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

[dyingtohealyou]

[...Everything about this just grows more baffling by the moment.]

Sacrifice...? Wait, what is that?

[Trying to peer at the shadow below.]

[jorunna]

[ The shadow helps answer that by defining its shape as it swims by. It looks like a stingray... As in a large round placemat with a long tail. It has a pair of glowing eyes , and faint spots like crescents on its back. ]

Hello, Moon God. Or are you off duty right now?

[ An echoing sigh. ]

I was on holiday, if those Moon people ever respected schedules. Then I find you floating down the river. They could at least give my sacrifice an offering to hold onto that I would actually eat.

[ Splashes unhappily. Sorry Ahito, you and Comet are gonna have to duck to avoid getting splashed. ]

...Death God, then.

[dyingtohealyou]

[He will indeed try to duck.]

Both? Or?

[What is going on here!! He doesn't know enough about Comet to have much in the way of context to put to any of this, leaving him floundering, if not literally.]

[jorunna]

Both.

[ He's spared from sassy pancake's mild tantrum! At least young!comet is helpful to ahito, realizing he's confused. ]

Those who gain their immortality and magic from it like my Mom's people call it the Moon God. It gets stronger from their worship and offerings. But it prefers being a god of Death, since it carries lost spirits around or takes sacrificed spirits to other gods.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Uh...-huh.

Then...]

When it said you're a sacrifice...

[jorunna]

[ A nod! ]

Not the first time, either.

[dyingtohealyou]

...How does that work?

[jorunna]

[ The Death Pancake answers for this one. ]

They try to have me devour the little one as a part pf our deal.

If it's isn't obvious, I'm not interested. They promised me someone else.

[dyingtohealyou]

But they keep sending them instead?

[jorunna]

[ It bobs like it's nodding in response. ]

Because they lack the magical talent or the lifespan to be ever be useful. But that can't even do the deed.

I regret it... Giving those people that magic.

[dyingtohealyou]

...What magic?

[Hm. The hated word.]

[jorunna]

Whatever they thought would keep them and their knowledge of magic safe. There are monsters and demons in the world below them.

[dyingtohealyou]

And they aren't even properly sacrificing someone for it...?

[Not that anyone SHOULD actually get sacrificed, but-]

Sounds to me like they need their powers revoked.

[jorunna]

... I like you. That is the plan, so long as Comet's mother knows the consequences, as one who will lose her immortality with them. She was my dear friend.

[ Comet nods. They pull out something from their sleeve to toss into the water. It's a tied bundle of long, beautiful white hair. They are then slurped up like noodles... Guess who was the intended sacrifice? ]

From Mom. If they all eventually lose their magic... Then I can't get imprisoned like her for running away...

[ They say that with a little hope. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

Is that what you want to do? Run away?

[Sounds like a good idea tbh.]

[jorunna]

I... want to see Earth.

[ It seems like a good option. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

...Are you able to get there on your own?

[jorunna]

I can take care of that. The borders between worlds is a trifling matter for a well-traveled god.

[ Suddenly, the Death God turns and jumps out of the water swallowing the boat and the pair.

They're back in the Forest of Dreams when Ahito wakes up near a tree root. There are even mana stones littered about, what a lucky find.

Comet's curled up by another tree, still sleeping. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

[...Oh.

Well. The vision's done as quickly as it started, and Ahito spends a short moment in debate before shifting to shake Comet's shoulder.]

...Hey. Wake up.

You shouldn't sleep here.

[jorunna]

Mmm.

[ They're up, with the funniest cowlick. ]

This place is dangerous, right...

[ They are very much half-asleep. But they are doing their best, getting up from their spot. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

It sure is.

[H-hmm... he'll summon his broom.]

Here- we can fly out.

[jorunna]

[ Ah, that's smart. Comet could fly a broom in their sleep, but that's not recommended... ]

You see anything weird?

[ That's vague, but not out of the blue. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

-? Why, do you?

[Looking around but-

...Was that the sound of children laughing...?]

[jorunna]

Hm? It's a weird forest is all...

[ They hear that, looking around/ ]

Like that. Do you hear something?

[dyingtohealyou]

It sounded almost 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.]