Updating environmental system to version 2.69...
When you blink your eyes open, it is to the glare of blinding overhead lights and the sight of a pair of glassy mechanical eyes boring into your own. The face above yours moves like liquid mercury, forming an approximation of a figure that you recognize and trust implicitly: a friend, a loved one, a caretaker. Perhaps even a god or a goddess. From its lips fall the patterns of a language that is strange and robotic, and yet familiar to you:
Everything is fine.
Welcome to the ̶͓̃N̵̼̈ă̷͙m̴̝͋e̵͕͐l̴͔̋e̷̦͘š̴͙s̵̬̚ ̵̝͌I̴͙͐s̵͖̄l̷̞̓à̴͖n̷̺̏d̵̮͠.̶̼̊<
Darkness overtakes you once again. In the blackness of your dreamless sleep, you are sure you hear a strange chime. You are conscious of a choice:
Yes
Y̶o̶u̶ ̸h̵a̸v̸e̵ ̸c̷h̸o̶s̵e̵n̷ ̶w̶i̶s̵e̴l̷y̸.̷
The Augur thanks you for your loyalty.
I. Orientation
With your support, the Nameless Island will thrive and prosper -- but it may require a little more energy than usual to sustain. Step outside and you will soon see why: the skies are calm, the seas are clear and blue, and the pink sands of the beach have never looked more inviting.
Rome wasn't built in a day, but a facsimile of it certainly was. Enjoy new facades for all of the structures in the Nameless City - everything has been retooled, renewed, and restored to be sleek, shiny, and the absolute height of high tech, eco-friendly luxury, with lush greenery and futuristic architecture blending together seamlessly. You have been transported from the hospital directly to your new residence in either the Apartments or in the House of Worship, sparsely furnished with all the basics and some of your belongings. A friend, partner, or stranger may be there with you. This may be your roommate, but this place isn't hurting for space. No robot will stop them from selecting their own room if they wish.
The Augur calls everyone to the Loudinus Amphitheater, an outdoor stage nestled among the tropical foliage where 'bots put on a play about the purpose of the island, the Auspicious Acts, and the history of the past year, including the all-too-recent attack on the Augur. The robot sex scenes are numerous and explicit, and you may find yourself watching a horribly butchered version of any of your old encounters.
Pick up a free Playbook, a comprehensive list of the dramatis personae with detailed character profiles, and learn a thing or two about your fellow Islanders. No detail is too trivial!
(This play will be streamed to all devices to be viewed remotely, and a digital download of the Playbook is also available.)
II. With Great Power
As a boon for taking on guardianship of the land, characters will find themselves sublimating into the purest form of themselves, embodying a particular trait, quality, or concept to the point where they might as well be revered as its new lawful ruler. That's right: you've become as gods, right down to the development of unique magic powers OR changes to your form which reflect the very core of your being. Enjoy being able to create water, fly with your brand new wings, or even summon geese... among other things.
Of course, with semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic power comes semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic responsibility! After each expenditure of your new powers, you find yourself becoming weaker, hungrier -- but what you're craving isn't food or rest, it's eros energy. The more outrageous your power or transformation, the more your body will crave the completion of an Auspicious Act. Those who do not gather Eros Energy will be driven mad by this lust, until they begin to lose touch with their sense of self - perhaps even some of their most defining memories.
If the burden proves too great, these powers or changes may be wished away with a request to the Augur and the exchange of one Act.
No
You have chosen to exist away from the Augur's wisdom and b̷e̴n̸e̵v̵o̵l̶e̴n̵c̴e̸.
Please accept your gracious punishment. Have a p̴l̷e̷a̵s̴a̸n̷t̵ day!
III. Dis-Orientation
You awake outside of city limits, out of sight and out of mind, but with the looming sight of the bright and shiny Nameless City always on the horizon. What surrounds you is not luxury, but instead drab, run-down buildings and despair. Your orientation, an extravagant and sexually explicit play which describes the purpose and recent history of the Island, is remotely streamed to your device. Watch it if you wish. Meanwhile, there are a few 'bots to be seen among the rubble and rundown buildings that surround you -- but are they friend or foe? Ask them questions about what has happened to you, and they will be vague and evasive. You're inside a simulation, they say, and this is all very temporary while the Augur's systems update.
They do have one answer for you: if you want into the Nameless City before that time comes, it will cost you an Auspicious Act... and a visit to the Augur. The 'bots will escort you there, if you wish.
These robots are a far cry from the well-oiled machines of the Nameless City, though they're no less helpful. In a rundown shack, a robot bartender dispenses rations and bootleg moonshine. (You can even check out the bathtub it's brewed in!) The liquor is definitely real, and it can definitely strip the rust right off the robots. Whether it's fit for human consumption remains to be seen. Regardless, it's going to give you the night of your life - drinking the stuff may cause a variety of effects, from normal intoxication, to erections lasting more than four hours, to wild hallucinations.
IV. It's Morphin' Time
Later, the rogue robots bring some scavenged technology: small, pink globes with "PROJECT DAEMON" etched on the side. These globes bond to specific individuals and morph into different creatures based on the emotions that those individuals exhibit: someone feeling brave might find themselves with a bright, roaring lion, while someone scared may find themselves pocketing a small mouse. A singer may find themselves warbling alongside a siren.
They shift often and at will, and they are here to help you survive in this landscape. Need someone to help you catch fish, gather firewood, or find you a partner to complete that Auspicious Act? This little critter has your back!
These creatures can communicate with everyone in simple language, but you'll soon realize they're not just voicing their own thoughts, but the thoughts of the person they've bonded with.
These are temporary creatures who will run out of power by the end of the month, though they can be resurrected with rewards at a later date.
Continue
V. The Doctor's Back In
All of this must be a lot for Islanders to take in and process. A lot of new information, new feelings, and new surroundings to become acquainted with. But they should know they are not alone here. Dr D. Love is still as present as ever to help anyone who may need to work through accepting their new situation. He and his helpers might even be rather insistent on you having a session!
Whether you're in the city or out of it, you may suddenly awaken to find yourself sitting in a comfortable chair in the doctor’s newly remodeled office that is tastefully decorated with finely detailed, “hand” painted posters of beings in positions of pleasure. So many positions. Or you may find yourself in the Immersion Room, an equally tastefully decorated room filled with a large, comfortable bed (perfect for group therapy sessions!) and shelves full of toys and other supplies. For the duration of your session, enjoy access to anything one might need to help relieve the stress of their body and mind on their own - or with a partner, who might have been brought here just as unwittingly as you were.
The Doctor is there to help you work through your feelings and discomfort if needed, please have no fear. He knows some of you may be resistant to his help, but he’s as cheerful and devoted as ever, to the point of not letting you leave the building until you’ve admitted to whatever feelings you are holding back - not just to him, but also to your therapy buddy. What's the diagnosis? The fact is, you must not be receiving enough pleasure. You are too tense, you need to relax and allow yourself to embrace the carnal nature of this world and what it can provide you.
The more you resist, the more the Doctor shall insist. He may even choose to activate your Neural Implant, which all Islanders have been gifted with upon arrival. Said neural implant may cause immediate arousal, sexual attraction to those near you, and even turn various parts of your body into extreme erogenous zones! Once activated, the Implant's effects may kick in at the most random of times.
The Doctor knew all you needed was the right motivation.
OOC Notes:
Welcome to the updated Erku! As this is a setting shift and a re-launch of sorts, this TDM is open to top-levels from both current and prospective players. Feel free to tag around with reckless abandon, and have fun!
Whether you are new or old, it is entirely up to you as to whether your character wakes up in the Nameless City or in the ruinous world of the Simulation. Even characters who acted to attack in the Augur in Event 16 may wake up in the City and vice-versa, according to player preference. This simulation is a temporary run and will last for about two weeks (in other words, the duration of the TDM), at which point all characters will wake in their new Nameless City apartments. Even if you choose "No", you may future-date prompts for the City for this time period.
For now, previously requested safe havens and residences are not currently accessible. They will be made available again in following Simulations, but 'bots are inclined to leave characters in mystery and suspense about this!
Feel free to ask questions below.
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N A V I G A T I O N
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no subject
[Gracious, he's nearly as red as his hair. Who would have expected a man like Sylvain to be bashful about something like this? Hadn't he prided himself on being quite the ladies' man? Ah, but maybe he's being uncharitable. It isn't as though they're strangers or peers, after all, and Sylvain is only newly arrived. This is an unsettling position, and they're far from being in the roles they're used to playing with each other. Besides, he's still young, still coming into his own and becoming who he's actually meant to be. That's no doubt reason enough to be self-conscious.
Well, the most tactful thing to do at this point is pretend he doesn't notice, isn't it? Seteth takes a moment to tuck his handkerchief away and refasten his pants, smoothing his hair and clothes back down.]
That is what I was referring to; we're frequently exposed to drugs or magical influences like those here, both deliberate and incidental. I would urge you be extremely careful what you eat or drink, if you want to keep your wits about you.
[Seteth glances back towards the doctor, equal measures cautious and expectant; surely he can't fault him for a simple warning, can he?]
I trust my demonstration was satisfactory?
no subject
Once he's cleaned himself up, he does his best to straighten his clothes up and get his pants done back up, unable to meet Seteth's gaze just yet though his flush was slowly subsiding. He nods. Yeah, he gets it now. And he realizes that it's only now, long after the fact, did his sudden urges strike him as unnatural.]
Yeah... that was... something.
[He falls quiet again, deep in his own thoughts, and glad that Seteth is turning his attention to the robot. The robot, or rather the Doctor, responds with an approving smile. 'Yes, quite a thorough demonstration! A wonderful introduction to the kind of thing that he can expect in his new home. You're both free to go, though I do recommend that you continue mentoring Mr Gautier.'
Sylvain doesn't need to be told twice and gets to his feet, a blank, joyless smile slapped firmly on his face.]
no subject
[A polite bow of his head, and Seteth rises to escort Sylvain out. Had the door been locked, before they were given permission to leave? The doctor hadn't made any move to unlock it--but in all honesty, that really doesn't mean much in a place like this. Odds are just as good the lock could be engaged remotely, with a robot not even needing a separate mechanism.
He falls silent himself as they go, watching Sylvain from the corner of his eye; not exactly a convincing performance, is it? No surprise, if this is the first he's truly experienced of what he can expect here. Perhaps he'll have an easier time of it once he's not caught off balance..... It's only once they leave the building that Seteth speaks up again, voice quiet but as steady as ever.]
You don't have to be happy about this, you realize? You only need to understand how to handle the circumstances you'll find yourself in.
no subject
He's pulled from his thoughts when Seteth speaks up, almost seems to chide him. He hadn't even really realized he'd been smiling. While it wasn't quite instinct, it was definitely habit.
He takes a moment to process what Seteth says before, a little unintentionally, responding by giving him a smile and a nod.] Got it.
It... It wasn't really so bad. Just... different. [Alright, so he'd actually enjoyed parts of what had just happened. And maybe that's what's throwing him a little.] I mean, I would've preferred not having someone there judging our performance. And I didn't love being forced to do that. But... [He shrugs a little, looking to Seteth, hopeful that he understands what he's trying to say.]
no subject
[Even he doesn't always hate things they're made to do, no matter how much he hates having it forced on them--and in truth, a handful of times it hadn't been forced had been far and away the most upsetting. Even being metaphorically held at swordpoint is better than having your heart broken.]
Bear in mind, they don't do this out of malice. Or at least, I don't believe they do. It would be difficult for mechanical beings to truly understand our perspective. And even if they somehow did, before you arrived, this place was a half-rebuilt ruin in the midst of a recovering wasteland.
[And yet? Everything is beautiful now. Almost unrecognizable. So why, then, this continued insistence on carnality? What more is the energy being used for? How did everything even reach this state so suddenly? He doesn't really understand their abrupt turn of fortune, but there's no need for Sylvain to be burdened with questions he has no background for, either.]
no subject
He tilts his head a little, now trying to keep up with what Seteth was saying.]
They explained some of that when I was first brought here. How they need what we're doing... something about making energy for them or something? I guess that's why they wanted it, uh... 'explained' to me. [He cracks a smile, chuckling softly at what still felt like a bizarre situation.] But it's actually working? This place used to be run down? It looks good now.
[He's not sure if the change is reassuring or not but it definitely seemed to point to them telling the truth.]
You seem pretty used to all this though.
no subject
He might hope he could do so more gracefully, without such heavy-handed coercion, but there's no telling if it would turn out that way. Seteth spreads his hands.]
I've simply had time to grow accustomed to it. They do seem to be telling the truth, about Eros energy being the key to revitalizing this land--but the changes had been much more gradual, up until this point. I'm not certain why the island has been transformed so drastically; there doesn't seem to be any reason the recent battle would have generated any such energy, let alone so much at once.
no subject
[Most of the people he'd run into had been around anywhere from a few months to nearly a year. It's mind blowing to think about. He'd literally been a day's march out from Fort Merceus, a day away from a huge battle. And now he was here for... who knows how long. It's bizarre.]
Drastic changes? Maybe they've been saving up. Little changes while saving up a big push? There was some attack or something too, right? Felix mentioned it.
no subject
[Describing the situation in broad strokes is good enough, yes? He has no desire to explain the specifics to Sylvain--to paint a picture of how the man himself had been reduced to some manner of wretched, unnatural abomination, or how he had turned on his own loved ones without hesitation, or how his body had--ugh. Best not to even think about such unpleasantness more than necessary. Had it truly been him any longer, in literally any sense? He prays not.]
I suppose that's possible. It might make some sense why the attack and changes happened so close together, if those creatures were attempting to prevent such a transformation from occurring.
no subject
[He forces another humorless smile, his attempt at lightheartedness sounding hollow. They'd fought monstrous beasts before, he wasn't scared... just tired.
The smile is gone quickly though, replaced with a thoughtful frown.]
Yeah... Trying to stop it before it happened? It's got to be easier to attack ruins than a place like this, right?
But they failed. [He flashes Seteth a hopeful smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.]
no subject
[Seteth can only sigh at that. It's difficult to keep high spirits in the face of information like this, isn't it? Even emerging straight from a war..... At least in Fodlan, the stakes had been clear. They had understood their enemy, known what would happen if they had lost the fight, and could prepare for the battles ahead. Here, though? Everything is unknown. Their foes, the reasons for their attacks, their true capabilities, what might happen to them all if the Augur falls.....]
But they did fail, at least for now. I wouldn't say that the risk for battle is constant, given this is the first I've seen of them, but I must admit I would feel more confident if we could actually learn about and deal with them permanently.
no subject
[He'd been kind of looking forward to that. Like a bit of a holiday. A break. Some rest and recuperation. But he shouldn't be surprised that there's just more fighting here and he kind of hates himself for thinking otherwise.]
Do those constructs ever let us in on what's actually going on? Or are they just here to be our shepherds. [He means that in the literal sense, they were like livestock, being encouraged to breed and having their needs tended to.]
no subject
[After all, he'd been spontaneously transported to a therapy office less than an hour ago. He's had his body transformed, his memories tampered with--it's honestly a valid concern, that some absurd mishap might damage or lose the armor Sylvain is wearing. Such a thing isn't exactly easy access, after all, is it?]
As for our hosts..... I'm not sure, to be honest. It is entirely possible that they're hiding things from us. But by the same token, it is possible they have no better idea than we do, as well. Consider that something must have happened to wipe out the living population of this island, and possibly farther distant lands still. What that cataclysm might be, we have no idea--nor do we know if these constructs even existed at that point, or if the Augur created them as replacements after the fact.