Encounterlogs
Ashs Odd Encounter Sr Lucas 240927
In the sterile, underwhelming environment of a hospital room, Ash finds their monotony interrupted by the appearance of a mysterious black cat, introducing itself as Acheta. With a surreal twist, the cat seems to effortlessly heal Ash's physical ailments, inviting them on an enigmatic venture with a proposition that hints at danger and necessity intertwined. Despite reservations, driven by curiosity and a sense of urgency imparted by Acheta, Ash agrees to follow, navigating through the hospital's labyrinthine underbelly and into the city's shadowy veins. This peculiar guide leads Ash to the brink of a covert gathering deep within the city's underpinnings, where a sinister chant in a dead language hints at an impending doom—the summoning of a powerful demon known as The Harbinger.
As they edge closer, the gravity of the situation unfolds; The Sapphire Martyrs are in the throes of unleashing a force that could spell the end for the world. Acheta's voice, now a presence in Ash's head, conveys the direness of their intent, spurring Ash into a silent resolve. With no power of their own to intervene, Ash acknowledges the weight of their newfound knowledge; the onus is on them to alert those with the capability to thwart this catastrophic plan. The journey back to the hospital room is a mirror of their descent, marked by urgency and a dread-laden purpose. Upon returning, Ash's temporary reprieve from pain is cruelly rescinded, leaving them to grapple with both their physical wounds and the heavy responsibility entrusted to them by Acheta. The enigmatic cat vanishes as mysteriously as it appeared, leaving Ash with a clear directive: prevent the rise of The Harbinger, or face the dire consequences.
(Ash's odd encounter(SRLucas):SRLucas)
[Thu Sep 26 2024]
In hospital room 2
This room is sparsely furnished, the sanitary white walls a perfect match
to the linoleum floor and the thin hospital sheets on the gurney that serves
as a bed. A small television mounted in the upper corner of the room is set
at a low volume, and a thin curtain bisects the room in an effort to afford
privacy to the occupant on the other side.
It is night, about 71F(21C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
(The characters stumble upon a secret meeting of The Sapphire Martyrs in the catacombs beneath the town's cemetery. They overhear a chilling plan to unleash a powerful demon known only as The Harbinger, which they believe will speed up the destruction of Earth. The characters are then faced with a choice: intervene and try to stop the summoning, or silently retreat and try to gather more allies or information to fight this menace. Their decision could mean the difference between life and death, not only for them, but for the entire world.)
Ash is lying alone in their hospital bed, looking bored and a bit tired. They have a black haired young woman asleep in a chair next to them, but essentially, they are alone. They have something like a cast about their ribs, and they look pretty bed-bound. Humanity is not doing well for them.
Flickering, dingy lighting permeates the room as it does the hallways and most of the other places in the Institute. A sterile environment that somehow manages to feel under-kept and barely maintained on the surface. As Ash lies in their hospital bed in pain, something catches their eye. Sitting at the door to their hospital room, a black cat. Was the door closed before? It isn't now, and the cat is smooth and inky black, eyes too-bright and a strangely vibrant emerald or jade green. Those large feline eyes stare directly at Ash tail swishing idly behind it until it curls up around their feet into a statue of stillness.
Ash looks over the cat with curiosity, asking, "Oh? You're a new cat. Are you a cat? Come to visit me?"
"No. And yes." This voice comes not from the cat's mouth like some Salem-esque illusion it just comes. It's not in Ash's head either because it doesn't have that sound of coming from within their own skull. The voice is sonorous, deep and almost bass-like. "And to help you, perhaps." A swish of the tail comes as the animal stands slowly and stretches itself out. The tail's motion has the side-effect however of vanishing the bandages and wrappings about Ash The pain for the time being has vanished along with it, leaving them feeling (or thinkg they feel) healthy, hale, and whole. "If you are foolish enough and wise enough to accept it. I am Acheta." The name is very simple, and there is no fanfare. Whatever this being is, it seems it doesn't have much time for pagentry.
Ash sits up slowly, testing, bending and running their fingers over their ribs, to test it out. Though they weren't in too much pain, with their medication, part of that was due to them choosing not to move much, or otherwise exacerbate the injury. So, to be able to move freely without inviting pain is certainly a gift... or so it seems.
Before rising off of their bed, they ask someone cautiously, "What makes it foolish? What makes it wise?" They look over the cat with their hazel eyes, observing carefully. Given the Cleanse happening, turning all supernatural people human, it's not surprising that they would treat such an event with suspicion. They even glance around, just to be sure that they're not actually in the nightmare, instead.
Ash sits up slowly, testing, bending and running their fingers over their ribs, to test it out. Though they weren't in too much pain, with their medication, part of that was due to them choosing not to move much, or otherwise exacerbate the injury. So, to be able to move freely without inviting pain is certainly a gift... or so it seems.
Before rising off of their bed, they ask Acheta cautiously, "What makes it foolish? What makes it wise?" They look over the cat with their hazel eyes, observing carefully. Given the Cleanse happening, turning all supernatural people human, it's not surprising that they would treat such an event with suspicion. They even glance around, just to be sure that they're not actually in the nightmare, instead.
A small purring sound comes from the chest of the feline as Acheta hops up to the foot of the bed to find easier eye contact with Ash. "Such things are far beneath me" comes that sonorous voice. Is he responding to their thoughts? "Foolish because help is never free. Wise because time is very short. And so. Are you coming?" That voice doesn't boom but it tones like a deep bell. "Something stirs, and you should know what it is." Then the animal is jumping off of the bed to head back toward the door of the hospital room.m
Ash seems confused, wondering *what* was beneath him? But, they don't ask that, letting the cat assume whatever it likes. They stand up, drawling, "I doubt I could really call it help... you say that time is short, and you came for me. You need help, and you found someone in pain who you offer something to." They shrug, though, unconcerned. "However, that doesn't mean that I won't help." They follow cautiously, curiosity overcoming suspicion, though both still very much exist here.
Letting Ash think as they may, this cat turns and begins leading them down the hallways. Through the twists and turns of the Institute, Acheta leads the injured person deeper and deeper into the complex and eventually down some stairs that lead into the basement. Not to the creepier parts of the basement in truth down here no, but through more tunnels and soon it's clear that they've likely crossed over into the main of the city's sewer or tunnel system beneath the streets. It's a quiet time they spend traveling through these tunnels before the voice from nowhere speaks again. "You will see, soon. But hush now, and step quietly." The cat moves as silent as one might expect, and as Ash follows they'll come to a bend around one of the tunnel lines, and then there it is: An opening that leads into a larger chamber-like room up ahead. The faint glow of candlelight can be seen. The murmur of voices can be heard.
Ash hadn't said a word since the cat started leading them, and they seem a little annoyed. They're not particularly silent, but there's a benefit to being almost naked, in naught but a hospital gown - not even shoes to make noise. They also have an acrobatic grace most naturally in their body that keeps their steps sure and quick. A dancer does not translate directly to stealth, but it *does* mean a sureness of step, at least. They stop before they can get close to the candlelight, listening.
Moving forward with more caution now, Ash and the feline companion that accompanies them move forward more stealthily, more carefully. The voices become more clear but it also becomes clear they are not speaking English but rather in some high chant. Latin or some other dead language, it sounds like to them. The voice that's been associated with the cat does come inside Ash's head now. "They chant for the Harbinger of -" Whatever name Acheta says next seems to distance itself from the speech, scrubbing itself from Ash's hearing. "These followers are trying to help them cross over to this world. Their power comes from a place where All is Nothing. Do you understand?" The voice sounds urgent, as if its time is running out.
Ash nods to the cat, in understanding, not willing to speak out loud. They can't do anything to stop these people - not while human - but they can inform people of where this is... it is said that rituals still work in the cleanse, so maybe they can inform someone who is not as... weak as they are right now. who can cast something that can stop these people.
And just like that, the pair are quickly retreating and then moving away. It's an equally silent trip that takes them in reverse. Back through the tunnels and around twisting bends and hallways that stretch out beneath the city and then eventually back into the more unfinished stone tunnels that represent those piece of the Institute left unfinished or never begun. Through more dingy lighting and linolium-tiled hallways and eventually they will find themselves back into Ash's hospital room. Before they can do much, Ash finds themselve suddenly back in their bed. What pain there was returns and the bandages and cast have returned as well. "This you will remember. The Harbinger of -" that names seems to disguise itself again, "will wreak havoc if allowed to rise. You must do what you can to prevent it." Ash seems woozy a little bit, and that's when they realize that they haven't really been feeling better at all. All that walking kicks in and their midsection alights with fresh pain. And the cat is gone.
OOC: Thank you! If you need a teleport let me know.
As they edge closer, the gravity of the situation unfolds; The Sapphire Martyrs are in the throes of unleashing a force that could spell the end for the world. Acheta's voice, now a presence in Ash's head, conveys the direness of their intent, spurring Ash into a silent resolve. With no power of their own to intervene, Ash acknowledges the weight of their newfound knowledge; the onus is on them to alert those with the capability to thwart this catastrophic plan. The journey back to the hospital room is a mirror of their descent, marked by urgency and a dread-laden purpose. Upon returning, Ash's temporary reprieve from pain is cruelly rescinded, leaving them to grapple with both their physical wounds and the heavy responsibility entrusted to them by Acheta. The enigmatic cat vanishes as mysteriously as it appeared, leaving Ash with a clear directive: prevent the rise of The Harbinger, or face the dire consequences.
(Ash's odd encounter(SRLucas):SRLucas)
[Thu Sep 26 2024]
In hospital room 2
This room is sparsely furnished, the sanitary white walls a perfect match
to the linoleum floor and the thin hospital sheets on the gurney that serves
as a bed. A small television mounted in the upper corner of the room is set
at a low volume, and a thin curtain bisects the room in an effort to afford
privacy to the occupant on the other side.
It is night, about 71F(21C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
(The characters stumble upon a secret meeting of The Sapphire Martyrs in the catacombs beneath the town's cemetery. They overhear a chilling plan to unleash a powerful demon known only as The Harbinger, which they believe will speed up the destruction of Earth. The characters are then faced with a choice: intervene and try to stop the summoning, or silently retreat and try to gather more allies or information to fight this menace. Their decision could mean the difference between life and death, not only for them, but for the entire world.)
Ash is lying alone in their hospital bed, looking bored and a bit tired. They have a black haired young woman asleep in a chair next to them, but essentially, they are alone. They have something like a cast about their ribs, and they look pretty bed-bound. Humanity is not doing well for them.
Flickering, dingy lighting permeates the room as it does the hallways and most of the other places in the Institute. A sterile environment that somehow manages to feel under-kept and barely maintained on the surface. As Ash lies in their hospital bed in pain, something catches their eye. Sitting at the door to their hospital room, a black cat. Was the door closed before? It isn't now, and the cat is smooth and inky black, eyes too-bright and a strangely vibrant emerald or jade green. Those large feline eyes stare directly at Ash tail swishing idly behind it until it curls up around their feet into a statue of stillness.
Ash looks over the cat with curiosity, asking, "Oh? You're a new cat. Are you a cat? Come to visit me?"
"No. And yes." This voice comes not from the cat's mouth like some Salem-esque illusion it just comes. It's not in Ash's head either because it doesn't have that sound of coming from within their own skull. The voice is sonorous, deep and almost bass-like. "And to help you, perhaps." A swish of the tail comes as the animal stands slowly and stretches itself out. The tail's motion has the side-effect however of vanishing the bandages and wrappings about Ash The pain for the time being has vanished along with it, leaving them feeling (or thinkg they feel) healthy, hale, and whole. "If you are foolish enough and wise enough to accept it. I am Acheta." The name is very simple, and there is no fanfare. Whatever this being is, it seems it doesn't have much time for pagentry.
Ash sits up slowly, testing, bending and running their fingers over their ribs, to test it out. Though they weren't in too much pain, with their medication, part of that was due to them choosing not to move much, or otherwise exacerbate the injury. So, to be able to move freely without inviting pain is certainly a gift... or so it seems.
Before rising off of their bed, they ask someone cautiously, "What makes it foolish? What makes it wise?" They look over the cat with their hazel eyes, observing carefully. Given the Cleanse happening, turning all supernatural people human, it's not surprising that they would treat such an event with suspicion. They even glance around, just to be sure that they're not actually in the nightmare, instead.
Ash sits up slowly, testing, bending and running their fingers over their ribs, to test it out. Though they weren't in too much pain, with their medication, part of that was due to them choosing not to move much, or otherwise exacerbate the injury. So, to be able to move freely without inviting pain is certainly a gift... or so it seems.
Before rising off of their bed, they ask Acheta cautiously, "What makes it foolish? What makes it wise?" They look over the cat with their hazel eyes, observing carefully. Given the Cleanse happening, turning all supernatural people human, it's not surprising that they would treat such an event with suspicion. They even glance around, just to be sure that they're not actually in the nightmare, instead.
A small purring sound comes from the chest of the feline as Acheta hops up to the foot of the bed to find easier eye contact with Ash. "Such things are far beneath me" comes that sonorous voice. Is he responding to their thoughts? "Foolish because help is never free. Wise because time is very short. And so. Are you coming?" That voice doesn't boom but it tones like a deep bell. "Something stirs, and you should know what it is." Then the animal is jumping off of the bed to head back toward the door of the hospital room.m
Ash seems confused, wondering *what* was beneath him? But, they don't ask that, letting the cat assume whatever it likes. They stand up, drawling, "I doubt I could really call it help... you say that time is short, and you came for me. You need help, and you found someone in pain who you offer something to." They shrug, though, unconcerned. "However, that doesn't mean that I won't help." They follow cautiously, curiosity overcoming suspicion, though both still very much exist here.
Letting Ash think as they may, this cat turns and begins leading them down the hallways. Through the twists and turns of the Institute, Acheta leads the injured person deeper and deeper into the complex and eventually down some stairs that lead into the basement. Not to the creepier parts of the basement in truth down here no, but through more tunnels and soon it's clear that they've likely crossed over into the main of the city's sewer or tunnel system beneath the streets. It's a quiet time they spend traveling through these tunnels before the voice from nowhere speaks again. "You will see, soon. But hush now, and step quietly." The cat moves as silent as one might expect, and as Ash follows they'll come to a bend around one of the tunnel lines, and then there it is: An opening that leads into a larger chamber-like room up ahead. The faint glow of candlelight can be seen. The murmur of voices can be heard.
Ash hadn't said a word since the cat started leading them, and they seem a little annoyed. They're not particularly silent, but there's a benefit to being almost naked, in naught but a hospital gown - not even shoes to make noise. They also have an acrobatic grace most naturally in their body that keeps their steps sure and quick. A dancer does not translate directly to stealth, but it *does* mean a sureness of step, at least. They stop before they can get close to the candlelight, listening.
Moving forward with more caution now, Ash and the feline companion that accompanies them move forward more stealthily, more carefully. The voices become more clear but it also becomes clear they are not speaking English but rather in some high chant. Latin or some other dead language, it sounds like to them. The voice that's been associated with the cat does come inside Ash's head now. "They chant for the Harbinger of -" Whatever name Acheta says next seems to distance itself from the speech, scrubbing itself from Ash's hearing. "These followers are trying to help them cross over to this world. Their power comes from a place where All is Nothing. Do you understand?" The voice sounds urgent, as if its time is running out.
Ash nods to the cat, in understanding, not willing to speak out loud. They can't do anything to stop these people - not while human - but they can inform people of where this is... it is said that rituals still work in the cleanse, so maybe they can inform someone who is not as... weak as they are right now. who can cast something that can stop these people.
And just like that, the pair are quickly retreating and then moving away. It's an equally silent trip that takes them in reverse. Back through the tunnels and around twisting bends and hallways that stretch out beneath the city and then eventually back into the more unfinished stone tunnels that represent those piece of the Institute left unfinished or never begun. Through more dingy lighting and linolium-tiled hallways and eventually they will find themselves back into Ash's hospital room. Before they can do much, Ash finds themselve suddenly back in their bed. What pain there was returns and the bandages and cast have returned as well. "This you will remember. The Harbinger of -" that names seems to disguise itself again, "will wreak havoc if allowed to rise. You must do what you can to prevent it." Ash seems woozy a little bit, and that's when they realize that they haven't really been feeling better at all. All that walking kicks in and their midsection alights with fresh pain. And the cat is gone.
OOC: Thank you! If you need a teleport let me know.