The Rim of the Rabbit Hole: A Horror-esque RP

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

10 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv appeared behind Astrid. "Do you have a history of hallucinations? How much sleep did you get last night? Have you had any alcohol?"

"Not that I know of, a decent amount, and no," Astrid replied.

 

9 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

"We're ARC agents, Liv. She's not going to be drunk on the job. And it's perfectly within reason for there to be weird voices here."

She nodded.

[Mags she/they]

3 minutes ago, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

"Not that I know of, a decent amount, and no," Astrid replied.

 

She nodded.

Liv squinted at her skeptically. "Alright, but it still might be a case of Pareidolia."

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

Just now, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv squinted at her skeptically. "Alright, but it still might be a case of Pareidolia."

"I had the same thought, actually. We'll see."

[Mags she/they]

Just now, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

"I had the same thought, actually. We'll see."

Liv nodded.

She turned on her receiver. Things might look normal, but problems like this were usually more then appearances.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

"We should always look for a medical explanation first, ma'am, in my humble opinion . . . Logic comes first, then when it fails we look for the unexplainable." She grumbled.

"In this line of work," Maria said, "the logical choice is looking for the unexplainable. Trust me."

Maria turned and surveyed the room. Several monitors and desks stood around the perimeter of the room, and there were a number of inormational screens on the walls. The wall on the right also had an elevator, and there were several doors leading to other parts of the main floor.

"Let's get to the containment building. We can assess the situation there, and come back here if we need to."

[Mags she/they]

20 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

"In this line of work," Maria said, "the logical choice is looking for the unexplainable. Trust me."

Maria turned and surveyed the room. Several monitors and desks stood around the perimeter of the room, and there were a number of inormational screens on the walls. The wall on the right also had an elevator, and there were several doors leading to other parts of the main floor.

"Let's get to the containment building. We can assess the situation there, and come back here if we need to."

Liv sighed but dropped the issue. As if simple rhetoric could out weigh logical means of deduction.

She dropped it though, and followed Maria, pulling the map up on her phone for the first time.

Edited December 5, 2024 by Ookla the Finwëan

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Maria led the team out of the sliding glass doors at the back of the central lobby and into the outdoor portion of the facility. The ring-shaped fence that marked the facility's boundary outlined a fair portion of the forest. It was mostly clear, but a few of the unnaturally towering trees were scattered around the area, their upper trunks fading into the mist. The Agency had laid concrete paths connecting the separate parts of the facility. There were a few smaller buildings scattered around; most of them were just temporary research portables, probably for investigating minor anomalous effects, or doing lab work on samples from the forest. 

The map showed three other large buildings in the facility; two research buildings, of similar size to the one they'd just exited, and the contianment building, located at the center. The contianment building looked octagonal from above, with a circular space in the middle, open to the sky, that held the Rabbit Hole itself.

While the two research buildings were too far away to see through the fog, Maria could make out the blocky shape of the containment building, it's silhouette emerging from the murk. She didn't like the fog. It wasn't dark; the unseen sun still gave enough light to see, but the fog made it useless, drowning everything in that uniform grey. Her flashlight wouldn't work here; it would just make that grey more prominent. That bothered her.

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Doomfrog @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Just_a_Fan

[Wittles he/him]

Quote

Is the fog spooky fog? Does it come from anything malevolent or supernatural?

Tim stepped into the fog. He didn't like the way it seemed to press in all around him and obscure his vision

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria led the team out of the sliding glass doors at the back of the central lobby and into the outdoor portion of the facility. The ring-shaped fence that marked the facility's boundary outlined a fair portion of the forest. It was mostly clear, but a few of the unnaturally towering trees were scattered around the area, their upper trunks fading into the mist. The Agency had laid concrete paths connecting the separate parts of the facility. There were a few smaller buildings scattered around; most of them were just temporary research portables, probably for investigating minor anomalous effects, or doing lab work on samples from the forest. 

The map showed three other large buildings in the facility; two research buildings, of similar size to the one they'd just exited, and the contianment building, located at the center. The contianment building looked octagonal from above, with a circular space in the middle, open to the sky, that held the Rabbit Hole itself.

While the two research buildings were too far away to see through the fog, Maria could make out the blocky shape of the containment building, it's silhouette emerging from the murk. She didn't like the fog. It wasn't dark; the unseen sun still gave enough light to see, but the fog made it useless, drowning everything in that uniform grey. Her flashlight wouldn't work here; it would just make that grey more prominent. That bothered her.

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Doomfrog @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Just_a_Fan

The fog felt smothering; a fact that made Astrid very uncomfortable.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria led the team out of the sliding glass doors at the back of the central lobby and into the outdoor portion of the facility. The ring-shaped fence that marked the facility's boundary outlined a fair portion of the forest. It was mostly clear, but a few of the unnaturally towering trees were scattered around the area, their upper trunks fading into the mist. The Agency had laid concrete paths connecting the separate parts of the facility. There were a few smaller buildings scattered around; most of them were just temporary research portables, probably for investigating minor anomalous effects, or doing lab work on samples from the forest. 

The map showed three other large buildings in the facility; two research buildings, of similar size to the one they'd just exited, and the contianment building, located at the center. The contianment building looked octagonal from above, with a circular space in the middle, open to the sky, that held the Rabbit Hole itself.

While the two research buildings were too far away to see through the fog, Maria could make out the blocky shape of the containment building, it's silhouette emerging from the murk. She didn't like the fog. It wasn't dark; the unseen sun still gave enough light to see, but the fog made it useless, drowning everything in that uniform grey. Her flashlight wouldn't work here; it would just make that grey more prominent. That bothered her.

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Doomfrog @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Just_a_Fan

Kastel stepped through. This fog… it would be a liability 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Quote

Aaaaaaaand everyone immediately comments on the fog.

Spoiler

Good.

 

 

[TwinStorm He/Him]

 

5 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria led the team out of the sliding glass doors at the back of the central lobby and into the outdoor portion of the facility. The ring-shaped fence that marked the facility's boundary outlined a fair portion of the forest. It was mostly clear, but a few of the unnaturally towering trees were scattered around the area, their upper trunks fading into the mist. The Agency had laid concrete paths connecting the separate parts of the facility. There were a few smaller buildings scattered around; most of them were just temporary research portables, probably for investigating minor anomalous effects, or doing lab work on samples from the forest. 

The map showed three other large buildings in the facility; two research buildings, of similar size to the one they'd just exited, and the contianment building, located at the center. The contianment building looked octagonal from above, with a circular space in the middle, open to the sky, that held the Rabbit Hole itself.

While the two research buildings were too far away to see through the fog, Maria could make out the blocky shape of the containment building, it's silhouette emerging from the murk. She didn't like the fog. It wasn't dark; the unseen sun still gave enough light to see, but the fog made it useless, drowning everything in that uniform grey. Her flashlight wouldn't work here; it would just make that grey more prominent. That bothered her.

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Doomfrog @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Just_a_Fan

Matthew frowned. Fog. Strange. And voices. He had heard voices on missions before, usually a sign of eldritch influence. Or demons. He wasn't sure which was worse

Quote

do all types of supernatural beings exist as anomalies in the rp?

 

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

 

Quote

Fine

Kastel looks at the trees. “Were they always that towering?

Edited December 4, 2024 by Ookla the Dragonslayer

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

14 hours ago, Ookla the Irreplaceable said:

 

Matthew frowned. Fog. Strange. And voices. He had heard voices on missions before, usually a sign of eldritch influence. Or demons. He wasn't sure which was worse

 

Quote

We'll say yes, but they're usually classified differently, and I'll say the vast majority of anomalies don't fall into the general myths and folktales categories.

 

13 hours ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel looks at the trees. “Were they always that towering?

Maria glanced at them. "Since we arrived, yes. I think. They never figured out why they were getting so tall."

Maria resisted the urge to pull out her handgun against whatever might be in the mist...instead, she turned to Astrid.

"What did the voice say, by the way? When you heard something? Could you make it out?"

@Ookla the Inconclusive

 

[Mags she/they]

20 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria led the team out of the sliding glass doors at the back of the central lobby and into the outdoor portion of the facility. The ring-shaped fence that marked the facility's boundary outlined a fair portion of the forest. It was mostly clear, but a few of the unnaturally towering trees were scattered around the area, their upper trunks fading into the mist. The Agency had laid concrete paths connecting the separate parts of the facility. There were a few smaller buildings scattered around; most of them were just temporary research portables, probably for investigating minor anomalous effects, or doing lab work on samples from the forest. 

The map showed three other large buildings in the facility; two research buildings, of similar size to the one they'd just exited, and the contianment building, located at the center. The contianment building looked octagonal from above, with a circular space in the middle, open to the sky, that held the Rabbit Hole itself.

While the two research buildings were too far away to see through the fog, Maria could make out the blocky shape of the containment building, it's silhouette emerging from the murk. She didn't like the fog. It wasn't dark; the unseen sun still gave enough light to see, but the fog made it useless, drowning everything in that uniform grey. Her flashlight wouldn't work here; it would just make that grey more prominent. That bothered her.

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Doomfrog @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Just_a_Fan

Quote

Anything picked up on liv's receiver?

16 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

 

Quote

heh alright then

I shall continue to be the skeptic

Liv ignored the fog, it seemed ordinary enough to her, if a little thick. Hopefully they wouldn't get separated and loose people in it.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

40 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv ignored the fog, it seemed ordinary enough to her, if a little thick. Hopefully they wouldn't get separated and loose people in it.

Quote

Heh

I cannot resist

Slowly, a low rushing sound rose in Liv's ears, growing steadily louder, like the sound gust of wind. But the air was completely still. The noise twisted into...words. 

...Way out....happened...

The sound faded.

[Mags she/they]

5 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Slowly, a low rushing sound rose in Liv's ears, growing steadily louder, like the sound gust of wind. But the air was completely still. The noise twisted into...words. 

...Way out....happened...

The sound faded.

"Strange, I just heard something too," Liv said turning to Maria.

"The words 'way out' and 'happened,' nothing particularly unique, so it's likely still a trick of the ears. The rushing sound I heard might be real though--is there any moving water nearby this location?"

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

"Strange, I just heard something too," Liv said turning to Maria.

"The words 'way out' and 'happened,' nothing particularly unique, so it's likely still a trick of the ears. The rushing sound I heard might be real though--is there any moving water nearby this location?"

"Not that I know of," Maria said.

That's two. Is it following a pattern or just random chance?

"Keep your ears open and report if you hear anything else."

She turned and continued down the path towards the containment building.

[Mags she/they]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

"Not that I know of," Maria said.

That's two. Is it following a pattern or just random chance?

"Keep your ears open and report if you hear anything else."

She turned and continued down the path towards the containment building.

"Alright . . . ."

She typed 'secret waterfall they don't want me to know about'  into the notes on her phone.

[Through the Living Hope]

7 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

"Alright . . . ."

She typed 'secret waterfall they don't want me to know about'  into the notes on her phone.

Quote

K ik I'm not in this RP and I'm not sticking around but I was on your profile page and saw secret waterfall and just thought

Spoiler

SECRET TUNNNEEEEEEEELLLL

THROUGH THE MOUUUNTAAAAAAAINNN

 

 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Quote

For the sake of getting to the point where you guys have more autonomy...

Let's shove the plot forward another step.

Maria reached the main enterance of the Containment building and used her keycard to gain access. 

She looked around the room, a lobby similar to the one in the administration building, but smaller, and without such heavy security. Once again, the lights were on, and the facility looked to be in perfect condition. But also no sign of anyone being there. Doors to hallways stood on each side of the room, following the circular shape of the building.

Mist crept into the room through the open door, leaking out across the floor.

"Come on," she called to her group, as she walked over and opened the door on the other side of the lobby. "This will lead to the hole itself. Let's check it out and judge our next move."

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Ookla the Doomfrog @Just_a_Fan

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria reached the main enterance of the Containment building and used her keycard to gain access. 

She looked around the room, a lobby similar to the one in the administration building, but smaller, and without such heavy security. Once again, the lights were on, and the facility looked to be in perfect condition. But also no sign of anyone being there. Doors to hallways stood on each side of the room, following the circular shape of the building.

Mist crept into the room through the open door, leaking out across the floor.

"Come on," she called to her group, as she walked over and opened the door on the other side of the lobby. "This will lead to the hole itself. Let's check it out and judge our next move."

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Ookla the Doomfrog @Just_a_Fan

Kastel nodded, then stepped through carefully, aiming his flashlight paired with his handgun forwards.

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

4 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria glanced at them. "Since we arrived, yes. I think. They never figured out why they were getting so tall."

Maria resisted the urge to pull out her handgun against whatever might be in the mist...instead, she turned to Astrid.

"What did the voice say, by the way? When you heard something? Could you make it out?"

@Ookla the Inconclusive

"Oh. It sounded like . . . lost? There was something else, too, but I couldn't really make it out."

39 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria reached the main enterance of the Containment building and used her keycard to gain access. 

She looked around the room, a lobby similar to the one in the administration building, but smaller, and without such heavy security. Once again, the lights were on, and the facility looked to be in perfect condition. But also no sign of anyone being there. Doors to hallways stood on each side of the room, following the circular shape of the building.

Mist crept into the room through the open door, leaking out across the floor.

"Come on," she called to her group, as she walked over and opened the door on the other side of the lobby. "This will lead to the hole itself. Let's check it out and judge our next move."

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Inconclusive @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Dragonslayer @Ookla the Doomfrog @Just_a_Fan

Astrid nodded and followed.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

Just now, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

"Oh. It sounded like . . . lost? There was something else, too, but I couldn't really make it out."

Maria nodded. "You keep an ear out, too. Let us know if it comes back."

20 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel nodded, then stepped through carefully, aiming his flashlight paired with his handgun forwards.

The room beyond was well lit by glass windows that looked into the area surrounded by the contianment building. There were no trees in that small clearing; only a few patches of grass and dead pine needles. And in the center, a deep pit.

Strange machines that looked like satellite dishes stood in a circle around the hole, several feet from it's edge, pointing down at it's yawning gape. Maria recognized the devices; used for the monitoring and directing of anomalous frequencies. She didn't understand all the science jargon that described how they worked. She just knew what they did and how to use them.

And these ones were deactivated. 

She glanced around the room. It was circular, running along the inner edge of the containment building, with several doors leading into the clearing with the hole itself. Through the glass wall Maria could look across and see the opposite side.

A number of devices for monitoring and containing anomalous energies - nonphysical forces - stood around the room. An apparatus, all designed to keep whatever that hole did under control. The entire thing was deactivated. 

Is this why containment was breached? Was it really just an equipment shutdown?

She slowly pulled out her handgun, like Kastel. There was no sign of anyone or anything in the room, and despite the deactivated machinery, all seemed to be in the same pristine condition as the rest of the facility. Despite this, there was an unshakeable sense of unease she felt. She couldn't tell if it was an anomalous effect or her own nerves, which bothered her.

"Fan out," she called to her team. "Look for anything out of the ordinary. See if you can find out why the appratus got shut down. I'll take a look at the hole."

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Doomfrog @Just_a_Fan

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

44 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria nodded. "You keep an ear out, too. Let us know if it comes back."

"Yes, ma'am."

1 hour ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Maria nodded. "You keep an ear out, too. Let us know if it comes back."

The room beyond was well lit by glass windows that looked into the area surrounded by the contianment building. There were no trees in that small clearing; only a few patches of grass and dead pine needles. And in the center, a deep pit.

Strange machines that looked like satellite dishes stood in a circle around the hole, several feet from it's edge, pointing down at it's yawning gape. Maria recognized the devices; used for the monitoring and directing of anomalous frequencies. She didn't understand all the science jargon that described how they worked. She just knew what they did and how to use them.

And these ones were deactivated. 

She glanced around the room. It was circular, running along the inner edge of the containment building, with several doors leading into the clearing with the hole itself. Through the glass wall Maria could look across and see the opposite side.

A number of devices for monitoring and containing anomalous energies - nonphysical forces - stood around the room. An apparatus, all designed to keep whatever that hole did under control. The entire thing was deactivated. 

Is this why containment was breached? Was it really just an equipment shutdown?

She slowly pulled out her handgun, like Kastel. There was no sign of anyone or anything in the room, and despite the deactivated machinery, all seemed to be in the same pristine condition as the rest of the facility. Despite this, there was an unshakeable sense of unease she felt. She couldn't tell if it was an anomalous effect or her own nerves, which bothered her.

"Fan out," she called to her team. "Look for anything out of the ordinary. See if you can find out why the appratus got shut down. I'll take a look at the hole."

@Ookla the Finwëan @Ookla the Irreplaceable @Ookla the Doomfrog @Just_a_Fan

Astrid began wandering around, careful not to touch anything.