ROUND 3 INTRO LOG

[foundationmods]

Welcome to The Island. The Witch extends her greetings to you on this fine day, and is pleased to finally begin the game. Please, take a seat.

Though this game may be more difficult than originally expected, there are high hopes placed upon you. Fight well against what awaits you in order to reach a truly sparkling end.

The difficulty level is challenging, but also depends on you. Think deeply on your moves as you play.

You wake with a start - even if you don't remember falling asleep in the first place - and find yourself standing on the dock of what looks like an island. There's a noise behind you - and if you turn to look, you'll see a plain white boat taking off and leaving you all behind, not stopping for a second if you try to flag them down or scream at them.

It doesn't look like you can swim to shore, either - there's nothing but sea in all directions, and something tells you trying to swim out will end up badly. However, a small dip, if you were so inclined, would be fine. It's not like the weather is bad for it - it feels like it's summer, despite it having been firmly springish at the Foundation.

...Speaking of, what happened? The last thing you remember is being...wherever you were, and then seeing a yellow bird come towards you. Perhaps it was in the corner of your eye, or landed on your shoulder...regardless, all of you saw the bird before you were whisked away to this strange island.

Is it a new SCP? Something like this isn't outside the realm of their abilities, after all.

And there's something else. Your abilities are blocked, beyond those natural to your body. Try as you might, you just can't use any of your more supernatural or superhuman skills - though all of your physical abilities are intact, of course.

There is also a...letter? on your person, as if it was there all along - in your pocket or in your hand. It is...a remarkably plain envelope, and even the letter itself is plain parchment.

It reads:

'To the players in this game,

First and foremost, let me begin with an apology: for many of you, this is not a good time to bring you here, and forcing you to play in this game instead of asking nicely is quite rude of me. For that, you have my apologies.

However, as you will soon find out, this game is quite necessary. I hand-picked all of you because I felt you were the best for this task, strange circumstances notwithstanding, and I am sure you will excel beyond even my expectations. Please give me some consideration and play this game to your best efforts. Success will be greatly rewarded.

I will be watching, and I will intervene if needed. But I think all of you are up to this task. I am in your debt for this.

- The Witch of ██████████'

...hm.

If you decide to head up the path, you'll find Goat....men? waiting for you near the doors to the mansion. Despite their bright red eyes, they merely bow politely and wordlessly bring you into the mansion, showing you your rooms and then stating that they will prepare food for you or anything else you should need whenever you want, in surprisingly deep voices.

As they leave, you can't help but wonder...

Where are you now?

Round Calendar!
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Comments

[youkaiwatch]

[ Oh, it's a lot warmer here than it was in the lab. (A little reminiscent of Okinawa, even though it's completely different.) Emi takes off her white jacket and drapes it over her arm, leaving her in a pastel dress and white gloves.

Hm. She glances up toward the path, then back to whoever happens to be nearby. ]

Have you seen a bird anywhere?

[excavated]

Are you talking about a yellow bird? I think it was a cockatiel...

[youkaiwatch]

Yes, that's the one. Was it here that you saw it, or before?

[excavated]

Before I got to this place. Was it the same for you?

[youkaiwatch]

Yes... I'd thought it was strange that it could have gotten inside the lab like that on its own if it were really a normal bird.

[ No Dogs Allowed (Or Birds) ]

It sounds like maybe it wasn't.

[excavated]

It's quite possible that it wasn't. Perhaps it was a familiar of some sort... but that's just a guess.

[youkaiwatch]

[ Familiar, huh... Haha, that makes her a little nostalgic for her bar "dates" with Ullr. ]

It could be. Or it could be a monster in its own right.

[ She shrugs and gives him a smile. ]

Well, we at least have a potential starting point to work from now.

[chaoscontrol]

It landed on my phone. But now it appears to be gone.

[he huffs]

A little yellow cockatiel, by any chance?

[youkaiwatch]

Exactly.

[ Smiles. ]

My, it seems that really is the connection. Where were you when it happened?

[chaoscontrol]

My quarters. [a pause] Which doesn't have a window, and the door was locked.

[youkaiwatch]

[ A slight nod; that sounds about right. ]

I was working in the lab, so there shouldn't have been any way for it to get in there either. I'm fairly certain it wasn't a normal bird.

[chaoscontrol]

Indeed. Some sort of spatial anomaly that took the form of a bird, perhaps. Something that created a portal. [he frowns, thinking] I don't know why an undocumented SCP would appear IN a secure Foundation site... Or how.

[youkaiwatch]

To be fair, there are probably plenty who hold a grudge against the Foundation. It's not unthinkable that one could have decided to make a move against it.

[earnahappyending]

[Makoto doesn't comment about the 'seen' part, because why would a stranger know about her blindness? So of course, she smiles kindly and shakes her head]

Can the bird you're looking for sing? I heard some birds while I was walking around.

[youkaiwatch]

I assume so... this seems like it wasn't a typical bird, though, so I'm not sure how much I should be assuming about it.

[earnahappyending]

I have heard mostly what you'd think an island would have...I think there were seagulls. Some songbirds, nothing too exotic.

[She tried to remember anything unusual, but nothing comes to mind]

Is the bird you're looking for your pet?

[youkaiwatch]

Oh, not at all. I just happened to see it unexpectedly just before I arrived here, so I was wondering if there was some connection.

[earnahappyending]

[Hmmm...since this is the Foundation, it's unlikely there isn't a connection]

That has to be related to this place somehow...when it's about the Foundation and everything they have locked away, nothing can be a coincidence.

[youkaiwatch]

I agree... You didn't notice one before coming here yourself, though?

[anonnomnomnom]

[He's hanging out somewhere nearby, probably on high ground; he's still all salty and drippy, mostly literally, in the really eyesearing orange jumpsuit they give all the newbies. He seems perfectly relaxed, though, given that this is... maybe a mission? A freak accident? An Alfred Hitchcock movie even though he doesn't know human cinema...??

Emi's question makes him cock his head towards her, momentarily dislodging the mysterious sea star that's been on his head in every tag so far. It's a very faithful variety of seafood.]

Oh, are you looking for it, too? I think the whole island is, but I've only seen the white birds since I came here. The really loud ones who keep trying to steal my lunch.

[It's very inconvenient........]

[youkaiwatch]

Yes, I was thinking that bird was the link that connects all of us.

[ a beat. ]

You brought lunch?

[anonnomnomnom]

I was hearing all about it the closer I got to the house, so you're probably right! Do you think the bird could be the owner of this house?

[?????]

[Considering the Foundation, they've both probably heard weirder stories but like. Why is that his go-to. Possibly more-or-less importantly, he reaches behind him and-- holds up his fishstick. There are three fish on it, shiny as the day they were born.]

And this is my lunch. Maybe I should save it, if the birds like it.

[Like a cat leaving dead stuff on your porch.......]

[youkaiwatch]

I guess that's possible.

[ At least since she's established over the course of these conversations that it's probably not a normal bird. ]

It seems likely that it may know the owner, at the very least.

[ Ah....... yes, those are fish. ]

...I think you can probably go ahead and eat it yourself. If it turns out that they do want any later, they'd probably prefer it be fresh-caught anyway.

[ Not necessarily true, but she doesn't want to deal with that much dead fish smell if she doesn't have to... ]

[anonnomnomnom]

Ah, that's true, I could taste-test it!

[OK but why would you taste test something on somebody's own island, if there is even anyone who actually owns this island. Applying logic to this scenario may get you out of the worst timeline where someone metaphorically microwaves fish in the office, but it won't save you otherwise!]

Do we have any leads on the bird, though? I wonder if it was just the messenger, and lured us here, and then abandoned us. That'd be awfully cold. I can't even chase it this time...

[youkaiwatch]

[ Taste test all you want, kid... ]

No, I haven't met anyone yet who's seen it since we got here.

[ ... ]

Though if you were chasing it, maybe that's why it's hiding.