Phoenix Wright (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wright_idea) wrote2013-05-07 06:47 pm
wright_idea) wrote2013-05-07 06:47 pm
COURT RECORD
NOTEBOOK
[UPDATES 07/19/2015):
- Notes about Tim, Chassie and the general Virtues updated
- Result of Second Rumor War added.
- Minor touchups.]
CAPTORS/VIRTUES
Note: I have consolidated the profiles and notes of a former group of inmates I located from a notebook in the library. Not all information written is mine. I have indicated my own notes where warranted.
- Temper (Ulysses) Vale:
Virtue: Temperance
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Approximately 5'10" or 5'11"
Powers: Some sort of "siren song"; he can change what you do by talking to you. There has been record of attempts of attacking him only to have the weapon turned back on the owner, if memory serves.
Attitude: Tranquil on the surface, but far more deadly and in control than he lets on.
My Notes:
Seems to be a de facto leading figure among the captors. Enigmatic, but seems to have an underlying dangerous streak. Has admitted to entering the catacombs for unknown reasons. Has told Alice he is not human, but was unclear what that entailed. Seems to be the leader of the group? Chassie suggested he's more sad than mean. I wonder if that's true, and if so, what does it mean?* Is called "Temmy" by Chassie. That's actually kind of cute. Ruled out as "Mommy Dearest" due to sex and to being mentioned alongside the term.
We located a bible signed by A "U. Vale." This is actually Temper himself. U. is short for Ulysses, according to Alice.
- Dil Blackwood:
Virtue: Diligence
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Dark-- black-brown
Height: Approximately 5'8" or 5'9"
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Superior, deadly-- rather like the cat with a cornered mouse
My Notes:
Another of the captors. Simultaneously flirtatious and sadistic. Was she the one "having fun" during the last incident? "Back two, forward one. Back one, forward three. Stop. Turn, and then, repeat. Is it progress, this? A delay? A pause before the crescendo?" What did she mean by that? Gave "North Italy" (watch notation; must be one of those "living countries" Edgeworth mentioned) some bugs for paint from an unknown location. How do they pull in people? Do they even do it at all? Told Aqua that "curiosity killed the cat." What are they hiding?
- Tim ("Hayden") Lear:
Virtue: Timidity
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: White-blonde
Height: Approximately 6'
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Unstable
My Notes:
Related to the captors. Monstrously violent and sadistic. Seems to be a matter of concern among the captors. Responsible for the destruction of the obelisk a while back. Chari says he used to be very gentle and kind. What could have possibly changed him? Only Tim seems to know...
He says he destroyed the obelisk because he "wanted to," but also because he apparently finds it loud in some way nobody else can pick up on besides the Virtues. He also suggested that the other Virtues have been lying to me, including Chari and Chassie. This complicates things. Seems to be controlled in some way through some sort of mental control by the other Virtues.
Aqua left us a medical file about him with the initial "H." Says it's short for Hayden, but very insistent on my not using it...
- Gene Jecklin, "Theodore" or "Theo":
Virtue: Generosity
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: Brown-black
Height: Approximately 6'
Powers: What he calls his “luck” that seemingly makes it impossible to land a hit on him, bare fists, magic, weapon or otherwise. To use his words, “Your luck, my luck, they stop becoming chance when I want them to. There's a blow that comes toward me, it looks as though it's going to be close, it'd only be by sheer good fortune I'd escape unscathed. I escape by a hair. Just like that. Those little things, those uncontrollable elements, those accidents, I can do with as I will, make them if I really need to.”
Attitude: Very willing to talk, calls himself the "black sheep" of the group, tense relationship with Temper. He appears charming, easy to talk to, and would have it said of himself that he’s “dashingly good looking”.
My Notes:
One of the captors. Unusually congenial. Seems to actually like people. A bit arrogant, though. "Look how well they've been doing. You'd almost think they liked each other." Gene, or somebody else? What is it they want? Sounds like he and Temper are pretty good friends.
- Chari Landry:
Virtue: Charity
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Unknown-- I haven't met her in person, just over the communicators
Powers: The guardian of Chassie; split personalities? No, more like... sometimes she looses control of herself. She says that “It’s me, it’s still me, but it’s not who I am. Something is broken inside me. I didn’t used to be this way. Before.” She can walk through walls.
Attitude: Rather sweet and kind of vapid, but don't be fooled. She has a strange sense of honor, but seems to hold true to it. Ruled out as "Mommy dearest" due to being mentioned alongside the term.
My Notes:
Another captor. Very young and innocent. Probably the nicest of the captors as of yet. Apparently acted in a distracted fashion when family was mentioned. Was very close to Tim before whatever happened to him, and still defends him. Hates Atien. She indicated that the seven may have come in anticipation of overthrowing the Watcher and the Overseer, but then backtracked and claimed it wasn't intended. I wonder what the truth is?
Says they're actually not the captors. Also seems to show some sort of sadness about whatever it is they are. Why? Is it connected to Tim's change? Is this what Chassie meant by "made wrong?"
- Atien Moore:
Virtue: Patience
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Unknown-- dark?
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Smaller and slight
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Slow to act or react, but sharp minded-- to be treated with extreme caution and considered deadly
My Notes:
Had been inspecting the obelisk after it was destroyed. Description matches Chari's profile. Apparently has been very abusive to Tim.
- Chassie ("L") Barrows:
Virtue: Chastity
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Dark-- brown? Black?
Hair Color: Dirty blonde
Height: Small -- appears to be a child
Powers: Perhaps some form of reality manipulation-- she once made it appear that the whole city was a fairy-tale world for up to a month
Attitude: Child-like, uses very childish form of speech, but is not to be thought of as a child, given her powers. She nearly killed [Switzerland] and 202 by bringing down a castle on top of us.
My Notes:
The final captor, mentioned by Franziska.No other indication on who she is. Is she really connected to Chari...? Is apparently taken care of by Chari. Has a teddy bear named Baron. She seems like a perfectly normal girl. Could it be she's less dangerous in personality and more just what happens when you give a child powers before they have the maturity to wield them?
The only Virtue who's reached out to Ikaros so far. Hmm.
Aqua left us a medical record with the initial "L" given for her first name. No sense of what this is short for.
- General:
They were once human, but somehow gained special powers and are apparently no longer thus. Apparently someone or something “changed” them and died shortly after, but it’s uncertain if they died by natural causes or at the hands of our captors. Chari says that “they weren’t given much chance to think about [whether or not they were a successful or failed experiment]. We were more than they’d intended -- or more than they hoped for. That’s what Temper says.” [MY NOTE: Chassie says the people responsible said they changed them to "make things better." But what things? She also said that Temper and Dill claims they were "made wrong." The question is, what was supposed to be right?]
Supposedly our captors come from some version of Earth--a dead one. What happened to it is unknown, but I get the feeling they had something to do with its demise. (MY NOTES: However, the implication Temper gave me is that the world was already dying to begin with. Metaphorically or literally?) Their names were given to them by their creators.
They brought us here, according to Temper, “For the purposes of learning, on both sides of the equation”. [MY NOTE: Chari has apparently said something similar. But what the lesson is remains unclear. There's also the possibility they may not be responsible for our arrival at all.]
They are very powerful, no matter how they seem. They took power from the Watcher and the Interloper, who were the initial beings in control of the city. It's safe to say they're dead and gone now at the hands of our captors.
They are all kin, but not all of them are related by blood.
My Notes:
Are apparently able to enter and leave the world with ease, manipulate city-wide events, remove powers, and move through time. Edgeworth thinks they may be lying to us about things.
Looks like there's truth about them being able to reach through time and space, at least. Chari recovered my old apron from my time in Labyrinthia.
Ikaros called one of them "Mommy Dearest." What does this mean?
CITY FOLK/SINS:
- Prudence Almeida:
SIN: Pride
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: A little awkward, but pleasant. Surprisingly open, albeit in a reserved way. Seems to really like coffee. Doesn't have much respect for the Overseers.
General:
Prudence says that she and the others were "created," and only came into existence shortly after the expansion of the city. They function completely independently of the Overseers. From the sounds of things, they may be representatives of the city itself. Calls the Overseers the "holies." Her real name is "Pride."
- Lex
SIN: Suspected to be Lust
GENDER: Male
PERSONALITY: A real flirt. Seems to hit on anything that moves.
General: Very close to Callie. He says she, Ariel and he were made fairly close to each other. Makes me think that they weren't all made at once. Had a very odd reaction to finding out the Virtues used to be human; I can't tell whether it's disdainful or jealous. He also commented something about strength... which is ALSO not very reassuring.
- Ratter
SIN: Suspected to be Wrath
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: No nonsense, but can be persuaded to talk if you're friends with Prudence. Ikaros describes her as "Angry." If Prudence's real name is anything to go by, could her real name be Wrath...?
- Callie
SIN: Greed, based on what Lex has described.
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: Wants everything and anything. Has a love of stories. Lex says she has a taste for the finer things in life. Sounds like a bit of a mediator.
General: Seems to be very close to Lex, and he in return.
- Ariel Slavkov
SIN: Sloth
GENDER: Male
PERSONALITY: Yanks people around. Seems lazy and spoiled.
General: It looks like the sins might have the potential to influence people around them based on the sin they represent. THAT can't be good.
- Mercy Holt
SIN: Envy, by process of elimination.
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: Polite, light-hearted. Likes to give out nicknames. Constantly seems to be eating something or other.
General: She seemed offended when I assumed she was with Ikaros.Come to think of it, none of the Sins seem too enthused about Ikaros. There may be some sort of internal strife going on between the seven and him. Supposedly Envy, but doesn't actually seem that envious? Maybe I should give it time. Some of the Sins find him exasperating, but Mercy seems to be the only one openly rebellious. Said something about "him not being able to do anything worse to her than what has already been done." But what DID he do to her? Says she admires resilient beings and looks to them as something to strive for. Guess that's where the "Envy" part comes in. Nothing wrong with a goal, though. Still can't shake the feeling she's up to something, though. Why was she trying to communicate with Atien?
- ?
SIN: Gluttony
GENDER: ?
PERSONALITY: Unknown. Sounds like whoever it is, he/she will be a handful...
- Ikaros
GENDER: Male
APPEARANCE: Young, with red hair and dark skin.
PERSONALITY: Playful, willful.
General: Is Ruby City itself?! Apparently used to just be a "world." Consists of the entirety of the island. Says that the Overseers didn't know who he was, though they probably do now. Sounds like he might affect things based on stories he's told. Lex says he created the Sins as a family and is still developing as a person, that he emulates things that people do. I wonder if that's fully it, though? Is apparently capable of manipulating the whole city as a simulation. Also seems to regard everybody in town as his toys. How reassuring.
He said something about being "taught by monsters." But he created the Vices, and the Virtues had no idea he existed until now, unless he's referring to THOSE two...? Either way, it sounds as though a part of him wants to be a good person. We should encourage that.
His mood definitely dictates what happens in the city, though. Things nearly went pear-shaped before Chassie intervened. The obelisk reacted?
GENERAL: The "Sins" are apparently are not allowed by some sort of rule to leave the city. They work for Ikaros, but don't seem to actually like that fact very much; it's almost more like they're servants or slaves. From the sounds of things, they can unintentionally or intentionally affect the mood of the city by their presence. Guess I'd better stay observant when I'm around them no matter how much I like some of them.
Lex seems to think they're family; Ikaros calls them "toys." I wonder which is more true than the other?
RUMOR WARS:
A game Ikaros has taken to playing in an attempt to teach himself how to be human. A horrible process which involves using the stories he's heard and creating scenarios in town which affect everybody. Seems to be a battle between the Vices and Virtues in terms of who he's meant to emulate. Winning apparently shifts the town to best represent certain virtues; Climate points gives the winning virtue/vice the ability to alter the city -- "over its structure, over its aura, and over you all." Special Points apparently provide "items and opportunities." Seems like the stakes in this city have gone up considerably...
FIRST RUMOR WAR: Despair Disease. Connected to the story of "The School/School Trip of Mutual Killing."
- Conclusion: Major victory Charity, minor victory Wrath.
- Results: A greener city, but more firearms.
SECOND RUMOR WAR: Fairy tale puzzles. Connected to general fairy tales, it seems.
- Conclusion: Major victory Pride.
- Results: A better tended to city.
CITY NOTES:
- Apparently existed prior to the arrival of the captors, but is also capable of being manipulated and built on by them.
- World ends some distance outside of the city at the edge of a large void.
- Kidnaps people from all sorts of different worlds and times. No apparent rhyme and reason, but each person apparently is fictional in other worlds.
- Strange things happen from time to time at the whim of the captors. Possible explanations range from entertainment to experimentation.
- No trace remains of the original inhabitants. Libraries are cleaned of all reference to the surrounding area.
- Monsters live in the surrounding areas and the park. Occasionally can get in, but only rarely.
- City brings all people in by train and provides watches that form methods of communication. Why watches?
- Dil was being very dodgy about the cathedral. Does it or does it not contain something important? Sir Hellsing apparently feels very uncomfortable in the cathedral. Maybe it's not as holy as we thought.
- There used to be walls in the days of the Watcher and the Interloper, but Temper claims to have tore them down stating they were obstructing his view. At the same time, the obelisk seems to function like the walls would have -- when it's intact, anyway.
- Recently underwent a major expansion, seemingly by its own volition. The island around it has apparently expanded dramatically as well.
OBELISK:
- It generates a protective barrier of some sort. Disabling it allows monsters and spirits into the city.
- Claudia says some sort of intelligent, malevolent spirit is contained inside it that only she was capable of corralling again. But why would they need one of us if they're powerful enough? For that matter, why did they need us to find the pieces again? Was it really just a test? If Tim knew this, why did he break the obelisk? DID he know?
- I've been told that the day the current Overseers took over from the Watcher and the Interloper, the obelisk appeared. Apparently when things changed, a lot of other things in town shifted -- and one of them is that the river stopped being bloody red. Exactly like when the obelisk shattered.
Are the Watcher and the Interloper the malevolent spirits captured in the obelisk? Then why would Tim try to break it? And what will happen if it breaks again and we can't fix it...?
- We're still not certain what the obelisk contains. If it's true there's only one spirit, then what is that spirit, and why did its destruction cause a reversion to the previous state of the town?
- I saw Temper talking to it. Whatever is in that Obelisk, he knows who it is.
- The Obelisk creates a weird illusion when the sun hits it just right at night. It seems to make the river resemble what I've been told the river looked like during the Watcher and the Interloper's time. I'm beginning to suspect our older theory may be correct on some level.
- Supposedly is "loud" in some way only the Virtues, or at least Tim, can hear.
CATACOMBS:
- Walls and hallways are capable of manipulating themselves.
- Other rooms for food and shelter can be found. Other rooms with disturbing illusions may exist.
- Only those "invited" can find their way around, and do not leave unless the catacombs decide they are allowed to. Anybody attempting to enter on their own accord get spit out in various ways unceremoniously.
- The sound of water dripping can be heard within them. Significant?
- The captors claim they are not manipulating the catacombs in any way, suggesting a life of their own.
- Theory: Catacombs provided some sort of shelter and/or escape for the original inhabitants. Were they capable of controlling them, and if so, how?
- At least one captor has gone down there, but refuses to reveal why. Do they have some method of maneuvering through them even as they can't control them? Or was Temper lying about the lack of control?
- Aqua says there was a sanctuary down there the Watcher and the Interloper used to live in, but the last time she was there, it was all burnt, with burned coffins, skeletons and passages behind immovable bars. She had to leave due to an earthquake, however. (Theory: The Overseers burned it. But why?)
- If Ikaros can grant the Virtues or the Vices control over the city at will, does that mean they can control the catacombs now too, or are they still uncontrollable?
THE WATCHER AND INTERLOPER (All gained from prior notes):
These are the two that the seven above unseated. I include them to give a hint of the sheer power of our current captors that they were able to defeat and apparently kill them.
An excerpt from a journal discovered in the library by Edogawa Conan and Lavi:
"It's no good... He's taken out half the city already, none of us are a match for him. A few of us have managed to hide in the cellars below, but he knows we're here. What could have caused this? We never did anything against the Levia clan... I only pray to the God we had forsaken so long ago that some of us make it out of here alive. Not even the catacombs are safe... All of the slaves released, a rebellion started up. We assumed it was those damned Metal protesters again, but we were wrong. Belial has gained control of the Elements... It doesn't make any sense, the Vampyre isn't supposed to be... It doesn't matter.
Some of us were praying for the Elder of the clan to show up and put an end to this madness... When he came, we thought we were saved. It was not to be. A wall has been raised around the city, trapping us like a bunch of animals. Beelzebub did not come here to save us. His silhouette on the wall is only proof that we're all doomed. I've heard rumors of the Levia twins taking out entire cities in the past... The younger slaughtering all in his path for his own personal joy while the elder merely watches with that emotionless gaze... We were fools to think ones so dangerous and unpredictable were our allies. Perhaps God truly does exist, and this is our punishment for founding this city on the blood of others. I can hear the screams getting closer, it's too late."
Lavi also witnessed first hand one of the brothers turning a monster to stone with no effort at all. Edogawa Conan met with both and spoke of how powerful they were even in mere presence.
My Notes:
- The town apparently practically changed hands -- and appearance -- overnight, with the current seven(?) taking control and causing a number of fundamental shifts in the city. Among them, the river was apparently blood red until they disappeared.
- By the accounts of some of the oldest residents, life in Ruby City is currently a cakewalk compared to the days of the Watcher and the Interloper.
- Aqua states they were vampires, and that there were bones in the river during their reign. Furthermore, they alone were apparently responsible for the disappearance of the townspeople who used to live in Ruby City. Probably connected to the journal entry noted earlier. Pretty scary either way.
THEORIES:
I've been looking at this all wrong. They haven't been bringing people here. Chari says they're not responsible for bringing us here. But then why bother tolerating our existence at all? Do they really "live" here or is something tying to this place -- and if the latter, then what?
The more I hear about them, the more I wonder if they, too, are victims of something. But I don't know exactly what that something is, aside from the fact they were apparently changed against their will.
CURRENT THEORY: They're not here keeping us prisoner, but are rather guarding over something. Since the people arriving in town come whether they like it or not, they may be using the various "events" to keep people both distracted from whatever they're watching over and to focus peoples' ire on them alone. This leads me to think that if there is something being guarded, it must be something truly terrible.
*NEW* Maya has theorized that the city alters itself based on the overall mood of the current population. If that is true, then that means that the Overseers, while powerful, do not themselves possess the capacity to cause the sort of widespread effects we have always attributed to them. I now theorize that if this is true, then there's a strong possibility that the reality of the city is the secret the Overseers have attempted to hide from people. If we continue to think that they alone can affect the shape and nature of the city, then we focus ourselves on them, and not on the effects our presence itself has on the city. If the wrong people should find out that mood affects the city, however...
This, however, leaves the following questions:
1. Why would the city allow people to change it if it has a mind of its own to cause changes?
2. If it is purely our mood, why is it not more volatile?
3. Why did the breaking of the obelisk cause a reversion to the prior state of the city?
NEW THEORY: Ikaros collects stories. All of us come from one sort of story or another. Our existence here basically amounts to a huge storybook he picks ideas from. Everybody who talks about a fictional story from their world may unintentionally cause the existing person from another world to be Ikaros's next target. And if he decides to recreate particularly horrific stories...
New Questions:
1. Are the Virtues also themselves from stories?
2. Were the Watcher and the Interloper part of a story?
3. Is this what the Virtues were trying to protect us from?
NEW NOTE: It seems likely that Ikaros made what he calls the Vices as a deliberate counterpart to the Virtues in order to play these games of his. So we know the origins of the Vices, but still nothing about the Virtues.
CURRENT LEADS:
- The Cathedral (Why was it randomly playing organ music when there was no organ?)
- The Obelisk (What's in that thing? Should we be worried?)
- The Catacombs (Is the Sanctuary still there?)
- Connections to the prior captors (Supposedly invited, but...)
OTHER NOTES (Note: These are personal notes. He doesn't provide them openly since they are speculations about other PCs.):
Kotomine: Shirou says that something corrupts him between the time we see him currently and later, and that he becomes "equivalent to all the world's evils." He also mentioned something about him attempting to bring "the last Heroic Spirit," Avenger, into the world. This may explain Maya's discomfort around him. But he doesn't seem to be in that state currently, right? Still, if it's true, I feel obliged to keep a note on this anyway.
[UPDATES 07/19/2015):
- Notes about Tim, Chassie and the general Virtues updated
- Result of Second Rumor War added.
- Minor touchups.]
CAPTORS/VIRTUES
Note: I have consolidated the profiles and notes of a former group of inmates I located from a notebook in the library. Not all information written is mine. I have indicated my own notes where warranted.
- Temper (Ulysses) Vale:
Virtue: Temperance
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Approximately 5'10" or 5'11"
Powers: Some sort of "siren song"; he can change what you do by talking to you. There has been record of attempts of attacking him only to have the weapon turned back on the owner, if memory serves.
Attitude: Tranquil on the surface, but far more deadly and in control than he lets on.
My Notes:
Seems to be a de facto leading figure among the captors. Enigmatic, but seems to have an underlying dangerous streak. Has admitted to entering the catacombs for unknown reasons. Has told Alice he is not human, but was unclear what that entailed. Seems to be the leader of the group? Chassie suggested he's more sad than mean. I wonder if that's true, and if so, what does it mean?* Is called "Temmy" by Chassie. That's actually kind of cute. Ruled out as "Mommy Dearest" due to sex and to being mentioned alongside the term.
We located a bible signed by A "U. Vale." This is actually Temper himself. U. is short for Ulysses, according to Alice.
- Dil Blackwood:
Virtue: Diligence
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Dark-- black-brown
Height: Approximately 5'8" or 5'9"
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Superior, deadly-- rather like the cat with a cornered mouse
My Notes:
Another of the captors. Simultaneously flirtatious and sadistic. Was she the one "having fun" during the last incident? "Back two, forward one. Back one, forward three. Stop. Turn, and then, repeat. Is it progress, this? A delay? A pause before the crescendo?" What did she mean by that? Gave "North Italy" (watch notation; must be one of those "living countries" Edgeworth mentioned) some bugs for paint from an unknown location. How do they pull in people? Do they even do it at all? Told Aqua that "curiosity killed the cat." What are they hiding?
- Tim ("Hayden") Lear:
Virtue: Timidity
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: White-blonde
Height: Approximately 6'
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Unstable
My Notes:
Related to the captors. Monstrously violent and sadistic. Seems to be a matter of concern among the captors. Responsible for the destruction of the obelisk a while back. Chari says he used to be very gentle and kind. What could have possibly changed him? Only Tim seems to know...
He says he destroyed the obelisk because he "wanted to," but also because he apparently finds it loud in some way nobody else can pick up on besides the Virtues. He also suggested that the other Virtues have been lying to me, including Chari and Chassie. This complicates things. Seems to be controlled in some way through some sort of mental control by the other Virtues.
Aqua left us a medical file about him with the initial "H." Says it's short for Hayden, but very insistent on my not using it...
- Gene Jecklin, "Theodore" or "Theo":
Virtue: Generosity
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: Brown-black
Height: Approximately 6'
Powers: What he calls his “luck” that seemingly makes it impossible to land a hit on him, bare fists, magic, weapon or otherwise. To use his words, “Your luck, my luck, they stop becoming chance when I want them to. There's a blow that comes toward me, it looks as though it's going to be close, it'd only be by sheer good fortune I'd escape unscathed. I escape by a hair. Just like that. Those little things, those uncontrollable elements, those accidents, I can do with as I will, make them if I really need to.”
Attitude: Very willing to talk, calls himself the "black sheep" of the group, tense relationship with Temper. He appears charming, easy to talk to, and would have it said of himself that he’s “dashingly good looking”.
My Notes:
One of the captors. Unusually congenial. Seems to actually like people. A bit arrogant, though. "Look how well they've been doing. You'd almost think they liked each other." Gene, or somebody else? What is it they want? Sounds like he and Temper are pretty good friends.
- Chari Landry:
Virtue: Charity
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Unknown-- I haven't met her in person, just over the communicators
Powers: The guardian of Chassie; split personalities? No, more like... sometimes she looses control of herself. She says that “It’s me, it’s still me, but it’s not who I am. Something is broken inside me. I didn’t used to be this way. Before.” She can walk through walls.
Attitude: Rather sweet and kind of vapid, but don't be fooled. She has a strange sense of honor, but seems to hold true to it. Ruled out as "Mommy dearest" due to being mentioned alongside the term.
My Notes:
Another captor. Very young and innocent. Probably the nicest of the captors as of yet. Apparently acted in a distracted fashion when family was mentioned. Was very close to Tim before whatever happened to him, and still defends him. Hates Atien. She indicated that the seven may have come in anticipation of overthrowing the Watcher and the Overseer, but then backtracked and claimed it wasn't intended. I wonder what the truth is?
Says they're actually not the captors. Also seems to show some sort of sadness about whatever it is they are. Why? Is it connected to Tim's change? Is this what Chassie meant by "made wrong?"
- Atien Moore:
Virtue: Patience
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Unknown-- dark?
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Smaller and slight
Powers: Unknown
Attitude: Slow to act or react, but sharp minded-- to be treated with extreme caution and considered deadly
My Notes:
Had been inspecting the obelisk after it was destroyed. Description matches Chari's profile. Apparently has been very abusive to Tim.
- Chassie ("L") Barrows:
Virtue: Chastity
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Dark-- brown? Black?
Hair Color: Dirty blonde
Height: Small -- appears to be a child
Powers: Perhaps some form of reality manipulation-- she once made it appear that the whole city was a fairy-tale world for up to a month
Attitude: Child-like, uses very childish form of speech, but is not to be thought of as a child, given her powers. She nearly killed [Switzerland] and 202 by bringing down a castle on top of us.
My Notes:
The final captor, mentioned by Franziska.
The only Virtue who's reached out to Ikaros so far. Hmm.
Aqua left us a medical record with the initial "L" given for her first name. No sense of what this is short for.
- General:
They were once human, but somehow gained special powers and are apparently no longer thus. Apparently someone or something “changed” them and died shortly after, but it’s uncertain if they died by natural causes or at the hands of our captors. Chari says that “they weren’t given much chance to think about [whether or not they were a successful or failed experiment]. We were more than they’d intended -- or more than they hoped for. That’s what Temper says.” [MY NOTE: Chassie says the people responsible said they changed them to "make things better." But what things? She also said that Temper and Dill claims they were "made wrong." The question is, what was supposed to be right?]
Supposedly our captors come from some version of Earth--a dead one. What happened to it is unknown, but I get the feeling they had something to do with its demise. (MY NOTES: However, the implication Temper gave me is that the world was already dying to begin with. Metaphorically or literally?) Their names were given to them by their creators.
They brought us here, according to Temper, “For the purposes of learning, on both sides of the equation”. [MY NOTE: Chari has apparently said something similar. But what the lesson is remains unclear. There's also the possibility they may not be responsible for our arrival at all.]
They are very powerful, no matter how they seem. They took power from the Watcher and the Interloper, who were the initial beings in control of the city. It's safe to say they're dead and gone now at the hands of our captors.
They are all kin, but not all of them are related by blood.
My Notes:
Are apparently able to enter and leave the world with ease, manipulate city-wide events, remove powers, and move through time. Edgeworth thinks they may be lying to us about things.
Looks like there's truth about them being able to reach through time and space, at least. Chari recovered my old apron from my time in Labyrinthia.
Ikaros called one of them "Mommy Dearest." What does this mean?
CITY FOLK/SINS:
- Prudence Almeida:
SIN: Pride
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: A little awkward, but pleasant. Surprisingly open, albeit in a reserved way. Seems to really like coffee. Doesn't have much respect for the Overseers.
General:
Prudence says that she and the others were "created," and only came into existence shortly after the expansion of the city. They function completely independently of the Overseers. From the sounds of things, they may be representatives of the city itself. Calls the Overseers the "holies." Her real name is "Pride."
- Lex
SIN: Suspected to be Lust
GENDER: Male
PERSONALITY: A real flirt. Seems to hit on anything that moves.
General: Very close to Callie. He says she, Ariel and he were made fairly close to each other. Makes me think that they weren't all made at once. Had a very odd reaction to finding out the Virtues used to be human; I can't tell whether it's disdainful or jealous. He also commented something about strength... which is ALSO not very reassuring.
- Ratter
SIN: Suspected to be Wrath
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: No nonsense, but can be persuaded to talk if you're friends with Prudence. Ikaros describes her as "Angry." If Prudence's real name is anything to go by, could her real name be Wrath...?
- Callie
SIN: Greed, based on what Lex has described.
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: Wants everything and anything. Has a love of stories. Lex says she has a taste for the finer things in life. Sounds like a bit of a mediator.
General: Seems to be very close to Lex, and he in return.
- Ariel Slavkov
SIN: Sloth
GENDER: Male
PERSONALITY: Yanks people around. Seems lazy and spoiled.
General: It looks like the sins might have the potential to influence people around them based on the sin they represent. THAT can't be good.
- Mercy Holt
SIN: Envy, by process of elimination.
GENDER: Female
PERSONALITY: Polite, light-hearted. Likes to give out nicknames. Constantly seems to be eating something or other.
General: She seemed offended when I assumed she was with Ikaros.
- ?
SIN: Gluttony
GENDER: ?
PERSONALITY: Unknown. Sounds like whoever it is, he/she will be a handful...
- Ikaros
GENDER: Male
APPEARANCE: Young, with red hair and dark skin.
PERSONALITY: Playful, willful.
General: Is Ruby City itself?! Apparently used to just be a "world." Consists of the entirety of the island. Says that the Overseers didn't know who he was, though they probably do now. Sounds like he might affect things based on stories he's told. Lex says he created the Sins as a family and is still developing as a person, that he emulates things that people do. I wonder if that's fully it, though? Is apparently capable of manipulating the whole city as a simulation. Also seems to regard everybody in town as his toys. How reassuring.
He said something about being "taught by monsters." But he created the Vices, and the Virtues had no idea he existed until now, unless he's referring to THOSE two...? Either way, it sounds as though a part of him wants to be a good person. We should encourage that.
His mood definitely dictates what happens in the city, though. Things nearly went pear-shaped before Chassie intervened. The obelisk reacted?
GENERAL: The "Sins" are apparently are not allowed by some sort of rule to leave the city. They work for Ikaros, but don't seem to actually like that fact very much; it's almost more like they're servants or slaves. From the sounds of things, they can unintentionally or intentionally affect the mood of the city by their presence. Guess I'd better stay observant when I'm around them no matter how much I like some of them.
Lex seems to think they're family; Ikaros calls them "toys." I wonder which is more true than the other?
RUMOR WARS:
A game Ikaros has taken to playing in an attempt to teach himself how to be human. A horrible process which involves using the stories he's heard and creating scenarios in town which affect everybody. Seems to be a battle between the Vices and Virtues in terms of who he's meant to emulate. Winning apparently shifts the town to best represent certain virtues; Climate points gives the winning virtue/vice the ability to alter the city -- "over its structure, over its aura, and over you all." Special Points apparently provide "items and opportunities." Seems like the stakes in this city have gone up considerably...
FIRST RUMOR WAR: Despair Disease. Connected to the story of "The School/School Trip of Mutual Killing."
- Conclusion: Major victory Charity, minor victory Wrath.
- Results: A greener city, but more firearms.
SECOND RUMOR WAR: Fairy tale puzzles. Connected to general fairy tales, it seems.
- Conclusion: Major victory Pride.
- Results: A better tended to city.
CITY NOTES:
- Apparently existed prior to the arrival of the captors, but is also capable of being manipulated and built on by them.
- World ends some distance outside of the city at the edge of a large void.
- Kidnaps people from all sorts of different worlds and times. No apparent rhyme and reason, but each person apparently is fictional in other worlds.
- Strange things happen from time to time at the whim of the captors. Possible explanations range from entertainment to experimentation.
- No trace remains of the original inhabitants. Libraries are cleaned of all reference to the surrounding area.
- Monsters live in the surrounding areas and the park. Occasionally can get in, but only rarely.
- City brings all people in by train and provides watches that form methods of communication. Why watches?
- Dil was being very dodgy about the cathedral. Does it or does it not contain something important? Sir Hellsing apparently feels very uncomfortable in the cathedral. Maybe it's not as holy as we thought.
- There used to be walls in the days of the Watcher and the Interloper, but Temper claims to have tore them down stating they were obstructing his view. At the same time, the obelisk seems to function like the walls would have -- when it's intact, anyway.
- Recently underwent a major expansion, seemingly by its own volition. The island around it has apparently expanded dramatically as well.
OBELISK:
- It generates a protective barrier of some sort. Disabling it allows monsters and spirits into the city.
- Claudia says some sort of intelligent, malevolent spirit is contained inside it that only she was capable of corralling again. But why would they need one of us if they're powerful enough? For that matter, why did they need us to find the pieces again? Was it really just a test? If Tim knew this, why did he break the obelisk? DID he know?
- I've been told that the day the current Overseers took over from the Watcher and the Interloper, the obelisk appeared. Apparently when things changed, a lot of other things in town shifted -- and one of them is that the river stopped being bloody red. Exactly like when the obelisk shattered.
- We're still not certain what the obelisk contains. If it's true there's only one spirit, then what is that spirit, and why did its destruction cause a reversion to the previous state of the town?
- I saw Temper talking to it. Whatever is in that Obelisk, he knows who it is.
- The Obelisk creates a weird illusion when the sun hits it just right at night. It seems to make the river resemble what I've been told the river looked like during the Watcher and the Interloper's time. I'm beginning to suspect our older theory may be correct on some level.
- Supposedly is "loud" in some way only the Virtues, or at least Tim, can hear.
CATACOMBS:
- Walls and hallways are capable of manipulating themselves.
- Other rooms for food and shelter can be found. Other rooms with disturbing illusions may exist.
- Only those "invited" can find their way around, and do not leave unless the catacombs decide they are allowed to. Anybody attempting to enter on their own accord get spit out in various ways unceremoniously.
- The sound of water dripping can be heard within them. Significant?
- The captors claim they are not manipulating the catacombs in any way, suggesting a life of their own.
- Theory: Catacombs provided some sort of shelter and/or escape for the original inhabitants. Were they capable of controlling them, and if so, how?
- At least one captor has gone down there, but refuses to reveal why. Do they have some method of maneuvering through them even as they can't control them? Or was Temper lying about the lack of control?
- Aqua says there was a sanctuary down there the Watcher and the Interloper used to live in, but the last time she was there, it was all burnt, with burned coffins, skeletons and passages behind immovable bars. She had to leave due to an earthquake, however. (Theory: The Overseers burned it. But why?)
- If Ikaros can grant the Virtues or the Vices control over the city at will, does that mean they can control the catacombs now too, or are they still uncontrollable?
THE WATCHER AND INTERLOPER (All gained from prior notes):
These are the two that the seven above unseated. I include them to give a hint of the sheer power of our current captors that they were able to defeat and apparently kill them.
An excerpt from a journal discovered in the library by Edogawa Conan and Lavi:
"It's no good... He's taken out half the city already, none of us are a match for him. A few of us have managed to hide in the cellars below, but he knows we're here. What could have caused this? We never did anything against the Levia clan... I only pray to the God we had forsaken so long ago that some of us make it out of here alive. Not even the catacombs are safe... All of the slaves released, a rebellion started up. We assumed it was those damned Metal protesters again, but we were wrong. Belial has gained control of the Elements... It doesn't make any sense, the Vampyre isn't supposed to be... It doesn't matter.
Some of us were praying for the Elder of the clan to show up and put an end to this madness... When he came, we thought we were saved. It was not to be. A wall has been raised around the city, trapping us like a bunch of animals. Beelzebub did not come here to save us. His silhouette on the wall is only proof that we're all doomed. I've heard rumors of the Levia twins taking out entire cities in the past... The younger slaughtering all in his path for his own personal joy while the elder merely watches with that emotionless gaze... We were fools to think ones so dangerous and unpredictable were our allies. Perhaps God truly does exist, and this is our punishment for founding this city on the blood of others. I can hear the screams getting closer, it's too late."
Lavi also witnessed first hand one of the brothers turning a monster to stone with no effort at all. Edogawa Conan met with both and spoke of how powerful they were even in mere presence.
My Notes:
- The town apparently practically changed hands -- and appearance -- overnight, with the current seven(?) taking control and causing a number of fundamental shifts in the city. Among them, the river was apparently blood red until they disappeared.
- By the accounts of some of the oldest residents, life in Ruby City is currently a cakewalk compared to the days of the Watcher and the Interloper.
- Aqua states they were vampires, and that there were bones in the river during their reign. Furthermore, they alone were apparently responsible for the disappearance of the townspeople who used to live in Ruby City. Probably connected to the journal entry noted earlier. Pretty scary either way.
THEORIES:
I've been looking at this all wrong. They haven't been bringing people here. Chari says they're not responsible for bringing us here. But then why bother tolerating our existence at all? Do they really "live" here or is something tying to this place -- and if the latter, then what?
The more I hear about them, the more I wonder if they, too, are victims of something. But I don't know exactly what that something is, aside from the fact they were apparently changed against their will.
CURRENT THEORY: They're not here keeping us prisoner, but are rather guarding over something. Since the people arriving in town come whether they like it or not, they may be using the various "events" to keep people both distracted from whatever they're watching over and to focus peoples' ire on them alone. This leads me to think that if there is something being guarded, it must be something truly terrible.
*NEW* Maya has theorized that the city alters itself based on the overall mood of the current population. If that is true, then that means that the Overseers, while powerful, do not themselves possess the capacity to cause the sort of widespread effects we have always attributed to them. I now theorize that if this is true, then there's a strong possibility that the reality of the city is the secret the Overseers have attempted to hide from people. If we continue to think that they alone can affect the shape and nature of the city, then we focus ourselves on them, and not on the effects our presence itself has on the city. If the wrong people should find out that mood affects the city, however...
This, however, leaves the following questions:
1. Why would the city allow people to change it if it has a mind of its own to cause changes?
2. If it is purely our mood, why is it not more volatile?
3. Why did the breaking of the obelisk cause a reversion to the prior state of the city?
NEW THEORY: Ikaros collects stories. All of us come from one sort of story or another. Our existence here basically amounts to a huge storybook he picks ideas from. Everybody who talks about a fictional story from their world may unintentionally cause the existing person from another world to be Ikaros's next target. And if he decides to recreate particularly horrific stories...
New Questions:
1. Are the Virtues also themselves from stories?
2. Were the Watcher and the Interloper part of a story?
3. Is this what the Virtues were trying to protect us from?
NEW NOTE: It seems likely that Ikaros made what he calls the Vices as a deliberate counterpart to the Virtues in order to play these games of his. So we know the origins of the Vices, but still nothing about the Virtues.
CURRENT LEADS:
- The Cathedral (Why was it randomly playing organ music when there was no organ?)
- The Obelisk (What's in that thing? Should we be worried?)
- The Catacombs (Is the Sanctuary still there?)
- Connections to the prior captors (Supposedly invited, but...)
OTHER NOTES (Note: These are personal notes. He doesn't provide them openly since they are speculations about other PCs.):
Kotomine: Shirou says that something corrupts him between the time we see him currently and later, and that he becomes "equivalent to all the world's evils." He also mentioned something about him attempting to bring "the last Heroic Spirit," Avenger, into the world. This may explain Maya's discomfort around him. But he doesn't seem to be in that state currently, right? Still, if it's true, I feel obliged to keep a note on this anyway.