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

[tempurahair]

[Oh dear. Is he yelling? Did he yell? Normally, he wouldn't think twice about it, but given all he's heard about Koyuki, well... It can't be good for her constitution, can it?

Then again, falling probably wouldn't be all that helpful either. He gives her a quick once over, making sure there isn't any sign of injury. Only then does he become aware of the fact that he is still clutching her bridal style. His mind flicks to the portrait in his home and, well -]

My apologies! [Oh, right. Volume. He lowers his voice ever so slightly.] This must be rather overwhelming! Do you think you can stand? Or shall I deliver you to the clinic?

[Is he babbling? Maybe a little bit. There's an inexplicable nervousness coiling within his chest. He searches their surroundings, as if he might find Akaza lurking within the trees. It should be him standing here, not Kyojuro.]

[lovesnow]

[ To a certain degree, she is used to being held – or, at the very least, supported. Given the height of the fall and the pain involved with her inexplicable collision, she is grateful for the assistance. Even if the man holding her seems… distressed, somehow? Nervous?

Koyuki blinks at him owlishly. Assured of the fact that she would not wheeze outright into his faces she lowers her hands to her lap. A gentle smile blooms on her lips as she, against all odds, reaches out to lay a hand on the man's shoulder. ]

Are you alright? And… we can certainly try. I avoided the worst of the fall, it seems, thanks to you. I struck something on the way down, but…

[ She chances a look around, brows knit in confusion. ]

Where am I, exactly?

[tempurahair]

[Her hand — Koyuki's hand — i somehow far gentler than he could have ever imagined. As he stares down at her, he feels his heart beat out of time. He had never met her, and yet after all these months in the Grove, he had come to mourn her loss all the same. Once upon a time, she had meant something to him — something he had loved without ever knowing.

It makes it quite odd, to look upon her like this. Worrisome, too, considering the circumstances. And yet... despite it all, he feels the faintest flicker of joy. Relief even.]

I'm perfectly alright! [He flashes a wide, brilliant smile.] I have handled far worse!

[He crouches at the knees, shifting his arms to allow her to find her own feet, but keeping close enough so that she might lean upon him as necessary.]

You have found yourself in Aldric's Grove! It may be a lot to take in, given your circumstances, but - [Is he saying too much? As far as she's concerned, they haven't met, right? Still, it should be said, lest she worry: ] This is not the afterlife. You are not being punished. You are very much alive, Koyuki Soyama.

[lovesnow]

[ The reassurance even if she does not quite believe it. She carefully keeps her hand braced against his shoulder as he places her down on her own two feet… at least, for as long as she can before he straightens up. Thankfully, she does not struggle overmuch to remain upright once she is standing.

His words… some way, somehow, she finds she is not confused. She would not have minded if it was the afterlife. Although the day of her death is an incredibly distant memory, there are moments she remembers with such vivid clarity that it might as well have happened yesterday. Drinking from the well. The pain. Darkness.

Awakening again, an indeterminate amount of time later, but in a state that seemed almost… incomplete. She does not know how long she lingered like that, drifting in and out of consciousness and existence, watching events unfold and unfold and…

This man has referred to her by name. He knows her, and she knows him, somehow, on the fringes of her mind. She cannot find it within herself to care about the specifics at the moment. Koyuki's smile remains soft as she folds her hands across the front of her clothing. ]

…I see. I understand, I think. Is this… a second chance?

[tempurahair]

[Her smile, he finds, is just as sweet as he might have imagined it. The thought startles him, but he manages to curb the urge to flush beneath it — namely by grinning so hard it simply cannot form.]

You could say that, yes! It is how I have taken to thinking of it myself. You and I are not so different! [Though, he does pause for a moment, smile faltering.] Make no mistake, there is plenty of danger to be found here, but...

[He trails off. It wasn't as if she was a stranger to danger, now was she? The thought curdles within the back of his mind, so he quickly adds:]

There are many who would keep you safe. [Which reminds him to quickly blurt out:] He is here, by the way. Aka - [A wince.] Hakuji, I mean!

He has told me a great deal about you!

[lovesnow]

[ Wow, this man can certainly smile! Koyuki finds herself nearly at a loss in the face of such warm, blinding joviality. In a way, he almost reminds her of fireworks: an explosion of color and heat, so bright that any passerby would likely pause to look.

Though… her smile dims just a hint upon being told of the potential danger. It does make sense, she surmises. There were very few places that could ever be a bastion of perfect safety. Even in the most idyllic of settings, there was always something that could bring undue harm.

That could be external forces, or it could be one's fellow man. Koyuki knew the likelihood of both on a far more intimate level than she wished. ]

…I understand. I would have been surprised if it was perfectly safe.

[ Her eyebrows do lift at the mention of Hakuji. Joy filters past the acceptance of circumstances, blooming in vivid color across her face. Her eyes almost seem to sparkle. ]

Hakuji is here? Oh – are you a friend of his? I thought I recognized you, somehow!

[tempurahair]

[The longer he spends speaking with Koyuki, the more he begins to understand Akaza as well, he thinks. Were the roles reversed, Kyojuro would have done a great deal to protect her smile as well. As it is, he feels a pang of regret for even making it slightly falter.]

Please, you do not need to fear. I am a capable swordsman, you see! [He places his hand over his heart.] Many of my other corps members are here as well! And more than that, Hakuji has been teaching me a bit of Soryu style on the side! You are in very capable hands, Miss Koyuki.

[Spoken in that bright, booming tone and with a voluminous grin. He's at his best when he's praising his abilities, oops.

Though - this time it's his turn for his smile to falter. The longer he thinks about it, the more he has to wonder if she's aware of what he is, or what he's become.]

Indeed, he is! Though, he may... not quite be how you remember him. I assure you, though, he remains of a stalwart heart. I have come to trust him with my life and - [His expression falters. His gaze snaps down to hers once more, his head tilting like a dog.] You - recognize me?

[lovesnow]

I'm grateful to be in the presence of such stalwart protectors, then. It is a relief to hear that Hakuji has been training someone… it was always the intent for him to take ownership of the Dojo, so it gladdens me to know he still has the desire to teach.

[ Even in a time and place so utterly different from those days at her home. At the man's blatant confusion, Koyuki's smile shifts: there is sadness in the expression now, a weariness that belonged to a woman that was far older than she might appear at first glance.

Did it make sense, to explain why the sight of Hakuji, in all his difference, would not startle her? Did it make sense to explain that her recognition was more a feeling than a memory, a lingering sense that, somehow, seemingly against all odds, she knew this man was important?

His reaction confirms that he is not a companion of Hakuji's that she had simply never met. That meant the true answer was far more complicated. ]

It's alright. I understand what you mean. And… yes, though I cannot quite put my finger on why. I'm sorry, that must be terribly unclear. All I know is that I have seen you, and know you. I know not from when or where, at least not yet.

[tempurahair]

It makes me quite happy as well! He is an excellent teacher, I think. [Maybe he's biased, but...] Admittedly, after he told me of his master — of your father, that is — I begged him! I wanted to ensure that his legacy carried on.

[Ah, his brow pinches in the slightest. Was that the wrong thing to say. He probably should not be implying her father was dead, right? The fact that she had asked about her second chance, though, would at least imply that she knew of her own demise. It's a difficult line to walk, he's finding. The last thing he wants is to reveal something she isn't ready for.

It shouldn't be his role, when Akaza was far more suited to break such news to her.]

I can only hope that, in whatever capacity you remember me in, it is a good one! [He has his own suspicions, considering the portrait in their home but... he'll keep those to himself for now.]

[lovesnow]

[ This was a good-hearted man, of that she is certain. To so unreservedly speak of wanting to ensure the legacy of her father was continued even with hardly knowing anything about the man firsthand… she knows that her father would be glad to hear it. ]

That makes me happy. Hakuji was my father's only student for nearly as long as I can recall. To know that, even by virtue of another, the techniques he taught will live on… it is the most I could ask for. Thank you.

[ She lowers herself, bowing slightly at the waist. When she straightens, her smile is a touch more lively. ]

I think so! I can only imagine that, if it was an unpleasant memory, I wouldn't feel so at ease with you. I really did think for a moment there that you must have been someone Hakuji must have known… when I try to think on it too terribly hard, all I can remember is…

[ Her brow knits in concentration. ] Flames? But they're gentle, somehow. That probably doesn't make much sense.

[tempurahair]

That was how I felt! [He puts his hand to his chest once again, like swearing an oath.] My family has kept the legacy of Flame Breathing alive for many years. I know well the pressure of having to shoulder that burden.

[In fact, the only one who might know it better was his sibling but... They don't need to talk about that particular bit of trauma, now do they? Instead, he lays his hand atop her head as she rises, giving it a little pat.]

Please, do not bow to me. I am only doing what feels right to me. It is nothing you need to thank me for.

[Admittedly, some of his smiling, sunny demeanor ebbs at her words. His heart beats unevenly at the mention of his flames, and he finds himself glancing down not toward his blade, but the center of his chest.]

I suppose that is not so surprising. The first time Hakuji and I met was in combat. It did not go so well for me. [Somehow, he manages to laugh away the tension. Most of it, at least.] Thankfully, we have moved past that time in our friendship! We do quite well these days!

[As for his flames being gentle, that's a bit difficult to fathom. He had been swinging to kill that day, after all. But maybe it makes sense somehow.]

[lovesnow]

I'm sorry to hear that you understand the burden I refer to. It cannot have been easy on either one of you. Perhaps that is part of the reason why you seem to understand each other so well?

[ Though there is a measure of surprise that accompanies the weight of the man's hand atop her head, she ultimately registers it as a gentle, deeply kind gesture. Koyuki lifts her head as she is bidden, smiling with a hint more vigor than the moment prior. At this rate, she might even smile with teeth rather than merely her lips!

She senses she has said something wrong, or distressing, when Kyojuro's visible vivacity dims. Her eyebrows slant inward as she rolls the words around in her head, trying to tether them to her… admittedly, unclear memories.

After a moment, she reaches out to take Kyojuro's hand in hers. ]

I am glad to hear it. I am grateful that, even having weathered that, you have found companionship in one another. Our bonds only make us stronger, don't you think?

[tempurahair]

I think you may be right. [A faint smile crosses his lips, his gaze growing both distant and fond.] In fact, I know that if we had met in another life, we would have been fast friends, rather than our rocky beginnings here.

[Having a life like that... it would have made everything that followed in this place that much easier. Unfortunately, he is still left to juggle the pieces and hope that one day, it might all work out.

But none of that burden is for Koyuki to shoulder.]

You are very much right about our bonds, as well! I admit, I already had a high opinion of you, Miss Koyuki, but I still seem to have underestimated you all the same!

[She is emotionally wise, and gentle and... holding his hand? When did that happen?

His fingers flex instinctively around hers.]

[lovesnow]

[ Koyuki senses, deep within her heart, that there is a dire struggle here that exists even outside of her feeble frame of reference. The smile on her face grows so small that is more of a whisper of an expression, tender and heartfelt. She squeezes Kyojuro's hand in hers, encouragingly. ]

Some things are worth fighting for. Though this may be out of line for me to say… the struggle can make it all the more worthwhile. The depth of a relationship can truly be founded in the midst of adversity. It was how Hakuji and I grew close, I like to think. He believed in what I could not, and then it became what we both believed in.

[ Her smile does grow afterward, but it remains a touch solemn. Understanding, if sheepish. It was unfamiliar, to have someone speak so highly of her. Though her father had been a kind and assured man, she could always sense the distance that came from her innate… difficulty. It was rare, to be unabashedly appreciated so.

Other than with Hakuji, who had unreservedly believed in her, and her capacity to live. ]

Though I appreciate the kindness, I am not worthy of such high praise! These are simply the feelings from my heart. It may very well mislead me, but I hope it will never be a cause of regret.

[tempurahair]

[The tenderness in that gesture is almost enough to bring Kyojuro to his knees. It makes sense, how easily his past self had fallen for her back then. More than that, he can understand why nearly every facet of Akaza seemed to have been made with her in mind. Gentle though she might have looked at passing glance, there was a truly foreboding strength within that kindness.]

I am inclined to feel the same way. In many ways, I think what Hakuji and I have has formed similarly. I... like to believe in what he does not, in the hopes that he will one day see it.

[But maybe that's getting a bit too far into the weeds as far as what he and Akaza are? He can only imagine how difficult that's going to be to explain to Koyuki. He isn't sure he should be the one to reveal it either.]

And that is precisely why you are worthy of such praise. There are many who would fear sharing what exists in their heart. That you do so to me, a near stranger, speaks to your strength and courage.