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erku mods ([personal profile] erkumods) wrote in [community profile] ercookies2020-10-18 02:33 pm
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TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE

TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE



00. Arrival





This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore.

Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased.

With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home.



I. The Dragon's Matchmaking





Welcome to the Island, cherub dragons! The auspicious actions of your fellow Islanders have foreseen the reintroduction of dragons to the world. Unlike the hulking, possessive creatures of ancient lore (and recent hot springs), these well-meaning little critters love to help. Their small size and roly-poly frames make them unsuited to laborious tasks, but they will be the perfect companion to any residents who endeavor to pick up a small item, wish for their lunch to be delivered to an absolute stranger, or need a fire started from a tiny, flaming sneeze in their drafty homes. If a cherub dragon sees an Islander they perceive in need of their assistance, they will zip right in and refuse to scram until they’ve done the job!

No visible struggles? No problem! The little dragons also love to play matchmaker. Persistent dragons will gleefully nudge together Islanders they believe will have chemistry, and sometimes they aren’t wrong! Of course, even if sparks fail to fly, the dragons’ trilling songs are known to kindle romantic feelings between strangers and long-time lovers alike.



II. Ruins





While the Islanders have been enjoying their autumn relaxation, the ‘bots of Erku have been hard at work clearing the surrounding forests of dangers for their guests’ safe habitation. If you are of deft hand with monster slaying, forestry, or even just hauling debris and weed picking, the robots will gladly exchange credits for help with reconstructing the recently unearthed mountain temple grounds from the rubble that remains there. Just follow the path of gently glowing mushrooms to the site of the temple ruins. Beware of lurking creatures, grabby plants, and falling rocks!




The temple ruins are tall and breathtaking, despite the eerie chill of the fog that lingers just beyond. Or is it the fog that sends a shiver up your spine? After all, this place was very spiritually important to the original inhabitants of the Island, the robots say to anyone curious enough to ask. Although their own programming does not include religious worship, the Augur believes the restoration of this place to be vital to the continued augmentation of Eros energy.

When questioned about the strange shadows that seem to slip from tree to tree, or the unsettling feeling of ghostly hands that seem to nudge volunteers deeper into the grounds, the robots respond with nothing but bafflement. Their sensors detect no unknown organic presence afoot.




III. Ritual





Islanders who chase those mysterious shadows may find themselves particularly drawn to a structure that lay deeper within the ruins, beyond where the robots have made the most progress. Three sets of crumbling, moss-covered stairs join to form a central platform, which - despite the overcast skies - seems to emit a soft glow. Those who step onto the platform may begin to hear a quiet, compelling voice, which urges them to be free of their inhibitions and to offer their energy to the spirits to be multiplied hundredfold. Visions of naked bodies in the throes of carnal worship dance before the eyes. Those who are especially spiritually sensitive - or perhaps, just lucky - may feel as if possessed by a consciousness that is not their own, and that consciousness is filled with a burning sexual desire.

Leaving the platform is an option if alone, but the intense and overwhelming urge to seek companionship will persist until an Auspicious Act is completed. Those who are fortunate to be joined by company within the temple will feel compelled to worship right then and there, no matter the risk of being seen. Within the walls of the temple, Eros energy is enhanced such that any erotic act - big or small - will be enough to break the spell.




N A V I G A T I O N



vegalthon: (Smile)

[personal profile] vegalthon 2020-10-21 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Looking like a drowned rat is an unfortunate side effect of being stuck here on your first day... but Oran supposes it's an improvement on being dragged out of the hospital by a leash.

He gives her a quick nod and saunters off to harass a robot or two. Where needling doesn't work, he's sure he has a few credits left to spare to buy the things outright.

It's a few minutes before he's back, but when he returns he's got a big, fluffy stack.]


Seems a shame to get such a nice dress waterlogged. Oh, ah, I'm Oran, by the way. I'm sorry I can't say we've met under better circumstances.
vegalthon: (Startled)

[personal profile] vegalthon 2020-10-21 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[A tiefling is as a tiefling does, and Oran can't help but whip his tail back and forth near the tip, delighted and excited by the prospect of meeting someone not human. Someone new and... at least superficially like him.

He's a strange tiefling, himself; his tail is oddly longer than average (if one could ever have a population large enough for comparison) with a leather sheath on the end, hiding what could be a dagger-length barbed blade. But... his demeanor and his tone suggest someone who isn't well-trained in using it. He gives a belated half-bow, stopping instantly when his passenger begins squeaking again.]


Ah, my name is Oran, Oran Vegalthon. It's a pleasure to meet you. Where, may I ask, are you from?
vegalthon: (Nervous)

[personal profile] vegalthon 2020-10-21 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Garrus; it's a name that rolls off the tongue far better than some of the humans' do. Oran gives one more careful nod, but he appears to brighten at the clarification.]

Ah! That's excellent... there's much for you here, I think, if you don't mind bartering in credits instead of gold.

[One fantasy Ye Olde deriding the idea of imaginary money: check.]

The city is quite safe, aside from these little pests... but the wilds beyond are both dangerous and rewarding. My friend has been hiring guards to help while he catalogues the plant life, for example, and...

[Oran considers... this probably isn't riveting conversation.]

Do you have anything you're missing, that you need? I know it can be hard to... ah... settle in.
devilstongue: (🔮 56)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A tail is a tail, even if his new friend's is not the slim whip-like one like Molly's own. He hasn't met every tiefling in the world, though, and he knows for a fact that Jester doesn't have his knolls at the base. Maybe it's different for everyone. ]

Mollymauk Tealeaf. Molly to my friends... and kin.

[ Seemed like a nice fellow, and Molly's known for his snap judgements. ]

I am from most recently Zadash, Wildemount. You?
devilstongue: (🔮 16)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe that's their deal. Kidnapping a bunch of people at really inconvenient times.

[ ...and you know, asking them to have sex to save the world. It's like the worst smut book ever. ]

It definitely is a pleasure to meet you! Wonderful meetings all around, isn't there?

[ Molly glances back at the robots. ]

...well, mostly.
devilstongue: (🔮 106)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I know absolutely nothing, it's part of my charm!

[ He chuckles slightly, but that last part has his red eyes widening a bit. ]

...I'm sorry, what? You're a god?

[ Not even he had tried that lie, he stopped somewhere around royalty in exile. ]
halforc: (74)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not hurt, sorry to break it to you but your dick's not that powerful.

[ He keeps the tone light, offering a chagrined smile. The plate is set down on the bedside table and he straightens as casually as he can, hands on hips. Should probably be an adult; Molly's the one who was enchanted, who had his autonomy taken away. Fjord is just ...

Well. Never mind that can of worms right now. ]


Listen, it's fine. What happened ... It was those bastard ghosts messing with you, I know that. We're good. Just tell me if you need anything to feel better. Getting manipulated like that must have been awful.
noncertus: (003)

you!!!!!!!!

[personal profile] noncertus 2020-10-21 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Monster extermination brings in credits, so on the occasion that the machines seem willing to cough up the cash, Cloud pauses his less consistent delivery schedule in favor of easier income.

Easier is relative. Some of these monsters don't stand up to cleaving swings of his Buster sword. Others.... he avoids a direct confrontation entirely. One run-in with overly friendly, hallucinogenic tentacle plants is enough for a lifetime. Launching Fire spells in a forested area also seems like an invitation for disaster, so that's off the table. It eventually leads him to the ruins themselves, searching for his quarry in a maze of unfamiliar twists and turns, clotted by overgrowth and enshrouded in mist.

As trampled undergrowth turns to packed dirt and the occasional eroded stone brick, Cloud realizes he's lost his target, so when he first hears a sound echoing strangely off the ruins, he mistakes it for sign of its escape.

It's only when he hastens after that he hears not a monster, but a very human, and very familiar, shout. A fairly lengthy period of silence greets Barret, until Cloud emerges around a corner, slotting his blade across his back, only to gesture in open disbelief (and a little exasperation). ]


Seriously? Big guy like you jumps at his own shadow?

[ His flippant comment does a lot to cover for the pit of disappointment hollowing out his gut. This isn't exactly what he had in mind when he thought about seeing everyone again. ]
devilstongue: (🔮 7)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He can't help the slight chuckle at that, partially wanting to quip back and say that he has many people vouching for how powerful his dick is.

Probably not the best idea right now. ]


It wasn't... pleasant. Well, I felt good about all of it until I came to my senses. You didn't... I'm sorry I coerced you into something like that. It wasn't right.

[ Even if Molly liked it. A lot. ]
vegalthon: (Disbelief)

[personal profile] vegalthon 2020-10-21 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's a brief sensation of disappointment, there, but Oran can shrug it off; he's only ever been just out of his home city by a little ways. A man can hold out hope that Faerun is simply a very large place.

But what does distance matter; 'kin' is a nice word and he's inclined to respond warmly to the gesture.]


Waterdeep, the Crown of the North, the City of Splendours.

[If there is a note of sarcasm there, it's only because Oran is not of the class that has got to see much of those splendours, historically.]

But... until someone finds a good way out of here, it will have to remain 'Unnamed City Under the Thumb of the Augur', I'm afraid. Nobody's been very good about coming up with a name for this place.
halforc: (59)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
You didn't know what you were doing. It's really, you know. It's fine.

[ He doesn't have another word for it right now, Fjord is still compartmentalising. ]

I'll take the first watch and let you get some rest.

[ That's probably more appropriate. ]
chthonicfatigue: (43)

[personal profile] chthonicfatigue 2020-10-21 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, yeah? It's not like I'm one of the big guys, you know? You haven't even heard of me, hah! Hmm...

[Does that bruise his ego... nah, not really.]

When you get right down to it, I'm the reason you can get a good night's sleep, I guess! Or at least I would be at home, huh, not too sure about here, wherever here is really supposed to be... Somebody out there can even mess with gods, go figure!

[This is Totally Fine.]
711: (♚ 141)

[personal profile] 711 2020-10-21 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Not wandering about without those handy dandy glasses was a smart move on Lloyd's part, but Suzaku would expect no less of him. He sets his eyes on the horizon, having accepted his fate of viewing the world through heart-shaped lenses, before turning back to Lloyd.

Earnestly, Suzaku pitches his offer.]


Do you want to stay at my place for the time being? We have a guest room you're welcome to use until you've found somewhere more suitable to stay.

[Suzaku's just... gonna avoid the topic of the hangar, stuffed to the brim with knightmares and gundams and living robots (oh my) for the time being. Knowing Lloyd, if he takes him there now, he'll never want to extricate himself from its depths.]
chthonicfatigue: (43)

[personal profile] chthonicfatigue 2020-10-21 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, hang on, I asked for height and weight, not whatever you just told me! Maybe try... answering the right question?

[What is a centimeter! Hello! Don't make stuff up, that's not productive at all. He wiggles his quill, like, slightly irritably...? It's a wonder that he can hit Slightly Irritable at all, but one does not simply mess with his list.

He sighs. A fool who doesn't know his numbers, shame...]


I don't know how you can research anything if you make that kind of mistake, but okay, what kind of research?
devilstongue: (🔮 108)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Molly's quiet for a long time, and then he nods. ]

Alright. I'll... I'll get the mattresses, hold on.

[ Heading towards the master bedroom, he starts dragging the bedclothes and all other pilfered things towards the other room where they had been taken from. ]
halforc: (21)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
... What?

[ Stepping between Molly and the other room, he holds out a hand to stop him. ]

What are you doing? Leave it all in here, I can't watch over you from another room.
devilstongue: (🔮 136)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Molly looks surprised at that, dropping the things. ]

...you still want me in the same room as you?
halforc: (08)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Molly.

[ His heart sinks hearing that. ]

Of course I do.
devilstongue: (🔮 14)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I...

[ He doesn't know what to say. ]

Fuck. Well. At least that's... something.
halforc: (13)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
You were enchanted, none of that was your fault. I don't blame it on you.

[ He gestures to the window and the world beyond. ]

This place is unpredictable, you didn't know some ghosts were going to fire you up like that.
devilstongue: (🔮 37)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I know... I... it was really messed up.

[ Molly sighs, flopping down on the half-dragged mattress. ]

I wish you didn't have to kiss me to make it stop. I was saving that for a good day.
halforc: (02)

[personal profile] halforc 2020-10-21 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ What a sad tiefling lump. Fjord perches on the edge of the main bed. ]

Tell you what, [ leaning forward on his knees, he offers a supportive smile, ] we'll say that that one didn't count. It can have a ... a do-over ... some time.

[ That sure is a thing he just said, whether to make Molly cheer up or soothe some of Fjord's horny memories, he doesn't know. ]
devilstongue: (🔮 121)

[personal profile] devilstongue 2020-10-21 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Fjord is a big soft idiot and Molly smiles up at him, finally feeling a little bit better about the whole thing. ]

A do-over some time. I like that idea.

[ The smile turns to a smirk as he wiggles a bit, taking his coat off under the blanket and tossing it over a chair. Next follows the doublet, and he gives Fjord an eye, trying to gauge how he'd take his usual dumb jokes.

Desperate to pull things back together between them. ]


I make no promises to you about not seeing my ass tonight, my pants are still drying.
philanthropy: ᴀʀᴛ: 1717652 @ ᴘɪxɪᴠ. (132)

[personal profile] philanthropy 2020-10-21 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, sorry, do you not use metric? In that case, ummm, so I think that's about... five-foot-eleven? And... gosh, it's hard to do the math in your head!

[ Why don't we move on for now. ]

Anyway, I...

[ There's no reason to hide anything here, is there? And even then, doesn't being straightforward feel a little like atonement?

Couldn't it? At some point, at least? ]


We called it cognitive psience. I wanted to prove that it was possible to change the world for the better through the power of human consciousness alone.

[ He talks about it with mixed emotion: a little wistful, a little sorry, a little hopeful, a little sad. ]

But that probably sounds pretty far-fetched.