Bedlam: Judgement episodes

Abruptly, the atmosphere in the chamber undergoes a sudden and noticeable shift.

Everyone feels it. Something has changed in the world around them. Many beings stir in response, some agitated, others excited. All at once, the chamber is full of an uneasy movement.

Then those surrounding you being looking upwards into the abyss. You find your own gaze drawn upwards as well, and as you look skyward, you realize what has caused this shift in the environment.

The abyss warps beyond the pillars' point of disappearance, and through that distortion, you see a collective. Six impossibly vast figures stand beyond the abyss, looking down upon you and the rest of the gathering. Their staggering size makes your entire world seem small, as if the entire crowd with which you stand is no more than a sea of ants.

`Greetings, everyone.`

*Six massed voices echo in the chamber, filling every space with the sound. The universe itself appears to address the crowd, speaking to them in a chorus.*

`By gathering here, you have all sealed your pledge yourselves to us in return for a second life. Each of us has come to you separately. Now we come to you as one.`

`We are known by many names. Some call us heretics, others call us apostles. To you, and to the realm in which you will be placed, we are simply overseers.`

`We do not wish to preside over you as a group. Instead, each of us have chosen you by hand based the events of your past and the circumstances of your demise. Your first life has carved the path of your second. By following that path, each of us will reward you as we see fit. In straying from that path, there will be consequences.`

`With that said, allow us to introduce ourselves.`

*One of the figures recedes into the distance, disappearing from view. Then abruptly, a large divide forms in the crowd as an unearthly tall woman steps out from within the pillars. Her form is cloaked in a dress made from an amalgam of silk and chain-link armor, and what little visible skin you can see is marked with ancient, runic tattoos and symbols. Lengthy strands of white hair frame a face that is equal parts conviction and grace, only spoiled by the milky white eyes that indicate blindness, yet seem to bore right into everyone in the chamber.*

*When she strides into the crowd, everyone moves out of her way.*

`My name is Landria. Many refer to me as the Apostle of Atonement. Those of you I've chosen have been damned by your past lives, yet spared by your final actions and outlook. You all seek redemption, and if you follow the rules I set before you, I will make sure that you have it.`

*She stops at the center of the crowd, slowly turning her head this way and that as she speaks.*

`I reward my chosen for acting defiant of their past natures, whether it be through simple virtues or outright heroism. Live again while fighting the sinful behaviors of your first life, and you will be rewarded for it. Do the opposite, and I will ensure that your hard and perilous journey that much harder.`

`Those who I take under my wing are good souls at the end of the day, even if their past lives don't reflect as much. I trust all of you to make the right decisions. Don't let me down.`

*And with that, her form disappears. The missing figure rejoins the others above, to gaze upon its subjects from on high.*

*Another figure breaks away from those above, manifesting in the chamber.*

*The figure tall and clearly masculine, wearing a massive black cloak that drapes over a full suit of dark gray armor. Where others would have a head, there is instead a transition in the armor, where the collar morphs into a valley-like opening with pieces that float in the center. Every movement he makes comes with a sense of strength, power and single-minded will.*

*He has the presence of a warrior, an emperor and a high executioner all at once. Some of the crowd's members stiffen, while others look upon him in restrained awe.*

`I am Losram. Many know me as the Apostle of Determination. Those I have chosen have died as many things; martyrs, heroes, zealots, fanatics. From the dead, I gather those whose wills were strong and whose courage was unfailing, to reach the goals unattainable in their first lives. I see potential in all of you, and by following the roads I set you upon, you will achieve many great things.`

*He holds out his hand, and suddenly a sword of great size explodes into being within his grasp. He motions with it as he speaks, commanding the attention of those who chose to follow him.`

`I bless my own for their courage and the strength of their character. Passion, bravery and strong will shall be rewarded at every opportunity. Duplicitous and cowardly behaviors will be punished. I have brought each of you back so that you may achieve greatness and widespread change. There is no room for weakness in your second life.`

*And then he too disappears, rejoining the other Apostles above.*

*A third figure separates from the collective, appearing before the crowd.*

*The figure is female, but though she may have been beautiful once upon a time, that beauty has been irrevocably scarred. A dark gown made of some unearthly, ever-shifting material drapes over her body, the sleeves blending into her arms as if the two are fused. Her wrists bear two bracelets reminiscent of the original Crown of Thorns, and around her neck is a noose that has been torn just above the knot. A long curtain of black hair hangs in her face, obscuring hints of a porcelain visage.*

*Of all the Apostles to appear thus far, this one may very well be the most disturbing.*

`My name is Nakosia. Life and death know me as the Apostle of Anguish. I've chosen you because you have died in pain, torture or sorrow. The world in which you have been placed is full of those who would visit fates such as yours upon the helpless and the innocent. I believe that each of you are suited to pay them in kind.`

*Even as she moves, the veil of her hair does not reveal more than a slight peek at her features. Some of you wonder if, perhaps, that is by choice...*

`Anger, pain and loss will serve to strengthen you all for as long as you are mine. I will reward you for your suffering, and for visiting retribution upon the torturers and tyrants of this world. But be warned; I will not allow you to inflict any unnecessary pain, especially upon those who have not earned it. I will watch you as you work, and if you should devolve into the very thing you have been chosen to purge from this realm, then you will regret it.`

*Then she disappears, fading into a black wisp. She reappears above, and her presence is all the more daunting for it.*

*When the fourth Apostle appears, there is a sense of isolation, as if this slice of your world has been cut off from the rest.*

*An immaculate set of gold-trimmed black robes adorn his body like a royal curtain. Long, white hair spills over his shoulders in a sleek mane, highlighting a sharp-boned, striking face. His skin is almost paper white, but there's nothing unhealthy about him.*

*His eyes glow with a subtle yellow energy, making his distinctly unearthly appearance that much more unusual.*

`I am Ioresh. You'll all come to know me as the Apostle of Independence. The beings I chose died alone, most of them either destitute or spiteful in their last moments. No one was there to help any of you at the end of the day...So I've decided to refashion you, so that you'll no longer need anyone to help you.`

*As he speaks, the corners of his mouth curl into a faint smirk.*

`I'm not here to ask much. All I expect from you is that you learn how to take care of yourselves and not rely on others as your crutch. I'll reward you for every task you complete alone and every step you take towards self-sufficiency. Doing the opposite of that by letting other people handle things you can do on your own, or trying to assemble groups to accomplish goals you're more than capable of doing by yourself, is grounds for punishment.`

*He turns, as if to leave...then stops.*

`Oh, and just so we're clear? You have no obligations, positive or otherwise to anyone unless you set them for yourselves. That includes each other.`

*Then he fades away, reappearing amidst the other Apostles.*

*As soon as the fifth Apostle manifests, the underpinnings of the world around you become hazy and uncertain.*

*Nearby pillars writhe, twist and fade, the spaces between them growing distorted. Parts of the floor appear to drop away, leaving members of the crowd standing on empty space. The mist in the chamber thickens in places and thins in others. Shadows cast by the other followers grow darker by the second...*

*Amidst these changes, the Apostle seems to warp into being at the center of the chamber, tall and terrifying as all life. A large and tattered ivory robe hangs off the man's frame like a ruined set of curtains, relenting at the sleeves to expose two pale-skinned arms tinged with purple and blue hues. His head, by contrast, is blackened like charcoal and ash, his features masked by darkness. The hair on his head is a mess of strands that blow in different directions, as if each of them is subject to a gale of its own.*

*He has the aura of a tainted scholar, a philosopher gone mad and a prophet of terrible truths. You begin to realize on some level that he is not evil, but the revelation does nothing for your peace of mind.*

`You'll have to excuse the disarray. It comes and goes whenever I'm not concentrating on it...My name is Jericho, and I am what many refer to as the Apostle of Madness. Your first life was made a mess out of by your mental and emotional illnesses, and because of that, you died as you lived; lost and insane. I've chosen to reach out to you because I see the promise, the diamonds at the center of your labyrinth. I wish to mentor each and every one of you, so that you may turn those weaknesses into strengths only YOU can have.`

*As he speaks, he makes gestures with his hands that slow down and speed up at erratic intervals. The sight of his body language is equal parts disturbing and fascinating.*

`I will mentor each of you. You'll be rewarded for fighting your inner demons and turning your minds into the weapons and tools they rightfully deserve to be. But make no mistake; you are here to become the master of your mind, not the other way around. Allowing your psychological demons to win, to sabotage your lives and those around you, is THE major infraction in my class. Shape your thoughts and emotions. Do not let them shape you.`

`But above all else, do your best. That is all I can ask of any of you.`

*Upon Jericho's disappearance, the world around you finally seems to stabilize. You wonder, briefly, if the changes were all in your heads this entire time...*

*Your surroundings grow darker, as if the shadows are sucking the light out of the chamber. The atmosphere dims, and temperatures plummet like a dead sparrow. For the first time since your arrival to this afterlife, you feel cold beyond words. It is a chill that seeps into your very soul.*

*The final Apostle manifests in the room, and a shudder passes through everyone.*

*The figure is entirely black, a shadow solidified into humanoid shape. Like a dark and terrible monolith, he towers over everyone, tall and slender with unnaturally elongated limbs. His form is draped in a silhouette of emperor's robes, his head adorned in a crown that looks tailor-made for mass-impalement.*

*And for all you know, it **could** be.*

*The voice that speaks is as harsh and chilling as the atmosphere around you. Like all others before, it comes from everywhere at once...but while the others were merely all-encompassing, the distinctly malicious nature of this voice fills you with a sense of entrapment. You feel surrounded, cornered by something ancient and predatory.*

`My name is Malevol, and I am the Apostle of Dark Judgement. I won't leave you with any illusions about what you are or why I've chosen you out of the litter. You are all bastards. Irredeemable, hopeless bastards. You exist as the prime example of the age-old saying 'You can't save everyone'; your actions in your first life have condemned you for the rest of eternity...You should be proud of yourselves. Really. It takes QUITE a lot of doing for a person to sink so low.`

*The voice stops long enough for a quiet laugh, and the sound is a horrible thing to have to hear.*

`But I'm not letting that happen. Not yet. Your actions should have earned you my attention, and for that, I've taken it upon myself to snatch you from the jaws of death. I have no illusions about what you are, and if you are smart, then neither do you...But I also have no misconceptions about what you are capable of. You have many talents, for all the good they did you in the end, and I plan on making worthwhile use of them.`

*Suddenly, you see something at the edge of your vision. Figures moving in the darkness around you, shambling towards the crowd with slow, unfaltering steps. Each one is just as black as the Apostle of Dark Judgement himself, and his terrible aura radiates from them all.*

`Your only choice now is to use your gifts, talents and lack of morals against the heinous and the cruel. You'll gain power from every vile act you commit against them. You can bleed as much enjoyment from it as you like. They've earned it, just like you.`

`Just be sure to keep your hands off the good ones. You get to pay your evil unto other evils. Nothing else.`

*By the time the Apostle disappears, the shambling figures have come perilously close to the crowd. They dissipate mere inches away from the Apostles' new subjects, the dark and chilling atmosphere abating right at its apex.*

`Infested`
`Some fools have opened a gate to another world, allowing a number of dangerous creatures to step through and infest one of Downtown's subway stations. The monsters that have appeared thus far are vicious enough, but if the gate remains open, they will soon be accompanied by their far more unforgiving masters. Once they arrive, they will spread throughout the surrounding city, causing untold damage and loss of life.`
`You have been tasked with entering the infested place and closing or destroying the gate before these creatures' masters can appear through it. Expect resistance at every turn.`
Max Players: However many can show up.