Re: Heaven's Terrace (Safe Haven)
(Really not pleased with this post, but seeing as the people in haven have been left held up for long enough, I’ll make the post and revise it later, when I’m less ticked off by it.)
Soon after the initial eight had been seated, others began to arrive and fill up the seats. Some clothed in whatever mixed and matched garments had been given to them, some as naked as they had been at birth. Once all of the new pieces had been seated, it was then that the haven’s personnel began to enter the room and assume positions behind their leader, with the sole exception of Eva, who took one of the reserved seats to the immediate right of Reina, the chair on the left remaining empty still.
”Well then, now that we are all gathered… let me begin by introducing myself, for those who have just arrived.
Taking a deep breath, Reina’s countenance seemed to change all of a sudden, becoming more firm and resolute as befitting that of a leader.
“I am Reina, the Maitress de Salut and head of this establishment. On behalf on the others, I welcome you to the Heaven’s Terrace, a safe haven for those seeking refuge from the monsters which lurk outside. So long as you promise to adhere to our rules, and to do your part as a piece which stands against the Lady, you shall be granted food, shelter, and clothing for this round and all future rounds which may come. “
As if preempting the obvious questions Reina interrupted her pause before any one could input on what she had said so far.
“But what ‘is’ a part’s piece in this stand? In fact, what is the meaning behind terms such as ‘game’, ‘piece’, and so forth? And just who is the ‘Lady’? These are the sorts of questions that may be filling your minds at this point, questions that I will answer in turn beginning with the most fundamental one that all of you should be aware of. However in order to do so, I must ask that you please keep an open mind, and not let yourselves become restricted by the chains of ‘normal logic’.”
Eyes sweeping across the room so as to confirm that everyone was paying attention, the white-haired woman then began the first of many explanations to come.
“ ‘Let the games begin’, many of you may recall this line from a letter you found soon after your awakening into this city. At the time, one might think that the phrase was merely metaphorical at best, a baseless string of words written on a whim so as to conclude a letter. However, believing such would be a grave error, a fatal one at that. All of us, including ‘veteran members’ of this resistance truly are trapped within a game ‘generously hosted’ by the author of those letters, one which we can not escape from unless we clear certain conditions in accordance with the rules and fundamentals of the game.”
Giving a nod to a person behind her, it was then that Reina stopped speaking for the moment as a hand out was passed to all those who were present at the meeting, continuing only once she saw that everyone had gotten one.
“Please read the paper which was given to you, then pass them to the center of the table when you are done. Should you have any questions, please use this time to do so.”
It should be noted that each handout appeared to be a photocopy of a notebook journal of sorts, with various speculations and such on the original’s author’s part, as well as a disturbing stain at the bottom of the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(And here’s the actual contents of the hand-out)
~ The Game~
- The objectives of the game for both sides are to place the other into “checkmate”, a situation where no further action can be taken by the side.
- In order for the Lady to declare checkmate, she much subjugate every piece of the opposing side into complete submission to her will. Meaning so long as we do not submit to her, we do not immediately lose.
- Likewise, we may declare checkmate upon a complete subjugation or elimination of the Lady and her forces. Update: New revision after more info has come to light, it appears that only the capture of the Lady herself is necessary.
- All pieces, new or old, that have not been removed forcibly will automatically be cured of any disabilities, injuries, and such. Proven when Val lost her arm near the end and got it back after the new round started.
- The Lady herself will never appear until the seventh day. Or so it seems anyway, maybe she’s just toying with us?
- The Lady and her pieces are forbidden from killing or severely injuring any of us directly. That unfortunately, does not exempt raping us to oblivion. Well, if they were killing us we’d undoubtedly be wiped out by now.
- We, unlike the Lady, are permitted the use of lethal or deadly force at all times against the opposing side, and is permitted to permanently remove opposing pieces from the board.
- Escaping the city is forbidden and a violation of the rules, even attempting to do so may be taken as an offense. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BREAK THIS RULE. REMEMBER LIZ, JESS, AND AMY.
- Each time we lose, we are permitted the option of requesting a rematch for another chance to escape from this place. The same may not apply for the Lady though... Kinda painfully obvious given how we lost so many times already
THE GAME IS ------------------------- LADY --------------- DO NOT --------------------------------------------------------
The remainder of the original entry appears to have been ripped off in the photocopy, with odd stains near the edge of it.