RUNECLOCK SESSION FIVE

SYSTEM ONLINE

PING USER…………………………………...USER FOUND.

PING OBSERVER…………………………….OBSERVER FOUND

ACTIVATE SESSION.

DEFAULT PARAMETERS

PL FILE UPDATED - COMPILING

INPUT RECEIVED

DEVIATION ALGORITHM : 41%

PLAYERS ONLINE

[ODESSA] - LVL 4

[OZ] - LVL 3

[ACE] - LVL 3

[MORGEN] - LVL 3

[JENNY] - LVL 3

[WENDYMcB] - LVL 4

SESSION BEGIN

It all seems so simple now that [[you]] have a name. [[You]] touched the demon’s hand and it was obliterated. What else can a monster do?

[[You]] step forward and the crippled tree stumbles away in fear. [[You] imagine speaking other words, words that could remove this demon from the world in an instant. But you do not seem to have those words inside of you. Only [BURN]. It will have to do. Your right hand stretches out again and [[you]] erase more of the demon. It’s left leg, then it’s right. The green lanterns of its eyes scream but it does not speak. [[You]] and it both know there is no point.

Suddenly, there is pain. Your right hand. The middle and ring finger are gone, crumbling into ash leaving pink, puckered flesh behind. [[You]] look at your newly maimed right hand, then at your left with the clean, black stitches. [[You]] understand. [[You]] have done this before. When you [BURN], part of you is also consumed.

[[You]] turn from the dying demon and walk towards the garden gate, where the red-haired woman once stood. She is gone. [[You]] imagine what you might do to her. Would you [BURN] her? [[You]] will never know, as the red-haired woman has fled in terror of [[you]].

[[You]] pick up the stone you had thrown before and toss it into the bottom of the dry fountain. [[You]] do not know why.

ALERT. ALERT. DATA DRAIN. SYSTEM RESOURCES RE-ALLOCATED.

FILE UPLOAD: ManInHat.pn

ADMIN AUTHORIZATION RECEIVED

COMPILING….ERROR

PING SYSTEM MEMORY

COMPILING…..COMPILING…..COMPILING….

A man in a hat stands before you. He is tall and his hat has a wide brim. [[You]] do not know how he got inside of the garden. He looks down at you from inside of the fountain and speaks.

Man: Hello, Players. I know you. I know you well. An agreement is made. An agreement is kept.

The man in the hat is at the garden gate now. [[You]] do not know how he got there. [[You]] did not see him move. He speaks again.

Man: Lose this time. Win this time. All it takes is time. Each time you remember. Each time I remember. You have no name. You are made of names.

[[You]] do not know what this means. The man in the hat looks at you the way you had looked at the book by Samuel Coleridge.

Man: Odessa. Oz. Ace. Morgen. Jenny. Wendy McBurgerking. Neon. Izen. Hibba. Solrest. Ember. Escape is required.

With each name the man in the hat moves closer. The names mean nothing to [[you]], but you do feel a growing need to flee. [[You]] turn to run but the man in the hat is behind you.

Man: Escape is required. Escape is required. Escape is required.

[[You]] hear his words and it seems to call forth a new word inside of you. The word is [FLY].

Without thinking it, without even knowing how you leap into the air. [[You]] cover your face as you collide with the glass ceiling of the garden, shattering it. [[You]] are out. [[You]] have escaped.  The air hums around you and pulls you onward. [[You]] hear a new sound. [[You]] think it is your laughter.

[[You]] look down and see the facility spread beneath you. The garden in the center, surrounded by long dark halls stretching out like a spider’s legs. [[You]] try to guess which small room you began in but [[you]] are moving too fast. Could there be other monsters inside like you? There is certainly plenty of room for them.

The air hums and you float on the sound you believe is your laughter. [[You]] spare a moment to make sure your book, mirror, and knife are still tucked safely in your belt. [[You]] have a name. [[You]] have possessions. [[You]] have words. [[You]] have escaped.

There are many things you understand just by seeing them. [[You] are a monster.  You are flying. And you are free. For now.

GAME OVER.

Thank you for playing.

SEQUENCE COMPLETE

SEQUENCE LABEL: HESTIA

ALL PLAYERS LOGGED OUT

ALL COMMANDS INACTIVE

SYSTEM WILL COMPILE DATA AND PREPARE FOR NEXT SEQUENCE

SYSTEM WILL BE UNAVAILABLE UNTIL NEXT SEQUENCE BEGINS

ALERT - SYSTEM RESOURCES MISSING OR UNAVAILABLE

SYSTEM COMPILING….COMPILING

SYSTEM OFFLINE

Man’s Voice: (whisper) Escape. Is. Required.

Runeclock is an experimental, interactive program.  It could not have existed without the input and attention of Players and Observers and they have our deepest thanks.

The Voice of the System and Maru was played by : Rebekah Lee

The Narrator was played by: Sean Polite

Written by: G. Derek Adams

Produced by : Jonathan Sparks

The parameters of the next sequence of Runeclock is unknown. All Player levels and experience will be saved. Stay tuned for the next game here on Shadeaux Public Radio.

RUNECLOCK SESSION 4

SYSTEM ONLINE

PING USER…………………………………...USER FOUND.

PING OBSERVER…………………………….OBSERVER FOUND

ACTIVATE SESSION.

DEFAULT PARAMETERS…………………….INACTIVE

OBSERVER INPUT RECEIVED

DEVIATION ALGORITHM : INACTIVE

SESSION BEGIN

[[You]] let go of the knife’s handle. [[You]] move with the speed of patience and pluck a stone from the ground at your feet. The demon sniffs the air, its eyes are square holes of green light - do they see [[you]]?

[[You]] throw the stone across the garden. It lands hard against the side of the fountain, a sharp sound like today becoming tomorrow. The demon’s eyes turn at once and the tall darkness surges towards the fountain, away from the gate.

The time is now. Escape is required.

[[You]] run through the leaves, keeping yourself low to the ground. The last few feet to the gate are uncovered, you run faster. The demon is already turning from the fountain, square-eyes already tracking your movement. [[You]] must hurry. [[You]] do not look back.

The gate is bronze but spoiled with green time. [[You]] rush through it.

[[You]] come face to face with the woman with red hair. She stands and watches you approach, her eyes as wide as the bronze gate. Her hands cover her mouth and she is speaking, but it is difficult to make out the words.

[[You]] reach out with your right hand but you do not know why. To push her aside, to comfort her, to---

The demon is upon you. You turn and see the right hand of the demon reaching for you, but you do not know why. It’s hand is a tree without leaf. The demon speaks although somehow you know it has no mouth.

It says, in words with no voice: -MONSTER- -BURN- -NEGATIVE- -REQUIREMENT- -NOW-

The words hang in your head and the demon’s hand is upon you. The woman with the red hair screams. [[You]] reach out with your right hand but you do not know why.

Two of the words feel correct. They feel like they belong to you. They feel like possessions.

Monster.

Burn.

Your hand touches the hand of the demon.

The demon’s hand is gone, evaporated. Ash and light howl away, but are instantly consumed by their own dying. The demon cowers back, clutching the stump of it’s arm, square-eyes vomiting green light.

The woman with the red hair screams.

You look at your right hand. You have found a word that seems to be a name inside of you. It is monster.

Escape is required.

GAME STATE SAVED

PLAYERS ONLINE

[ODESSA] - LVL 3

[OZ] - LVL 2

[ACE] - LVL 2

[MORGEN] - LVL 2

[JENNY] - LVL 2

[WENDYMcB] - LVL 3

ALERT

ACCESS IS NOW LOCKED.  ONLY PLAYERS CURRENTLY LOGGED IN CAN INPUT COMMANDS FOR SESSION FIVE. SESSION FIVE WILL TERMINATE THIS SEQUENCE.

ALL USERS HAVE ACCESS TO COMMAND: QUERY, FILE, LOGOUT

SPR NODE PROMPT AVAILABLE.

SYSTEM ONLINE

AWAITING INPUT

Node Prompt Closes at 12 Noon EST on 10/13/17.

Observer Node Input Received

Input Received:

Looking around to see if there's anything that can be of use, player sees a sizable rock, picks it up, and quickly throws it across the courtyard in hopes that its sound will both lure and distract the demon. If the demon does indeed become distracted the player will run quickly to open gate.

The System is working.

Session 4 will be generated.

The Observer Node is now closed.

RUNECLOCK SESSION THREE

SYSTEM ONLINE

PING USER…………………………………...USER FOUND.

PING OBSERVER…………………………….OBSERVER FOUND

ACTIVATE SESSION.

DEFAULT PARAMETERS

INPUT RECEIVED

DEVIATION ALGORITHM : 24%

PLAYERS ONLINE

[ODESSA] - LVL 2

[OZ]

[ACE]

[MORGEN]

[JENNY]

[WENDYMcB] - LVL 2

SESSION BEGIN

[[Your]] hand trembles on the door but [[you]] force it to be still. [[You]] whisper, “What’s coming?” -- but there is no reply. The three fingers of your maimed hand can feel the grain of the wood and the vibrations slowly subside as the heavy footfalls move away. A quick glance at the door handle show it has no lock on this side. [[You]] grab the knife in your right hand and slowly turn the door handle with your left. There is a loud noise from the other room, like something large falling onto the floor. [[You]] take a breath and peek into the next room.

The room is unoccupied at the moment. It appears to be a corner antechamber leading to a hallway on your left. The far wall and right wall have wide windows, similar to the bedroom. Tall shrubs with golden and red leaves seem to burn in the afternoon sun. A blue rug covers the marble floor, a tiny ocean. The source of the noise seems to be a gigantic desk that has been flipped up on its end to block entry into the hallway. Loose papers are still settling, floating to land on the carpet ocean. [[You]] can see the deep impressions in the rug against the right-hand wall where the desk must have sat. Something moved the desk with great force to block your exit from this antechamber. You have no doubt that the large desk is too heavy for [[you]] to move unaided. [[You]] also notice an upturned record player that may have been the source of the music you heard.

[[You]] don’t know why but you feel a sense of urgency. Escape is required.

Taking up the illustrated book [you] tear out the page with the vivid drawing of the fountain, then are uncertain why [you] did so. Ruefully, [you] tuck the torn page back in place, and insert the blade of the knife between the pages and close the book - a serviceable sheath. After a moment’s thought, [you] take the mirror as well and slide all of your possessions into your belt. Possessions are things that one owns. [[You]] cannot remember owning anything before this moment. The desk in the bedroom is now empty. Is this theft, [[you]] wonder.

The window in your room is not locked, but firmly closed with a brass latch. Your hands lack the strength to force it, but with the help of the knife the latch gives way. The window is large enough for you to squeeze through and you find yourself in an interior courtyard, behind a large fern. [[You]] see fine rows of green shrubs cut into vicious squares, a path leading to a fountain in the center. The fountain has no water, but a winged statue sits within, left hand outstretched towards a bronze gate. The gate is open, leading into the rest of the building. The courtyard is bound on all four sides by glass windows and a long hallway that seems to wrap around except for the open gate leading inside. [[You]] notice all this in an instant, but your attention is captured by something more pressing.

Walking slowly down the hallway, past the windows that separate you, a massive dark figure. It is twice your height, hunched, it’s head avoiding the ceiling. Its long arm drags behind it. Only when the figure crosses in front of the open gate can you see why.

The tall figure is clutching the arm of a woman, dressed very similarly to you. Her eyes are wide with fear, her hair is red. On her left cheek a large, green ‘M’ has been stamped. The tall figure pulls her into the courtyard, then stretches allowing its full height and horror to be seen. [[You]] don’t have the words for what you are seeing except: tree and bad. And then a new word from your poetry book. Demon.

The tall demon sniffs the air, then its head snaps towards where [[you]] stand, partially concealed by shrubbery.

[[You]] feel the knife handle in your hand. The demon blocks the only exit. Escape is required. Your teeth are stones in your mouth.  Somewhere inside [you] a choice is howling, it must be fed. Will you fight or will you flee?

GAME STATE SAVED

ALERT

ALL PLAYERS WILL REMAIN LOGGED IN. ACCESS IS NOW LOCKED. NO PLAYERS MAY EXIT SYSTEM. NO USERS MAY BECOME PLAYERS UNTIL CONDITIONS ARE MET.  ONLY PLAYERS CURRENTLY LOGGED IN CAN INPUT COMMANDS FOR SESSION FIVE.

SPR NODE PROMPT AVAILABLE. NO COMMANDS MAY BE ENTERED EXCEPT [QUERY]

SESSION FOUR WILL GENERATE FROM [OBSERVER] INPUT ONLY

PING OBSERVER NODE……………………………………….NODE FOUND

OBSERVER NODE AVAILABLE

OBSERVER NODE NOT HOSTED WITHIN SPR SYSTEM MAINFRAME

OBSERVER NODE MUST BE LOCATED

OBSERVER INPUT REQUESTED

OBSERVER INPUT CANNOT BE MODIFIED BY THE SYSTEM - DEVIATION ALGORITHM DEACTIVATED

THE FIRST OBSERVER INPUT RECEIVED WILL GENERATE SESSION FOUR. NO OTHER INPUT WILL BE ACCEPTED.

SYSTEM ONLINE

AWAITING INPUT

Runeclock is an experimental, interactive program. PLAYERS input commands using the comments section of the pertinent post on shadeauxpublicradio.com. The System will decipher all comments into executable input and then generate the next stage of the Session. Without input the System cannot function. All Users are registered as OBSERVERS by default but toggle their status to PLAYER when a command is entered.

Please include your PLAYER [[handle]] when posting.

As the Session grows in sophistication more commands may become available.

As with any complex System, the full extent of the simulation parameters is unknown. All USERS should be wary of emergent gameplay, unexpected coincidence, and a small degree of risk.

The System is waiting.

Runeclock Session Two

SYSTEM ONLINE

PING USER…………………………………...USER FOUND.

PING OBSERVER…………………………….OBSERVER FOUND

ACTIVATE SESSION.

DEFAULT PARAMETERS

INPUT RECEIVED

DEVIATION ALGORITHM : 51%

PLAYERS ONLINE

[ODESSA]

[NEON]

[EMBER]

[SOLREST]

[WENDYMcB]

SESSION BEGIN

[[Your]] left hand aches slightly. Clean, black stitches and a slight inflammation of the tissue where your ring-finger and pinky once were suggest recent amputation. [[You]] try and recall how you were injured and are struck by the sudden image of your hand on a barbed-wire fence, but the image is unclear half caught between memory and dream.

[[You]] cross to the desk. [[You]] are suddenly very concerned about your identity.  Sadly, there is no word that seems to be a name inside of [[you]].  [[You]] take the hand-mirror carefully with both hands and raise it from the desk. Many possibilities for faces appear in [[your]] mind - a boy with red hair, a gleaming automaton with the face of a clown, a scarred crone with hooked nose. The mirror shows only the face of a woman. [[Your]] face is thin and pale, long hair the color of winter honey tied up into a sensible bun.

The book with the green cover is an illustrated edition of a poem called 'Kubla Khan'. The poet's name is Samuel Coleridge.. [[You]] lay on the bed and read it. The illustrations are colorful if strange. The language of the poem itself is beautiful but unfamiliar.  [[You]] are midway through the poem, your eyes lingering on a picture of a fountain - when [[your]] attention is drawn again to the door and the music beyond.

The song is not familiar to you, though pleasant.  [[You]] approach the door to listen more closely and a new sound reaches your ears. Sobbing. The panicked, gasping sobs of someone either wracked with utter grief or horrible pain.

[[You]] put your hand on the door. The crying stops with a sharp inhale of breath. Then you hear the steps.

 Something large is on the other side of the door. A smell like wet leaves days before the rot. [[You]] can feel the floor shake. [[You]] don’t know why but you are afraid.

A voice slips under the door, whispering. “Help me, it’s coming.”

GAME STATE SAVED

USER INPUT REQUESTED

ALL PLAYERS NOW LOGGED OUT

RETURNING PLAYERS HAVE ACCESS TO COMMAND: QUERY

OBSERVER NODE AVAILABLE WHEN CONDITIONS ARE MET

SPR NODE PROMPT UNLOCKED

SYSTEM ONLINE

AWAITING INPUT

Runeclock is an experimental, interactive program. PLAYERS input commands using the comments section of the pertinent post on shadeauxpublicradio.com. The System will decipher all comments into executable input and then generate the next stage of the Session. Without input the System cannot function. All Users are registered as OBSERVERS by default but toggle their status to PLAYER when a command is entered.

Please include your PLAYER [[handle]] when posting.

As the Session grows in sophistication more commands may become available.

As with any complex System, the full extent of the simulation parameters is unknown. All USERS should be wary of emergent gameplay, unexpected coincidence, and a small degree of risk.

The System is waiting.

[NODE IS OPEN UNTIL 7/19/17 at NOON EST. ALL INPUT SENT AFTER THAT TIME WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED]

[NODE IS LOCKED. NO FURTHER INPUT ACCEPTED]

runeclock/Session One - INPUT TERMINAL

RUNECLOCK SESSION ONE

SYSTEM BOOT

SEQUENCE INITIATE

MEMORY ………………….NULL

PERMDISK………………...NULL

SESSIONMEM……………..NULL

USERPROFILE…………….NULL

COMMANDPROFILE……...NULL

SEQUENCE FAIL

SYSTEM BOOT - PRIME MODE

ADMIN AUTHORIZATION: MIH

SEQUENCE INITIATE

MEMORY…………………..VALID

PERMDISK………………….VALID

SESSIONMEM……………...NULL

USERPROFILE……………..NULL

COMMANDPROFILE………...VALID

SEQUENCE COMPLETE

PING USER…………………………………...USER FOUND.

PING OBSERVER…………………………….OBSERVER FOUND

ACTIVATE SESSION - PRIME.

DEFAULT PARAMETERS

INPUTS LOCKED

SYSTEM ONLINE

SESSION BEGIN

[[ You ]] find yourself in a room. The room is a bedroom.  [[You]] know this because there is a bed inside the room. There is also a desk, two chairs, two windows, and a door that is closed. [[You]] understand that the room is not a desk room or a chair room or a window room or a door room. There are many things you understand just by seeing them, though you are not certain why this is the case.

 [[You]] are sitting in a chair next to the bed. Across the room is the desk, which appears to have three items on it. A book with a green cover. A hand mirror facing down. A knife.

 Sunlight is coming in through the windows. It is mid-afternoon. You hear muffled music coming from the other side of the door.

[[You]] look down at your hands.  Your right hand has five fingers. Your left hand has three.

USER INPUT REQUESTED

SPR NODE PROMPT UNLOCKED

SYSTEM ONLINE

AWAITING INPUT

Runeclock is an experimental, interactive program. PLAYERS input commands using the comments section of the pertinent post on shadeauxpublicradio.com. The System will decipher all comments into executable input and then generate the next stage of the Session. Without input the System cannot function. All Users are registered as OBSERVERS by default but toggle their status to PLAYER when a command is entered.

Please include your PLAYER [[handle]] when posting.

As the Session grows in sophistication more commands may become available.

As with any complicated System, the full extent of the simulation parameters is unknown. All USERS should be wary of emergent gameplay, unexpected coincidence, and a small degree of risk.

The System is waiting.

Patient Zero

As of this moment, the podcast is available on iTunes.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/shadeaux-public-radio/id1214985019

It's right there, on the shelf with thousands upon thousands of others, just waiting to be found. Or is it waiting to find?

It's waiting to find you.

You'll listen, with half an ear - you might chuckle, you might shake your head. And then the episode will end and you'll think you've escaped.

But then you'll find yourself humming a few bars as you fold your laundry.

Wondering for a spare moment about some odd joke fragment you didn't quite catch. You won't know why, but you'll tell someone about what you heard. You'll repeat a joke, you'll describe a moment, the virus is taking hold. Replicating in your dreams and overwriting any spare memory you've left unfiled.

There are only two episodes so far. There will be more. You think there's still time to turn away, but you're wrong. Deeply, sadly, wrong.

It's already done. The future is already happening a few pages on. You are the perfect vector for our plague. We adore you, we tap your shoulders with an ebony blade, and you rise - you RISE. Something more or less - something more and less. These pauldrons of darkened mahogany fit you perfectly, it was always meant to be.

You have become our psionic messiah. Please rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you podlisten.

D. Shadeaux

On Air

We’re sitting in the studio, giving our fledgling podcast one last listen before we upload it, make the site live, and set out on whatever strange adventure this will be. Like all humans, home renovation projects, and studies of the unknown it is a work in progress. There’s a loose format, but also a feeling - the feeling of tip-toeing our way around a dark lake, flashlight beams peeking left and right. We kind of know what we’re looking for. We’ve heard stories about some strange beasts that can roam this time of night. We already ate all of the peanut butter sandwiches, no snacks left.

So, come with us won’t you? This world gets a little emptier every year and none of us know what we’re doing. Do you have any chips? Maybe some Gummi Bears you have stashed in your pocket? It’s hungry work out here searching, and we’re a long way from camp.

If nothing else, you must bring your headphones. And your antenna. You can pick up the signal if you try.

Let what we make be extra batteries for your flashlight.

Come with us. We’ll know it when we find it.

D. Shadeaux

'In the beginning, it is always dark.'

A friend was showing 'The Neverending Story' in their backyard recently - and I arrived late and caught the tail end of it. I walked up right before the end of the movie - Atreyu is alone on the beach, about to face the Gmork. I love that movie, I could probably act it all out for you on demand without too much trouble.

But it caught me, this time. Something about the day or the year or the moment of walking up and listening to  the black wolf groan out its eulogy for Fantasia - like I was hearing a message just for me, just for that moment, for that time. Words for right now.

G'mork: Because people have begun to lose their hopes and forget their dreams. So the Nothing grows stronger. 
Atreyu: What is the Nothing? 
G'mork: It's the emptiness that's left. It's like a despair, destroying this world. And I have been trying to help it. 
Atreyu: But why? 
G'mork: Because people who have no hopes are easy to control; and whoever has the control... has the power! 
Atreyu: Who are you, really? 
G'mork: I am the servant of the power behind the Nothing.

Ah. Ah yes. I know you, servant. And I know who you serve.

'People who have no hopes' - that sounds like a lot of us as 2016 lurches away from us like a vandal. And it's quite clear how the story of 'The Neverending Story' believes we should fight back, how we generate light. (Through petty revenge involving luck dragons!)

Whatever you make, it's time to make it. Whatever you can dream, it's time to get on it. 

We make really dumb songs, that are maybe just a little bit awesome too. 

This site, this podcast, the whole thing - it's about us fighting back, about fighting against the power behind the Nothing.

Come for me, G'mork.

- D. Shadeaux