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.

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Tsk, tsk, hold on there, fella.

[Briefly, a hand pats against Dimitri's arm, trying to get his attention without overly startling him. If Dimitri turns, he'll see a man that looks suspiciously calm considering the chaotic situation around them - and whose vividly blue eyes were focused on Dimitri's glass-cut cheek.

This man was also clearly armed - though Dimitri may not recognise the pistol hanging at his hip, or the a holster strapped across his chest containing strange tubes, he may recognise the short-blade in its sheathe strapped on the opposite hip...]

You need help with that?

[ Turn he does, if a little slow and out of it. Icey blue eyes meets the vibrant ones staring at him. Which is very odd, usually Dimitri's more vivid dreams involved his loved ones, both living and dead, not strangers. His eyebrows nit and he frowns which does cause him to wince a little- it having tugged on the scratches and glass. ]

Ah... I don't mean to trouble you... but if you don't mind...?

[ How did he go from closing his eyes in a cell to waking up here...? The cloths Dimitri is in are still the ones from the royal prison cell he'd been wearing. And that dagger he shouldn't have... ]

Sure, but you gotta sit first, sir. Looking a mite unsteady on your feet there.

[Shun'ya sets his hand against the disorientated young man's arm and coaxes him to take a seat. By this point most of the chaos in the train had calmed down - either by the occupants running off or those remaining keeping their heads enough to be calm.]

Honestly, what are civilians like...? May as well herd cats...

[He mumbles to himself as he studies the cuts on the young man's face, mostly trying to see if any glass remained or if it needed stitches. Certainly looked nasty, and the poor guy looked like he could star on a period piece horror film with all those bloodstains and those - clothes. Civilians just wore anything nowadays, huh?]

[ Dimitri nods and lets the stranger guide him to a seat. Honestly, he feels unsteady- he hasn't been given a proper meal in days. ]

How bad does it look...?

[ He doesn't know what to make of the term 'civilian'. That's not something that's ever been used to describe Dimitri. But, as he glances around the... room(?) they are in, Dimitri does find the descriptor fitting for the people flocking about. ]

Where are we?

[ Where has Cornelia sent him?? Wasn't he to be executed soon? ]

Ain't got a scooby, sir. I'm as clueless as you.

[Yet he doesn't seem like it, considering how calm and confident he is about himself and his surroundings. After examining the young lad's face, he straightens up and delves his hand into a small pouch attached to his belt. He has a small medical kit in there, and he unfolds it to take out a pair of tweezers.]

As for your face, you've got some glass stuck in there still. Haven't got anything to dull the pain with but... eh. Grit your teeth for a sec, and I'll get these shards out quick. Don't worry, I have very steady hands.

[He punctuates his words with a wink, and as bold as brass, he grasps Dimitri's jaw with one hand, just to make sure he doesn't flinch, and starts picking out the last three remaining glass shards with, as promised, a very steady hand. It doesn't take long at all to remove the glass.]

[ What is a scooby?? Dimitri's dazed look is becoming more focused and present. He's taking the man in more, he's going to want to remember who helped him here- where ever here is.

Pain is familiar to him so he isn't particularly nervous about that. But oddly enough, the wink puts him at ease- it reminds him of the knight Alois. He holds still for the stranger and only his eyes show the wince he is holding back. If he wasn't already the sting would have grounded him. ]

Thank you... Did you also just wake up here?

That's right, sir.

[With the glass expertly removed, Shun'ya pulls out a disinfectant wipe from his little med kit and cleans off his tweezers. He'll need to properly clean these later, but for now this'll do.]

Shun'ya Iijima at your service - but call me Rosie, please.

[He tucks the tweezers away and closes the pouch. With that done, he lifts his head and meets the young man's gaze with a reassuring smile, blue eyes warm.]

What about yourself? You look a little less cross-eyed now, so hopefully you can recall basic details...

[ Shun'ya Iijima. Rosie. Steady hand and kind heart- but no, he shouldn't be so quick to trust, hasn't he learned his lesson yet? ]

Yes, of course. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and I am in your debt.

[ He raises a hand to rub his temple and at the headache, but catches sight of the plain beige prison sleeve there. His eyes widen and dart back to the other man. He shouldn't have given his full name. Dimitri wasn't thinking. Surly by now word has spread of the captured prince... Would he be believed? Should he feign ignorance? He isn't sure. ]

Uh, do you know what the date is? I can't seem to recall...?

[ Not the smoothest diversion. ]

[At hearing the name, Shun'ya only blinks a few times in clear, polite bafflement. What a mouthful of a name, and so pretentious sounding! This poor kid... he must've been bullied like crazy on the playground with that sort of name! Who did his parents think they were, royalty? He was surprised not to hear 'the third' tacked on the end there, honestly...

The brief moment of panic the kid gave him only cemented it. He was terribly aware of how lame his name was. Shun'ya decides to be nice and overlook it.]

Well, last I checked, it was only a few days from Christmas. Always the busiest time of year for me...

[He sighs and shakes his head, crossing his arms. Really, he couldn't afford to play helpless damsel in whatever this stupid domain was. His workload was going to be astronomical, and his mentor would show no mercy in giving him an extension on it!]

But I could've been unconscious for a while, so it may be after Christmas by now... why? What day do you last remember, Mister Blaiddyd?

[ Dimitri tries to not let too much confusion show at the talk this Chrissmas, garnering a similar look to Rosie's own polite bafflement. Perhaps that is a local festival of some sort? ]

Please, you can call me Dimitri, I would prefer it.

[ Although, it is relieving not to hear 'your highness'. How the man doesn't recognize his name... perhaps he is from off continent? Or is Dimitri now off continent? That... isn't good. ]

Ah, the last day I recall... [ From his prison cell? He wasn't exactly kept up to date. Dimitri touches his temple again. ] We are in the... Harpstring Moon, right? Or is it already the Garland Moon?

Er, it's... well, last I checked it was a half-moon tonight...

[Shun'ya's confusion was shifting into something much less polite, his eyes squinting slightly in a 'are you daft' stare before he remembered he was meant to be a Nice Boy and hastily corrected his expression into a bland smile.]

Humour me for a moment, Mister Dimitri, but does the month 'December' mean anything to you?

[ That's alright, Dimitri's own face was starting to shift to a little less polite when Rosie responds with reference to the moon phase cycle, but he also wrangles it under control. He must remember decorum, it doesn't matter that he's been in a prison cell for a month, maybe two, none of that was this man's fault. ...Probably.

Dimitri quietly mouths the words 'Dess Ember', as if forming them would make the words any more familiar. ]

... No? I don't believe I have ever heard that word before now, nor your local festival of Chriss Maas. What country are you from, if I may ask?

[Oh boy.]

...I'm from Tokyo, Japan.

[Though he already knew this guy was going to give him a gormless look of incomprehension. With his weird clothes, equally weird name, and stuffy way of speaking - man, was he the victim of a demon scrambling his brains? Probably thought he was from some ye olde fantasy land...]

On planet Earth, third planet from the sun, with one moon orbiting it... stop me if any of this sounds familiar at all.

[ Instead of the polite smile Dimitri's brows furrow and he frowns at the mention of Rosie's homeland. Definitely does not recognize it. He's trying to figure out if the other man is being deliberately obtuse in his description, or not when he is told to stop him. ]

Yes, yes, although I'm no astronomer. Just because I am unfamiliar with your customs does not mean I fell from a star. I'm from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus on the continent of Fódlan. ... I suppose the date doesn't really matter right now...

[ Not when he has more pressing questions like: where is he?? and why is this man giving him that look?? ]

[Oh man, he really did think he was from ye olde fantasy land. Well then.]

I suppose not. Knowing the date isn't important, considering our situation is more spatial than temporal.

[That is to say, they both have no clue where they are. Shun'ya hums quietly, tapping his finger against the hilt of his tanto.]

Speaking of... let me look out the window for a moment. Perhaps there's a clue outside...

[He moves over to said window and sees- well. Hm.]

Ah. Troubling.

[Those sure are demons eating people!!!]

[ Dimitri thought about asking the man what the word 'temporal' meant, but his attention was caught by the rhythmic tapping against the hilt of his blade. He wonders if it's well made or if he would recognize the smith that made it...

He's pulled out of his thoughts at the word 'troubling, and he frowns again, then makes his way to where Rosie is standing. ]

Oh? What is so-- Ah.

[ Dimitri is used to large grotesque demonic beasts, not whatever these monsters are. He blinks several times a little stunned. ]

Am I... Are those... Am I seeing this right? What are those things?

Demons.

[Said with remarkable calm and an out of place cheer, considering the situation. Pointedly, Shun'ya turns away from the window and claps his hands together.]

Best to think of them as very voracious predators whose main source of sustenance are humans. You best stay out of their way too... even the weakest demon is strong enough to overcome the strongest humans in terms of strength alone.

[ Dimitri's gaze drifts from the Rosie, to the window, then back again. ]

Hm. Are you certain? They look... [ Weird. Almost silly, if they weren't tearing into people. ] wrong.

I'm used to dealing with much larger and grotesque demonic beasts than... those.

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[DAY 0] TDM.

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