buttrinthum | TDM #7

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TDM #7

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

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).

An Unexpected Blizzard

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.

Trying to Relax

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.

OOC

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

More than you are giving yourself credit for. [ Although Tav had been the one making the decisions, Halsin has come to care for the others deeply, and the vampire is no exception. Most druids may see vampires as unnatural abominations and perhaps there was a point in Halsin's earlier years that he would think the same thing. But he's come to view it as an affliction especially since so many have been unwilling. Whatever the outcome that might have happened, Astarion had been robbed of his opportunity for closure by being here. This isn't a time to lecture when action can't even be taken. Halsin will do what he can while continuing to voice his concerns and offering the remind that he trusts him to make the right decision in the end. ]

And I normally am not one to care much for appearances but...I would be a poor friend if I let you leave this place with your hair looking like that. [ He takes that towel, flipping it over to the dry side. If Astarion lets him, he'll move to sit behind him to tend to those locks. Maybe even work in a gentle scalp massage if he allows it. ]

May I?

[ It's still uncomfortable, to be given praise, to be treated kindly after so long, to have someone want to cherish him. Astarion has spent decades being treated as a slave, a servant, a pet, a monster, a creature to be punished and tortured, not a person. Every God he had prayed to had ignored him, every wish he had made had gone unanswered, and now he is forced to deal with the antithesis of this - Karlach and Halsin are the very essence of kindness.

The sudden reference to his appearance, though, makes his head jerk up and he lifts a hand to touch at his curls, eyes widening. ] Is it that bad? And no mirror to fix it. [ Not even if he had been able to use it. He scowls, fingers twitching at the softness of his hair before he relents, closing his eyes. ]

If you must, but if you pull too hard I am going to bite you.

[ An empty threat, but he is a little prince. ]

[ There's a slight pause from the druid's end, as if he was half-expecting for the other to refuse. It quickly turns to a smile as he moves to sit behind him, his frame radiating warmth that had always been there. ]

With the amount of trust you've displayed for me? It would be a bite well-deserved, I think. [ Halsin speaks mostly out of jest but there's truth behind it to, just like with almost everything else that comes from him. Almost, as Astarion's hair isn't as bad as he makes it out to be. He's as handsome as ever, in Halsin's eyes, and likely in the eyes of everyone else. But part of him thinks the other would appreciate the slight shift in the subject to something less heavy, though no less important. ]

I'll be gentle. [ He assures, while giving the curls a once over with the towel. Despite being without a comb, Halsin's fingers prove to be deft enough to navigate the locks while undoing ones that may have tangled. ]

Three months...I assume you must have found housing for yourself during this time?

[ Astarion feels a little tender, uncertain, discomforted by the notion of what he had left behind and what is waiting for him when he ends up back there. If their supposed 'wish' comes true, then he'll have the power to defeat Cazador. If he doesn't... Then he'll have to steal it and take it for himself, claim the ritual and let himself grow stronger.

The discomfort of it makes his skin prickle, irritated and feeling it burn under his skin, but he doesn't relent. It's nice, to be touched in a kinder, more tender way - the sort of thing he's been bereft of for too long. He sighs softly, leaning into the touch and trying not to close his eyes like a content house pet.

It's difficult. ]

Karlach and I had a treehouse before she left.

[ He waves a hand. ]

I still use it, despite her disappearance.

[ It's a ritual so profane that the caster will no longer be themselves again. Halsin doesn't wish this for him. Even if he is forever a follower of Silvanus, his concern for Astarion goes beyond just for the sake of preserving nature's balance. It's the soul of someone he's grown to care greatly for. What a poor companion he would be if he can't help the other see his own worth before that decision is made...

His heart aches for him all the same as he tells him about Karlach's departure. So they both had been here...and he's of mind to think that if everyone else was here, Tav would have gathered them all already, somehow. ]

Knowing our fiery friend, she may very well be rallying the rest to come back to find us as we speak.

[ He reaches ahead where he knows where the vampire likes to part his hair. After gently combing back the locks with his fingers, he rests both hands on Astarion's shoulders. His grip is hardly called one, but there's enough weight put in there as a means to comfort. What he says next is something he knows they both already know, but it's worth saying it out loud anyway. ]

She would not have left without notice if it was up to her.

[ Astarion hasn't confronted the problems of actually going through with the ritual yet; he is still far too caught up in the promise of it, the hope that he might be able to cling to some kind of power, that he will be free. Losing himself doesn't matter when he doesn't feel as though he exists to begin with, feeling sick and heavy with his own discomfort and irritation. He wants freedom, and does it matter the cost if he'll be happy after it's all done?

It's one of the reasons why he doesn't want to talk about it with people like Halsin and Karlach is they'd try to talk him out of it, and he needs it far too much. The idea of going back to the dark, being alone... He doesn't want to think about it.

Humming softly, Astarion closes his eyes. The touch is... Soothing. Calming. A part of him rebels. ]

She'd burn the entire place down if she thought either of us were in danger.

[ If he was feeling a little more catty, he'd call it pathetic. ]

It must have been Vaeros. He is playing games.

[ ~~Well, too bad Astarion! Halsin and Karlach both think highly of you.~~ ]

Her protective wrath is comparable to that of a mother bear, that's for certain. [ Although he'd much rather not see the flora here burn. Halsin clears his throat as he continues, curling a lock with his fingers. ]

I am unsure of the motivations behind this Overseer other than be some form of entertainment for someone so powerful. [ The blizzard is troubling yes, but it...could easily be worse. Neither of them will need to exercise much of their imaginations to see how.

Halsin can't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment when he's pretty much done with the hair. Astarion's body language so far tells the druid that the other doesn't hate his touch though, so maybe he can afford to be a little bolder. He starts with a gentle press of his thumbs on the spots along the back of the shoulders where muscles usually do get tense before eventually making rolling motions to massage those spots. Provided Astarion doesn't already recoil from it, he'll lean over to ask quietly into his ear. ]

Should I keep going?

We met a mother bear. Well, a mother owlbear. Karlach's determination is certainly comparable. [ Is that a compliment? From Astarion? It keeps happening; being here, around the positive influences, is starting to have a rather telling effect on him and his ability to be as catty as possible.

There's an urge to pull away and put distance between them, if only because Astarion isn't used to this. When there are hands on him it is usually because he is being tortured, or it is sexual, with a stranger he doesn't know, for the sake of providing his master with sustenance. This is gentle, soft, caring, and Astarion doesn't know how to cope with the calming feelings that it's inspiring on him, the way that his instinct is to try and hide himself from it all.

Halsin might not bother him about it, might not judge him, but it would still be mortifying enough.

Turning his head a little, breath warm on his skin, he closes his eyes and shakes his head. It makes his skin prickle, the height of warmth flooding through him. It makes him feel... Alive. ]

... Please.

[ That about confirms where the cub came from. Halsin never thought to ask how they happen to have an owlbear in their camp, but oftentimes the question answers itself. ] A mother owlbear's fury knows no equal...except for Karlach. [ He adds with a soft smile although Astarion can't see it.

He's being mindful of where to put pressure as he keeps his fingers just above where he recalls the scars start. He wants to pull the other close to his chest, to envelope him in a warmth that no fire can provide... but he tames that restlessness within himself, not wanting to overstep when he's already been offered so much trust to do what he's doing that.

He hopes Astarion doesn't take offense when the massage migrates from his shoulders to down along his arms. Halsin's large hands stops at the forearms with a firm, grounding pressure along with a gentle touch meant to provide comfort. ]

If I am overstepping, tell me. [ This time, he says this to his other ear. ] I will cease immediately.

We bested her, so that statement can be taken as fact. [ Astarion doesn't feel any kind of guilt about killing the mother, considering she had been prepared to eat them and her children. They're all trying to do what they can to survive, so he is pleased to find that he came out a victor.

The gentle touch of Halsin's hand is something that he hasn't experienced before. He can't remember much of being alive, of when his mother and father took care of him, but he doesn't think they were ever as tender as this. No one has ever touched his hair so tenderly, taken care of him so softly, and it makes him feel a kind of pained, gentle peace that had haunted him in his years of torture.

Breathing out softly, he closes his eyes. Where was this, when he was alone and desperate? Where was this when no one dared speak to him, when he was isolated, tortured, left broken and ruined in the grey, empty world?

Nowhere. He was nowhere.

Blinking back the emotion, Astarion shakes his head a little. ]

It's fine, Halsin.

Even from where I sit, I can feel your mind drifting. [ Halsin says this softly, even with a measured level of empathy with his own experiences that have long gone unsaid. It doesn't take a tadpole link or mind reading magic for him to notice a troubled mind. He doesn't expect Astarion to elaborate and neither will he ask him to, but he obviously will listen if the other wishes to share. Otherwise, today is not the day for him to satiate his own curiosity with questions. ]

Let it wander as much as you wish, as much as you need for it to. [ It's here that one hand reaches up to resume combing through Astarion's already immaculate hair while Halsin's other arm wraps around his waist, not constricting but simply holding. ] Know that I will still be here when it returns.

Can you?

[ Astarion doesn't mean to be sour and irritable with Halsin, someone who is doing nothing more than taking care of him and offering him a kind of gentleness that he's never had before. Maybe that's why he's being so bitter, maybe that's why his aches feel so much more paramount. Kindness had been so out of reach, and now Halsin is here to offer it as if it means nothing at all.

The hold softens him, and he tries not to bare his teeth, like a cornered animal. ]

And what if I don't want to wander?

[ If the other chooses to bite him with talkback or in the literal sense, the druid wouldn't hold it against him. Halsin doesn't outright chuckle at the cattitude, but there is a hint of amusement in his quiet sigh. ]

Act however you wish to, Astarion. I say that not as a command to follow, but as a reminder. [ His voice has been quiet this whole time, but now it's much more measured with concern. ]

Is it venturing to places you don't wish to visit? [ That's what makes unwanted thoughts what they are, but neither of them need that to be said out loud. ]

[ Astarion isn't accustomed to this - to baring himself, to opening himself up to people to dissect and understand, to sharing his innermost thoughts beyond catty remarks and quick wit. Halsin has always been the type to draw that out of people, and Astarion can feel the bitterness rise up inside of him like bile: he does not want this kind of confession, not right now.

He doesn't want to dwell on Cazador, on missing Karlach, on the years of torment and torture, of being left behind, of his scarring, the danger of it all - he does not want to bend the knee and confess. Those are his own pains to bear, and he doesn't have the gut to speak it aloud. Not when he still fears the laughter, the shame of it, the wonder if he had done something to deserve it.

He doesn't remember enough to think otherwise. ]

Oh, it often does, but I'll sort it out. I just need a good glass of wine and a distraction or two.

[ As Archdruid, many have come to Halsin asking for his assistance, which he has spent his years trying to provide. Often it would involve settling a surprisingly large amount of disputes between druids with clashing opinions and the like. It was his duty that admittedly felt less and less fulfilling as time went on. ]

Well, I do not currently have a bottle with me, unfortunately. But I will make note to keep one for you. [ There's a gentle pull from the arm around his waist, but not enough to hold him back. It's meant to be a reassuring gesture. ] You are always welcome here. [ In this treehouse, in his arms, wherever he'd like to be. Now that Halsin is free of his burdens and former responsibilities, he'd like to approach these things no longer as an Archdruid, but simply as one living being to another. A friend, a lover, just about anything that isn't just an assumed leader.

With how his arms are around the other elf, it takes all his willpower to not kiss the top of his head. ]

What manner of distraction are you seeking? As long as it isn't to imbibe or sing you a song [ because no way in hells does anyone deserve that ], I will do what I can.

[ Astarion is neglecting to mention that even if he does drink wine (or at least pretends it is wine when he is drinking blood), the taste is... Acrid. He's a vampire spawn, so of course all the real worldly delights that are left to him are tainted somehow, leaving him embittered and desperate for some kind of change. It's no wonder he seeks power.

The arms wrap around him and Astarion tries not to dwell on how strangely safe it makes him feel. Halsin is large, intimidatingly so, and has the power to back it up: he would be the perfect person to manipulate to ensure that he's taken care of. The issue with that is that Astarion doesn't necessarily think that he would need to manipulate Halsin to get what he wanted - protection that is freely offered - and he doesn't really... Want to.

It makes him grimace, just a little. He's getting soft.

Leaning back, he huffs an irritated noise, only half pretending. ]

I didn't think I had to be so explicit with you, Halsin.

[ Even still, the welcome still stands. Halsin's doors are always open. Granted, given his own way of life, he technically has no doors at all. He's as open as they come. That being said, no manipulation is needed for someone Halsin considers very important to him. ]

Please do. [ His light chuckle gives way that he knows where this could be going. The squeeze he gives from his hold is meant to be reassuring. ] As much as I would like to take it further, I want to make it clear that I am content with simply staying this way with you as well. In any case, I'd very much rather hear your desires from you.

What would make you content?

[ Astarion leans back, lets himself lounge a little. He's in the right zone now, in the mood that he knows best - that sexual aura that makes him hum softly, eyes lidded and dark. ]

My desires are simple, easy. You know that.

As are mine. [ Halsin answers that question by resting his cheek on top of the now dried curls, his breath hot as he lets out a quiet exhale. They really are going though A Lot, aren't they? ] Pleasure means nothing to me if it cannot be shared with you.

I would expect nothing less. [ Because this is Halsin, and above his adoration for the wonders of nature... He is also a good man, who would do that kind of thing.

Astarion isn't accustomed to it. ] Something to consider, then.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #7

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