EVENT & TDM 036

[sticksandbonesmods]

WAKE UP

Whatever you were doing, something doesn’t add up. For starters, you were most certainly not in this strange little village with a mishmash of cultures and strange animals everywhere. You might have been holding your weapon, yes, but maybe you weren’t- maybe you don’t even have one, and the heavy wooden beam or old pipe in your hands is foreign entirely. But as you stop to think, you also realize you were mid-swing, and someone stands before you; another fresh face being urged by whispers untraceable to fight? Or one of the villagers, alarmed and primed to defend themselves before your time seemed to stop and your mind awoke?

Even stranger, once you get that sorted out, is that the wildlife- all animals mixed with plants- are all nervous at best, actively frightened by something unseen at worst. Squirrels whose tails resemble hyacinths more than fluff and fur run through the trees chittering and shrieking, foxes and dogs with reeds and leaves and petals gently growing from their haunches bolt from place to place, alert and stanced for an attack before running off again. Getting too close to a warren may lead to something biting down on your feet.

Should you journey the distance to the beach- or use the Ark gate generously provided- even the Emerald Sea churns and roars violently, the cliffside whirlpool practically a hurricane beneath the sea. Something is amiss in Aldric’s Grove, and you are only the latest victims.

A LANTERN IN THE HANGING TREE

There’s something that wasn’t there before, one day. A dark, gnarled tree with a gaping hole in it- except the hole is pitch black, and a barrier stops you from entering despite the opening being large enough to walk into. Hanging from the almost-bare boughs are metal lanterns, all of them unable to be lit. As fog rolls in, so too does poor weather. It’s almost always raining, if not outright storming. Sometimes it lets up, but not for long.

The fog brings something else though. Golden lights wait in the fog, and approaching them sounds… incredible, actually? They do not move or give chase, but you may find them unavoidable regardless. Walking into the lights brings you to a memory, a scene from someone’s life… but not your own.

As it finishes, you might be where you’d just been standing, but there’s a slim chance you now stand before the owner of the memory; as if you’d walked there in a daze while lost in thoughts that aren’t your own.

With each light met by a villager, a lantern in the tree lights.

GUIDING BONDS IN THE DARK

It’s dark. It’s painfully dark even though your eyes are wide open. As you fumble around, hands outstretched for anything at all, your fingers catch on a metal curve. Instinctively, you slip it on your wrist- and as your sight returns, emotions that aren’t yours slip into your heart and mind. You aren’t alone, but maybe you will wish you were. A silver chain connects the bracelet on your wrist with your companion’s own before vanishing again, and if you try to put more than six feet of space between each other an invisible tug between you stops you. Removing the bracelet blinds you again, but if given the opportunity, wearing more than one overwhelms your mind to the point that you may as well be wearing none at all. Your powers are null, your weapons are not with you. The two of you are alone.

You find yourselves in a dark cavern of dirt and root. High above, a silvery blue light shines.You can hear rain hitting leaves and bark, water trickling down roots. Should you try to climb up, the roots shake you off themselves. Behind you is a solid wall. Ahead of you is a path to take, twisting and winding with ever shifting false routes and a chill in the air. There’s only one way forward.

As you traverse the labyrinth it will quickly become clear you aren’t alone. Something trudges through the caverns with heavy feet, stalking everyone within. Unlucky travelers will find themselves cornered by a minotaur looming over them, ready to fight and give chase- but it can be distracted by other travelers, or killed… temporarily, and it will come back with a vengeance.

Even outside of the minotaur there are other threats however. As you go from hall to room to hall, familiar scents and sounds creep in, all meant to invoke something you dread. Soon enough those scents and sounds will take shape, hunting you down just as fervently as the bull. Lingering in any space for too long also incites rising temperaments and lower inhibitions that you may struggle to shake off. Why would you? Smacking your partner for being a coward is so much more enticing. … Not just a smack. After all, about half-way through, when monsters born of your memories start to haunt the labyrinth too, you found your weapons, after all.

Your goal is to get to the center of the maze, while the maze wants to crush you with the minotaur, with memories of fear and regret, with its own rush of root and dirt while your emotions feed into each other, crashing against each other’s minds like ocean waves against a cliff. And should it succeed, should air leave your lungs one last time, you will not awaken in the Garden. This is a game, after all. No, as your companions filter into the center two by two, they will find you just barely breathing, strung up from the root, and the roots strung up in you. Plants grow from your flesh and blood, squeeze your lungs and heart. They may fade in a couple days, or you may well be corrupted by the Fallen Sun’s touch. You frame a single opening in the dreariness, but the sound of rain is louder than ever.

Little by little you make your way through, exiting from the gnarled tree strung in lanterns. The bracelets drop from your wrists and crumble to pieces. You’re free.

SOMBER RAINY MORNINGS

It’s been a trying month, and the rain does not stop. The lights do not dim, the lanterns in the tree do not flicker. All you can do is try to cope, in whatever way you can. And when something tugs at your mind again and the scent of dirt floods your nose, something roars in the distance.

The clouds in the sky are cut in half as a serpent made of the cosmos flies above, an iridescent rain falling from its body. Those corrupted in death will find themselves trying to avoid it, for its waters purify the rot in their bodies. Others may simply enjoy the warm beauty as the world seems to settle into a calm. The lantern tree seems to bloom and heal before vanishing into a flurry of petals, leaving only a few broken lanterns behind on the ground. Nene, the girl with flowers growing from her hair picks one up with a far-off gaze before returning to her cottage, leaving the rest behind.

Flowers begin to spring to life, embracing the warmer days of summer in the wake of spring, and gradually the wildlife begins to calm down.

For the first time in weeks, a sunny day awaits and the sky is stained with rainbows.

Spark Notes (Click to Expand)

summary

WAKE UP: New arrivals in Aldric's Grove arrive holding weapons, covered in blood, and most likely pointing them at someone. Surprise! On top of that, all the animals are on edge, and some might attack you if you agitate them or get too close.
A LANTERN IN THE HANGING TREE: A tree appears one day with hanging lanterns. Getting close to a golden light means that memories of others will enter your mind, and with each person who touches a light, a lantern on the tree lights.
GUIDING BONDS IN THE DARK: Within the labyrinth, everyone is connected by a bracelet and are therefore sharing emotions. Getting more than six feet apart will stop you from moving further forward, but without a bracelet, you'll be fully blinded in the maze. Your weapons and magical powers aren't with you, and threats loom around every corner.
SOMBER RAINY MORNINGS: To potentially cure the Corruption that some characters may have endured by dying in the labyrinth, the Cosmic Serpent rises from the sea to spew purifying rains across the Grove. Flowers bloom where the corrupted ground was healed, and you're given a break - for now.

out of character

Happy May! This is a reminder that TDMs are game canon. Current players in the game may redeem TDM AC this month (meaning: if you tag a new player/character and the thread reaches 5 comments from you, your AC is that entire thread for the month if you want). We'll find a better way to clarify this rule in the future and we're sorry for anyone it's confused in the past. Have fun with the event!

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ May Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

[dozygeneral]

[ The sight of the Grove and all its contradictions would be a frightful one even for someone who had arrived here peacefully. For someone who had arrived seemingly with an overwhelming belief of encroaching danger... he has to imagine it all is rather a lot to take in.

The name she inquires about is unfamiliar to him. A part of him wonders if he ought to guide her to the residents of this place that had been here longer than he. He had only a budding understanding of their circumstances, after all. ]

No, I'm afraid not. The place you now find yourself in is known as Aldric's Grove. And I would gently suggest you not peer too closely into the rift: in the prior month, it had some rather unexpected effects on any who looked for a little too long.

[deathgripped]

[At his warning, Castorice immediately drops her eyes. How terrifying, for even the sky to be a threat. In Amphoreus, at least it was a passive thing, so long as one did not to attempt to encroach on its domain.]

How terrifying. [Her fingers drum rhythmically, just below her clavicle. It is a soothing gesture.] And how frustrating. I know my grasp of the universe is fleeting compared to others, so I should not be surprised, but...

[She glances at Jing Yuan and shakes her head. She doubts he would understand her woes.]

Forgive me, none of this has been particularly polite. My name is Castorice. My home is Amphoreus, as I am sure you have surmised from my words. I... seem to be a bit lost.

[dozygeneral]

Please, you need not apologize. There is an adjustment period for all who arrive here, and such a thing need not be compared. I'd be remiss to judge you even mildly if your head spun trying to absorb this much new information.

[ She seems rather nervous and, all things considered, that does not surprise him. Most would be, if abruptly pulled from a place of familiarity to one of abject unfamiliarity. Not to mention that her words implied she'd lived a rather sheltered existence.

Jing Yuan tempers his expression. He offers her a gentle, relaxed smile. ]

It is a pleasure, Castorice. My name is Jing Yuan, and I hail from the Xianzhou Luofu, for all the good such locations do in these introductions! We are all lost, from what I've gathered. Should I offer the good news or the bad news first?

[deathgripped]

[A sudden excitement ignites within Castorice's eyes, followed by a level of alarm. She takes a step back, as if suddenly all too aware of something then offers another, much deeper bow than before.]

You - are General Jing Yuan? [Any thoughts of good or bad news are lost on Castorice. She merely gapes at the man.] The Trailblazer told us stories of you. And of the rest of the Luofu, of course. I never thought...

[To be scattered across the cosmos and still meet a "familiar" face. Truly, fate must be looking out for her.]

[dozygeneral]

[ Why is this the second time this has happened in a relatively short period of time... Jing Yuan's eyebrow lifts in minute surprise at the sudden uptick in formality, then slopes gently as Castorice elaborates. The presence of the Astral Express in such a tale explained much, even if he was not privy to the details. ]

Such formality is unnecessary! To answer your question, though, yes. I am the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Luofu. Again, for all the good that it does us here.

[ He tilts his head. ] I'm heartened to meet another friend of the Astral Express in this place, though. I must admit, it's likely the last thing I expected!

[deathgripped]

[The urge to bow again rises up, and dies the second he "chides" her on formality. It's enough to get her to stop short, but only barely. Instead, she lifts a hand to toy at a long strand of hair, looking mildly uncomfortable. What do you mean don't be formal.]

It is an honor, truly. It is my understanding that you played an instrumental role in helping us free Amphoreus. Truly, we cannot thank you enough.

[Because he totally knows about all of this -]

[dozygeneral]

Ah...

[ Did he do that...? He doesn't actually recall doing that, nor does he recall having any knowledge about this so-called Amphoreus. He lifts a hand to rub his head, expression shifting into more of a sheepish smile. ]

I'm afraid I don't think I've earned your thanks. I have no recollection of doing so, nor am I familiar with the name of your homeland.

[deathgripped]

[Oh.

Well isn't that odd. Her brow furrows.]

... Did you perhaps hit your head on your arrival?

[dozygeneral]

I fear I would have had to hit my head incredibly hard to forget the events you hint at. Though, if this eases your mind any, I have heard tell of residents from the same... story, as it were, appearing from differing points in history.

[ He mimes different points on a timeline with both hands. ]

Though I could not explain the logistics of such, it has occurred on numerous occasions. This may very well be the case with you and I.

[deathgripped]

[As Castorice listens, she finds herself drumming her fingers against her collarbone rhythmically. The repetitive motion is enough to soothe her thoughts as they grow more stormy.

If Jing Yuan was right, and these were temporal disruptions, then what would happen along a timeline where he wasn't there? Would they have enough external might to be able to properly put Irontomb to rest?

She nudges the thoughts aside for the time being, then gives a nod.]

It is a strange thing to consider, but... the Titan of Time was a mysterious being. Perhaps whoever governs the laws of time here is the same.

[dozygeneral]

[ His words seem to do the opposite of soothing her concerns. This must have been a dire threat indeed, to provoke such a visible amount of discomfort. Jing Yuan does as Jing Yuan does: he projects a strong front. A reliable one. Castorice was not one of the many souls aboard the Xianzhou, but she was one ill-at-ease. He would be remiss if he did not try to counteract it. ]

From my understanding, us being pulled here does not necessarily mean that we do not still exist in that space that we were pulled from. It is... quite a bit to wrap the head around. Though, to what end, I do not know.

[deathgripped]

[While it doesn't necessarily help — the concept of these strange paradoxes only growing all the more disconcerting — it doesn't hurt matters either. Somehow, someway, things might yet work out.

She needn't worry about her home or her friends that had been left there.

She'd take that.]

I appreciate you informing me of this, General. I... admit, I worry about the implications of any absence, but your words have given me much to consider about the matter.