EVENT & TDM 034

[sticksandbonesmods]

WAKE UP

Cleaving across the sky of Aldric’s Grove is a deep black gouge — a rift, an open wound, that blots out the sun and moon in their respective orbits. Looking into the rift so high in the sky yields little; it’s too high up to actually see into it, but on occasion, flashes of the cosmos seem to flit through it.

Then, as the current residents of the Grove might say, people start to fall out of it, tumbling through the skies and painfully through the sky barrier preventing those on the ground from reaching those falling. New arrivals will find themselves careening through the stars and suddenly through a constantly-reforming magic barrier that feels like glass against their skin. Lucky arrivals will be caught on the backs of either a large, rainbow bird, or a golden scaled dragon — Aurora, the Sky Guardian and Sehul, the Sun’s Aide, respectively — before they hit the ground and become a smear in the grass. Unlucky arrivals won’t hit the ground thanks to timely aid from the remaining Guardians, though it’s a tossup which hurts worse: getting caught in a conjured bush made of thorny vines to break the fall thanks to Moder, getting tackled out of the sky by the tiny stone-skinned gargoyle Zahliya and rolling across the grass with him, or being grabbed by a mass of Callan’s tentacles only for him to decide he might deliver to you a “hello” bite.

At least the River Guardian Sinann sees fit to heal your wounds.

The magic here feels thin, everyone notices. New arrivals may find out from the old hats that magic was nigh nonexistent for several months, and the steady trickle of it returning has been akin to running the tap through a snowstorm — a drip, drip, drip, but the pipes still appear to be mostly-frozen regardless.

It’s just as people stop falling from the rift that the pipes finally burst.

PERCEPTION CHECK!

Suddenly, magic in Aldric’s Grove is unfamiliar and foreign. Those of you with existing magic and similar powers may find that your abilities are uncontrollable — that candle you were going to light with your fire magic is suddenly entirely melted and your bedroom is ablaze, or the healing magic you tried to use bursts outward from you so strongly that it saps all of your energy for the rest of the day when all you wanted to do was patch up a scratch. Things like this are a common occurrence, as though you’re a brand-new spellcaster all over again.

In addition to this, the magically-inclined and perfectly benign alike will feel something else brewing beneath the surface: the Grove’s own native magic suddenly becoming your own. This, too, is impossible to control — visions from the Blessing of Foresight plague your mind, the alchemy granted by the Blessing of Life shatters the vials of potions you attempt to make, and the summons from the Blessing of Conjuration do not heed your command. The elemental spells now at your fingertips are far more destructive than you intended them to be. Whether you’re an experienced caster or not, the leylines of the Grove remain wild and untamed, lashing out from months of suppression.

At least when the occasional monster strolls its way into the Grove past the flickering barrier of the fog wall, it’ll be instantly vaporized by you trying to use your abilities on it. Probably. You may just nuke yourself from orbit in the process instead.

-Players should scroll down to the “magic” section on the linked page for the full breadth of their abilities that can be freely played with.
-Magic from each Blessing is available to use up to Tier 3; the Gifts of the Sun & Moon are unavailable.

ROLL FOR INITIATIVE

With the chaos of the Grove being new and different, Ydalir the Trader takes it upon herself to find as many old spellbooks as she possibly can. This native magic has been untapped for eons, and with the sudden influx of random fireballs and ice storms every three and a half seconds, she’s taken it upon herself to dig up the ancient texts.

Unfortunately, they are ancient. Ydalir sits in the centre of the Grove and waves everyone she can see over, you included, before handing out random tomes with discoloured and dusty pages. She’s surrounded by them, towers upon towers of unsorted texts walling her off from most viewing angles. “I think I need help sorting these. And identifying them. And seeing if they’re even in a language that makes sense to people. There are hundreds and I’m stressed.”

She punctuates that with a laugh.

“You can keep any tomes you like or that you think will help you get a handle on things. Ooh, and I’ll give whoever helps sort these dusty old books properly and neatly into the library — no cheating, and don’t lie to me — some candy. I made it yesterday.”

Unfortunately, Ydalir imbues her candy with magic, too, and with it being haywire… you can expect effects, depending on what you eat. Have fun! Or don’t! She’s not your mom!

Chocolate Hearts	You turn invisible for 10 minutes, but your invisible form is surrounded by floating pops of heart-shaped fireworks.
Rootbeer Bottle Candies	You are completely immune to the effects of alcohol for 4 hours. When the immunity wears off, you immediately experience a type of drunkness that can only be described as "4 hours of drinking at the New Year's Eve party".
Cat-Shaped Sugar Candies	Wherever you go for the next 15 minutes, you do so by sprinting, leaping, and swatting at things uncontrollably. AKA: you have the zoomies.
Spiral Jawbreakers	You are instantly teleported to a different location in the Grove, forest, or beach. Anyone next to you is also teleported to that same location.
Gummy Pasta	Your hair grows uncontrollably long for 1 hour. Chopping it off only makes it regrow. After 1 hour, it will automatically return to the length it was previously.
Spicy Cinnamon Candies	Every time you exhale for 30 minutes, a small burst of flame comes from your throat. A harder exhale will let you breathe fire that smells like cinnamon.

SHORT REST

The month drags on and on. Every morning someone casts Fireball. Every night, someone’s summon bursts through a window, steals your food, and runs. Luckily, the chaos starts to slow as the magic flowing through the leylines is finally used up, and the Grove’s natural magic — and your own native abilities — start to listen to you again. It makes resting easier, at the very least. No longer do you have to wait for your window to automatically repair itself after something smashes it.

You know, unless someone wants to start throwing completely mundane stones at it.

With everything settling back into a sense of normalcy again, Ydalir is… still doing things. She never apologised for her candies setting off a chain reaction of chaos, but this time, she’s not feeding you. Kind of. “If you want to stay connected to the leylines here and maintain some of the magic native to this place, here’s a spellbook for you to write your spells in, and—” she slams a leather-bound journal into your lap, a quill on top of it next to a small crystal that looks like it’s made of quartz. “A star shard! You’ll need to eat that to anchor yourself to the magic here. It’ll taste like sugar, uh… and it won’t do anything weird to you this time, I’m so sorry. Anyway, you should go out and practice with your peers! It’ll make all of this easier.”

If you head out, it looks like you aren’t the only person who’s been snagged for a bit of a magic lesson. It might be worth asking the more experienced spellcasters to help you with whatever new school of magic you picked up, or you could grab a study-buddy that’s on your tier… or you could just rawdog it and see what happens. Surely it won’t be as catastrophic as when you tried to do that throughout the month.

-New characters that app while this TDM is good (March + April) & existing characters already in the game will be grandfathered into the magic system, automatically gaining one Tier One Blessing of their choice without the initial 10-thread buy-in. The rules on the page must still be followed.
-Existing characters with ties to Beiwe & Ourania are free to pick up Gifts of the Sun & Moon at this point, instead of a Blessing.

Spark Notes (Click to Expand)

summary

WAKE UP: New arrivals to the Grove are falling out of the sky! They will be caught by the Guardians, but they'll be injured. Please help them.
PERCEPTION CHECK!: Everyone's magic goes out of control, and new magic starts to spring up and be freely used. No one asked for this but you sure do have it!
ROLL FOR INITIATIVE: Ydalir needs your help sorting through these magic tomes. You're free to read them and try to make sense of anything in them as well as claim one for yourself if you find it useful. When you help her, you will receive candy that has Effects™ in it. Whoops!
SHORT REST: Magic levels start to equalize, and no longer is life a struggle magic-wise. Ydalir will give you a star shard if you'd like to anchor yourself to the Grove's magic and keep some of what you've learnt.

out of character

It's March! Reminder that TDMs are game canon. Don't mind my notes on the prompts this time (but do mind them because I need you to follow the rules also). Questions about the magic system should ideally be directed on the magic page itself. Also does someone know how to get anchor/jump links to work on my magic page because no matter what I did it wasn't registering my div id tags and I'm starting to go insane... please let me know thanks-

updates

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

submissions

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

code

Comments

[ofboreas]

[Quick though the motion is, it is not lost on Varka. He wonders, hopes even, that his words have had an effect. That he is surely not the only one left wanting after the display of the other night. Overwhelmed, he had run away, but it wasn't simply because of his own shame, rather -

Well. Nicole's question hits it square on the nose, doesn't it?]

A bit of both, wouldn't you say?

[Her position invites contact, and Varka gladly gives it. One arm snakes around her, coiling around one side and laying palm down on the opposite. He reels her in easily, though with enough space to not outright invite contact. There's also room for her to slip away, should he be reading it wrong.

Barbatos does he hope that's not the case, though.]

I think he'd want to share that introspection with Koitar. He'd invite her to taste freedom and pursue it carefully at first. And if she found it worthwhile, he'd hope it'd bleed into a desire to pursue him in kind.

[His free hand settles between her ear and jaw, fingers briefly toying with the strands of her hair more brazenly, before sliding further downward. In the end, he holds her chin between a thumb and forefinger.]

But he'd leave the choice to her. He was an outsider, a mere mortal who could only barely fathom how dangerous the fountain he led her to could be. If she was to take a drink, it'd have to be of her own choice.

[quietangel]

[ Mortals and their propensity for throwing themselves headlong into danger… for one who has existed as carefully, as thoughtlessly, as Nicole has, she finds it all a bit enticing. To throw caution to the wind—how fitting—and follow the whims of the heart wheresoever they might take her. To allow herself a mere sip of that honeyed wine they call freedom.

For a life defined by wanting for nothing, this feels like a monumental step. She does not know, yet, if she is pitching herself off a proverbial cliff or uplifting herself to new heights.

It isn’t as if she’s been found wanting. Her life has been full of thousands upon thousands of impressive feats. She was a peerless mage nearly without equal. They both knew this.

Accepting this, then, allowing this… she has decided there is little harm. The Hexenzirkel had been acting of their own accord for many years now. She had been an arbiter and foreteller of fates. The Heavenly Principles, all the while, had slept. Those under their yoke had stood on their own two feet and defined their fates.

Who was to say she could not? Who was to say she could not circumvent a curse?

Varka radiates a warmth that is difficult to ignore. His hand is like a brand on her face, and a deep part of Nicole stirs with yearning. This, above all else, should be decidedly simple. To accept that warmth for what it is. Her heart trembles.

…It certainly helps that Varka speaks well, in this moment. She is reminded that leaders of men were often meant to be decent motivators.

She carefully lays her hand over his, eyes glittering in challenge. ]

And if she decides to drink? What then?

[ofboreas]

[In truth: Varka would be the first to say that Nicole did not need him. She did not need anyone. Her life was a storied one, her talents numerous. Arguably, a love story — one for the ages or not — would only be cliche atop her accomplishments. And if Nicole herself deemed that the case, Varka would not question it.

He would only count himself lucky, to have seen her make that choice.

But if she decided that she was willing to take a risk greater than their very lives, if she was willing to defy fate: Varka would stand at her side. He would slash at the very heavens if it meant defending her from the heavens. If Koitar was even half as radiant as Nicole, then it was little wonder that Seutervonin had been willing to do the same.]

Is that really a question? [He finds himself leaning closer still, voice falling to a hushed whisper. If Nicole was worried about scalding listening ears, then let this be a secret between only the two of them.] He would choose to share in that drink. And like any good knight, he would pledge himself to her.

[quietangel]

[ Was this a cliche, ill-conceived, ridiculous idea? Yes! Was Nicole feeling emboldened enough to throw caution to the wind and yield, for once, to a fit of passion beyond what would be dictated in her novels? Also yes! A significant amount of this newfound courage could be attributed to Varka's foolhardy showing at the inn the other day, when he had petitioned the heavenly powers themselves by name and… suffered nothing.

If there were places even they could not reach, there was a chance. If there were lines between the pages that their cosmic eyes could not read, there was a chance. It was her calling as much as guiding humanity was to thread that line, to go where mortalkind rarely dared, to achieve those greater heights and then strive for evermore. It was not arrogance, it was aspiration! If an angel could not do it, then a great witch most assuredly could.

Impassioned, stirred, Nicole leans forward into the quiet cradle of Varka's lowered voice and presses an… admittedly, clumsy kiss to the corner of his mouth. She might have read about these sorts of things a thousand times over, but there was something to be said about read experience not translating properly to learned experience… ]

[ofboreas]

[Clumsy though the kiss is, it's a perfection functional indication of Nicole's interest. In the grand scheme, that was all Varka needed. This was her word, her assurance that whatever came next, it was with her permission. He would not damn her to whatever fate came after this without her express consent.

Now that he has it, though — it may have been some time since he'd taken a lover, but Varka was far from inexperienced. Though it takes him a moment, thanks in large part to the grin that splits his lips, he shifts his grip from her chin to the side of her face. The hand against her waist mirrors it, cradling her like one might a fledgling bird, before leaning in.

He does not bother with the corner of her mouth, though. If they're doing this, then he'll seal the deal with a proper kiss. His lips might be on the rougher, slightly chapped side, but the movement is gentle and cautious. Thrilled though he is, he will not push her beyond what she can take.]

[quietangel]

[ Poised though she might be to chastise Varka for how comically he reacts, it is not as though she is any better. A fleeting, nervous smile prickles at the corners of her mouth the minute his grip shifts. He is being remarkably gentle with her even if it is entirely unnecessary, and a part of her, rebelliously, yearns to chastise him for that in equal measure. She was hardly made of glass. He would be hard-pressed to hurt her, let alone put her off her appetite.

The kiss itself is where things become complicated. There is far less caution in her reciprocation—she was not timid in the face of most things, even if she appeared withdrawn at first brush—than Varka exercises, but her inexperience shines. She molds into the kiss with unfettered and, frankly, wild eagerness, but then she simply… remains there, tucked in close, her lips pressed against his.

A faint rush of air filters out of her nose as she exhales rather noisily. One eye cracks open. Very quietly, even though he is the only one who would be able to hear her, she declares: ]

I am not quite sure what to do!

[ofboreas]

[Oh, Varka knows he shouldn't laugh. Laughing right now is the sort of thing that gets him deep into trouble. Not only is he going to invite Nicole's ire, but it's also going to garner attention from outside influence. After all, his chuckling isn't nearly as private as Nicole's own voice might be.

But laugh he does, even if he quickly slides a hand into their private little space and covers his mouth. His eyes crinkle with the force of it, obscuring but not erasing the fond look he had only just been wearing.]

We - probably need to work on it. Don't worry, don't worry. That's what practice is for! And it's not - [He exhales, trying to breathe away the giddiness before it manifests into another snort. Being this excited... it's been at least a decade since he'd felt like this.]

It's not like we don't have plenty of time to kill.

[quietangel]

[ Varka is correct about Nicole's ire. Even if she is fond of this man, and even if she is willing to weather the indignity of not being perfect at something the moment she attempts it this once, being laughed at is incredibly irritating!

With an expression that is wavering being outright annoyance and an irate pout, Nicole snakes her hand in between them to layer over Varka's. Then she shoves at his face. Begone, man, you are embarrassing a great and powerful mage. ]

You are incorrigible. Don't laugh at me. [ In truth, she doesn't even sound that mad. There is enough pink in her face to suggest it's largely embarrassment and pride at war, here. ] You are not even trying not to laugh at me! Ooh!

[ She really ought to set him on fire. That would serve him right. He could not laugh at her if he was on fire. ]

[ofboreas]

[The worst part is that Varka takes it as another romantic gesture. His eyes go half-lidded, laughter fading into a dopey grin (hidden behind his hand though it may be). He borders on lovelorn, perhaps even adoring -

Only to be blasted backward. There isn't even that much force behind it, but given where his expectations had lain, he's taken aback. He has to pinwheel his arms for a moment to keep his balance and, well...

Unfortunately, the laughter just gets worse. Without a hand to muffle it, the noise echoes through the trees and across buildings.]

Sorry, sorry - [He snorts, does his best to control his booming squawk, and then fails spectacularly at the attempt.] It's not - It's just.

You're really cute?

[God help him, he's going to get killed.]

[quietangel]

[ Oh, for Celestia's sake – not only has she failed in her attempt to quell his laughter, she has actually managed to make it worse. And to add on to her despair, not only is Varka practically announcing their presence to the entire Grove, he is doing so while calling her cute!

Cute? Nicole Reeyn? The sculptor, the literary angel, the grand and all-powerful mage? Remarkably, her face manages to go from a faint pink to cherry red. Her wings have started to stir the air with how quickly they're flitting between her shoulders.

She aims an accusatory finger at Varka, eyes sparking with righteous anger. ]

You are playing an incredibly dangerous game, Grand Master.

[ofboreas]

For telling the truth?

[His voice is as startled as it is delighted. Of course he would love toying with her like this. He doesn't even have to hold back now, doesn't have to question things like propriety or manners. They've kissed, the veil is torn asunder.

He is free to be worse.]

And here I thought angels were.... virtuous. Now I've got one telling me to lie? [He lifts his hand to his head, pushing his hair back from his face before massaging at his temple.] I don't know what to think anymore.

[quietangel]

[ This might actually be worse than being turned into a Seelie. Had she saddled herself with an incorrigible man who would now take every opportunity to ruffle her proverbial feathers? ]

I see now. [ There is an icy calm to her projected voice. ]

My initial plans to assassinate you were far too light a touch. I knew I should have formulated something far more aggressive. It would only make sense to match your natural disposition with enough force to ensure there was not a single modicum of a chance of recovery. I will now be going out of my way to ensure a single drop of alcohol never touches your lips ever again. It will be instantaneous. All wine will turn to water. It will be hailed as a miracle the likes of which this town has never seen.

[ofboreas]

Whoa - hey now! [In an instant, Varka's blood runs cold. He finds himself quickly waving his hands, trying to downplay what had only been a showcase in how deep one could dig himself a hole. It's no wonder he sprints the distance between them, immediately throwing himself on his knees before her.]

Let's not be hasty here! Surely I can make it up for you somehow. You can't just part a Mondstadter with wine! That's - you could kill a man like that!

[Already, sweat sheens on his brow. How would he ever survive?]

[quietangel]

That would be the idea, yes!

[ …It was honestly a little ridiculous how quickly both the mood and Varka's demeanor has changed. One moment he was confident to the point that Nicole might have, under duress, called him suave and now he was begging on his knees for her to spare his wine.

…She supposes there were multiple sides to a person, and to appreciate them was to appreciate every facet of their being. Even if some of those facets were more absurd. Nicole lifts a hand to pinch her brow. ]

I'm not even sure what to say! You are almost too pitiable to even threaten.

[ofboreas]

Seriously, you kiss a guy and then want to kill him? What kind of game are you playing here?

[It's difficult, exceedingly so, to bite back the smile threatening to burst across his lips. Even desperate (he doesn't for a second doubt her threat) he cannot help but be endeared. Jury's still out as to whether or not that works to his detriment or to his benefit.]

That almost is doing a lot of dangerous lifting there. Come on, you wouldn't say no to this face, would you?

[He's wolf-coded, check out this mean puppy dog face, Nicole.]

[quietangel]

I could very well say the same to you! You kiss me and then you laugh at me?

[ For one reason or another, Nicole closes the small amount of distance between them to stand directly in front of Varka. A realization clicks into place rather neatly as soon as she does: given Varka's height, he almost does not seem all that low to the ground even when kneeling. She squints down at him contemplatively, eyeing that face. ]

I would. It is not very convincing.

[ofboreas]

That's different! I was feeling affectionate!

[The pout drops into that earlier pained expression. And with that avenue now proven to be an impossible one to follow, he switches tactics once more. He reaches out, trying his best to thread their fingers together.]

Nicole... Come on. We all have to start somewhere.

[quietangel]

Your affection manifests in cruelty? I am learning much about you today, it seems!

[ This gesture, at least, seems to garner some level of success. The novelty of him interlacing his fingers with hers both catches her off-guard and proves to be a small, unexpected delight. She keeps her hand right where it is, even going so far as to layer his hand with her unoccupied one.

It isn't that she's easy… probably. She just finds herself very amenable to letting things go, today. ]

I know. It is still difficult for me to accept, nevertheless.

[ofboreas]

Yeah! [Varka?] Wait, no, that's not what I mean - I just thought you were sweet!

[Since she seems to be letting some of her guard down, Varka takes it a step further. He lifts a hand high enough to kiss the back of it. Look at him, he can be a perfect gentleman.]

You're doing fine, honest.