TDM #9

[labyrinevents]

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 in scrawling, jagged lettering that seems a bit... ominous:

“Welcome to my LABYRINTH where your wish, you wish you wish youwishyouwish– Your CONTRACT is SEALED.”

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: Larkspur and Anemone You’ll soon find out that being around the Larkspur makes you almost overwhelmingly tired, to the point you might even feel sluggish and in desperate need of a comfy place to rest. Why not lie down right in the garden? Or better yet, find someone to snuggle up with and sleep your worries away. The only truly strange part? You don’t seem to dream. At all. Straying too close to the Anemones, meanwhile, grants an entirely different effect. One second you’ll be walking through the garden and then suddenly you’re twenty feet away and facing the wrong direction. Even worse, whatever those flowers have done to you will sometimes make it so you “glitch” through solid objects – your leg might suddenly be lodged in the ground despite it being perfectly solid a moment before, or your arm could be shoved halfway into a wall that… actually, was that wall even there before? Nevermind that. The effects only last for a few minutes at worst, so at least you’re not stuck there forever, right?

Liminal Spaces and Worn Out Faces

Thanks to the combined efforts of dreamers and dragons, Vaeros is asleep. No one knows for how long. The locals aren’t particularly pleased with this turn of events and the village is a mess, but at least the moon is high in the sky again and everything is back to normal… relatively speaking. Things start to change... morph into something more dreamy, more surreal. It's subtle at first but after a few days…

The aftermath of the overgrowth, animal attacks, and the overall chaos of Vaeros' tantrum has left the village a little worse for wear. While most of the damages are cosmetic and could be fixed by the local's efforts alone, maybe a little help would be appreciated? If nothing else, it might help alleviate a little bit of the tension still lingering in the air after the events at the castle.

That, and the locals seem to be acting kind of strange. Leaving them to their own devices might not be the best idea. The Gelfling you are aiding in repairing a half-broken wall has been hammering for what seems like hours and when you look to see what they're doing, they haven't actually made any progress - they're just hitting the same spot over and over again, potentially making the hole even bigger. Did the goblin you just passed have a completely blank face for a moment? Others might walk into things, off of things (Starlight Cliff might be a hazard zone), or suddenly and inexplicably become aggressive toward dreamers, grabbing anything they can get their hands on (kitchenware, vegetables, a goose??) to use as a weapon. It's a very bizarre scene and the villagers don't seem to notice there is anything wrong with the people around them.

It’s not just the locals either. The animals have been acting equally strange. There's a wolf inside the clothing shop trying on suits, a goat standing (or trying to stand) on its hind legs, bleating out random words like a town crier while jingling a bell around its neck to get everyone's attention. Where you should find the local baker, suddenly they're replaced with a deer holding a paddle in its mouth to stir up a batch of brownies.

To top it all off, there's an eerie sense of deja vu no matter where you go or what you do. Didn't you just help that goblin with the wheelbarrow an hour ago? So why is it halfway across town again? You could have sworn you had to go and grab groceries, but your pantry is full like someone already had.

Up is Down, In is Out

Days pass and the oddities continue to make themselves more and more apparent. The sidewalks seem uneven and wobbly at times, threatening to toss people walking across them to the ground or even fling them into the air with a sudden violent ripple. Walking through the forest sees the leaves of the trees melting into green goo that sticks to your clothes, your hair, and your skin - potentially staining them green and leaving you in dire need of a bath. You can always wash off in the lake, of course, but even that is not free of the strangeness occurring in Visium. The water of Lake Omen has turned to lava, at least in color; although there is no heat radiating from it when one approaches. That, and the locals are still fishing in it without issue, save the fact that they keep pulling up fish with tophats on.

Speaking of fish - they're raining from the sky now (tophats or not) in all sorts of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Good news! They're still edible. Bad news, they're probably trying to sell you something.

If you do decide to try the fish or any other meal in town, especially those served by the locals, you'll find that it doesn't taste like much of anything and most certainly doesn't fill you up, at least not at first. Everything is bland and unappealing until left in the presence of dreamers - and the more you share the meal with, the faster the taste returns.

Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within

Even with Vaeros asleep, only a small portion of the labyrinth is still accessible. Those that attempt to explore will find sections made up of pillows and cushions, and no matter what time of day it is elsewhere, this portion of the labyrinth seems to be stuck in perpetual twilight. Explorers will also immediately feel drowsy, then lulled to sleep by the quiet singing whispered through the air like a lullaby. Anyone brave enough to try and rescue those poor souls from their impromptu naps would be wise to plug their noses and cover their ears with earmuffs to block out the sound.

At night, dreamers dream. They will be visited by the same melody heard in the labyrinth, though it is distant. They will also hear a woman telling them to spend more time together, to bond and create things together in order to soothe the effects of Vaeros' magic growing wild in his dreams. Dreamers will also have the ability to visit other's dreams, meeting in a dreamy light liminal space that will not feel so real when they awaken.

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.

Comments

seto kaiba | current player/character

[blue_ice]

full of green (up is down, in is out)

Kaiba's exhausted after that dungeon run. All he wants is for life to return to relative normalcy. Weird locals, fixing up the town, all that fun stuff. But of course it gets a little too weird.

After a long day of repairing the library, he decides to head out to the woods for a training session. He jogs through the twisting forest, hitting low branches and being dripped on by sludge. By the time he reaches a clearing, his hair, hands, and outfit have turned green and slightly sticky. Ugh.

The clearing is the lake, and he walks closer as if to jump in and scrub, but...the water is lava. And yet there are still people fishing here. He hesitantly extends a stick toward the lava, watching as it...doesn't burn. It doesn't feel hot around the perimeter either.

"...Nope. It's a trap," he grumbles, while looking like some kind of seaweed monster as he's hunched over and dripping green.

dream within

Foolishly, he ends up creeping forward to the Labyrinth to investigate. With Vaeros under, what else could be happening there? It seemed to be almost a core of his power...would there be clues they could use?

He steps into the labyrinth, eying the change in decor to the soft and sleepy, and his limbs immediately feel heavy. Maybe he can rest for a moment...

The sky shimmers a strange shade of orange. Fish fall from strange brown and furry clouds, leaving Kaiba to stare up in wonder. He's eventually bonked in the shoulder by something...a dragon's snout? It's a majestic blue creature, all sharp angles and proud stature. He knows her, loves her.

He takes the invitation for a ride, elated with the joy of taking flight, and down below, more shimmering blue dragons offer rides to any visitors. Just try to avoid catching the fish, they tend to blather on obnoxiously about laws of physics and things.

Dream within

[justdontgiveame]

Kaiba wasn't the only one who'd been caught by the changed labyrinth. Puck was somewhere in it asleep but dreaming and moving freely between his own dream and others, stopping in wherever he wanted to. Hovering in the air and trying to figure out if the clouds look more like raccoons or cats, Puck sees a dragon soar overhead suddenly and notices a familiar figure.

Apparently though, the fish in the water are really wanting a conversation and before they can get much farther beyond- "Have I told you my theory on gravity yet?", Puck has caught a ride on another blue dragon and directs her to fly close to Kaiba, calling out-

"Do you always ride dragons? You're making it look easy!"

[blue_ice]

Kaiba notices Puck and calls back to him, looking surprised.

"Not really...the castle siege was my first time. I've just dreamed about it a lot. You all right?"

[justdontgiveame]

"Well enough! I've never been on a dragon myself, though I've seen them." Puck looks around as they keep flying, taking note of the difference in speed. "It's very exciting!" The dragon he's riding gives a trill in pride and Puck laughs.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba flashes a grin over at him. He's glad Puck's enjoying it.

"They're amazing creatures. Intelligent, powerful, brave..."

He leans close to his dragon and gently skritches behind its neck. Its head vibrates in laughter, and he seems pleased.

"As a child I always hoped I'd meet a real one someday. It seemed sillier as I got older, yet...here, I've met them."

He doesn't seem quite aware that he's still trapped in a dream.

[justdontgiveame]

This poses a challenge. Puck has heard a lot of advice on how to help people who sleepwalk, but this isn't what's happening. He knows he's lying down somewhere, he assumes Kaiba is as well. For the time being, Puck doesn't mention this being a dream. But he's putting things in place to start doing that. Gently. If this is going to collapse, Puck wants to minimize damage.

"No, not silly at all!" Puck assures him with a head shake. "You're not the first business owner I've spoken to with a love for the supernatural, I'm sure you won't be the last." Puck watches the sky as they keep flying, mentally tracing the clouds before he looks back to Kaiba and then down to the remaining dragons who are trailing both behind and alongside them.

"How were you introduced to them? Stories? Movies?"

[blue_ice]

"A legend. When I was a child...I heard the story of the Blue Eyes. I wanted her card more than anything in the world...so my brother drew one for me. It used to be my most precious possession, guiding me through the hard times."

He gently pats the dragon's neck. "She's from a card game, Duel Monsters. I used to be the champion of it, with Blue Eyes by my side."

[justdontgiveame]

Puck listens and gives an understanding nod. Humans could find seemingly anything to act as a beacon. "By that talk I'll assume it's a competitive game? With the title of Duel Monsters it seems like it's practically designed for it."

The flight is continuing to go well, and Puck reaches down to also give the dragon he's riding a few head scratches in appreciation.

[blue_ice]

"Yes. It's based on strategy. Using a certain combination of power, trickery, and magic to win. The Blue Eyes is the center of my strategy, she's a majestic engine of destruction."

The one he's riding roars appreciatively, and he gently pats her neck. "I want to recreate the cards here sometime, to show people."

[justdontgiveame]

"That's quite a way to describe her, but it leaves little to the imagination!" It does sound like a fun game, from what Puck's heard of it so far. "So to do that, what do you need? Cardstock? Something else?"

full of green

[woo_oo]

"Seto? Is that you?"

Webby is pretty sure that's him, but now that's changed colors, she can't help but ask. She herself doesn't look too bad - save for being exhausted, but then again, isn't everyone?

"You look a little green around the gills... literally." She can't help but point out the obvious - she is a kid, after all.

[blue_ice]

Seto greeted Webby with a tired laugh. "Yeah, it's me. Had a run-in with the melting trees. And now they're fishing...fish out of lava."

He squints suspiciously at the happenings across the lake. It's pretty weird all things considered. "Did you get here okay?"

[woo_oo]

Webby gives a shrug. "More or less." She doesn't expand on that, coming up to his side.

"And here I thought Wonderland was crazy. This is a whole new level. Do you think Vaeros was like... holding reality together, somehow?"

[blue_ice]

Seto nods at her, looking a little worn out. He rubs at his brow, inadvertently smearing more green.

"...Could be. Which makes things dangerous for us. I mean...he's alive, so it shouldn't fail entirely. It's just a little warped. We can survive that, right?"

[woo_oo]

"Oh, I'm sure we can survive anything!" Webby tries to think positive - and the serious conversation is difficult to have when he keeps smearing more green on himself. Snrk.

"As long as we work together, we can do anything!"

[blue_ice]

Seto smiles at her as usual, carefully backing away from the 'lava' lake.

"Hm. I don't feel any different, but will you tell me if I start to act strangely? This goo could still have side effects."

[woo_oo]

Webby gave a loyal salute. "Of course! The moment you start acting like yourself, I'll slap you back to your senses!"

... She probably did mean that literally, and painfully.

[blue_ice]

"Knew I could count on you," Seto laughed. "Now we just...have to get home through all this. Are the fish still raining hard?"

full of green

[anything_grows]

[ Kaiba isn't the only one having some trouble. Having gone for a run through the forest herself, Willow emerges covered in the same sort of goo, trying in vain to wipe some of it out of her hair. ]

Ugh...Green might be my favorite color, but this is a bit much.

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba looks up at Willow with a sympathetic expression. ]

I'd suggest trying to wash it off, but I don't trust the lake anymore either. How much weirder can it get?

[anything_grows]

[ Glancing towards the lake, she makes another face, though it becomes a curious expression when she sees some of the locals still fishing from it as normal. ]

Honestly, I'm afraid to find out.

[ Drawing a magic circle in the air, a vine emerges from the ground by her feet, and carefully inches towards the lake. Hesitating for just a moment, Willow moves the vine to dip the tip of it into the lava...and nothing seems to happen. ]

Huh.

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba stares in confusion. He hesitantly hovers his hand over the liquid, but there's no heat radiating from it. Doesn't mean it's not toxic in other ways, but. ]

It's strange. But I guess we should be grateful that the environment isn't out to kill us again.

[anything_grows]

This isn't, at least. [ She retracts the vine. ] I'm not so sure the fish falling from the sky isn't trying to get us.

[blue_ice]

What are they gonna do, flop on us?

[ As he says that, one smacks him in the face. He grimaces and flicks it off into the pool...watching as it swims away unharmed. ]

Right. We'll be fine, just as long as we move quickly.

[ He rises up to start heading back to town. ]

[anything_grows]

[ She bites her tongue to keep from laughing, not wanting to embarrass him. With a nod she starts to follow him, though takes Clover and has her staff transform into an umbrella, big enough for the both of them, that she holds up to Kaiba. ]

Here. This should help a little, at least.