Beginning

[thecastle]

One moment you were elsewhere, surely speaking to your friends, fighting in a battle of your life, dying, or even in a state of non-existence in its entirety. It doesn't matter now, since when you open your eyes it’s become clear that not only is everything around you foreign and unfamiliar, so is everyone. And there seems to be a fair lot of you, at that.

It's easy to discern a few things upon a cursory glance, once you pick yourself up from the field of grass you're resting on. The place you've awoken in seems to be fairly tranquil, for the first few moments at least, and the view of a newly budded sakura tree is among the first that will greet you. In the distance, is a towering castle that manages to look all at once both imposing and welcoming at the same time. There's also an odd pendant around your neck, which you'll find won't come off despite your best attempts. In your pocket you'll find a room key, engraved with a number.

The weather is currently cool, with the sun brightly shining in the sky, though there are a few too many clouds to make it a completely clear day. While most of them appear rather normal, every so often you might spot one that looks just a bit off— like a storm cloud that's completely lost it's way. Lucky for you, it doesn't seem like you're going to have to worry about any inclement weather anytime soon, as they'll vanish from your vision as quickly as they came.

A large stone wall surrounds the entirety of the castle, though it's anyone guess why that is— maybe it's for your safety, maybe it's to keep you trapped, or maybe it's for another reason entirely. The only breach in the wall is a single gate that looks like it certainly led to the outside at one point, but that too has been cordoned off by solid stone.

Fortunately, there's nothing to stop you from entering the castle itself, where you'll find it's pretty grand all things considered. The lighting inside is provided not by electricity, but by magical flame that adjusts to the time of day or night. Actually, if you're looking for anything electronic anywhere, or even a simple power outlet, you'll be sorely out of luck.

For now, it might be best to explore and make some sense of where you are and why you're here— maybe one of your fellow travelers might know something? There are some plaques in the Great Hall that might catch your interest given their focus, in addition to one ridiculously large golden one that seems to bear rules.

Welcome, fellow warriors, to your very long stay.

Comments

ii

[hoodini]

A vaccination? [ this is 100% it, guaranteed ]

[bratsitter]

[ Brat. Brat. Have you even read the rules. Where is your keeper, they need to teach you to read]

I don't think you'll find one of those in this castle.

[hoodini]

[ He's in high school he doesn't have to read. ]

No, I mean their reference to "immunity." Maybe they're planning on releasing some kind of virus or bacteria on us eventually. That's why we have to follow the rules to get immunity.

[bratsitter]

[ that's super fair actually]

So, you mean to say if someone gets away with murder [literally] then they get immunity from some eventual virus?

[That's... actually fairly plausible??? Also really really brutal, but so is 90% of Nabari so Yukimi has no room to talk.]

[hoodini]

[ That was reasonable...?! He's used to his ideas getting crushed so he's equal parts alarmed and excited someone's listening to him. ]

Right!! [ Enthusiasm!! ] If you're going to throw around terms like that, what else could it mean? [ O...h. Actually, he shouldn't be excited about this.

This has shitty connotations. He simmers down pretty quickly. ] Unless you have another idea?

[bratsitter]

[that sure was an abrupt change in attitude. Yukimi is just gonna raise an eyebrow and go into a more lecture-like tone]

Well, immunity can apply to more than just illnesses or bacteria. Those are a lot more finicky with interpretation though, and would need more information than we have right now.

[ He'll shrug and stretch next]

It's not like we can really say one way or the other yet.

[hoodini]

[ Urk. There it is, the disappointment that comes with being wrong. ]

You're right. I mean, if I think about it... Game shows have things like "immunity" or "advancing through rounds" if you perform well. I don't think that's what this is, but immunity could mean anything.

Why didn't they just give us more information?

[bratsitter]

It's still not a bad idea.

[Yukimi shrugs]

There's a lot of reasons you don't give people information. Easy to control, so they don't rebel, so they can be fed small bits occasionally to ensure loyalty. Depends on the end game.

[hoodini]

Wouldn't people be less likely to rebel if they have information though? Even if it's a lie, it would put some people's minds at ease.

[bratsitter]

Not always. If the lie is found out the fallout is often worse than just leaving them in the dark. And by feeding someone small scraps of info they might eventually be tricked into thinking you're doing them favors. Favors you can then call on, to basically force them into being well under your thumb.

[How to Control Someone 101: Ninja Style]

[hoodini]

[ Hmm. ]

That's assuming whoever brought us here wants to manipulate us, isn't it? Why would you want to control a group this large? Particularly when some of us here are useless.

[bratsitter]

I'm sure everyone has some use, even if it's to provide a different perspective or a way to distract from something else. [shrug] All of this is only speculation, kid. Could be any number of reasons.

[hoodini]

[ He's not positive on that first point. The profiles make it extremely obvious some people here simply aren't as skilled as others.

He keeps this to himself though. ] Basically meaning we need to keep our eyes open for more information.

[bratsitter]

[he was just throwing out ideas, he's not sure about any of this either]

That's probably about all that we can do. Maybe something will surface soon.