Re: QUIETUS [S!5] [Stand-by]
04-14-2012, 10:14 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Sanzh.
We have finished.
Eight entities, pre-occupied with their normal manner of activity, suddenly found themselves forcibly ripped from their home universes. Near-instantaneously, they turbulently crossed a multitude of interstices and boundaries, before finding themselves floating in an alien locale. Fragments of obsidian walls enclosed the area they now resided in, shielding the beings from the seething void beyond. Just as they attempted to reorient themselves and adjust to the vertigo, they found themselves frozen-- their eyes still free, but now staring at the human-like form coalescing before them, unable to look away and see the others trapped with them.
The figure appeared bit by bit-- first as an azure, grinning mask in a facsimile of an actual face, but soon accompanied by a torso and long, spider-like limbs wrapped in countless layers of tattered fabric. It resembled a human, if only barely. The figure's head tilted, examining its captives and colding regarding them with an inscrutable precision. A few of them shivered, reacting both to the cold void they were only barely shielded from and the apprehension stemming from the alien scrutinizing them.
Welcome.
The word rolled into the minds of the assembled beings, drowning out the many other thoughts they had. The figure now addressing them seemed to be incapable of wholly controlling its telepathic communication-- its pronouncement reverberated, as though there was an unfamiliarity with the idea of language and it was merely approximating its intended message.
We are the Outsider.
An image accompanied its words-- dream-like and vague, existing only on the periphery of the captives' perception. The beings present watched as ancient entities roiled and swam amongst a sea of void, incomprehensible in scope.
We have watched the teeming inhabitants of countless universes as they swim / proliferate / struggle. We have found ourselves asking questions as we watched. We found ourselves wishing to understand. We have called you together to assist us.
A new set of images and impressions synchronized to its next series of intonations-- scenes of gruesome violence, dreams of death, an inexplicable awakening of the primal urge to destroy.
We wish to understand death / betrayal / futility. We have collected / called / gathered you to watch your end. We are to watch you struggle and defeat each other.
The ideas it spoke knotted themselves together, pushing through the captives' mind as one simultaneous concept. Just as quickly as the Outsider's communication rattled through the minds of the captives, the images and urges that came with it subsided.
We will watch seven of you die / cease / expire. We will transport you to seven locales. At each, one of you will expire. There will be one survivor that will return to their home.
The abomination before them paused, as if to let the magnitude of its pronouncement sink in.
Some of you may attempt to band together to stop us / defeat us / escape our machinations. We expect this. It will not help. Your end is inevitable.
There was another odd half-pause. As the side-effects of the horror's attempt at language faded, it began again.
We believe you will want to know your fellow contestants / captives / sacrifices. We do not think you wish to be forgotten.
The figure raised a hand, pulling a new set of impressions forward. A woman, dressed in a mixture of plain cloth and durable armor, came into view. Her face was obscured underneath a grate-like mask, and puffs of purple smoke drifted upward from the flowers attached to either side of her metal veil. As the Outsider spoke, the beings present saw the image of the missionary shift, changing to that of a plant, followed by icons of religious devotion.
Amaranth Benedicta. She is a missionary and servant of her society. She has spent her life in preparation for the trials of the outside / to spread the powerful symbiote she bears. We will see if her faith remains true.
As the illusory image of the missionary faded, another figure was pulled forward-- another woman, dressed in garb appropriate for an adventurer. Her skin had a slight blue tint, matching the wizard's hat adorning her head. Scenes of exploration and the unusual beings she had encountered-- among them the slime inhabiting her body-- accompanied the hallucination.
Anila Vakmero. A shapeshifting parasite resides within her. She does not have long to live as it integrates to her / converts her to its form. She is an accomplished adventurer. We will see if this helps her.
In stark contrast to the first two, the third amongst the group was an enormous alien, wrapped in a combination of segmented pieces of armor and an environmental suit. An enormous cannon substituted for a lower arm on one of his limbs. Scenes of martial order and battlefield chaos were broadcast alongside the indomitable figure.
Arokht. He is an iceworlder soldier. He has known nothing other than endless conflict in service of his xenophobic commanders. We wish to see how well he will fight when isolated from his compatriots.
The fourth captive the Outsider presented was another alien-- a worm covered in chitinous plates and dotted with numerous eyes. A pair of cybernetic arms were bolted onto the creature's back. Images of her churning maw appeared-- first churning through dirt and rock, then asteroids, then then a star as it consumed and devoured.
Chaete. A juvenile of her species. Her mouth has eaten through rock and the fabric of your universes. She is not used to want / hardship / struggle. We are curious as to how she will cope.
A new figure was presented-- a pale, melancholy woman in a black and white dress. Images of graves drifted past her, and the contestants could almost faintly hear whispering in a now-dead tongue.
Florica Hearn. She has been changed / altered / transformed. She speaks to the dead. We are intrigued to see how she will manage when faced with its pervasive presence.
The sixth among them was another woman-- a thin, haggard husk of a human, wrapped in a straitjacket. Flesh had been torn away, replaced with pieces of metal carapace and extensive networks of cables and jacks. A burning sun, brilliant and luminous, accompanied the dream-like projection of the girl.
Rachel Wylite. An experiment. She is a universal source of power. She is frightened of herself / her capacity to destroy / what she has become. She exists in a delicate equilibrium between extremes. We have yet to see if that balance will be maintained.
A new figure appeared-- a calm woman, robed in a green coat, who was somewhat plain compared to the oddities presented before her.
Robin Pearson. A scientist. A student of the arcane sciences. She is well acquainted with death. She has studied the magic relating to it. It will perhaps become more familiar to her than her theoretical work / laboratory studies / first-hand experience.
The final figure did not appear-- the beings present only saw the rushed, vague memories of its victims. A vague, indefinite silhouette was the only commonality across the images now presented. The captives could hear something alongside the Outsider's voice-- the sounds of their homes, muffling a faint cry for mercy.
The last among you. Sonora. A monstrosity. It might sound familiar to you. We find it curious.
With the introductions completed, the contestants suddenly felt a strong pull, yanked once more across universes. They found themselves separated from each other and away from the being that had instructed them. They found themselves in a valley, and could see the natural walls isolating it in the distance. A mixture of terrain was present-- plains, forests, and rivers all could be noticed.
What stood out was the war-torn nature of their new locale. The ground was pockmarked by craters and scarred by abandoned trenches. In the distance, the rattle of machine guns and thunder of artillery could be heard. The remnants of formerly-occupied battlements were visible everywhere-- even while nearly devoid of others, the valley had seen conflict many times.
The contestants steadily got up, adjusting from the surreal experience they had moments before and the vertigo associated with being flung across universes. One last time, the booming voice of the Outsider addressed the beings.
This is the Godsworn Valley. It is a place of conflict / violence / faith. Armies have assembled to fight in control this stretch of land. They do so at the behest of the gods who support and guide them. We will watch intently and see how you cope with this environment. You may leave when one of you ceases.
The Outsider's pronouncement faded. The contestants were now alone in this new location.
We have finished.
Eight entities, pre-occupied with their normal manner of activity, suddenly found themselves forcibly ripped from their home universes. Near-instantaneously, they turbulently crossed a multitude of interstices and boundaries, before finding themselves floating in an alien locale. Fragments of obsidian walls enclosed the area they now resided in, shielding the beings from the seething void beyond. Just as they attempted to reorient themselves and adjust to the vertigo, they found themselves frozen-- their eyes still free, but now staring at the human-like form coalescing before them, unable to look away and see the others trapped with them.
The figure appeared bit by bit-- first as an azure, grinning mask in a facsimile of an actual face, but soon accompanied by a torso and long, spider-like limbs wrapped in countless layers of tattered fabric. It resembled a human, if only barely. The figure's head tilted, examining its captives and colding regarding them with an inscrutable precision. A few of them shivered, reacting both to the cold void they were only barely shielded from and the apprehension stemming from the alien scrutinizing them.
Welcome.
The word rolled into the minds of the assembled beings, drowning out the many other thoughts they had. The figure now addressing them seemed to be incapable of wholly controlling its telepathic communication-- its pronouncement reverberated, as though there was an unfamiliarity with the idea of language and it was merely approximating its intended message.
We are the Outsider.
An image accompanied its words-- dream-like and vague, existing only on the periphery of the captives' perception. The beings present watched as ancient entities roiled and swam amongst a sea of void, incomprehensible in scope.
We have watched the teeming inhabitants of countless universes as they swim / proliferate / struggle. We have found ourselves asking questions as we watched. We found ourselves wishing to understand. We have called you together to assist us.
A new set of images and impressions synchronized to its next series of intonations-- scenes of gruesome violence, dreams of death, an inexplicable awakening of the primal urge to destroy.
We wish to understand death / betrayal / futility. We have collected / called / gathered you to watch your end. We are to watch you struggle and defeat each other.
The ideas it spoke knotted themselves together, pushing through the captives' mind as one simultaneous concept. Just as quickly as the Outsider's communication rattled through the minds of the captives, the images and urges that came with it subsided.
We will watch seven of you die / cease / expire. We will transport you to seven locales. At each, one of you will expire. There will be one survivor that will return to their home.
The abomination before them paused, as if to let the magnitude of its pronouncement sink in.
Some of you may attempt to band together to stop us / defeat us / escape our machinations. We expect this. It will not help. Your end is inevitable.
There was another odd half-pause. As the side-effects of the horror's attempt at language faded, it began again.
We believe you will want to know your fellow contestants / captives / sacrifices. We do not think you wish to be forgotten.
The figure raised a hand, pulling a new set of impressions forward. A woman, dressed in a mixture of plain cloth and durable armor, came into view. Her face was obscured underneath a grate-like mask, and puffs of purple smoke drifted upward from the flowers attached to either side of her metal veil. As the Outsider spoke, the beings present saw the image of the missionary shift, changing to that of a plant, followed by icons of religious devotion.
Amaranth Benedicta. She is a missionary and servant of her society. She has spent her life in preparation for the trials of the outside / to spread the powerful symbiote she bears. We will see if her faith remains true.
As the illusory image of the missionary faded, another figure was pulled forward-- another woman, dressed in garb appropriate for an adventurer. Her skin had a slight blue tint, matching the wizard's hat adorning her head. Scenes of exploration and the unusual beings she had encountered-- among them the slime inhabiting her body-- accompanied the hallucination.
Anila Vakmero. A shapeshifting parasite resides within her. She does not have long to live as it integrates to her / converts her to its form. She is an accomplished adventurer. We will see if this helps her.
In stark contrast to the first two, the third amongst the group was an enormous alien, wrapped in a combination of segmented pieces of armor and an environmental suit. An enormous cannon substituted for a lower arm on one of his limbs. Scenes of martial order and battlefield chaos were broadcast alongside the indomitable figure.
Arokht. He is an iceworlder soldier. He has known nothing other than endless conflict in service of his xenophobic commanders. We wish to see how well he will fight when isolated from his compatriots.
The fourth captive the Outsider presented was another alien-- a worm covered in chitinous plates and dotted with numerous eyes. A pair of cybernetic arms were bolted onto the creature's back. Images of her churning maw appeared-- first churning through dirt and rock, then asteroids, then then a star as it consumed and devoured.
Chaete. A juvenile of her species. Her mouth has eaten through rock and the fabric of your universes. She is not used to want / hardship / struggle. We are curious as to how she will cope.
A new figure was presented-- a pale, melancholy woman in a black and white dress. Images of graves drifted past her, and the contestants could almost faintly hear whispering in a now-dead tongue.
Florica Hearn. She has been changed / altered / transformed. She speaks to the dead. We are intrigued to see how she will manage when faced with its pervasive presence.
The sixth among them was another woman-- a thin, haggard husk of a human, wrapped in a straitjacket. Flesh had been torn away, replaced with pieces of metal carapace and extensive networks of cables and jacks. A burning sun, brilliant and luminous, accompanied the dream-like projection of the girl.
Rachel Wylite. An experiment. She is a universal source of power. She is frightened of herself / her capacity to destroy / what she has become. She exists in a delicate equilibrium between extremes. We have yet to see if that balance will be maintained.
A new figure appeared-- a calm woman, robed in a green coat, who was somewhat plain compared to the oddities presented before her.
Robin Pearson. A scientist. A student of the arcane sciences. She is well acquainted with death. She has studied the magic relating to it. It will perhaps become more familiar to her than her theoretical work / laboratory studies / first-hand experience.
The final figure did not appear-- the beings present only saw the rushed, vague memories of its victims. A vague, indefinite silhouette was the only commonality across the images now presented. The captives could hear something alongside the Outsider's voice-- the sounds of their homes, muffling a faint cry for mercy.
The last among you. Sonora. A monstrosity. It might sound familiar to you. We find it curious.
With the introductions completed, the contestants suddenly felt a strong pull, yanked once more across universes. They found themselves separated from each other and away from the being that had instructed them. They found themselves in a valley, and could see the natural walls isolating it in the distance. A mixture of terrain was present-- plains, forests, and rivers all could be noticed.
What stood out was the war-torn nature of their new locale. The ground was pockmarked by craters and scarred by abandoned trenches. In the distance, the rattle of machine guns and thunder of artillery could be heard. The remnants of formerly-occupied battlements were visible everywhere-- even while nearly devoid of others, the valley had seen conflict many times.
The contestants steadily got up, adjusting from the surreal experience they had moments before and the vertigo associated with being flung across universes. One last time, the booming voice of the Outsider addressed the beings.
This is the Godsworn Valley. It is a place of conflict / violence / faith. Armies have assembled to fight in control this stretch of land. They do so at the behest of the gods who support and guide them. We will watch intently and see how you cope with this environment. You may leave when one of you ceases.
The Outsider's pronouncement faded. The contestants were now alone in this new location.
Spoiler