Project Iapetus

Back to Maps

This isn't a place you can get to. It's a place you can't escape from. Paths draw you inwards, and you stumble into rooms out of order.

Sometimes you fall into...

The Pools

Darkness and water, hand in loveable hand. The smell of salt stings, and it itches as it dries on your skin.

Still, there is a sort of peace here. The water is warm.

The Corridors

You've found yourself in the utility halls. Pipes and wires cover the ceiling and walls in thick clusters, though it's impossible to tell what goes where. In this distance, you can hear laughter and carnival music.

Occasionally you find a breaker panel, which actually does seem to work. Should you make your way back here, it might be good to turn the lights back on?

The Library

This... isn't so bad. Strange, but not bad. Most of the books have illegible text, but sometimes you spy a familiar volume and it seems as real as the very one on your shelf back home.

However, stay overlong, and you begin to feel like you're not alone.

The Exit

A day passes.

Some spend their time getting their reports in order. Others check on their peers. A tea party is held. A machine is tested. A basement is explored. Boats are built. And, you REMEMBER.

No matter how well or poorly you’ve prepared, you will survive whatever comes next.

You have no choice.

...

The building plunges into darkness. Did someone overwhelm the Fabricator again?

But, even when the lights come back on, they stutter and falter. The bravest of you face unfamiliar, dimly lit halls as you venture out for answers. They’re too long. They’re too short. There’s too many doors. They’re old. They’re new. The red light of a camera blinks as it watches you run or cower, but they do not help.

Eventually, you stumble across the group– or the group stumbles across you. A warning beep at your H4-L0 and a tinnitus reaches a crescendo in the back of your mind, the same as it did yesterday when– when you REMEMBERED Arcturus died– except this time you realize that you’ve been hearing it this whole time. It is sharp and piercing, like microphone feedback. The sound resolves into a voice.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE.

You are filled with the certainty of this truth.

WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

The tower itself has made itself inhospitable to you.

STAY IN THE [LIGHT/DARK]

They are watching you, you rat in a cage.

When the ringing in your ears finally stops, you notice Ithika is standing among you. They inhale. They exhale. Their face twists into a sneer– and then, breathlessly, they laugh.

“Did you feel it?”

“A domain has just opened.”

They turn to look at the rest of you and–

“We are going to kill this godforsaken phantasm from the only place I believe we can– inside its domain. Or, we are going to die trying. As many times as it takes.”

“... No more questions, at this time.”

The edges around them distort into all colors– cyan, magenta, yellow– and they vanish.

–

We have entered Chapter 1’s Variable Phase!

The variable phase will go for 14 OOC days, and IC-ly takes place over the span of 1 week.

In this phase:

Your characters will be affected by the variables. Use them as an opportunity for threading prompts!

Variables

There is No Escape - During this chapter, rooms feel claustrophobic. It is difficult to sit still. Doors, stairs, and halls move, appear, and disappear.

Technical Difficulties - Seems like tech is on the fritz. Light switches have static shocks, doors lock or unlock unpredictably, and the elevator has become liable to leave you stranded or take you to places you didn’t mean to go.

"You're the surveillance officer, right, KEY?"

"I can tell."

They smile, slightly.

"However, that is not how I know." "One way to control the quality of the test data is to control the environmental variables."

"Phantasm activity is about to spike."

A pause. They close their eyes, thinking how best to explain.

"A pendulum with force applied swings back and forth, but eventually is brought back to equilibrium. The same goes for any system where external force is introduced." "We are about to enter the first phase, the first 'swing', where the extremes and outliers can be perceived... recorded... studied."

They look at Key.

"So prepare to perceive, to record, to study. That's what you're here for: to find answers."

What a strange dream. It's hard to decide if it was comforting or disturbing, as nonsensical as it was.

There are other pressing matters though-- such as the water, ltierally pressing up against your windows. Not long after you awaken, you get a text from the Director.

10 AM, Summit Meeting Room

And at 10 AM they are waiting for you, looking out the window into the water, cradling a mug between their hands. Once the last of you have shuffled in, Ithika pulls their gaze away to stare over your heads... then down to the floor.

"I trust that many of you have already begun to make forays into the unknown, gathering information, drawing conclusions... "If you haven't... well. You know. Sink, or swim."

Was that a joke?

They crack the smallest smile at you.

"I'd say, welcome to Hell, but that would be doing you all a disservice. You already know 'hell'. And I would say, let me offer my apologies, but that, too, would be understating everything that you've... well, everything. "So instead, let me begin by saying: Thank you."

Director Ithika pauses to set their mug down on the table. The smile is gone-- fatigue overtakes it. But there's a serenity in them, too, that was absent that first day you glimpsed them.

"For those of you who have suspected Ascentsy's motivations-- their influence, their corruption, their 'philanthropy'-- I will be upfront in saying that your fears are not unfounded. It has long been my struggle to make progress with this research in spite of the politicking and human greed."

A genuine loathing crosses their features, just briefly. When it's gone, they're smiling at you again.

It's a hopeful smile.

"But we're outside of those influences, now. Don't worry about the water-- it will recede in time. Or rather... we will resurface. In this place, the real work begins. "You have 24 hours to prepare. Any questions?"

You get the feeling it will not be long before they make themselves scarce again. Better make it count.

–

We have entered Chapter 1’s Interim!

The interim will go for 5 OOC days, and IC-ly takes place over the span of 1 day.

In this phase:

You can send one IC question to Ithika by submitting an ask to the blog-- they may or may not answer.

Wrap up your Prologue threads if you haven’t already! If the thread isn’t finished, now would be a good time to summarize the thread with your partner.

Complete the IC field report (optional) if you’d like to track your progression through the game!

You can start Ch1 Interim threads, but this is optional and you should anticipate keeping them short and sweet as you only have 5 days during this phase. This is your time to relax, review, and prepare!

The prologue relationships chart will be locked & archived at the end of interim, so update those if you want to.

Some reminders:

I am tracking your credits, and as such you should either submit your credits to me via field report or by @’ing me at the end of your finished threads.

Lore items will be dropping, with the exception of WIP’s that have already been communicated to me.

Lore memories will accompany the 2nd lore item of your character that drops, not including items in the shop/gacha. If your character only has 1 lore item, the memory will accompany that first item.

Vibe Checks have been reset! You can use one vibe check per chapter to have your character investigate something. For example:

If you want to use a vibe check to discover something about you or your thread partner’s Phantasm

If you want to use a vibe check to try to use a character’s special ability

If you want to use a vibe check to investigate a map location

Lastly!

Back to Maps

The Boundary

The area is circled by a wall which spans the entire territory. It’s easily several stories high, made of concrete. Thick lines of white paint at each cardinal direction divides the wall into quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. At least it makes it easy to navigate the Basin, even if you’re directionally challenged.

Viewing slits and ventilation can be seen in regular intervals, hinting at the presence of personnel, but no matter how hard you look you don’t see any living person manning the walls. The diameter of the boundary is roughly 3,375 feet.

At the base of the boundary runs the outer trail, a clearing line between the wall and the trees. This trail runs 2 miles (~40 minute walk), not including the length of any connecting paths between the outer and inner trail.

Gatehouse

A gatehouse sits by the entrance, likewise unmanned. There are no doors at the gatehouse, but if you peer past the reinforced glass you can see steps descending below. There’s a control panel, supposedly for operating the Boundary gate.

By the gatehouse is the landing pad– though there’s not much to note about this structure. A concrete pad has a white circle painted on it for helicopter use. The trees are cleared away from it for several meters in each direction.

Utilities

A large concrete building hunkers down along the outer trail, stubbornly placed among the greenery. It’s shrouded in sound proofing panels and features angled, narrow slits for windows that penetrate walls so thick it’s difficult to see through them. The door is thick metal, and features an NFC panel for granting access. Seems like any Facilities or Oversight members can enter.

Inside, there are all manners of system meant for supplying the grounds– hydro and gas generators, power storage, water filtration, and gas supply lines.

The Lake

“A circular lake nestled in the depression of a crater, Summit Basin formed in the year 2021 in southern British Columbia, Canada. The lake’s diameter is approximately 2,530 feet.”

Well. That's not necessarily true, anymore.

Hate.

Since the moment it was dragged from its home and into this plane, it has lived an existence defined by hate and only hate.

It simmers as it is subject to experiments that alter it on a molecular level, and it boils as it thrashes against its restraints, unable to accept the futility of the act. Acceptance is forgiveness. Acceptance is the oblivion of the self. Acceptance means becoming a shell, a husk devoid of the spite and rage that keeps it company and reminds it every day to howl. 

So it fights against its captors as it is forced into enclosures and surrounded by shadows, by reflection, by rot, by void. It fights as it is made larger and smaller and sharper and softer and again and again and again– It sleeps. It wakes. It howls. It sleeps. It wakes. It howls. It–

–is taken from its cage. They put something on it that makes it smaller than it has ever been (still it howls), and they lead it from hall to hall to steps to a closed door (and it hates, and it hates, and). Its captors knock. The door opens.

And this is the first ____ _ ___ ___.

… This is when it truly begins to change.

It learns the difference between heat and warmth. It learns the difference between being captured, and being kept. It learns that light is more than the piercing luminescence of laboratory fluorescents. ░▒▓█▓▒░ introduces colors, more than it could ever have conceived, and these colors do not make it flinch.

It becomes ░▒▓█▓▒’s. The more ░▒▓█▓▒░ sees it, hears it, feels it, and most of all, imagines it, the more it grows.

One night ░▒▓█▓▒░ rests and it realizes ░▒▓█▓▒░ is at peace because it is there with ░▒▓█▓▒░, standing guard. This is the first time it is happy.

Then one day,

the worst day,

it finds itself somewhere new. It and ░▒▓█▓▒░ are all that there is here, until ░▒▓█▓▒░ thinks new thoughts much like those that first changed it.

Laughter blossoms and not a tear is shed. Each impossibility bursts into existence, certain that it is meant to be here with it, under the gaze of ░▒▓█▓▒░, who cherishes them. They do not feel pain because ░▒▓█▓▒░ carries it, but it does not let ░▒▓█▓▒░ do so alone. 

It shoulders the burden, and it does not falter. ░▒▓█▓▒░ gave it a purpose, and so it will give ░▒▓█▓▒░ whatever it can to begin it anew, all of it, so that none of them will be made to learn what fear is. Only ░▒▓█▓▒░ and it will know.

Two hearts will beat in this world. They will thump in unison. It will protect their rhythm, because here with ░▒▓█▓▒░ and █▓▒░▒▓█ and all of them, it is defined by…

The sun rises. The sun sets. Day, night, day, the heavens move in predictable consistency as you learn this place and your peers.

If only you had the luxury of taking consistency for granted.

On your fifth day here, the horizon swells to the deep dark violet of a bruise as it swallows the sun. The water seems to rise in eagerness to meet it. The lake grows and grows and grows, covering the bridge, the water climbing the windows of the ground floor. It swallows a newly tilled garden, it swallows the landing pad, it swallows a raised dais in the woods, and it floods and fills the caverns.

The only building left untouched is the utilities station far off by the boundary, and the very thin strip of land that marks the outer trail. It feels almost oceans away, and the water is as glassy and smooth as ever.

The strangeness does not end there. Despite the merciful continued presence of night and day, there is no moon. No stars. No sun. The sky and lake are twin pools of an endlessly cycling gradient, and you cannot see beyond the Boundary.

Back to Maps

The elevator opens into a fairly normal looking lobby. There’s a reception desk with a computer and a phone, both of which seem to access all the same content as your personal device and the computers upstairs.

Past the desk is a corridor that branches to the left and right. A helpful directory on the wall labels each path:

To the left is “REMEMBER”. To the right is “FORGET”.

REMEMBER

It’s a fairly innocuous room, all things considered. The overheard lights have a warm yellow cast, and the low ceiling feels cozy rather than claustrophobic. The the walls are fully covered in mounted corkboards.

Pinned to the boards are printouts. Each handful of printouts contains photos, transcripts, and descriptions of the personal items that have appeared thus far– as well as a sticky note of who picked it up, and who it belongs to.

Straight across from the door is a circular chart split into rings and quadrants– empty for now, but there are red strings connecting it to various print outs, creating a sort of web that one must duck and weave through to navigate the room. These strings change every time you return to this place.

In the center of the room is an old box television on a rolling cart. It’s already on when you enter the room, and the screen plays static– however, flipping through the channels with its knob, you can revisit any of the memories that have been broadcast to the group before.

FORGET

This hall stretches, uniformly dotted with solid doors. Each door is a thick metal vault with a peep hole that can be viewed from the hall, but not from within the room.

Back to Maps

Back to Maps

Seems like this floor is intended to be your primary workplace.

The elevator opens into an office, with all its gentle ambience– the hum of monitors, gentle clicking sounds, the occasional shuffle of papers or scratch of a pen. But each cubicle is empty when you look in. There are 12 cubicles total, each with two blank namecards mounted on the partition. It looks like you can claim one… or at least, half of one.

The computers are modern all-in-one desktops, so there’s no tower unit for any of them. They seem to register the proximity of your H4-L0 to grant access.

There’s a network drive which houses the roster information for reference. You can access the chatroom here if the phone is tiresome. There’s also a local cloud which you can back up your personal device’s photos and videos on.

The wires for each station are routed to the back of each cubicle, where they’re neatly coiled and zip tied together to form a snaking tendril that winds through the office. If it wasn’t for this, you’d be able to easily relocate the computers elsewhere.

That massive cable disappears into the ceiling.

The Labs

One wall is taken up by the Labs. Frosted glass lets you see if someone is in, but doesn’t let you see what they’re doing.

There are large, heavy islands serving as counter space in the room, each equipped with a sink and a metal table top. Cabinets house any chemistry equipment you may need, from beakers, tubes, stands, hot plates, droppers, scales, and scopes, to low tech measuring tools.

One locked cabinet houses a myriad of substances in labeled jars and bottles. Only researchers, medical personnel, and the janitor can access these.

The far wall of the room has a giant whiteboard, and stools serve as chairs. In one corner, you see an emergency shower and eyewash station, several fire extinguishers, and personal protective equipment hung up at stations on the third wall including lab coats and eye shields.

The Workshop

On the far side of the elevator is the workshop.

There’s an empty floor space just inside the room, probably for larger projects? There’s lines marked out on the floor but nothing occupies the space.

Heavy, nicked and dented wooden tables are set up, and one of them also features a circular saw. Each table has a hood for venting dust above it. Many tables have clamps already attached to them. There is a standing drill press, a scroll saw, and even a computerized lathe.

In the corner is a stand for personal protective equipment, including aprons, eye shields, sound protection, and gloves. Lastly, there’s a bin for waste under each table, as well as drawers for common hardware and little palettes for wood and metal.

One tiny bench has sewing supplies and a sewing machine.

The Fabricator

The fabricator’s door is in the workshop, and only the Fabricator Technician has access.

Inside is a small, featureless, empty room, and a console on the far wall. Or rather… the Fabricator is a black box that takes up nearly this entire room.

The Corner Cafe

Off to the side is a corner cafe. It stands unmanned. There’s espresso machines, cold brew, milk foamers, and other fancy implements for whatever coffee you might feel like making.

You can also find some bottled smoothies, kombucha, and other health drinks in the open fridge, as well as boiled eggs, cold sandwiches, and premade salads.

Medical

The medical wing is composed of the Infirmary, the Operating Room, and medical Storage.

Infirmary

There is one examination bench, two large windows, a corner counter and a stool. Cabinets have basic supplies– first aid, disinfectant, gloves, swabs, and basic equipment like a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, thermometer, and so on.

There’s a container for disposing of biohazardous waste, and a container for sharps.

Operating Room

There’s a stainless steel operating table in this windowless room, and directly above it is a tangle of bright lights that can be moved around. There’s counter space and a deep sink, as well as some trays and wheeled carts.

Any supplies one might need can be found in the cabinets– including scalpels, disinfectant, suture supplies, bandages, and pain killers. No anaesthetic though– there isn’t anyone qualified to serve in that role, here.

Storage

Welcome to the Project Iapetus team, [name]! We are happy to have you onboard as our team's [role]!

H4-L0

First, please inspect and equip your company issued H4-L0. The H4-L0 is a vital piece of equipment meant to ensure your safety while you reside in Summit Basin, and is necessary for access to the restricted rooms in the Tower.

Features

Security: The H4-L0 utilizes NFC and bio-monitoring technology. It must be used to access your room and certain work areas, and can only be used by its designated owner. To use your H4-L0, simply hold it up to the black NFC contact pad mounted by the access point.

Safety: The H4-L0 receives a signal from the Tower protecting you from minor Phantasm influence while within the property's Boundary.

Communication: The shielding that protects the compound also blocks external signals. A local network can be accessed by connecting your personal devices to the hotspot provided through the H4-L0. If you do not have a personal device, you may requisition one.

For your own well-being, the H4-L0 cannot be removed once equipped without administrative override.

The H4-L0 has been customized for each person, and appears as a circular accessory made of white powder-coated aluminum. This can be a collar, cuff, anklet, etc.

Living Quarters

There are five floors dedicated to living space. Each floor has five rooms, though two pairs of rooms share a common living room and bathroom.

It is the Resident Advisor's responsibility to maintain harmony within their hall, and in return they get an entirely private suite. Others still have their own private rooms but need to share common areas.

Work & Life

As long as each associate fulfills the duties of their role, they will be compensated accordingly. Otherwise, associates are encouraged to establish their own routines and work/life balance.

Other assignments will be posted through the Task Board. Completion of these assignments is vital to the progression of the project.

Even should one want to, it’s difficult to make small talk in the helicopter that carries you on the final leg of your journey to Summit Basin. Noise and tension are your first companions on this next chapter of your existence.

Still, even the roar of the chopper and the muffled comms can’t entirely mute the excitement (expectation? Relief? Apprehension?) that comes when the Tower first comes into view.

It rises from the center of a perfectly circular lake, the still water reflecting the structure so that it appears twice as tall seeing the lines of glass and metal descend below the surface. You may have thought before that it was a strange name for a place– how could something be both a summit and a basin? But, seeing the sky reflected in the mirror that sits in the bowl of this crater fills you with a sense of dizzying height.

—

You’re greeted in the lobby by a figure standing behind the reception desk in a way that says, this isn’t my usual post, but I’m in the best position to fill the role for the time being.

Welcome to the Tower. I’m Dr. Ithika Hertz, the Project Director. You’ll find everything you need in the orientation packet.

And as quick as that, they’ve dismissed you to greet the next small group of newcomers. You’re handed a folder and a small, heavy accessory made to fit around one’s wrist, neck, or ankle. It seems each one was made unique to their new owner.

One might expect some sort of orientation… or an announcement, or some other form of guidance, but as soon as the lobby has filled, it seems Dr. Hertz has made themselves scarce.

Prologue | June 28 - July 11

Welcome to the Prologue!

Prologue is set to last for 14 days, ending on July 11th. During this time, you should…

Acquaint yourself with the Prologue Maps. These are places you can RP in!

Review the in-character Orientation Packet.

Submit your player lore in your personal channels. This is due July 11th.

Create backstory connections with fellow players! It can be as shallow as having knowledge of another roster character that is a famous celebrity, being aware of a colleague’s body of research, or even having known them personally. You can retcon details of your own character’s history to accommodate these connections, as long as you communicate changes with me in your personal channels in the discord server.

This is your last chance to submit your interview(s)!

Please inform me of any updates to lore items or assets. Lore items will begin releasing in Chapter 1!

Fill out the comfort sheet linked in the discord.

Check out the relationships spreadsheet for fun.

You can also… start RP'ing at this time!

#💬chatroom is a public ic chatroom available to all characters. When posting messages here, prefix your message with your character's emoji!

#rp-request can be used to request RP’s! Generally, you post a message of interest, and others who are interested react to your post with their character emoji. Then you can take it to DM’s to set up your threads– feel free to use the map’s locations and descriptions for RP ideas for introductions!

#📃public-rp is where you can start public or group threads...

... or you can begin private RP's in the channels assigned to your characters. I would recommend posting a header for each RP, and pinning it to the channel so you build an index of your rp’s.

Back to Maps

There are five residential floors in the tower. Each floor has an identical layout. From top to bottom:

Each floor is accented with the color of its namesake. The common area has some couches, a table, and vending machines.

Bedrooms are furnished with a single bed, a desk, and a shelf above the desk. There is one safe in the closet which opens on contact with one's H4-L0.

Each bathroom has limited counter space... toothpaste and soaps are in dispensers mounted on the walls. There's only one towel hook. The shower is a vertical stall with partially frosted glass, but at least it has a shower seat.