TDM #10 OVERFLOW

[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. 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: Sunflowers and Hibiscus. You’ll soon find out that being around the Sunflower makes it difficult to pass through the already disorienting garden, even with the light guiding you. Where patches of them grow, even if only waist-high, you cannot pass through them, over them, or even destroy them to get them out of your way. In each grouping that blocks your path, there is one that has a key-shaped opening in the middle of the flower. Maybe the key is nearby? (Spoiler: it's probably under a rock nearby that you forgot to check!) The hibiscus offers an entirely different effect - inhaling the pollen grants you the temporary ability to shoot fireballs out of your hands. But be careful, those fireballs are difficult to control and seem to bounce in random directions no matter how hard you try to aim (cannot be used to destroy the sunflowers). The effect ends once you step out of the garden.

It's Dangerous to go Alone! Take This.

Somnius is once again recovering from a devastating blow. Buildings need to be restored to their former glory and the emotional turmoil of the previous weeks surely needs to be alleviated. What better way to lighten the mood than a little fun for the whole family? A new arcade has appeared in town, beckoning residents with its stone doors set wide open.

With multiple levels, a variety of games and even a snackbar, Appl3 Pi Arcade is sure to be a hit!

Of course, as with everything that ever happens in Somnius, the arcades appearance is not without some complications. For one, playing the games inside might see characters teleported into the machine itself, perfectly pixelated to fit the game they're in. Hope you weren't about to fight the final boss, because now you might be fighting for your life! The good news is, if you die in the game... you don't die in real life and are just popped back out into the arcade again.

Strange things happen outside the arcade too. Walking down the road you might suddenly see a healthbar pop up above someone's head. Are you supposed to fight them? Are they going to fight you? Best to be cautious and reach for any trusty weapons you have just in case. Weapons that have become pixelated and can be pulled seemingly out of nowhere like some kind of hammerspace. They are also prone to breaking and shattering into glimmering pixel pieces (your normal weapons are still intact, don't worry).

Boxes and pots around Somnius are somehow more breakable than usual, smashed open with a single swing of those pixel weapons and producing gold coins! What a shame gold coins aren't the currency here. But if you don't want to destroy more things around Somnius, why not try fishing instead? That seems safe - if not suddenly more difficult with the fishing minigame that popped up in front of you. Quick! Keep the fish icon in the green bar or you'll lose it!

All things considered? It's all relatively harmless fun up until-

But Enough Talk, Have At You!

Vaeros wakes up. For those new to town, this means nothing. For those that were here for the castle raid? They can rest assured that they're in for a surprise. The Overlord of Visium has finally awoken from his Hyalily induced coma and he is furious. A shout echoes from the castle:

"Did you think you had won, dear Dreamers? Did you think you had bested me? Go, play your games, but know that there is only one winner here, and it is me."

A wave of magical energy sweeps through the town, shaking it to the very core. Miraculously, the destroyed buildings and any remnants of the forest onslaught are gone and returned to their usual state. Perhaps Vaeros shouting was just another tantrum, an empty threat?

Not quite.

The town has been restored, but the locals? They are nowhere to be seen - cowering in their homes and fleeing to the sanctity of the Church of the Moon in hopes of staying out of sight of Vaeros and Dreamers both. The once tame video game effects are now far more intense - monsters from within those games are now rampaging through the town. They seem to shift through buildings, but if they run face first into a Dreamer, they will find them very corporeal and very deadly.

Not only that, but the lines are starting to blur between reality and fiction again, the healthbar above your head flickering in and out, the monsters turning from pixel beasts to real, live animals that roam Somnius - both feral and not. One second you are walking through town, and the next you are stepping onto a platform that starts to break under your weight, demanding you jump to the next platform before you plummet into an odd, multicolored abyss.

And strangest of all is that music coming from the labyrinth, growing louder when you approach and fading out when you move away.

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

[likeiron]

( Nina had been fighting various monsters as they popped up around Somnius, shattering them into pixels which was... weird, but it got the job done. None of them had been particularly exciting battles. But the young woman's eyes lit up at the sight of thr ogre. Not nearly big enough to be a Valsherian ogre, but close enough. )

Oh, fuck yes.

( She almost didn't even register Poppy when she sprinted toward it, hopped up, and started climbing its back, causing its next swing to whiff right over Poppy's head as it whirled around in a panic trying to get her off. )

[arcanerecovery]

[ It's only when the ogre's club whiffs over Poppy's head (not hard to do when she's only 4'4") that she notices another combatant has entered the fight. Poppy clutches at the hem of her cloak, finally giving up on trying to make it fly, but suddenly remembering that it has other properties which might still be helpful...

She gathers the edges, one in each fist, steels her resolve, and begins to whip the corners of the cloak— each plated with razor sharp metal— at the ogre's knees and ankles. ]

Take that, you big oaf!

[ Surely, now that it is being attacked from both high and low, the ogre will fall. ]

[likeiron]

( Nina was up on the ogres shoulder now, latched on with her legs around its thick neck to pummel her fists into its face. She glanced down when Poppy shouted and actually paused for a second to appreciate the absolutely wild shit she was doing.

The ogre was having none of it. It swung up to hit Nina, who shifted quickly so it bonked itself on the head instead, stumbling and dazed already from her flurry of punches and stumbling back with Poppy's sharp assault. )

[arcanerecovery]

[ Poppy's blades don't do altogether that much damage, small as they are, but it's enough to make the ogre unsteady on its feet. And combining that with Nina's assault up top, it stumbles perhaps a bit more than it would normally when it bonks itself on the head, effectively stunning itself and becoming quite top-heavy.

Poppy darts quickly, making sure not to be underneath the thing should it lose its balance completely and fall, but as she circles around it, she gets in another slash or two at its achilles tendons. ]

[likeiron]

( With her mercilessly pummeling its head, the thing didn't stand a chance between them. Nina rode the ogre down as it fell, hopping off just as it landed with a puff of dust kicking into the air.

She coughed, cleared her throat, and looked to Poppy. )

You good?

[arcanerecovery]

[ Poppy's a bit out of breath, stepping back and bracing herself with her hands on her knees when the ogre finally falls. Breathing heavily, she nods and gives her new compatriot a thumbs up, until she can regain enough composure to speak. ]

That is... significantly harder without magic... than it is with it...

[ Okay, deep breaths. Aaaaaaaand, we can be upright again. ]

Thank you for your help.

[likeiron]

You're welcome. Lucky for you Ogres are my speciality. ( She chuckled. ) Should probably move in case more show up though.

[arcanerecovery]

[ Poppy nods, but as she gathers herself up to leave, the fallen ogre disappears into a shower of motes pixellated light, which glitter for a moment then blink out of existence. ]

Is that... normal for ogres, in your experience?

[ She had certainly thought they were more of the "once you kill it, the body sits there and rots" type of things. You know, like most living creatures. ]

[likeiron]

( Nina just stares at it. Hands on her hips.)

Uh... no. Usually they just fall over and die like normal monsters. Some weird shit is going on here lately though, so I'd be on your guard.

[arcanerecovery]

[ Interesting. ]

Noted. Then, it is as you say. We shouldn't linger too long, lest another creature manifest in its place and attack us again.

[ Boy, is she glad she thought to stop at the blacksmith to get her blades back. ]

I'm Poppy, by the way.

[likeiron]

( Nina is already walking, heading deeper into the town. )

Nina Ironfist, the Ogreslayer. Pleasure.

[arcanerecovery]

[ Poppy's eyebrows raise slightly at the title, but she looks impressed. ]

You've certainly displayed your notoriety well.

[ She was, in fact, headed somewhere before she got attacked, so she's going to give Nina a courteous wave and continue on her way. ]

I hope I shall see you later on, under better circumstances.