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lunaecalamitas2024-05-18 12:19 pm
promittere) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-05-18 12:19 pm
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...
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.
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...
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.
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?
cw: torture mentions
I would rather it have been myself involved, than anyone else.
[ Regrets in this instance, are surprisingly non-existent, despite it being a complicated subject.
Though what makes it less complicated in at least letting Dan Heng go, even if it meant he may never have seen a familiar face (in a sense) again, is that the man was being constantly, repeatedly tortured in a dark place for reasons, so. Haha.
He didn't trust anybody else to handle this properly. ]
no subject
They say being a ruler changes you, but I don't think you've forgotten all of who you are.
[ it's a compliment. ]
no subject
There are many reasons for this, though despite that, he hears the compliment, and does not reject it. It takes him a moment to respond, and he judges it acceptable because it also is the truth, letting out a sigh. ]
Mm. No, I do not believe I have.
Which is more than can be said of others.
no subject
Let's get back before this forest screws with us more. [ surely they'll be able to reach the perimeter without getting pulled into another memory? ]
no subject
[ His response is a definite agreement. ]
We've ventured in far enough, and we can likely catch monsters hanging around in the general area better this way.
[ So. Two birds, one stone!
And surely, no other memory will be on them, right? Jing Yuan begins to turn on his heel, intending to head back...? ]
no subject
BY ORDER OF THE PRINCESS
...when it's just the two of them in the forest once more, khun lets out a single sigh. ]
no subject
Jing Yuan watches all of that, from beginning to end. To say it's pleasant isn't really the word for it. The first part seems relatively straight-forward, and he can connect the dots with guesses. AA is the young boy, perhaps, given the woman happens to be apologizing to him; the appearance is familiar to guess as to the identity of who that is as well. Though, perhaps that presumption is a bit too much as well.
But, he is also connects more solidly that the boy from before who was apologized to before and the boy who is saying he is not sorry for hitting betray are clearly the very same. ]
Politics of the Tower, is it?
...You betrayed them for a personal reason. And you didn't regret it.
[ ... ]
But, did it pay off?
no subject
[ the smile he offers is odd, not entirely plastic but also not genuine. ]
I succeeded in making Maria a princess, which is what I wanted. And Kiseia—my cousin, was right. My mother and everyone connected to her lost their standing in the family and were kicked out, myself included.
I haven't spoken to either of them in years, but I'm sure Kiseia wants my head just as much as she did then.
But yeah, I got what I wanted.
[ at the cost of pretty much every other part of his life up to that point. but jing yuan will be able to tell he's legitimately satisfied with this, with losing so wholly despite that. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
but things are different now. ]
Everything, actually. I raided my father's vault to take some things and then I left.
[ his smile relaxes into one that's entirely genuine. ]
Because Maria is a miracle. She's someone who should not have been able to exist in our family, let alone the Tower. Kind, caring, bright and beautiful.
I did it because she asked me to and I loved her. I still do, though I haven't seen her since she left to become a Princess. Maybe I'll see her again one day and maybe I won't, but that doesn't matter.
I gave her what she deserved and that alone was enough to satisfy me.
no subject
He listens to what Khun is saying with rapt attention however, simply because this is pretty much an important divulgement of certain matters. So, this Maria must have been real dear to Khun for the amount of kindness that she held.
He thinks it also solidifies Khun as the type of person to do quite a lot for those he cares about, even potentially at his detriment. ]
I can't say I've met many who would be willing to do as you did, especially since most who have that much wouldn't want to lose it, nor bear such great consequence.
...But, I believe I understand well enough your reasoning with that answer.
no subject
Then you know me better than my own family does. [ a simple statement of fact. ]
no subject
...Hmm.
Well, considering everything, I believe I'll have to categorize that as something of a rarity.
no subject
Take it however you like. Now let's get going before we learn even more about each other.
no subject
Either way, you will find no disagreement here with me; there is only so much privacy violations we should be enduring.
The sooner we leave, the better.
[ Time to make like a banana and split, Khun...at least the walk back won't be too difficult, eh?
There just might be a need for a drink or two after this (though it's going to be hard getting one so far out in North Country, probably.) ]