buttrinthum | 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

[ Seto doesn't often return to the garden. He's usually busy training for battle in between shifts at the library these days. But he's in the mood for a walk today, keeping a bit of distance from the flowers. He hasn't forgotten those mood-altering effects, and how much he'd hated them.

As he looks, he spots a fluttering wing in an almost familiar shape. He steps closer, eyes widening when he spots a dragon. Hadn't all the dragon hatchlings left Somnius a while ago? They left one behind...

He crouches nearby, careful not to encroach too much. ]

...Are you all right? Were any other dragons with you?

[ ...yeah, he's been here long enough by now that dragons talking wouldn't be strange. Might as well give it a try. ]

[ Mokuba is full of relief when he sees a very familiar face. He does an few excited bounding hops up to his brother, opening his mouth to speak... but all that comes out are growls and tiny roars.

Oh come on, he can't even give a deep roar either...? If he weren't a dragon, he would think this was lame... ( It's like Toothless's energy and mannerisms from How To Train Your Dragon with Kid Simba's roar from the Lion King... )

How is he supposed to talk to his brother if he can't actually talk...

He has claws and there's ground underneath him so... he writes in that!

Let's try... B I G B R O T H E R ]

[ What a cute dragon. Maybe it was foolish to approach, but Seto is confident that he'll be okay. He smiles at the little roar and watches, curious...wait. The dragon's not speaking, but there's writing. He scoots closer, heart aching when he recognizes the words.

He reaches for his locket, loosely holding it in his hand. It's opened, and the old photo is held out toward the small dragon. ]

...Mokuba? Is that you?

[ Mokuba lets out a happy rumbling chirpy noise and nudges his head against the locket then bumps his head against Seto's hand to affirm it. Man, this would be easier if he could actually talk...

He closes his eyes and focuses on being human again, hoping it will work fast and he won't be stuck as a dragon...

A little flash of light later and sure enough, Mokuba is human again. He lifts up one hand then the other to inspect himself, wiggling his fingers just to make sure, then grins at his brother. ] I turned into a dragon!!! Wish I was a bigger one but... hehehe, I'll take it!

Do you know what's going on, Seto? It kinda feels like we're stuck in another video game...

[ It is! Seto gently pats the dragon's snout, sitting back on his heels and smiling once Mokuba changes back. Thankfully he doesn't have time to worry. ]

Hm, so you're a shapeshifter. I took the elemental power potion. Not that I'm a big 'magic' fan...but it works as advertised.

[ He missed him so much. He reaches out to gently squeeze his arm and smiles. ]

Wish it was a game, I would've beaten it by now. But this is a land owned by some god wannabe called Vaeros. He claims we all made a contract with him for a wish, and that for our end of the deal we have to live here. Not that his claim would hold up in any court...but the other people trapped here with us aren't so bad. Shockingly.

Elemental power potion? What can you do with that one? How many different potion options are there?

[ Wait... It's not a video game??? Now he's questioning his choice to immediately drink that potion... Oops... At least it turned out okay... They've been through some crazy situations before so Mokuba accepts the strange situation quick enough. Seto would never lie. ]

Yeah I got a note about that but I don't remember making any sort of contract... That's why I thought it might be a game, like it was some cutscene that just got skipped over.

How many other people are trapped here too? I haven't seen anyone else yet.

It's lightning, but I can't do more than static electricity right now. I've been training to use knives instead.

[ He takes a deep breath. There are things he worries about now, like keeping Mokuba safe, but one thing at a time. ]

Maybe around a hundred? But not everyone was contracted like us. Some of the people in town were here before the contracted and are loyal to Vaeros, we've been warned not to trust them. It gets weird here, but it's usually not so bad.

Lightning??? So you'll be able to shoot lightning bolts at people??? [ He thinks this is super cool! He's picturing what Seto would look like, laughing with power with a giant lightning bolt crashing down in the background... No one would dare mess with him with that kind of power! His brother is so cool! ] And knives too? If you can throw them as good as you do Duel Monster cards, I bet it's something you're picking up easy!

Weird, huh...? Well that's nothing new for us! We've dealt with a lot of weird! [ He laughs and rubs a finger under his nose in a show of confidence, not worried because Seto's here now and if they're together, they can get through anything life throws at them! ]

My power's not that strong yet. But I'm working on it.

[ He smiles, filled with overwhelming fondness...and slings an arm around his brother, in a move that surprises himself. ]

Why don't we go into town? I have a house with plenty of room for you, and you can see what we've got.

[ Mokuba is surprised when Seto actually wraps an arm around him. He's usually not very big on giving out physical affection... and that's okay with Mokuba because he knows his brother always cares! But the moments when he actually does... It makes Mokuba's heart almost burst with joy. He smiles so big because he's very happy! ]

You have a house already? [ Either Seto works really really fast... or...

His smile falls away just a little. ] Have you been here a while...?

[ Seto laughs gently, leading the way to the house. ]

It's not that big a deal. Everyone's offered free housing here. One of the strange things about this place.

It's been...a month and a half, maybe two months? It's easy to lose track of time without the company to manage. But I've been all right, everyone's been helpful. There's even a group of people your age if you want to get out and meet them.

Free housing? Could be worse.

[ He doesn't know what he'd do for two months without his brother around... ] That long...? [ And Seto hasn't found a way out yet? They must really be stuck here then...

People his own age? It's a little strange to think about, he's never really had any true friends his own age... Most people his age either think he's snotty and spoiled because he's rich and the vice president of an extremely profitable company or they want to use him for favors. But if there's no Kaiba Corp here, there's not really a chance of that happening. ] Sure, I guess it couldn't hurt...

TDM #7

arrival I am so sorry

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