cancrymods: (Default)
"Can Cry" Mod Account ([personal profile] cancrymods) wrote in [community profile] cancry2022-10-16 11:37 am

Acedia Intro Log

MOVING ONWARDS

    With Lana's blessing and direction it's at last time for the Executors to proceed deeper into Purgatory. Despite the downtime, the sense of unease that settled in you before has yet to wane, even at the prospect of making further progress in your journey. Unanswered questions still linger, as does the possibility that for all the progress you've made there still exists roadblocks that could keep you from fulfilling the duty you've taken on to Purgatory.

    Strangely, though, you feel your spirits lift as you begin your descent. Part of it is the relief that comes from the drop in temperature but mostly, you feel embraced by a sense of deep comfort and relaxation. As the snowy white landscape and gentle colours of Acedia swim into focus below you, it brins with it a sureness that whatever was going wrong before that none of it matters - you'll figure it out.

ACEDIA

♪♫ Blossom – Sakuzyo


    A gentle, fluffy snowfall tumbles down ceaselessly over Acedia, the Sloth Layer. In contrast to the layers above, things here are chilly enough to warrant wrapping up warm and an occasional gust of wind seems to blow right through you. With snow blanketed everywhere, all the bustle of the town seems quite muffled and far away and the overall vibe of the settlement is... sleepy. Peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that you know you're in Purgatory, you could almost be fooled into thinking that nothing bad could or would happen in a place like this.

    Initial explorations uncover the town's purpose - Acedia takes the form of an onsen town, a settlement built and centered around the many natural hot springs that have sprung up in the area. Traditional inns with luxurious rooms and serving all manner of incredible feasts can be occupied free of charge with waitstaff who'll serve you like a visiting king. Even aside from the springs and the inns, the whole town is packed to the brim with the sort of entertaintment you might find in a town in the snowy mountains, but all of it comes at a gentle, relaxing pace as if the very existence of this town relied upon easing your heart and your troubles.

    More so than the town, though, perhaps the familiar faces you encounter here will be enough to bring you some comfort...

    AREAS OF INTEREST


      ⚝ HOT SPRINGS: A number of natural hot springs can be found and visited in this layer. Some are indoor and some are outdoor with spectacular views of the snowy landscape.

      ⚝ RESTAURANTS: Feeling peckish? Eateries serving cuisine of any sort line the streets and all of it is free of charge. If there's anything you can imagine wanting to eat, chances are good you'll find it here.

      ⚝ MOUNTAIN: The town as a whole sits at the base of a mountain with a towering peak. If you squint, you see what you think is some sort of structure at the very top... but surely not. Who would want to live in a place as lonely as that?

THE DOPPELGANGERS

    As discussed on Discord, the Executors aren't the only ones who seem to have found their way down to Acedia.

    Once they arrive in the Sloth Layer, each of the Executors will come across up to three of their castmates who seem to have been occupying the Layer for quite some time before their arrival. Each of these castmates will tell roughly the same story - they were once Executors too and found their way this deep into Purgatory but have found no way of progressing any further. They have tried every possible way to escape but no matter how long they stay here, they can't proceed any further. Despite the news, all of them seem happy and fulfilled and will encourage the Executors to try and settle here in Acedia and simply enjoy the miracle that is their reunion.

    It probably goes without saying that these are not actually the Executors' castmates. They are, essentially, a tangible illusion based on their memories of their loved ones. They can be talked to, touched, interacted with and basically treated like any other real person and the trickery is, at first, imperceptible. As time passes, it will become increasingly clear that there are some conflicts and missing spots in the doppelganger's memory of their lives together and confronting them on this will have them respond in confusion. If you continue to confront them on the conflict, they will become increasingly upset and eventually violent.

    Who is casting this illusion and why, though? Well... that's something the Executors will have to investigate themselves.


schardynfreude: (and out of the rain)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-12-26 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
What? [For a moment, truly, he seems like he doesn't know what she's talking about. A blink-] No, not that. I don't imagine they would be so easy to find. It's...someone familiar to me. Who might wish us harm.
emberserker: Stern look. (this is why you're wrong)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-12-27 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Is that so?

[She watches quietly, frowning as this stranger mills about the street.]

Strange, isn't it? So many of these people we remember.
schardynfreude: (so wash it all away)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-12-29 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't like it. I don't know what it means. Have you...met someone, then?
emberserker: Standing in the rain, judgmental. (judging you)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-12-30 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
...If it's all the same to you, I encountered my mother -- or a convincing lookalike. And she wasn't even upset. I don't understand this one bit.
schardynfreude: (Default)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2023-01-03 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
This man should want to kill me. Or I should want to kill him. But I've met...others. Did your mother mention being an Executor as well? Or were you avoiding her the way I'm doing now?
emberserker: Holding her magic crystal. (...)

[personal profile] emberserker 2023-01-03 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[She scowls, which is probably a confirmation itself. But:]

At first. But when I did approach her, she claimed to have been an Executor. Really, I wouldn't put it past Rei or her not-so-avian twin to hide those details from us, but all of the lost Executors being down here, and all of them being people we know?
schardynfreude: (Default)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2023-01-04 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
...You don't trust it. [He rubs his chin.] I want to. I do want to. Do you think that's the point?
emberserker: Eyes closed, preparing to fight. (just a moment)

[personal profile] emberserker 2023-01-04 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
I've no idea what I'm to think. I suppose, then, that the best way to investigate would be to see what exactly it is they want.