THE GRAVEYARD

[divus]

THE LANDING

You’re having an out of body experience. That’s how it starts, dying. There isn’t any pain anymore, and for a moment, not much of anything else. Your thoughts are a dim hum in the back of your brain, the tips of your fingers seem miles away. Despite that, you find yourself moving, moving, moving from the last place you were in your own body and forward, until you reach a door that you haven’t seen since the beginning of the game. A door that wouldn’t open. A door cold to the touch and seeping with mist. It opens before you, and as if of someone else’s design you walk through it. As it closes behind you, you get the distinct feeling that if you turned around, you’d find it vanished.

What takes up most of your attention, however, is the tolling of church bells. They clang in rhythmic, almost maddening persistence--seems you’re just going to have to try and ignore them, as they show no signs of slowing or stopping, wherever they are.

Once the cacophony becomes easier to manage, the bong, bong, bonging evening out to a pulse inside your ears, you realize that where you are seems to be a world that's incomplete. The floor is nothing but a landing of invisible matter, a spooled red carpet leading you to a few rows of pews and a lone confessional.

You will notice, immediately ahead of you, a cute little mailbox fit for a suburban home. It bids you welcome, though the cheery paint job is a bit muted in this dark place.

Simple and neat furnishings dot the edges of where the landing seems to be: railings mark the unseen edges and draperies and sconces float in the void, giving an illusion of walls. Be careful, however, because they can easily be fallen through if leaned against. Fortunately, someone seems to have kept that in consideration, as a helpful sign warns just this.

On one side of the confessional, a room with bookshelves, a writing table, and pens and paper has been provided: a minimalist study for when you need a bit of privacy to think. On the other side, a wing of dorm-sized, lockable bedrooms provide another bit of space to oneself. There may not be enough for everyone, but nobody really has to sleep--so just take turns!

To the left of the pews, it looks like a miniature bar has been crafted with a small but decent selection of drinks. There's a small television seated on the counter, but it only seems to ever work two times a week: the week's opening announcement on Monday mornings, and Saturdays, tuning in at the beginning of the trial and tuning back out again at its conclusion. There's also a piano to one side of the bar, allowing anyone to provide musical accompaniment to their drinking.

Perhaps most interestingly, an ornate black doorway at the far end of the room leads to a curving hallway that ultimately leads to what appears to be a temple. It's similar to the altar room they'll remember from the living side, but there are no power inscriptions, and the only furnishings are wavering, grayscale candles on the walls that never seem to burn low and great sculptures of leaping rams. The two black-marble statues meet in the center, curved horns joined above a platform, decorated with nothing but a lone offering bowl. The dark marble of the item is cracked, but it seems like it'll still get the job done. Try sending something, if you wish!

Maybe this place is meant to be more. But for now, Patience is the only notable figure you have to place your attention on, and she comes forward to welcome you immediately.

"Welcome to my dominion," she greets in her usual, cheerful candor, and points at your hand, where you hold your godly token. "Now that you've been eliminated, I'll take that back and return it on your behalf. Don't worry, though, I'm not leaving you empty handed."

OOC NOTES

Hello, eliminated competitors, and welcome to the graveyard. Although it isn't much to look at, now, this area will be growing and expanding in time with the help of your characters' actions and participation in weekly events. What they unlock will have an impact on the living side, overarching plot elements, and ways to communicate between both planes!

When it seems like there isn't much to do, there's always one option left: gathering information. So sit back, enjoy the afterlife, and put on your thinking cap!

full navigation.

locations ♦ taken ♦ profiles ♦ weekly curfew ♦ murder proposals
ic rulebook ♦ temple offerings ♦ private convos

Comments

[requiemed]

[It's a few hours after arriving before Zoe can be found by anyone other than Ray. Once she's done using one of the bedrooms (it's locked as long as she's in there), she finally emerges to look around more. She seems exhausted, and it's clear from her eyes that she's recently been crying. Still, most people who approach will get a raised hand as greeting.]

...Hey. It's been a while.

[Of course, select others (who probably know who they are) will instead get a harsh glare for a few seconds, before:]

What do you want?

[goatsongs]

[SORRY IT'S HUG TIME]

[requiemed]

[Oh.

She freezes, surprised, for a split second - but then, wordlessly, she returns the hug.]

[goatsongs]

[Squeeze. Not letting go anytime soon.]

I'm so sorry that happened to you.

[requiemed]

[She shakes her head. From her current position, it's slightly muffled.]

It's not your fault.

[goatsongs]

Doesn't matter.

[Of course he wasn't responsible. That's not the point.]

You didn't deserve that.

[requiemed]

...I know I didn't.

[She blinks a few times, trying to remove some of the thickness in her voice, before:]

Neither did you, whatever happened.

[artificialhighness]

[There's a slow blink from Luna, who was probably passing by when Tropical Storm Zoe arrived after Hurricane Ray and Incidentally Jude. She is now holding two books.]

You are... [her head tilts, as though in thought] ... Zoe. It seems you are the one who wants something from me.

[requiemed]

[She takes a moment, trying to reign in whatever reaction she's on the brink of. It seems like it doesn't quite work, because the first words out of her mouth are:]

Yeah, actually, now that you mention it. I want to know what the hell your problem is.

[artificialhighness]

[The look Luna is giving her is just growing more bemused the longer this goes on.

Nevertheless, she waits patiently for Zoe to arrive at a conclusion.]

... I’m afraid you’ll have to specify.

[requiemed]

He told me that you and Newt were planning on taking him out next if you had finished with Ruin.

[There’s anger in her voice as she looks towards Luna with - not quite disappointment, but definitely disdain. She imagines she’ll probably know who Zoe means by ‘he’.]

Why?

[artificialhighness]

[She gazes back dispassionately, and nods.]

Connor.

My primary objective was to continue eliminating gods. Our priorities did not align, and his skillset presented a threat.

[requiemed]

[This time, it looks like she has more success reigning herself in; she takes a breath in and out, then speaks.]

You're lucky he's safe.

[arockstar]

[gonna go out on a limb here and assume newt's getting the latter option.]

Jeez, just saying hi. Don't tell me you've already joined up with the anti-Newt patrol.

[He nods in Chuuya's direction.]

[requiemed]

[You are correct!! He's also getting a deep frown as she crosses her arms.]

As if I wouldn't have reason to.

[arockstar]

You really don't. It's not like I'm the one that put you here.

[requiemed]

Yeah, not me. Just other people, and more if you would have had it your way.

[arockstar]

That's presumptuous. I wasn't planning to kill anyone else had I gotten away with Ruin's murder.

[requiemed]

[She blinks for a moment, before her voice rises.]

Don't lie to me! Connor told me himself, asshole.

[in_a_bottle]

[Ai looks up with a shaky wave. She still looks blue-grey and is still in full-body bandages, more like the corpse that got fished out of the pool than the human-looking Ai they knew.]

Zoe?

[requiemed]

[She has to fight not to take a step back on instinct, just because of how unexpected it is... But it's still Ai. It's not bad, just different.]

Excluding every single thing about present circumstances... It's nice to see you.

[in_a_bottle]

[She winces a bit at the reaction, but she nods carefully.]

Nobody wants to be dead. I should know. ...I'm sorry. They did everything they could.

[requiemed]

You don't need to be sorry. I could have done things differently, too.

[...]

I hope it was at least quick, for you.

[in_a_bottle]

He said it was a mercy, knocking me out on the mirror and then drowning me. Because Luna put out a hit on me so the two of them could keep up their god-killing. I don't even want to talk to her, but it's not like she's talking to me, either.

...It was hard for you, wasn't it?

[requiemed]

Well, if there's one thing I've learned from that trial, it's that Newt is a huge asshole.

[She looks at the ground, shrugging.]

Yeah. It was.