buttrinthum | TDM #9

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There's a slight pause, and then Inigo's cheer seems to dim into something that's a little more like confusion. At least the young man doesn't look upset or something - he looks more like he's trying to think really hard about something Miles just said here.

Apparently he can't quite figure it out by himself, so after a moment he just slowly asks: ]

What's.. a school assignment..?

[ Just a very normal question, clearly. You can almost hear air quotes around those last two words, that's how unfamiliar they apparently are to Inigo. ]

Uh, school? I guess maybe you had some other kind of equivalent or some people home school, but. It's lessons. Learning to read and write, learning about history, math, art, music, sports. All sorts of subjects. School is where you go to learn. Sometimes they give you assignments, essays to write, chapters of a book to read or that sort of thing.

[Miles tries to explain, at least simply. Briefly. To give the other some idea. He's not sure he has ever had to explain school to someone before but even so. He tries his best though. Unsure how specific and simple he needs to be exactly.]

[ At first the blue-haired boy still looks kind of confused, even in the light of the explanation, but then he slowly nods. ]

Alright. I.. think I get it.

[ Emphasis on the think. He really isn't all that sure, but at least he can follow the words Miles is saying here? He just isn't sure if the mental image he's forming in this moment is exactly right. ]

.. wait, so school is also a place that makes you investigate mysteries like these? [ See, apparently he's still a little bit off on that one. ]

Uh, well, sometimes we read about mysteries or watch movies about mysteries, I guess?

[Like for English class with studying literature or movie adaptions or something? Miles is trying to explain. Kind of. He's not actually had to explain school to someone before. Even those who are homeschooled still have some idea on it at least. This kid maybe still had some education but not in the traditional classroom sense perhaps.]

That is..

[ .. Inigo's voice trails off. It sounds like he's trying really hard to think of a diplomatic word for it. Or even a word at all, since he's still a little confused on the mental image, really.. ]

.. interesting.

[ Sure, interesting. Let's go with that. ]

But as long as it means you have some experience, that is a great boon for us! I can't say I have much experience in that department, but I can contribute in case we run into any sort of trouble along the way! [ Inigo pats the sword in a sheath that's hanging off his belt. ] I don't carry this for nothing, you know!

[ Yeah, you know, Miles. Just open swords carrying. Very normal. Entirely common. ]

I guess. I'll do my best to help out where I can.

[Miles isn't about to just go around telling everyone he's Spider-Man. Besides, here, his abilities don't seem to be working which is unnerving to him. But he isn't about to fret about that and blab, complain or worry to the other about it. So he tries to focus on this. On....the sword?]

Wh -- sword? Whoa?

Huh?

[ Miles may look very surprised by the sword here, but Inigo seems surprised at the other's surprise - ironically enough. ]

Yes, that is my sword! [ He's definitely saying it like it's a normal thing, even now. ] Surely you must have seen one before, right? So many people have one of them. I don't even think mine is all that special compared to most other swords.

[ It certainly isn't Falchion or any other important sword he knows. It's just one of many you can get at any armoury in his experience. ]

Uh, I mean. I've seen them in movies or video games, in books, that sort of thing. Not actually seen one in person before.

[Miles has to admit that. It is not so common back home that people would be carrying swords around. Maybe he might be more used to fighting than most given the Spider-Man thing but even then. He isn't necessarily supposed to have that experience though. Unless others did find out that he was Spider-Man. Which he has no intention of.]

.. in books? [ He's likely repeating that one because he actually recognizes it. Inigo has zero idea what movies or video games are, but contextually, it's likely they are also just some form of containers for stories, right..?

That's why Inigo looks so surprised in this moment, blinking over at Miles. ]

But if you have never seen one before, then how do people defend themselves where you come from? Or are you saying they are more used to spears there? Bows, perhaps? [ Maybe it's the sword part that's foreign to Miles, not the weapon part? That's the only way Inigo can make sense of it in his head. ]

I mean, we have more advanced weapons than swords. Guns. Tasers. Not that I've used them, but. My dad is a cop, so. I grew up with him with his gun and stuff.

[Miles says, mimicking a gun with his fingers but he isn't sure if the other is familiar with that concept, that particular weapon. So he hesitates for a moment before offering an explanation.]

A gun is like a much smaller, more powerful bow, sort of thing. Longer range, usually. If you haven't heard of one before. People still use bows for archery. But I dunno that people really use swords so much these days outside of maybe learning fencing or something. Or kendo?

[ Thankfully Miles bothers to explain the concept. It helps, really, since Inigo indeed is not familiar with guns in the slightest. He's heard a little bit about them in this place, but it's still a difficult concept to imagine. ]

I suppose it must mean that battles are very different in your world. [ He settles on saying, after having thought about it for a moment. ] I have definitely only ever used swords and the occasional bow in combat. But what I have heard about these.. "guns".. they sound much more powerful than anything I have ever encountered. I can't even imagine what they must make battle like.

Yeah. I mean, I haven't used one myself but I've seen guns and all. The important thing is just that you are aware that you could encounter these. To be careful.

[Guns, it was so quick. So loud. So at the least the other can be mindful. Miles doesn't have a gun to show the other what it looks like but he can at least tell the other about them. Though really, they could just focus on figuring this thing out. That they don't necessarily need to worry about guns. Whether others have some here. This place does not seem quite as advanced compared to back home as far as Miles has noticed.]

TDM #9

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