out of options for who i can be

[promittere]

LIGHT UP THE FIREWORKS

Lazuli seems… agitated, this morning. Not so much in the sense that he’s irritable (because that's just normal, really), but it seems as if something has gotten under his skin. He keeps looking up, out the windows or out over the horizon, and it seems eventually he grows tired of whatever it is bothering him. He accosts whoever it is that seems to have little to do this day, gathering a group of competent (...?) wizards.

“I need you to come with me,” he says, arms crossed and a furrow between his brows. “Something’s not right, even more than things usually aren't right.”

Vague, but do you really have the option to ignore him? You can certainly try, but it won’t get you anywhere. You’re being dragged onto this impromptu excursion whether you want to go or not. Lazuli drags the group to the elevator, using a mana stone to transport everyone to the Northern tower. On the other side is the same snowy wasteland that’s always there, and nothing seems amiss no matter how hard you strain your senses. Lazuli seems to get even more tense, though, summoning and mounting his broom.

“Follow me. We can talk while we fly, but we don’t have long.”

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to the mini-event! This isn't going to be anything too crazy and not likely to impact the trajectory of the game too terribly if you spend the entire thing just fucking around and finding out, so just have fun! If you play your cards right, though, you might find yourselves a new ally.

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[meanspirited]

[Well, this isn't concerning at all! But if you have any questions for Lazuli, now's the time to ask. You've got a long flight to fill time with, after all.]

[foresightis2020]

[ It sure isn't! ]

What tipped you off that something was amiss, exactly? The flow of magic, or...?

[ A question that seems fair enough to ask, right? ]

[meanspirited]

Something like that.

[He glances over at Jing Yuan.]

I'm attuned to the spirits in a more literal sense than most of you, after all.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Ahito doesn't look thrilled to be dragged along, but once he sees they're headed North he'll apply a spell to himself to ward off that frigid cold.]

Anyone need a spell to stay warm?

[The other Norths have it covered he figures, but they have wizards representing other lands, so - might as well put the offer out there.]

[revengier]

I'm not used to this area, so... I'll take one.

[ He's only been to North very sparingly, after all. He doesn't like the cold. ]

[jorunna]

Sure thing.

[ They have this outfit! But it doesn't hurt to have the spell just in case. ]

[foresightis2020]

I wouldn't say no.

[ Always happy to have more help! ]

[annihilator]

[Malice is here, looking mildly perplexed at having been dragged into this but like, without all of the Northies?? Apparently this is not our mission.]

So uh, where exactly are we goin'?

[meanspirited]

The Forest of Dreams, if my hunch is correct.

[Which it's totally not concerning he's dragging everyone into a poison deathtrap...]

[jorunna]

Should we find you whenever we're "done"?

[ They overheard that there's a point where Lazuli won't join them. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

You keep mentioning toxins and hallucinations... what kinds of hallucinations? And what's causing the toxins?

ENTERING THE FOREST...?

[promittere]

[As Lazuli said, eventually he has to split off to go handle his own thing, which leaves the six of them unattended... But with how pressing things are, surely they can keep on task? Right? Or at the very least they're curious enough about the Forest of Dreams to keep heading forward.

As they fly further towards the forest, eventually they find themselves drifting downwards, slowly losing elevation. Even if they try to tilt their brooms back upwards, they find themselves unable to, as if they're too weak to fight whatever it is dragging themselves down. Eventually, their ability to sustain flight at all vanishes, but they're low enough by then their crash to the ground isn't as devastating as it could be. They'll only suffer a few minor bumps and bruises, but they should be well enough protected between their charms and magic to stave off even that much.

Seems they'll have to go the rest of the way on foot, but the forest isn't that far. The tree line is just a few dozen yards away, and they can already see that something is wrong with the forest. Even if most of them have not visited the forest, it's readily apparent that something terrible has happened. The Forest of Dreams is known for being as beautiful as it is deadly, with vibrant leaves and glimmering crystals making it somewhere bright and colorful, a stark difference to much of the North, but the forest they're approaching is... dark, in a literal sense, and as they get closer it becomes clear that the forest has started to wither away, leaving behind trees that are faded and dead.

To Comet, who had seen the effects of the moon fragment in the fields of the South, it should look familiar, even if they can't sense the same ominous presence... Which makes it all the stranger, then. What could have caused something like this happened?]

[foresightis2020]

Keep yourselves alert, everyone.

[ Jing Yuan simply says; thankfully protective spells have been helpful in staving off annoyances like bruises or anything else. ]

And do please stick as close as possible.

[ He steps forward still, to take a closer look at their immediate surroundings. Beyond the fact things have started to wither, are there any other indications of where they should go? A path? Strange things peering out? Or, rather, anything that could be strangely pinged, magic-wise? ]

[jorunna]

[ yup, that's familiar to see, but otherwise... Comet
closes their eyes to concentrate and find that ominous presence anywhere close like before, to no avail. ]

It's like what happened to the fields during the South's mission... But I can't sense something like the moon rock.

ACROSS THE THRESHOLD

[promittere]

[Now that everyone has crossed over, we can have a proper scene change!

Like Jing Yuan and Malice saw, there is a line where the color of the world at least partially returned, the landscape gloomy black and rocky while the structure is red, as if it's all coveted in rust. As they approach, they can see the structure is severely damaged, rubble and metal debris littering the ground around it. Haphazard ramps lead up it, looking very slapdash and dangerous, but at the base of it are several smaller structures that blend in with the landscape. They look like they're made with faded wood and scraps from the structure, in something that looks almost like a settlement... which, again, is strange in a place nobody lives.

In an empty clearing in the small settlement (it's less than ten buildings, so it's barely counting as a village), a circle of piled stones sits, scorched sticks and ash piled inside in a haphazard fire pit. There are benches circling it, with scattered cups and mugs about, as if there was some sort of celebratory gathering held here only a short while ago. Long enough for the fire to burn out and cool, but not long enough for people to clear up after their mess.

On one of the benches is a leather-bound book and something wrapped in black fabric.]

[annihilator]

[Malice waves to the others crossing over, content to put the knife incident behind them (pun intended).]

Seems like there's somethin' to take a look at up ahead. Stay close, but let's see what we've got here, yeah?

[He's going to go ahead on over to the settlement... poking around to make sure there's no immediate threats, but that thing wrapped in black fabric seems pretty interesting... Does it give off any kind of "don't touch this" aura or is it just a typical thing that he doesn't need to worry about shields for?]

[foresightis2020]

[ Well!

This certainly is a lot, but Jing Yuan is not the type to hesitate for anything. ]

...A pity about what occurred here. It is clear that there must have been individuals living at some point; not that long ago, either.

[ Strolling through, and... is there anything he can sense off about the book before he reaches for it? ]

[dyingtohealyou]

[He'll go check out the severely damaged structure - does it look like something that might crumble and fall on them soon? Something they might be able to theoretically shore up for safety to explore?]

[revengier]

[ He's gonna be looking around the buildings... anyone inside of them? ]

[jorunna]

[ Checking out the firepit area! Do those cups have anything in em, or are they empty? ]

[leewards]

[Is literally sniffing about the place and digging around, after taking the stone from Kurapika. Are there any people's remains in here, and what visible evidence of the possible disaster that happened here are what he's looking for in particular.]

findings

[foresightis2020]

[ Okay everyone is pretty much scattered, so he raises his voice. Time to get organized, maybe, so that everyone knows what needs to be done, maybe?? ]

Hmm...has everyone managed to find anything of importance?

I managed to locate a history book of some sort.

[ Holding up the one he got. ]

PUZZLE SOLVED...?

[promittere]

[Malice and Ahito fit their pieces into the crystal, fitting in near seamlessly. There's some minor chipping and pitting around the crack, from whatever broke it in the first place, but the gaps are filled enough that the image on it is complete.

A brilliant light is released from the crystal, sweeping through the room. The cloth doll that Lazuli gave Ahito crumbles into dust, drifting away with the wind that follows the light, but... everyone in the room remains unscathed by whatever it was released by them putting the pieces back together. It didn't feel cursed, but what just happened doesn't feel quite like magic, either? Or... at least not the magic they're used to.

It's abnormalities on top of abnormalities, but the crystalline mirror lays there, immovable but completed, and outside the room they stand in they can hear the sounds of something moving. Something large and lumbering, bellowing in what sounds like pain, and stepping outside will show the landscape has entirely changed again. Trees with purple leaves surround them, some knocked over by a sickly white beast that seems almost incomprehensibly large, but there are places that seem like they belong to somewhere else entirely, white stone paving bits of the ground that seem entirely incongruent with the nature around them. Parts of the sky seem to be on fire, blazing meteors falling in areas so localized it's barely a threat. On the horizon tall buildings loom, as well as a spire of jagged crystal... Several pieces of different worlds, of different times, stitched together in a place where dreams come to life and trap people in their thrall.

These are not dreams, though, Not entirely. These are fragments of memories, someone's past on display right in front of them. Whose memories, then?

The answer is close, as it feels like the spire in the distance is calling to them.]

[leewards]

[Spire? Who cares about the spire? Yes, It's quite fascinating to Ithaqua and he tells himself he will be going there later, but there is a beast in pain, and that's more important to him right now than a spire in the distance that is wholly out of place.

His potions might not do anything to a non-human-like beast, but he still wants to see what he can do for it. Hence moving in that direction.]

[foresightis2020]

[ Whatever is this?

Jing Yuan doesn't even understand what's going on, what is in front of them in the first place. The abnormalities seem to rush pass, changing again and again, until it is laid upon them; he can't quite understand it all himself either. But, despite this...

...if they are being called, why not head towards it?

He decides to walk through the memories, but his ultimate trajectory is the spire, aiming to answer the call. ]