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buttrinthum2023-09-01 08:21 am
TDM#5
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: morning glory and gladiolus. Time spent too close to the morning glory flowers invokes a state of intense obsession. Obsession over an event, a person, or things/objects are all possible, but the victim’s drive to be involved with their obsession is intense and all-consuming. Be careful, not all obsessions are peaceful ones. Pollen from the gladiolus flowers will find their strength increased tenfold. It might make day-to-day interactions a little difficult especially when gripping a pen or a cup winds up in a broken utensil or shattered mug. Of course, no amount of strength can affect the labyrinth walls, however…
CW: mood altering substances
It is time. Everyone knows it, and there is no denying it. It is time for the dragons to leave. No effort to keep the dragons from leaving will work, the dragons themselves inexplicably compelled to leave. It’s both a happy and a sad time for the pairs who have helped raise these dragons, but even the parents know somehow that it is time.
Dreamers and their dragons have one last night on Starlight Cliff before the dragon’s departure. It’s a simple gathering, put together by those who cared for the dragons and those who favored them. Picnic fare and simple decorations with glowing lanterns and soft blankets decorate the grassy flat portion of the cliffs. As the dragons leave, they leave a gift— one each for their adoptive parents. Gold dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of a loved one, red dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of their childhood, and blue dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of the wish they made when they found their way here.
It’s important to note that all are welcome to this celebration and departure. Some dragon parents have commissioned the townsfolk to create gift pouches for attendees. Each pouch has several packages of colored dust that when thrown into the air creates shimmering lights and effects similar to fireworks. However, if misused, like when thrown on others it can cause hair color changes, temporary sparks glittering from fingertips that can cause things to smolder, or even dye clothes that will all then affect the mood of the wearer. Red can cause tempers to flare, blue can create a morose mood, green will inflict an amorous feeling, and yellow will induce generosity. Luckily, washing off the dust will remove all of these effects immediately. Maybe throwing a glass of water on someone might help?
[ In the interest of fairness, each character who helped raise a dragon will get only ONE gift from them, even if they have helped raise more than one. In the case of multiple colors, it is up to player choice which gift they receive.
Items received from the dragons must be mundane in nature; magically powered or mystical items are not allowed. Weapons are allowed if they are likewise mundane and could have been received based on the 50 shard reward.
Dragon parents who received a magical tattoo will find that their tattoo persists even after the dragons' departure. ]
CW: spiders, tentacles
It happens in the middle of the night, a rumbling and tearing of earth that ricochets shaking throughout the land. Nothing is damaged, but even the air is awash with a new scent like something old has reappeared. Those who investigate the origin of the disturbance will find a small portion of the island has risen up out of the sea. It's land damp, still dripping with saltwater and half covered in seaweed, at first glance there’s little remarkable about this new piece of land. That is until wandering past craggy rock and slick ground lands the most daring explorers right in front of a large cave entrance.
The environment inside changes almost immediately. Gray crumbling stone gives way to more surfaces giving way to shiny dark obsidian the deeper inside you go. It’s hard to see, the lighting nearly pitch black past the entrance. As the cave twists and turns, something ahead seems to glow. As pools of salt water in the grotto appear, so too does the glow increase. Water that shimmers like a starry night blots a patchy, swampy chamber, crystals of deep watery hues jut from the walls and ground, reflecting glowing light that seems to zigzag across plant life that grows from every corner. Pools of dark tar-like substances are a hazard, creating a mess and potentially trapping explorers who aren’t watching their footing. Webbing that looks crystalized decorates the darkest corners, and those who wander too close might disturb crystalline spiders that will defend their nests with a vengeance.
The deeper the explorers get, the more dangerous the cave seems to become, like it is a trial that must be passed in order to see what is in its deepest reaches. Mist and fog hide deeper pools that house mysterious creatures who will reach out with large suckered tentacles in an attempt to pull in stray creatures no matter their size, almost as if they’re looking to sate a driven hunger. Those who make it past these creatures will find traps laid out that when sprung will loop adventurers into rope and twine cages, netting, and loops. Unfortunately, these traps only seem to be able to be cut by the sharp edges of crystal growing in the cave. Hopefully, travelers have considered picking some up on their way…
But those who are sensitive to magic and will might sense an urge to press forward, guided by an unseen force to see their exploration through until they come across a spiraling staircase to the exit. Just watch out for that slick stone, which could send you all the way back down to the bottom, luckily any falls will be softened by glittering moss surrounding the base of the staircase.
CW: potential death, emetophobia, body horror
Past the Mystic Grotto, beyond the carved exit and dangerously thin path that stretches along a cliffside that drops straight down into the waters below, is a small outcropping suspiciously connected to the Labyrinth itself. Those who look closer will notice that the outcropping is home to an entrance into the labyrinth. Unfortunately, thorough investigation reveals that this older, more run-down section of the labyrinth does not connect to the one that is more familiar, almost as if it was cut off purposefully. Those who want to get to this portion of the labyrinth only have one option, and they will need to tread along the cliff path carefully, Falling from this path will only end in death.
Twists and turns will eventually lead to the main chamber of this section, wildly overgrown with greenery and inhabited by fireflies of different shapes and sizes all with a pleasant, soothing glow. Most important is the tall stone fountain, still somehow functional despite the apparent overgrowth and decay. Perhaps it is because the fountain is encased in something clear and glass-like, preventing anyone from actually touching or entering the pool of water. From each of the 5 spouts different colors of water pour down into the main pool to converge in an almost oil slick like appearance where the colors blend and mix together in places. Next to the fountain, a stone and wood contraption sits, levers still intact. Should a visitor decide to investigate the device, they’ll find that it is magically enchanted. Any attempt to harm the device will result in the character being blown back with force, enough to shove them off their feet or send them airborne into the walls of the room.
Pulling the lever, however, activates a groaning sound, and the exposed gears of the machine clamber into life as the sound of something opening and clattering echoes through what must be an empty stone chamber. Eventually, a small potion bottle filled with one of five colors (Purple, Brown, Teal, Chartreuse, Navy) rolls out of the ground and toward the operator’s feet. The colors seem misty inside, sparkly but dull, almost as if their mixture is incorrect or incomplete somehow. Upon opening the bottles, the scent that wafts out is foul: overly sweet but spoiled. But perhaps this is the way these potions are meant to be? Those brave (or stupid) enough to drink the potions they receive will struggle with stomach cramps moments later, others might feel the need to regurgitate the potion forcefully. Characters’ sight may blur and they may feel dizzy or ill at ease, but should they hold the potion down one of several things may occur.
⚗️ Teal potion drinkers will find themselves crying, unable to stop no matter how hard they try. Their tears will not stop flowing, and the fireflies in the area seem oddly attracted to the tears that drop from their eyes. It makes catching these creatures easy, but also an annoying hindrance to anyone who is subjected to crying their eyes out.
⚗️ Navy potion drinkers will find themselves feeling lighter than air. Though the effect is slow in the beginning, the longer they are in this part of the blocked-off labyrinth, the more they are affected. At first, it’s like walking on the moon, then they slowly find they have a harder time landing… until they wind up floating up slowly, up and up and up. But instead of winding up in the heavens, or seeing anything useful of the main labyrinth, they find themselves mysteriously floating back toward the garden. Once there they find they stop moving but will need to hold hands with others who are affected in order to land safely onto the ground again.
⚗️ Purple potion drinkers will find themselves consumed by hiccups that cause bubbles to float out of their mouths. These bubbles, when popped by anyone other than the owner, will release a secret said in the character’s voice.
⚗️ Brown potion drinkers will grow the sickest initially, but will also feel better the fastest. However, they may find that as they walk, mushrooms and other fungi grow in the wake of their steps, the kinds varied and assorted and not at all safe to eat or touch. It might be best for those who didn't drink this potion to avoid eating, touching, or spreading this fungal growth.
⚗️ Chartreuse potion drinkers will find that much like some species of frog they have become incredibly sticky. Not only do they stick to other characters, but their skin will stick to anything they touch. It’s best to be careful when under this effect unless you want to become a living katamari ball!
Perhaps it might be best to investigate what this fountain actually is and leave it alone for now, instead? By the time afflicted and nonafflicted explorers make their way back to the mouth of the grotto, they will find the effects of the potions drunk by characters have weakened to nothing.
[ Anyone who tries to take a potion with them will find the potions mysteriously absent the moment they leave the fountain chamber, their containers dry and void of any liquid that may have been inside. ]
On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.
What is it that you are most thankful for?
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.
[ 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.
arrival
Of all the words to get her attention... then again, the human-bird ratio was several skewed, so perhaps she was hoping to hear more about "her people".
Anyways, the question came from a duckling that was quite casually plucking some flowers nearby with gloves on. She gave a friendly hello, as if nothing about today was a huge deal at all.
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Luz was not expecting anyone being here, let alone a...duck girl? Luz eyes widened as she walked over to Webby, eyeing her carefully.
"Ok. Wow. You are super cute! And now I'm all confused. What I mean is, where I was before, owls were the motif. I didn't think I'd be seeing one right before I, ah, was brought here."
She looked down at the note. "What's the deal with this note?"
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After a few more petal pickings, she continued. "Anyway, we all get the same note when we arrive here - the same satchel, mostly the same vial, bread and water, and we wake up here with a wish on our minds and no clues in our heads."
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That sounded like a Boiling Isles thing, and that was just confusing Luz more. She was trying to understand how her wish, HER wish, could bring her here when she had clearly been killed.
And yet this place didn't seem anything like a Great Beyond, so what was the deal?
"Ok, so this wish gets us here. I got that. Now, when we make that wish, is the circumstance the same? With me, it was kind of a death situation, and I'm just trying to make sure I'm not in the great beyond."
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After she collected what she deemed were a satisfactory amount of petals, she closed her own satchel and gave Luz her full attention, turning towards her with a cheerful smile.
"Nope! You're still alive. People can get hurt and die here, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen in any Underworld I'm familiar with." Granted, with all different worlds they could have all different Beyonds, but she was fairly confident about this. "So, congrats on still being alive!"
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She was getting ahead of herself, but Luz was still struggling to make sense of everything in her head. Her wish had gotten her here, apparently, but it was also not some sort of inbetween place either.
"Well, yeah, sure!" Luz said, trying to sound upbeat when she felt like screaming in frustration. Why. Wasn't. She. Dead?! She was pretty sure that that had happened! If it didn't, she wasn't sure she liked the implication that a wish she made might have somehow stopped that, but had to be paid out in some other way.
"So if I'm not dead, and I got here because of a wish, that means everyone here did, right? What type of wishes exactly get you brought here?"
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Webby was naïve, but even she knew that privacy was valued in many a world. It'd taken a long time for her to admit her own wish to others... though, speaking of...
"I wished to save my friend. And she is here... but because she made her own wish." Webby hadn't asked that yet - Lena would tell her if she felt like it, and she wasn't going to push it. "I'm sorry, but we still don't know a lot about this world and how it works ourselves."
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That was what Luz wanted to know: not WHAT the wish was, but how important the wish was to the person who was making it. Luz had been at her lowest point, and she hadn't thought she'd ever see anyone again: not her mom, not Eda, not King. So she wished she could have thanked them.
Apparently, it was strong enough to stop actual death. Now, though, she had a LOT of new questions.
"So it's all mysterious. Ok. I can...work with that, I guess. I'll have to."
She was halfway between relief and sadness.
"But now that that's over, we should probably introduce ourselves! I'm Luz."
She brought out her hand, then immediately wondered if she should have done that. The girl duck(ling)? was from another world, was a handshake an insult?
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"Hi, I'm Webby! What are you? A human? Or a human-shaped species? We get a lot of those two, for some reason, not many people like me. So, spill the beans, I have to know!"
... Still shaking.
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"Webby! Nice! Oh, just a regular human, learning magic, coming from a non-magical world. Human 'shaped' species? Are there a lot of those? Actually, now that you mention it, you're a duckling, right?"
Luz had come from the Boiling Isles, where all types of demons were located. Webby looked pretty normal by comparison.
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"Magic? That's great! You can't use it now, but maybe you can get it back in time! I want to learn everything I can about magic! And you're absolutely right, I'm a duckling! We don't have any humans in my world!"
... Still shaking, kind of... oblivious to the big piece of information she just dropped...
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"Wait, I can't? Why not?"
Ok, calm down, Luz. You're not near the Titan, that makes sense, sure it made you defenseless but...
Ugh, no upside to that. The "maybe" is what greatly concerned Luz.
"Oh, I do too! It took a while to actually get good with it! I hope I can find a way to get it back."
It felt like an extremely muted hope, but Luz had to stay upbeat somehow.
"No humans at all? Huh. Must be peaceful."
Luz was specifically thinking of Bellos in the Isles, maybe herself too for good measure.
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... Still shaking. Was she ever going to stop at some point?
But that last statement made her laugh. "Peaceful? As if! My life is totally full of adventure, and I love it!"
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Luz, calm down. You thought you were DEAD. In some isekai situations you don't even get clothes. This was much better by comparison! At least that meant she could get her powers back.
Luz WAS starting to pay attention to the shaking though. "Are you all right?"
Ok, honestly, that last sentence was a vibe, one that Luz had certainly lived by when she first arrived in the Boiling Isles.
"Wait, what's that about shards?"
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And they were friends now. Webby has already decided that.
"But yeah, shards are kind of like... magic currency here! If you collect enough, you can get stuff from back home, or ask for brand new stuff. My friend Aladdin got back his pet monkey, for example!"
Somewhere, Abu is huffing and puffing about being called a pet.
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"You won't get any complaints here! Now, you were talking about shards that get you your items. How exactly do you get these shards?"
Pet monkey. Pet MONKEY. Petmonkeypetmonkeypetmonk...
No. We will NOT ask about the monkey, Luz, we have to find out more about this place!
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"I didn't trust the system for a while, so I wasn't using them or keeping track of what I got for a long time... it's only recently I began to care." Because it's only recently she had someone to protect.
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Luz had been taking this all seriously, she has, but the mention of that as a way to get shards was just too hilarious for her. And talking? Gosh, Luz would find SO many shards if that was all they needed her to do!
"Really? So something changed for you to care? I'll try not pry there. I should probably care too, mostly because I actually had magic before this."
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"That very same friend arrived here," Webby explained. "So now I'm going to use all the shards I can get to protect her."
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"I feel like you and I are going to get along just fine," Luz said, smiling. "Is she in trouble right now?"
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Luz's mouth went dry because, well, she could RELATE? Looking out for her friends? It should have not been so complicated, and yet things got all jumbled and twisted, and she lost.
Would she ever be able to protect her friends again?
"Hey. Let me know her name so I can keep an eye out for her too. I might not have any abilities now, but I'll go back to being able to do magic again. That way, nothing too bad can happen here."
Luz gestured to the area around them.
"Wherever 'here' is, anyway."
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"Her name's Lena! You can't miss her, she's one of the few duck people here..."
And as Webby went into rather... vivid, passionate descriptions of her bestie...
"She's got a purple streak in her hair and gorgeous deep eyes and perfect eye shadow that matches her feathers absolutely perfectly and she wears this oversized sweater shirt combo that is absolutely adorable and her voice comes with a 'devil-may-care' attitude but she clearly does care a whole bunch because her heart is full of divine rainbows!"
... Luz may find something else in common with Webby when it came to their best "Gal Pal".
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"Right! Lena, duck person, just like you! And..."
Now Luz was taking special attention of how Webby described her friend, and she did turn to the girl a little, trying not raise an eyebrow.
Huh. So that's what it looked like to Gus. It did take all of her effort to not giggle at the "heart full of divine rainbows" part. It was both funny and a little heartwarming.
"Sounds like you're pretty happy to see her here! I'm sure I'll run into her eventually. An oversized sweater and a streak in her hair is bound to stand out."
Luz chuckled. "Actually, the way you described her has me thinking of someone I hope is here too."
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She tilted her head, curious. "Oh? Someone from your world? Well, fair's fair! What are they like, and I'll keep an eye out for 'em!"
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