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

Did he mention where the kids came from? Orphans? Runaways?

[Either way it's easy to imagine, Ahito's own country is still pretty fresh from a war. War orphans or even just children who were one too many mouths to feed line the streets, unfortunately.]

[Thank god, Ahito's just going to let Urianger handle it because now the villagers are turning to the elf instead to ply him with words of praise and gratitude.

So, so, so many words. And also a lot of bowing and reverence. At this rate they're never actually going to get out of this almost frantic worship to actually, you know, fix the barriers.]

He didn't. I imagine I may have terrified him a bit much on accident.

[ this is icspeak for 'thread was ongoing, oops'. ]

For all I know, one of the wizards who disappeared ran an orphanage, or something. All I can confirm is that if any of the other settlements or villages fell, it wasn't anything he knew about.

[ so that's maybe one thing crossed off the list of where these kids could have come from? still a mystery otherwise. ]

That sounded like...

[But then he sees a young boy with silvery hair and light brown eyes as he's led into a lab by his parents, and whatever he was about to say simply dies in his throat. Particularly when the interior of the lab itself seems to grow to surround them, setting the scene as the child is taken to meet a robed man who promises him magic, shown a lonely girl kept isolated in a room, her tiny body covered in bandaged wounds--

The next time the boy appears, his eyes are bright blue and his smile infectious in its cheer, all contrary to the unfortunate tale that unfolds soon after.]

Not just young children. It had to be-

[But whatever he was about to say dies in his throat as the hallucinations take hold, a child with silvery hair and light brown eyes led by his parents into a lab to meet a man who promises him magic, and a lonely girl kept isolated in a room, her small body covered in bandaged wounds--

What plays out is not a happy story.]

1 - northern activities

[Urianger has experienced some bitter cold, so he draws upon his experiences in the frigid lands of Garlemald and Ishgard to fully prepare himself for his time in the North. He dresses very warm in charmed winter wear, including a cute coif to cover his sensitive elven ears, and he has plenty of magicked artifacts in case of an emergency out in the field. He's not going to suffer the cold under-dressed! Never again!

He can primarily be found in the villages looking for protection, assisting in whatever means he can while politely maneuvering around all the worship. He doesn't need all of that reverence, he's just A Guy.

When he's not performing healing or strengthening the barrier, he does little magical performances for the village children, utilizing his practice with bringing an illusory slice of the starry sky down to earth. He also tells them stories of a faraway star known as Etheirys, and the hardships and triumphs that it faced. It all sounds like something out of a storybook. All that said, he seems to be totally in his element here. He's certainly good with the kids.]

2 - forest of dreams (memory share)

[After his work in the wilderness, it's time for Urianger to make his way to the Forest of Dreams to do some cleanup there as well. But it's not just about the cleanup for him. This was the last place anyone saw Lazuli. Maybe, just maybe...he might be able to find some more clues as to what exactly happened to him. Unfortunately, he's going to be out of luck on that end, but it's going to be an eventful trip regardless.

He tries to stay close to his fellow wizards during his excursion out here. Safety in numbers, as they say, and this place is very dangerous. Backup would be very nice to have in the case of an emergency.]

Pray keep thy wits about thee.

[OOC plotting for memshare can be found here! I am totally down to take more requests! Let's get that lore!!]

3 - ladies' night

[When a Western-based job comes up, Urianger's quick to get in on it. It's an opportunity to flex his transformation magic muscles, and he should start gathering more intel on the Western country for the inevitable Western mission.

When it's time for the gathering to get underway, Urianger arrives in the guise of a very tall human woman with an outfit befitting a Westerner. She ends up being pretty popular with the other women, with them gawking at her height and beauty, not to mention her mysterious and archaic speech. She handles the attention well, even if she's hella awkward when they start asking about makeup routines and such.

If she finds one of her fellow wizards passing by in one of these moments, she gently tries to pull them into the conversation.]

Dost thou recall the brand of mascara that we applied in preparation for this gathering?

[There's a very high chance that neither of them applied any makeup together at all. This is transformation magic, after all!! But still! Help her improvise!

Either that or help her get out of this conversation. Prithee.]

4 - wildcard

[For all your custom thread needs! Feel free to DM me or hit up my OOC plotting comment linked above if you'd like to do something else!]

[...So it wasn't a life he'd chosen, then.

It's the first conclusion he settles on, as the dread of the situation falls into place. He wonders, briefly, if this is how Barbatos might look at the world, or even something like the Nightbringer - a web of possibilities, of cause and effect, intertwined and stretching on into forever. Just a glimpse feels like enough to bring a normal man to madness.

But more than that, it's the yawning maw of disconnection that lingers over all. To have that robbed so immediately, by something so distant and beyond you... truly, the heavens were no different elsewhere than they were back home, if this had come from them.

He lets the memory play as it will, in its chaos and destruction, its existential dread, feeling the turn of his head but not seeing who is there to pursue him. Perhaps it's for the better, that he just sees Day instead.

The intensity of its progression does have Solomon stumbling by the end, a hand clenched to his shirt as his heart races underneath. But he keeps his mind level, keeps his breathing as even as he can possibly manage. He has seen his share of the unthinkable. One more, for the Fountain, for its unending depths.

His gaze searches for Day in a haze, trying to ground himself with another firm exhale.]

...Who was it? Who were the ones who robbed you like that?

[ Oh, this is... A younger Robin, perhaps? Or, if he assumes that story wasn't just a story, the human the dragon dreamed it was? ]

Yeah, uh. Sorry 'bout that. [ Day is just along for the ride now, apparently, despite never actually having bought a ticket for it. He won't comment even as he watches, however. ]

[ Unfortunately, Day is not in a state to immediately answer. He's gripping onto his arm tightly through the layers he's put on to survive the Northern cold, like he hopes the pain will help ground him.

He already went through this rodeo with that ridiculous ghost. Arguably it was even worse, because it transposed these events onto the people of the present, cast it in a new light that followed his dreams for a while. Even then, he could still cast magic, because he could focus on what he needed to do.

Right now, however, he's fresh off the ride of emotion of Solomon's memory, only to have this wound reopened again, laid bare a moment of his life he's only told a handful of people about, sometimes couched in a way so that he could give himself a bit of distance.

(And his name, his name, the one that can't stay in living or written memory, suddenly exposed to someone he wouldn't have given it to just yet, maybe not ever, in a manner like this.)

If it had only been one or the other, he would have been fine. He cannot deal with both. For the first time since he's arrived in this strange world, despite every other stressor he's ever had to deal with, Day's magic is sputtering and failing. The protection is not going to hold up. ]

It's nice to meet you too. Properly!

[ They were not expecting their new "mentor" to be so... friendly? But it's not unwelcome! So they take the invitation, sus is not on the mind. ]

Did you make these?

We've no attacks to fear as long as we do not stray too far into the forest. [Ithaqua keeps his tone as neutral as possible, but he's familiar enough with this place to be confident.

He trusts that Urianger has the requisite protection charms though, especially for the spores floating about the forest. Still, he reaches out to pat Urianger on the arm, mindful of the claws of his gloves.]

If you begin to feel different in any way, you must tell me.

Wow. What a weird forest. For some reason I suddenly have the urge to leave and get as far away as possible.

[This boy is not winning an award for acting anytime soon with that kind of line delivery.]

[ Oh, that gets a laugh from Day. But he'll play along, and he sounds much more natural about it: ]

If we're done pickin' up stones, I say we can get a move on.

[Damn it all--

That flickering protection snaps Solomon's attention more directly, questions shoved aside.]

Day.

[Firm, commanding. His hand moves to pull at his amulet, tucked tight under the neckline of his shirt. He's already running so close to empty as it is, but they'll both die if he can't at least recharge one of them.

His hands drop firmly against Day's shoulders. His incantation is clipped and commanding, a solid patchwork to the failing charm, a temporary barrier. He keeps those hands steady, gripping with a brief but solid shake to the younger man.]

Joyous Day. Look at me.

That shan't be our problem, once it happens.

[Which is why Ithaqua is not fussing too hard. Why should he care, when all is said and done?]

[ That finally pulls him out from whatever response he was having. Day takes a shaky breath as he realises his spell is failing, tries to muster up magic to get it back up and failing because his heart is still in disarray. He managed to look at Solomon. ]

Y-yeah?

...Perhaps both, if we're not careful.

[It's said with a smile that does not reach his eyes.

You can hear more screaming in the distance. Your distress climbs. No. No, no, you tried so hard. You were trying so hard. And yet your magic bubbles ferociously in your limbs, in your throat, no matter how you keep trying to press it down like you've tried for years. But it hurts. It hurts, and you feel what little grip you have over your own power slipping.

They have all died because of you. And you want to scream until your throat goes hoarse. There has to be something you can do, something, something something.

G'raha will feel the urge to double over, like his magic is trying to burst from his skin if he doesn't pull himself together.]

Good. Stay with me.

We're getting you out of this forest. Do not focus on your charm right now. Just move.

[Solomon will reposition himself from Day's front to his side, letting one of his arms swing up and around his shoulders to brace against his back, while the other presses tight to the forearm closest to him. Constant contact, sharing the charm, even though it's a bit of a strain on his limited resources.]

Can you keep walking?

I...yeah. [ The contact helps Day focus. A reminder that he's still here, and there are things that need to be done. ]

Yeah, I can walk. [ And that's what he's doing. They both need to get out. ]

[ There's this pause where it's as if Day actually hadn't really considered whether people would try to offer solutions, even though Malice so straightforwardly bringing up the idea of looking for one is why he's even entertaining it. ]

...Yeah, I suppose.

[ Day carefully steps over some debris as he and Urianger make their way through the forest. ]

I will. This place has gotten much worse since I last came here...

Not the... not the Northern spirits.

[And indeed, what is around them, speaking to them, bobbing in and out of the ebb and flow of the depths of the water does not feel like the energy of the North. It is far less mischievous, strict and yet constantly changing, whimsical and yet terrifying in their breadth.]

You can hear them now, can't you? The ocean.

[It doesn't speak in words as often as it does in emotion. And it is filled with disappointment, with disgust, with anger. It sees you as a threat. It sees you as a nuisance. It sees you as a prisoner. Its prisoner.

Time blurs. You are being dragged across the immense pressures of the seabed by the hands of those unseen. You're deposited in front of part of the ocean shelf. You don't remember it very well. You definitely can't see anything. But they wouldn't have brought you here if not for a very specific reason. Your magic is here. Your spells. A test you'd done when you were far younger, just to see what might happen. That was years ago. Decades ago. Centuries? You're not sure anymore.

You have not grown mute, sorcerer. Remove it.

It is not as though you have a choice. So your hands lift, and you work on untangling the spell. This one is complicated, and would take all of your attention even if you weren't at the bottom of the sea. As it is, the time it takes in addition to the curse wrangling your body makes the experience torturous. Your body breathes the water and yet craves for air that it can't quite remember.

But you sit, obediently, unlocking and unlocking, until you've let it go. There is no response. Your bonds simply tug, and you are moved on to the next location. Over and over. Your fingerprints are all over the ocean's landscape, your magic stretching in massive strides, and they are using you to personally scrub it clean, no matter how long it takes.]

You didn't strike me as someone so self-conscious of the social ecosystem.

( Mika says this as someone who has, thus far, impassively rebuffed their praise and worship. He knows what he's doing - it is as Robin says: they feel at ease purchasing protection (and is worship not purchase done with fearful murmurs?), and quiver at the fickle gods who would deny them this reassurance. If they stammer at him, he simply hastens his step.

His mother was like this, too. And, as someone who is so afraid of the unknown - Mika does not fail to understand.

But he does not sympathize. )

Faithful humans are the ones capable of the most harm. Religious ones, cultish ones...

( Since Mika is doing his job (at the cost of the humans' peace of mind), he will walk in step to the perimeter, where there is barrier to lay and reinforce. )

... I prefer not to feed into bad habits, is all. ( If they want to be lorded over, they can find it from the local wizards, and not Mika. He will not affect change, but he will not indulge their fétiche, either. ) They can hand-wring their skin raw, if they'd like.

Edited 2024-05-25 08:09 (UTC)

Alright.

With me, then. Save your energy.

[He will not allow Day to turn back around. As far as Solomon is concerned, Day is going to get himself killed should he stay in this forest any longer. So he stays alongside him, as long as it takes, to get him outside the boundaries of the forest. What words he manages are that of a teacher, always firm, encouraging, urging him to keep going.

As soon as they're free of the boundaries, Solomon's broom appears at the same moment the charm starts to dissipate.]

I'm bringing you back to the tower. If you don't think you can fly on your own, then stay with me.

[ Again, it's almost weird how naturally Solomon falls into being a teacher, if you ask Day. By the time they arrive outside, he tries to summon his broom, since it'd be embarrassing if he can't get to the tower after that ordeal.

... Nothing. ]

Well, that's the answer. Mela's frozen tits.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 37 of 117

thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

no subject

Re: reverence

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

tea party

memshare!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Memshare, give me whatever you think would be fun

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject