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

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Pretty much...

...?

[If he was going to say anything more, it gets lost in distraction at the new sounds, and he glances around to try to find the source.]

[ Day notices Ahito trailing off, then hears the same sound too. His brows furrow for a moment, and then realization hits him. ]

Ah, sh-

[ The hallucination that takes hold brings the two of them to a wedding banquet, though likely not one with customs Ahito would recognise. They find themselves under an awning some distance away from the rest of the party, where a certain conversation is happening, the emotions involved far more vivid than either of them would like. That very awkward moment when you're at the wedding of your first love and you're obligated to make sure it succeeds. ]

[ The string gives off no particular magical signature. But it does seem full of potential... ]

Now that sounds like a story.

[ When "enemies" are on the list of influences, Day knows it's going to be Interesting. Sometimes, serenity is dealing with an enemy. ]

Wah!

[ Tatara jerks his head back when the lens goes black, and he tilts his camera a bit to see what's covering his lens. ]

Whoa, he caught us! What should we do?!

[ He's still speaking in his dramatic narrator voice, because that's just how he is. He does tug on the paper on the lens, though. Does it come off? ]

[ As Kusanagi turns away to start making Khun's drink, Tatara points over his shoulder. There's the couch, by a low table, facing the window and the rays of the setting sun as they filter in. ]

That used to be my favorite nap spot. [ It looks warm, and cozy. And just big enough for Tatara to curl up on it—likely, at this point, it's easy for Khun to picture the sight.

With a quiet tap, their drinks are placed in front of them. For Khun, his Moscow mule, and for Tatara, a glass of orange juice. With a word of thanks to Kusanagi and a smile, he takes his cup and moves to get up. ]

Do you wanna sit there?

She who found an infant in the middle of a blizzard and took it in, despite having little to nothing to her name, and an uncertain future ahead of her. [That's not descriptive at all.

Luckily for Mikaela, Ithaqua is too attached to her to not mention their actual relationship.]

My mother. [Adoptive, really, but who will quibble when only she loved him and raised him?

As he speaks, the twin in the red robe approaches a guard at the end of the long hallway, telling him that he will retire home for the night and that in no uncertain circumstances must he allow anyone else in or out of the bowels of the church until he, the young man in the robe resembling clergy, lifts the ban. To which the guard responds with an affirmative, calling the young man Nathaniel Norwell.

Incidentally, Nathaniel sounds exactly like Ithaqua, but more self-assured, in a louder, stronger tone because he knows everyone shall listen to him, rather than Ithaqua's usual soft murmur, a voice that implies he rarely speaks to anyone because he rarely has anyone to speak to. Nathaniel Norwell is the (soon-to-be) highest authority in this town, and Ithaqua is a ghost.

Though even if the guard makes such a promise to Norwell, the younger Ithaqua doesn't need to use the door, when he's found a way out through the back, picking his way through the streets for the Norwell family home-- whom Ithaqua and Mikaela must follow because this is Ithaqua's memory, after all. Out on the streets, the younger one straightens up enough to mimic Norwell's gait, though he can't quite school his face, leading townspeople to look worriedly at his somber expression and give him a wide berth.

The Norwell home is large. As old as any other building in town, but large and made of better material than most houses, speaking to the family's history and station. Guards are stationed outside and lanterns are lit for the night, and no one bats an eye when Ithaqua comes, demanding to be let in-- clearly they hadn't realized that their true young master had already arrived home.

With free reign in the Norwell home, Ithaqua sneaks around once more, climbing to the rooftop and peeking into each bedroom for a sign of his twin. When he finally does, a scuffle ensues with Nathaniel squawking in indignation-- though with Ithaqua's superior physical strength from living in a forest and providing for himself, and the sheer rage simmering in his blood for hours, it's an easy feat to just kill his mother's torturer with a swift slice to the neck, watching as Norwell staggers away, attempting to keep his neck intact.

Then Ithaqua turns away, wiping his hands on his clothing, to hastily snatch notes, papers, inks and a quill to write a note in his twin's script, how he killed himself.]

[ Ominous would be right.

Tatara pulls Day farther down the street, and he eventually comes to one concrete box of a building—it's tall, though not a skyscraper, and all the windows are dark. There's a nondescript side door, unlocked. Tatara pushes it open to reveal a dim stairwell leading upwards.

He doesn't pause before going up the stairs, but he does eventually speak, partway up. ]

If I'm right...then I don't think you'll like what you see up there. [ He glances over his shoulder at Day. ] Are you okay with that?

[ Tatara places the book back on the table. ]

The last sage's tome. There's still some stuff I'm trying to figure out, but I'm hoping...

[ He smiles, runs a finger over the page to smooth it. ]

I'm hoping what I've found can help us get home.

Yes! [ Oh! Syrlya understands that! Good, he doesn't have to explain anymore (and he doesn't think harder as to why he understands recordings but not cameras). ]

I am! It's been running this whole time. [ He hides back behind the camera, looking through the lens. ] Give us a self intro!

[Ithaqua just gives a shrug.]

Whatever arbitrary reason Tatara has cooked up, I suppose. But he claimed Oz and the prince as his, and it would not be a stretch to say that he claims the other predecessors as well, so clearly said reasons are not so rigid. [So why doesn't he claim the other native wizards?]

[ He doesn't say as much, but Ithaqua's whole tilting of the head causes Tatara to light up a bit. That was cute?! He's so lucky he caught it on tape!! ]

It's a camera! I just got it working! [ He zooms in on Ithaqua. ] There have been thousands of sage's tomes, but this is going to be the very first sage's documentary!

[ Day lets Tatara lead, staying quiet until he asks him that question. He looks surprised at first, but then he gives a small, wry smile. ]

I think I ain't got much of a choice.

[ He can tell that this is something inevitable. ]

Like a colorful frog or snake...

[ He's on the same page as Comet, of course. This is the only time he'll think of pretty trees as dangerous.

But he's also huddled close to Comet, too—with no magic of his own, he has to rely on their protection to keep himself alive. Like, in general. Here, in the forest.

As they make their way through the forest, he hears the distant beep of a car horn. Startled, he stops in his tracks, and looks at Comet. ]

Did you hear that?

Huh.

[ He thinks about that for a second, then quickly writes it down. ]

That's an interesting way to put it... I guess if you'd come by the elevator, you would have been summoned. But you didn't, so...

[ Hmm, hmm. Things to think about. He takes a cookie. Anyway, next question! ]

When you got here, did anywhere in particular hurt?

That was not the face of someone who is fine.

[Gentle, but firm.]

Should I escort you out? I would rather you make sure your heart is settled so your magic does not falter on you.

[ Tatara slips from Solomon's hold. He seems surprised he's been given permission to roam, and so he glances back at Solomon, just in case he changes his mind. But then slowly makes his way towards the figures.

Solomon and his apprentice. This Solomon exists a world apart, but still makes up the man he knows today. As he stalks closer, his eyes remain on the man, trying to map every little change in expression to memory. Many of the words he says are unfamiliar to him, but he recognizes dedication when he hears it. Tatara wonders if this is what he sounded like when he would ask the guys not to do something, because it would upset his king. Entrusting another entity's wellbeing to someone else isn't easy.

Speaking of, he pauses to look at this Ibuki, but only briefly. Regardless of how important they might be to Solomon, he looks just to know. But after that, he looks back to Solomon.

The real one. How is he reacting to all of this? ]

[Tatara looks back, and will find Solomon's eyes still trained on Ibuki, even from the distance he keeps. Exhausted, fond, and somewhat mournful. A complicated sense of regret.

His eyes flick to Tatara. But he doesn't speak. This is not something he's having an easy time remembering, but he's not going to interrupt it.

...

Thirteen comes crashing back in and slaps the phantom Solomon across the back of the head once again before Ibuki has any chance to respond.

No!
She stiffens her jaw, pointing at Ibuki as well.
No, no promises, no oaths, no pinky swears, nothing! Don't you dare! Solomon, you know better, that's against the rules.
Ah... right, right. Sorry.

Ibuki looks confused, hesitating as though trying to ask something. But Thirteen interrupts again, swatting Solomon away to go fetch blankets. He absconds with a tired laugh and leaves Thirteen to speak with Ibuki alone.

The memory shifts, with the faint request from Thirteen:

Solomon. Hey, you're coming with me. I've got intruders in my maze, and they're YOUR problem, so I'm not going to make it MY problem. Got it? Go clean up your mess, and don't start an incident with the monarchy on my property or I'm finding your candle in Candy's things and using it in my next machine, got it??

Time blurs with passage. Hours, a fight, an escape. The feeling of being cornered.

They're back at the fountain. Thirteen stands off in a corner with disapproval. Solomon stands in front of Ibuki. A few blurred figures of distorted shape and color now occupy the space.

And one specific creature - a demon, and a powerful one at that - is advancing towards the two humans. Lucifer.

You are one thoroughly disgusting human... do you know that?
Well, what do you expect? You've made it very clear that you consider me your enemy.

Lucifer sneers towards Solomon, even as the sorcerer smiles, the same smile he always wears.

Ibuki. You're the one I'm looking for.

They try to placate him. They say they can explain.

Explain? What could you POSSIBLY have to say worth hearing? It's far too late for that now.

He advances, with an energy that shakes the room.

Why did you show up when you did? Why did you appear before us?
Lucifer. That's enough. Don't get any closer to Ibuki.
Quiet.

Lucifer snaps his hand up, and Solomon's entire body is drawn to a halt, frozen in place with a grunt of pain.

Just because you're lauded as the greatest sorcerer in human history, you think you stand a chance against me?! You think you could defeat the Avatar of Pride? You? A human???

There's protests from the others around the space. Other demons, though it seems their voices and appearances aren't the importance of this memory.

Ibuki speaks up through the mess.

You're not actually angry, are you? That's not it.

Lucifer goes quiet. He advances on Ibuki, in words you cannot hear... before Ibuki starts to choke, crushed under the force of Lucifer's magic without him even moving a muscle. The other demons continue to protest, but none move to stop him. All are too scared of the consequences.

Cowards.

Ibuki. I don't care whether you are a demon or a human. It doesn't matter. But you possess the power to force every single one of us into submission. You can extract our power against our will, and use it as your own. Regardless of who or what you are, you are a threat to us.

Lucifer's stance grows taller, wings spreading wide.

I resolved never to put my family in danger again. No one harms my brothers. I won't let that happen.

There's a holler. It's from Thirteen. In her hands she holds a book. A grimoire.

Everyone in the room freezes. Some of the demons are confused, and others explain its purpose. A book of magic, created by a human, with information to summon and subjugate a demon against their will.

This is where every grimoire on every demon out there is born. It all happens right here. Because this is the Fountain of Knowledge, after all. Which is obviously why that sham of a sorcerer over there decided to come here. He was after this...

Thirteen's eyes narrow towards Solomon with barely veiled disappointment.

Weren't you, Solomon?]

Edited 2024-05-24 12:15 (UTC)

[Now he tilts his head back as if the thing would come to life and bite his head off.]

A what now? Camera? Documentary? [Forgive him, he's from the forest.

Ithaqua raises a hand to ask for some space.]

Perhaps you should explain those concepts first, Sage o' mine.

[Mòrag has the distinct feeling she has been disrespected. Ordinarily this would be sufficient for, at the very least, some sharp words, but considering this... fellow... appears to be acting in good faith, and her reputation here does not precede her as it does in Alrest, she instead elects to let it go.]

Is it a cure, or a treatment for the symptoms?

Healing...if that's your specialty then—but you weren't summoned like the rest of us.

[ it's half a question. ]

Helping others means accounting for the ways in which they need help, and doing so without causing them further harm wherever possible.

[She can be philosophical about this. She's a soldier at heart, after all.]

Yeah. You've experienced different?

[There's a reason Mòrag isn't trying -- up until she speaks, many people mistake her for a man to begin with, and even then it can sometimes be iffy. But that being said, she still knows things about self-care and appearance.]

Just so. Fine skin is something women think about more than men, generally speaking. It will not only assist with the visual disguise, but help it endure other senses as well. There are elements to a person that only register in their absence, after all.

It's a full cure, if one were to contract something. Not prevention, however.

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thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

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