THE SUMMARY: THE SEASONAL ACTS
Originally written in December of 2022.
the prologue
The story kicks off with Dalisay’s introduction. Sie’s a young programmer who’s been investigating the Fornax Project for years — seeing the rest of the world cast off Fornax into obscurity has only driven hir to take matters into hir own hands and board the train, looking to reprogram it from the inside. Sie’s currently riding on a disconnected carriage which is about to meet with the rest of the train. In the meanwhile sie ruminates on hir own abilities quite confidently.
As the carriage clicks to the rest of the train, the lights suddenly dim, and a distant screen alights. It prompts Dalisay with a few seemingly random questions about hirself, and once sie’s done, sie’s given the title “cumulonimbus”. Addressed by this name, the screen shifts to wish hir a safe journey. The door leading to the rest of the train finally slides open. Dalisay exits.
Sie passes by a long corridor. At the end of it is a man named ‘Saturniid’, who seems to have been waiting for hir. He speaks in obscurities, telling Dalisay that sie’s made a mistake. Nevertheless, he applauds hir courage. He advises hir about the train in brief, mostly positing it as an unbearable claustrophobic space. He also confirms that most train passengers are alive, and that the train populace has settled itself into the habit of a grotesque pseudo-city. He illuminates little more about himself personally, and quite quickly he absconds. Dalisay finds this guy weird though assumes his secrecy has a reason — thus, sie resolves not to mention him lest someone else does first.
Dalisay walks onward until sie reaches an elevator, which Saturniid had told hir about. There are four destinations, in order: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Dalisay elects to visit the Winter District first.
Detour from chronology
So from here on out the story splits into four segments or ‘acts’ — each one starts when Dalisay gains access to a new season. Every district has three characters and all three must be conversed with to a nontrivial extent to unlock the next district. Every character has unique sidequests that vary from simply having a conversation with them to complex item-seeking and whatever, and they vary in purpose too — innocuous silly quests might contribute to unlocking an entire area of the train and huge arguments may only have prosal significance.
After Autumn is completed the ‘intermission’ starts, which is actually where the plot properly kicks off. I’ll get to it later but it’s where plotlines become more complicated and where things get more personal between characters! In the end there are various ‘factions’ Dalisay can ally hirself with that dictate the fate of the train. Certain tasks involve helping characters figure out their school of thought and they can be persuaded into following certain ones which may prove helpful to Dalisay.
Before I start outlining plot matters I want to lay down some terminology.
Fornax: Evidently refers to the Fornax Reality, though it can also be used to refer to the Fornax Project or the Fornax train. People often shorten all three to just ‘Fornax’ so its context-dependent what exactly they’re talking about.
Titles: Each passenger has one, and they more or less work as a ‘codename’ — they’re basically just identifiers. These service inner train data and exist so that the scientists can monitor individuals… which is to say they are not used casually between train residents. Most people are aware of one another’s train titles.
Object-pullers: small one-way portals that are used to summon objects such as food, clothing, etc. They’re built off of huge magical databases that are also connected to Fornax so they can summon basically anything from any place and time. Every train room has an object-puller in it— they’re usually built into walls and are about the size of an outstretched hand.
Fornaxgazing: Silent observation of the shifting Fornax expanses above, customarily done in open air balconies. A hobby taken up by a good few train residents.
Eclipse season: a Fornax phenomenon occurring roughly every january. It is the train losing some stability and partially ‘blinking’ out of the reality, resulting in the appearance of sudden void outside for minutes at a time. Mostly used to mark the turn of a new year.
District one: Winter
As Dalisay drifts through the Winter District, a foreboding metallic subway station-esque environment, sie comes to meet three individuals.
The first is Somsak, who came to the train a year ago, thus being the newest passenger barring Dalisay. He is standoffish and unserious, very clearly lying to Dalisay about everything in ridiculous ways. He, however, has a penchant for letting important information slip in the midst of his jokes — which often gives Dalisay enough breadcrumbs for further investigation. He keeps to himself, often only talking to other passengers for the sake of pestering them.
A far more agreeable presence is Demeter, one of the train’s oldest residents. They spend most of their time Fornaxgazing by themself, often whilst smoking. They’re very aloof and curt, though present a fairly encouraging disposition toward Dalisay, and caution hir on blindly trusting other passengers. They state the train has gruesome dips in its past, though scarcely elaborate on this, beyond telling Dalisay to trust no one. Somewhat bemused, Dalisay heeds this warning.
Last of Winter is Freya, who actually presents thonself to Dalisay instead of the other way around — thon’s been silently following hir around since sie stepped foot on the train. In spite of the eerie introduction thon sets the record straight on many of Somsak’s discrepancies and seems fairly knowledgeable on magical matters, which immediately instates some kinship between the two. However even after various conversations Dalisay has the feeling thon’s hiding something.
There’s various conversations to be had post-introductions… Somsak notably indicates the presence of a “control room”, which matches up with Dalisay’s expectation of what had probably malfunctioned and made the train go awry. Demeter confirms the train has access to the Octants, though didn’t arrive to them in the expected manner — something they encourage Dalisay to talk about with Ulises, someone who is supposedly in charge of all Octant matters, and is also the train’s resident doctor. Freya… discusses some more coding matters, but mostly speaks vaguely of the condition of the Fornax Reality, with the indication of wanting Dalisay to relish in the mystery of it. Sie finds this silly but doesn’t want to pressure people into giving hir info too heavily, at least for now.
Hir brief escapades in Winter cease when Demeter invites hir out on one of the train’s balconies for a chat — unfortunately the second Dalisay sets a foot outside, sie passes out. Which serves as the transition into…
District two: Spring
Dalisay awakes in Ulises’ lab — Ulises is alert and quickly checks up on hir, assuring hir sie’s in good hands. Per’s got a notably cheery disposition, juxtaposed by per immediately delving into an explanation of Fornax’s side effects on unexposed minds, which per likens to a temporary fever. Per thanks Dalisay for involuntarily contributing to per research, which sie finds amusing. The two click quite quickly, leading Dalisay to ask about the Octants.
Ulises goes into an explanation about the research project per’s been undergoing over the past 6 years — Project Affinity. A chronicle of Octant investigation, done via handcoded portals to the Octants, voiding the need for the train to reach the natural pockets at all. Dalisay quite quickly asks to help out, fascinated — sie particularly offers to streamline some of Ulises’ code and aid in exploration, something Ulises seems a bit reluctant to agree to, though per ultimately concedes.
Dalisay also speaks to Demeter in brief — sie learns that Demeter and Ulises are partners, and that they usually spend most of their time helping Ulises out. Demeter also becomes more lax and starts to discuss their reasoning for coming to the train, which sort of puts into perspective their earlier warnings — they had come to the train looking for their sister, Míra, who had departed months beforehand. Upon arriving they discovered she had been killed by somebody named Mazin. With this, Demeter reminds Dalisay to trust no one.
Right next door to Ulises’ lab is Sabri, a gardener taking care of various esoteric plants, of both the extinct and otherworldly variety. It is indeed mostly concerned with botanical matters, outright ignoring Dalisay for the most part. However once Dalisay mentions sie came in from Ulises’ place, it partakes in a slightly warmer disposition. It reveals that its the oldest train passenger, having come in from the very start of Fornax ii’s launch. Though it admits it doesn’t trust Dalisay enough to expand on this information much, it might be ready to later. Dalisay, unable to really contest it, accepts this and leaves.
As sie treads onwards, sie finds hirself in a relatively small, enclosed room — in the center of it is a big bright glowing orb, propped on a stand emerging from the floor, like a crystal ball that’s two people tall. Sie recognises this as an object-puller, though doesn’t quite understand its positioning nor its magnitude. Sie walks over and attempts to summon something as a test, but sie’s quickly interrupted by Freya.
Freya reveals the orb is indeed an object-puller, and that its name is the Evoker — its purpose is to act as a summoning ground for objects too big to fit through regular-sized object-pullers. Thon states that it’s probably the most interesting tech on the train, and invites Dalisay to summon something wild with it, but sie waves away the offer, claiming sie’d prefer to mess with it in hir own time. Dalisay then asks why Freya came here. Thon first posits the Evoker room being thons favorite place to wander around in, though thon also says thon’s passing through to simply get to a friend’s place. Dalisay tags along, sensing a good opportunity to scour out some information.
Dalisay is lead into a restaurant-like room, where sie gets introduced to Olzhas, a chef and extensive odd-jobber. E’s surprisingly cold and mistrusting, prodding Dalisay for hir qualifications and intentions. Eventually Dalisay realises that e’s a clairvoyant, which leads into much lighter discussion about magic tech in general. Though less cold now, Olzhas still seems wary of Dalisay, becoming particularly edgy whenever sie mentions hir wish to reprogram the train.
Dalisay wavers some more between Spring and Winter, coming to grasp people’s thoughts on the train — Freya seems to have thons own plan to return the train to earth, though dodges questions about it; Demeter Ulises and Sabri seem adamant about keeping the train exactly where it is as to facilitate further investigation of the Octants; Olzhas seems antsy about returning to earth; Somsak is ever insincere… quite sensibly Dalisay’s become unsettled about all these contrasting regards. Though nobody’s said anything outright, the amount of contradictory advice and warning sie’s been given have given hir the impression that most people are at odds with one another and will make increasingly brazen demands of hir. Sie recognises the power sie holds over the train, though chooses to disregard it until sie’s met every passenger.
In terms of progression. Dalisay starts visiting the Octants, guided along by Ulises, and contributes fairly strong information through hir perspective as a seasoned programmer. Sie also continues to prod at Sabri, helping out with some of its plants — this results in Sabri opening up a little and telling Dalisay about the initial Fornax journey. With the help of Freya, Olzhas also becomes friendlier and more willing to talk to Dalisay. Eventually e outright advises hir, sensing hir restlessness about train allegiances, to talk to someone named Valerie — she apparently lives in the Summer District and is said to know various intricacies about every train resident. Ulises corroborates this sentiment and partially leads Dalisay into Summer, showing hir how to regulate the elevator to there, and then departing.
District three: Summer
Now alone, Dalisay walks on for a short while until sie’s interrupted by a voice calling hir from the shadows, by name. Sie promptly follows this presence, being lead down a dark hallway — eventually sie finds hirself standing by the parapet of a large, open balcony, Fornax seeming surprisingly tranquil right above.
Sie looks around and spots the person who was talking to hir — Peixin. They advise Dalisay to keep quiet, and reveal that they are associated with Saturniid, who’s been waiting for hir to progress further into the train. Any question about Saturniid’s identity is quickly disregarded by Peixin, who gets more ornery with every interjection Dalisay makes. Eventually Peixin gives up on being polite, and addresses Dalisay very directly. They say they’ve been plagued by visions of their own death at the hands of Fornax over the past few years, though the visions had mostly subsided by the time of late 2111. The very day Dalisay entered, their visions returned, and they seem to blame hir for this agony. They more or less guilt Dalisay into helping them and Saturniid out, promising hir that they’d gain access to something vital in exchange. Unable to really refuse, Dalisay agrees. Fornax suddenly sparks with color, prompting Peixin to run back indoors without a word.
Dalisay makes hir way back to the atrium of Summer, trying to remember the directions to Valerie’s place. As sie tries to visualise the steps, sie stumbles upon a strange, cavernous hall full of mirrors. Sie walks on, realising this is an entryway into someone’s train room. At the end of the hall, half-hidden, is a closed door. Dalisay knocks.
Someone known as Marjolaine greets hir and urges hir inside quite cozily — the parlor here seems to be a gargantuan library with various cafe-like seating areas, though the area is too neat and arranged to imply other people visiting often. Marjolaine makes tea for hir and engages in some pleasantries, though soon delves into more serious conversation. Seeming to already know of Dalisay’s plight, he asserts that most people on the train are fond of arguing, and that it’ll be hard for hir to continue on with hir plan to reprogram the train without interference from other individuals. Dalisay wonders if this is a ploy to get hir to back off, though Marjolaine quickly proves the opposite — he offers hir access to a bunch of train database displays apropos of nothing.
Through this, Dalisay can see every passengers’ basic information and status. Sie finds out that there are only 14 people on the train in total, which is… far less than expected. Most importantly sie’s also able to see everyone’s train titles, leading hir to realise that Saturniid is Mazin. Sie manages to hide hir shock, and occupies hirself by looking through everyone else’s titles. Additionally, sie asks if Marjolaine knows how they’re picked — he thinks it’s a manually coded survey linked to Fornax, much like the object-pullers, though instead of items it summons fresh wordage. Dalisay is thrilled at his apparent proficiency with magic tech, and the two discuss it generally for a while longer.
Dalisay then leaves and uses Marjolaine’s directions to find Valerie. After being interrupted briefly by Peixin, sie trails down a very ephemeral, light show-y room, once again leading to a closed door. Valerie allows hir into her atelier, though seems miffed at being interrupted in the midst of a brainstorming session. Sie learns that Valerie is a fashion designer, and though sie’s impressed with her work, Valerie herself calls it all drivel and laments sourly on her ongoing creative block.
Her animosity almost entirely shifts once Dalisay mentions Olzhas and Ulises’ corroboration, even saying she’s flattered to be held to such high regard. She briefly describes the people that stick together on the train, though confesses she only knows of what they’re up to vaguely, and that she finds all the secrecy annoying. Important designations of groups are gonna come in later, only important thing to note for this conversation in particular is that Valerie distinctly trusts Ulises. Later, Dalisay also confers with her about spells for hir own enjoyment, since Valerie herself possesses the vampirism spell.
Progressions at this time! Quite a few…
There’s a few more conversations with Peixin that basically amount to just them going “you’re gonna help right. You want to help me so bad please” and Dalisay assuring them. There’s some internal conflict here, now that sie knows of Mazin’s treachery, though more than anything, it’s made hir curious and more interested in meeting him. Externally, sie goes on as if nothing’s changed.
By the end of Summer a Marjolaine subplot starts up. He’s become trusting enough of Dalisay to show hir what he calls his facsimiles, Fornax-crafted copies of every train passenger’s psyche that express themselves in a chatbot-like interface. This is both grotesque and a technological marvel, and though Dalisay is curious about it on a coding level, Marjolaine limits hir view of the facsimiles and only allows hir to watch as he himself operates them. This is fine by hir.
Other important conversations happen with Sabri where it decides to tell Dalisay tales of the train’s infancy. It goes over various dead passengers, claiming that it and Mazin are the only passengers from that time to still be alive. Moreover, it says that Mazin was responsible for most of their deaths, having isolated them in a vulnerable part of the control room and pushed them into the Fornax Reality. With some difficulty, it confesses that it witnessed Míra’s death, and was promptly threatened by Mazin to keep its silence lest it also wanted to die the same way. Dalisay asks if anyone else knows of this — it states only Ulises, and now hir.
Speaking of Ulises, there’s some more progression with Affinity. Dalisay has visited almost every Octant at this point, aiding in sampling and observation. Dalisay expects designation to the more dangerous Octants following hir ongoing show of mettle, though Ulises is extremely insistent on giving hir all the easy tasks. Sie confronts per about this, which leads into an extended discussion about the Octants and their inhospitality. Per recounts a years-old Octant expedition where a passenger had died and another gravely injured, berating perself for not being careful enough. Moreover, per explains that per studies have only solidified per idea that the Octants (and more grandiosely, other dimensions) can only be observed, and that they’re incapable of hosting human life for any extended period of time. This sparks contention with the purpose of Fornax itself, as the beginnings of interdimensional human establishment, though Dalisay happens to agree with per on this. Ulises deliberates on a way to potentially discourage future studies of dimensional instabilities back on earth, knowing in the end they’d only aid in dooming humanity, but finds Dalisay’s plan incompatible with per ideal resolution considering train return would only mark the Fornax Project down as a success. Dalisay says a solution will arise, but privately wonders if it’s even possible to satiate Ulises, and by extension, everyone else.
Sie settles some more matters in brief, which is to say there’s no more significant happenings until sie decides to finally head to Autumn.
District four: Autumn
Sie starts off by looking for Beatrix, mentioned loosely by Marjolaine, as she is his wife. Sie finds her habitually wandering through corridors whilst smoking, something that reminds Dalisay of Demeter. Contrastly however, Beatrix starts off quite unimpressed and sardonic, disapproving of Dalisay’s mission. She instead remarks that it’s more likely for Fornax to suddenly rupture and kill everyone than it is for the train to ever return. This leads into a conversation about the train being unsustainable — Beatrix says the reality is hostile to human life, bringing up its effects on cognition and also all the deaths. She also criticises the idea that everyone on the train would agree to a single solution regarding its ending — she has resigned herself to “permanent exile and imminent execution”. Dalisay is quickly exhausted by her pessimism, though comes of realise there’s some reality in her assumptions. Notably, the impossibility of collaborative protocol, which worries hir again. At the same time, sie’s somewhat comforted by not being the only person thinking of these matters.
Dalisay later establishes more common ground with Beatrix, and the two go over all potential train difficulties together. As it turns out, with the two of them brainstorming, they manage to swipe some minor problems out of the way entirely. These thought exercises help establish trust between the two. This leads Beatrix to lend Dalisay a handmade map of the train, complete with schematics of the control room, shockingly — Beatrix confesses she was once a friend of Mazin’s before realising he was too vain and self-absorbed in a way that annoyed her, leading her to distance herself from him. The two still keep in contact, but she sort of dreads talking to him. She says she was once permitted to wander through the control room, though in recent times Mazin’s closed it off for everyone… and this hasn’t improved her declining view of him. She doesn’t seem to know of Dalisay’s own alliance with Mazin, which sie’s relieved about.
Even later after some progression with Marjolaine and Beatrix, Beatrix confides in Dalisay about her writing career. She states she’s been trying to craft a manuscript recounting her experiences on the train, though the format and accuracy has always evaded her, leading her to cycle through various drafts. She hands Dalisay an example — a crafted play half-baked. More particularly, a fantasy political drama involving various nobles and cloisters of people, all at odds with one another. Eventually their hatred evolves into solid war, and the final act of the play details a long battle between each group. Each character seems like an evident stand-in for an existing train passenger, even including a few unrecognisable (and hence assuredly dead) ones.
The play concludes with a series of long monologues, all between Marjolaine and Beatrix’s stand-ins… throughout the final battle they have only addressed each other, and in the background, the war had waged on until every other person had killed one another. Surrounded by carnage, Marjolaine and Beatrix start fighting, though both quickly become tired and agree to a brief mutual repose. They both slowly bleed out to death, uttering a series of contradictory accusations at one another, both admiring and blaming the other for their demise. Dalisay pretends to have no concerns.
Sie wanders off again, and manages to catch a glimpse of Faris, someone sie’s heard of mentioned a lot by others. Upon Dalisay approaching him, he seems unsettled, and runs off after only a few unimportant words. Sie brings this up to Valerie, who guesses sie caught him at a bad time. A bit later on, sie tries to talk to Faris once more, and the same thing occurs. This time, before departing, he asks Dalisay to leave him alone indefinitely.
Giving up for the time being, Dalisay wishes to meet Dolichonyx, a very enigmatic passenger who’s scarcely been mentioned by others. Sie first seeks out Marjolaine’s screens to try and glean any information about them, but Marjolaine discourages hir, saying most of Dolichonyx’s given information is unreliable. Even the name in the database isn’t ver real name, and everyone simply refers to ver as Dolichonyx. Marjolaine claims ve keeps ver distance most of the time, though recalls a close connection to Freya.
Upon asking Freya about Dolichonyx, thon says thon’s busy and can’t hang around — thon instead points Dalisay to Olzhas, who is apparently ‘knowledgeable enough’ about Dolichonyx and can direct hir just fine. Immediately upon consulting em, Olzhas asks Dalisay to ignore this passenger, which only drives hir to inquire further. E explains that Dolichonyx is an untrustworthy liar who likes to run rumor mills and indulge in gossip, and that Dalisay will gain nothing from ver. Curiously e also exclusively refers to ver by ver real name, Isel. Dalisay still insists on meeting ver, and Olzhas relents by deciding to accompany hir. The two trek to Autumn, and throughout the walk Olzhas complains about Dolichonyx, describing ver as unbelievably gormless. Dalisay wonders why e’s so fervently disapproving, though doesn’t ask outright.
Following a long walk down a straight shadowy corridor, with many strange abstract paintings hung upon its walls, they arrive to Dolichonyx’s train room. It’s a weird cluttered theatre-y place, and Dalisay struggles to make hir way through for a bit. Sie finds Dolichonyx in a far-off corner, half hidden, but surprisingly alert.
Dolichonyx addresses Dalisay purposefully. Ve admits ve’s been waiting for Dalisay to visit for ages, finding hir sincerely interesting. Despite the praise, ve also turns to some subtle antagonism — mostly toward Olzhas, and Dalisay’s ideas toward train rebound. As it turns out ve’s in cahoots with Freya, and says ve has a better solution for returning to earth, one which ve wants to discuss with Dalisay at a later date. Ve sends hir off surprisingly warmly, assuring hir that sie can visit any time sie wants, and saying that ve enjoyed the chat. Though a bit bemused by Dolichonyx’s eccentricism, Dalisay found ver straightforward and pleasant. Once out, sie prompts Olzhas to explain eir animosity, and e confesses to being Dolichonyx’s ex-partner. Before promptly departing, e insists on mistrust, again professing that Dolichonyx is painfully reckless and inattentive to consequence. Dalisay heeds this with a few grains of salt.
Shortly after, Peixin finds Dalisay and urges hir to the control room, at the very end of Autumn. Mazin is waiting for hir there and the three engage in fairly cold conversation. Mazin asks Dalisay why it’s taken so long for hir to arrive, and sie plainly states that sie was busy talking to the other passengers. Mazin tells hir it’s a waste of time, since all everyone does is engage in empty talk, and that sie’d be better off conferring with him and Peixin. Dalisay stands hir ground, positing familiarity with everyone could come in useful. Mazin seems unimpressed, questioning Dalisay’s resolve.
Sie shifts gears into sycophancy, wondering if appeasing to Mazin’s bitterness would give hir a better advantage. Though he does seem more content, by the end of the conversation, he says he needs better proof of Dalisay’s loyalty and cannot trust hir wholeheartedly yet. Peixin proposes some kind of quest as a test, it doesn’t matter really, but this results in a later conversation with Mazin where he grants Dalisay partial access to the control room. Sie can’t touch any code yet and sie has to wait outside for Mazin to let hir in each time, but sie supposes it’s a good start.
In the meanwhile, Dalisay decides to focus on getting to know Faris, visiting Valerie again and asking for advice. She leaves the room, saying she has an idea. Soon she returns with Faris, who seems more comfortable in this familiar atmosphere and the three slowly talk things out.
Dalisay gets to explain hir experience as a programmer, hir plan to rescue everyone and how uncooperative many train residents have been. Faris seems amazed at everything Dalisay’s accomplished, plainly stating he’d never be able to stand such gruelling pressure. He visibly garners new respect for hir.
Once sie’s done, Dalisay asks Faris to talk about himself. Faris reveals he is a lycanthrope, but since the code for lycanthropy is powered by the moon, which is unavailable on the train, he hasn’t been able to access his werewolf form for years. This seems to hold great significance for him, for he says it’s the driving factor behind his want to return to earth. Dalisay promises to figure out a way to do just that, and if not, sie’ll figure out an alternate power source for his code. He becomes emotional, profusely thanking Dalisay and apologising for his earlier coldness.
Following this, everyone’s been befriended!