[Plot] [Sour Times] [End part one] Trials
Hey, guys. While some of you are unfortunately on hiatus, there should be plenty of time between now and the end for everyone to have a chance to participate. :) This is kind of long, but do read it all.
First of all: Please remember to friend mastermephisto as well as purgatory_voice if you haven't already.
Things are coming to a head within Purgatorium, as it were. All characters who are participating in this plot will wake tomorrow morning to realise that they're covered in sores and bruises; attempting to ease the pain of these wounds will only make it worse. They will also find themselves inexplicably drawn to the fortresses on the lower level.
The fortresses can now be entered. Instead of being sucked down into the sand, they will see a staircase; go right on down below the earth. Inside is a spinning labyrinth; the walls are made of clean, clear glass, though they cannot be shattered, nor can they be marked. There is a voice recorder in the open foyer before you enter the maze. The layout is shorter or longer depending on the sins of the character entering. For a character with all seven sins it will be laid out as follows; for one with less, omit irrelevant sins:
[Chamber 1] Limbo, so to speak; empty room with a terminal, has some basic supplies: Rope, bread, a small knife.
[Maze]
[Chamber] Greed
[Maze]
[Chamber] Gluttony
[Maze]
[Chamber] Wrath
[Maze]
[Chamber] Sloth
[Terminal] [Maze]
[Chamber] Envy
[Maze]
[Chamber] Lust
[Maze]
[Chamber] Pride
[Terminal] [Maze]
[Final chamber] More on this below.
The maze is fairly straightforward, but it's extremely easy to get discombobulated by the fact that the walls are clear. If you want your character to be part of a team going in (highly encouraged), which will consist of two or three people each and will be selected at random, comment (on this post!) to participate, you'll be assigned someone else who also commented on this post. Please include your screen name for IM programmes when commenting. Comments will be screened, so you won't know who you're going to get. You'll meet up with them in the first 'maze' part of the fortress. You can also go alone, in which case, indicate that... or just go ahead. (We'd like to keep track, though). It's also nice but not mandatory to note whether your character is going to be finishing or will be dying.
In each of the chambers is a purification trial. The trial begins by accepting one's sins; when you first enter the room, you will be quizzed by one of the Masters, who will insist that you may (indeed, must) go forward - under the condition of accepting your misdeeds and attempting to atone. They will also offer food and medical aid. If a character refuses, they'll be sent back to their home, with a memory lost as though they died and an excruciating sensation of burning that will not let up. They may also hear voices. To begin the trial, one must accept what they've done, and then the respective trial will begin. When a trial is successfully completed, a character will be able to walk to the end of the room and retrieve a small key from a hook, each set with a different stone. They will be then transported into the maze beyond the chamber they just finished; if they were with a partner who did not share the sin they had, they'll be reunited. You're free to log this out as you desire (We heavily encourage this), use AIM to log, or just to let it be implied; discuss it with your partner.
Trial guide.
Greed. Amethyst.
The chamber for Greed is quite small compared to later trials; the respective character will be forced to lie down on the ground while they're surrounded by all the things they loved in life, object-wise; only once they're able to lie still without flinching or reaching for these things will they be able to get up and retrieve the key.
Gluttony. Amber.
The chamber for Gluttony is long, and quite natural; it's decorated as a beautiful garden, with fruit trees and cool, sweet waters; gluttonous characters will be able to eat, but the fruit has an addictive quality; if they can manage to stop themselves before they've eaten to excess, they may move on.
Wrath. Garnet.
Another fairly small room, and filled with thick, acidic smoke; it burns one's eyes so badly they cannot see; they will hear and remember all of the injustices in their life that they reacted to with wrath; they will be impulsed to feel that wrath again. By having the force of will to calm the anger they once allowed to consume them, they may collect the next key.
Sloth. Sapphire.
Both for the lazy and the melancholy: Another long chamber. Entering this chamber, you will feel a compulsion to run and indeed must run, all around and around the chamber, pushing oneself even as you feel exhaustion and pain; falling will cause you to have to begin the trial over again until you've completely run the diameter of the room. A character that lied about their willingness to address their sins and participate in this trial will be unable to complete it and will eventually die. They will loose a memory and wake up in their beds the next morning.
Envy. Emerald.
A character in this trial will have their eyes sewn shut and will hear the mocking voices of those they considered to be better than them; by learning not to care and to hold themselves in their own esteem, they'll regain sight and be able to move on.
Lust. Ruby.
A bit more classic. This room is filled with walls of fire; entering it, a character will feel an overwhelming sense of lust in them - and an overwhelming pain in the same body parts. By forcing themselves to walk through the fire (which burns horribly, but also purifies), they'll be gradually lessened in this desire and pain until they're no longer lustful.
Pride. Opal.
Also difficult and long. Characters will be tethered to large stones, which they'll be forced to drag behind them; if they begin to think that they're 'too good' for what they're being forced to do or don't deserve what they've been blighted with, the stones will grow heavier; if they realise what they've done and why, the stones will grow lighter, and they'll eventually come loose as they reach the other end of the chamber.
Final Chamber - Paradise foyer. Diamond.
This room is beautiful and high-ceilinged; it sparkles with light and sunshine, and there is a pedestal in the centre with a key on it; a staircase leads down on the other wise. They will hear the following upon lifting the key:
'You are here because your world had no afterlife of its own that was meant for you;
You were a sinner, and impure;
You are now purified and may go on to a better place;
Very soon, the doors will open for you.
Will you go on to somewhere better, alone, or will you stay here, in spite of hardship?'
A woman with dark hair and skintone identical to the one viewing her will come forward, then; she's wearing a white dress and a red cloak similar to the Mephisto. Smiling, she'll beckon a character to come with her down the staircase; as they do, they'll realise that everything is growing darker until they take a step forward and find themselves on the stairs of the place they've been living within Purgatorium. They'll have the key in their hand; they may begin to search for the hole is belongs to, but it hasn't appeared yet. Attempts to show others who have not completed the trials the object in their hand will fail. Characters who have completed the trials will feel very light, very free, and very restless.
The world has yet more to show all of its residents.
The entire trial should take about four days to complete, for a character with seven sins; there are several terminals inside the trials with which they'll be able to post, but any attempt to indicate where, exactly, they are will result in malfunction. For each sin less than this, subtract half of a half day (twelve hours). It may take longer, depending on a character's petulance. If a character is stuck in a trial for more than fourteen hours, they will die and lose a memory. Please keep this in mind when participating if a character is likely not to make a real attempt to atone. They will also be stricken with, aside from aforementioned burning sensation, the Mephisto effects of their respective sins and will have the word 'unrepentant' written across their forehead.
For everyone, it's raining again, quite furiously; on the top level, the soil is turning into a reddish muck. There's no thunder, but there may be sleet and hail; watch for falling chunks of ice (ouch).
The aforementioned children, who are a creation of Purgatorium and are called Masters, are now roaming around with the same frequency of occurrence as the Mephisto. When first spotted, they will appear as they did before (e.g., children with the same hair and eyes as the viewer) before transforming into a childish version of the victim of a character's Sins, at which point they disappear and leave behind a faint smell of rot.
There are also small earthquakes in increasing frequency; you may also hear a whisper from under the ground, though you cannot make out what it says.
Simultaneously, it's possible to spy the Goddess Hera herself sitting on the top of the clock tower; as you might have noticed, she's been quite silent, something that isn't about to change. She has an ethereal bearing, a heavy build, draping robes, and a long veiling; she's holding a sceptre. Looking upon her, she will unmistakably be the new watcher of Purgatorium, even if a character would not recognise a representation of Hera. She will not react to anything; she will simply gaze down on the world with a displeased expression.
You're free to begin however you'd like after Midnight, Central Time. Any and all questions should be directed to whomever is around at the time; all feedback is more than welcomed. Thanks a lot, guys!
Once you've been paired up, the memberlist is here for reference.
First of all: Please remember to friend mastermephisto as well as purgatory_voice if you haven't already.
Things are coming to a head within Purgatorium, as it were. All characters who are participating in this plot will wake tomorrow morning to realise that they're covered in sores and bruises; attempting to ease the pain of these wounds will only make it worse. They will also find themselves inexplicably drawn to the fortresses on the lower level.
The fortresses can now be entered. Instead of being sucked down into the sand, they will see a staircase; go right on down below the earth. Inside is a spinning labyrinth; the walls are made of clean, clear glass, though they cannot be shattered, nor can they be marked. There is a voice recorder in the open foyer before you enter the maze. The layout is shorter or longer depending on the sins of the character entering. For a character with all seven sins it will be laid out as follows; for one with less, omit irrelevant sins:
[Chamber 1] Limbo, so to speak; empty room with a terminal, has some basic supplies: Rope, bread, a small knife.
[Maze]
[Chamber] Greed
[Maze]
[Chamber] Gluttony
[Maze]
[Chamber] Wrath
[Maze]
[Chamber] Sloth
[Terminal] [Maze]
[Chamber] Envy
[Maze]
[Chamber] Lust
[Maze]
[Chamber] Pride
[Terminal] [Maze]
[Final chamber] More on this below.
The maze is fairly straightforward, but it's extremely easy to get discombobulated by the fact that the walls are clear. If you want your character to be part of a team going in (highly encouraged), which will consist of two or three people each and will be selected at random, comment (on this post!) to participate, you'll be assigned someone else who also commented on this post. Please include your screen name for IM programmes when commenting. Comments will be screened, so you won't know who you're going to get. You'll meet up with them in the first 'maze' part of the fortress. You can also go alone, in which case, indicate that... or just go ahead. (We'd like to keep track, though). It's also nice but not mandatory to note whether your character is going to be finishing or will be dying.
In each of the chambers is a purification trial. The trial begins by accepting one's sins; when you first enter the room, you will be quizzed by one of the Masters, who will insist that you may (indeed, must) go forward - under the condition of accepting your misdeeds and attempting to atone. They will also offer food and medical aid. If a character refuses, they'll be sent back to their home, with a memory lost as though they died and an excruciating sensation of burning that will not let up. They may also hear voices. To begin the trial, one must accept what they've done, and then the respective trial will begin. When a trial is successfully completed, a character will be able to walk to the end of the room and retrieve a small key from a hook, each set with a different stone. They will be then transported into the maze beyond the chamber they just finished; if they were with a partner who did not share the sin they had, they'll be reunited. You're free to log this out as you desire (We heavily encourage this), use AIM to log, or just to let it be implied; discuss it with your partner.
Trial guide.
Greed. Amethyst.
The chamber for Greed is quite small compared to later trials; the respective character will be forced to lie down on the ground while they're surrounded by all the things they loved in life, object-wise; only once they're able to lie still without flinching or reaching for these things will they be able to get up and retrieve the key.
Gluttony. Amber.
The chamber for Gluttony is long, and quite natural; it's decorated as a beautiful garden, with fruit trees and cool, sweet waters; gluttonous characters will be able to eat, but the fruit has an addictive quality; if they can manage to stop themselves before they've eaten to excess, they may move on.
Wrath. Garnet.
Another fairly small room, and filled with thick, acidic smoke; it burns one's eyes so badly they cannot see; they will hear and remember all of the injustices in their life that they reacted to with wrath; they will be impulsed to feel that wrath again. By having the force of will to calm the anger they once allowed to consume them, they may collect the next key.
Sloth. Sapphire.
Both for the lazy and the melancholy: Another long chamber. Entering this chamber, you will feel a compulsion to run and indeed must run, all around and around the chamber, pushing oneself even as you feel exhaustion and pain; falling will cause you to have to begin the trial over again until you've completely run the diameter of the room. A character that lied about their willingness to address their sins and participate in this trial will be unable to complete it and will eventually die. They will loose a memory and wake up in their beds the next morning.
Envy. Emerald.
A character in this trial will have their eyes sewn shut and will hear the mocking voices of those they considered to be better than them; by learning not to care and to hold themselves in their own esteem, they'll regain sight and be able to move on.
Lust. Ruby.
A bit more classic. This room is filled with walls of fire; entering it, a character will feel an overwhelming sense of lust in them - and an overwhelming pain in the same body parts. By forcing themselves to walk through the fire (which burns horribly, but also purifies), they'll be gradually lessened in this desire and pain until they're no longer lustful.
Pride. Opal.
Also difficult and long. Characters will be tethered to large stones, which they'll be forced to drag behind them; if they begin to think that they're 'too good' for what they're being forced to do or don't deserve what they've been blighted with, the stones will grow heavier; if they realise what they've done and why, the stones will grow lighter, and they'll eventually come loose as they reach the other end of the chamber.
Final Chamber - Paradise foyer. Diamond.
This room is beautiful and high-ceilinged; it sparkles with light and sunshine, and there is a pedestal in the centre with a key on it; a staircase leads down on the other wise. They will hear the following upon lifting the key:
'You are here because your world had no afterlife of its own that was meant for you;
You were a sinner, and impure;
You are now purified and may go on to a better place;
Very soon, the doors will open for you.
Will you go on to somewhere better, alone, or will you stay here, in spite of hardship?'
A woman with dark hair and skintone identical to the one viewing her will come forward, then; she's wearing a white dress and a red cloak similar to the Mephisto. Smiling, she'll beckon a character to come with her down the staircase; as they do, they'll realise that everything is growing darker until they take a step forward and find themselves on the stairs of the place they've been living within Purgatorium. They'll have the key in their hand; they may begin to search for the hole is belongs to, but it hasn't appeared yet. Attempts to show others who have not completed the trials the object in their hand will fail. Characters who have completed the trials will feel very light, very free, and very restless.
The world has yet more to show all of its residents.
The entire trial should take about four days to complete, for a character with seven sins; there are several terminals inside the trials with which they'll be able to post, but any attempt to indicate where, exactly, they are will result in malfunction. For each sin less than this, subtract half of a half day (twelve hours). It may take longer, depending on a character's petulance. If a character is stuck in a trial for more than fourteen hours, they will die and lose a memory. Please keep this in mind when participating if a character is likely not to make a real attempt to atone. They will also be stricken with, aside from aforementioned burning sensation, the Mephisto effects of their respective sins and will have the word 'unrepentant' written across their forehead.
For everyone, it's raining again, quite furiously; on the top level, the soil is turning into a reddish muck. There's no thunder, but there may be sleet and hail; watch for falling chunks of ice (ouch).
The aforementioned children, who are a creation of Purgatorium and are called Masters, are now roaming around with the same frequency of occurrence as the Mephisto. When first spotted, they will appear as they did before (e.g., children with the same hair and eyes as the viewer) before transforming into a childish version of the victim of a character's Sins, at which point they disappear and leave behind a faint smell of rot.
There are also small earthquakes in increasing frequency; you may also hear a whisper from under the ground, though you cannot make out what it says.
Simultaneously, it's possible to spy the Goddess Hera herself sitting on the top of the clock tower; as you might have noticed, she's been quite silent, something that isn't about to change. She has an ethereal bearing, a heavy build, draping robes, and a long veiling; she's holding a sceptre. Looking upon her, she will unmistakably be the new watcher of Purgatorium, even if a character would not recognise a representation of Hera. She will not react to anything; she will simply gaze down on the world with a displeased expression.
You're free to begin however you'd like after Midnight, Central Time. Any and all questions should be directed to whomever is around at the time; all feedback is more than welcomed. Thanks a lot, guys!
Once you've been paired up, the memberlist is here for reference.