TDM #1

[labyrinmods]

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.

Comments

[borntolove]

[There's a firm, 'thank you', head nod. The Doctor gestures Azula to the marketplace that stretches as far as the eyes can see.]

Blimey! I haven't seen a street marketplace for quite awhile. And definitely not with these eyes. It's beautiful!

[He feels a slight shiver down his spine and his shoulders flinch a bit in reflex.]

Oh, I'm a bit of everything me.

Tell me more about the Fire Nation, whut's it like thar?

[itstillhurt]

Warm.

[Alright, that was probably unnecessary, but she's feeling a bit spiteful about the weather here.]

It's the most technologically and culturally advanced nation in the world, though it won't be if my weak fool of a brother continues ruling it the way he has been.

[borntolove]

[The Doctor seems to be having a hard time, coming to the market for why they came to the market. In other words, he's marveling at all the trinkets they're walking past. However, Azula speaking to him and being a bit cold, himself, jolts his memory.]


Oh? Why's that?

[Ten ruffles his hair in thought.]

Oh, look!

[In other words, there are the coats, Azula.]

[itstillhurt]

[...Hm. Well, he's finally found something useful in all his incoherent distractions and wanderings through the market, so there's that.

As she begins perusing the coats, she answers his question.]

He turned against us during the war, and we lost. That, I can stomach. Since then, he's spent his entire reign sacrificing Fire Nation resources and territory to appease our former enemies, which I assume is out of some sort of guilt complex. It's pathetic.

[She says it all with a mildly amused detachment, as if she found both the nation's fate and her disapproval of her brother amusing rather than actually upsetting.]

... I have no money, by the way.

[borntolove]

[There's a very old, worn-down look on The Doctor's face. Suddenly, that very young face looks very, very old. Impossibly old. Someone who's seen the flames of war and the bloodshed.]

No one wins a war.

[The Doctor remarks quietly. Then a sudden look of surprise about the money. As if, the thought hadn't accorded to him at all.]

Money! Yes! That human thing. Do we need money?

[Someone isn't beyond just taking when the shop owner isn't looking]

[itstillhurt]

[No one wins a war. Oh, good, he was one of those. She'll keep her response to herself, instead focusing on the second part of his question.]

Most people, I imagine, expect to be paid for the things you take from them.

[Human thing. Human thing? Was he not human? He looked human, albeit ridiculously gangly and pale. She keeps her reaction to that to herself, as well, focusing on perusing the coats.]

[borntolove]

[The Doctor ruffles his hair. He's not sure what to do. He eyes around for an ATM and doesn't see any. He casually walks to the side and expertly pick-pockets someone else and has a fist full of shards. He supposes this is the money here. Then offers that to the shop owner for Azula's coat.]

Here you go.

[itstillhurt]

[Admittedly, that's... not something she expected, really. She's not normally fond of theft, but it certainly beat freezing, and this coat was incredibly unwieldy on her.

Most of the jackets look hideously impractical, bulky, or just unpleasant, but she finally manages to find something she likes- a grey trench coat. Grey is more her color, and besides, once it's actually in her size, she finds the style fairly flattering. More importantly, it's warm.

Once the Doctor is finished paying, she rather abruptly thrusts his own coat back at him.]

It may be a little damp at the hem.

[Once again, the gratitude is overwhelming.]

[borntolove]

[The Doctor reacts quickly and catches his coat. Then proceeds to slide his own brown coat back on.]

Saw a camp fire back the other way. Don't suppose you want to go thar?

[itstillhurt]

[She'd seen the bonfire at the edge of the settlement, but acquiring warmer clothing had seemed more important at the time- fires are temporary, after all. The Doctor's wandering had been mildly vexing, but now that she'd gotten a reasonable coat and he wasn't as distracted, he was at least being reasonable now.

Besides, she found the combination of moralizing and petty larceny fascinating, and she was still confused why he would do the latter on her behalf.

Wordlessly, she starts heading for the bonfire.]

[borntolove]

[The Doctor is a bit ahead of her and does check to see if she's following or not. He does like it, there's something soothing coming from the crystal that seems to make everything - alright. Peaceful. He collapses like he's a thousand-year-old onto the bench. There's a deep and tried weight on his face. That is a different trauma from different lives. It is rare for him to relax this much. He still misses Rose. He misses his Tardis. He wonders if he'll ever find either of them.]

Going to join me?

[itstillhurt]

[The shift in his demeanor as he sits on the bench definitely draws her attention.

Normally, she would probably just leave him and move on, probably somewhere isolated. But something about this place, something about this baffling fool of a man, compels her to sit near him, pulling the new coat tighter around herself.]

Why did you think you couldn't blink near the sculptures?

[She's not sure why she's suddenly curious about it, the question just seem to pop into her mind.]

[borntolove]

[The fire crackles between them. There's dark shadows underneath The Doctor's eyes again.]

Because- where I come from, angels kill you. Slowly. My people have a fairy tale about them. Call them Weeping Angels. They existed during the Dark Times of my Universe. Thar fascinating really, thar quantum-locked beings. And they only move when you're not looking. And when they touch you- they send you back before you were born and feed off the energy, you would have had.

[The Doctor pauses and allows for the fire to fill the silence for a moment]

Could be the Time Lords of old, some say. But I don't even know that for sure. They had many ways of punishing other beings and even thar own...

[The way he says, 'their own' sounds like personal experience]

[itstillhurt]

[For the most part, she's watching the fire, not the Doctor, but she's still following his words carefully- and there are a lot of new concepts there, which she commits to memory for later exploration- Angels. Quantum-locked. Time Lords.]

So these... 'angels...' can alter the flow of time itself?

[She doesn't say it with awe, she says it like somebody carefully assessing a potential threat.

If they were real, it would certainly explain his ridiculous reaction before- especially given how hollow and distressed he seemed about it now.]

[borntolove]

No, they send you backwards in your timeline, manipulate time if you will, so you end up decades before you were born and feed on your time energy you would have had.

And for me - that's quite a lot of time energy, I'd give to them.

[itstillhurt]

[For him?]

And why is that?

[What is he, exactly? Normally, she would simply dismiss it as dull rambling, but somehow her curiosity is getting the better of her now.]

[borntolove]

[The Doctor's face somehow turns older, and his eyes seem to reflect the vastness of the sky above them.]

I'm a Time Lord.

[itstillhurt]

[Azula is perceptive enough to see the shift, as the weight of long centuries of life settles onto him and the expression in his eyes becomes more alien, and that... admittedly, is a bit unsettling. She keeps her reaction from reaching her face.]

And what, exactly, is a 'Time Lord?'

CW for Genocide mention

[borntolove]

Thar a race that has existed since near the beginning of the universe. They discovered a way to travel in time and space - and thought themselves to be gods. Time traveling and genociding 'lesser' species, according to them. And then all the Tardis's got locked up because of that...

They weren't right of course.

[The fire crackles for a moment]

Near the end, before the Great War, they just watched over the universe. Never interfering and lost all touch with everything else out thar.

When I was born, all the Tardis's were locked up, I was lucky that I happen about one. One that was in the repair shop.

In the end, they never did what they should have done - try to understand how all the other species in the universe are like and how to co-exist with them.

Thar are a lot of stuff you humans do that my people never achieved. Despite how scientifically advanced they were.

A big one was creating art.

[itstillhurt]

[...That was... a lot. The word 'TARDIS' is, again, filed away for later use. And this also explained the 'not human' thing he said earlier.]

Ridiculous. Every civilization creates art, even the most utilitarian.

[Not exactly skepticism, more of a judgement against the Time Lords. He certainly wouldn't have reason to lie about that.]

[borntolove]

If you're counting buildings, yes. I'm speaking of statues, paintings, music.

[itstillhurt]

[Every civilization that could spare the resources for such things had them, in her experience. Even primitives like the Snow Peasants had art. For these Time Lords to have none was... strange.

Even she wasn't that utilitarian.]

You set yourself apart from them. They just watched over the universe, they never tried to coexist... not you.

What's different about you?

[borntolove]

[The Doctor pops his mouth a few times and stares into the crackling fire.]

Good question. Blimey, that was such a long time ago. Well, when I was growing up, no one was allowed to leave or come in, to Gallifrey that is.

And The Hermit who helped me at the Academy showed me this flower, that rarely blooms and I'm not sure why but I wanted to see the rest of the universe. And when I did get out thar... I think... having Ian and Barbara with me is what did it. Having my first humans aboard my Tardis. 'Upoose it was me wanting to know and having to know.

[A short pause]

Blimey, that was so long ago, I was a different man back then.

[Another short pause]

Whut about you? Where you come from, what's it like thar besides hot?