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buttrinthum2023-06-30 11:42 am
TDM #4
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: honeysuckles & day lilies Time spent too close to the day lily invokes a state of forgetfulnesss. The longer characters stay in the garden, especially if they are close to the day lilies, they will begin to forget important things about themselves. What they forget is up to the player, but longer time spent in the garden can reduce them to a completely amnesic state. Better hurry out and try to find the way out while you can! Honeysuckles will have no effect on characters unless they decide to drink the sap from them. The honeysuckle nectar will give characters a temporary power boost. This applies to characters who have drank their potion or have regained their powers. This might be useful to salvage for later, especially considering the chaos that goes on in Somnius!
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. ]
Speaking of chaos, the current state of Somnius is.. not great. It's not by any other means than a natural disaster that is completely a coincidence and not because Dreamers rebelled against the Skeksis and didn't heed to townsfolk warnings, right? Right.
As the weather gets hotter and hotter, the obvious side effects become clear - most notably, the townspeople are closing up shop until the weather settles down. The usual markets don’t open in the wee hours of the morning and even the blacksmith has laid down his hammer during the midpoint of the days, trying to avoid the peak of the warm rush. Anyone trying to speak to the townsfolk about the sudden change in weather will find them oddly standoffish and almost rude - it’s obvious who they’re blaming for their predicament.
Another clearly dissatisfied group of society are the mermaids of Lake Omen, who may be spotted more regularly than usual across the span of the boiling hot heat. While still a rare sight, the warmth of the water encouraged a few more angry and bitter of their kind to poke their heads out and try and find the source of their woes - hand in hand with their usual siren call. It may be possible to have them leave you be if you offer them something a little on the cooler side, but with the weather as it is… It might end up being more of a challenge than anticipated.
The days go by and it doesn’t seem as though the heat is ebbing in the least, the sun blazing in the sky and the shops still kept under tight lock and key. Even some of the town staples - the bakery and the inn - have their doors close to strangers, trying to find some means of keeping cool. As the days go by, characters that have affinity to fire (or any kind of fire power!) may find that their powers are a little… Out of control.
With the sun high in the sky and blazing hot, some fire seems to be going a little haywire across Visium and not acting as it should. Be it burning a little hotter than intended, blazing out of control or simply refusing to work whatsoever, fire powers are acting with a mind of their own. Characters who have fire-related powers, be it their own or through potions, may experience the same hazards, on a scale of disobedience to refusal to work.
Finally, the heat does seem to die down and the townsfolk release themselves from their self-inflicted isolation, but they’re still not completely at ease with the strangers and keep them at an arms length: some things are not easily forgotten, and the damage seems to have been done when it comes to the skeksis. They may speak to characters once the heatwave is over, but will consistently refuse to talk about the Skeksis, the attack or anything to do with the taxes. You had your chance, you blew it.
Somnius has, from everyone's knowledge, always been nestled around a giant labyrinth built by The Almighty Lord Vaeros, as some townsfolk say. What's so good about a lord who seems to leave a town in shambles and doesn't seem to help? He's sus. Everything about this is sus.
However, one morning during the heatwave, both townsfolk and Dreamers alike will hear a crumble and a crash.. almost as if a wall is broken. The labyrinth has always been indestructible, but as Dreamers investigate, they will find a hole broken through the labyrinth, opening up to a new era. Should you go through the hole, Dreamers will see an area they haven't ever seen before...
Welcome to the New Location: Indigo Sand Grove. As the name implies, the sand here isn't white or.. well.. sandy colored, but instead a beautiful dark blue with the occasional glitter grains. It almost appears black if the scorching sun isn't hitting it just right. Any other foliage or trees seen here will be typical of Earthly tropical beaches with the occasional unidentifiable vegetation. All in all, Indigo Sand Grove and its beaches seem welcoming and not harmful at all. In fact, there are bamboo garden chairs sitting out, enticing people to have a beach party and sun bathe! As soon as characters touch their feet into the indigo sands, their clothing will change into a swimsuit from their home. The swimsuit is for keeps! Enjoy!
The sea is safe to swim in, filled with typical fish that would come from Earth and crystal clear waters. Characters will feel a sense of joy on the beach. It's not a forceful kind of magic, but something about this place really wants you to have a good time, so why not take advantage of that?
CW: bugs, beetle imageryAlong with a swimsuit, characters will find a bamboo net, designed for hunting beetles. You may see that there is a bamboo forest neighboring the sandy beach where characters will find insects to capture with their net. If capturing beetles isn't your forte, maybe just go up to the person you have a close bond with and hit them over the head with your net. The choice is yours.
Among the typical insects, there are three types of horned beetles. Anyone familiar with beetle fighting may see this as an opportunity to find their new pet, but those with money on the mind may find out that the townsfolk will purchase beetles for bonus shards. Here are the types of beetles and their values:
CLICK FOR BEETLES!
Horned Dynastid (Red): 5 bonus shards.
Horned Atlas (Black): 10 bonus shards.
Horned Hercules (Gold): 15 bonus shards.
There will be a ruined down, old sign on the main path in the bamboo forest that lists these types of beetles and their price. Team up together and enter the forest to find a fortune!
On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.
Who or what has broken your heart before?
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. Characters who are disinterested in romance can also mention familial or platonic heartbreak. It can also be a devastating event or anything else.
[ 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. ]
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 and Old characters are welcome to top level on the TDM. Please state in the header if you are a new or old player! Also, new characters may link their top levels under the new character comment so they are easier to find. Thanks for your cooperation!
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 a beetle hunting event. Be sure to comment under the RNG Beetle Hunt to see which beetle your character finds in order to exchange later for bonus shards! One RNG per character, please.
2
What in Soa's name... [She watches as the dragon frolics about.]
Re: 2
Sorry about that! Seiryu loves the water and the beach is new to him. It's different from the lake. Are you okay?
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I'm fine. It's been a long time since I've nearly been run over by an excited baby dragon.
[She looks over to the man who came over to her.]
I take it you're the one who is raising that little one?
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[Shiranui gave a sheepish grin. Nearby Seiryu was running into the waves. Not caring at all about the possible dangers the ocean could offer. The dragon simply loved water. Add other people and dragons to the mux also meant more fun.]
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[Rose couldn't help but give a slight smile as she watched Seiryu play in the water.]
He certainly seems happy though. One can think that he is a water dragon.
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[Shiranui questioned picking up the fact she seemed familiar with them outside of this world.]
I'm beginning to think he may be. I take him to the lake often. And when he was tiny he loved going into the water buckets I would bring.
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I'm a Dragoon, a knight who has the power to command dragons. Though it's been some time since I've last worked with a dragon.
[At least a thousand years.]
[She gives a small chuckle at the mental image of a baby dragon playing in a bucket of water.]
I think it's safe to say that he is at least part water dragon.
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[Shiranui stated in surprise.]
Dragons have always been big in our culture so getting to raise one here was a big honor and a huge learning experience. They naturally aren't real back at home...but still. It's like a dream come true.
[He turned to the dragon and called for Seiryu to come over. Obediantly the dragon came over only with some seaweed in it's mouth. His new prize.]
Now you can properly meet Seiryu. And I'm Shiranui Kyo.
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[She looks at him curiously]
Now you have me wondering how your culture views dragons if they aren't real. Though it's nice to hear that you think raising one is an honor.
[People in her world always had mixed views when it came to dragons. They were always creatures that were admired or feared depending on if a dragon became aggressive towards a settlement.]
[When the little dragon came over, she bent down and held out her hand to see if Seiryu will let her scratch his chin. Something that her former vassal dragon Micheal loved.]
Hello Seiryu. I'm Rose. It's good to meet you.
[And she looks back up to Shiranui]
And it's good to meet you as well, Shiranui Kyo.
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They've always been in stories or myths. So it makes me wonder if at one point they were real or not. I'm from the Earth and a country called Japan.
[Shiranui then pointed toward his stylized dragon tattoo.]
I've always been big on dragons and stars.
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[But she is totally giving him more chin scratches to make up for it!]
Japan? You are the second person who is from that country since I've woken up here.
[She looked back to Shiranui to see the tattoo of what looked like a dragon going around his bicep.]
Perhaps at one point dragons did exist in your world. Or at least, there was something very similar to them.
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Yeah, I'm finding more from my country as well. But it seems to be different time periods and versions.
[Shiranui gave a nod in agreement.] Perhaps, they could have been. A lot of places say that demons don't exist, but in some places they do. So there has to be some kind of starting point to where the stories come from.
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Well, myths and legends are often based on some form of truth in the distant past.
[Soa knows how many myths and legends she had heard about her and her fellow Dragoons from the Dragon Campaign throughout the ages. It got pretty embarrassing after a while.]
But at least now you get to experience being with a real dragon while you are here.
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[As he's talking with Rose he's being mindful of Seiryu as well who has long since scampered off to play in the waves some more but staying near by. They weren't too far into the water to where he had to worry about the waves crashing into him and knocking him down.]
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Well, that is a pretty broad question. But dragons do exist there. For the most part, they are solitary creatures. Though every now and then a dragon will attack a settlement either due to their hearts falling into bloodlust or some want to be hero agitates it while trying to make a name for themselves. When that happens there is only one thing to do about them.
[Rose hated the idea of having to slay a dragon, but she's done it when necessary. A raging dragon can do too much damage and cost a lot of lives.]
Various kinds use magic from different sources of power. I'm the Dragoon of the Darkness Dragon, so I only had command over dragons who drew power from the darkness and the void. But there are fire, earth, water, wind, lighting, and light dragons.
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[Shiranui was begining to find Rose to be an interesting person. Especially with the knowledge she had on dragons.]
Was your group like a military type group as well?
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It's a long explanation but to put it simply, yes magic does exist in my world. Just humans like myself can only use magic through an item while there are other races that can use magic naturally. As a Dragoon, that would be a Dragoon Spirit, the crystallized soul of a very powerful dragon. There are only seven Dragoon Spirits thus there are only seven Dragoons. [She's still not used to thinking that the Divine Dragoon Spirit also exists now, meaning that there are 8 Spirits out there.] It's that Dragoon Spirit that allows me to command dragons as well.
[She gave a bit of a sigh]
But I no longer have it so I don't have the abilities I once had back in my world.
[Now how to explain the type of group Dragoons were.]
You can say we started out as a military group. We were formed to fight in a war against a very powerful enemy who want to enslave any race they thought was beneath them. Now, with the newer Dragoons, we fought to keep our world alive.
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So essentially you are using the dragon to control the others. Makes sense.
My friend and I've been teaching Seiryu various commands through hand signals and whistles. He's pretty quick on learning them especially when rewarding him with treats. I'm hoping that one day he'll be able to be a good leader. I'm not sure how the dragons live here once they're adults.
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In my world, dragons are not some ordinary beast. They are as intellegent as you and I. From what I've seen of Seiryu so far, that may be the case for the dragons here as well.
[Though she hopes that they don't fall into bloodlust like the way dragons of her world do when they get too old.]
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[He paused a bit thinking more about Seiryu.]
I am not looking forward to the day when he eventually is old enough to leave and be on his own. I hope that he'll remember us.
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[Rose gave him a slight smile.]
I'm fairly sure he will. He seems like an intelligent one so I imagine his memory will be sharp.
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[It was something that had always bothered him and didn't make sense. But then nothing seemed to make sense here. Especially with how unreliable the townsfolk could be.]
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That is what has me concerned. In my world, people say if you want to end your life quickly you approach a dragon's nest where there are eggs. The mother dragon will take care of things for you.
Something has to happen to the mother for the eggs to be abandoned. It's extremely rare to see dragons just abandon their eggs for no reason.
[She thought for a few seconds.]
There were the Skeksis... They tried to take away some of the babies and destroy the shrines that had unhatched eggs. Do you think they had something to do with it?
[She had only confronted those bird/lizard things when they were going after a dragon.]
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Those stupid bird creatures. I hate them. They're a bunch of cowards. They probably wanted to use the dragons for themselves.
[Shiranui frowned. He was so glad they weren't able to capture Seiryu after the baby dragaon had gone looking for him.]
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[The dragons in her world had a way. There is a good chance these dragons would too.]
I couldn't agree with you more about the Skeksis. Though I wished I had my sword so that I could have faced them more directly when they were trying to take a dragon.
[It's been a long time since she felt that helpless.]
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