(no subject)
Asylum notes--
Things we know:
*Edits included after the gradual descent and then restoration of the asylum over a period of... six weeks? Apologies, since I had more pressing things than keeping track of the time to be concerned with.
1. Food
The food has side effects. Many of these were unpleasant/violent/illness-inducing in the past. Most of them seem to be more inconveniences now and fewer and farther in between. Some could be thought pleasant (drug high or aphrodisiac). Is the intent to lure us into a false sense of security, complacency, or dependency?
[Private//Unreadable on the Network//Not Present in Written Versions]
-1a[personal note]. Most of the other Meisters seem to have become complacent. It could be a side effect of something in the food. More likely is the idea that they have their own personal reasons. Neil is dead, he has nowhere else to go. Tieria has Neil here so why would he strive to go to a place without him (he may be in love or... something with my brother; would explain a lot). Alle is fresh out of prison and, in comparison, he's much better off in this one than he was in that one. Sumeragi is still severely depressed, much like when I met her (from just before?) and wants nothing to do with Celestial Being because of perceived failings; escapism? The only other one who seems restless enough to talk over and attempt escape or anything else rash is Hallelujah; I suspect this is more due to a restless nature since he is 'dead' and, theoretically, has no place to go.
[Private//Unreadable on the Network//Not Present in Written Versions]
Edit: For a while the food had no effects, then the effects returned. For a while, we were on our own as far as scavenging. Now we have decent food, as far as can be discerned.
2. Elevator Entity
There is something, a monster, tied into the elevators. It means us ill will. It has abducted and tortured (emotionally, physically, psychologically, perhaps spiritually) 5 people before. Two of those people are gone. Hallelujah 'disappeared' and doesn't remember, but gets headaches (brainwave interference?) when near the elevator. Only ones who remember anything of it are Vakarian and Czezlaw Myer. Vakarian won't talk about it if he can help it, Myer is only a kid.
-2a. Experience: [personal note]The thing has only made its presence known once while I was here, with a putrid decaying body smell. The smell of death, some have described it as. Ominous and disgusting, but ultimately harmless.
Romana tried an investigation of sorts, trying to air out our laundry to know what the thing may use against us. Nothing really came of it.
-2b. Investigation: Vakarian says that there is no way to take the elevator apart, no way to open the doors without the car there, and no way into the shaft without the car. He also said there's nothing in that nether place he was taken but the creature and it's place but... it's powerful. Could just be making him see what it wanted to.
-2c. Relating to the Doctors: There has been acknowledgment from our captors that they cannot control the thing. Even if it wouldn't ally with is, that might be used to our advantage. Though, as it is, it seems to work the other way around. The doctors may be using our fear to keep us from trying to escape.
-2d. Other Associations: It was referred to as "the Red God" by that Walter guy, the murderer. His modis operandi seems to stem from the occult. Does he have actual knowledge of the thing or was he just being crazy at people? Who knows.
Romana said it looked like a 'Sontaran' with a different helmet.
-2e. Psychic/Metaphysical Abilities: Romana also theorized that in the... scenario that Hallelujah saw, it might be a visual representation of the complete split of the personalities, hence the different bodies. A procedure. That intimates that it has powers most of us don't understand, which would make sense since it abducted multiple people at once. Which leads us to--
Edit: For a while the elevator was perfectly functional. For the past couple of weeks it would shake, rattle, and act as if it was taking people to their destinations, only to open in the spot that it started at.
3. Powers and Abilities:
Those with any kind of extraordinary, beyond-mortal, superhuman (might be 'speciesist' to call it that, but baseline humans seem to be left alone) power or ability have been neutralized. Those kind of immortals that were known as gods before have been brought down to a mortal level. Those with advanced technology have either had it confiscated or somehow disabled through what might be viral means. Those with hacking knowledge are constantly blocked. Conclusion: They don't want us to have that extra edge. Why would they?
-3a. Elevator Entity Redux: The thing has not had it's abilities taken away, according to the observation of others. Why? Is it too strong for the Doctors? Why bring it here in the first place, if so? Did they underestimate it or did it appear of it's own accord?
Edit: The further the asylum deteriorated over the past few weeks, the more evidence of abilities returning there seemed to be. As far as the examples I know of, Samus's power suit became partially functional, then fully functional (correct me if I'm wrong, Samus, it's possible some systems were restored that I didn't know of). I also remember evidence of Zuko and Shego having abilities. I'm not sure how consistent the pattern is.
4. The Computers and Network
The network seems primitive at best BUT it is hacker proof. To our knowledge, no one has been able to cause a disturbance in the network or figure out a way to get past the doctors. Does the simpler system make it easier to guard? Is there more to the system that can be unlocked but is guarded to well? If they have the technology to snatch us up, wipe our memories, and render powers impotent, that last doesn't seem out of the question.
-4a. Angelica file: This is an odd document that it seems no one has been able to divine any real purpose for. All it does is turn the screen off for a couple of seconds when you click it. A glitch? Some kind of monitoring program or spyware disguised as a document?
Edit: After clicking this file to observe it once more, I saw an image on my supposedly turned-off monitor. It seemed like a reflection of a young girl: long pale hair, white dress, shortish in stature. An after image? Some entity? I could have just been seeing things, who knows.
Edit: A lot of the observations about the computer systems are now obsolete since we have been given a portable device that greatly differs from the ancient computers we used before. There are private filters, but keep in mind that our captors are likely keeping tabs on whatever we do.
5. The Contamination and Abductions
In a time before I was present in the asylum there was apparently an instance where the doctors lost control of their machinations. A truth serum was released and five people had adverse reactions: paranoia and violent tendencies. At the same time, five individuals had disappeared at the same time.
-5a. The Contaminated: Those who suffered the side effects of unnatural paranoia in all those around them and a tendency to lash out were seemingly normal a week after the release of the serum, but it was found that each had an object that they had not been in possession of before: feminine memento of sorts, like an antique. Despite not having seen the items before, their new owners were strangely and vehemently possessive of them. Since these seemed to be the source of their odd behaviour, steps were taken to confiscate the items. One of the individuals disappeared before their item could be claimed but those that were confiscated included: a bracelet, a necklace, a doll, and a flask, all either rusted or sporting spots of dried blood. None of those who possessed these items are in the asylum any longer. The items appeared at the same time as the Angelica file.
-5b. The Abducted:
As stated before, five individuals disappeared at this time: Garrus Vakarian, Czeslaw Myer, Hallelujah Haptism. Most of my details have been gained from Garrus Vakarian and the report Romana gave of Hallelujah's own encounter seemed to corroborate these details. To my knowledge, none of the abductees are present any longer.
The victims were abducted by the Elevator Entity. The one I spoke with woke up in a decayed room covered in rust and blood, much like the artifacts, and found himself chained to the wall. Someone important to the victim was lying prone in a corner of the room and he was forced to watch as this person was slaughtered. The creature then started torturing him.
The victim woke up in his own room physically unharmed but bearing the mental wear that any individual in that same circumstance is likely to suffer.
-5c. The Doctors' Reaction:
According to those who were there to witness it, the doctors seemed to be verbally panicking over the PA systems when the disappearances and the adverse reactions to the serum occurred.
[Included after the gradual descent and then restoration of the asylum over a period of five to eight weeks, depending on your perception of the time]
6. The Library
The content in the Library seems to be ever changing. When I first arrived it was mostly gibberish. Since, there has been a great change in the content of the Library.
-6a. Gibberish/Nonsense: The original state of the library.
-6b. Normal: Books with plot that you could read. Well known titles like "Great Expectations"
-6c. All one story, something about a "Dr. Tarr and Mr. Feather". A story about an asylum run by mental patients that mutanied. An attempt at dark humour by our captors?
-6d. Patient files: Detailed histories of the present patients and, from what could be told, multiple copies of them. Apparently, the doctors don't mind us knowing what they know. That or, as one speculated, they're trying to turn us against one another.
6d-2. Patient files: I did not recognize any of the people in the files as being those whom I had encountered. As far as I could tell, the files from before were gone.
7. The Chapel
It began as a seemingly normal place of worship and meditation that seemed tailored to cater to all. In the past... one-to-three weeks. It was gutted out, the pews were gone, and the pulpit was replaced by a slab that had shackles at the four corners at it. Judging by the incomprehensible symbols written on the wall in blood, it seems like the whole circumstance has a ritualistic bent to it. Also written on the wall in blood was the phrase,"Past, present, and future. All are one." In a nearly destroyed manuscript was found the words, "He knows the gate. He is the gate. He is the key and guardian of the gate." Written on the side of the slab in Arabic was the phrase, "the... abnormal ones... are coming"
8. Monsters
In the past few weeks, creatures that posed a threat and seemed to have little drive other than to attack appeared. They got stronger as time went by and, in some cases, were recognized by the people of the asylum. Were they brought here as 'patients' the same as the rest of us? Possibly didn't get through the screening process (if there is any) that the rest of us went through?
9. Weapons
I'm not sure if someone's on our side or if this was meant to be used by antagonists, but stores of weapons started to appear in places around the asylum that had previously been locked or, in the case of the shed, locked for short periods of time. Not good weapons: the ammo was low and most of the selection seemed meant for clumsy beating or hacking, but it kept the lot of us from dying (mostly).
10. Escape Attempts
-Picking the locks.
-Tunneling.
-Climbing the barrier.
-Flying through the top (there was something blocking it, a dome-like structure).
-Attempts at making explosives (a bust).
-Following the staff to see what 'exits' they use.
-Following the wiring of the PA system.
-Busting holes in the wall (they reportedly grew back up).
-The elevators: no one has found cracks in the elevators themselves and they've only gone from A-D as far as I've seen, but a basement button appeared over the last couple of weeks, then disappeared again. (When I tried it the one time it didn't work.)
A note: I'm starting to think that just because something hasn't worked in the past doesn't mean that it won't work in the future. This place is very much in flux and new weaknesses may open up. For instance: the appearance of a basement button is telling. Also, locked rooms that could not be cracked before have been found mysteriously unlocked/opened when changes in the asylum have taken place. I recommend exploring and trying things as often as possible: eventually, something may work.
11. The Doctors
Since I have been here, most people blame the happenings here on 'the doctors'. According to patient accounts they used to be a discernible presence, if not a visible one. They made announcements over the PA system and, during the Contamination/Abductions and one incident where Badou Nails spiked the coffee, showed signs of vulnerability. Since I have been here (roughly 9 months, as far as I can tell) there hasn't been a peep from the doctors. I would almost reason that they could have abandoned us to our fates or different wardens, save for one thing. There is one woman doctor with bolts in her head that moves among the patients. When questioned of her purpose and intent she has stated an "I just work here" sort of attitude, stating that she is only here for the welfare of the patients and that she knows nothing or can say nothing of the intent of those in charge. She takes liberties with her "treatments" and is not to be trusted. Attempts to capture and question her are likely to be stopped by the grunts (undead male orderlies) that she seems to have sway over.
-11a. Signs of the Doctors' (or some other observer's) Activities:
As mentioned before, our captors seem to have extensive files on our background. There was also a shred of paper found in an exam room that had been previously locked, but largely cleaned out. This is a transcription of what was left:
"Influx 4: 2nd 'day'
New subjects are experiencing usual shock and disbelief. Later integration expected for most. Data still being gathered on those who have been removed.
Behavior of established subjects is erratic. Some feel the need to quicken the integrations of the others, some feel the need to hinder it for their own gain and/or entertainment.
Necessary to confer with Analyst 0037 on the research for entra-"
Going Theories
People here are from various times and places. Different worlds altogether. This points to some sort of dimension traveling technology. (Or... hell, magic. It sounds stupid, but given the different sorts of origins and abilities people have, not to mention the evidence of occult rituals, I'm not ruling anything out.) It seems to be agreed upon that there is some sort of nexus at work: a dimensional jump point that allows travel. I'm starting to think that the "key to the gate" the person who "is and knows the gate" is, well, the key to this. But we have no indication who that may be.
--My additions have been hastily tacked on after a very trying few weeks. If I've forgotten anything, mention it to me.--
Things we know:
*Edits included after the gradual descent and then restoration of the asylum over a period of... six weeks? Apologies, since I had more pressing things than keeping track of the time to be concerned with.
1. Food
The food has side effects. Many of these were unpleasant/violent/illness-inducing in the past. Most of them seem to be more inconveniences now and fewer and farther in between. Some could be thought pleasant (drug high or aphrodisiac). Is the intent to lure us into a false sense of security, complacency, or dependency?
[Private//Unreadable on the Network//Not Present in Written Versions]
-1a[personal note]. Most of the other Meisters seem to have become complacent. It could be a side effect of something in the food. More likely is the idea that they have their own personal reasons. Neil is dead, he has nowhere else to go. Tieria has Neil here so why would he strive to go to a place without him (he may be in love or... something with my brother; would explain a lot). Alle is fresh out of prison and, in comparison, he's much better off in this one than he was in that one. Sumeragi is still severely depressed, much like when I met her (from just before?) and wants nothing to do with Celestial Being because of perceived failings; escapism? The only other one who seems restless enough to talk over and attempt escape or anything else rash is Hallelujah; I suspect this is more due to a restless nature since he is 'dead' and, theoretically, has no place to go.
[Private//Unreadable on the Network//Not Present in Written Versions]
Edit: For a while the food had no effects, then the effects returned. For a while, we were on our own as far as scavenging. Now we have decent food, as far as can be discerned.
2. Elevator Entity
There is something, a monster, tied into the elevators. It means us ill will. It has abducted and tortured (emotionally, physically, psychologically, perhaps spiritually) 5 people before. Two of those people are gone. Hallelujah 'disappeared' and doesn't remember, but gets headaches (brainwave interference?) when near the elevator. Only ones who remember anything of it are Vakarian and Czezlaw Myer. Vakarian won't talk about it if he can help it, Myer is only a kid.
-2a. Experience: [personal note]The thing has only made its presence known once while I was here, with a putrid decaying body smell. The smell of death, some have described it as. Ominous and disgusting, but ultimately harmless.
Romana tried an investigation of sorts, trying to air out our laundry to know what the thing may use against us. Nothing really came of it.
-2b. Investigation: Vakarian says that there is no way to take the elevator apart, no way to open the doors without the car there, and no way into the shaft without the car. He also said there's nothing in that nether place he was taken but the creature and it's place but... it's powerful. Could just be making him see what it wanted to.
-2c. Relating to the Doctors: There has been acknowledgment from our captors that they cannot control the thing. Even if it wouldn't ally with is, that might be used to our advantage. Though, as it is, it seems to work the other way around. The doctors may be using our fear to keep us from trying to escape.
-2d. Other Associations: It was referred to as "the Red God" by that Walter guy, the murderer. His modis operandi seems to stem from the occult. Does he have actual knowledge of the thing or was he just being crazy at people? Who knows.
Romana said it looked like a 'Sontaran' with a different helmet.
-2e. Psychic/Metaphysical Abilities: Romana also theorized that in the... scenario that Hallelujah saw, it might be a visual representation of the complete split of the personalities, hence the different bodies. A procedure. That intimates that it has powers most of us don't understand, which would make sense since it abducted multiple people at once. Which leads us to--
Edit: For a while the elevator was perfectly functional. For the past couple of weeks it would shake, rattle, and act as if it was taking people to their destinations, only to open in the spot that it started at.
3. Powers and Abilities:
Those with any kind of extraordinary, beyond-mortal, superhuman (might be 'speciesist' to call it that, but baseline humans seem to be left alone) power or ability have been neutralized. Those kind of immortals that were known as gods before have been brought down to a mortal level. Those with advanced technology have either had it confiscated or somehow disabled through what might be viral means. Those with hacking knowledge are constantly blocked. Conclusion: They don't want us to have that extra edge. Why would they?
-3a. Elevator Entity Redux: The thing has not had it's abilities taken away, according to the observation of others. Why? Is it too strong for the Doctors? Why bring it here in the first place, if so? Did they underestimate it or did it appear of it's own accord?
Edit: The further the asylum deteriorated over the past few weeks, the more evidence of abilities returning there seemed to be. As far as the examples I know of, Samus's power suit became partially functional, then fully functional (correct me if I'm wrong, Samus, it's possible some systems were restored that I didn't know of). I also remember evidence of Zuko and Shego having abilities. I'm not sure how consistent the pattern is.
4. The Computers and Network
The network seems primitive at best BUT it is hacker proof. To our knowledge, no one has been able to cause a disturbance in the network or figure out a way to get past the doctors. Does the simpler system make it easier to guard? Is there more to the system that can be unlocked but is guarded to well? If they have the technology to snatch us up, wipe our memories, and render powers impotent, that last doesn't seem out of the question.
-4a. Angelica file: This is an odd document that it seems no one has been able to divine any real purpose for. All it does is turn the screen off for a couple of seconds when you click it. A glitch? Some kind of monitoring program or spyware disguised as a document?
Edit: After clicking this file to observe it once more, I saw an image on my supposedly turned-off monitor. It seemed like a reflection of a young girl: long pale hair, white dress, shortish in stature. An after image? Some entity? I could have just been seeing things, who knows.
Edit: A lot of the observations about the computer systems are now obsolete since we have been given a portable device that greatly differs from the ancient computers we used before. There are private filters, but keep in mind that our captors are likely keeping tabs on whatever we do.
5. The Contamination and Abductions
In a time before I was present in the asylum there was apparently an instance where the doctors lost control of their machinations. A truth serum was released and five people had adverse reactions: paranoia and violent tendencies. At the same time, five individuals had disappeared at the same time.
-5a. The Contaminated: Those who suffered the side effects of unnatural paranoia in all those around them and a tendency to lash out were seemingly normal a week after the release of the serum, but it was found that each had an object that they had not been in possession of before: feminine memento of sorts, like an antique. Despite not having seen the items before, their new owners were strangely and vehemently possessive of them. Since these seemed to be the source of their odd behaviour, steps were taken to confiscate the items. One of the individuals disappeared before their item could be claimed but those that were confiscated included: a bracelet, a necklace, a doll, and a flask, all either rusted or sporting spots of dried blood. None of those who possessed these items are in the asylum any longer. The items appeared at the same time as the Angelica file.
-5b. The Abducted:
As stated before, five individuals disappeared at this time: Garrus Vakarian, Czeslaw Myer, Hallelujah Haptism. Most of my details have been gained from Garrus Vakarian and the report Romana gave of Hallelujah's own encounter seemed to corroborate these details. To my knowledge, none of the abductees are present any longer.
The victims were abducted by the Elevator Entity. The one I spoke with woke up in a decayed room covered in rust and blood, much like the artifacts, and found himself chained to the wall. Someone important to the victim was lying prone in a corner of the room and he was forced to watch as this person was slaughtered. The creature then started torturing him.
The victim woke up in his own room physically unharmed but bearing the mental wear that any individual in that same circumstance is likely to suffer.
-5c. The Doctors' Reaction:
According to those who were there to witness it, the doctors seemed to be verbally panicking over the PA systems when the disappearances and the adverse reactions to the serum occurred.
[Included after the gradual descent and then restoration of the asylum over a period of five to eight weeks, depending on your perception of the time]
6. The Library
The content in the Library seems to be ever changing. When I first arrived it was mostly gibberish. Since, there has been a great change in the content of the Library.
-6a. Gibberish/Nonsense: The original state of the library.
-6b. Normal: Books with plot that you could read. Well known titles like "Great Expectations"
-6c. All one story, something about a "Dr. Tarr and Mr. Feather". A story about an asylum run by mental patients that mutanied. An attempt at dark humour by our captors?
-6d. Patient files: Detailed histories of the present patients and, from what could be told, multiple copies of them. Apparently, the doctors don't mind us knowing what they know. That or, as one speculated, they're trying to turn us against one another.
6d-2. Patient files: I did not recognize any of the people in the files as being those whom I had encountered. As far as I could tell, the files from before were gone.
7. The Chapel
It began as a seemingly normal place of worship and meditation that seemed tailored to cater to all. In the past... one-to-three weeks. It was gutted out, the pews were gone, and the pulpit was replaced by a slab that had shackles at the four corners at it. Judging by the incomprehensible symbols written on the wall in blood, it seems like the whole circumstance has a ritualistic bent to it. Also written on the wall in blood was the phrase,"Past, present, and future. All are one." In a nearly destroyed manuscript was found the words, "He knows the gate. He is the gate. He is the key and guardian of the gate." Written on the side of the slab in Arabic was the phrase, "the... abnormal ones... are coming"
8. Monsters
In the past few weeks, creatures that posed a threat and seemed to have little drive other than to attack appeared. They got stronger as time went by and, in some cases, were recognized by the people of the asylum. Were they brought here as 'patients' the same as the rest of us? Possibly didn't get through the screening process (if there is any) that the rest of us went through?
9. Weapons
I'm not sure if someone's on our side or if this was meant to be used by antagonists, but stores of weapons started to appear in places around the asylum that had previously been locked or, in the case of the shed, locked for short periods of time. Not good weapons: the ammo was low and most of the selection seemed meant for clumsy beating or hacking, but it kept the lot of us from dying (mostly).
10. Escape Attempts
-Picking the locks.
-Tunneling.
-Climbing the barrier.
-Flying through the top (there was something blocking it, a dome-like structure).
-Attempts at making explosives (a bust).
-Following the staff to see what 'exits' they use.
-Following the wiring of the PA system.
-Busting holes in the wall (they reportedly grew back up).
-The elevators: no one has found cracks in the elevators themselves and they've only gone from A-D as far as I've seen, but a basement button appeared over the last couple of weeks, then disappeared again. (When I tried it the one time it didn't work.)
A note: I'm starting to think that just because something hasn't worked in the past doesn't mean that it won't work in the future. This place is very much in flux and new weaknesses may open up. For instance: the appearance of a basement button is telling. Also, locked rooms that could not be cracked before have been found mysteriously unlocked/opened when changes in the asylum have taken place. I recommend exploring and trying things as often as possible: eventually, something may work.
11. The Doctors
Since I have been here, most people blame the happenings here on 'the doctors'. According to patient accounts they used to be a discernible presence, if not a visible one. They made announcements over the PA system and, during the Contamination/Abductions and one incident where Badou Nails spiked the coffee, showed signs of vulnerability. Since I have been here (roughly 9 months, as far as I can tell) there hasn't been a peep from the doctors. I would almost reason that they could have abandoned us to our fates or different wardens, save for one thing. There is one woman doctor with bolts in her head that moves among the patients. When questioned of her purpose and intent she has stated an "I just work here" sort of attitude, stating that she is only here for the welfare of the patients and that she knows nothing or can say nothing of the intent of those in charge. She takes liberties with her "treatments" and is not to be trusted. Attempts to capture and question her are likely to be stopped by the grunts (undead male orderlies) that she seems to have sway over.
-11a. Signs of the Doctors' (or some other observer's) Activities:
As mentioned before, our captors seem to have extensive files on our background. There was also a shred of paper found in an exam room that had been previously locked, but largely cleaned out. This is a transcription of what was left:
"Influx 4: 2nd 'day'
New subjects are experiencing usual shock and disbelief. Later integration expected for most. Data still being gathered on those who have been removed.
Behavior of established subjects is erratic. Some feel the need to quicken the integrations of the others, some feel the need to hinder it for their own gain and/or entertainment.
Necessary to confer with Analyst 0037 on the research for entra-"
Going Theories
People here are from various times and places. Different worlds altogether. This points to some sort of dimension traveling technology. (Or... hell, magic. It sounds stupid, but given the different sorts of origins and abilities people have, not to mention the evidence of occult rituals, I'm not ruling anything out.) It seems to be agreed upon that there is some sort of nexus at work: a dimensional jump point that allows travel. I'm starting to think that the "key to the gate" the person who "is and knows the gate" is, well, the key to this. But we have no indication who that may be.
--My additions have been hastily tacked on after a very trying few weeks. If I've forgotten anything, mention it to me.--