buttrinthum | TDM #1

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: poinsettias and mistletoe. You’ll soon find out that being around the poinsettias give you an odd sense of joy no matter how confusing the situation may seem and the mistletoe, which is left over from the holiday season, gives you the desire to kiss or hold hands with the nearest person to you. 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?

Somnius / Snow Angels

With the influx of new life, the humble town a barkeep tells you is called Somnius seems to come alive as well, with new faces to join that of the resident fairies, goblins and other townfolk. There’s bustling energy to the land that the townfolk will tell you wasn’t quite there before, and some suspect that the presence of the new arrivals might be powering the world around them in some way - but that’s a question to be answered on another day. The quaint town of Somnius needs a little bit of care, that rustic feel to the mushroom houses, old shops and weathered castles too evident at first glance, but it’s not a bad place to live, as the locals will tell you. It almost seems like everything will be okay…

But of course, things are never so simple.

Whether you have been wandering around to get your bearings, talking to the locals or exploring your new humble (very humble) abode, you can expect to find mysterious ice sculptures - fashioned in the shape of snow angels, with blades in their hands - appearing in random places around the town. There are some that manifest in the middle of the street, some that sit quietly at the edge of an inn, and even some that appear right beside your bed, staring at you as you wake up. It’s unclear how these sculptures even got here, but close proximity to them will conjure up feelings of unrest, like you should not step any closer.

It’s smart to trust your gut in these situations. Step too close to a snow angel and it will come to life, moving with the grace of flowing water. They make a vague request and will spare only those able to heed it.

“Cold … so cold … Even the days of Visium are so cold. Have you any warmth to spare us?”

Some angels will accept an article of clothing as warmth. Others are greedy and keep demanding more, wanting to take everything that you have on your body. Heed their requests and they will spare you. Resist even just a little, and that’s when they draw their swords.

It’s not too easy to defeat an angel with brute force given that they reform themselves immediately. Running away or blasting them with fire could do the trick. Be careful not to get cut by their blades, however…

Characters who get cut by their blades will experience an inconsolable sense of chill and emptiness, right down to their bones. They will find themselves desiring ‘warmth’ from others in different ways - whether through physical contact, or affectionate words and gestures. There might be the few who go feverish in their desire for warmth. For those characters – the open fireplace is looking like a very tantalizing place to sit in right now (Yes, sit in, not by). They might even feel compelled to pull a friend in with them. That can’t be good for anyone…

The effects will only subside if the condition of receiving ‘warmth’ is met. This can be in the literal sense (physical warmth and intimacy) or figurative (feelings of love, acceptance and happiness).

Bonfire

When night falls, the temperatures only drop further, which does no favours for the poor souls who had to give up their clothing. The locals want to welcome the new arrivals and give everyone an opportunity to unwind from a busy and chaotic day of being hunted by snow sculptures. That’s why they’ve set up a gathering in the middle of town square. Food and alcohol is being generously supplied by The Cask & Anvil, and marketplace vendors have set up pop up stands to try and cajole the new arrivals into purchasing some fancy new clothes or a pretty gemstone they claim will ward off danger (claims not verified).

At the center of it all is a large bonfire that’s warming up the square. Everyone is encouraged to warm themselves by it after a long day, eat, and make merry. In fact, there’s a certain sense of enchantment to the crackling fire that seems to draw even the shiest wallflower in, pushing them to sit with others and make conversation. As the night goes on, the newly arrived dreamers will find themselves settling easily into the warm and bustling mood, any stresses and anxieties melting away. With time, they’ll start to find themselves without a filter, more than happy to talk about themselves and the life they had led prior to coming to Visium. In fact, they will feel compelled to share a story from their past - one that might be joyous, comedic, thrilling, or tragic. Whatever sorts of feelings come attached to their story, it will be one of emotional significance.

In the back of their minds, they might get the sense someone else is listening.

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 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 - though characters will not be able to clear the maze. Please comment here to request an outcome for your character's labyrinth exploration and a moderator will get to you shortly. (The longest a character can stay in the Labyrinth is 3 days.)

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

Sadly, yes. Too many people have tried to kidnap or control me just to take over Father's kingdom - and all too often they tried to twist it around as if I asked for it. [There's a shudder coupled with that thought.]

There are still a lot of places I don't know myself. If he had the power to take us from all over the world, then... [He either planned this out insanely well or is incredibly powerful. Or both. Hopefully it's not both.] Then we'll have to learn everything that we can to stop him.

"Your father's kingd—you're a princess too?" Corrin is so surprised by the way Jasmine drops that revelation, the "too" slips out unintended, and unnoticed. More than that, "You've been kidnapped? Multiple times?" Corrin's not sure if she'd call her brief stay in Hoshido a "kidnapping" per se, and attempts have been made on her life since the war began in earnest, but...well. The Hoshidans have their reasons for wanting her dead. Very good ones.

"I'm...I'm sorry. That sounds awful, to be used like that." She reaches out and puts a hand on Jasmine's shoulder, again, unthinking, more concerned with offering some comfort than any matters of decorum.

She doesn't necessarily disagree with Jasmine's opinion, but Corrin's had more than her fill of fighting before arriving here. "Hopefully it won't come to that. If we have to fight, then we'll fight but maybe there's another way around this first. But you are right...knowing more about our host will only be beneficial to us." She removes her hand, and extends a finger. No time like the present.

"Okay, so what do we know...vast magical talent, that's obvious. Claims to have the power to grant wishes." More fingers extend as she makes her list. "Dream manipulation of some kind. And...an affinity for owls? That seems rather specific. Might be important somehow." That's four points, right there. "Anything I've overlooked?" She asks, looking back to Jasmine.

I am. [The statement's still delivered matter-of-factly like it's not a big deal at all, though she glances appreciatively at the hand on her shoulder.] I don't take them lightly, but I'm lucky to have such dedicated friends who have always thwarted those plans - and that half the culprits weren't nearly as competent as they thought. [The last comment is accompanied by a smirk.] Even so, I would not wish the experience on anyone, let alone a fellow princess.

[She furrows her brow in concentration as Corrin lists the overseer's traits.] I guess he also owns that maze we woke up in: the "labyrinth"? Like he thinks this is all a game for his own amusement.

Jasmine says it so frankly, like getting kidnapped is such a matter of course, that Corrin figures she must be made of fairly stern stuff. "I was kidnapped once, when I was young. I don't remember much about it, but...the memories I do have aren't pleasant." She admits. Unfortunately, that kidnapping was pulled off by someone with a little more competence, considering she was never, technically rescued. "I have friends of my own too. I don't foresee it happening again." Well, the cat's out of the bag about her station, but at least it's to another princess, so Corrin feels it's probably safe with Jasmine for now. Corrin even gives her a well-practiced, flawless curtsey. "A pleasure to meet you then, Lady Jasmine. Second Princess Corrin, of the Royal House of Nohr." Complete with a little dip.

The ownership of the labyrinth is a good point. "Right, so a man of means and more conventional power too." A sorcerer-king? "If that's the case, we should be careful. Anyone native to the area is likely going to be sworn to him in some manner." Could a labyrinth even have subjects?

After a moment's thought, Corrin frowns, and continues. "Maybe some of the people claiming to be in the same situation as us, too." She doesn't like thinking like this, but experience has been a bitter teacher recently, and if Vaeros has the kind of power and reach his methods imply, it's not impossible. Seed the group with a man of his own. Who'd be able to tell?

[Her face drops at the confession - it's bad enough to have that happen when you're sixteen or seventeen, let alone when you're only a child. Still, she does a short curtsy back even if she's less used to the gesture.] I'm so sorry you were kidnapped because of your status. It must have been terrifying, which must be why you only remember so little.

If this is his world, I wouldn't be surprised if he has power over everything. He could have his own henchmen, or even controls the environment itself. [She instinctively inches away from the surrounding plants.] And if other "visitors" could be spies, then we must find a way to distinguish them from us.

"Yes...maybe." Corrin answers, a bit hesitantly. Trauma, and King Garon used magic to disrupt her memories of her life before, to better mould the young Princess Kamui of Hoshido into Princess Corrin of Nohr. "It's all right, though. It was a long time ago, and...everything worked out in the end." Not perfectly, and Corrin's not without regrets, and yes, she may have lost her Hoshidan family, but she would never trade her Nohrian siblings for anything. She didn't.

"I find it hard to fathom someone could wield that much power, but we can't rule anything out." Corrin agrees. Jasmine's right to shy away from the plants, beautiful as they are. "Identifying any possible spies will be difficult. I mean, we don't have any way to disprove anything anyone tells us." And then a new wrinkle occurs to her, and Corrin rubs her head ruefully. "Truthfully, you have no way of knowing about me, either." She adds. "Ooof, this is going to be...difficult."

[Relieved that Corrin has mostly moved on from the experience, she gives an encouraging smile.] Well, I think we've shared enough that we can at least trust each other. They say I'm pretty good at detecting lies, and you seem perfectly honest to me.

That ensures one ally for the two of us while we identify the rest. Maybe if we find many more sent here by this "Vaeros", we can band together and formulate a plan to stop him.

Corrin returns the smile, relieved. "Thanks, Jasmine. I think I can trust you too." And even if she can't, she wants to. She doesn't want to live her life ruled by distrust. She offers her hand, to shake on this newly-developed bond.

She nods. "If we keep our eyes open and our wits about us, I'm sure we can do it. If there's one thing I know about people like Vaeros, it's that their power makes them overconfident. And that's something we can use."

[She nods in agreement and gladly shakes on it. This is definitely the start of a beautiful friendship.]

Their overconfidence opens up weaknesses. If he thinks he can outwit us, then we can outwit him back. We just need to learn about this world he dragged us to.

TDM #1

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