lunaecalamitas | thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

NEW MOON ADAGIO

Between the constant requests from the North and the sense of tension that pervades the manor, Sage Tatara makes an executive decision: we're going North, baby.

Of all the things that have happened thus far, let this be the ultimate test of your magic. Even as we near summer, it's frigid. Protect yourselves and your allies from the cold. Protect yourselves while also fighting off monsters (or other territorial wizards, should you make the terrible mistake of wandering into another's territory), flying through the vast wilderness, or protecting the poor humans who need your help to survive. Time to blow off some of your steam. Just be sure to obey Tatara's one rule: don't kill each other.

One particular problem of note is in the Forest of Dreams. Without its guardian, many of these rogue monsters and dangerous predators, displaced from their normal habitats, have found their way into the forest. Many of them, however, are unable to survive against the fatal toxin, and there are plenty of animal corpses and mana stones that litter the forest. It might be best to clean these up before the forest guardian returns...

That said, the toxin is yet another thing you must protect yourself against in addition to the cold. While you can likely keep yourself from dying from the toxins, you may not be immune to its effects. This deadly toxin causes anyone who breathes it in to dream and hallucinate vividly, be it images of the past, imagined futures, thoughts of the present processed and warped...

Strangely enough, those nearby may end up sharing in your dreams... Did you want the darkest recesses of your thoughts, hopes, and fears unearthed for others to see?

Those who decide to venture far past the more populated (in relative terms) parts of the North may find themselves stumbling upon what looks to be an abandoned bandit hideout. It seems it's been abandoned for quite a while—nothing to loot here, sorry!—but there sure are a whole lot of monsters that have decided to make this hidden corner of the North their home.

While you're at it, you may find a nearby cave. Beautiful crystals dot the walls and the floors, and there are small pools of hot spring water free for relaxing. It seems to be relatively free of monsters, too. So maybe this wouldn't be a bad spot to relax, away from everything else?

However, there's one thing that makes this cave truly unique, and it isn't the vistas or the springs—it's the bats. These bats hear echoes of the past and replay them for visitors. Should you stay a while and listen, a bat may pay you a visit. And when it does, it may play for you the voices from the memories of visitors past, whose stories may hold a clue or two to your circumstances...

While the Forest of Dreams is a memory/dreamshare free for all, the aural memories replayed by the bats in the Cave of Time will come from one of the original wizards only. If you'd like an audio replay of a perhaps significant moment either in their personal life or a clue as to what happened to them (it will be randomized), then please reply to this comment!

JOB BOARD

Clean-up and repairs. While thanks to the hard work of your Eastern friends the worst was prevented, the City of Rain emerged from their short ordeal a little worse for wear.

Buildings need repair, blood needs to be cleaned off the streets, the injured need help. This is, perhaps, the only time you will be allowed to use magic openly in the city (you've been given permits and everything!), but you still are not allowed to talk outside of designated zones. Please, please don't get arrested...

As for the scrap that litters the streets? Unfortunately, you'll have to take it back to the scrapyard. But this time, there's a big, roaring bonfire out there. Just chuck all the scrap and debris in the fire. The city isn't taking any second chances—extreme situations call for extreme measures.

Reverence. Several Northern villages are currently outside the protection of a wizard, and have requested the sage's wizards' presence. They're terrified of the monsters and worried the barriers for their villages will fail sooner than later. They don't simply ask for help for free, however, and these smaller villages are steeped in their tradition—they'll pay you their respects, praying to you, offering you gifts, groveling at your feet, in hopes for a modicum of your time and protection. Do their offerings please you? Then assist them with what you deem appropriate for their worship to you: kill a few monsters for them, or a lot if you're pleased. Strengthen the barrier a lot, or not at all if you're displeased. It's up to you! You have the power here. What's it like to be a god for a day?

Ladies' night. The monthly lady officers' gathering is coming up in the City of Affluence—it's an exclusive meetup for the women involved in and related to Western military and bureaucratic affairs. Anyone is welcome, so long as they meet two requirements: they are outwardly presenting feminine, and they have an invitation to the gathering. Here's your chance to flex your transformation and glamour spells! Infiltrate the meetup with a disguise and a fake invitation, mingle, enjoy the drinks, the jazz, the entertainment, and find out what you can... What's the Western army up to? Be careful, though—don't get caught and kicked out!

The attendees seem to be excited about the new phantasmagoria technology and the upcoming display, and many whisper about the upcoming Venator meteor shower...

G'RAHA TASKS

Greetings, new friends! I am G'raha Tia, and while I hesitate to call myself a mentor or a replacement for the one you had, I am eternally grateful for the assistance I received and will do my best to help your cause in any way I can. To that end, I feel I may need to be caught up to speed on the events and get to know all of you.

We can have some tea and sandwiches and have a discussion! That's the best way to learn, sometimes.

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Even if we're not here for very long, I think we should leave our mark (not literally! Don't paint on the walls!). I got paint and big paper in the dining hall, but no brushes... Do you know what that means? Finger paint! Finger paint a portrait of yourself with your name and I'll hang it up in the library when they're all done!

Thanks to Cid and Khun, my camcorder works now. The thing is, what's the point of filming anything if we have no way to watch the film?! Could you guys work together to make some kind of projector? Or like...VHS player? We could have a movie night together!

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your fourth event! It's your dreamshare and memshare event! Ready to open up with your deepest and darkest secrets?
🌙 We're halfway through the game. How do you feel?
🌙 Back at the manor, Kurapika and Maya have set up a bulletin board! Leave comments, argue with your neighbors, have fun. Be nice. Don't set it on fire.
🌙 On the admin side of things, Lav has swapped out Wanderer for G'raha! Please say hello to your new mentor NPC.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting to the post, and remember to check back frequently, since not everyone checks plurk or discord all the time.
🌙 The next country to go on their mission is North. Do you think a PVP-enabled mission will go well?

» NAVIGATION

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[At that, Phil looks up, frowning.]

No, if it's something you wish to try for yourself, don't let my opinions stop you. I may not be willing to eat them, but that doesn't mean I have a right to dictate what anyone else does.

[No matter how uncomfortable with the idea he may be.]

I mean, I've been askin' 'cause I ain't exactly alright with the idea of eatin' dead wizards. [ And he finds himself leaning more towards not wanting to eat any, whenever he thinks about it. ]

...It's just frustratin', and I've got a surprise sack of mana stones sittin' in my room that I dunno what to do with.

So you say, but what you choose to be called has meaning in itself.

[ the little lost princess didn't decide to call herself 'marth' on a whim, after all.

but if that's the reasoning day wants to give he'll allow it. ]

Day it is, then. [ ... ] How are you faring?

Well, the other thing is...people keep surprisin' me with what they make of "Joyous Day".

[ There's a wry, but fond smile. ]

I think I wanna keep that.

[ But afterwards, he closes his eyes, seeming a little more thoughtful. ]

...I think I'll be okay. Ain't the first time this ridiculous world's made me relive that day.

[ ... ]

You still want me to call you "Robin"?

Edited 2024-06-09 14:50 (UTC)

... Call me whatever suits you. 'Robin' is a role I'll play for a while longer yet, and it is still my name.

[ he has never disclaimed it, and none were ever able to take it from him. not here, nor in another, distant sky. ]

[ Jing Yuan looks surprised as he turns his head to face Kurapika, but then he lets a showing of a thin smile (approval? relief that he isn't facing it all alone?) appear on his face. He seems able to see that the 'civilian' has some sort of weapon, and so when he turns to face down their enemy, he speaks again: ]

...Stubborn.

But that isn't necessarily bad, if you can hold your own. I shall trust in that instead.

[ After that, the enemies advance on them, the armored warrior throwing an electrical spell at Kurapika, while the canine-like enemies leap, and Jing Yuan swings his Devastator Glaive and its long reach to keep the canine duo back. As he does so, the unstable edges of their surroundings begin to fray instead of flicker. ]

[ A moment that Jing Yuan catches nonetheless—he is, if anything, an observant man such that incidents that may well be brushed off as mere tricks of light are caught like the flare of an unforgiving sun in its brief glimpse. All the same... ]

Oh? Perhaps I shall consider that nothing less than fortunate.

To deal with spirits that can insight the worst upon possession of others is not something I would wish on anyone.

[ After dealing with such creatures for a multitude of centuries, Jing Yuan knows this best. ]

That is indeed how they are. Mindless, thoughtless creatures who think of literally nothing else. Should one take a casual, ill-advised stroll where they mostly congregate with one another, it is the exact kind of topic they discuss:

How their last meal was — naturally based upon the consumption of their last victim — and how much they desire for their next to be ever the more fulfilling.

[ Not exactly pleasant talk but confirmation to Jing Yuan that these creatures are such base lifeforms. The Xianzhou is welcome to many a variety of lifeforms and species, some of which live in harmony with one another, and some of which would rather drag all of them down into the depths of hell to stand upon their remains, corpses, or the space where they once existed, and now nothing is left. ]

Though, I do wonder if the malevolent spirits you are familiar with are another large source of trouble in your world, even if they differ from the ones I witness back on the Xianzhou.

There are other sources other than him, yes.

[ Jing Yuan imagines Yodarha had been getting his mana stones from the Sage, though certainly not anything else (there are also wizard as sources but Jing Yuan does not know that until North mission so no paradox here...) ]

So, in essence, you're an experience warrior. I do wonder how many you have had the opportunity in teaching, as I myself was first taught to wield the blade by a singular instructor.

But, we can talk about that and move along.

[ Jing Yuan will also assess properly once they've seen combat, and so just like that, he leads them out of the village... ]

Most certainly.

So even if we're not here to upend their laws, it is indeed a hope that they can at least all discuss the possibility for change...though, I believe we both know how difficult implementing that can be.

[ For a place that is steeped deeply in tradition, and adherence to follow strict rules, and all that... ]

Yeah, I might... maybe after all the missions are done, I'll be able to get something more solid.

[ Bruno gives the dress a look over and then offers Khun a grateful look, along with a smile. ]

Looks good! [ Even if it was just a hem job, that went faster than Bruno expected. He'll hop up out of his chair and take the dress. ] Alright, let me try this on again.

[ Off he goes, back behind the screen. ]

Exactly. It's my foolproof argument, haha.

[ khun nods. ]

Let me know if you see anything interesting. [ he'll wait to see how well his efforts paid off. ]

Yeah, they sure did! It was amazin', looked like the sorta magic they had to work together for an' practice a ton... but they usually don't get along, so it was a surprise!

[But Malice grins at the second part: praise!! Being dependable is something new too, and something he wants to do his best to live up to. It'd make Cody happy, he thinks - though he doesn't really have the right to think about that in the first place.]

I'm really glad I am! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for ya!

[He points at his one good eye and then laughs. It's not a joke, despite the... really bad joke...]

[ He sighs. ]

You wouldn't get it, Ahito. Answering the phone to Leorio is like resigning myself to a thirty minute conversation I can't afford to have.

...How does he have that much to say?

Is that how the mages were trying to spin it? Inviting people in for experiments under the guise of charity work?

[He clicks his tongue in disapproval.]

It's not hard to wonder what direction their goals might lead if they couldn't provide some humanity or honesty at the starting steps.

[ He sighs softly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he picks a spot somewhere to the left of Day's shoulder to stare at. ]

My relationships here have reminded me that there's more to life.

[ Which is precisely why he avoided his friends back home... but he couldn't do that so easily here. His friends have always reminded him of the good things life has to offer, the things he can look forward to outside of revenge. They have always made his revenge seem smaller.

That it happened here when he couldn't run away was inevitable, he thinks. ]

[Oh, okay we're already on the move?

Solomon clicks his tongue under his breath as he pulls his scarf further up his face, letting the warming magic attempt to fight the bite of the wind as he trudges after Ithaqua.]

I'll take it this is your home, then?

[It's a flicker that Solomon notices, that draws his attention, even as he himself starts to buckle over with the effort to keep his breathing even.

For Khun, in his ears, like it's him and yet not, he hears the dry and pained gasps of a phantom; a young man, a pained man, a desperate man, not him and not exactly his fellow wizard, but of a fledgling sorcerer hardly in his twenties. Yelling. Mourning. Gasping for pain against the ground, the ache of utter tragedy. The magic exists regardless.

It hurts, and from how Solomon physically shudders along with Khun voluntarily at the waves of power, it's affecting both of them. But the older wizard swallows hard.]

And what happens when rejection runs its limit?

[Like putting a bandage over the end of a hose, hoping for it to stop its torrent?

Does one put a stopper in the unavoidable by willpower alone? Because even against the frigidity of Khun's rejection, the magic still burns, like a pressure ready to explode.

Again. Again.

"Please------- Please, let me take it back!!!!!"

Hoarse words to the dead from the phantom in Khun's ears. Pointless crying from the wolf among the slaughtered lambs. Heaven won't hear you.

So call for help. Make them come from elsewhere. The mind rushes in desperation. To make a circle, a spell, a pleading. Drawing from phantom memories, phantom theories, the mystical and dark and forbidden.

Instinct says a circle is possible. Logic says you will die. Fear smells the blood in the air and feels the burn of your magic like bile in your throat.

All Khun needs to do is choose.]

You would presume correctly.

[And yet it's unfamiliar. Many trees here look... much younger? Than he remembers them to be, some brush and other landmarks are not even here.

Despite the walking, they're back at what might be a familiar set of trees, because they really did just loop around. What's so significant about this area? In the roots of a tree is a small bundle that Ithaqua did not notice earlier, solely because it's quiet.

Given it's a child in the bundle, one would think it was a little noisier, especially in this uncomfortable weather. But no, there's no indication of it breathing, or attempting to warm up... or even that it was alive when it was left in this place. No redness in the skin whatsoever.]

Hm.

[That really is all that he can say about this.]

[Solomon notes the distress, the way those inhuman ears tilt back, even as the man himself starts to flinch from the effects of the space. But he'll at least make his way to their new mentor, a careful hand to his shoulder.

For G'raha, in his ears, like it's him and yet not, he hears the dry and pained gasps of a phantom; a young man, a pained man, a desperate man, not him and not exactly his fellow wizard, but of a fledgling sorcerer hardly in his twenties. Yelling. Mourning. Gasping for pain against the ground, the ache of utter tragedy. The magic exists regardless.

It hurts, and from how Solomon physically shudders along with G'raha voluntarily at the waves of power, it's affecting both of them.]

Careful. Gather yourself, or it's not going to stop.

[The death. The destruction. A radiating danger that courses through your limbs without your control, despite what you try.

"Please------- Please, let me take it back!!!!!"

Hoarse words to the dead from the phantom in G'raha's ears. Pointless crying from the wolf among the slaughtered lambs. Heaven won't hear you.

So call for help. Make them come from elsewhere. The mind rushes in desperation. To make a circle, a spell, a pleading. Drawing from phantom memories, phantom theories, the mystical and dark and forbidden.

Instinct says a circle is possible. Logic says you will die. Fear smells the blood in the air and feels the burn of your magic like bile in your throat.

All G'raha needs to do is choose.]

[Ah.

Well, that immediately gets Solomon's attention. He's been through these enough to know this isn't reality, and that what he's seeing isn't something that can be changed. But it's still a human - a child - discarded out in the snow. And it still tugs at him, enough to immediately turn his path to check on the newborn, finding his chest tight when the skin comes back cold, when no breath comes from it... fingers check for a pulse, even though he is almost positive there can't be one in this state.]

Ithaqua... You said you were abandoned young in this place.

How on earth did you survive if this is what it did to the young??

... Not to worry. You do not have to inform me of that.

[ he's knelt over a stray rabbit on the ground, its white coat not quite blending in with the fairytale forest painted in hues unlike much of the rest of the north. its nose twitches like it's alive, but the faint light in its eyes, an obvious bite wound, and the fact that it shouldn't have survived the forest's toxins betrays otherwise. ]

There are such places in any realm. I'd wager that we are here for at least some of the same reasons, in any case.

Mn. Old habits, my friend.

I'd find it unwise not to take the advantage of mana stones while we have them. As much as I'd like to hope we can have the power we need in time, there's only so much that willpower alone will do against the ferocity of the North.

[Faintly, the space around them starts to feel damp. Dark. Claustrophobic. As though trees are no longer trees, as though the sky above starts to feel like it isn't real; fogging up the sensation of openness, their space condensing with the innate sensation of feeling small. Alone.

Afraid.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 103 of 117

thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cw: infant mortality

no subject

cw: infant mortality

DOWN TIME'S GOLDEN POOL

no subject