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

WEEK 7, SUNDAY

[divus]

[Patience is nowhere to be found, but despite her absence, as soon as a discussion begins in the living world, the bar's television flickers to life.]

[goatsongs]

[When Majima talks about getting to meet Patience and getting potentially useful info from that-]

Holy shit, truth or dare was good for something. I was good for something??

[artificialhighness]

Hmm. So the meeting with Patience was related to Truth or Dare? That game was quite fruitful.

[OK but now they're talking about lists and speaking of which she's just sort of staring at the screen with a bemused sort of silence after that.]

[...]

Perhaps for some more than others.

[requiemed]

[As everyone starts to bring up Piety...]

You guys think he'll win?

[selfimmolates]

[ray's been watching in silence, looking pensive, but.]

If there's going to be any pushback, it'll likely be from Ambition's followers.

[artificialhighness]

[Luna's been mostly quiet, these last weeks, simply drifting around the land of the dead where they've all been staying and staying herself -- cool and disinterested, always a shade or more so than she was alive.

Then they all settle down in front of the television this fine day and she moves a little closer than usual, looking between the crowd and all of the revelations happening on screen. Finally:]

Ah. I suppose that since we're at the end of this game, it wouldn't hurt to tell some of the secrets of the dead, as well.

I was a follower of Indulgence since the beginning, and switched only in the week before my death, to Ambition. I used my power thrice, twice to test, and once to explore. With Ambition, I used it once.

[So, yeah, there's that. Also:]

One more thing, I think. I did not kill Fortune, and do not know who did.

[arockstar]

[Newt throws up his hands.]

Oh my god, why'd you tell them? Everyone's been dying on that hill. It'd have been way funnier to let it ride.

[selfimmolates]

That's nice, but it also doesn't even remotely matter anymore and you were caught trying to kill Ruin anyway, so?

[goatsongs]

Great, don't care.

[requiemed]

[Dryly:]

Fascinating.

[in_a_bottle]

But -- but then why?

[Ai's been avoiding Luna this entire time, holding back even from dirty looks, but this one she can't abide.]

Why did you say you did? Why did you turn it into a whole elaborate plot? Why try and kill Ruin, why put a hit out on me? Why do all those things you did before, trying to sow chaos and pretend you were just cursed or being misunderstood?

a plan...

[arockstar]

Okay, look, I know most of you don't like or trust me, but hear me out. If all of us take Patience's token and agree to be on her team, that'll probably be enough to overtake any gods on the living side. We can all win.

[But he knows that's not gonna be enough incentive, so:]

If Patience does win this thing, I'll use my wish to make sure everyone in the competition gets what they came here for. Everyone. Senri's already confirmed it's possible to use a wish that way, and I've worked things out with Patience... She's gonna let me come to her world with her, which means I won't have a need for a wish anyway. May as well use it to attempt to make amends, right?

[And because this is going to come up...]

All the deceit in her strategy with you guys was my idea. She was keeping it on the down-low at first because she wasn't sure who she could trust, but I told her to keep up the ruse. That's on me, not her, and it shouldn't matter in making your decision. All of us can come out of this happy. That's the important part.

[goatsongs]

Or, we can rely on one of the bleeding hearts on the living side using their wish the same way, and there's plenty of those.

[artificialhighness]

[Her response is placid, but she's smiling.]

I've already given her my token, and she can do with it what she likes. I don't expect any particular wish, and would have no use for a wish that is not of the winning party.

I wonder if you do have a plan, or if this is simply an appeal.

[requiemed]

And you think it’s a good idea to give control of a world to someone who’s been constantly lying to most of us why, exactly?

[A beat, and then:]

Before you say it, I don’t care that you told her to lie. She could have decided not to be shady despite what you told her.

[in_a_bottle]

So it was you. You know, anyone who tricks people into giving up their allegiance to the god they actually chose to help an observer usurp the game can't really expect people to believe in them, so why are you blaming people for judging on things like trust and values? The things we're actually supposed to --

[Wait.]

Your plan won't work. They said in the very beginning, we couldn't all choose one god to end the competition early. Not without believing in them and their vision. Most of Patience's "followers" were tricked, didn't even know they were defecting, and still believe in the god they died under. Patience won't win in the first place.

some Things

[hymned]

[ since dw has been an absolute mess this week whenever i've been around julius hasn't icly been around as much as i might have liked but that's fine bc he had ic reason to be avoiding people anyway.

in any case, he's been watching the proceedings with a measured expression, but for the most part-- has at least been trying to stay out of things too much. at some point he vanishes for a bit, but when he's back, they'll note that he has two things with him, which he sets down beside him on the counter of the minibar where he settles.

one looks like a diary. the other is a velvet bag. go and ask or see what it is that's thrown everyone into a frenzy?

for julius' part, he's seemed fairly neutral about all this overall, even newt's proposal. ]

[artificialhighness]

[Not being around for all the reasons highfive, Luna will drift over to the counter of the minibar eventually -- she's still fairly collected even after all the various arguments across the television, because funnily enough the dead still have a lot of salt to toss all over the ground. Maybe they can exorcise themselves eventually.]

Ah. Did you have some things you wanted to say, Julius?

[arockstar]

[...

Newt's gonna march over and attempt to snatch the diary. Despite his nerddom, he's pretty quick with his hands.]

[requiemed]

[Glancing over—]

Are you going to explain what those are, or are you committed to being mysterious?

[goatsongs]

["I had someone's trust, but it was based on lies so now I'll never get that back, and I have nobody to blame but myself."

If there was any doubt who Patience is speaking of, Chuuya abruptly standing up and heading to the library probably ruins it.

You guys have fun, he's out.]

TALK TO PATIENCE

[divus]

[She's back and my personal journal doesn't have access so we're doing this ye olde fashioned way.]

Alright, so all cards on the table.

[She's on the staff-side of the bar, hands splayed out.]

You've been watching, so I'll be brief. I owe all of you an apology; I lied, and I won't ask you to forgive me for that breach of trust. This was my strategy to win from the very beginning, and it had to be a secret so I could avoid taking the divine oath that bound me to the same rules as all the others.

[But, that aside.]

There's nothing to worry about. As soon as Chuuya took back his token, it ensured my failure. Everyone will get revived and get their wish. If you have anything else you'd like to ask, I'm happy to answer your questions.

[She takes off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose.]

I did intend to speak to all of you first, but Piety's ability played my hand. I had no choice but to make an appearance. That said, giving them answers isn't of any higher priority to me than giving you answers. So, please, ask away.

[goatsongs]

[Chuuya has half a mind to just stay in the library and pretend Patience isn't here.

...but that wouldn't be fair to either of them, really.

So he emerges and comes nearer, although he can't meet her eyes.]

...Hey.

[Good start.]

[selfimmolates]

[ray doesn't feel bad about shit, so.]

Is your power actually unstable, or was that a lie to keep us isolated from the living?

[arockstar]

[Ah, well. Her unmasking herself like this is a bit of a surprise, but Newt isn't complaining. The rumor come out, etc.]

You okay?

[It should come as no surprise to anyone that Newt has no questions about anything else.]