Imprisoned: A Horror Game of Cooperative Fiction - Season 1: Escape From The Mansion

[finalark]

Introduction:

Imprisoned is an original play-by-post RPG by me, inspired by a thread from the User Blogs sections that was made years ago in which a story was crafted by people posting different entries. Although I call Imprisoned an RPG, there will be no stat-building or dice rolling of any kind. The goal is not to be the one who survives the longest, nor is it to be the one with the best loot or the highest damage output. No, instead the goal of this game is to build a horror story though cooperatively building off of each other's posts.

In this game you may choose to play as yourself or if you may make an original character to play as. It's your call.

How to Play:

- When posting, write a paragraph describing your character's actions and what they've encountered.
- If your character would be affected by that encounter, write about how your character reacts to that encounter
- Once an encounter is resolved, move onto the next one
- Remember that multiple groups of characters can be exploring different places, causing multiple encounters at the same time. If this happens, please quote the encounter you are reacting to.
- Feel free to add a picture to help illustrate what is happening
- Be sure to check in often to regularly contribute to the ongoing story

Rules:

- This game's rules are based on the honor system, treat other players with the repsect you would want to be treated with
- Each player's character is their own, do not take control of another player's character unless that player has given you permission to do so
- No padding posts, when you post something make sure it adds something to the story or otherwise advances the plot in some way
- No being a Mary Sue, everyone has flaws and weaknesses in real life so this applies to the game world as well. If you wind up in an situation where your character faces certain death then face death with dignity and don't deus ex machina your way out of it
- If your character dies, please refrain from posting unless otherwise noted. You may still like posts, however.
- If you're a new player and the current season is nearing its end please refrain from joining the game until the next season starts.

Notes on Season structure:

- Assuming that this first game is successful, we will start again with a new story. Each of these new stories will be referred to as Seasons.
- Seasons are not sequels, instead they take place in their own self-contained universe. This is so that if you played as yourself or had a character you were fond of you may play as yourself or that character again. This also allows us to make new stories without being bogged down by continuity.
- Each Season will have a prologue which sets the stage for the current game. Please be sure to read these before you post.
- Each Season will also have a plot summaries which I will update as major events unfold. This is to give a point of reference for new players jumping into the game.

Prologues/Summaries (PLEASE READ BEFORE PLAYING):

Season 1 Prologue/The Story So Far:

Spoiler

Lighting cracks and the roaring thunder wakes you from your sleep. You jolt awake and quickly take note of the fact that this room you are in is unfamiliar, you've never been here before in your life. The bed you are on is large, firm and dusty. The furniture in the room is old and rotting. Harsh rain throws itself onto the windows with all of its might as distant thunder cries out somewhere beyond the dark forest that lies outdoors. Unsure of where you are or how you got here, you get out of the bed and start searching for answers.

The Story So Far:

After awakening in this mysterious mansion, Soup and Finalark quickly run into each other. Although standoffish at first, the two agree that the best course of action would be to team up. While Finalark was interested in checking out a light coming from the downstairs area at the end of the hall, Soup suggests that they search around for clues first. Finalark finds himself (herself?) in agreement and the two start to look around the hallway they awoke in.

Meanwhile, Gheb stirs awakens from his own slumber. Lost and confused, he too begins a search for clues.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

damn this sounds tight is it gonna work like this or this?

could use a bit more rules and whatnot

 

[finalark]

It's very free-form, not individually action based like Zork. Essentially, one player posts a paragraph describing what they've encountered and what they're doing. Then other players then work off of that paragraph to write about how that react to that encounter or maybe they add something new to it. Forgive me for skimping on the rules a bit, I'll add a how-to-play section to clear it up.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

that sounds really fun will you be taking sign-ups or can anyone join?

 

[ranmaru]

This sounds tight indeed.

 

[finalark]

that sounds really fun will you be taking sign-ups or can anyone join?

Anyone can join. Just start writing when you're ready.

 

[rid****ulous]

this is pretty cool and I might hop into this.
/Orbo.

 

[ranmaru]

Can you elaborate on the activity one should have?

 

[~ Gheb ~]

Sounds very fun, consider me in for this!

 

[rid****ulous]

Also, having someone not being able to pop into the story late in the season might not be the best. Having a random character pop in can work great as foreshadowing or a spoiler of a plot twist.

 

[finalark]

Can you elaborate on the activity one should have?

The prologue is meant to be the opening post of the adventure to go off of.

Think of it like this:

Prologue says you wake up in a room.

Now you post about what happens next, what do you find in the room? Do you leave the room? If you do what do you find there?

Also, having someone not being able to pop into the story late in the season might not be the best. Having a random character pop in can work great as foreshadowing or a spoiler of a plot twist.

That rule is in place to prevent Seasons that are in their third act from dragging on too long, but if after some play testing you're right then I'll change the OP.

 

[rid****ulous]

I think ran means "how often do I need to check this?"

 

[finalark]

I think ran means "how often do I need to check this?"

In that case, often.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

Lighting cracks and the roaring thunder wakes you from your sleep. You jolt awake and quickly take note of the fact that this room you are in is unfamiliar, you've never been here before in your life. The bed you are on is large, firm and dusty. The furniture in the room is old and rotting. Harsh rain throws itself onto the windows with all of its might as distant thunder cries out somewhere beyond the dark forest that lies outdoors. Unsure of where you are or how you got here, you get out of the bed and start searching for answers.

I step cautiously out of bed and look around the ambiguous room. What possible motive could there be for me to be here? Did someone kidnap me? Am I just hallucinating? Did someone drug me? My body does feel a bit heavy, but perhaps it's because I was sleeping. I don't notice anything too out of the ordinary, but the scene is all too unreal to me. This is obviously not a normal house, and someone didn't invite me into their home. I figure the best place to start would be to exit the room, although a thought comes to mind that I should investigate this room further. I figure there will be no trouble if I decide against it, and escaping this place should be my utmost priority. I head towards the door and begin to ponder if I am not alone. The thought sends shivers down my spine.

OoC: Hope I did this right.

 

[finalark]

I step cautiously out of bed and look around the ambiguous room. What possible motive could there be for me to be here? Did someone kidnap me? Am I just hallucinating? Did someone drug me? My body does feel a bit heavy, but perhaps it's because I was sleeping. I don't notice anything too out of the ordinary, but the scene is all too unreal to me. This is obviously not a normal house, and someone didn't invite me into their home. I figure the best place to start would be to exit the room, although a thought comes to mind that I should investigate this room further. I figure there will be no trouble if I decide against it, and escaping this place should be my utmost priority. I head towards the door and begin to ponder if I am not alone. The thought sends shivers down my spine.

OoC: Hope I did this right.

I wander out of my own room and find myself in a dark hall way lined with paintings, most of which are too faded to tell what they were once of. The ticking of a clock echoes solemnly through out the place. At the end of the hall is a staircase leading down, with a faint light from the bottom of the stairs providing what little illumination as it can to the hall. Across from my room is another door, which I slowly open to reveal another room. I jump at the sight of another person for a moment, startled by the fact that I'm not the only one here.

OoC: That's you, Soup.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

I turn my head and notice a shady figure on the other side of the hall. I feel a tad nervous to interact, but I can only assume that this person will not kill me. I cannot make out the exact gender, nor what they look like. Curiosity gets the better of me and I begin to walk over.

 

[finalark]

I turn my head and notice a shady figure on the other side of the room. I feel a tad nervous to interact, but I can only assume that this person will not kill me. I cannot make out the exact gender, nor what they look like. Curiosity gets the better of me and I begin to walk over.

I back up for a moment as the figure approaches me, I raise my fists and enter a fighting stance. Trying to be as intimidating as possible I shout, "Who are you!? Why am I here!?"

 

[~ Gheb ~]

OoC: Can I still start with the opening prologue from the OP or do I have to enter the game right where you guys are?

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

I pause for a moment and notice the defensive position this person has taken. They have their fists raised, and they seem startled. I decide to keep my distance and respond.

"I'm nobody. You can pretend I'm in the same ****ty situation you're in. You should really learn how to make better first impressions, you look like you're ready to knock the lights out of me."

I scoff at my own gesture and continue.

"You can call me soup. I don't trust you yet, so don't try any funny business. I know how these creepy encounters usually end up. Were you alone when you awoke?"

 

[finalark]

OoC: Can I still start with the opening prologue from the OP or do I have to enter the game right where you guys are?

Either is fine.

 

[finalark]

I pause for a moment and notice the defensive position this person has taken. They have their fists raised, and they seem startled. I decide to keep my distance and respond.

"I'm nobody. You can pretend I'm in the same ****ty situation you're in. You should really learn how to make better first impressions, you look like you're ready to knock the lights out of me."

I scoff at my own gesture and continue.

"You can call me soup. I don't trust you yet, so don't try any funny business. I know how these creepy encounters usually end up. Were you alone when you awoke?"

I slowly lower my fists, whoever this person is I'm pretty sure he isn't interested in harming me.

"Sorry, the name's Finalark. I was alone when I got up. Were you?"

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

"Indeed I was. Rotting furniture ring a bell? I was tucked in like someone was about to read a bed time story to me. It was an unpleasant feeling."

I begin to get closer and get a more visual representation of this person.

 

[finalark]

"Indeed I was. Rotting furniture ring a bell? I was tucked in like someone was about to read a bed time story to me. It was an unpleasant feeling."

I begin to get closer and get a more visual representation of this person.

Although the lighting is low, you can make out that this person is male, stands at about six feet and appears to be in his early twenties. His hair is shoulder length, providing some gender confusion in the dark.

"Sounds about right," I reply, "this place really freaks me out. Listen, I have no idea who you are but I think we can both agree that we need to get the **** out of here. Down the hall is some stairs going down and I saw some light coming from the bottom. That may be a good place to start."

OoC: If I haven't posted in a while and someone else posts assume that I am exploring the mansion with soup.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

I notice the figure checking me out, and I cannot help but do the same. It seems I am dealing with a female, curly hair and she seems a bit mischievous. She is wearing a black tank top and regular jeans, nice attire for the creepy mansion gig. I don't accurately pin her height but the details are irrelevant to me.

"I don't know. The light thing kinda seems kinda obvious. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't set up by the schemer himself. I think we should try and be more prepared before we try anything cautious. I like living, thank you very much. Do you think if we checked the other rooms in this hall, we could scavenge something and possibly find more people? I like the idea of a numbers game more than some dude and his spunky girlfriend partner in crime."

I hope she didn't get the intention of that sentence wrong, but I cannot help but begin to grin. Her reaction will be worth it despite coming off as a complete tool. I can live with that.

 

[finalark]

I roll my eyes and say simply, "Not in a million years, kid." Despite that offhand comment, he was right. The light was way too obvious. If playing Resident Evil had taught me anything its to be careful as **** in creepy-ass mansions. Maybe if I searched around a little more I could find a weapon for myself and my new-found companion. Probably not a gun or anything, but if I was lucky maybe a baseball bat or something.

"You're right, " I say, "we need to look around a little more and get prepared. I walk pass Soup and open a massive wardrobe behind him, a cloud of dust flies out and permeates the room. Coughing, I cover my eyes and face and wait for the dust to clear. Once it settled, I found the wardrobe to be void of clothing but containing a long, circular object that appears to be a leg for a small table.

"I found something to defend myself with," I say as I show it off to Soup.

 

[~ Gheb ~]

Light & the echo of faraway footsteps awake me as I lie on the cold & hard ground. My eyes feels fractious, almost stubborn, as I try to lift my lids & try to find out where I am. My head feels light & dizzy & my bones hurt from sleeping on the ground so long. Every move I make feels mechanical & slow & painfully calculated - almost as if I were a robot covered in rust who has just seen the light of day for the first time. I can't even lift my arm without having to think through the entire process & my vision is still blurry and hazy. Somehow though & still half unconscious I manage to get myself up into a sitting position & take a deep breath. But the air is bad & my body's first sign of actually being alive is a deep yet silent cough. With this, I suddenly feel my senses coming back as if the cough served as a starting shot for my body to start functioning again. My eyes start to see different shades of gray where there only used to be black & white & I start to wonder what place I am in.

There's light coming from above. It pierces my worn-out eyes as I look up to find out where it's coming from but it's too high & too blurry to really see anything. As my senses grow stronger and my mind is becoming ever more concrete a terrible feeling starts to overwhelm me. Where am I? Why am I here? These questions disturbed my already troubled mind, well knowing that I have no answer to them. I am lost.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

OoC: I kind of want to wait for more people before I continue this on, but I won't let it delay.

"Nice. I'm still emptyhanded though."

I take a moment to pause.

"..Hey. We should also try and look in the other rooms, maybe there will be someone?"

 

[finalark]

I nod, tightening my grip around my table leg.

"Alright, lets take a look at a few of these other rooms."

I push past soup and into the hall. Right across from me, next to where my room is, was a closed door. I cautiously open it, wary of what may lurking behind it. It's open, but just a crack, I peak in and see a room much like the one I awoke it. I open the door more and enter.

"Let's take a look for a weapon for you around here," I call back to Soup.

EDIT: OoC I updated the OP with the story so far.

 

[Handorin]

I slowly come into consciousness. Voices, do I hear voices? I can't tell. I have a terrible headache. I can't move? Why not? I'm sitting on something slightly soft, but my hands are tied together on my lap. I venture to open my eyes. It lasts seconds before my eyes adjust to the dimly lit room. Directly in front of me was a figure, but it was too dim to see what it could be. It just looked like a tall shadow. It walked over to me and bent to my eye level. It nodded once at me. I stared back into it's empty eyes, for those I could see. It walked over to the adjacent window. It climbed out and up. The rest of the room was rather empty. It looked like I was on a moldy couch. There were several photos on the wall. I still couldn't move. Wait, there were the voices again. I still can't make them out.

"Hilfe! Can anyone here me?!"
I can't move. All I can do is wait.

 

[Handorin]

That inactivity bump. Almost a week guys.

 

[#HBC | ѕoup]

I'll get at this later.

 

[finalark]

I'm going to be updating the OP with a new "The Story So Far" once a week on Sundays to summarize everything that happened that week.

 

[Sun-Wukong]

I suppose I should get up and try to figure out where I am. Last I remember, that thunderstorm woke me up in this unfamiliar place, but I was so tired that I went back to sleep, however long ago that was. It was daytime, I'm certain, but there's no alarm clock by this bed--or stone-slab covered by a sheet, if my suspicions hold any merit--so it's hard to say beyond that. On any ordinary afternoon, I would wake up and look over at my alarm clock, see that it was three or four in the afternoon, and admit that it would probably be in my best interest to get up and take a shower, or at least brush my teeth. Working the night shift is a *****.

That must have been when whoever brought me here did it, on my way home from work! I was completely checked out by then--running on autopilot, so to speak--so it's all a blur. To be fair, I've never had the best memory, even when I'm completely lucid. Either way, I have no idea how I got here. No time like the present to find out, though.

OoC: I hope this is okay. I always find some way to mess stuff like this up.

 

[~ Gheb ~]

Bump, this was really interesting and I wanna revive it.