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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[ It's appreciated, Ahito. Though this is all quite a little unfortunate, is it not?

The forest is not picky about who it chooses to disperse its form of misfortune; by which we mean, personal information that should remain as such. ]

It did.

It's curious that it only took until now to show us such things.

[ He says the unspoken aloud, aha. ]

...Though, might I ask what you were about to say before we were unceremoniously interrupted?

dream big

[ Yamato has made sure to place a seal on himself for prolonged warmth, because it is cold up here, and he's not a fan. He'd also place a protective one on himself, too, for extra safety, but unfortunately he's not quite at a point where he can double up on seals just yet. So, when he enters the forest, he makes sure to go with someone to ensure his safety. He'll return the favor if something happens, of course, but there was no way he was going to come here by himself, so.

He takes a look around. ]

Wow. There's a lot of...stuff everywhere, huh.

[ If you'd like memshare, please specify which of these you'd like:
- Childhood (angsty as hell, man)
- Joining IDOLiSH7
- A change of heart (deciding to try acting)
- Divorce (lol) ]

clean up

[ He's back here again, in the East, cleaning up the mess that Collodi made. He's pretty somber while he gets to work, chucking piece after piece of scrap metal into the fire. He's not happy. He's not enthused to be here. In fact, it looks like he's just mindlessly throwing things -- though given everything, maybe it's hard to blame him for it.

He's so out of it. He won't even acknowledge anyone who approaches him, because he won't even notice they're there. ]

finger painting

[ Tatara did him a solid, so he's ready to return the favor. This task is more bearable than the East one, at the very least, and he may have learned to be a little more fond of arts and crafts.

To those who saw him deny making a nametag a few weeks back, it may be surprising to see him entertaining the thought about finger painting. He's picking out some colors and has a canvas ready, right in front of him. And unlike in the East, this time, he'll greet anyone who also seems interested in participating...or in whatever he's doing, at least. ]

Hey. You wanna join in? This is probably the most relaxing thing we'll get to do all week, if I'm being honest.

wildcard

[ surprise me i am down for any of these prompts. ]

[Khun who said you could come along...]

You'd think I'm a central wizard with how much I keep having to branch out for these jobs...

[ So it does.

Jing Yuan watches Solomon's tactics still with great interest, getting further insight as to what his battle tactics are like when he is truly unhindered. Notable is it that he doesn't advance upon those trying to pick up the dead because he can imagine how easily it'd be for him to do so. Kick them while they're down, so to speak.

It's impressive that he doesn't stop for nothing; but he never delights in the carnage he makes in his wake.

But, Solomon's questions also attract his attention, enough to briefly tear his eyes from the sight, even if he looks back to catch Solomon's start of exhaustion...

...Alone. How long has Solomon been at it all by his lonesome, he wonders...? And then there are his words, spoken with such conviction. So his smile is a little wry as he speaks. ]

Mm. I believe it too.

Even if it should not come at a great cost, it feels as if in your world this clash was bound to occur. If not by you, it could very well have been by whenever they decided it was time to try to reign over humans, if their hold was not already so tightly over them already.

And if that should be the case, I believe that humans would need a champion to defend them from that which would only continue to take from them.

Though, I wish you had others to have support your cause...I can see here that you are starting to tire.

...It hasn't been as long as you'd think. Since I saw her, that is.

There was a spell in my world that made me see pretty much what you saw now, and it wasn't even a year ago.

[Ithaqua is in a good mood, because it's nice and cold, he's back in the environment he's best suited for. Happy enough that he doesn't actually notice that the trees around him and his companion turn more dreary, the pines taller and more spindle-like, the snow losing its glitter, until the sky is dark and he notes a shadow in the distance that should not be in the Forest of Dreams.]

Why Is there a house here? [It's impossible to live here, hence why Ithaqua decides to investigate, after a nod to Kiryu.

However, Ithaqua begins to recognize the details of the house the closer they get, and he stops in his tracks when he realizes what exactly he's looking at. The thatched roof, the extension covering the little herb garden, even the two small snowmen, the larger one with red leaves stuck to its head revealed to have a smaller one leaning against it. He can also hear footsteps inside the house, signaling that there's someone inside-- two people, one walking with footwear, the other languidly moving with the first.

He takes a deep breath. He can imagine what's inside, but if Kiryu makes to inspect the house, he won't stop the man. It just won't be pleasant inside, because there is a young man who looks much like Ithaqua inside, attempting to coax a red-haired woman he calls his mother (though she looks a bit young to have a child as old as Ithaqua) into bed.

She's barely cognizant, but when she finally gets into bed and he maneuvers her limbs onto it, he fetches her a jug of water... And when she takes a good look at his face, she begins to scream.]

Edited 2024-05-21 06:18 (UTC)

[His exhale is slow at that. Yes, he can see it, too. He remembers this fight well enough. Even as it starts to draw to what he knows is its inevitable end, when the break between the waves has grown so great that he has time to pause and think out in the deadlands left behind from the carnage.]

They don't need a champion. [A quiet correction.] They just need each other.

If I can help make sure they can choose what way they wish to trace their lives, without something else guiding their hand without their direct request, then I can weather plenty of tiresome nights.

[It's as that reflection of Solomon retreats, out onto the valley, that he suddenly vanishes in a brilliant array. Starting from the point of his departure and spreading outward, the field blossoms in shades of green and vibrant red and deep, dark blues, of pinks and yellows - plants not of the human realm, but of somewhere else entirely, spreading out on the field of death like water finding it's way through a crack and soaking in.

Solomon hums at the sight, nostalgic, even as the colors start to fade, whiting out to snowy surroundings in swirls of color.]

They call this Victory Day in their kingdom. The day that the sorcerer, who fought seven days and nights, suddenly vanished without a trace.

Edited 2024-05-21 06:50 (UTC)

[ pwease don't reply to this ]

[ Shinjiro is, notably, not enjoying his time in the north; he shivers every now w and then with a notable grimace despite the enchantments you can feel on his clothes, both magic his and somebody else's.

But Shinjiro is very much not a huge people person, and when offered this or dealing with the fanatical villagers, he'll take sweeping up magic stones and animal corpses any day. ]

'S always cleanup, huh.

[ It's not the most grievous of jobs, but man, they sure do a lot of it. Shinjiro's already got a small collection of mana stones, bag in hand and axe slung onto his back since little else can survive in the forest besides themselves.

He breathes out, tugging his hat further on his head, and dislikes how the poison wafting in the air curls in the wake of his breath. ]

Seriously, this place gives me the damn creeps....

I know they do not want to do so, but they feel they must. [And he believes that is more disgusting than the act in the first place.

He's not sure he wants to bring back the previous North wizards, if they're fine with this treatment.]

[ Inevitable it seems indeed, at least even to Jing Yuan who is merely a spectator to it all without having known the trajectory of the events in its end.

The correction only has him look back over at Solomon, but not offended by it at all. ]

...You truly do have great faith in them, don't you?

[ Others claiming to guide humanity would certainly show less faith in their independence. But, not Solomon. ]

It makes me have no reason to doubt your intentions.

[ Jing Yuan watches the sudden change though, a bit confused at how it even happens. That is not how he has been expecting it will end. Though, it seems also relatively ominous.

Even if it means it signals the end of it at all in the first place. For a moment they have a reprieve from the showcasing of memories playing before their eyes, even as, when he tears his gaze away from what had been shown, to Solomon, the surroundings seem to have begun to shift again. In preparation for the next, perhaps.

So, quickly, Jing Yuan asks: ]

...What happened? Why did you suddenly disappear?

[ Khun's magic, huh? He looks at him curiously.

Well, considering how cold it is, and Shinjiro wasn't that long ago very sick, Jing Yuan can only feel glad that someone else was apparently watching over him. He thinks he deserves that much. ]

Haha, that's right.

[ He has gotten used to picking up after people, at least, and has already picked up some mana stones himself. Jing Yuan also hears his other comment and can't help but quip, even with the unsettling aspects of the forest swirling around them, aiming to lighten the mood. ]

Well, don't wander off too far, then. And if you're ever feeling too afraid, I won't be all that cross with you if you want to hide behind me.

[ Tatara opens his mouth to say something, but quickly clamps it shut when he hears the voice. He doesn't start, really, but he does look at Solomon in worry. Weird—he's never seen him surprised like that before.

As he scans the forest around them, he'll take Solomon's hand anyway. But all he sees is that they're alone here in this forest.

He looks back up at Solomon. ]

Did you hear that?

[He doesn't respond at first, though there's a shift in his body language, in how tired he allows himself to look in the honesty of his smile. A strange moment of reprise, in hearing words like that from another without a caveat tacked on.]

Yes. I really do.

[Some might call it treating them like children or self-righteousness. Some might call him no better than a demon or a god. But to mitigate the unknown in his own ways, so that humanity could thrive in balance... it was a role he felt a purpose in playing.

At the final question, he lets out a bright laugh as he shakes his head.]

Frankly? I can't remember anymore.

Perhaps I thought my message had been made clear enough.

[Perhaps the carnage had a limit, when his goal was not eradication.]

[ Day's the one accompanying Tatara this time, which is why he's got warming and protection blessings up. ]

Guess that's why they have the rep they do. [ After all, something beautiful that slowly kills tends to stand out in people's memories. ]

Hm?

[ Tatara looks up from his book, and when he sees Mòrag, he gives what is essentially a confused little smile.

:)? ]

Why am I what way?

[ Tatara peeks out from behind the lens, all smiles. ]

I'm recording video! Introduce yourself, Ahito-kun! We can have a little interview.

[ He points at the lens. Look there! ]

I keep hearing that.

[It's said lightly, with a wry smile, as G'raha looks around the forest. His ears flick at the sound of screaming, instincts wanting to see if he can find the source, but his body feeling odd is a sensation easier to ignore, some how.]

Both that I'm new and that this place can be very dangerous. That danger is why it falls to us to handle things, though, isn't it?

[He notices the flinch, but he keeps his questions to himself. In time, things will be more clear. He's sure of it.]

[She blinks, surprised, before laughing at herself.]

Ah, why didn't I think of simply using a glamour? I must be getting myself too caught up with all of these new rules for how magic works...

[Which is to say, yes, please hide the ears and tail so she can be extra stealthy.]

My wardrobe is quite limited at the moment, but... It's certainly a start.

[It's not like G'raha's had much time to hit the markets or anything just yet, so she has little else but the clothes she arrived with and some more basic pants and shirts. Still, there's probably a way to tailor these pants to get them to look more feminine...]

Though I feel if I had come in wearing robes, it would be far easier. A shame, then.

[ Tatara's bundled in the down jacket Khun gave him, probably black with fur on the hood (he would've worn his blue winter coat for this, the one he arrived in, but it's still shoved in the back of his closet, still torn, bloodstained, and a part of him just couldn't wear it in front of Khun). But his knit hat with the pompom and the mittens are all purple.

He's huddled right up beside Khun, absorbing both his body heat and enchanted heat, and peers up at him. ]

Like what?

[ Just curious, really.

As they walk, the faint scent of cigarette smoke, of worn wood, and sweet, distilled alcohol fills the air. Tatara tilts his head when he gets a whiff of it—it smells so familiar—but doesn't comment on it. ]

[hehe]

I'd like to think I'm adjusting quite well, circumstances being what they are, but there's always something strange about finding yourself somewhere not your home.

[But he's not a stranger to that, at least, and this is arguably much better than the last time it happened.]

Is there anything wrong with being optimistic?

[ok edgelord,]

Be that as it may, there's a more direct way to ask if you want a proof of my ability, isn't there?

You sound like this ain't your first time wakin' up in a strange land.

[ Which...man, that's a thought to have. ]

Duly noted, though please forgive me if I stumble a few times.

[Though with the way he says it, he's clearly joking.]

Is there anything else you insist on that I should know, now that we're to be comrades?

[Nods!]

Aye, that would be me.

[His eyes land on the book immediately, curiosity plain on his face.]

I'm told it's quite miraculous that I was able to get out of the forest unharmed, as its quite a deadly locale.

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thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

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memshare (kiryu) cw: mental illness & implied torture

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STARTERS

JING YUAN

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sepia dreams

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