Week 1

[bathymetric]

Good morning, New Rapture. A new day is dawning.

There may not be much light to differentiate the days here, but the lights of the part of the city you're in change enough by the clock that you can almost believe there's a sun somewhere. It looks like Mayor Fontaine has no intention of going back on his deal, and for the time being? You're all stuck here. But there's plenty to do, and... maybe not plenty to see, but there's enough. There's something, at any rate.

Especially if you're willing to look beyond the surface.

And if you spend enough time around others, you might find something neat!

No matter what, it's time to start getting to know your fellow captives. You might be here a while.




MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
FRIDAY | SATURDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to the first week of Unknown Seas Round 3! We're very excited to have you. Please make sure to mark any investigation toplevels accordingly, and you can reach either Mayor Fontaine or Eleanor for conversations! ]

Comments

[howveryglib]

…I will admit, I was initially thinking about pelmeni, which are not necessarily street food. But now you have me thinking about Eblan trout blini…

[withagun]

...I've...never heard of either of those... Fish?

[howveryglib]

Ah, pelmeni are our local variation on dumplings, and blini are a sort of thin pancake that can contain sweet or savory fillings. There are a fair amount of kiosks that sell the latter in Garlemald, so it is not particularly difficult to eat on the go.

[withagun]

Oh... Sounds a bit like crepes... That's more for mostly dessert though. Snacks are more like takoyaki or yakitori.

[ ... ]

Or fast food.

[howveryglib]

I suppose they are a bit like crepes, yes. …But I am not familiar with those foods, admittedly. I have not spent enough time in the Far East to know the cuisine particularly well…

[withagun]

[ He frowns, just a little. ]

You recognize 'em though...? Ever heard of Japan?

[howveryglib]

No, I have not. The nation from which those dishes originate is called Hingashi, I believe.

…

That is interesting to consider, though.

[withagun]

[ He tenses for just a second. No, probably not even written with the same characters. ]

That’s Japanese. Like… I dunno how it’d be read or written but it sounds Japanese.

[howveryglib]

Hm… I did think that several of your names sounded Hingan or Doman, but I did not want to assume incorrectly. I thought that our homes were different enough that it did not matter, but perhaps there are parallels?

[withagun]

But how...?

Your, ah...Garlemald...? What's it like? I'm not...very good at geography...but, if it sounds like something from Earth...

[howveryglib]

...well, it is strange, but I would say the architecture remembers this place more than aught else. It is certainly less gaudy, but in terms of the way the buildings are actually constructed and the actual level of technology on display, this is not too different from home.

Of course, instead of being malms under water we are generally under several fulms of snow at most times of year. Our summers are short and not particularly warm, and our winters are long and harsh.

[withagun]

The technology...levels... And a bunch of snow...

[ Hodaka thinks, actively thinks, and it takes him several long moments. ]

Perhaps...somewhere north? That's where there's a lot of snow. Russia? Mm, I don't know. All those books were...a little too long and dense.

[ Yes he's tried reading Crime and Punishment. No, he didn't get too far in. Yes, he cheated with the Osamu Tezuka manga instead. ]

[howveryglib]

I suppose it is possible, yes. I would not truly know without more information, though I imagine I could look up more information if we were to have any books. That seems as though it was considered to be too much of a luxury, though...

[looks around. pointedly.]

[withagun]

[ ha. haha. ]

Mm... An...overly fancy restaurant, sure, but...some reading material...

[howveryglib]

...I was thinking it might provide us too much information on our situation, potentially, if we had a library of some sort.

[withagun]

Eh? But...just some books or novels, that doesn't seem too...incriminating?

[howveryglib]

I suppose they may need to be careful with their choices in the event that they could possibly be used to find our position. That is my thinking, at least—if they favor certain topics or locations or something of the sort.

[withagun]

Even if we knew what ocean we were under, we'd still be under the ocean, though... Mm, unless we could get a message out. Then it'd be helpful.

[howveryglib]

That is what I am thinking. That, and I believe it is in their interests to keep us disoriented and uncertain.

[withagun]

...Do you think there's more people causing all this besides...the Mayor and Eleanor?

[howveryglib]

This seems far too elaborate to be the responsibility of two people and two people only. If they had access to some arcane power, perhaps, but even then…

[withagun]

[ ... ]

But why...?

[ He's landed on the impossible question again. ]

[howveryglib]

I asked Eleanor, but I did not get a clear answer. The… undertaker seems to believe it to be a ritual involving human sacrifice, which I am not entirely certain we can rule out.

[withagun]

[ Human sacrifice.

Hodaka is quiet, for a long moment. ]

Disgusting. Anyone who would... Disgusting.

[howveryglib]

Exactly. It is wholly despicable, but I am not sure I would rule it out purely based on that.