buttrinthum | TDM #11

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TDM #11

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 nearby, being picked and torn at by a bird- is that a potoo? As soon as the bird sees you approach, it flies off. It leaves behind mangled scraps of bread, a smashed glass vial that seems to have spilled water all over the pack, 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 are scraps of torn, damp parchment, some of which have scrawling, jagged handwriting you can still barely make out:

“Welc” “aby” “r CONTRACT”

You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which are mundane, some you cannot identify. However, there are two that stick out: Faerie rings and Rafflesia.

The Rafflesia is easy enough to avoid, its horrid smell easily warning away anybody with a working nose. If for some reason you opt to approach, the only unusual thing you’ll see is that they seem to have attracted swarms of rats. The rats seem territorial and aggressive, but are otherwise unremarkable. The flowers seem similarly mundane. However, anybody who smells the Rafflesia begins to experience an odd fixation- the corpse-like smell of the flower makes you think about your own death. The more you were exposed to the smell, the longer and more intense this preoccupation becomes, from a mild distraction for an hour or so up to full-blown nightmares for the next week.

The Faerie Rings can be seen in the grass scattered throughout the garden, and they’re unfortunately a lot easier to miss. These, it seems, have been planted by the faeries infesting the garden this month, and anybody who crosses through them will catch the attention of the fae. Usually, this will be simple enough; teleporting you elsewhere in the garden, into the labyrinth, or somewhere in the village. However, those who are particularly disrespectful or unsavory might find themselves targeted for more malicious retribution.

Ill Wills and Omens

The tone in the village has changed since Vaeros retreated into his castle. The villagers seem anxious and paranoid, somewhat hostile to the Dreamers- even the newcomers will face their cold shoulder, despite having just arrived- and they’re spending most of their time indoors, except to angrily shoo out an over-curious potoo. They’ve also raided the garden and any shops and stores for all the pumpkins they can get, and overnight they’ve set up a variety of jack-o-lanterns outside their homes and shops. These seem to be intended to ward out evil, and notably, any Dreamer who approaches a warded home will briefly feel a sense that they’re unwelcome, though it’s easy enough to ignore.

Anybody who crosses through the warning zone of a jack-o-lantern and ignores it, however, might find themselves subjected to strange effects.

Jack-o-Lantern Faces
Scary: Jack-o-lanterns designed to look scary will make you indecisive. You’ll be compelled to overthink every decision, no matter how trivial. The worst-case scenario will constantly weigh on your mind, and it will be difficult to accomplish anything.
Funny: Jack-o-lanterns designed to look funny or cute will make you impulsive. Whims and emotions will pass through you extremely quickly, and it may be difficult to focus or stick to plans.
Creative: Jack-o-lanterns with more unique, abstract, or artful designs will make you obsessive. What the obsession may be is dependent on the person; it could be something they already care about, or something that happens to occur to them after they encounter the effect. Either way, it will be all-consuming.
Blank: Pumpkins that haven’t been carved at all do… nothing. Really. Nothing. We promise. Well, nothing internal. But after you get a glimpse of one, you’ve been marked, and the pumpkins will know. You may feel like you’re being watched. You may feel like you’re being followed. You may see a glimpse of orange movement. One thing is certain: The pumpkins are following you. They’re masters of stealth, but you know the truth. You know.

Regardless of which effect you experience, it should wear off after a few hours, a day at most- except for the blank pumpkins. They’re quite persistent, and may stalk you for days or even weeks; the pumpkins are patient and ever-vigilant.

Twinkling in the Darkness

Those who were in Somnius in spring of the previous year may remember- with no small degree of dread- the faeries who invaded Somnius briefly. Last time, they were in a good humor, and their jokes were playful. This time, something seems to have them in a bad mood. There’s no attempt to ask for favors, no negotiation… anybody who crosses the Faerie Rings in the garden might catch their attention, but you might just as easily catch their interest because they didn’t like your attitude or just objected to the look of you. They may simply try to lure you into the labyrinth until you’re hopelessly lost, trick you into more Faerie Rings until they’ve had their fill of you, or simply lay a curse on you.

The curses aren’t nearly so playful this time, either- they’re malevolent. Instead of petty inconveniences, these curses seem targeted to be personal. Somebody with a physical insecurity will find it magnified to draw attention to it. If you fear something about yourself, you may find it magnified and reinforced. If you’re desperate to keep something hidden, it will inevitably be revealed. It’s not clear if they somehow know what will hurt your character, or the curse simply finds it automatically, but it is vindictive and it knows how to hit home.

Fortunately, they mostly keep to the garden and the labyrinth, even when the potoo's around. These curses wear off after a day or so, but by then the damage may well be done.

The Times They Are A-Changing

There are many smaller side effects of Vaeros losing control of Somnius, changes that will last for the foreseeable future. Chief among them is that the labyrinth is no longer magical; it’s a mundane structure, albeit one that seems to have immediately attracted the same hostile fae and oddly-aggressive rats that infest the garden. Best not to meddle too much. Some other changes include:

The Network Devices were powered by Vaeros’s magic. Without him, they’ve depleted to much more limited forms. Around the first day of October, the eye adorning them closes as the magic becomes dormant. Among other things, this means that Network posts will not be available for the time being. Sleepr will also not be taking place. Personal one-on-one or small group communication is still possible via text, voice, or video, as per usual, and old posts are still available to be perused, but mass broadcasts will not be available without Vaeros.
The Crystal can still grant wishes, but Myrta seems to be the one granting them now; she’s trying to work out how to take full control of the thing and undo all the damage Vaeros has done. However, especially now that new arrivals are coming to Somnius again, she’s willing to do her best to grant stolen powers and objects; it only seems fair. Potion powers are also still granted to newcomers. [[The OOC reward mechanic has not changed, only the IC flavor and possibly the tenor of some of the results.]]
Speaking of Myrta, she’s still asking the Dreamers for help in her work. She may send you on missions asking for all sorts of odd things. They might be extremely trivial mundane items that belong to random Dreamers, arbitrary bits and pieces of the setting, or even debris from the labyrinth itself, once the Dreamers start wrecking parts of it. Don’t worry, she won’t ask for anything suspect. (She might become indignant at the suggestion.) Occasionally, she'll pine over her missing bird, almost exclusively when you spot the potoo out of the corner of your eye. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.
The Library now has more books on the world and history of the village before Vaeros took over, now that he’s not actively censoring them. [[Feel free to ask us any questions you may want answers to in our game FAQs!]]

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 the bubble of magic surrounding 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, which is no longer enchanted and will not move or shift to hinder them anymore.

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

[Luz, meanwhile, had enough dealing with the farm at her own job that this one felt like it had its own agenda, its own purpose, and one that Luz felt she could at least stand up for.

It would be hard to think that Eren was somehow a bad association with it when Luz felt the opposite was true].

Oh, that's new! I'm willing to give it a try though.

[Luz isn't the only one with an inaccurate impression of Eren's morals. He largely lacks them, which isn't necessarily a secret. Still, he used to be a figure in the community that represented giving and support. How that managed to happen, he's still not quite sure. It will be useful here on out, if necessary. All of that hinges on whether his personality can maintain that positive reputation...

[Luz doesn't seem to mind him.

[He turns on the stove and begins heating up the leftovers.]

Maruki made it. Do you know him? [Idle chit chat. He's never been great at it. He can talk about what he knows - Aubrey or Maruki or anyone else important. It's better than the weather, at least.]

Luz sat down quietly, curious about the change in the air here. Eren was different, but how much so? Was the gap now so big, he might not remember them as friends? Not in the sense of just remembering, but that something in HIM had changed?

Luz was hesitant to let her mind go down that road. It sounded too unfair, that somehow Eren might not see them the same way anymore.

Things were bad enough without imagining something like that].

Maruki? Yeah. He's my counselor. Went to him by chance, and well. He became someone I trust with things I don't tell most people.

[She looked down a moment].

I think you might have had a similar relationship. That was my guess with the whole "Webby" situation, if you remember that.

[Ah, yes. The "Webby" situation. Eren only remember in bits and pieces, and he isn't terribly eager to change that. Being reminded it all centered around a talking duck was the strangest part to re-acclimate to.]

Maruki was my counselor for a while. Not so much now.

Anything having to do with that duck...

I just don't really care anymore. [He has had much bigger fish to fry over the last four years.]

[Talking duck was not a thing Luz cared about the moment she heard Webby's voice, but understood that would have its own meaning to Eren].

I kinda got that feeling with the way you interacted there before. She's still sorting through her own stuff there.

Then again, I guess you could say that about anyone. I'm still dealing with, like, SEVERAL things that have happened to me lately.

[Eren's back is half-turned to Luz as he deals with the leftovers heating up on the stove. He idly pokes at them with a metal spoon.]

From what I remember, that tends to be the nature of this place. I'm sure something new will come along soon.

[Luz is just waiting, curious about what Eren would say here].

It does sometimes feel like that. Doesn't mean that its not going to be a big deal to some people though.

[At that, Eren gives a brief glance over his shoulder at the girl. It seems she has something in particular on her mind. Eren's not particularly curious, given what he's sorting through himself, but he hasn't entirely forgotten how things like this should go.]

Is there something in particular on your mind?

Honestly? I just want to know how you are.

I know it's been a long time since you've been here, but it feels like I lost you for about a week, and we were sure you were gone.

Now you're back here, and it feels like you're detached. So. I was just wondering what's on your mind now.

[It's a weary feeling, to wonder how many times he'll have to explain this, and how, without telling the whole ugly story. So many feel owed an explanation as to his emptiness. Is it not enough to simply know that he's empty and carry on regardless? He has nothing more to give. He doesn't want to wrestle with how to say why.

[The food is done reheating. Eren sets loads up a plate and places it in front of Luz, along with utensils. He doesn't get himself anything yet; leans back against the counter with his arms crossed.]

This is the way that I am now. [Stated outright - a fact.]

I won't bother explaining what caused it. Quite frankly, I don't want to.

What I need you to understand is that it won't change.

You're a friend of mine. That can still be true. So is this, though. [He sounds tired; feels it.]

Ok. I guess it might have been a lot to ask you that, then.

[Eren had always seemed to keep secrets, and since he had only just started to get to know Luz, he had no reason to disclose them. She knew it needed to be enough to understand that. This was why he had been so angry at Webby to begin with.

He prized his privacy, and that could only mean he had enough to think about].

Would you still be willing to give me sparring lessons?

[There's some relief. That's a request he can answer, at least. He remembers now.]

From time to time. Just tell me when you want to. If I'm here, we can.

[Other than the lanterns, it was where they first connected. Luz was sad that it came to this, but also knew she needed it anyhow].

All right. I guess I can wait until you're more settled in. I'd guess you want time to decompress first?

[Eren's quiet for a moment. He uses it to reach over and pick a piece of food off of Luz's plate. He eats the thieved cabbage.]

You're a very energetic person.

[Luz lets him eat it because hey, he gave it to her to begin with, and it at least reminded her of something an older brother might do].

Oh, probably more so now. Now that I've recovered from a pretty bad month, I'm probably going to fling myself into attempting to have a good month. Have no idea how many of those are left.

How do you go about accomplishing that? A "good" month.

[That was a good question].

Well given we don't have a network right now? I try to do some of the things that put me in a good mood. Flying. Video games with Kenma. Sparring with Aubrey. Then sometimes I just try to go out of my comfort zone and do something new, like take a fifty foot dive off a high cliff.

[At the last part Luz shuddered].

Better if you know how to dive when you do something like that. I think I got a bruise from that I didn't lose for two weeks.

You dove off of a cliff?

I wasn't human at the time. I wanted to try with an animal that would have been fine once they hit the water.

[And boy did she "hit" it].

Which animal...? [He's so curious now.

[Surely not a fish...]

An otter. That was the first animal I turned into, and its my favorite.

[She winced].

Not exactly the best animal to change into though, not at that height. Swimming back to surface was a lot harder than I expected.

A mermaid laughed at me.

An otter...

I don't think I know what that is. [Odd that he's more familiar with the concept of a mermaid, though just barely. It's only due to vague memories of this place.]

Really? Hmm. Hold on.

[Luz put her food down, clearing her throat and popped into adorable pup mode.]

[And, all at once, there is an (apparent) otter on his kitchen floor. It's...weird-looking.

[Eren takes a seat on the ground, legs crossed. He watches the curious creature.]

Like a weasel, but...[Not quite.]

[Luz stoop up, looking a little offended. She started to scamper over to Eren, giving it a pointed who, me look].

Much better than a weasel, not that there's anything wrong with them, but I can at least go into the water!

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cries...older brother eren...

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The infamous "Luz as an otter" icon drawn by one of the actually Owl House staff

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