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lunaecalamitas2024-05-04 01:06 pm
promittere) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-05-04 01:06 pm
look at me, i'm the wound you tried to hide
ANDANTE ALLA WANING CRESCENT
Another day dawns for the Sage's wizards. It's been a month, now, since arriving in this world and being given a task nobody seems to fully understand—though after the jobs the Southern and Central wizards have taken on, it seems like it might just be possible after all.
And it seems like there's another task for the wizards, from the Eastern nation. However, unlike the other requests the Sage has been fielding, this task is far too big for five wizards alone. This is a task everyone will need to help tackle, whether they like it or not. Those that aren't particularly altruistic will still be whisked together by Tatara and Lazuli both, and they may still find the journey...illuminating. Answers to what happened to the original wizards may be just within reach.
Traveling via the elevator at the manor is familiar to some of you, at least, Lazuli setting a mana stone into the control not a surprise in a the slightest. The fact all of you can, somehow, fit in the elevator comfortably may be a surprise, but it's best not to dwell on it too much. You'll be staying at the City of Rain, Lazuli tells you with the air of someone reading you a court sentence, but you've been tasked with clearing up the site of some sort of disaster. He doesn't have much information beyond that—a fact that seems to greatly annoy him—and he warns you not to break any of the City of Rain's laws well before you're out of the elevator.
Which that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right...?
Perhaps not, as the rules of the city are extreme. There are certain areas which forbid socialization and talking entirely, some areas where only talking to strangers is forbidden, only a handful of businesses allow chatter of any sort, and the list goes on. The most pressing law of all, though, is very simple: no use of any sort of magic within city limits. Do your best to follow the rules because breaking them will result in an arrest, and do you really want Lazuli and Tatara bailing you out? With the rules laid out and lodging sorted, Lazuli ushers you to the site you're tasked with dealing with. You will have downtime to explore the city, though, as it's expected to take several days to clear things up.
The site is a terrible, terrible mess. In what must have once been a peaceful patch of wilderness, there now sits a terrible gouge in the earth, several meters deep and twice as wide across, hollowed by what must have been a powerful force. The dirt is gray and sandy, dead in the manner the Southern wizards will recognize. Plants on the edges of the crater are dry and withered and splintered and broken. Permeating the air is a lingering dread, one both Southern and Central wizards will immediately recognize...
But it is clear now, now that your magic is considerably stronger, that the spirits are agitated by the disturbance in the fabric of magic. Dark clouds hang low over the site, and low thunder rumbles in the constant threat of a storm that will never come. The spirits' agitation, coupled with the dread hanging in the air, will feel uncomfortable, and perhaps leave the more sensitive of the bunch feeling on edge. This is not something that can will resolve on its own, so your most important task is to calm the spirits. That means doing the things they like: playing music, dancing, praying, telling stories, wearing fanciful and whimsical clothes to soothe their temperaments.
Your second most important task is to clear out monsters. The unusual energy in the air is attractive to beasts magical in nature—they slink out of their hiding places in the deep wilderness to the area, and their presence is threatening the humans who regularly use the nearby routes for trade and to commute. Kill them, take their mana stones for yourself. Win-win.
The third task is general clean-up. Remove the dead plants from the earth, remove the broken trees and any natural debris that might prove to be a hindrance. Characters are more than welcome to search inside the crater for any hint or clue as to what might have caused this strange explosion, but they'll find the site picked clean, earth having fallen into cavities where there might have been larger objects present at one point...like someone was here to clear out any evidence.
And it seems like there's another task for the wizards, from the Eastern nation. However, unlike the other requests the Sage has been fielding, this task is far too big for five wizards alone. This is a task everyone will need to help tackle, whether they like it or not. Those that aren't particularly altruistic will still be whisked together by Tatara and Lazuli both, and they may still find the journey...illuminating. Answers to what happened to the original wizards may be just within reach.
Traveling via the elevator at the manor is familiar to some of you, at least, Lazuli setting a mana stone into the control not a surprise in a the slightest. The fact all of you can, somehow, fit in the elevator comfortably may be a surprise, but it's best not to dwell on it too much. You'll be staying at the City of Rain, Lazuli tells you with the air of someone reading you a court sentence, but you've been tasked with clearing up the site of some sort of disaster. He doesn't have much information beyond that—a fact that seems to greatly annoy him—and he warns you not to break any of the City of Rain's laws well before you're out of the elevator.
Which that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right...?
Perhaps not, as the rules of the city are extreme. There are certain areas which forbid socialization and talking entirely, some areas where only talking to strangers is forbidden, only a handful of businesses allow chatter of any sort, and the list goes on. The most pressing law of all, though, is very simple: no use of any sort of magic within city limits. Do your best to follow the rules because breaking them will result in an arrest, and do you really want Lazuli and Tatara bailing you out? With the rules laid out and lodging sorted, Lazuli ushers you to the site you're tasked with dealing with. You will have downtime to explore the city, though, as it's expected to take several days to clear things up.
The site is a terrible, terrible mess. In what must have once been a peaceful patch of wilderness, there now sits a terrible gouge in the earth, several meters deep and twice as wide across, hollowed by what must have been a powerful force. The dirt is gray and sandy, dead in the manner the Southern wizards will recognize. Plants on the edges of the crater are dry and withered and splintered and broken. Permeating the air is a lingering dread, one both Southern and Central wizards will immediately recognize...
But it is clear now, now that your magic is considerably stronger, that the spirits are agitated by the disturbance in the fabric of magic. Dark clouds hang low over the site, and low thunder rumbles in the constant threat of a storm that will never come. The spirits' agitation, coupled with the dread hanging in the air, will feel uncomfortable, and perhaps leave the more sensitive of the bunch feeling on edge. This is not something that can will resolve on its own, so your most important task is to calm the spirits. That means doing the things they like: playing music, dancing, praying, telling stories, wearing fanciful and whimsical clothes to soothe their temperaments.
Your second most important task is to clear out monsters. The unusual energy in the air is attractive to beasts magical in nature—they slink out of their hiding places in the deep wilderness to the area, and their presence is threatening the humans who regularly use the nearby routes for trade and to commute. Kill them, take their mana stones for yourself. Win-win.
The third task is general clean-up. Remove the dead plants from the earth, remove the broken trees and any natural debris that might prove to be a hindrance. Characters are more than welcome to search inside the crater for any hint or clue as to what might have caused this strange explosion, but they'll find the site picked clean, earth having fallen into cavities where there might have been larger objects present at one point...like someone was here to clear out any evidence.
JOB BOARD
Reinforcement. Peace in Granvelle Castle has been restored. A liveliness and energy has returned to the castle and the surrounding parts of the city that hasn't been seen in nearly a month. Thank your Central friends for their hard work!
Their issues aren't quite resolved, however. The castle is asking for help in creating and then reinforcing a magical barrier around the castle. The barrier is a bit bigger than what one wizard alone is capable of at this point, so band together to create and reinforce what parts you can. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to use your own hair or blood as a conduit.
The type of barrier is specific, however—they want one that masks magical signatures. If you step inside, you'll feel a faint, but powerful presence within... What are they guarding?
Their issues aren't quite resolved, however. The castle is asking for help in creating and then reinforcing a magical barrier around the castle. The barrier is a bit bigger than what one wizard alone is capable of at this point, so band together to create and reinforce what parts you can. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to use your own hair or blood as a conduit.
The type of barrier is specific, however—they want one that masks magical signatures. If you step inside, you'll feel a faint, but powerful presence within... What are they guarding?
Recycling. The Eastern country is known for its expertise in all things mechanical, particularly when it comes to clockwork. While not as bombastic or flashy as Western technology, the use of magic and mana stones being deeply frowned upon and rejected, Eastern artisans can create truly fantastical things just with gears and cogs and a bit of know-how... But, of course, sometimes it's better to scrap something and create something new than let the old items waste away, so some Eastern craftsman have asked for help gathering clockwork automatons and other creations in order to melt it all back down. Some of them seem a bit nervous and harried, but it's an easy enough job to scrap automatons and cart junk around.
Monster hunting. The few settlements in the North have been sending in frantic request after frantic request. There has been a disturbing increase in monster activity in the North, and the native Northern wizards are as unreliable as ever. They need your help in thinning the numbers, and that's all they really ask for—you can keep all the mana stones you earn.
For those of you who haven't been to the North yet, the weather is harsh, no matter the season. Protection on oneself to survive the negative degrees is crucial; make sure your magic is up to snuff enough to keep yourself at least room temperature. And using your magic to battle on top of that? This isn't going to be an easy job, not at your level. Be cautious, and good luck.
For those of you who haven't been to the North yet, the weather is harsh, no matter the season. Protection on oneself to survive the negative degrees is crucial; make sure your magic is up to snuff enough to keep yourself at least room temperature. And using your magic to battle on top of that? This isn't going to be an easy job, not at your level. Be cautious, and good luck.
Mana areas & amulets. You've been here for a month now, and living in an unfamiliar place, alongside unfamiliar people, using unfamiliar magic must be wearing you down. Isn't it? In that case, it's time for the last piece of your wizardhood puzzle: your mana area.
Mana areas are spots where wizards feel most at peace with themselves, most whole, and a place where they can refill on the emotional load they've been chipping away at for their magic. It can be a specific location, or a conditional circumstance. Find more detail on the magic page. Your task—given to you by your sage and your mentor—is to traverse the continent, find your mana area, and recharge your batteries, so to speak. While there, make an amulet to take back with you, like a portable battery.
Mana areas are spots where wizards feel most at peace with themselves, most whole, and a place where they can refill on the emotional load they've been chipping away at for their magic. It can be a specific location, or a conditional circumstance. Find more detail on the magic page. Your task—given to you by your sage and your mentor—is to traverse the continent, find your mana area, and recharge your batteries, so to speak. While there, make an amulet to take back with you, like a portable battery.
WANDERER TASKS
Listen to the spirits.
You've been here long enough that it's time to see if you can actually communicate with the spirits who've laid claim on you and have been empowering your spells. Try your listen and see if you can hear what they have to say to you.
OOC Note: For those attempting this task, ping one of the mods and roll a dice! Based on the dice roll, your character will get a little tidbit from the spirits... Or they might not hear anything yet, but they can always dedicate themselves to their studies and try again after leveling up!
You've been here long enough that it's time to see if you can actually communicate with the spirits who've laid claim on you and have been empowering your spells. Try your listen and see if you can hear what they have to say to you.
TATARA ACTIVITIES
Don't make promises.
If you've made a promise, don't break it.
If you break a promise, you'll lose your magic. And I don't know if I can help you anymore or send you home if that happens. I'm sorry this is so late. But please...be careful.
If you've made a promise, don't break it.
If you break a promise, you'll lose your magic. And I don't know if I can help you anymore or send you home if that happens. I'm sorry this is so late. But please...be careful.
OOC NOTES
🌙 Welcome to your third event! Everyone's lasted a month, congratulations! Keep working on your magic, keep forging those bonds.
🌙 As your characters settle into the world, they might find themselves irresistibly drawn to crowds, to music, to dancing. It's hard to resist the allure of a gathering, and it's hard to keep yourself from swaying to music when it fills your ears, no matter what sort of person you used to be. You're changing...
🌙 As we enter the second month, we are announcing a deadline for finding your pairs. This will be Friday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT. Remember, you may submit a guess at any time, and there is no penalty for getting a guess wrong, so long as you have a thread to back up your guess and consent from your partner. The pair page is here.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting on this post, as not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Next up for missions is East. Let's hope they don't have to talk to anyone for this one.
no subject
He lifts the edges of his cloak like the sides of a skirt, his head tilting slightly.]
Have I offended your pride? How oh how will I feed my children tonight without your benevolence?
[He's definitely getting some weirder vibes than usual off Robin... maybe he just has a stick up his ass, who knows.]
Surely you can swallow it for a simple tale.
no subject
Let me be clear, then: it isn't a matter of pride. By all means, maintain your theatrics, but I would rather you avoid the false humility that reminds me of fair-weather worshippers scraping for a god's favor. To that end, dramatics are fine; groveling is not.
So worry not: your children will be able to sup tonight, provided you can adhere to my request.
[ he's not asking that much, is he. he's asking so politely. (???) ]
1/2
I have no intention or desire to prostrate myself before a god.
2/2
I won't grovel. Now, will you stay?
no subject
I will, again, provided that you don't bore me.
no subject
Then, perhaps this will catch your ear.
"There is only one way to stop an ouroboros."
[
--
Once upon a time, there was a child.
Born of man, the child knew not of how strong their fate intertwined, and their life stayed simple and happy.
One day, the child was taken. Brought to the realm of demons, against their will, to test their power and the strength of their resolve. Though frightened, the child was brave. They would not be devoured. They would not show weakness.
In their studies, they found power they did not know that a human could possess. In the grasp of their new experience, they were challenged to the source of their heritage - not just from a human, but from an angel as well.
And, over their time under the watch of the demonic, their heart softened, for they had found connection, and affection, with both the angels they had come to meet, and to the demons they were meant to control.
In this, with the birthright of a human, the bloodline of an angel, and the heart of powerful demons, they blossomed. And once again, they returned, to that life of simple happiness, now stretched across realms they never knew possible.
However--
As they continued in their growth, like the roots of a tree, their power stretched beyond the space of its anchoring. As they reveled in their happiness, the world around them started to shudder under their inexperience. Like a pot boiling to overflow, their body could not stand as a vessel for the many avenues they'd opened... and it was the world that was quickly paying the price.
Like the maw of a great beast, the ground started to open under the roots of their power. Forests of humanity started to collapse. Ancient tombs in the firey pits of hell crumbled. Even heaven itself was not left untouched, the rivers of its bounty drying and falling away.
For the three realms are a ring. An ouroboros of balance, of death and rebirth. And as one child grew so quickly, so erratically, across the stretch of all worlds, the ouroboros strengthened beyond itself.
The worlds began to devour each other. Those demons the child had once considered so dear began to forget them as the beast of their power devoured their memories as well. The angels that loved them so watched and waited from a distance.
And, as the kingdoms of heaven and hell moved to intercept, a man appeared from the depths of candlelight. He wore the cloak of the reaper, and carried in his hand a book. And on that book was a label. The Prison of the Soul.
"I have brought you salvation, my dear Ouroborus", said the man to the child. "For I come from the depths of that which controls life, of every angel and devil and human that exists. I see the light of their candles fading under the great storm that is your presence."
The child begged the man for help. "These are my loved ones! This is my home! These are worlds I do not want to see devoured! Please, what must I do?"
The man looked at their plight, and nodded in understanding, opening the pages of his tome. From it emerged a blade as black as night, whose presence chilled the air even as the man continued to speak.
"There is only one way to stop the cycle of an ouroboros. For you can never stop it from eating, nor can you take away its meal. So you must sever it completely, from head to tail.
This is the power of death itself, my child. A dagger which can sever anything. But I warn you that it does not come without a price."
"What is your price?" cried the child. "Please, I must know!"
The man took the dagger, and pointed it towards the demons the child had loved so deeply.
"There is your price. Drive your blade through those powerful beings so close to you. Their deaths will grant you pause, and you will be able to sever the power that roots you to the world's destruction."
The child grew hateful of the man. They spat and cursed. They wept and pleaded. And their loved ones grew further, their worlds grew emptier, and their heart ached more and more.
So they took up the knife. They found their most beloved, the most powerful under their control, who barely remembered their name. And though they warned him of their actions, he only looked on them with love, and bowed his head in allowance.
As they raised the blade to drive it forward, the light of heaven shot down, through earth and hell alike. For the demons' hearts were not the only ones the child held so tightly in their hands. And as an angel fell from the heavens, a sin against his Father tearing his wings, he used what love he kept for those below to pass along a blessing of his own. An artifact, stolen straight from the thrones of the archangels, whose power alone shattered the motion of their magic.
In stasis, the worlds shifted. Their balance rippled. And the roots so deeply ingrained began to withdraw, for the sacrifice of the angel had turned their boiling pot into a lake, hungry to be filled, eager to accept the flow in and out of the world.
The former angel hid his scars, hiding his intent so that the child might keep their happiness. The beloved demon embraced the child, keeping their anger at bay so that the child might keep their happiness. And the man cloaked like the reaper withdrew, dissatisfied and biding his time to return, but refusing further intervention, so that the child might keep their happiness.
And from the bottom of its new lake, with all the time in the world, the cycle still continues to spin. Between human and angel and demon alike, in a delicate balance, devouring and growing. Potential and disaster in every gulp, masked with love and companionship.
For, truly, there is only one way to stop an ouroboros.]
no subject
he'll start up a slow, quiet clap once the tale's over, each impact his gloved hands make against each other quite deliberate. bravo, bravo. ]
... so. Theirs is a world awaiting its end. How long have the actors in your story been staving it off, pretending it isn't still encroaching should whatever fragile balance they've reached tip in any particular direction? How long will they continue to flee from it?
Nevermind that the more permanent solution their would-be savior offered them isn't much of one at all.
no subject
Perhaps it will be an eternal one. Perhaps their guide knew more than they wished.
How often is a solution the best option because it is truly ideal, or simply because every other option is a greater loss?
no subject
[ his arms settle, crossing over his front. ]
Still, between a slow, looming death and a quick one that but burdens the one... well, perhaps I'm misinterpreting what exactly would have been slain had that child taken up the reaper's offer. So clarify for me:
If all the realms that make up the world of your tale are an ouroboros... what is left when you rend the creature, head to tail, but a dead snake?
[ or is he correct in presuming that death's offered solution, in fact, was omnicide? ]
no subject
[He pouts slightly, sliding his hands onto his hips.]
no subject
I just wanted to make sure I haven't misunderstood, hm? After all, so many things can go awry in assuming.
no subject
Severing power from an individual can be done separate of said individual, provided that the power isn't innate. That of the child's demonic pacts, for instance. Those are not agreements you simply dismiss.
no subject
[ a smile, wry, as he explains: ]
You'd described both the child and the three realms as an ouroborus, after all, and while the offer made was clearly worded in a way that referred to the child's bonds and connections to the rest of the realms ... Well, I couldn't help but suspect that the promise of the dagger was poisoned even past what was stated. That perhaps the child's connections with others wouldn't be the only ouroborus rent unto oblivion, should that decision have been made.
[ and if the three realms, the cycle of death, birth, rebirth are as an ouroborus, then what is left in the wake of their being severed head to tail but the dead and decaying husk of existence itself? ]
How ... fortunate then, that another way was found, uneasy and unstable as the resulting balance may be.