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buttrinthum2023-01-01 04:59 pm
TDM #1
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?
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).
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.
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.
no subject
Oh, no! I don’t work here! I mean-
[Elias is not sure why he’s so insistent on setting things straight. He’s basically doing a librarian’s job right now, even if it’s just to
hold books in his hand to calm downfind comfort in solving a solvable problem. He just doesn’t like being called the library’s custodian when he’s not calling himself that yet- it reminds him of the other agreement he doesn’t remember signing. Elias cuts himself off and sighs, leaning his weight on a hand against the table.]I’m a recent arrival like you are. I just wanted to fix the library.
[Now the mood is kind of down and that’s not good. He’s trying to make this into a comfort place!]
Things are in a great state for browsing, honestly, I’ve come across a lot of interesting titles. Please feel free to browse.
no subject
[ Annaliese is enjoying herself about as much as one could reasonably enjoy a situation like this, but that doesn't mean she isn't a little unmoored by it all. She came here to the library for a bit of familiarity, after all – and she can't help but wonder, looking at him, if she's not the only one. ]
Would you like a bit of assistance? I'm sure it'll be in much better condition for browsing once everything's back where it belongs.
i replied to the wrong comment first gjdjfjd sorry for the delete and repost!
[Elias would agree that the familiarity he’s found here has been some comfort to him. At least some of his stranded fellows like books- that’s something. It’s of little practical use right now, especially given the state of the damn library, but cherishing the warmth of a fireplace is most important in the months most absent of warmth.]
Yes, that’s the idea. I’d appreciate the help, thank you. I’m just trying to get it alphabetical right now, but if you have another idea to suggest, I’ll be glad to hear it.
[Her tone and appearance of having her shit together makes him inclined to share everything with her, even though he doesn’t realise it. He bends under authority like a slinky toy unless the authority is obviously evil.]
I’m Elias, by the way. Nice to meet you.
thank god you noticed i COMPLETELY missed it 😭
Alphabetical certainly seems like a good enough place to start. Once everything's relatively in order, then we can start categorizing by contents. Perhaps with any luck, we'll be able to find someone more familiar with this library to help us along – or at least recruit a few volunteers who don't mind easing the workload a touch.
[ She giggles to herself, sweeping the first stack of books into her arms – and she's just about to march off when... ah, that's right. She has to introduce herself now, doesn't she? Not a single person here knows who she is.
For a moment, a slightly complicated expression plays on her face, though the emotion behind it is hard to read. But then her smile returns and she dips her head in a little nod. ] Ah – yes, of course. The pleasure's all mine – please, do just call me Annaliese. It seems best to be on friendly terms if we're all here together.
[ She hefts the stack of books a little more firmly into her arms. ]
On the topic of bringing things together... do we have a home for the 'C's quite yet?
no subject
A break’s not bad. To just stand and talk about where things stand.]
Mm… I’ve been thinking of categorising by content, but I’m only familiar with academic libraries on specific subjects, not really a general library… I’m hoping someone who knows more might volunteer to help. [Some of these titles are so wild, he has no idea what the book’s about and he’s a bit scared to find out.]
Annaliese is a nice name. [He catches the slight pause before she gives her name; but he doesn’t try to read into it, mostly because he’s also busy processing some emotions. “Annaliese” sounds similar to someone else he knows well. Though their tones of speech are much less alike. He misses that person.] The ‘C’s are over there, there’s a letter sign on the end of the bookcase. Though, now that I think about it, do you think that’s a good place? We could change it.
no subject
Hm, come to think of it... I've only ever made use of my family's library that was arranged to our needs and preferences. I've no way of knowing if it was in any way typical – or even if it's a particularly intuitive way of sorting books for anyone but myself.
[ She flashes him a smile with a little self-deprecation, but then it eases into something a bit more sincere. ]
If nothing else, having them sorted alphabetically gives us a solid basis to work on. Perhaps as people start to make use of the library, we might be able to develop a system of our own based on their needs.
no subject
Elias ponders for a moment. It passes, and he picks up two books to carry over to where the ‘C’ sign hangs on a grubby shelf. He dusts the wooden plaque off with a hand.]
It would be nice to make something unique out of this place too. In the future. We can follow the existing signs now and think about it more later.