TDM #3

[labyrinmods]

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: lily of the valley and hawthorn. Time spent too close to the lily of the valley invokes a state of forced honesty. Victims will blurt out anything on their minds with no apparent filter, whether embarrassing, sentimental, or incriminating. Pollen from the hawthorn flowers do not appear to do anything until the individual is near other people. Then, both (or more) people will become increasingly drawn together, until their body parts are touching and cannot be separated.

It looks like there are plenty of others who are just now waking up from their dream-state as well.. why not go ahead and say hello?

[ The arrival aspect of this prompt is reserved for new characters, but anyone can interact with the garden flowers. The effects will last for a few hours or days. ]

A Jungle Out There

Existing dreamers will wake up one day to find that everything is the same as it was - the zombies roaming the streets and the mysterious beings known as devils have all but vanished. The townsfolk and various creatures have returned to the small town, and they continue to man their shops like nothing had ever happened. When asked about the events of last month, they appear confused. Was all that just a dream?

The change in seasons has led to increasing rainfall in Somnius. Better have an umbrella on hand! While that’s hardly an issue, the rainfall has led to the proliferation and mutation of the local flora. Plants and flowers that were simply harmless before have now grown to monstrous sizes, and they’ve developed a taste for flesh! To make matters worse, they are sprouting all over town, be it the town square, your local library, or right in your kitchen sink! These plants range from creeping vines that bind, twist and try to pull people apart by their limbs, to pitcher plants and venus flytraps that trap and devour their poor, unsuspecting victims. There is even a small army of humanoid mandrake roots that have sprouted from the ground and are running amok, invading people’s homes and shops and moving in. These mandrakes appear to mimic human behaviours and likeness. This means that, yes, if it was your routine to have a morning coffee then kick your legs up on the couch and read the paper, you might find a mandrake that looks eerily like you, sitting on your couch and attempting to drink from your cup.

How do we curb this problem? Brute force is one option. Slicing, burning or ripping the plants out by their roots will stop them in their rampage and save the lives of any unfortunate person caught by them. Through trial and error, it was also found that taming the carnivorous plants is possible! This is done with soothing touches, gentle words, and offering trickles of blood or a piece of your flesh to eat. Once tamed, the wild plants are almost friendly and affectionate and can obey very simple commands. The mandrakes can be tamed by allowing them to engage in those human-like behaviours and acknowledging them as other humans. They are drawn to displays of dominance and leadership, and anyone who can impress them may be able to amass their own little army of minions. We’ll leave it up to players to decide what this looks like.

This vegetation overtake will run until the 11th, where the rains start to die down and the sprouting plants gradually become smaller, less aggressive and less mutated. There might be some stragglers running around for a few days after that, but they will be weak and easily destroyed.

Playing House

In the chaos of the vegetation infestation, it’s easy to miss the dragon eggs that have been left within the bushes and in the homes of some people. These eggs are about the size of a bowling ball, and they are armoured and scaly, much like the skin of a dragon. They come in many different colours and are warm to the touch, much like something that is very much alive.

It’s dragon nesting season, but with the aggressive and carnivorous plants running amok this year, the dragons haven’t found it worth raising their eggs. They’ve simply left these eggs and flown off the island.

For reasons they cannot remember or explain, the townsfolk hold a strong reverence for the dragons. They will fight to save an egg from being cracked or destroyed by any of the rampaging plants, even at the cost of their lives. They are also rallying to ensure that each and every dragon egg is cared for until hatching, no matter what it takes. This means they will be begging the dreamers to help them in this endeavor - and yes, there will be compensation in the form of food and currency. Anyone who refuses will be regarded a true monster!

Strangely enough, there’s no manual on the care of dragons within the library of Somnius – or any record of dragons within any recorded text at all. It’s almost too eerie, given that the Raven’s Quill Library holds information about just about anything else, across the worlds. Just like meaningful information about Vaeros, you will not find much about this specific thing.

The Forest Witch does, however, resurface again to provide her well-needed insight. According to her, the only way a dragon egg can hatch is through gentle and loving care, much like parenting a child. This responsibility has to be shared between two, and it’s encouraged that dreamers cuddle together with the egg in bed to share warmth, read to it, take it on excursions and talk to it. Cuddling together with the egg, in particular, can trigger Dreamfasting, which is the sharing of memories. This particular memory will be a pleasant one.

All dreamers are encouraged to find a partner. If they can’t find one, they can be shoved together at the whims of the townsfolk. Maybe you both just look cute together?

[ Eggs will remain until the Relaxed Event (or via an announcement of their hatching once we re-work the schedule from the Feedback Post) on the 27th and characters will be expected to continue caring for them until that period of time. In the event that characters are paired up with a character who doesn't app or drops, they can easily just reach out and find a new partner. It is possible to care for more than one egg with different partners if your character has the time for it, but one egg to two parents is mostly recommended. ]

A Suspicious Message

On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.

What or who do you love most of all?

They will feel compelled to respond with a truthful answer, as if their brains had gone into a trance, and before they know it, their response will be there for everyone to see. It cannot be deleted or changed. The user will not respond personally, but you get the sense they are definitely reading.

[ This is an additional network option for characters to interact with. Feel free to add a network prompt into any of your top levels. If you do not want to interact with this prompt, simply assume your character did not get the message. All threads are public unless actively privated by characters. We generally encourage threadjacking and engagement, so feel free to mention if threadjacking is fine with you so that others are aware. Note that the NPC will not be actively responding. ]

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! All events are game canon. New characters (invited or not) and old characters alike are welcome to play in it. Existing characters can start their own logs or network posts for the event if they wish to.

New 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.

You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.

Unique to this TDM, we have dragon egg co-parenting prompt that will be relevant throughout the summer. You can read more details about it here.

Comments

Vex'ahlia Vessar de Rolo | Critical Role | Folkmore CRAU | OTA

[usedhuntersmark]

Arrival

[To say that she's annoyed at being pulled awake before the time she would normally get up to head to the bakery is a bit of an understatement. It's ture that half-elves don't really need to sleep in much the same way as the other races of Exandria (thanks to being, yanno, half-elf), but Lady Vex'ahlia Vessar de Rolo is very partial to being in the arms of her husband when she can convince him to leave his workshop behind. So, it is an immensely.... pissed Vex that is looking around. She notes the lack of Fenthras with a soft mutter under her breath and that she's missing Raven's Slumber (and therefore Trinket) with a louder curse.]

All right. This isn't funny. Thirteen, take me back, right this second.

[The silence around her is deafening and worrying as well.]

Pike? Scanlan? Grog? [A pause as she feels a tendril of cold go up her back at a lack of Percy's slumbering and chaotic familiar bond in the back of her mind.] Percy? [Another at a cold realization...] Vax???

[And then, there's the satchel that she wastes no time in tearing open to find paltry, cheap bread and water as rations. And a suspicious vial demanding she consume it.] What the fuck is this?

Enchanted Garden

[After her time with the potion, Vex is rather upset. She understands that not only is she not on Exandria, she's not even in Folkmore anymore. All that she'd gone through in the last near-year in that world might as well be nothing. She's unarmed and alone again, even without Trinket for the first time in ages. She's raw and open and scared. Which means that she is now angry and stomping through the garden to find out who's in charge. There's a vague sennse of a dream that still lingers, but that and the note left to her just reminds her more and more of the Feywild, and all in a way to guarantee her righteous anger. However, she's not so angry that she doesn't recognize the area as a tended sort of garden and some of the plants themselves. not only is she a accomplished survivalist, but spending so much time with Keyleth has taught her about more plants than she cares to talk about.

She stops before a particularly large Lily of the Valley and leans down to sniff the flower as a way to center herself. When she hears someone approaching, she stands, hand going to her non-existent belt-knife with a roll of her eyes that might cause them to roll right out of her head.]

I hear you, so please don't try and drag this out longer than it needs to be. I'm not in the mood to play stupid.

Playing House

[To be fair, she's not that happy to play around with the eggs when they're shoved in her face. Dragons and Vex'ahlia have a long, complex relationship and in her experience there's only been one worth associating with sans weapons drawn. So, when the strange townsfolk approach her and shove an egg at her, saying she's unhappy is.... Yeah, that's just not strong enough for how she feels.]

What are you up to with this? [There's mention of payment and Vex can feel everything in her caves.] Fine. But I want proof of compensation when this is all over.

[A person nearby is shoved at her and the egg, the nearby Forest Witch whispering about cooperative hatching.] This... this isn't the most bizarre thing to happen to me, but this is rather up there. Sorry.

A Suspicious Message - Network

Who or what do I love the most? That's rather easy. It's my brother, husband and all of our friends. Anyone who knows me knows that.

Wildcard
[OOC: If you want to do something else, go for it or message me on Plurk at makochan

Enchanted Garden

[potentiae]

[ Poppy was honestly not trying to be sneaky. She's never really tried to be sneaky or stealthy in her whole life, thus far. Well... Until last month, but she was more about blasting her way through the undead hordes rather than sneaking past them.

So when Vex turns to look, she'll see a young teenaged girl, a bit too tall to be a halfling but too short to be anything else— frozen in place as though she's been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. ]

I'm sorry? I was only going to try to see if you were alright, and... to warn you not to get too close to the flowers in this garden. They have a bad habit of enchanting people.

[usedhuntersmark]

[Vex looks over the girl quickly. She appears to be mostly human by all accounts. Not that Vex would hold that against her. She's married to a human, after all, and she loves Percival more than life itself. She just hates it when people sneak up on her, purposefully or not.]

I suspect that everything around here is dangerous then. Wonderful. It's like one of Thirteen's trials then or a leisurely trip through the Feywild.

[She attempts to smile, but it's brittle. She's brittle, but she can hold it together until she's alone and somewhere safe so she can break apart.]

And you are?

[potentiae]

[ Precisely half human, to be techincal. But Poppy isn't the sort to go into details unless she feels like it. ]

Well, I don't know who Thirteen is, but I do have a theory that the Overseer who keeps us here is some sort of Archfey. Though, I don't believe Visium is in the Feywild, per se. More like some sort of pocket dimension that exists outside of space and time.

[ She has gone into long conversations about theoretical cosmology with her good friend the Doctor. But she won't bore this newcomer with the details.

Instead she smooths down her simple dress, and offers a small curtsy. ]

My name is Portentia Poppyfield. I was among the first crop of arrivals here, some months ago.

[usedhuntersmark]

[Hey, Vex herself is half-human as well, so she's not here to judge anyone about their heritage. She leaves that to the self-important snobs of Syngorn, thank you very much.]

Thirteen is the ruling creature of Folkmore. She's like an Archfey... [She scrunches her face up at the mention of the Overseer.] This isn't Folkmore. [Her voice loses all inflection.] Wonderful.

[However, if she's in a new world, she's not going to let herself be rude. She does have manners, despite what others might think.]

Vex'ahlia de Rolo of Exandria. I've just arrived, I suppose, from Folkmore. What else can you tell me about this... Visium, you said?

[potentiae]

[ Poppy has never heard of Folkmore. But then, she's never heard of Exandria, either, or many of the places her newfound friends are from. This isn't exactly news. ]

Well, we seem to be confined to this island. Most of the landmass is taken up by the labyrinth, at the other end of which is Vaeros' castle— though I wouldn't bother trying to find your way through it, all the times I've tried I've only gotten horribly lost and woken up back here in the garden after a few days of searching. Even Leslie couldn't make it very far.

[ She gestures to the small hedgehog familiar that is currently riding inside a pocket of her dress. Then she gestures behind her. ]

There's a village, back this way, called Somnius. There are local townsfolk— goblins, mostly— who are kind enough but rather unhelpful in actually telling us anything about our capture.

Oh, and if you had any magic or weapons where you came from, they will have been taken from you. But you can get them back.

[usedhuntersmark]

[There are a lot of worlds that Vex hadn't heard of before she ended up in Folkmore, so she's not at all surprised to hear a new world's name. She just didn't expect that she would come to said new world. She always assumed that when her time in Folkmore was over, she would return to Exandria with all the lessons she learned and new things she gained to rip Vecna's face off.

What she hears, however, makes her feel even more unhappy, but she'll swallow that for information. There's nothing more valuable, especially when things are in a state of unknown.]

A labyrinth? I don't think I've actually seen something like that before, but if it makes up a great portion of the land, it must hold some secret this Overseer doesn't want us to discover.

[And, well, that'll give her something to do besides stew in anger and grief at being separated from her loved ones again.]

I did notice that my bow, magic and bear were missing. It's rather inconvenient. And I find that a bag filled with bad bread and water a poor trade.

Playing House

[foundpurpose]

Oh, it’s up there for sure. [Vax says as he gently cradles the edge of the egg. His fingers have claws and dragon horns stick up out of his hair. But it is undoubtedly Vax. Just the wings folded against his back are bronze dragon wings.

He pretends the tail isn’t there. Besides. He sighs and looks at his twin, blowing out a bit of smoke.] Don’t touch the gold potion.

Or do. Hi, Stubby.

[He shifts a little and wraps a wing around her in a wing hug.]

[usedhuntersmark]

[This isn't even the first time that either of them has been a dragon. But, Vax'ildan has his own little habits of being far too curious for his own good. She's hardly better, but she's tried to be more cautious.]

My dear brother, what have you done?

[She's so fucking relieved to see him. Being alone isn't anything she's tried or wanted to try in her whole life, and knowing she doesn't have to be? That's a weight off of her shoulders that she can live with. So, when he hugs her, she returns it with as much strength she can muster.]

The others aren't here, even Trinket, so we're alone again. But...Vax... Where in the hell are we?

[foundpurpose]

I have no idea. But apparently we signed up to live here. Or so I’ve heard from everyone. [He sighs but leans into his sister. He was scared of the very idea of being here alone.

He takes out the bottle with the little tag that says drink me.] As for what I did? This had a potion in it. I felt…cut off from everything.

And you know. [It was dumb. Really dumb.] Then I was a bronze dragon. I figured out how to change back but, ended up like this.

[Don’t laugh at his tail.]

[usedhuntersmark]

I am reluctant to believe that, considering the last time we agreed to some powerful being taking us from Exandria, we were in Folkmore. [And anyone who thinks she'd agree to leaving Percy like this a second time is definitely been hit in the head too many times.

But she does take some comfort in being with Vax. Them together is always where they're at their best.]

Vax. [She'd kill him if he could die and if it wouldn't ruin her.] You. Are. Completely. Stupid.

[foundpurpose]

It worked out. [Her tone warms his heart even as he winces. His sister is here. Safe. Sort of. It’s better than it could be.]

I did agree last time. But this time…

[He pets the egg. It looks okay.] No idea. But I could do without this damn tail.

[usedhuntersmark]

[She pulls out of his grasp and slaps him upside his head. He might be the older twin, but he's done so many dumb things.]

Did it, really? You're part dragon. The last time that happened, we had to eat apple treats. I doubt that's going to work the same way here.

[She looks down at the dragon egg, feeling conflicted. She really misses Trinket and this is not helping that.]

I'm having a difficult time believing we agreed to come here. Folkmore has nearly all of our friends there.

text. un: itadori

[eyescar]

what's your husband called?

Text | un: Mistress_Vex

[usedhuntersmark]

Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III. We generally call him Percy. Or Percival when he's done something incredibly stupid for someone who is so smart.

[Unless you're Vax and then he's Freddie.]

[eyescar]

[ wtf - ]

i think percy works best, you're right

what's he like?

[usedhuntersmark]

[Yeah, it's a lot. Hence the nicknames.]

I'm sure he'd agree as well.

As for what he's like... He's brilliant, handsome, kind, and very generous for those he loves. He spends a lot of time reading and studying or tinkering in his workshop when he has downtime from our adventures. But he's rather merciless to those who attempt th harm those he loves.

[eyescar]

woah... he sounds pretty amazing.

[usedhuntersmark]

Well, I married him, so he has to be, yes?

But, truthfully, he has his bad habits, but they're far outweighed by all of his good qualities.

[People, find a man who will grant you titles to get the leg up on your shitty father!]

Arrival!

[onejump]

[Summoned by the yelling- names, he assumes- Aladdin finds her just in time to see her examining her potion angrily. Well, of all the reactions to have when you wake up here, 'angry' isn't unreasonable, he supposes...]

Uh, let's start with the good news. You're safe.

[He's waiting to see how that goes over before he shares the bad news.]

[usedhuntersmark]

[Absolutely those are names. They're only the names of Vox Machina, which is rude to Caleb and Peter, but she has to make sure that her forever family is safe first. However, they're not even here and she doesn't even have Trinket.

If there's one thing that will make her angry, it's taking her baby from her.

When a strange boy approaches her, she bites back the automatic sarcastic response she wants to give and looks him over while she tries to channel all the meditation training she got from Henry.]

While I appreciate knowing that I'm not in immediate danger, I'm more inclined to reserve my judgment until I know what's going on.

[onejump]

[Okay, suspicion. Fair. At least she's listening.]

Well... the bad news is your friends might not have come here with you.

[usedhuntersmark]

[Hey, if you wanted a member of Vox Machina that flies off the handle, you should be looking for Percy and Grog. Vex is the quietly seething type when mad unless pushed.]

I would rather my friends not be here. They're safe where I left them.

[Whether that's in Elysium with Pelor or back in Greyskull Keep in Folkmore, both are safer than a new place.]

Perhaps you can tell me where this is, since you appear to be a dab hand at this whole welcoming thing.

[Which is ironic, since that was part of what she was doing back in Folkmore.]

[onejump]

[That... actually makes a lot of sense.]

This place is called Somnius. There's a village near here, the locals are pretty friendly. And there's a bunch of, uh-

[...abductees? Prisoners?]

A bunch of others like us living there.

[usedhuntersmark]

[She's the practical one of the group, of course.]

Somnius. Hm. All right. I can deal with that.

[She'll do some exploring once she figures things out a bit more.]

Is there a way to the castle that I see in the distance?