achates | [DAY 0] TDM.

[DAY 0] TDM.

Error in final launch sequence:
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹͚̽𝚡̰̍̂𝟸̠̯̘ͭͧ𝚌̭͉̺͖ͥ𝟿̳̰̒̇ͅ𝟷̦ͣ̉͌̅𝚋͓͎̈̒̀𝟻ͭ̌͂𝟷ͩ̓𝟾̦
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹̖͇͕̃𝚡͉̹̯͇̻̉̓̂𝟸͚̹͈͓̩͚̲̼͒̾𝚌̱̠͙̝̪͇̈̌̂̃̄ͭ𝟿̱̜̪͓̳̹ͤ̊̈́ͦͥ̑𝟷͖̱̝̀̒̇̂̄̈́̓̇ͅ𝚋̥̯͉̹͛͛̊ͤͦͩ𝟻̬̮̈́̋ͯ͛̉̐𝟷̋ͩ̔̔𝟾̼
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Debugger connection lost.
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Debugger connection lost.
Shutting down...
Rebooting
Download in Progress:
File download complete
Time elapsed during download operation: 00:12:33.131
Rebooting
Launching Demon Summoning Program. . .

You open your eyes to the end of the world, but you do not see it.

Instead what rouses you is screaming and crying, blood and tears: all around you are signs of life. Inside the overturned train, people begin to awaken, sprawled on the ground as if thrown violently from their seats, broken bones and bleeding wounds struggling to rise from the carpet of shattered glass from the windows at their feet. Emerging from the wreck, characters will find themselves at the edge of a dense forest, a towering stone wall at their backs. Bright eyes peer out from the shadows of the foliage, more and more blinking into view like stars in a darkening sky, but despite being drawn to the scent of blood that hangs heavy in the air, nothing steps out of the forest. Not yet.

None of the passengers can recall what happened, what they were doing on a train, where it was going- there's more they can't remember, but overshadowing the gaps of memory are things they have gained in return. A familiar item that is not theirs. A gemstone that feels lighter than it appears, as if hollow inside. And a device that wraps around their wrist (or rests on their head, or hangs around their neck, or however it presents itself to each character) that starts up on its own the moment the character turns their attention to it, as if waiting. Each character's COMP has a "navigator" selected at default, either "A☆L☆A" in bright neon orange, or "K5" in cool slate blue, although the presiding navigator can be freely switched between them.

Heya, boss! My name's Ala, your new navi!

You wanna know something really funny? Go ahead and touch the map on the corner of the screen to enlarge it. See all those little red dots? Those are demons out to kill you. Haha! You're surrounded!

Heya, boss! You can call me Keigo, your navigational AI.

If you touch the map on the corner of the screen, you can enlarge it and see the positions of all your allies. Looks like some of you are already heading out: see those little blue— oh. That one just disappeared. ... Try to stick together.

Along with providing a map with enemy/ally positions, the navigators will walk characters through the demon interaction, recruitment, and summoning processes, with advice varying between the two navigators (click to expand)

Just beat 'em up and force 'em to join! They can't say no if they're dead!

Nobody is immune to bribery, not even demons. What do you even have, though...? No matter what, don't let them get that life stone.

More demons incoming! Ooh, you're screwed. You'd better run! Don't worry, I won't tell.

Let's hide here. We'll wait here until that demon passes, then move!

Look, a body! Are they still alive? Wonder what's in their pockets...?

It's already too late to help. But better them being demon food than you.

Or, you could stay. There is nothing forcing anybody to leave the relative safety of the train. Those who stay behind will find the conductor's cabin empty, save for a small black cat perched on the headrest of the driver's seat that peers out with bright golden eyes at those who enter. Otherwise, there are no signs of a fight or struggle inside the cabin. Elsewhere, there is unclaimed luggage in the overhead compartments with an abundance of clothing and blankets, although characters will not find any of their own clothing except what they're already wearing. The dining cart is still stocked with enough food and beverage to last each passenger at least two days— maybe longer, if people keep leaving/dying... But at the same time, maybe shorter, considering the pervasive hunger that gnaws at the pits of everybody's stomachs, an emptiness that yearns to be filled by something... more.

As minutes stretch into hours, it becomes painfully clear that nobody is coming to help. Everybody only has each other, this town, its inhabitants. The forest is dark and unforgiving, near impossible to navigate even with a map. Strange creatures jump out from the shadows, eyes bright, mouths salivating, hungry. Strong hands claw through the dirt underfoot to grab at people's feet, pulling themselves up, mouths wide open, hungry. Sharp talons swoop down from the skies above, snatching characters up into the air, crushing skulls and snapping spines. Hungry. The demons here seem delighted to see such a feast wandering right into their home; those who are stopped for attempted conversation express surprise that characters are able to see them, but ultimately the hunger wins, and hunger does not listen to reason.

Casualties are inevitable. Blood mist permeates the air, and follows even as characters break out of the forest and across town, all the way to the fraying end of the world. Out in the open, however, the sun rays beat down bright and harsh, and those hungry eyes shy away from the sunlight to remain in the shadows, inside husks of buildings and thickets of overgrown fields. Characters will be able to find refuge in the greenhouse and the church, and some of the standing houses are truly vacant (as opposed to "surprise! there's actually a demon inside!" vacant); the only eyes that follow you are those of photographs hung crooked on the walls, of familiar strangers and forgotten friends. Look, there's a picture of you too.

Other locations require more caution to explore:

The sound of crying can be heard from the upper stories of the school building, thin wails echoing up and down the deserted halls, and human-like shadows peer out from the broken, unboarded windows, as if watching. A barricade inside the front doors makes it difficult to enter from the main entrance, and with most of the windows boarded up, the hallways inside remain dark even during the day. The smell of rot is prominent, heavy and cloying, especially in the auditorium-become-mausoleum that is littered with crushed bones, thin and brittle, every last scrap of flesh already nibbled away. A flock of demons crowd around outside principal's office, where a blizzard blows through the entire hallway, rendering visibility near zero and temperatures below that.

The hospital is also deathly cold, breath visible in puffs of mist that sometimes form into screaming faces, and when all is still and quiet, you look up and see yourself. Shadows form into mirror images of the characters who enter the hospital, silently approaching others and attacking once the person's guard is down. If a demon borrowing your face isn't bad enough, Phantoms go a step further and take the form of people who are close to your character: friends, family, foes. Exploring the hospital may or may not be worth the potential backstabbing, considering the fact that the supplies found are maybe not the most sterile, half the equipment is rusted or corroded, and a lot of the medicine is unlabeled tablets and capsules inside unlabeled bottles (essentially, take at your own risk). Moreover, hordes of all sorts of demon ghosts will bar characters' way down to the basement, gathering in massive numbers anytime somebody tries to descend. Electricity bounces around the top of the stairway down, while bright flames lick the bottom of the stairs; particularly unlucky characters may be hit with a confusion spell, liable to throw themselves headfirst down the stairs to be consumed by the waiting demons below.

Hauntingly beautiful music can be heard from within the concert hall, and listening to their song puts you fast asleep— possibly in the middle of the street if you're not careful— while those who manage to make it past the front doors are immediately frozen in a hunk of ice or electrocuted to a crisp before being kicked to the curb. The concert hall appears to be actively guarded, and it's clear that strangers are Not Welcome. Even the other demons keep clear of this building, drawn to the music but lingering far enough to not be overwhelmed. Characters may have an easier time of initiating conversations with demons from around town or inside the houses nearby the concert hall.

The crackle of electricity can be heard from inside the power plant's upper stories despite the blackout, and the entire building shakes from time to time, as if caught in a thunderstorm, or an earthquake. A slow drip... drip... drip... can be heard throughout the building, of amorphous demons clinging to the walls like mold and leaving puddles of caustic acid Everywhere. Anybody who enters the power plant's front entrance is met with a massive agglomerate of black Ooze that has expanded to fill the entire first floor from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, preventing anybody from going upstairs while it remains. Arms and legs poke out of the demon's body in places, desperately clawing and kicking, weaker, weaker. done.

OOC

Welcome to Day 0! What better meet-and-greet is there than everybody being tossed into the fray to fight for their lives? ('': For convenience, here are the game info, locations, and demon compendium pages; please use these as reference for what more can be found in the setting.

The characters' COMP will turn on only after they notice and focus on it. If they do NOT activate the COMP, they will not be able to see the demons or interact with them in any way other than being killed. Activating the COMP will allow characters to see demons and somewhat understand their language, with an added effect of allowing physical attacks to harm demons, and mitigating the damage taken from demons.

For characters who app and are accepted, please report demon recruitment here. Characters who are just tdming do not have to report. Recruited demons are inclined to listen to their summoner, but are not necessarily friendly at the beginning: if your character shows weakness, the demon may be just as likely to eat them as they are to protect them.

There will be no NPCs in this game other than the two navigators and some key demons. You're on your own for now!

This first event/tdm is open to the public, and can be used for test driving at any time after the game starts. I'll be keeping a pulse on threads for when characters have gotten their bearings and seem to have a general idea of how they want to proceed into the next day, and we'll go from there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Um... Both, I guess.

[ He'd meant the church, but the town would make a lot more sense, with all the demons crawling about whereas there is a distinct lack of in the church. Here, it's still and quiet, empty despite the bodily remains.

Just what sort of god was this church built for? Where is that god now?

all sorts of unsettling thoughts. ]

Something terrible has happened in the village... Did you come here looking for answers?

[ No, Dimitri came here looking for peace, and well, he got it. He just didn't want peace this... still. He's used to wandering the monastery so he thought he might find comfort here, but instead was met with this disquiet. This, however, is too selfish of a want to express aloud, especially when he should be out there helping anyone who needed it. He can still see his father hovering at the edge of his vision passing judgement... So, instead he will say, ]

I did, yes. I was looking for survivors. Generally, small villages within my Kingdom, when facing natural disasters, gather in the church to weather it together. It seems these people [ He motions to the pews. ] did this as well. Puzzling, though... their remains are far less... [ How to delicately put it? Ah. ] disturbed than the ones outside of here.

[ He isn't surprised whatever deity holds court here didn't save their people. Fódlan's goddess wouldn't so much as lift a hand to save those who begged to be saved, why would this one? Oh, wait. ]

But, I've forgotten myself. My name is Dimitri Alexandre- [ His mouth moves as if to say more, but then he stills a fraction of a moment before smiling again. ] It's a pleasure to meet you.

[ It might not be good to reveal his full name incase he is recognized as the prince who committed regicide. Not that he can remember if he was falsely imprisoned or not... If this boy is from Faerghus surely he would recognize the crown prince, but maybe, if he is lucky, the other is from the Alliance, or the Empire. Dimitri should have given a false name, but it's too late now. He's simply not adept at lying. ]

[ There's a brief nod of the head on Minato's part ]

Minato Arisato. Nice to meet you. [ Nicer than meeting the rest of the people in the church, anyways, whose remains he can't help but glance over at when Dimitri mentions the, uh. intactness? of the skeletons inside. ]

I dunno about weathering whatever's going on out there, though. They won't go away if you don't fight back, so... [ so what happened here, in the church? they were not swallowed up by those monsters, but they died nonetheless, sitting on the pews to the very end, as if they could be saved by prayer alone. ]

[ Dimitri bows his head as well. He's going to have to remember that name. The boy seems quiet and he knows better than to trust those ones easily now, not to mention he'd caught him talking to his ghosts... ]

Agreed, those demonic beasts need to be dealt with... But these people... [ Again, he looks to the previous denizens. ] we can guess why they sought solace here inside the church. Yet, unlike else where in this village they did not bar the entrance. So, my question is: why? And what kept the beasts from desecrating their corpses?

[ Had something kept them at bay? Could it be utilized? And if it wasn't the demons that killed these people, what had? Hunger? ]

Rosie thinks maybe there's something with the angel statue up front, but...

[ But neither of them could figure that out, one way or another, before the conversation got derailed by the more pressing and immediate concern of demons. ]

I dunno. Angels and demons are the same thing. [ sorta. not really, but at the same time, they are. ]

It's the same with the train... We must've been unconscious for a time. Doors were wide open. But no demons ever came inside.

[ The statue? He hadn't paid it much mind when he passed it before... Same again with the train, he should have considered that. Dimitri may be out of it, but it won't do any good to remain in such a state. ]

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. I wonder what kept them at bay... Perhaps tomorrow I will hike back there and see what can be found. I also want to see if I can learn of where it was originally trying to get to.

[ It was too late in the day to head back there now, at least not with any hope to make it back here before it gets dark. The shadows were already dense within the wood. ]

As for the statue... The fact that it is carved to resemble an angel may have no direct relevance as to how it is working to keep the demonic beasts at bay. It could be the type of stone it is, or perhaps some sort of warding spell was cast upon it...

[ But again, why here? It couldn't have been widely known that it offered protection from demons- otherwise there would have been a lot less death outside the church. ]

You're going to go all the way back to the train...?

[ Through the forest? it was hell enough getting to town in the first place; Minato had to be flown most of the way, courtesy of Armin's ODM. He'd offer to come with, but without a weapon and no contracted demons, he'd only be a liability. ]

I don't know too much about rocks. Do you?

[ A gemstone is more than just a rock, but it's what his hand finds while sliding into his pants pockets and then pulling it out to show Dimitri: a bright blue gem, with a small pitch black core. ]

I was thinking so, yes. No one I have spoken to seems to remember getting on the 'Train', nor what it's destination was. There might be some sort of documentation in the captain's quarters, perhaps a log book?

[ Is that how trains worked? The captain of the metal carriage surely knew where they were heading. There must something at the helm to indicate where they were meant to end up, if not here. ]

I... [ He pauses seeing the stone Minato pulls out. ] ...No, I'm afraid I don't, but...

[ Dimitri reaches into his own pocket and pulls out a predominantly blue stone with white swirls and splotches. ]

Did you awaken with yours as well?

Yes.

[ He doesn't know anything more about it, though. It's a rock, for all he cares, and it's only the video gamer instinct to hoard every single item he comes across that kept him from just tossing it.

Trains, on the other hand, he has plenty of experience with. Used to ride one every day to school. ]

Destinations and other information would be on a train ticket. If none of us have one on them, it's probably been collected. Otherwise we'd likely have been kicked off before departure.

Strange... I wonder if anyone else has one of these...

[ Looking up from the stones he looks back at Minato. ]

Oh? I don't suppose you recall anything from before the crash, do you? I've never been on one before, so I'm not entirely sure how I ended up on that one.

I remember falling asleep...

[ He remembers dying. doesn't mention that, though, because he isn't too sure of it now: the only other person he's met who's been like "yeah we're dead, absolutely" was Maruki but everybody else? so vibrant and full of life, it's hard to imagine this as the end. ]

...actually thought I was dreaming, at first. But that's not it, is it?

[ he slips the stone back into his pocket, holds it there ]

Trauma can cause memory loss... Let's just give it some time. Maybe it'll come back.

[ Dimitri looks a little troubled by Minato not remembering either. Ruka and the Princess also didn't remember. Four people who don't? The coincidence was starting to stretch a little too thin. ]

I also thought I was dreaming at first. But this is not like any of the dreams I've had before.

[ He also puts his stone back into his own pocket and runs his thumb over the one rough and jagged side. It was grounding. ]

Hopefully it does. It might give us some sort of clue as to why we are all here...

[ Perhaps they were drugged? Dimitri has been brought up to be immune to several poisons, but drugging him until he passed out wasn't out of the question. And Cornelia could have easily slipped it into the scant food she had given him. Then what? Sold him to some sort of... demonic cult?

He tries not to let his eyes drift from Minato, but behind the man Dimitri can see his step mother looming. ]

[ People here have this problem where they are no longer aware of things that in actuality exist; Dimitri has a bonus other problem where he's aware of things that do not exist.

Minato doesn't know this, of course, but with the way Dimitri trails off, he can tell Dimitri is distracted by something. Stray thoughts, maybe. That's a thinking face, and Minato is quiet as not to disturb.

...

glances over his shoulder bc WHAT IS IT ]

[ Of course, to Minato's eyes there isn't anything there... For a second Dimitri thinks the other man might have seen his mother, so when Minato turns back he catches what could be hopeful surprise on Dimitri's face. It quickly shifts into a tight smile as the hope dies. Foolish. He should know better than to think anyone else could see them. ]

Well, if I figure anything out, I'll find you.

[ He catches that look, but it's not one he can interpret- he's never been good at that in the first place, and then Dimitri smiles and closes himself off. ]

...alright. I'll do the same.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject