a clandestine meeting; Backdated to Friday 26th of April

[thalassino]

[It has been a bit of a wait, the kind of wait that feels days longer than it is in reality, but Friday evening has arrived at last. It is a rather busy night, all in all.

First off, at quarter to ten while people are still gathering in the storage building, an explosion shatters the peace on the other side of the island. That scenic light house? Gone. The culprit? Unknown. Luckily, with how big the island is, the explosion is hardly noticeable in the village. There's a momentary shaking of the ground and smoke on the horizon, but beyond that little happens.

Station Master does not seem to notice or care about the short shaking of the ground, instead continuing to welcome people inside the building, occasionally making sure that nobody brought along their SFC. Inside the building is rather plain. Most of the items inside of it have been moved and put in other storage buildings. Some crates remain, mostly stacked along the walls, giving a seat to those that want or need it.

There are a couple things that stand out. The first are four tall devices in each corner of the room, glowing faintly. If anyone tries to come close to them and touch them, they are shied away by Station Master along with a promise that he will explain the devices once everybody is present. The other is a woman sitting on one of the crates. Some might recognize her as the one who had been cast in the role of the Cleric during one of the previous curses. For now, she does not engage anyone, simply sitting there silently, her fingers tracing over the mark on her wrist.

Once 10 pm rolls around (with a few extra minutes bumper time in case of stragglers), Station Master makes his way to the center of the room where he can easily be viewed and heard by all of those present.]


Good evening. I'm very pleased to see so many of you here. As you all know I've been contacting you recently over a possible way to fix the barrier below. Tonight I'll be giving you all the relevant information I know, and I'll try and answer as many of your questions as possible, so please do not hesitate to ask them. However, I want to underline that nobody will be forced to help. In fact, if my explanation does not convince you on why it is so important to act, you may all walk away from here tonight and continue on your own ways.


First, I want to explain the devices in the corner as I promised. These four devices are currently creating a barrier over this building making it impossible for us to be monitored while we are in here. I'm certain that most of you have come to this conclusion already, but your captors are monitoring your every move and your every conversation over your SFCs, which is why I asked you to leave them outside today.

In essence, while we are in here, you can talk freely. Nothing you say will become known to them, unless you repeat it outside. Anything planned within these walls would come as a complete surprise to them. If you agree to help me out today, I will let you have this building and the barrier technology inside. I can even try to set up similar ones in other locations or teach you to do so, however I must caution you that at best only a few of these barriers should be made. While a single blank spot will not be detected by your captors, if too many of them are created, they will likely catch on and investigate.

Now, first I would like to introduce someone to you.


[Here he motions to the woman sitting silently.]


This is C. Up until recently she was part of the group you have come to refer to as the Natives. Though she was not brought here from another realm like yourself, she was kept captive because she was judged to be a danger to the Vatheon experiment. Her memory had been taken from her and she was kept docile as all natives are. Recently she has started to slowly come to and regain some of her memories. These last few days she has been helping me put together a possible way for restoring the barrier below. It seems that the reason the barrier was failing to begin with and the reason why her memory has been starting to return to her have the same cause. Namely the fact that the coral has been starting to become desynchronized.

As you all know, you have been marked. These marks were supposed to act as a connection to the coral allowing it to cast these so called curses on you, but also to draw your energy in return. And this energy was instrumental in keeping the barrier strong. However the problem is that the coral is not a static entity. While it is not alive per se, it is also not unchanging. Over the last few years it has slowly been changing, whereas your marks have remained the same. This was a variable overlooked by the scientists. By now it appears that the marks you carry and the coral are so out of sync that it can no longer drain enough power from you to properly project the barrier that has been keeping the underwater city safe and protected. The connection has been muddled with too much white noise, so to speak.

Yet this is also the reason why C has been regaining her consciousness. Similar to yourself, the natives also carry marks, though for a different purpose than yourselves. Rather than being used to drain energy, they are being used to suppress them. With the link between the marks and the coral becoming this desynchronized, it seems C's connection no longer fully functions, giving her back part of her memories. There is a chance that in time more natives will become disconnected from the coral and will return to their true selves.

Together C and I have been creating a technique to change the marks which will hopefully bring them back in alignment again with the coral and restore the bubble. It is not all that needs to happen, but by doing this, we can solve 80% of the problem, we believe.

Now, I know this is a lot to take in. And I am not completely done yet. For now, I'll allow you to talk about this, and to ask both C and myself questions. We'll try to answer them as best as we can.


[ooc: Okay, you guys. Here it is. This is the post. We apologize again for getting this up so late. what we'll do is this. This post is pretty much a big free for all discussion post. Don't hesitate to jump in anywhere or at any time. This is happening in one room so it is easy to overhear other people talking and such.

There will be one separate thread for C answering questions and two for Station Master. With Station Master one will be for asking him questions directly and one will be summarizing the questions that have already been asked of him and answered. This is mostly to keep everybody from having to crawl through all the discussions. Please read up on what has already been asked via these bigger subthreads as much as possible so we can avoid having to answer the same question over and over. You are free to ask him any question you want, even if it's unrelated to this current plot. He will answer at his discretion. I know this might end up being a bit of a messy post, so once most of it has been threaded out, we'll put up an ooc post summarizing the proceedings.

Of course, characters are allowed to make their own threads to discuss among each other! We ask just one thing of you. If you character has a direct question to either Station Master or C that you want us to answer please mark 'NPC QUESTION' in your comment title. We'll be trying to keep up as much as possible, but this way we can quickly see where we are needed and where people just wanna discuss things among themselves for a little bit.]

Comments

STATION MASTER

[thalassino]

[aim_exorable]

[This barrier technology is something Darkleer knows they can't afford to lose, if the Station Master keeps true to his word. So far, things are looking well enough...]

By "a few" of these outposts, I assume you mean around three. Four might be pushing it, wouldn't it?

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux was one of those who tried to poke at the glowing machines. Now he approaches the Station Master]

Can you show me how to make one of those things?

[not_heavens_adam]

[Well, this was certainly interesting. He wanted to ask how they intended to change the marks: magic or 'new ink' but he figured that was coming so, for now, another question. Or maybe speculation.]

If you're telling us all of this in a building where we can't be monitored, does that mean the people who brought us here don't want the bubble fixed? Or is it more for the information that the natives, like C, might regain their memories?

[findsrisks]

So the people in charge of this experiment, they haven't shown any initiative to fix the bubble, right? That's why you're suggesting that we fix it.

And while they don't care enough about us to fix the bubble and let us go back to the homes we have here, they still care enough about what we do that they want to monitor us?

[beauchevalier]

[Angelo listened intently to everything the Station Master had spoken about. While part of him didn't really care about fixing the barrier, he does bring up one thing.]

This technology is only for fixing the bubble, isn't it? What about allowing us to explore beyond the island itself?

[bethehugejerk]

[It's not immediately that Karkat comes over to speak to the Station Master. He had some questions for C first, since how often is it that you actually get some answers out of a native? There was no way he was going to waste that chance for insight into the experiment.]

[But of course, this plan requires questions too. When he makes his way over - perhaps after the Station Master's had the chance to speak to people Karkat invited, even - he gets straight to the point.]

So how would this mark alteration process work?

[shippingmath]

So, you gonna tell me about making those little silencers there?

[Dirk gestures back toward the devices.]

Re: STATION MASTER

[mysterious_groper]

... Just tell me what you need a skilled engineer to do, and I'll make sure it's done in the privacy of your little base here!

Re: STATION MASTER

[crabbygenius]

[Well that answered a few questions and raised a whole lot more.]

Are we able to study this technique of yours before we use it on pretty much everyone with a mark.

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola's been surprisingly quiet thus far in the meeting, but once the small crowd that had gathered around the Station Master clears a little, the Hylian approaches with a few questions of his own.]

Umm... if we help the locals - which I want to do! It's not fair to take their memories, but if we help them then what will happen to us? Will the scientists punish us? Or send us back? Even if what they're doing to us and the locals is terrible, I want to stay here.

[He pauses for a moment, swallowing.]

But also... well, Zelda says the coral - or the scientists, I guess? She says they send people away when they're not useful anymore but I don't understand what that means. That they don't give energy anymore? But if the coral's broken or the scientists want to stop, then how come new people are appearing?

[detectiveprincess]

You said change the mark that we as both natives and visitors carry. You meant in the way it works correct?

Re: STATION MASTER

[twintailedtamer]

[You have no idea how relieved Izumo is that this isn't all some trap]

... Um, excuse me?

Has anyone asked what'll happen when they realize what we're up to? Or if we pull it off, what will they do then?

[unconchonable]

[For the most part, Eridan's been surprisingly quiet, listening to the questions of others and taking in the information as needed. Honestly, it's a lot to take in, considering he thought he had this place figured out, but as it turns out, he didn't. Not quite. Eventually, he approaches the Station Master, eying him for a few moments. He just needs to clear on thing, though. The thing that matters to him most.]

So, say if the bubble doesn't get restored... An' the barrier completely collapses, what would hypothetically happen to us?

[Because, despite all the bullshit, all the curses, all the bad and hard times... He doesn't want to give this place up, he doesn't want to go back home. He'll do whatever he can to avoid that too, thanks.]

An' are you ewen sure this process will really work?

[Oh, there's the ol' Ampora skepticism. What would we do without it?]

LATE so sorry

[relinquishing]

[He keeps to the back of the room for the most part, only stepping forward when there's a lull in the crowd, a hand pressed lightly to his chin in thought.]

You say that this will solve, what, about eighty percent of the barrier problem, right? Why the hesitancy with that number? I mean, what other factors need to be considered?

SUMMARY

[thalassino]

[thalassino]

Places to Set up private barriers
✭The Forest or the Island.
- Conversation between Darkleer and the Station Master


Tattoo information
✭And if you remembered if this design held any sort of significance.-
Sexy Vampire Dude to Cici

✭The markings match those that were on the fish. They connect the fish or the guests of Vatheon to the coral in order for it to generate energy from their emotions. In exchange, the coral will protect the fish (barrier around the city), and heal them.

✭Cici can change the tattoos.
She will not force anyone who doesn't want the mark, but if the foreigners wish to live in the Bubble and stablize the coral so everyone can return where they need when it's reversed, then most of the foreigners will have to get it changed.

✭While the coral is broken, death may not be reversable?
-Cici and Kimblee


✭About two weeks before it collapses.
-Cici and Kimblee


Fish Information
✭I studied energy manipulation. The coral is a fascinating example - it's capable of creating energy from the emotions of the fish that live around it. I thought that could be a good thing, but it's been taken too far now. Now you are all the fish, and instead of observing a natural process we're experimenting on people.
-Cici to Kimblee

✭The coral is also able to revive those with the mark. (See above about the marks and coral).

About the Locals
✭Yeah, we're all basically drugged up by the coral. It's not a memory wipe exactly, it's more that it's hard for us to access those memories or think straight.
-Cici to Karkat

✭If we fix the coral, what does that mean for you? And for anyone else getting their memories back? Does that mean it'll go back to taking your memories from you?
-Lloyd to Cici.
The locals may just go back in a haze.

✭All of the locals are criminals.

✭Don't mess with the coral, or you'll upset the locals.
Their main line of defence for the coral is the natives.
-Station Master to Darkleer

✭That? Oh yeah. I lived that. When you're under, the coral seems like a god. You feel so sure that it's the source of everything good in life. As long as the coral is there, nothing can go wrong. That's why we all got so mad whenever someone tried to mess with it. We were scared. -Cici to Karkat.


✭The Station Master is there as a spy.
I was asked to infiltrate this project by my... employer. He heard about it and distrusted its nature. The way it was presented was too good to be true in his opinion, so he wanted to know the truth. That is where I came in.


✭Head Nurse's position. See also: Sors
Science is new to the world. If the project suceeds, then the world will be less reliant on magic and power between the two groups can be equal.

Our science is still rather young, all things considered, and it could certainly do with some societal attention. The main problem they face however is that, with so much of our societal wealth and prowess held by the old clans, they are finding it hard to gather the funding and basic materials they need to perform the experiments they need.
-Station Master to Darkleer


✭Thalassino
She is hoping the project will fail so that the old clan who is in control now, will stay in power.

Anyway, knowing this, you can probably understand why some of the more defensive clan members consider experiments like this as some sort of personal threat to everything they have build up. Thalassino is one of those, and I believe from the start her involvement in this project was on the one hand to gather data, just in case any of the experiments here would be usable to the clans, and on the other hand make absolutely certain that project Vatheon would fail. If this project fails, our government would be hesitant to fund any new projects of this calibre in the near future. That has been her goal all along. And she is under the impression that if this bubble breaks down now, it will spell failure for the project and a personal victory for herself. Or at least, that is my impression of her actions.
-The Station Master to Darkleer


What is Sors?
✭Sors is a raw form of energy.
-Cici to Karkat


✭How to best describe this... In our world, in addition to the normal elements you may know, we also have an element called Sors. At best it can be described as a very raw form of energy. The coral, in fact, is connected to a rather dense deposit of this element. Sors can be manipulated to various purposes, either through ritual and force of will, which is what we term Magic, or through machinery and technology which is what we term Science.
-Station Master to Darkleer

Basically, the Vatheon project is to find an alternative way to harvest Sors, their main energy source.


What is Fasest?
✭Fasest is a country. It's the country we're in right now. The ocean, the island, and the mainland not too far from here - that's all Fasest.
- Cici to Karkat.



About the barrier around Vatheon and the Island
✭The barrier around the city is produced by the coral to protect the the people. The barrier around Vatheon and the Island above isn't known. It might be to keep everyone in for observation purposes? Cici can't remember.

THE CLERIC

[thalassino]

[The Cleric (who calls herself "C" since she doesn't remember her name) is settled off to the side, away from the main discussion on how to repair the coral. She's open to any questions people may have, whether it's about the markings and what she knows about them or simply about other things she remembers. For now regaining her sense of self has her a little out of sorts so she's not quite the sassy woman some questers might remember from the rpg curse, but she warms up pretty quickly once she gets to talking.]

[fulmination]

Ah... "C", correct? I certainly hope it isn't too rude of me to ask this, but he said you were getting your memories back. How long have you been here?

_{[He knew of the standard 2-3 years for most people, but Vatheon had to have existed someplace else before, right? And if the natives were having their memories sealed away on top of everything else...]}

[redcladidealist]

[Repairing the coral is important, and Lloyd never even hesitated before making his decision about whether or not to help, but something else about this strikes a sore spot with him, drawing him over to where Cleric is sitting.]

Hey... What Station Master said about your memories... Does that mean all the people in Vatheon lost their memories, too? The people who aren't from other worlds?

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny moved to sit near the woman with his usual friendly smile.]

Hello again, miss Cleric. Or C, rather.

I know you don't have all of your memory back, so I can understand why you might not know the answer, but have a couple questions, if I may.

[closedcircuit]

[She's no cleric of his!

...But more to the point, he does have a question or two for her.]

What are the risks associated with trying to repair the bubble?

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat has done his part for this! He was fiendishly curious about what was going to go down following the Station Master's talk, and he made sure to tell the team members he thought could help with this. At least at a guess - not knowing the specifics limited things somewhat. He also showed up sans SFC, not even in his sylladex, just as requested. But now that the Station Master's long explanation is over? It's not him he seeks out first.]

I remember you, but this sure is new.

[So says the troll as he nears "C". It's a little weird with neither of them in cleric garb, but that hardly matters right now.]

I've got questions if you can remember the answers for them. Do all the natives have some kind of memory wipe going on or are you just a special case?

[shippingmath]

[At some point, Dirk speaks up.]

Here's a fucking question. How much does fixing the bubble help us? For food and shelter, sure, but what about curses? And the natives. Hell, we might even be able to gain plenty just from holding off a little longer in fixing it.

[thalassino]

[Seeing that she's been just as screwed over by the scientists as anyone else, C takes offense to this attitude. The meek and quiet aura is gone almost instantly as she starts snapping at him.]

It's not really the bubble you need to worry about here, kid. It's the coral. What do you think is keeping all the timelines straight here? What do you think sends you guys home safely? The scientists do some of it, sure, but they've ditched you. You NEED to fix the coral before it runs out of energy or you're fucked. You wanna know who has something to gain from not fixing it? Me. If that thing gets fixed I'll probably go back to being high as a kite but I'm damn well going to help you anyway because what those bastards did to you isn't right.

Additional Station Master Thread.

[thalassino]

[After a while of talking to a variety of people available, exchanging information and offering questions, Station Master once more moves to the centre of the room, motioning for silence.]

In a moment I will allow you to ask more questions and I will answer them, but first I would like to say this.

I'm afraid fixing the marks will not be the only thing we must to do repair the situation. Though we mustn't blame him, when young Kid tried his best to revive the barrier, he did a bit more damage than he intended. To control the coral, the scientists have infused machinery into the roots of it, underneath the street surface. I am afraid that in your attempt to fix things, some of this machinery has been destroyed. As such, to completely repair all the damage, this machinery must be repaired. These repairs should happen as soon as possible, quite possibly before the bubble even has time to drain of water. As such, we will also need some people who are capable of holding back the water via any way of magic so a team of engineers can fix the damages. In addition while I do not expect much trouble, we should be prepared for the worst. To make sure nobody can disrupt the repairs while they are in progress, I believe it would be best if we bring along a small force of people capable of fighting and defending them if needed.

So, I ask you if you have any of these skills, that is to see being able to work with machinery, being able to create magical barrier or capable of defence and attack in a flooded area, please come talk to me so we can work something out.

In addition, I also have this sign up sheet. In order for C to change the marks, we need a few people willing to go down in the bubble and bring back some of the fish. Alive if possible. We also need a few people who are willing to volunteer getting their marks changed first. If either of these things appeal to you, please put down your name.

SIGN UP

[thalassino]

[ooc: okay, this is more for us to keep track of oocly who wants in. Sign up here if you want to help out with any of these parts of the plot. Just put down your character name and which parts they would be down for helping out. If there are multiple things they'd be willing to do, just mention them all so we can puzzle out the best set-up.

Again, the possible ways to help out are

- catching the fish
- volunteering for early mark adjustment
- fixing the mechanical parts of the coral
- barriers for keeping out the water (or other ways the character could help with this like waterbending or whatever)
- attack/defence team(s?)

Your character does not need to talk to station master for you to sign up. But keep in mind we'll try and play as much of this out in a log later this week/at latest beginning of next week so make sure you'd be able to tag some then.]