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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.
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"Percy, we need to leave this garden. Once we do, we can talk a bit more because you not remembering Vax is far more worrying than you forgetting a few days in the Feywild." Vex holds out her hand for him to take, despite the heat. There's a part of her that's absolutely terrified that if she lets him go for even a second that he will disappear. "Our magic is gone while we are here, so if this memory loss continues after we leave, I'll have to figure something else out."
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Percy takes the offered hand without any hesitation. "Please," he says and there is a note of tension in his voice. He wouldn't admit to being afraid, but the last memory he has of Vex was terrible enough that he needs the contact. He needs to know his wife is safe and close to him. "This place is starting to set my teeth on edge and I'd rather be anywhere but here right now."
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"I can understand that. This is one of the most magical places on Visium that I have found. Aside from the Labyrinth."
She guides them out of the garden, squeezing his hand in hers and her other tapping the pouch tied to her belt. The potion is there. She knows it is. It's her ace in the hole for now. Once they've reached a decent distance from the garden and they're hit by the unbearable heat, she grimaces.
"We should head to the library. I doubt many people will be there at this time of day."
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Percy remains silent as they walk. He is happy to be here...as safe as he could be and yet he is worried, unsure of what to say. What if he's forgotten something else that is important...what if he forgets Vex....he isn't sure he could survive that. She is his rock, his heart, his everything.
The heat hits him and he makes a face. "Is it always this...uncomfortable," he asks suddenly, glad he is wearing lighter clothing even though he feels naked with Cabal's Ruin missing. The mention of a library makes him perk up a bit. He's always felt safest surrounded by his work and his books. 'Anywhere is better than this heat dear."
no subject
And if he does forget her, she'll make him remember her.
His question about the heat has her grimacing. "No, I don't think so. The city before the Labyrinth was attacked lately. After they left, the heat came. The natives believe that we Dreamers are the cause of the heat and have refused all communication with us since we fought the Skeksis."
She notices the way he perks up at the mention of the library and gives him a pained smile. "Try not to get too excited, darling. It's hardly anything to write home about, if the librarian is to be believed. It makes Whitestone's library look like the Cobalt Reserve."
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Percy is distracted from the possibility of books by the mention of a creature of being he does not know. "What pray tell is a Skeksi," he asks, suddenly worried that the twins got into danger without him or the others nearby to help.
He knows they can take care of themselves, they always have been good at that, but he hates the idea of being helpless or those he loves being helpless. "Were you not supposed to fight them what were they doing?"
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And he should know that would have set off her hackles for murder.
"No, it seems that the locals were used to that sort of thing, but with so many hero types being brought here by Vaeros, no one wanted to let it stand. And had they not try to take the dragon hatchling entrusted to mine and Vax's care, I would have had second thoughts about involving myself in the mess, but I don't like thieves."
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Percy takes all this in with a thoughtful expression. Of course the twins would fight..he knows they believe that things must be earned fairly. He only wishes that he had been there to help them. He doesn't like that their host was just sitting back and letting something like that happen. And now everyone was being punished for doing the right thing...that is most definitely not fair at all.
He then hears the world's dragons and hatchlings and he gives her a look. "You and Vax are taking care of dragons....real dragons?"
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"Yes, we hatched a lovely little gold dragon. He's very sweet. Vax drank the gold potion he got and has spent a lot of time as a dragon himself. A bronze, sort of like a much smaller version of D'avossa, but not nearly as cool. It's been a help, with Trinket taken from me."
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"I am sorry Trinket isn't here," Percy says and means it. He loves the bear as much as Vex does, "though a dragon would be useful as well." Percy may sound wary since his history with dragons isn't the best. But for Vex he is willing to put up with just about anything.
"Can you get Trinket back somehow?"
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"Considering our relationship with J'mon Sa Ord, we both know that having a dragon around isn't so bad. And, well, Goldie is rather cute." Just not as cute as Trinket. "And I'm fairly certain there's a way to get him back. I have to wish for it with enough power."
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Percy sighs. "Wishing has never ended well for anyone," he says sadly. "But if there is anyway I can help please let me know and I will help you dear."
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Her face grows serious as she stares at Percy. "Now, do you remember Vax'ildan, or do we have larger issues at hand?"
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Percy is standing there listening to his wife talk when she mentions Vax'ildan. There it appears a weight settles on his shoulders and his eyes take on a sadness that seems to be part of his soul. "Yes," he says as he realizes his mind is clearing. "Yes I remember Vax now. Getting away from the garden seems to have worked."
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However, she's not sure what sort of secret crap that Vaeros might have done to her husband in that fucking garden, so with a steeling of her shoulders, Vex pulls out the blue potion from her hip pouch, uncaps it and downs it like she's the one who's been injured. A strange shiver of magic goes through her and she has to reach out to steady herself on Percy's shoulder. "I'm glad," she says, willing the new magic through her fingers into his body.
She can't have him hurt too. She needs him whole and hale. "He's here. And, well, he spends a great deal of his time as a dragon. It might take you some time to adjust."
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"And how does Vax feel about that," Percy asks truly curious.
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At his question, Vex frowns, trying to figure it all out. "He seems to be okay with it. We both have some experience with being dragons. Red dragons, to be exact. So I think it works better for him in some way. Plus, it allows him to bond with Goldie a bit better. He's like a giant scaled, flying cat."
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Percy chuckles and smiles. "That makes sense actually," he says, "I've always considered your brother a bit of a cat myself." Vax always did his best to bring Percy out of the shell he'd created around himself in those early days and that included touch and teasing. Percy had never realized how much he'd missed that until it was gone. He found himself eager to hear Vax call him Freddy again and to tease him the way he used to do.
"It will be good to see him again," he finally says, unsure how to put his feelings about the matter in a deeper way. He's never been good at that.
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Her feelings are a riot in her chest and head but looking at Percy, she can see his own are similar. She takes his arm, kissing his cheek and letting her lips linger longer than normally. "He'll be happy to see you, as well. I know that I am, darling."