WELCOME

[umbralant]

Welcome

locations

rooming

Good morning.

Or perhaps it might be more appropriate to say good evening instead, considering how it is moonlight that will rouse you into consciousness. And what a bright moon it is, half-full and clear without contest in the sky as it outshines the stars and galaxies in the backdrop. But it’s all the better to emphasize that the buildings that speckle the landscape before you are all completely devoid of any light. And by the way—do you always sleep outside?

The lack of light can be something to deal with later though, at least when you've properly gotten up from the cold, unyielding stone below you. And that chill down your spine—no doubt that probably has something to do with combination of cool temperatures and poor sleeping conditions, but it’s odd how it seems to linger.

Checking your person for any items that should be in your possession yields disappointing results, but it seems you're not empty handed (or pocketed) because you are now the proud owner of one (1) small bundle of black cloth. Unwrapping it reveals a key imprinted with a roman numeral, along with a simple note.

“Come at 6PM to the place circled on this map:”

“Don’t be tardy, dear Survivors, that’d be a bad first impression. If you don’t want your stay here to be more unpleasant than it’ll already be, you’ll want to avoid seeming careless or disrespectful. You’ll want to listen to my opening speech~!”

Finally, after an empty space that may be simulating an intense pause, there’s one last line:

“I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll say it straight: if you don’t come, you’re as good as dead.”

The news likely isn't welcome, but it's a start. And it seems you're not alone in your plight, though whether company is within arm's length or a stone’s throw away is up to fortune’s whims. For now, you're free to explore the town square and the surrounding areas as best you can in the dim light.

For some reason or another, Krakow, Poland is now your new home. That much is clear from the sign posts that you can inexplicably read, as red and white flag posts with "Święto Niepodległości" flutter lightly in the wind. While the storefronts are dark, the street lamps that scatter the town provide some measure of light, providing some solace against the layer of fog that's begun to creep in.

( OOC: Welcome to Antumbra! This intro log occurs ICly Sunday. Your MM's will be around at 6pm EST to hear your complaints. )

navigation

profiles

rules

locations

shop

location changes

full navigation

Comments

MASTERMIND ARRIVAL 1/2

[umbralant]

[At 6:00 PM, the already dark lobby gets darker. Any candles anyone may be holding goes off, and it feels like something thick -- curtains, perhaps -- have covered any windows that may let any moonlight in. Slowly, a strange buzzing fills the air, the buzzing of something a few people here may recognize: electricity.

One, two, three spotlights set on strategic places of the lobby turn on. The spotlights all aim at a spot on the wall, a spot that was empty just a moment ago. Where before there was only elegant wallpaper, now there's two people: a woman and a man.

The man stays on the background, smiling enigmatically. He's tall, with short unruly, toffee-colored hair, and copper-horned glasses that give him some air of elegance. His attire, a slate colored sport coat with a canary yellow button up underneath paired with black slacks is a mix between business professional with a touch of way too damn bright.
The woman steps forward, grinning so widely, like she's having the time of her life. On her face there's a mask, covering one eye with a thick lens. The other eye, green and bright, looks at everyone with mirth. Her long blonde hair is almost as unruly as the man's, and she's dressed in yellow and golden like she's ready for the opera.]

2/2

[soulspice]

Good evening, darlings! I have a lot to do tonight, so let's try to get this done quickly, shall we?

You may call me the Lady. The handsome man behind me is my assistant and bodyguard. [She raises a hand and starts counting with her fingers with every sentence she says:] Yes, I'm the one who brought you here. Yes, I'm the one who took away your powers. And yes, I'm the one who decides when you're leaving -- if you're leaving.

[She raises her other hand and starts counting with that one instead:]

No, you can't leave and there's no way out. No, I didn't take anyone else you know. And no, you cannot convince me to let you go.

[She lets her hands down]

And I do suggest you listen, or it will be troublesome for both of us. It is a pleasure to formally meet everyone, at least for me. I am 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐣𝐞𝐫." [His smile is almost apologetic, but not quite.

The Lady relaxes, turning serious immediately]

Now that I have covered the usual boring questions, how about you ask me the truly important questions?

[ordealia]

The most important question I can think of is why. Why us, first of all?

[soulspice]

Because you're the survivors. You should be proud of yourselves.

[The Lady says that as if it's the most obvious thing ever]

[drydrown]

If we're going to be staying here indefinitely, the living quarters are absolutely dismal.

[...no there isn't a question there

he just thought you might like to know they're a bit shit]

[dominioned]

Oh, we know. [ Complaint acknowledged with a smile! ]

[soulspice]

I'm sorry, there's only one castle and it's already taken. A woman and her possessions need the best accomodations they can get -- and also Rembrandt needs some space, so he took what little castle was left.

[They both can be little shits, this smug woman is insufferable, and Rembrandt isn't any better]

[moonfang]

[Zangetsu stands at the back of the lobby, leaned against a wall, taking it all in. Whoever this woman is, she must be powerful to have stolen him from Ichigo and sealed his power.

He raises his hand like a kid in school]

"Rembrandt"? Like, the painter?

[dominioned]

Indeed. But not the one and only, as it were. [ A slight shrug. ]

[baitless]

...how did you accomplish all of this?

[he suspects he won’t get an answer but he might as well!]

[soulspice]

With several weeks of preparation and the right amount of skill. Rembrandt being a savant at logistics helped a lot too.

[That's so vague, it's like she's hoping for Setheth to ask more about it]

[inordertobelieve]

Then, what is the purpose of all of this? I doubt people like you would find themselves happy with just watching us mill about.

[ 'People like you' is stated with the utmost disgust, even if he's seriously trying to be civil for the sake of argument. ]

[dominioned]

"People like us"? Whatever are you implying, prosecutor?

[soulspice]

My, someone is going for the big question. I was counting on you, Teru Mikami.

[The Lady raises her hands]

I'm aware this will sound dramatic, but what I want...is your lives! But us taking your lives right away is not going to work. Believe me, if it was that easy, you wouldn't be standing there right now.

So instead, I have engineered the setting for you all to take each other's lives. Don't worry, I'll make it worth your time...

[Her voice trails off, like she expects and wants everyone to ask for further details about her plans]

[psychophant]

...Why are we calling you "the Lady" and him by name?

[#priorities]

[soulspice]

Because I like having titles. It makes me sound rather important, doesn't it?

[She smiles with the kind of smile someone with a big ego has]

[dominioned]

[ Gestures at everything the Lady has said with a shake of his head. ]

I'm afraid I got no choice in the matter, given she is my Boss. [ Honestly it sounds like he agrees with Iago here. ]

[pr159]

[ Rideaux glances in the direction of the man when he gives his name, though not because he's ever heard of the painter...

But then he turns back to the Lady. It's not like there are many things that don't leave a sour taste in his mouth, but this sounds a little too much like the Great Spirits subjecting humanity to their bullshit games again, which is an especially sore subject right now. ]

What are you expecting us to do while we're here? Don't tell me you're just going to choose who stays and who goes according to your whims.

[reanbeans]

[ He'll step forward, expression set, serious and calm. ]

...And how exactly would you go about deciding 'when' or 'if' we're leaving, assuming we're going to just play along with all of this?

[ Which he'd like to say they don't, but he knew he can't speak for everyone here. ]

[galrarm]

I'm curious about how you brought us here.

[notbymyside]

[Honestly, most of the questions he has have been asked by other people, so he's gotten the answers he needs by just listening. There is one that hasn't been touched on yet, which is why he'll speak up after a little bit:]

Why take our powers?

[He's not going to bother asking 'how', such a thing is possible even in his world.]

[tokihanate]

[ Hyoubu's in the back of the group, arms crossed and one hand to his jaw. His first observance is that even though people back home call him "chuuni" these bunch seem way more that than he is. Second, this just seemed like familiar villain babble. He was prepared to be angry that his powers are gone (okay, he was still angry about that) and to scoff at "good as dead" from earlier (what kind of threat is that to someone like him?). "Survivors" was a worrying title. But who knows if these people were actually telling the truth.

In all likelihood, they were mostly playing with them. Because of Whatever. ]

Hm.

[apothecares]

[Really, the thing that startles Alfyn the most at first is the brief hum and flash of the lights. He's seen plenty of electric magic, but candles and lanterns are the only ways people really see in the dark. Once he adjusts after a moment, with plans to ask someone else about that, he really settles into listening to the Lady.]

If we can't 'convince' you, is there another way we could get you to send us home?

[He's thinking trades, bartering his apothecary skills to earn people safe passage, or even some other labor. He's no stranger to hard work.]

[contrabandit]

Yes, hello, me. [ if anyone is in front of him, he rudely pushes them out of the way. mhmm, excuse you. ] I have some very important questions.

So you [ he points at her ] kidnapped me, probably through illegal and seductive means because I can tell you are a very foxy woman and foxy women are undeniably attractive to all. And you're the one who sent the note about meeting here at some random time - because every dramatic villain has to have clandestine meetings at 9 or 6 or 12, I've seen it in the movies. But don't you think your timing is rather awful?

[bawcock]

[ Truly important questions, huh? There's more than a few on his mind—but he's not about to open his mouth when everyone else is so willing to step up to the plate. There are times to ask questions and times to sit and listen. Sometimes, doing the latter can tell you more than the former. This is definitely one of those cases, at least for him. So he listens, and frankly? He doesn't like what he's hearing.

Eventually, after a lot of frowning in the back, he slinks out when the meet and greet seems over. ]