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

[annihilator]

My— Oh, damn.

[Though he recasts it on himself, it's a bit too late to stop the memories from seeping in (or out?). Regardless, several figures flicker into being - first a few, then more, and still more, gathered in a run-down room that barely fits them all. They're drinking together, looking happy and chatting about something you can't hear.

Malice is there too, though he stands away from the crowd. He looks exactly the same as he does now, completely with massive metal claws, but his expression is... melancholy, maybe. He's approached by one of the others (humans, presumably) who claps a hand to this fake Malice's shoulder. The man is average in every definition of the word - plain looks, average height and build, but he has a bright smile and looks happy to chat with their local vampire. Whatever is is he's said is lost to the wind, but it gets a wry expression from Malice, who shrugs the human's hand off. They actually seem to be pretty close, despite Malice's almost dismissive treatment of him.

Though perhaps further selling that notion is the real Malice, who has frozen, staring at the human figure with his good eye wide.]

[troublereduction]

[ Oh. Oh this is the fun hallucinations he's heard about, isn't it. At first Day thinks that, perhaps, this is going to be fine...until he sees the phantom Malice's face, and then the real Malice's face at all this. ]

...Malice?

[ Oh there's that gut feeling that something awful is about to follow. ]

[annihilator]

[Malice remains silent, eyes glued to the scene even as it fades out and a new one replaces it.

This time seems to be after a battle, given that human from before is sporting all sorts of bandages and Malice is sitting nearby watching him closely. "You don't need to worry about me, Mal," The human says with a laugh behind his words. "Marie patched me up! It's not like I'm gonna keel over and die the second you look away!"

The phantom Malice folds his arms, giant metal claw over his good arm as he huffs. "I ain't worried."

"Uh huh, suuuure, Mal. I believe that."

That Malice gets up from where he was sitting and approaches, swatting the human's shoulder as he flops down next to him. The human winces a bit at the strength of the blow, but his bright smile is back in place very quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I know you ain't gonna leave me alone anytime soon, Cody."

The real Malice slashes his claws through the images of both of them; his movement is lightning-fast, and the strike looks like it really would have hurt if he were actually attacking anything that could fight back. The illusions fade around him.]

Shut up! I already know how this ends! I don't need to see this crap all over again!

[...a totally normal reaction to have to seeing such chill scenes between two people who were clearly once friends.]

[troublereduction]

[ Totally normal. So normal that Day is watching it, his expression carefully neutral, though not judgmental either. He might not have all the pieces to fill in the blanks here, but... ]

...What happened, Malice? [ It clearly did not end well. ]

[annihilator]

[He snarls through gritted teeth as the scene around him begins to change into something else entirely. Gone are the humans, replaced with a tall woman with long, white hair. Oddly, her appearance is quite reminiscent of Malice's; sharp features, yellow eyes, and a lanky build, though she holds herself properly and does not smile. Her expression is ice cold as she looks down at...

Well, Malice is kind of in the way. He backs up to join Day, eye narrowed.]

You're about to find out.

[Illusionary Malice is there again, pinned down by two guards. He tries to struggle, but he's not making it very far and the woman speaks up. "So the reports were right. Interesting."

"The hell does that mean?"

The woman turns her attention to the guards. "Release him. He is one of mine."

Both guards step back and free Malice, and he stumbles to his feet, gripping his damaged prosthetic arm. It doesn't look like it's in any condition to fight, and for once Malice seems to have the foresight to recognize that jumping straight to the fight option would probably be a bad idea. "Whaddya mean 'one of yours'?"

"Can't you tell?" She asks, extending a hand. Malice flinches away from it. "You are the son I thought lost to me."

Though the illusionary Malice looks on with surprise and something akin to wonder, the real Malice folds his arms and scoffs.

The woman continues, "I'll offer you a choice: remain here with me and become one of Annihilation Eclipse... or return to your life with the rebels. I will consider you an enemy, should you deny me. I will treat you as much child, if you accept."

It probably isn't surprising that Malice doesn't take long to consider it. "I'll stay. I'll stay with you - an'... an' I'll even give you the location of the rebels! So you know how serious I am 'bout this! I'll work for you, I'll do whatever you want, I just..."

That Malice looks desperate, and when he reaches out for her hand, it's not to shake it - to finalize their deal. It's to cling on, with the look of a man drowning, searching for salvation. Salvation he apparently won't find, given the real Malice's clear disgust with the whole scene. Slowly, the figures fade out, leaving Malice for last.]

So I sold 'em out. The friends I'd made, the people I'd come to care for... for a chance at family. At wealth. At power. So I could have a better life.

[His posture is tense and tightly-wound as if he's preparing to fight something - but it's not like Malice can fight his own past, now is it?]

[troublereduction]

[ Day could already guess even before the memory confirmed it because there were only so many reasons Malice was reacting the way he was. He looks contemplative as the scene plays out, his expression still neutral in the way where it's hard to pin down what he might be thinking.

Finally, he says:]

And it wasn't worth it.

[ Or Malice wouldn't be so tense. ]

[annihilator]

[Way to cut directly to the heart of the matter, Day.]

...No. 'Cause she betrayed me an' the one friend I made while I was there was in on it. But even if they hadn't I...

[He shakes his head. Tries again.]

Still wouldn't've been worth it. I didn't like tryin' to pretend to be a noble. It stripped all the things that made me me, so I was left pretendin' to be someone else. I just wish I'd realized it sooner.