You may have been sleeping, sitting down to a nice, family meal, squaring off against your arch-nemesis in a battle to end all battles, or trying your best to avoid your next calculus exam. Whatever it was you were doing, a pulse of energy so profound it seems to rattle through the very fibers of your being surrounds you. For a moment, you feel as though you were ripped into countless pieces, all smaller than you thought it possible for a particle to be.

There's a rapid and all-consuming sensation of movement that you seem to feel in every scattered piece of you at once, and just as quickly as that whirlwind started, it subsides with a thunderous collision and suddenly you are "you" again.

Your eyes, now that you have them again, huge outdoor park, an enormous, multi-tiered fountain of...some enchanting substance glittering in the sun overhead in every color you've ever dreamed of. What looks to be staircases encircle the enormous fountain, opening onto landings, each with its own stone arch. All the arches are hollow, save for the one at the top of the structure, four levels above the ground. Within the archway shines a light, not unlike the sun and clouds can also be seen beyond it.

From the shining, cloud-filled portal steps a tall woman with flaming red hair and a gentle smile. There's a purity that flows from her, and when she speaks, her voice is the sound of innocence.

"Hello, everyone! I'm so glad you've arrived safely. There's so much work to be done."

She goes on to explain that you have all been brought here after a great calamity, that their world has died, and that through your efforts, it will be rebuilt. Your efforts are your own, she explains, and they may be exploring the boundaries of what remains of their world, building things more locally, growing things, selling, or simply learning what you can about the world around you. Life, she concludes, breeds life, and it is life that Aterat needs to be reborn. She goes on to explain that life in all ways gives form to the world, and thus there is no concrete expectation for all of you. You only need to be. That will suffice.

As she explains, a small man no larger than a human child, though fully grown, makes his way through those assembled, handing each a small satchel in one of four colors: red, green, blue and gray. The woman introduces herself as Halcyn, and invites you to petition herself or her counterpart, Athony, should there be anything else you require.

Once her explanation is complete, you are led north by the friendly, if curious, gnome, over a bridge crossing the canal, to a square around which are situated four buildings, adorned with accents matching the colors of the bags you've been given. He bids you explore their contents for more information and wishes you to enjoy your stay. Perhaps it a trick of the light, but once you've glanced away from him, he's gone.

• A folded pamphlet with instructions on the use of the "Tell Phone™" • A "Tell Phone™" of a color matching the satchel. • A small pouch of 200 bronze coins, your currency. • A key engraved with a letter and number combination (Such as B6), made of a metal colored the same as your satchel.

Updated: 07/24/2020 Upon opening the pamphlet, the reader will find a diagram of the phone indicating which buttons may be used to initiate the functions of TEXT, VOICE, or CALL. If the "Call" option is chosen, a menu listing the names of everyone else in the City with a working Telephone allows you to directly call others!

You may have noticed you received a starting stipend of 200 bronze coins when you arrived. For ease of use, 1 bronze coin is equivalent to roughly 1 USD. So, to put that into context, here's a breakdown of some common purchases and what people can expect to pay: 1 non-alcoholic drink (such as soda): 2 brn (bronze coins) 1 alcoholic drink (beer or equivalent): 3-5 brn 1 standard meal (non-luxury): 10-15 brn As you can see, you can burn through your currency pretty quickly. Luckily, people offer pay for all sorts of odd jobs. There's also the option of going into business for yourself. You'll probably want to figure something out, though. Nothing's free, not even after the end of the world.