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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.
Levi finds a changing tent, Erwin flashes the whole beach
"Look what I found." He holds up an item he noticed while pulling his boots on. "It's a hairy rock."
It's a coconut. Erwin carefully tucks it into his bag for further examination, then nods at Levi's suggestion.
"I agree. I wouldn't mind finding something to drink, either."
They are... very overdressed for this weather. Erwin is starting to sweat all over his shirt. He doesn't yet know the word for humidity, but he already doesn't like it.
That tracks, also Erwin's endless curiosity is so cute brb dying
They need a cooler place to be. According to what he's heard, this place is currently experiencing an unusual heat wave, which is comforting only in the thought that they aren't stuck somewhere that is always this insufferably disgusting.
They manage to find some shelter and water again after a while, but the locals are strange, ugly little creatures, and Levi prefers to avoid them as much as possible. Eventually someone gives them information about places to stay, and they wend their way towards the treehouses.
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Once they make their way to the treehouses, Erwin turns up the charm and manages to get some information about what they are. After talking to a handful of different people--some of whom aren't even people, and how interesting is that!--Erwin gets a treehouse assigned to the two of them. He doesn't even think to ask if Levi would rather have something closer to the ground; after living so long with titans, and being unsure about what this world might throw at them, being above the fray just feels natural.
The rope ladder up to the treehouse gives Erwin a little trouble, but he manages it without making a total fool of himself. Once they're both up in the treehouse, Erwin drags the ladder up after them.
"There." He sits back on his heels, laboriously folding the ladder into a neat pile. "Now anything from the ground will have to work to get up here."
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He leans near the door with a slight sigh as Erwin finishes, certain that if he sat down anywhere now, he'd never get up again. A headache pulls at his temples.
"Let's hope no one sends their dragon after us," he says, weariness plain in his voice.
Inside is a small but adequate living space; a kitchen with an interesting looking stove and a table with chairs and a bookshelf nearby, a washroom, and two bedrooms on opposite sides. It's unclear how long it's been unoccupied, but Levi goes and runs his fingers under one bookshelf ledge, and makes a disgusted face when they come away dirty.
"This whole place needs a thorough cleaning."
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He walks up to Levi and puts his hand on his back, between Levi's shoulder blades. "Come on. Get some rest, and I'll help you clean tomorrow."
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Finally, Levi looks up at him, and as much as he hates the idea of sleeping in a dusty home, he's dealt with far worse for far longer. Especially recently.
"All right, Erwin. I'll hold you to that."
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"All right." Erwin smiles at him. "Then I better get some sleep too, since you'll be putting me through my paces tomorrow."
Erwin has been a helper during one of Levi's cleaning frenzies before, and delegated that job to new recruits as quickly as possible. With no new recruits here, he's just going to have to buck up and do the work himself.
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A thought comes, one that's been held back for most of the day - they should have ridden out towards Shiganshina today, making their way towards their most dangerous and important mission the Survey Corps has ever faced, towards Erwin's dream, his real dream, and yet they found themselves here. For one more moment, he stalls, mentally tracing the outline of Erwin's hand at his back, and wonders, silently, if Erwin feels frustrated or thwarted.
He doesn't ask.
"I'm going to wash up and see if it's possible to make some tea." Finally he steps away, because if he doesn't, he might not ever move from the spot.
"Want any?"
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Erwin has, very pragmatically, decided not to think about what they'd have been doing today back home. They'd be retaking Shiganshina and riding straight into the mouth of hell; instead, they're in a treehouse after seeing an ocean with black sand and finding a hairy rock. This is, while not what they're supposed to be doing, much better and more interesting, and Erwin is going to lean into that.
"Of course." Erwin gives Levi a gentle shove when he steps away. "You go wash up, and I'll get some water boiling."