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"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.


emberserker: Creepy reassurance. (trust me (do not))

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-16 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Wolfsbane has not had a good day all year. Naturally, she'll take the time to relax, or attempt... although the hot springs do also seem to warrant investigation. Any noticeable differences between this and the bathhouse back in Limbo?
mementomoritz: hmmm... (hypothesis)

Butterfly buddy

[personal profile] mementomoritz 2022-10-16 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Medic is looking for any of Rei's butterflies around here, really. She looks a little worried, and she's carrying... is that a portable heating pad??

Yes, that's right. This girl is out in the snow, not wearing a coat, trying to find any metaphysical insects in case they need to be warmed up. She has priorities, apparently.
Edited 2022-10-16 21:31 (UTC)
emberserker: Stern look. (this is why you're wrong)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-17 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
In that case, she'll start asking them how it is that so many people have supposedly been here so long. When did the uptick start? Or do they not care about that either?
emberserker: Moody and sad. (sighhhhhhhh)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-17 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, Wolfsbane's used to Spectres not giving her what she wants, anyway. She'll just investigate the actual hot springs instead! With her good old standby: magically dumping ice into one of the baths to cause a distraction for the staff so she can check out the other ones more in depth. Wolfsbane is checking for anything that might be left behind in there or markings that don't look like they belong.
emberserker: Stuck-up pout. (hmph)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-19 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Well, she'll take this home. The owner might need it. Or turn out to be the Authority and then they can hold it for ransom.
emberserker: Shocked. (dun dun dun)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-21 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Wolfsbane's been looking troubled recently, but then, who in this group hasn't been? Things seem to abate by the time they reach Acedia, at least on the surface, and maybe you can even find her actually relaxing once in a while. That is why she's in the hot spring, right...?

...No, wait, she's dumping ice into it and getting in to use her fire magic to bring it up to boiling. Guess you can't keep her from training after all.

But later, you can also find her in some kind of fancy restaurant, seemingly concentrating on her bowl of sauerbraten until she spots you and looks up.]


What? Is there something you need?

[And afterward, she's heading back to the train station when she stops cold and stares, not even noticing you even if you were with her. Not noticing anything but a red-haired woman disappearing into the crowd.]

...Mother?
mementomoritz: good day (good friends)

[personal profile] mementomoritz 2022-10-22 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
She absolutely does, if she can find them anywhere.
mementomoritz: maybe both! (new toys? new friends?)

[personal profile] mementomoritz 2022-10-23 10:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oh good, you're staying warm! [Medic looks genuinely relieved. Hypothermia is no laughing matter.]

I brought this for you. [She helpfully holds up the heating pad for them to examine.] We can set it up somewhere if you want to rest there!
schardynfreude: (Default)

butterfly

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-10-30 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello butterfly! Chiron-or-Ardyn will be looking for the little pretty to maybe have a conversation! He's not sssssure how this works entirely, given this one is different from the other he encountered. He's brought salted peanuts as a peace offering? Does it even eat do we even know
schardynfreude: (bury all the things you love)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-10-30 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Chiron has not been quite right. Ever since the pathway lower was open, an apparent flood of memories has made his behavior more erratic. Is he okay? Well, is anyone? He has assured Sword that it hasn't impacted his fighting--has perhaps made him even more tenacious, if anything--and that as ever he will fight his enemies, not his friends.

(Someone tell Wolfsbane.)

When he descends into Acedia, he welcomes the brisk temperatures and chill wind. "Bracing, hm?" he jokes like a true dad. "Ahhhh," with arms outstretched, "it certainly beats the oppressive heat!"

Says the guy wearing several layers.

On the whole, he seems to find this place charming. Or boring. It seems to vary with his oscillating moods. At any given time during this period, several things could happen:
-disappearing from Acedia for days on end only to show up looking exhausted if satisfied, as perhaps from a fight, and slumping off to an onsen or a hotel to rest up
-speaking of onsens, hanging out in one not unlike the bathhouse of Limbo, comfortable in nudity and definitely taking a bottle of wine with him while he relaxes in the waters
-chucking a snowball from god knows where, complete with deep snickering; good luck getting him back as he likes to warp to odd angles and away again, but sometimes he might just be more Come At Me Bro about it
-muttering to himself, tucked between buildings somewhere quiet and out of the way, as if staving off a wholeass breakdown.

You know. Normal fun things!
Edited 2022-10-30 20:12 (UTC)
schardynfreude: (save yourself from fading away now)

doppelgangers

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-10-30 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
It's Chiron's worst nightmare come to life (as it were).

It isn't the hair that catches him. Enough young ladies have a blonde bob that he's stopped whipping his head around many layers ago, scrutinizing in surprise. It's the outfit, the white dress he remembers so well. She's wearing a more modern jacket on top of it, but the white catches, and the hair, and the--

She lets out a short yelp of alarm when he warps into her, wrapping his arms around her. "Aera," halfway to sob. He repeats her name several times, kissing her face tenderly, until his knees start to give out, and the giant of a man starts to buckle, knelt at her feet, still uttering her name. Until the shock wears, and she strokes fingers through his hair.

"Ardyn...I'm so glad to see you at last..."

He's overjoyed and despondent in equal measure. She's here! Oh no, she's here.
(And another part of him hisses it, she's here.)

Nothing Could Possibly Go Wrong

***

I can't believe things could possibly go wrong said no one ever

When he sees him, Chiron freezes in place like a deer in headlights, torn between two equally intense reactions. He is delighted to see the little brother he cherished so dearly in life again. And. He is filled with a deep, flaming rage at the usurper who imprisoned him and erased his very existence from the annuls of history.

He does not approach Somnus. Keeps his distances. Watches him like an anxious hawk, from rooftops, around corners, through a store window. It's hard to tell if the blue-haired man is aware and simply not acknowledging Ardyn-or-Chiron until acknowledged first, or if Chiron is actually doing that good of a job being inconspicuous.

(It's Chiron, fucking look at him. What about this man screams inconspicuous?)

Maybe, uh, maybe someone needs to help him figure out what to do with this one.

***

If you happen to see Chirdyn with a riding-sized black bird, don't worry about it, this is all perfectly normal, there is nothing to see here if he trots through the streets atop a chocobo.

don't worry about if a chocobo is sapient enough to have been an executor bc it isn't but if a weird peacock thing can be in purgatory why not another burd
emberserker: Side profile, arm forward. (go on get out)

ernesta -- i mean somnus

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-10-31 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Wolfsbane is half in a panic as it is, power-walking down the street and away from something, until she spots Chiron and then the man he's stalking from down the street. She pauses for half a second and makes her way over to her usual teammate and perpetual annoyance.]

What exactly is going on here, Chiron?
schardynfreude: (Default)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-11-03 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, hello, little friend." By the fire is a fine place to be. He opens a hand, and there are peanuts in the palm. If she'd like. Or to alight onto his fingers. He's not your dad, yet.

"I think we may have some very interesting stories to share, if you'd care to. I'm not altogether certain how communicative you are. Words? Thoughts? Sentences? Perhaps we should say flutter once for yes, flutter twice for no, hm?"
schardynfreude: (and out of the rain)

[personal profile] schardynfreude 2022-11-03 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
[He outright jumps at her appearance by his side, and he grabs her by the arm and warps them toward a shop entrance, finger pressed to his lips.]

I am [and he checks over his shoulder, and the man is still barely in sight but doesn't seem to be looking their way anyway] doing reconnaissance.
emberserker: Eyes closed, preparing to fight. (just a moment)

[personal profile] emberserker 2022-11-03 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Gk -- [She glares as she gets yanked and teleported to the door. Her eyes go to the man behind them.] Reconnaissance. What, did you find the Authority already?
ourtomorrow: ([02] turn)

BOY COMIN THROUGH

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-11-12 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Into this bastion of literal and metaphorical chill bursts - positively rushes - An Childe. Monarch had initially stayed behind at the school, looking after it, but the longer he spent the more he felt.....like he was running away. Like there were things that only he could do.

So he's hurried, as fast as he can, only to discover they've moved on a full two Layers. Everyone......He hopes they're well!

The moment he makes eye contact with an Executor, no matter who, he'll be blurting: ]


Sorry I'm late!

[ And somehow slice his body from "running" to "full waist bowing" in no time at all. His shoes must be anti-skid. Especially in this climate. ]

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