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buttrinthum2024-01-01 05:31 am
TDM #7
Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.
When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.
Will you drink it or not?
There is a parchment, handwritten, and it simply gives you a welcoming:
“Welcome to my Labyrinth. Per our agreement, you have consented to live your life here for an undetermined amount of time. In exchange, I will grant you the wish that you desire the most.”
You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: poinsettias and holly. You’ll soon find out that being around the poinsettias give you an odd sense of joy no matter how confusing the situation may seem and the holly, which is left over from the holiday season, offer different effects - standing too close to blooming holly will encourage a strong desire to be impulsive or try out something they never would have otherwise tried (whether it’s a wild new hobby, or shaving their entire head, or something else).
As harsh temperatures drop across Somnius, the townsfolk seem taken aback by how frigid cold the city is becoming. They expect this year to be chilly, but not exactly this chilly. Seemingly out of nowhere and overnight, a massive blizzard sweeps across the city, piling snow high and trapping Dreamers and townsfolk alike in their dwellings. Perhaps it's not wise to go out -- perhaps it might be better to snuggle up with your housemates instead.
As the day continues, the blizzard roars on, piling more and more snow on top of itself and making the air dense. Those who are adventurous enough to try and leave their dwelling may do so, but it poses as a risk with both high winds and freezing temperatures. Characters who have a fire element from their potion might be suited to be rescuers in this situation. Heat does make the snow melt and keep people warm, after all. They might be someone's only chance for survival, after all.
However, through the dense snow, something is lurking and they are very hard to see. It's the return of the Snow Angels, but because of the intense coldness, appeasing the Snow Angels by offering warmth will not work. Their weapons are drawn and anyone that approaches them at all will be attacked. Unlike last year, heat will NOT hurt the Snow Angels but ironically enough, making snowballs and throwing them at the Snow Angels will ... somehow ward them off. Clobbering Snow Angels with many snowballs will reduce them to just mounds of snow and their sword will vanish into pixie dust.
Any character who gets struck with their sword will risk severe frostbite which can be slowed down and cured by characters with healing abilities.
When the blizzard finally subsides, the bitter cold and snow will linger (As will the snow angels, so be careful.) Of course, this means a lot of places will be harder to reach- the path along starlight cliffs, for instance, will be far more treacherous and dangerous to access, and much of Lake Omen will be frozen over.
The path down to the beach, however, is still miraculously clear and easy to traverse- and, more importantly, there's a new path across sheets of ice across the ocean that have frozen over, broken, and refrozen, creating a long ice bridge that leads to a small island. On that island will be found a hot spring, complete with long-abandoned signs of use. This was clearly once an active onsen on this island, and for the most part, the natural warmth of the area has kept the winter cold at bay, meaning the hot springs are still accessible, steamy, and safe for visitors!
There are several springs of varying size and temperature. Anybody who bathes in these springs will find that they’re comforting and relaxing, soothing away the aches and tensions of your muscles and your mind alike. A few people may hear an odd, barely-audible whispering voice or echo on the edge of your hearing while you’re in the water, but don’t worry about that, that’s probably nothing. However, those who bathe in the waters may also notice a few odd side effects:
- The most common effect will be uncontrollable emission of steam and bubbles from the bather’s mouth. The steam doesn’t burn them, the bubbles don’t interfere with speech and breathing, but both will be a mildly distracting nuisance until you’ve fully dried off from the spring
- Many of the springs will make those who bathe in them feel incredibly refreshed and energized; maybe even too energized. You swear you’re not normally this hyper. Don’t worry, it will wear off after several very productive, very exhausting hours.
- Some of the springs will enhance the most dominant personality traits of those who bathe in them. Anxious? Try ‘neurotic wreck.’ Brave? ‘Stupidly reckless.’ Reserved? ‘Completely emotionless.’ You get the idea. On the other hand, others will neutralize those personality traits, returning them to normal or even inverting them entirely. This can last anywhere from a day or two to a couple of weeks.
- A few of the springs will induce a unique transformation. Those exposed to it will find that whenever they’re submerged in water, they grow gills and webbed limbs that make them fully amphibious and capable of swimming effortlessly. This transformation doesn’t impair them on dry land, aside from their skin being notably cold and clammy to the touch. Those who are already amphibious or aquatic by nature aren’t visibly affected. This will also last for anywhere from days to weeks.
Those under the effects of any hot spring will find that the mermaids in the unfrozen portions of Lake Omen are no longer as hostile to them. In fact, those affected by the aquatic spring, even those who are otherwise unchanged, will find that the mermaids are quite friendly and very chatty, though an unsettling amount of their conversations seem to revolve around how appetizing your fellow villagers look.
Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! Characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.
With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map. Yes, this includes the Labyrinth - though characters will not be able to clear the maze.
You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.
[Blizzard]
Shit!
[ Crowley stumbled out of the white out with his shades in his hand and while brushing the remnants of a snowball off his face. ]
What there wasn't enough snow coming from the sky you had to start throwing it around?
Re: [Blizzard]
Sorry! Sorry!
[And then she paused for a split second. Wait a minute....wasn't that? The voice was right, so was the face, and she suddenly grinned.]
Dad? Well, about time I caught up to you! What was that all about leaving me behind like that?
[She was teasing as she rushed towards him, then her smile faded and she looked at him closer.]
No....something's off. Your eyes aren't right. Which means either there's something wrong with you, or you're not my dad and just look like him.
[Wow, look at that brain go even in a blizzard. If she'd only just set out she might have slipped up, but she'd had enough experience at this point to be able to think it through and be observant about it.
Just to make sure though...]
You're not the Doctor, am I right? Someone else?
[At least she was quick on the uptake.]
no subject
Dad?
No one in the history of... well, ever, that he could recall had ever called him 'Dad' before. ]
No, not Dad. Not even close to dad. We barely even look alike.
[ Which he spluttered knowing full well that they actually looked almost exactly alike. Comic joke, God's sense of humor, he didn't get it either. ]
The Doctor is your dad? He never once mentioned having a kid.
no subject
[Though at the recognition of who she was talking about....]
But yeah, the Doctor is my dad. You know him? You know, duplicate of you minus the eyes, clever, likes to do a lot of running. That Doctor?
[Were their paths finally about to cross?]
no subject
[ Here he could do even less for they remained that unearthly yellow color and very unhuman-like no matter how much he concentrated on trying to make them look even slightly more normal. ]
He is here, was here... he seems to be misplaced.
[ And if that wasn't the most accurate sort of description of the Doctor. Here one minute and gone the next. ]
Rose was looking for him... Who are you exactly?
[ Crowley bobbed his head indicating the figure standing just over the lady's shoulder who seemed to be rather tall and sporting a lovely pair of angel wings. ]
And who is your friend?
no subject
Oh C'mon! Don't you guys have anything else better to do?!
[The way she moved away from it and started going for snowball ammo said the girl knew how to fight and was clever enough to have figure the angel's out already at least as she started throwing snowballs at this new one.]
no subject
I thought angels were meant to be tougher than a few snowballs.
[ They did have numbers however. That first angel was only the leader of a small troop. When it crumbled the rest surged in until even Crowley thought better of just observing. He dodged back just as a sword swung through the place he had been standing. ]
So they aren't friends of yours!?
no subject
[Well, that answer was quick.]
Care to help. Snowballs seem to work amazingly well, and quite honestly, I'm starting to freeze out here so I'd really like to get this over with much faster if you don't mind.
no subject
Oi you there, frozen angel with that big sword that looks like it was made for some one three times bigger than you... yeah you, don't look back at your buddies there. Out here in the middle of a blizzard and you're trying to stab people? You couldn't swap to... ice skating competition, ice fishing... ah, tobogganing! No one does tobogganing anymore.
[ Apparently when they had been crafted the snow angels had been made without ears or were otherwise impervious to banter for the lead snow angel's sword flew through the air again causing Crowley to stumble backwards into a drift. With its sword raised high over its head it advanced for the kill. The demon instinctively rolled and the sword crashed into the snow in a shower of snow and sleet. A low growl issued from Crowley's throat and he grabbed a handful of snow and slung it directly into the snow angel's face before it could recover. Crowley stumbled back to her side as the lead snow angel began to crumble. ]
Are snowballs the only thing these creatures will listen to?!
Considering how many of them are out there and how few of us are over here I think we had better make a break back to town. We might make it to one of those hobbit holes before they can.
no subject
Seems to be, but yeah, getting a bit outnumbered now. I'm going to say let's run. C'mon!
[She's turning to run now and trying to stay out of the line of fire, assuming he'll follow along or lead the way or something?]
Now, what is a hobbit hole?
no subject
[ Crowley chucked a second snowball just to cover their retreat and then fell into a run with her but not without pointing in a 'that-away' sort of direction. The hobbit holes were difficult to see in the blinding snowstorm but they were almost certainly running right towards them. Probably. ]
Once you run into a hill start looking for a door, bound to be one some where. If we can get inside one we can lock these guys out!
no subject
[She'd never heard of them, though she is looking for something of that description at the moment. As soon as she spotted one, she was ducking in if she could.]
no subject
[ The questions, he could get behind the questions, but the timing was sus! He ran from those snow angels which he assumed were in full pursuit even if he couldn't see them in the storm, slightly stumbling over the berm of the first hobbit hole the pair came to and pushed them both inside after Jenny had wrenched the door open. Only when they were inside with the door bolted did he try to answer that. ]
Small humanoid with big hairy feet. They live in places like this.
no subject
[She entered the hobbit hole with him, and helped him bolt the door before actually laughing. She always did love the running part of this.]
Right. Got it. Well, at least this is a reprieve from our friends out there. So, what were we talking about again? Oh, right! I'm Jenny, and the Doctor's my dad.
[Look, see, she can take up where their earlier conversation left off before their snow angels arrived.]
no subject
[ Crowley gave that laugh a strange look for this would not have been most people's reaction to what had just happened. He liked that. The unexpected!
He stalked towards the fireplace, for each and every hobbit hole had one of those, and knit his fingers together to crack his knuckles. ]
You might want to stand back. I haven't had much luck with fireplaces lately.
[ But maybe this was his redemption arc for when he snapped his fingers and pointed towards the fireplace a bright flame licked up right in the center of it. ]
No explosion, that's refreshing. You're his daughter? He never struck me as staying in one place long enough to have a family.
no subject
[She was pretty happy when he lit the fire, having stood back as he'd asked, and now was coming up to take advantage of the warmth and try to get warmer then the run had made her.]
He's not. I'm progenated. So I was a bit unexpected for him.
We've both been traveling, but have only run into each other once thus far, though that was a much younger version of him. Haven't run into the one I remember yet, and that knows me yet, but I'm sure we'll cross paths eventually. Someday when the time is right for it.
no subject
[ No, progenated, he understood that he thought. In a way he had been too, sort of, maybe... who knew how God really did these things! ]
But I'll bet he was surprised especially if he didn't know you were coming. Most people get a few months warning and then a frantic drive to the nearest hospital.
You have bad timing though. The Doctor was here when I arrived but he has gone again.
no subject
Oh, he was. Didn't really think much of me, and I'm not even sure what he thinks of me now to be honest. I figure he'll come around more in his own time.
Figures though. But it's alright. We'll cross paths again someday, I'm sure. Not going to try and chase him down or follow him. When it's time to run into each other again, we will.