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spellgrinders2018-02-28 10:25 pm
spellbindmods) wrote in spellgrinders2018-02-28 10:25 pm
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( TDM #9 | FAUX 4TH WALL LOG )
You blink and that's all it takes. At first, the picture doesn't come in clear, like you're waiting for a screen to fully load -- more aptly, it's like you're waiting for a camera to focus so you can find image clarity. Before you happened to rapidly close your eyes and open them, your life was normal...well, normal for you, anyway. Fighting an alien, making a quesadilla, dying. And then that blurry picture suddenly takes over. There's a lot to take in here -- you feel weird, your surroundings are weird. Everything is just weird. For starters, there's that new piece of jewelry inserted in the space above your chest. That certainly wasn't there before you opened your eyes. For some of you, the shock is a bit more sudden. You've packed up your belongings and you've been escorted through the city into a building similar to the one utilized during the jailbreak -- down a pothole-like door that's extremely similar to the other one you might have been familiar with during that same incident. There's a long tunnel with no windows that you travel through, slowly but surely. It's dimly lit, and you can see others in front of you -- don't worry about any repercussions for cutting in line. You eventually get to a closed door and your monitor escort opens the large turnstile for you, gesturing for you to continue onward. The walk won't be much longer, they reassure you, but they won't be traveling with you from here. After a fifteen minute walk, you'll reach another door, though this one is much more manageable when it comes to opening it on your own. Once you step through, things are certainly...different.
That isn't to say these voids are endless. In reality, the space around you is tainted, but you still exist on this plane -- the outside of Shehui. Things feel very real, but once you force yourself to move outside of these spaces, you mind your shoes are firmly planted in grass that is inches long, potentially surrounded by other people with no idea what's going on; they too have just escaped their own little void. From here you can feel it near to you -- you can sense the magic that's seeping out of somewhere, and you can even see it if you squint. The air around it shimmers with a certain sparkle. It's, again, hard to accurately put into words. But you can see these voids once you really focus on them. However, you can't see the people who happen to be trapped inside. B ▢ Once you reach these safe havens of non-magic, raw and in its purest form, you'll find yourself in a reality that is somewhat...overgrown. There aren't any buildings outside of the giant dome structure of Shehui in the background, as far as you can see. There are trees and plains, grassy fields and the occasional oddly-colored deer. If you look hard enough, you can find a small pond here or there. Just watch out. Magic can leak into that water, and that means... C ▢ ...ingesting that contaminated substance carries that magic with you. Absorbing this magic directly into your body creates that void, except it's contained within you. Once you do, you carry around whatever you might see or hear with you. This might create a comical scenario, like you're ordering from an invisible pizza man. It may also trap you in something more sinister. This magic can use your mind against itself. Whatever is in that void, which can last for hours, is up to you...whether you can control it or not. |
[ OOC: For this TDM, characters testing in can create their own scenarios and interact with characters in very bizarre and imaginative ways. Want your character to be the judge in a murder trial, roping in other characters as defendant and accuser? Or maybe you'd like to do something different with your character -- age them up, give them different powers? Anything can happen in these voids of concentrated magic, and that also means anyone can appear. Your creativity can create any situation you'd like to put your character in, and these situations can also pull in other characters. Everyone is there, after all! Characters can also take a break and do some minor exploration -- though more info will come out about the setting and potential in a later post, don't worry. For ingested magic, the character will be in a scenario like the one mentioned above, except it won't be a potentially public experience. For instance, your character can project a horrible experience into the void in Prompt A, but in Prompt C? That horrible experience would be stuck in their own mind...speaking on the negative end of the spectrum, anyway! |
percival [ . . . ] de rolo | critical role (testing)
( a ): welcome to [vampire] whitestone.
[ you are suddenly thrust into a town square, but it looks . . . dead. the sky has constant cloud cover over it and the grass is dead. the roads are dusty, and in the center of this town square, there is a massive leaf-less tree. but strung from the branches of the dead-looking tree are bodies -- not only bodies, but bodies that are painted in specific ways. one has glasses, another has feathers in her hair . . . and they swing gently in the breeze, almost looking like they are a specific warning.
all be warned, ye who enter here.
but near you is a young man with a shock of white hair and glasses, wearing a rather fancy looking cloak and boots, with what appears to be a collapsible rifle-looking contraception on his back (along with a bunch of other things). his eyes are transfixed on the tree itself, and you would think that a twenty-something-year-old young man would look horrified or shocked or even remotely bothered, but instead, he just looks irritated.
he takes a few steps forward, with half a frown (seemingly not noticing you, at first) before shifting to remove what appears to be a pistol-like object from his belt, carefully checking the barrels of the gun before speaking in a flat tone: ]
You are going to have to try a bit harder than that to frighten me.
[ percy is already 150% done and he just got here. ]
( b ): don't put that in your mouth.
[ in the non-magical areas, percy can be found exploring. this place reminds him quite a lot of the feywild; overgrown and untamed and wilderness. still, it is very much not the feywild, but it is similar enough that percy is taking an extraordinary amount of care tip-toeing around plants, absurdly hesitant to disturb any greenery, and should he find anyone edging too close to the water: ]
Don't -- don't touch that.
[ it's said quickly, because percy is still 100% convinced this is a weird ass plane and he's pretty done with it. ]
Best to be safe than sorry, you never know when something is going to act up.
[ trees can strangle and water can be magic, dude.
d&d is weird. ]
a
[Her voice comes not from the tree ahead, nor the bodies dangling above, but from a figure emerging cautiously from the shadows to his left. With feathers in her hair (black; the blue long traded for raven feathers from her brother), and clad in fine white dragonleather armor, Vex is well and ready for a hunt.
This wasn't where she'd planned to do it, however.
(She remembers how Percival had been, had acted, during their infiltration of this city just over a year ago. This version, this perversion of the city she'd helped to free and restore, isn't a place she'd ever wanted him to come back to, never mind herself.)
The whitehaired figure is unmistakable, yet everything about this place has Vex's skin crawling, and she's uncertain just how real it is -- or he is, for that matter. ]
What is this place? [besides the obvious]
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on edge. ready for a fight. but impossibly relieved to se her. ]
You're here, too. [ a little breathless, relieved, before his free hand finds her own, to squeeze her fingers, to ensure that she's here, properly. and -- ah, vex asked a question, but the hesitation in her tone causes him to draw in a breath.
right. be smart, percival. giving in to relief is a stupid idea given they've found themselves in another plane. ]
Darling. [ in a quieter tone, slightly more guarded, but only slightly. ] What's the last you remember from home?
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Yes, she's here too. ]
What do I-- [she squints a moment; yes, he's entirely serious behind that tone] Well, depending on how precise you'd like, we were finishing up some paperwork at the castle for Cassandra. Since we're off with Vox Machina on that trip soon. [she edges closer, lowering her voice] If you need more me to be more precise, we had a...late morning start.
[ She tips her head to one side, studying his face, then glancing back to the haunting shadows of Whitestone's Past. ]
..What about you?
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Late morning start. [ with a somewhat thin smile, but the warmth is back to his tone, now, and to his eyes, as he focuses on her. perhaps a little too much, not wanting to take in the surroundings of the ghostly vision swirling around them. ] I have no idea where we are, though, because this --
[ and he raises his hand, with animus, to gesture toward the tree. ]
-- this cannot be real.
[ time travel, to his knowledge, has not come to pass. time fluctuation, yes, but time travel? ]
And I haven't been able to find Tary, Keyleth, Vax . . . [ he trails off, obviously frustrated, but keeping his tone low. ] I have absolutely no idea where we are, or what plane, because this is not Whitestone.
[ it's some sort of damned mockery, but it certainly is not his home. ]
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Good. I'm glad you remember the same. [it had been a very good morning, even if Cassandra hadn't been impressed. (Privately amused, but not impressed.)] And that we don't have to face this alone.
I turned to enter the Grey Hunt stables, and instead I was walking in nothing. And then, this. [a grimace] I haven't seen anyone else, either. Only you.
Whoever's idea this is, they are sick.
[ It cannot be real, and she tightens her grip a moment on Percy's hand, he an anchor for her as much the other way around, before turning again to really look at the darkness seeping through every street and cobblestone. ]
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delilah. sylas.
neither options. but it's hard to shake the feeling of gloom and despair that is seeping through his stomach, into his heart. ]
Well, we'll gain little to nothing if we stand here.
[ it's said a little briskly, and he takes a step forward, still holding vex's hand. still keeping her anchored, as they walk forward. ]
Let's head to where the Slayer's Cake should be, and test how accurate this hallucination truly is. See how far the rabbit hole goes.
[ with any luck, they'll find a way to break it, and get out. ]
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She dare not let go. What if she were to lose him here? As she hadn't--
No, no thinking like that, Vex. ]
That's a good plan. The further out from the city we can go thereafter the better.
[ She does pause, however, pulling his hand a moment. and cocks her head to one side. Listening. Or trying to. ]
..I don't hear anything. Nothing moving around. [no undead giants.]
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vex (as always) is right. no sounds, no undead giants, no hordes of zombie creatures . . . nothing that haunted whitestone in this past memory seems to haunt it now. which only reinforces his belief that this mockery isn't real. ]
This is absurd.
[ he can't help it; exhaling between his teeth in a hiss, as he continues to move forward. away from the inner city, toward the shops that are supposed to line the town. away from the castle, more to the walls, to the forests. he knows every street, every building, every sidewalk. this isn't right. ]
There's no explanation for how we were on the prime dimension and suddenly wound up in a bastardized version of where we once were. You can't spontaneously plane shift. [ and if you can, that only proves him right, that magic is stUPID ] Who would even have that amount of power . . . [ ugh. ] And whoever it is, how do they know?
[ he's just talking out loud to fill the silence, at this point, to run through ideas, to figure it out, to try and get to an answer -- but as they step into a sidestreet, to where the slayer's cake is supposed to be, percy and vex are met with nothing but an empty building, shuttered up. like it was, before vox machina took the city back.
a dead end. ]
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Neither of us have enough knowledge of the arcane to know if this is within bounds of anything save a god -- and none of those are supposed to be free and able to commit such acts. I wish Pike was here..I don't know of any that would have the power to pull us from the material plane to here.
Or Keyleth, her people have more knowledge of the different planes. [or Scanlan; the old gnome may have quit the group but his knowledge was surprisingly sound..most of the time. But he's still a sore subject for Percy.]
[ Then, they turn and reach the boarded up ruin that would--will-- someday become the Slayer's Cake. If they ever needed proof that this was a moment in time, horrific and unforgettable, perhaps this is it.
Her hand squeezes his again as he begins to rant, tripping over the thoughts they've both been having, until she has to drag him back to a stop. Then Vex lifts both of her hands to cup his face. It's a dirty move, but right now, they need more focus, and perhaps some further reassurance will go a long way. ]
We're going to figure this out, Darling. We're together here. And you're the smartest man I've ever known. No amount of magical bullshit can stop us.
I need you to think. Did you start in the square? Or were you somewhere else first?
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he pauses, not shifting, not moving away from her hands on his face. clearly thinking, doing what vex is asking of him, piecing together the puzzle before he allows his eyes to shift, to take in stock of where they are. ]
No, I was at the castle. [ slowly, as he returns his gaze to vex's, with a slight frown. ] On the steps. I didn't go inside. [ having recognized this as whitestone-what-was, percy didn't think it was Clever or Smart (tm) to wander around by himself, given his penchant for being shot. ] I walked down the steps to see if there were any people about, but there was no one. That's when I saw the tree.
[ and, subsequently, found vex. ]
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B
Do you think something is wrong with it? It looks safe enough to me... [He's aware that magic is a thing, but doesn't have enough direct experience with it to think of it as an environmental hazard.]
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[ with the tone of an insufferable know-it-all. but percy does take a hesitant step forward, to peer into the water. suspicious. ]
This plane reminds me a lot of a world known as the Feywild. Water and nature tend to have a mind of their own, there -- rivers fight back.
{ he is dead fuckin serious yo look at this nerd's face he has seen some shit. ]
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to hell with it. ]
You're extraordinarily fortunate. [ ho hum. ] I'd rather rivers not fight back at all, but you can't complain about the hand you've been dealt, proverbially speaking.
[ he pauses before he steps forward. ]
You can travel between and beyond the planes, where I originally came from. Have you never heard of the Feywild?
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Until I arrived here, I'd only known my own world, and if I'm honest only a small portion of that. [It's been a bit much, really; he's doing his best not to be overwhelmed by the sudden change in perspective, having never needed to think on a grander scale than nations and alliances before.] It seems your experience is different - is it normal to wake in these other 'planes' without understanding how you got there?
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percy purses his lips before crossing his arms, glancing back toward the water. ]
No. Typically, I'm very aware when I do it. [ it's not the most pleasant feeling, honestly, depending on what plane they're going to. traveling to hell had been, to put it lightly, fucking terrible. ] But I have woken up after coming home without remembering my travels to the prior plane . . . once. It's very dependent on the person.
[ pause. ]
So we really are somewhere entirely new.
[ g r e a t ]
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Is there anything the planes as a whole have in common? Something we can...generalize from, to increase our chances of survival? We won't be able to survive very long if we can't find food and water that we can trust.
a!
The last time she was in Whitestone was to visit everyone, after they had all gone their separate ways after the ending of it all - after the world threatened to fall and villainous beings tried to gain control. It seemed so long ago that they had saved the city. She remembers praying - begging - Sarenrae to send her to help, and the warmth of the Everlight sending her astral self there. Of fighting and winning, bringing the city back to life. Scanlan still tells everyone how he singlehandedly led the rebellion to take back the city.
Despite being here yet again, that memory brings a smile to her face. Confident enough, she steps up behind Percy.] It's been a while, hasn't it?
P I K E ;3;
Pike, don't do that. [ GOOD LORD PIKE HE HAS GUNS but he immediately runs his hands over his face, the tension vanishing from his shoulders. ] Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but --
[ SMALL GNOME WHY and, before answering her question, percival asks once of his own: ]
Nevermind that, are you alright?
<3
His reaction prompts a soft laugh, quickly covered up. She really shouldn't be laughing at a time like this, when she's not sure what's going on or how they've gotten here. Or if they've traveled back in time. Who knows at this point.] Sorry! I couldn't resist.
[Her response to his question is a nod of her head.] As alright as I can be, especially after showing up here. [A pause. This can't be good for him to deal with.] Are you?
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relax, percy. relax.
at her question, though, he sighs before looking back at the tree, looking tired. ]
It's not real. [ it's as much an answer to her question as a reassurance to himself. ] What bothers me most of all is that someone, or something, knows that this is what Whitestone was . . . I can only think of a handful of people who knew, and only some of them are good.
[ the briarwoods are dead and need to stay dead, thanks. ]
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[Which is... bad, to say the least. Whoever had done this could delve deep into their memories and pull out whatever they wanted to try and scare them. Find the few things that terrified all of them and create it.
She She reaches up to take his hand into her own, patting the top of it.]
It'll be okay. We've handled worse, haven't we?
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[ it's not a comfortable thought to sit with, for sure, but percy stops talking once pike takes his hand and pats the back of it. it distracts his thoughts, and he offers her something of a sheepish smile. it seems more than a little absurd to be shaken by something he knows is obviously fake, considering pike's point . . . ]
We have, haven't we. [ with a slight exhale, a catching of his breath, as he turns his attention back to the tree. ] I suppose we'll just have to handle this, too. The sooner we figure out how to break this illusion, the better. We'll need to hurry.
[ at least it isn't a door. ]
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[So much simpler for all of them? Alas, she doesn't have that kind of ability.]
Handled and won. [She nods, letting go of his hand. Her gaze follows his, looking toward the tree. She wasn't there the first time when they saw it like this, and it makes her harden her jaw. To kill people just to send a warning? It was the Briarwood way, unfortunately.]
Do you have any ideas?