( MINGLE - WEEK 3 )

[abhoth]

SURVIVORS: 36 The sun is shining, the air conditioner units hum as they always do, and a gentle morning breeze blows against the windows. The scent of pine cones and evergreen follow you wherever you go in the motel, save for the parking lot and outdoor pool. It seems like someone was very generous with the detergent while moping the floors. The two grandfather clocks (one on each floor) will ring with each passing hour, indicating the time of day without fail. With this knowledge — they'll note the motel will continue to be surrounded by fog until 8:00 AM on the dot. It is at that hour that the fog will begin to recede. Not enough to reveal the whole city, but enough to allow residents to explore some of the buildings surrounding the motel. And speaking of the motel, it doesn't seem like there's anything out of the ordinary on this lovely Monday morning. How quaint. As a reminder, we are now accepting murder proposals for Week 3! If you're interested in having your character commit a murder this week, be sure to send in your proposal before Tuesday, 9:00 PM EST. Without any murders we can't have a murdergame, so go forth and let the bodies hit the floor! As always, feel free to PM us or send us a PP over plurk if you have any questions! ( quick navigation ) ic rulebook | locations | statuses | room assignments private conversations | ic profiles | graveyard | full navigation

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[lohengrins]

[ you're really rustling his jimmies right now.

it's unexpected, and yet it isn't -- hajime bolts, and he tosses his head to glance at quer. wordlessly, percival's hand grips her own, and he's already begun to pursue hajime. ]

Get back here! Hajime!

[ he hikes up the stairs, eyes constantly darting back to quer in some attempt to ensure her safety. percival catches up to hajime, however...

well, we'll see. ]

[blacktailed]

[holding tight to Percival's hand, she grits her teeth, trying to work through the crying and grounding herself through that - it isn't the best, but it's all they have.

and who's singing? isn't this place completely abandoned? keeping hold of Percy means that she comes up the stairs with him, keeping pace. and what they find by chasing the girl chasing the music is...

actually, what do they find?

[abhoth]

[ Since Hajime is Ready to Go, she'd be the first to see in front of her a half-burned, lavish church.

The light is one-part caved in roof and one part crystal glass, colored with brilliant shades of red, blue, green, and gold. It dances across the burnt pews, half teetered over wood beams and burnt carpet. Hajime will find that the choir stops the moment she steps into the opening.

Percival is able to see from his position the alter while Quer's eyes catches attention on some statues near the back of the building. ]

[g101]

[ the choir stops, and hajime dramatically pouts. with puffed out cheeks, she regards the church with a certain level of disappointment. by the time percival and quer round up the caboose, however, the church's beauty keeps her attention.

it's like a forgotten relic. the stainerld glass, a rainbow of light, speaks to her in a way she can't quite place. ]

It's like a temple... The school. Were they teaching them about the tentacle things...?

[ hajime stares for a moment longer before wandering again. her attention is on the floor, listening for loose boards tbat might give way, and when she reaches the walls, she looks for anything that might lead somewhere else. ]

[lohengrins]

Hajime -- don't you dare run off again!

[ fortunately (or not), silence befalls the room, the choir now having faded away. the church is a remnant of what it once was: crystal glass that reflects the light in his eyes, so sadly tainted by ash. ]

A cathedral, perhaps. It's probable that the children housed here were just like any other...the tentacles you saw could have been a fabrication by another force.

Otherwordly beings enjoy corrupting any trace of life...any trace of purity.

[ how unscrupulous. with quer's hand no longer in his, percival approaches the alter. ]

[blacktailed]

Says you.

[the comment is shot out towards Percival, but quiet enough that it can be ignored. instead, Quer moves away from him, feeling the pressure on her heart ease with time. okay. okay, she can get a hold on these tears and actually look around. she moves towards the statues in the back, walking lightly but eyes scanning for any strange details to remember, a hand darting out to touch, despite how bad the last touching experiment was.]

[abhoth]

[ Unfortunately, there is no real secret passage. Depressing, I know, but Hajime can see a door to the right marked "HIGHER ONE'S ROOM", there are strange sigils carved into the floor, on the frame of the door and right above the doorknob. Hajime may see that among her own secret passage hunting.

As the alter is approached, Perc can focus on a singular white bowl. Two gold candlesticks are half-burned, melted down to the base as if the heat came from more than just the wick that limply lays to the side. Behind the alter, there are still in-tact glass art. Take a look?

And Quer? She'll see that there are no angels or divine beings in this church. Whatever remains — among the ash, burnt wood, and exposed cement... An abundance of statues line the back. Some with features similarly to Craftly — limbs growing a monstrosity that is far from human. All remained hooded, some tipped over and cracked while others stay standing tall. ]

[g101]

A door!

[ her meanderings will lead her there, of course, but she's not dumb enough just yet to go running in. she wants to, but this time there's no ominous supernatural force making her feel compelled to. instead, she swivels at the hips, arms out, to face her companions. ]

There's some markings on it, suuuuuuuper weird.

[ how about y'all ]

[lohengrins]

[ percival cranes his head in hajime's direction, just to make sure she's not dying. his gaze turns back towards the bowl. he'll attempt to take gold candlesticks into his hand, hoping they don't somehow burn his flesh off.

he's going to take a good look at that glass, anyhow. ]

[blacktailed]

[these statues...she reaches out to touch one, trying to figure out what it's made from, then peering at the bases to see if there are any carvings with words or names or such on them.

once the inspection's been completed, she pulls back, giving the statue she was touching a glare before going back to the group.]

I think we found Craftly's relatives.

[abhoth]

[ Hajime is safe. For Now.

Percival is okay too! They do not burn his flesh off! Despite the look of the candlesticks, they do look tarnished with black soot — unlike the bowl which looks like it was just placed there. As he looks to the glass, he'll see an assortment of brilliant greens and browns — all in tendril shapes. Just like the statues, the figures that look biblical are in fact of a ... different look. More akin to Craftly, although even worse. Percival will feel a slight headache as he studies the glass painting.

Quer is able to feel that these statues are of pure marble with gold basing — the language carved into the foot of the statues are of another language, one that hurts her head if she tries to focus on them for too long. ]

[g101]

You think so?

[ hajime wanders between the two, disappearing into a pew. she's not super familiar with christianly practices, but she knows singing tends to happen in these seats. ]

This is weird, but I was thinking that maybe they're trying to make themselves like the things they worship?

[lohengrins]

[ that headache is nothing short of irritating. the soot is noted, and he pulls away.

naturally, he follows after hajime. this alleged...pew is mostly foreign to him -- like visiting another country. ]

Or maybe those creatures have simply decided to play pretend. Some bizarre way of bolstering their own egos.

[blacktailed]

They could have transformed him to make him like the things.

[what did you find in the pew, Hajime? Quer actually gets up and stands on the sitting part of the pew so she can look and not be blocked by Percival.]

[abhoth]

[ THEY find a book! It's charred surface was bound of leather, but if they huddle closely together there is definitely a readable language. ]

In the beginning, when It created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Unclean was moving over the water. In Its divinity across the expanse of the universe, there would be no other like it. Not like this realm. It is here that It allows the First Blessing inland. From the puddle, there was life, all by It's command. It was pleased. The land became more than soil, fulfilled with the prospect of life. It was harmonious.

[ Continue reading? ]

[g101]

Even if they're playing pretend, people can worship them. People believe in a lot of things, Perci. Gods and Demons and aliens, all really different but things people believe in. It's a lot of different ideas, which is really nice, I think.

[ the book is. hm. ]

Maybe Quer is onto something.

[ they'll keep reading! ]

[lohengrins]

These creatures are vile, Hajime. It states right here that they corrupted the world itself. There's nothing nice about that.

[ let's continue, please! ]

[blacktailed]

[knowledge is power! let's keep on.]

It also says they made life. Anyway, let's take this with us when we go - we deserve a trophy, huh?

[abhoth]

[ Away we go! ]

With the Higher One channeling his will and might to the heavens above, Yuggoth was founded, a holy city focused solely on the First Blessing. The First Blessing gifted food to the hungry, medicine to the sick, and hope to the pessimist. It was nothing short of a blessing thanks to the sacrifice of the first Higher One.

[ A few pages are burnt, but the third or fourth page reads: ]

And Maryanne said upon her followers: "It was the Unclean that flourished the world, devouring sin and impurities that fester among the living. With life comes sin, with death comes purity. The Unclean accepted mortal sin and with Its judgment, freed man. I speak Its words, I hear Its voice — trust in me, as I have devoted to Lake Crotin."

And thus, there was harmony once more.

[ There is not much left and Hajime can begin feel the back part of the book begin to crumble. ]

[g101]

Are you guys gonna argue? Because you're both right, you know!

[ the book crumbles.

hajime pouts. ]

...Do you think they've done this like they're doing with us before?

[ she's got an idea based off those passages, but she folds the remaining page - the first one - and holds it out to quer. she wanted a trophy, after all. ] And... Can we show that to everyone at the hotel?

[lohengrins]

Tch. You'd best hope there isn't any of that life here.

[ as percival's eyes trail across the Bible's weathered pages, his fingers begin to curl. ]

Blessing, huh? And how does any of this look like a blessing? Lies like these...are what they told my—

[ a pause. this isn't the time for backstory! ]

Yes. They should know about this as well.

[blacktailed]

[don't think this conversation is over, soldier...

but Quer will leave it for now, taking the page and tucking it safely into her robe for security. next to her is where everything important goes.]

Fine. They told us about the other buildings, figures we can show this off to them.

[now that they're done, she stretches her arms above her head, and walks back towards The Door.]

What's this door about, though? "Higher One"?

[g101]

Umm.

[ hajime's following along, her steps light but purposeful. she's very curious about this door. ]

The symbols are around it so it's probably something the preachers would go into...? Maybe.

[lohengrins]

I don't trust a room that supposedly belongs to "The Higher One".

[ he shifts so he's in front of the two. percival's hand is wound around the knob. ]

Stay behind me.

[ and so the door opens at last. tell us what we're in for. ]

1/2

[abhoth]

[ When Percival opens the door, he's killed immediately. ]