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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
"Suppose I could."
Between the fire, hot drinks...actually having time to sit down and gather her thoughts, it started to dawn on her that she might just have to make a life here. She'd already come to terms with her sacrifice back home, but there was no guarantee that she would've been allowed entry into the Heavens afterwards, not with the Emperor and Empress of the Netherrealm being as they were-they could just as easily keep her soul trapped there simply for spite.
Here, true, she was prevented from being reunited with the souls of her family and fellow troops, but she was stubborn for a reason...gods (any one of them) willing, she'd try to make due here.
"I'm sorry," For what, she wasn't entirely sure. "Asked a story and hadn't even bothered giving you my name in exchange." She held out her hand, the mug being exchanged to her left. "Sonya Blade."
SHe's still in her military uniform (torn-up and dirty as it was), the ID tags still around her neck, and yet for some reason it felt wrong to introduce herself as 'General Sonya Blade'. Where ever this realm was, she figured it wouldn't hold any influence-and frankly, she'd gotten to the point where the need to flash her rank infront of civilians had lost its shine.
no subject
"I am Aurora," she did not give her own title as a princess, even as her tiara sat snuggly in her blue gown. Much like Sonya, she saw no reason to provide it when she was in a kingdom not her own under the rule of the fae. What did the fae care for human royalty?
She took Sonya's hand, her grip dainty and gentle as she shook the other woman's hand. "You are more than forgiven, I assure you."
no subject
Her own grip is firm, confident-the grip of a woman who gave her word and kept it. Enough for her to notice that there was a slight...discrepancy between the feel of Aurora's hands, and her attire. Sonya's knowledge of couture only went as far as her few experiences with her ex and daughter, but she could tell high end when she saw it.
And yet..the girl's hands. Cassie always took great care of her appearance, even wearing gloves whenever she used her pistol, but a handshake from her would still show the hands of a soldier.
Aurora's grip was fine, and delicate, but all the same, Sonya could feel, that this was a girl used to some sort of work. She mentioned picking berries with her aunts, of one of them getting upset at the possibility of them being eaten by animals-no one who picked berries as a hobby would have cared one way or the other.
She pulled her hand away, refusing to think of the blonde commander those hands reminded her off.
"My CO-commanding officer-moved to his family farm shortly after he retired," She took a sip from her mug, frowning as the liquid was now luke warm. "The first month there, helped him repair a tractor he'd bought at auction. Think it was the most relaxed I'd seen him in...months."
Since his marriage to Vera, between months of healing and dealing with nightmares. Anything she could do to bring back the Jax she knew.