with static. ] The-- [ shhhhhhkt ] came, they destroyed everything and n--

[ The static fades slightly. ]

We’re trapped. You’re on your own. But please, we ne-- [ shhkt ] your help. They’re still here. There’s worse to come. But when you [ SHKT ] --ind them, you can’t kill them. They need to be questioned. We mus-- [ shhhhkt ] know their motivations.

Some of the new recruits… they’re in the dungeons. You need to he-- [ shkt ] them, please. They can still be saved.

SURVIVAL

The dungeons are, of course, the only part of the castle left intact enough to present a challenge to escape. Some newcomers will find themselves lost in a labyrinth of cell-lined corridors, able to wander for hours before stumbling across any hint of daylight. How that’s even possible with most of the castle destroyed is anyone’s guess. Other newcomers might even be locked into the cells, with keys left nearby but just out of reach — or not. Better hope some sort of escape artist happens across you, if you’re one of those unlucky arrivals.

Food isn’t going to be easy to come across. You might try digging out the larder, but not much food can be salvaged from it. Are you going to put in the work to dig up a single shelf of intact loaves of bread, a cold roast chicken locked in a wood stove, and one barrel of apples? Maybe you try scavenging in the small, abandoned village outside the castle. This will uncover some food, but not much. Most of the food out there is either rotted through or missing entirely. You might find enough to last one person two days on your own, but who knows how long you’ll need it to last?

Wherever you find your food, if you find your food, rationing is highly recommended. Water isn’t so simple to find, either. There is a lake not far outside the castle walls, but the water in it tastes rancid, a sign to any right-thinking person that it’s no good to drink. Anyone brave or stupid enough to push through the taste and drink it anyway will find there aren’t actually any adverse effects, but is it worth the risk? Water can otherwise be found in very small amounts, collected by rainfall in buckets, on indented stones, in mislaid pots. It won’t be much, but if you search diligently it’s enough to keep you going.

Shelter will be a little easier to find… at least, at first. No one is using any of the beds in the village, they’re free to pick from as long as you don’t mind the eerie silence. If your character is particularly awful at scavenging, please see the end of this post.

HELL WEEK

Survival aside, that still leaves the question: just what did happen here? Characters are welcome to dig through the ruins for hints at what fate may have befallen Oska. We have provided a thread here to sign up to find belongings or other little signs of life, and try to piece together the picture. But what about that culprit, mentioned in the broadcast? Some characters will be able to stumble across very, very specific clues — riddles and puzzles, purposefully laid to guide the finders toward… something. Who knows what lies at the end of this oddly deliberate trail? You can sign up to find and solve the puzzles here.

Day one in Oska is easy enough to survive, an almost peaceful acclimation to the dismal scene. Things get a little bit tougher from there, though.

On day two the ground begins to shake. It’s just little tremors at first, easy to miss if you’re not standing still. But by mid morning they’re large quakes, enough to break some structures further. The quakes continue through the night and into day three, when they are large and severe enough to throw someone off their feet, tear apart a house, and even open wide chasms in the ground. They come with unpredictable frequency, anything between five minutes to three hours, but they definitely come more closely together as time passes. The village is safer at this point, without quite so many stones to shift and crush you, although those chasms are still a concern.

Come the evening of day three, the quakes stop entirely. A soft rainfall begins to patter down instead — still thirsty? Now is your chance to find some battered coffee tin and gather your drink. The rainfall continues steadily overnight, and by the morning of the fourth day it is a torrential downpour. It never lets up, not even once, and soon the water is more than the ground can handle. Flooding begins at this point, just a few inches deep in some places, more formidable in others. This also lasts for two days, and by the end of the fifth day in Oska most of the village is washed out. You’ll have better luck among the sturdy stones of the castle. Remember that still-standing castle tower? It’s not exactly the most structurally sound thing, but it is definitely out of the water.

The water stops very suddenly at sundown on the fifth day, affording a pretty peaceful, clear night. Come dawn of the sixth day, however, heavy clouds move to obscure the sunrise. They seem to flame around the edges in the light of it, and then in the middles. That’s clearly not sunlight lighting up those clouds by this point. The clouds flash from within as they build more and more heavily, but no lightning has ever been that flickering golden color. At midmorning the first drops begin to fall: not rain this time, but liquid fire. By noon the firestorm is at full strength. It swings between sheets of fire pelting down, and clearing up only to pelt down great fireballs. The rain-drenched village and castle can only fend off the rain for so long. Eventually the water evaporates and anything that can burn will burn. Time your ventures out into the weather very carefully, because the firefall never lets up for long, and that’s the kind of downpour you don’t want to be caught in.

OOC INFO

Is your character awful at survival? Can’t scavenge to save their life, completely out of food and water and about to expire? Wherever they fall asleep, they’ll wake up with a small, inexplicable wrapped bundle left next to their head. Within will be a half an apple, a single leg of chicken, and a very small canteen of water.

~~This log will last for one week, and there will be new information available on the 17th~~. As per our informal poll, this log will last ICly for one week, and OOCly for two. There will be new information available on the 24th. What the setting will be from here will depend on characters' ability to work together to catch whoever is responsible for these events.

You can sign up to find hints about the people who lived here and what may have happened to them here, and puzzles left by the perpetrator leading to the discovery of them on this post. Please direct any questions here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Dungeons were not a fun place to be. Most of the time, they weren't even that interesting, but new recruits were down there! Ever determined to be the best One-Skeleton-Welcoming-Committee he can be, Papyrus takes a short jaunt to the creepy stone prison, ready to great any and all newcomers with a smile and a wave.

And that's when he sees this floating and half-asleep ...human?? Maybe??]

...Who left a baby here??

[King doesn't know what to react to first: the walking, talking skeleton or the fact that said skeleton has just called him a baby. Well, he is wandering a dilapidated dungeon. Maybe the skeleton part isn't that weird? The talking part though? Definitely. The baby part? Insultingly. After a few seconds of circular thought, he rubs at his eyes.]

And now I'm hallucinating. [The only possible answer.] Because otherwise, I'm talking to a blind pile of bones.

Oh, I'm not blind!

[He's used to being called rude things like "pile of bones" at this point. ]

But congratulations! You're not hallucinating! I should probably take you out of here, though, this isn't really a good place to take a nap!

[Ahem. ]

Allow me to introduce myself!! I am The Great Papyrus!! Defender of justice!! Master chef!! Puzzle purveyor extrodinare!!

[He's... quite loud. ]

[If King could be startled by volume, he would have died long ago. No, he's not deterred in the least. If anything, this turn of events has him even more alert than waking up in a strange place. As Papyrus is talking, King closes the distance between them and promptly shoves his fingers into the skeleton's eye sockets.]

[Papyrus freaks out a little, of course, pulling back and putting his hands over his ... "eyes"]

NYEH????

WHY-

Y-You! Need to learn a boundary!!

Edited (LAST MINUTE WORD CHANGE!!) 2016-02-14 00:53 (UTC)

I'd rather learn whatever magic is allowing you to move around.

[Well, he would. At least he's being honest, even if he's also being a bit of a dick. He pulls back, cocking his head curiously.]

Papyrus, you said? You can't be the reason I'm here?

[ Maybe what's more curious is once he removes his hands, there are little tears in his eyes, like one would have if you really did poke someone in their eyeball hard enough. He wipes it away quickly though, and is back to yelling at this child. ]

The magic I'm made of allows me to move around!! And I don't know if I really feel like helping you any more unless you apologize for doing that! Manners!!

[THAT IS PRETTY WEIRD. But, hey, Gowther's a living doll. Magic does some crazy things. King's already learned from that reaction that something is in those eye sockets, even if they're not conventional eyes. He won't do it again unless Papyrus does something to deserve it.

...Or if he's in a really, really bad mood.]

Sorry. [He only half means it, but he says it easily enough.] I'm having trouble processing this all. Just asking if you could see without eyes didn't seem like enough.

[so more likely king will be in a bad mood then.

Even if he just says sorry to get it over with, it works, and Papyrus is back to being himself, relatively.]

...Oh, alright. Well, next time, just ask before you do something like that. Remember, it's polite to ask before touching someone!

[one could say he's in teacher mode because thinks King is a child, but... no. He'd say this to anyone. ]

Well, anyway, yes, my name is Papyrus! And no, I'm not responsible for you being here! That would be ALASTAIR, a group that brought us all here to be heroes!! Even if we didn't ask for it, or don't really want to be here!

[How... positive sounding. ]

[Papyrus is surprisingly laid back. King is thankful for that right now though. If one apology is all it takes to buy some aid, he'll gladly supply.]

That sounds more like a way to groom villains than heroes.

[Of course, King being a convicted felon might be swaying his perception here. He's not going to explain that to Papyrus. Instead, he surveys their dreary surroundings again.]

Then you woke up in this maze the same way I did? Or did you come here because of the message? I couldn't hear most of it.

[Maybe less "laid back" and more "refuses to let himself have a bad day."]

I came here because of the message! New recruits are usually really confused or lost, like you are, so I thought I'd help welcome you! So... welcome to this complete disaster!! Don't worry- I'm sure ALASTAIR will show up and explain things soon, but wowie! This place is a real mess! I don't think I've ever seen a place look this bad before.

In the mean time, we should find you some real clothes.

[In contrast to Papyrus' insistently upbeat welcome, King suddenly looks away, narrowing his eyes at the stone floor. He's seen his own home look a great deal more devastated than this, but that doesn't have anything to do with their current situation. He doesn't want to be reminded of it.

After all, Ban's already managed to salvage the mess King had left in his wake.

The mention of clothes is a fine distraction, and King quickly jumps on it.]

Ah, that's right! [He scans the training pants that make up the entirety of his wardrobe right now.] The Druids still have my things! I never got a chance to change back after...

[He slumps.]

I'm never getting them back, am I?

Well! I didn't think I'd be getting back anything I left behind either, but I did ask ALASTAIR for my brother's telescope, and sure enough, they got it for him! So I don't think it's impossible to get those things back, but it'd be through them, and we don't have any contact with them now so...

Not never! Just not right now. ...Or any time soon.

Fret not! The Great Papyrus has a plan! One that involves you wearing clothes- which, please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't mean that in any way except platonically!

Edited (what are words, i forget how to make sentences) 2016-02-20 03:47 (UTC)

...I didn't think you meant it in any other way. [Until Papyrus brings it up himself. :| It's only then that King feels somewhat embarrassed and hugs his pillow to his chest.] So about your plan?

[He is but a simple skeleton, King, don't flatter yourself too much. He doesn't know what he's talking about half the time.]

Well, we are in a castle! A castle that at one point had people, and therefore, their clothes are surely still around. I will help you find these clothes, and whatever else you might need for the time being, because honestly, I have no idea how long we're going to be stuck here like this! Sound good?

[And King is a ridiculous fairy with a crush on a giant. What a pair.]

A castle? Not just a prison then. [He sighs. It's not as if he has a better idea. It will take a lot longer to make a new outfit himself.] Good enough. Let's take a look.

Alright! I will lead the way! Follow me!

[And he begins his march out of the dungeon, which is a bit of a maze if one doesn't know where they are going.]

So! You float everywhere! But you're not a ghost, I can tell. Humans can't do that, so what does that make you?

[As King floats along behind him, all he can do is stare at the back of Papyrus' skull in momentary awe. He's not surprised by the questions, not at all. What actually surprises him is that Papyrus manages to ask them somewhat tactfully.

No one has done that for a long time.]

That's... [His initial start is too early - he still hasn't managed to come up with an answer that isn't indignant! - but after trailing for a few seconds, he catches himself, shuts his gaping jaw, and proudly answers.] That's because I'm a fairy! All fairies can fly. I may look like this, but I've lived longer than any human!

[Surprisingly, Papyrus is not usually known for his tact! Somehow though, he's been managing to not wildly insult people on his first impression. His second impression is still up in the air though.]

A fairy, I see! Then you're made of magic as well!! There was another fairy here as well, but she was sent off to another mission a short while ago!

Still, it's always nice to meet a fellow monster!

[Aaaand there goes that good first impression! Right out the window.

King halts, grimace prominent.]

Fairies aren't monsters. That's just how humans think of everyone but themselves.

...

[Good thing he's already had a talk with someone about the possible "negative context" of the title of monster, or he might be a little confused right now.]

Well. I'm a monster, and I'm proud of that. Where I'm from, being a monster means you're made of magic, and not human. It doesn't mean anything bad. Letting someone else make it seem like a bad thing when it isn't is up to you.

[He's quiet for a moment before he starts gliding forward again. Finally, he nods into his pillow. King's open to considering alternate definitions of the term, even if his own experience with it is vastly different.]

Where I'm from, it's a word the humans use to feel superior while they attack other clans for fear or greed.

I've heard about a lot of places where humans do that kind of thing...

[His own included, technically.]

But it's important to remember what the word really means to you, and not what other people want it to mean. If you want me to only call you a fairy, I can! But I'm a monster, and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise!

I'll stick with fairy. [He manages a wry smile.] Or better yet, King. That is my name.

[And with that subject change:]

Your name is King?? Is that just a name, or are you really a real true King!!!

A

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