thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

[promittere]

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

Comments

[fellheart]

Iғ I ʜᴀᴅ, I sᴜsᴘᴇᴄᴛ I'ᴅ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴛ ʙᴀʙʙʟɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ ᴜs ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.

Aᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ, I ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ᴄᴀsᴇ ᴏғ ɪɴᴅɪɢᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ. [ a throaty rumble, a brief flaring of his wings before he readjusts himself. ] Tʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴄʟᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴀғғᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴsᴛᴏɴᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ɪɴɢᴇsᴛᴇᴅ.

[foresightis2020]

[ HELP NOT THE CALLOUT

Jing Yuan lets the words settle in for a moment as Malice asks him, and there is further pause instead, as if he doesn't know what to say.

How he was acting a moment ago, seeing Solomon like that in the first place, in front of everyone else. What it could mean, what it might mean.

He simply lets out a sigh, raising a hand to hold his own head. ]

As long as Solomon is alright, I think I'll be fine.

[ ... ]

My apologies for worrying you so. It was not my intention to cause any such trouble to anyone. But, it is just...

[ He pauses, again. ]

I'm not sure how to explain it. I was simply at a loss, at the idea of something happening to him.

[1145pm]

[ Tatara remains perfectly in place in Day's hold, and doesn't move. His breathing is deliberately even as he tries to keep a handle on himself, and his eyes remain flat, and open. If he blinks, he thinks to himself, he might cry. And he doesn't want to do that.

Dream-Tatara mumbles to himself as his death nears, and Tatara remembers saying all of this. It's himself, after all. He can carefully trace the lines of his own thoughts and knows his conclusion.

So he says it again, in tandem with his dream self, to assure Day: ]

I was...happy...

[ Not about his death, of course. But— ]

My life wasn't perfect, but it felt like it was... I had everything I needed, and everything I wanted. I just...

[ He pauses to bite his lip again. ]

...wish I could've wished her happy birthday.

[1145pm]

Wow! Thaaank you, Ithaqua!

[ It's so cute! Ithaqua is scary, but this is very cute! Tatara holds out his hand, making sure it's in the shot, so that the snowman can be safely transfered ownership. ]

I'll put it right next to the tape in the library, so everyone knows this happened for real. [ ... ] It...will stay cold forever, right? It won't melt eventually and ruin the film, will it?

[divineth]

Hah. Mayhap it is. I have seen and done much during my many travails. Mayhap this hath also aided mine ability with words.

[At the very least, he’s glad to have provided Ithaqua with some perspective. Hopefully it will serve him well.

But with the topic of truth in the air…something else comes with it.

Voices in the distance.]

[lighthaus]

You— [ he's timed out on "I love yous" because he's still too new to this, and each time still reverberates through all his bones until it comes to rest in his heart. ]

Alright. Want to hold hands again? You don't need to worry about losing me, because my past is my past. But— [ he likes holding tatara's hand. ]

[fellheart]

[ honestly if the crowd has thinned enough robin might also be napping. if he is then he'll blink an eye... and an eye, and an eye open before lifting his head. there we are, the last member of the northern cohort. ]

Hᴍᴍʀʀʜʜʜ? A ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ, ɪs ɪᴛ? Vᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇʟʟ.

[ mind your fingies, itha, let's see how stubborn witch tastes today. ]

[fallingsand]

[ The temptation to ask what the other two were for, but, ultimately? It doesn't matter. What matters is they worked. That's all. ]

Huh, so two left. Good. That's good. You keep those, y'know, just in case.

[divineth]

And the danger hath only increased following thy wise conclusion… We ought to keep our excursion short, then.

[Which wasn’t his original plan, but they shouldn’t push their luck in this place.

As if the forest has sensed their trepidation, however, reality begins to warp. Trees vanish before their eyes and snow hardens into dust.]

What…?

[Well. This can’t be good. He thought his charms were working perfectly.]

Day, art thou witnessing this?

[fellheart]

[ literally just this tho ]

[fallingsand]

[ Bruno crouches down briefly to retrieve a piece of rubble, small enough to fit in his hand. It's an adobe tile with a butterfly design on it. That, he looks down at sadly, turning it over carefully in his hands. ]

It. It was what saved everyone who lived here. That was fifty years ago. [ Which is, oddly enough, the same age that Bruno is! Wow! ] The army was going through the countryside, burning down towns, and my dad was trying to lead everyone somewhere safe.

[ Weird. He feels this is the first time he's mentioned his dad in this place, but why would that be strange? He never got to know him, not directly. ]

Only the soldiers still caught up with them, even in the jungle. They didn't care what side they were on which was... not really any side? At all? [ Just a bunch of collateral damage, in the end. ] But they caught up at a river, so dad went back to try and stop them. Or. Or distract them or. I don't know.

[ How does he even explain how the Miracle happened? He was only a few days old at best during it. He has no memory of it of his own. ]

But... they just cut him down. [ Which, normally, would mean the end, right there and then, only— ] No one's really sure what happened then. I don't know if his sacrifice caused it or mom's grief did or... or if it was something bigger, deciding to intercede... but there was a bright light that blew the soldiers back, and then the mountains rose all around and created this valley, and then created this house. This was the first building here, and I'm pretty sure it was the first thing destroyed, too.

[ He gives the butterfly tile one last mournful look before setting it back down with the rest of the rubble. ]

We wouldn't know about the gifts we would get until my sisters and I were five, so that came later.

[fellheart]

Sᴘᴇᴄᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴘᴀʀᴛ. Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ... ᴠᴇʀʙᴀʟ ᴇᴄʜᴏ, ᴏғ sᴏʀᴛs, ᴛɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴜs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴏʀᴛʜ.

Tʜᴇʏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇs, ʙᴜᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ ᴏғ Iᴄᴇ ᴀғғᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ I ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴇᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴏғ Nᴏʀᴛʜᴇʀɴ ᴡɪᴢᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀs ʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ...

[ a pause where a shrug would be if he were capable of it. he's done his reading. the city of ice is under the twins' protection. this all tracks enough for him to be able to make this educated guess. ]

[fallingsand]

Ah, really?

[ At this point, Bruno's lost track of who does and doesn't know. Keeping it secret ended pretty dang early and, in the end? No one freaked out over it. It was... nice. That people wouldn't care. ]

It's nothing great or anything. All I can do is—

[ However, before Bruno has a chance to turn to Syrlya and tell him, the fog becomes so thick that they'll lose sight of one another, Bruno's voice fading away as it does.

Only, even as that happens, the fog is similarly quick to draw away again, revealing what looks to be an odd cavern full of sand. It reaches up high, a spiral staircase roughly hewn from the stone leading off somewhere out of sight, but down here is where there's anything of note. A similarly roughly chiseled statue of a hand pointing up, all from the same stone, stands before Syrlya, the words "SU FUTURO ESPERA" carved deeply into it.

That, however, isn't the thing of note. What is of note happens to be that there's the sound of sobbing from amongst the rustling soft sound of falling sand all around coming from right behind that very same statue. ]

[lustro]

Ah... he does feel like an unstoppable force usually, doesn't he?

[ When the giants in your life turn out to be mere humans after all. ]

[lustro]

[ Can... the moon please just stick to one effect? Just pick a pokemon type and stick with it!! ]

Did the witches say anything about the moon itself? And um... what was the glow of their magic like?

[lustro]

But - your mask.

[ He'd always assumed it meant something important to Ithaqua. ]

[troublereduction]

Or at least someone who'll do as he wishes.

[ Which is perhaps what Ginger meant; Day just felt it was more important to emphasize that Solomon chooses to be this way. ]

...Don't think he ever came back to the manor the whole time we were sent up North. [ Now that he thinks about it. ]

[annihilator]

...Yeah.

[He understands, of course. How could he not? Maybe Jing Yuan doesn't feel the same way about Solomon that Malice feels about Yamato, but it's the closest comparison he has so he's just going to assume that Jing Yuan is into the other grandpa. That's just how it goes.]

I felt that way 'bout Yama, y'know. Like I'd be completely lost if he were to actually die from that gunshot. I didn't really understand it until I talked with him. So you an' Sol should do that, an' see where it takes you.

[He does choose to be merciful and not actually suggest that Jing Yuan is into Solomon but surely a discussion will help you guys figure it out, right?? Right???]

[annihilator]

Nope, they were a bit too worried 'bout how badly we were beatin' 'em up.

As for their magic... Honestly, I was too busy gettin' smacked around by it, so I didn't really notice.

[i don't think there was a description for what color it was, unfortunately!]

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan is just...surprised.

He blinks slowly, completely gobsmacked. He reviews the reactions of the memory in his head once more, as if to find something that paints a closer picture, but he thinks he might be missing something else. ]

...I see.

I suppose I hadn't anticipated you to have thrown so much away. Since it does sound like you lost quite a bit.

[ He seems to be considering something, because he wants to understand, but at the same time, he understands that this is a rather personal topic. Just like his own memories happened to be. So, he treads carefully. ]

Would you be alright with answering why you wished to make her one? If not, we can simply be on our way.

[foresightis2020]

...Ah, a verbal echo where they were talking.

I recall having heard their names before beyond literature, and spoken by themselves, in some kind of memory.

[ What a time to bring it up, but Jing Yuan supposes that if he can hear how they were speaking of get an approximate value of what was said, there can be notes briefly compared?

Or maybe that can wait until later, who knows. He doesn't seem to find reason to find fault with someone making (or trying to) an educated guess, at the least. ]

[revengier]

[ Wow, the dramatic. But there are a few things Kurapika doesn't like too, so like. He gets it, even though he crosses his arms. ]

I'm still bringing something. I've already made up my mind.

[revengier]

[ He shakes his head. ]

No, I doubt it. [ ... ] Is everyone in the village safe, at least? Any injuries?

[lustro]

[ new garden idea for the moon specifically:



ginger hopes it likes the view!!! STAY AWAY HOMEWRECKER ]

[annihilator]

Not that I'm aware of.

[...did we even check the village or did we just hop on robin and leave............]

Good of ya to be worried 'bout 'em, though.