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daybreakacademy2020-08-03 03:47 pm
thewatchers) wrote in daybreakacademy2020-08-03 03:47 pm
[Open] The Mark of the Herald
Mark of the Herald Part I
Log Comm | Network Comm | OOC Comm | Navigation
Despite certain disruptive events and ominous visions in the preceding month, August is seemingly still free of any problems.
That’s quick to change, however. Starting from the third of the month, strange, circular marks begin to appear on human students around the school - and, indeed, humans around the world. Those affected begin to feel incurably drowsy, something that no magical or mundane solution can seem to cure or relieve; eventually, they’ll fall asleep entirely, whether they want to or not, and enter a state of magical stasis. Not even nonhumans are immune, though whether they’re marked seems to be much more erratic.
Those who remain awake or are otherwise spared by the mark are free to do as they wish - the Academy won’t ask them to do more than keep themselves safe. But where each marked person falls in slumber, a portal will form; a strange tear in reality, offering glimpses of a surreal, nightmarish plane that differs vastly from individual to individual. One thing is certain; the cause of a victim’s seemingly endless sleep and these portals are linked somehow, and the only way to find out exactly how is to go through...and the only ones capable of doing so are those who are still awake.
This log can be used as a catch-all for event-related threads. The information for this event is here.
Gunvolt | Future Warnings for propaganda, imprisonment, experimentation, and death
Those who enter it will find themselves thrown into a grungy alleyway, cramped, and dirty, the smell of big-city pollution in the air. The alley is dark, and the sky overhead is impossible to see through a thick mixture of heavy, gray fog. The only light coming in seems to be from outside the alley... perhaps, the lights of distant streetlamps.
Once one leaves the alley, they will find themselves on a street of a city; one that is densely built and populated. Buildings and skyscrapers tower through what little of the skyline can be made out through the fog. The light from the alley was not from streetlamps, but rather, tacky neon signs on all of these buildings. They add color and some faint illumination through the dense weather, but they bring no real comfort; a feeling of sleazy uneasiness permeates the empty, trash filled street. The neon signs themselves are written in nothing but nonsense gibberish; bearing some resemblance to kanji, but it is impossible to discern meaning from any of the symbols that illuminate shuttered storefronts. A savvy individual could probably guess this looked like some sort of red-light district, but at the same time, it was deserted, eerily quiet save for the electric buzzing of the lights.
Scattered around both the ground and taped to the walls and windows of the shut businesses are what look like various posters. Like the neon signs, the text and symbols on them is unreadable, but the pictures on them speak volumes. Almost all of them depict most humans positively, in a frankly unsettling way. Evocative images of humans standing above fae, daemons, and other supernatural creatures. It didn't take a genius to figure out the messaging here, and none of it was good. However, the only conflict would be that there are some humans who seem to be put with the fae, daemons, and such... but it was unclear why without the text.
Once a few of these posters had been looked over, a bright light in the distance ignited, piercing through some of the fog. It was painful to look at directly for long, but its intensity faded after a few moments. Still bright enough to pierce through the creepy fog, a massive, ominous skyscraper, almost a space elevator, cut higher than the others loomed before anyone who set foot inside the portal.
A bolt of crimson lightning flashed through the sky in the distance, giving the massive tower the appearance of shadowy wings for but an instant as the neon signs in the street flickered. It was as if the tower was... beckoning to them.]
Re: Gunvolt | Future Warnings for propaganda, imprisonment, experimentation, and death
The images weren't new, but the celebratory tone was unsettling to say the least. Before he could put to mind what it reminded him off, the dazzling light nearly blinded him.
The message was clear, he nods grimly as he heads towards the tower]
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As Ky draws closer, more lights in the building turn on, and the front doors open for him. He has to pass through what look like metal detectors to get inside, but even if he's carrying something metal, they don't seem to go off if Ky steps through them.
Once inside, the silence stops, replaced with a discordant, slow version of Monarch's singing playing over the intercom system. Faceless, shadowy humanoid beings mill about like the place like worker bees, none of them paying any mind to their visitor. They seem content to go about whatever passes for their business.
Ky will notice that there appear to be a few places to go in the lobby. There's a glass elevator that looks like it's meant to go up. There are a series of hallways that look like they head into offices on the ground floor. And there's a door marked Employees Only that is left ajar, and oddly unguarded.]
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The employee's door... he approaches warily, it should be a good way, but that it was left unlocked, he suspects a trap]
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Beyond it is a hallway, sterile and white, the walls looking more like they're made of some sort of futuristic plastic compound, rather than normal plaster, drywall, or stone. The walls are smooth, pristine, and the hallway well lit, the only decorations being artistic paintings on the walls. Much of these reflects similar themes as the pictures in the streets, but somehow manage to be more glorified. One particular piece depicted glorious heroes trampling the hordes of daemons from the Outlands, and one silhouette holding the sun while the foes of humankind cower in fear. ...The silhouette is not one Ky would recognize; it's too vague to be anyone identifiable, and none of the heroes in the art are anyone familiar either. They assuredly were not people affiliated with Daybreak Academy, or even QUILL.
As Ky goes down the hallway, the door behind closes and locks, before vanishing entirely. There is a bend in the hall ahead, and beyond is another hallway, filled with more art... though this time, the depictions are humans versus humans. Bloody battles depicted between mages and normal humans against what appear to be Candles wielding Radiance. The Candles are losing, being overwhelmed and snuffed out or captured. This is depicted as a positive in the works, as if humankind is overthrowing more oppressors.
The din of Monarch's singing over the loudspeaker has not faded... and instead, only grown increasingly dissonant, as if there's multiple pitches of her voice in the same notes, the song shifting to a minor key. The meter slowed, the song becoming quickly more haunting. And yet, for all of this... there seemed to be no threat nearby. No noises or footfalls; even the lights overhead did not seem to buzz with electricity.
The end of the hallway here leads to a T branch, with signs pointing down each route. Curiously, unlike everything up until now, the text was somehow legible:
The sign to the left was marked Phosphorescence, and the sign to the right was marked Eternal. Not exactly helpful, and decidedly cryptic. Pausing here and waiting for a moment might offer some insight. To the left, there was muffled sound, distant, and around a corner. It was impossible to make out exactly what it was over the song on the loudspeaker, but what little Ky might be able to hear sounds... almost in rhythm? To the right, there was no sound, but rather... a feeling. Something that would remind him a beach, a boardwalk, and churning gray waters.]
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(It's a bit of stubbornness that nobody else will see but her, but she is always and honestly herself, even when nobody is around to lay eyes on it.)
She approaches the tower, needle gleaming in her hand. Wary, cautious, as always. ]
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Once she approaches the front of the building, she will see various shadowy, faceless humanoids moving about inside, beyond the sliding automatic doors. While she's outside, they seemingly pay her no mind, milling about erratically in ways that make no sense to an observer. Perhaps there is method in this madness for them, but it is pointedly alien for most creatures to make sense of.
The front door does not appear to be locked, and appears to be the only way in on the ground floor. However, beyond the door, there are what appear to be metal detectors. But whether they're detecting for metal is up for debate. However, Hornet might notice an alternative. The building is tall and sheer, but its outer walls seem to be pretty heavily made of heat-strengthened glass. It wouldn't be simple for a human to punch through, but Hornet's easily strong enough to deal with a window, if she could get up there. There's also a chance one might be open up there too.]
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Is there something open? There's no point wasting her strength, even in a dream. She steps carefully as she searches for an opening. ]
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The said window led into a very low traffic area of an upper floor, into what looked like a small office which would belong to a salaryman. Strangely, there's no one here, and very little in the way to indicate anyone was even in any of the rooms nearby. Slipping inside would be easy enough. The office was mostly bare; curiously so, enough to do one's work, but literally nothing else.
The hallways nearby would be... deserted. But something didn't feel right; there was a curious scent on the air, coming from the Southern Hallway. Copper. Ozone. The lights flickered once or twice, and then flicked off entirely, save for the occasional emergency light or EXIT sign. The Northern Hallway had no curious scents, but the loss of power seemed to create a stir in that direction; perhaps a handful of individuals wondering what might going on.]
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She keeps her needle in hand, and her strides purposeful, like she brooks no interruption. If anything meets her on the way, she'll deal with them as she always has. ]
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[The light was blinding and impossible to just ignore, except he was going to wait until it was easier to see (and spare his vision; daemons don't really need much light to see and they especially don't need it shining in their face). Something was happening over at that tower, and it was probably...worth finding out what.]
[With some style, of course. It's much easier to get there by flight than on foot. With all these buildings in the way.]
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Emizel's flight through the city went unmolested, but even the air up here felt unnaturally still, and the fog blanketed well above ground level. Regardless, he strangely seemed to have no problem navigating it, in no danger of running into something. From above, all the streets nearby appeared just as deserted as the one he started in. A dismal, lonely, isolated place...
Arriving at the building, Emizel had a couple of options. The front doors were automatic sliding doors, see through and made of glass. Inside were a large number of shadowy, faceless humanoid figures milling about in... largely unnatural ways. Walking back and forth almost aimlessly, with no clear purpose to a sane mind. They did not take notice of the boy while he looked over the situation. Just inside the door looked like metal detectors, but whether or not that's what they were might be another question.
Given Emizel could fly, there was also the option to find an open window on the myriad floors above, make his own, or if he was patient enough, he could fly to a roof or see if there's a helicopter pad with a door. His choice.]
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[He glances further up above. Making it all the way up to the top would be extremely tiring, however he could look for a window. Perhaps get a better idea what was going on here in the process.]
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Eventually, he'll fly high enough to find a floor that looks more clear. There's an open window that leads into an empty conference hall, which might be a safe ingress point. Otherwise, Emizel can continue ascending, or find another window that's closed, and attempt to open it either quietly or with force.]
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[It does look quite empty in here, and so long as there was no one here, he might just examine around for awhile. Get more clues what this tower was about.]