beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2022-10-14 03:08 pm

TDM + GAME OPENING 🎉

Who: Shard-Bearers, new and old
What: Seeds take root
Where: The Tree of Life, Highstorm, Springstar
When: October 14th and onwards
Warnings: Potential for (mild) body horror, death, dismemberment


I. BEARING FRUIT (new characters only)
It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

II. MORAL HAZARD
There are new Shard-Bearers at the Tree of Life, and Yima has asked that the earlier arrivals go to greet them and help them. These aren’t people from Horos, after all, so they’ll have many, many questions. As Yima explains, the roots of the tree rise up to create caverns underneath, and it’s there you’ll find the new Shard-Bearers. And indeed, with careful steps to not slip on the mossy roots, down you go. Perhaps Communion will help you find the new Shard-Bearers, but it might be a confusing process for them.

The roots all start to look the same, to the point that you’re sure that you’ve already been through this passage. You turn around, and most of the people you had come here with are gone, if not all of them. It’s confusing and unsettling, and strangest of all.. You’re starting to feel ill, even if that wasn’t something normally possible for you. But continuing forward, you do eventually find an unfamiliar face of a new Shard-Bearer. They look no better than you feel.

Before introductions, however, roots around you shift suddenly until you’re enclosed in a room together. From the roots, a face forms in the wall. It speaks in a creaking, uneven tone, as if it weren’t used to speaking at all.

Give to take. A sacrifice. To live.

LET'S PLAY A GAME...

As the Dryad will explain, characters are now trapped in a room and have been poisoned by the spores that the lichens underfoot release. An antidote lays beyond the roots the dryad has curled around you, but to access it, you must make a sacrifice.

Characters can pick one of the following options, but the decision must be made unanimously. If one character takes a drastic action (such as murdering another), it’s counted as a failure for the group.

  • Each of you must offer up a personal/treasured memory. The memory will be shared in Communion with all characters assembled, and then will be destroyed. No character will retain the memory or memory of its Communion.
  • Each of you must offer up something physical. A finger, a toe, an ear, it’s your choice. The dryad will offer a knife if this is chosen that will sever the body part of choice cleanly and immediately stop any bleeding.
  • Offer up another. Kill one person in the room.
  • Refusing is also a valid option. Characters will get more ill as they debate until they start to find it difficult to breathe, and they’ll die quickly after.
The following is OOC knowledge that will not be known IC: The consequences of this game are about intent, and thus are not real. When characters are freed from the tree’s thrall, they’ll have their memories/body parts/life intact.

This can be done in groups of 2 to 4 players, and Loremasters recommend three if you can swing it! It’s more fun when you get in philosophical debates, right? Regardless, when your group comes to a decision, please record it here. These don’t have to be fully threaded out to be recorded, so the conclusion can be discussed OOC if you prefer. Actions can be submitted until October 21st, after which groups will be informed of what comes of their choice


When a group receives the antidote, they'll be released from the tree's thrall... But will have a hard time waking up. It feels like something has grabbed onto their spine.

III. DREAMING OF HOME
You may wake with a start from your deliberations (or arguments) with a jolt of pain from the base of your spine as something is pulled away rapidly. A dark-haired man who looks to be in his thirties or so holds you carefully, but as soon as you start to regain your senses, he sets you back and holds up his hands.

Woah— Woah there, it’s fine! The tree was, uh, trying to take you back is all. You’re fine now.

As long as you’re not going to attack him, he offers a friendly smile and a hand to shake.

Name’s Cyrus. Sorry about the rude awakening. Let’s get your friend here unhooked too.

And indeed, glancing over, you can see the person you met in that room laying nearby, and it looks like a vine has snaked underneath them to exactly where something had just been pulled from you
 Best not to think about it, maybe. Or if you've been unlucky enough to be one of the last people rescued, you might find vines and roots starting to grow into your skin. It's fine!

CYRUS, THE TRIBUNE

Cyrus is the NPC heading up the Meridian Faction, and is available to thread with under this header. Cyrus has come to the Tree of Life to help rescue the Shard-Bearer’s from the Tree, so he’s not going to be inclined to explain too much right away, since he’s on a mission, but he’ll stick around once everyone is successfully freed from Prompt 2 to speak with anyone that wants to. The following is just an OOC summary of information in case you do not need to thread with Cyrus:

Cyrus will gladly introduce himself to everyone, and will further explain his position in Meridian and Springstar (see the NPC Page) and the goals of Meridian itself (see the Faction Page, save for the italicized section). But most importantly, he’ll explain that he knows it sounds like something overly optimistic. It’s fair to be skeptical. He’ll produce a small glass bead from a bag he’s carrying. It looks like the necklace he wears, though not lit up. He’ll explain that the force of Meridian is a gift and can be a tether to your home, if you let it. As his fingertips light up, the energy is infused into the bead, which he’ll hand to you.

Taking the bead into your hands, you’ll take a bird’s eye view of your home world as if your consciousness is split, since you’ll still perceive standing in front of Cyrus at the tree. Rather than a vision, the view of your world is absolutely real, you’re certain. It’s a glimpse at the world that you thought destroyed, and if you focus on a particular place or a particular person, you’ll find the view shifting rapidly to it. No one you watch is aware of your presence, but simply continues about their daily life, whatever that is. But after about a minute, the view will fade as the light in the bead also fades.

That’s an iliachtida, a sunbeam, and when infused with Meridian’s light, allows someone Harmonized to it to check in on their world, he explains. It also acts as an anchor that tethers their soul to their world in the Timestream. With it, their world can’t entirely disappear, so eventually, they can go home. It’s a gift he’ll allow anyone that wants it to keep it, but indeed, they’ll be unable to use it again without first Harmonizing to Meridian.

To help manage threadload for the Loremasters playing Cyrus, we ask that you only tag him with the character you are most likely to app. Similarly, new tag-ins will not be accepted after Monday, October 17th.

III. SPRINGSTAR, αÎčώΜÎčÎżÏ‚ ΟλÎčÎżÏ‚
After your ordeals at the Tree of Life, perhaps you’re drawn to Springstar, the city of eternal sun and the seat of Meridian.

It’s currently (and fittingly) Spring in Springstar, and the bustling city is coming back to life after finishing up winter. It’s not as if the winters are especially harsh here, but you’ll quickly get the sense that the people of Springstar are vivacious and happy to celebrate. You’ll find the Entertainment District to be the liveliest, whether it’s at a rowdy bar or a brothel, but no matter what, you’re welcome with open arms and without question.

Of course, if you’d just like to use the chance to explore the city alongside your fellow Shard-Bearers, that’s fine too. It’s easy to get lost in the crowds of Springstar and see all the city has to offer.

IV. HIGHSTORM, Đ»ŃƒĐœŃ‹-Đ±Đ»ĐžĐ·ĐœĐ”Ń†Ń‹
Or maybe Highstorm, the city of twin moons and the seat of Zenith is more to your liking. It’s certainly the quieter of the two cities and is a relaxing, meditative place if that’s what you prefer. The chill in the air is constant, since it’s Autumn in Highstorm and the eternal night doesn’t help keep things warm, exactly. Snow isn’t out of the question at this time of the year, but it’s beautiful in the moonlight.

Because of the cooler weather than Highstorm is prone to, you’ll find many of its delights inside rather than outside. Libraries and museums are popular in the more introspective city, though it’s easy enough to find something that might please you. For example, the indoor hot baths are popular at this time of the year too. You’ll find the people are kind, if cool-tempered, though if you mention the fact that you’re a Shard-Bearer or allied with Zenith, they’re more likely to warm up.

Though much like Springstar, it may just be more interesting to explore the city with a fellow Shard-Bearer. And as a resident may warn you, it’s best to stay in the city. Wandering out into the marshes and forests isn’t advised. Of course, if you do, just contact a Loremaster to find out why. ♥

NOTES
  • Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all players are required to fill out an application, which are now open. This does include characters/players from Aion Teleos, so please don’t forget to fill one out! Any character/player that does not submit an application will be swept from the communities and the Discord after applications close.
  • Activity Check is optional this month, but is highly recommend so Christy can check her fancy program so that you can earn Activity Reward Tokens! Activity will be able to be submitted shortly after applications close. You can find more about how we do AC here.
  • This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this happens sometimes, since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They’re fine and may even return to Kenos one day, but for now weren’t able to make the full journey.
  • As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!
  • For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are saved from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Navigation page and check out the locations!

    FOR NEW PLAYERS:

  • New players are welcome to join our Discord Server if you haven't already!
  • When they emerge from their cocoon/the ground, characters may be wearing their normal clothes, or they might be nude. Up to you!
  • At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post, since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision in which Faction they'd be drawn to.
  • New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM.
  • Your character will be offered temporary housing either at the Heliopolis district or Yima's manor for the first few weeks after their arrival. They will also be given a stipend for basic supplies like clothing and personal effects, and food is served in the cantina (Heliopolis) and at regular meal times in the Dining Room (Yima's manor). Once they Harmonize, they will get personal permanent chambers and a fancy retainer in their Faction's city. Wow! 🌈

    FOR OLD PLAYERS:

  • Characters may be Harmonized to their Faction (if that makes sense for the character, of course!) by the time of this log. This is more for IC reference, and just wait until application acceptance to do the OOC paperwork!
  • General reminder that your character won't have access to their powers until they have Harmonized.

  • CODING
    settingup: (just lettin' you know)

    iii

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-10-16 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Damn this guy is big. Atsumu's not exactly a small guy himself, and since he used to play a sport where the vast majority if the athletes were at least pushing six feet, height and muscles to match it aren't an unusual sight for him.

    But Vander's got enough presence to him to get a double take from the boy.
    ]

    You never had any collectibles as a kid?
    exhound: (36)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-10-19 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
    [There’s a reaction Vander is fairly used to. As he turns his attention to Atsumu, he offers him a well-practiced warm smile.]

    “Collectibles” didn’t really fit into the sort of childhood I had. [He shakes his head, but there’s not much bitterness there. Vander had plenty of time to come to terms with that and cultivate an appreciation for the life he managed to build up for himself.] But you sound like you've had your fair share of them, hm?
    settingup: (how come blessings)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-10-21 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Figures... He doesn't recognize this guy, but it seems like just about everyone he meets has some kind of deep-seated trauma, or like they're barely covering up some skeletons in their closet. The ones that were brought in from other worlds, but even the ones that seem like they belong on these fragments of worlds seem a little messed up. ]

    Not that many.

    [ He picks up something to look at it for the excuse of doing so. ]

    But I had a normal childhood, so it ain't like I had none.
    exhound: (08)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-10-23 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
    [He gives an appreciative hum in response and carefully sets the trinket he had been holding back on the table. Normal is good. And while perhaps “normal” could be somewhat relative, Vander wishes more people could say they grew up with it.]

    And now you get to have an exciting life here in Kenos? [He glances back to the kid, an eyebrow raised.] Seems like there’s plenty going on in this place.

    [Vander can’t be sure if the kid is another shard-bearer, but he doesn’t have the same air about him as most of the Highstorm locals he’s run into so far.]
    settingup: (and i got tits)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-10-23 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Gosh, this trinket he's looking at sure is so interesting he can't be bothered to look up at Vander's face right now.

    Or maybe he just doesn't want to make eye contact as he's asked that question. It hardly matters though, even with only being able to see Atsumu's profile it should be easy to tell that question hits hard. The muscles in his face tighten, and his eyes narrow in a way that seems very little to do with his current object of study.
    ]

    Somethin' like that.
    exhound: (18)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-10-23 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Ah. So it was like that. Seems he’s touched a nerve, quite by accident, and he can’t help but feel for the lad.

    Vander crosses his arms over his chest, very casual, and steers his attention back to the table as if he too suddenly had a renewed interest in perusing the items on display. Give Atsumu some room to wrestle with those thoughts without feeling scrutinized.]


    Can’t help but feel like it’s all a bit daunting, myself. Getting swept away to this place, that is. [The words are light and easy, and the barest hint of a wry smile tugs at his lips.] You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks.
    settingup: (running to the waves below)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-10-24 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It's easy to do with Atsumu these days, and Vander certainly hasn't crossed the worst of his lines. He was so much more unpleasant to people the first time he got swept away to a new world.

    This second-go-round has him a little more numb, and something about that is bothersome in its own way.

    His brows twitch at the attempt to be light-hearted, and Atsumu finally gives up pretending he cares what's on the table in front of him.
    ]

    You're takin' it pretty lightly if that's your biggest concern. Considerin' your world got destroyed and everything.
    exhound: (42)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-10-26 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, I wouldn’t say that. [He drops the smile, glances back at the boy.] I’ve just had a lot of practice at keeping my cool.

    [Vander’s expression skews more serious now, but it’s nothing too severe. Playing it off clearly hadn’t been the right approach, so he’ll try for honesty instead. Not that there probably is a right approach, considering the extremity of the circumstances.]

    Of course I’d rather be back home, surrounded by friends and family instead of dealing with all this, but
 I don’t think it’s gonna do us any good to let the despair weigh us down for too long. We’re stuck here, whether we like it or not, and we have to make the most of it. [A beat.] Besides, I’m not fully convinced any of our worlds are actually gone.

    [Absently, he runs his hand over the bracer on his right arm, where the bead Cyrus had given him is tucked away.]
    settingup: (for what it's worth)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-10-27 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
    [ What kind of bullshit would a guy need to go through to be able to keep his cool in this situation? Then again, some of the people back on Horos admitted to having lived through world ending scenarios even before ending up there, so maybe it's not actually as unusual as one would want to assume.

    It makes him feel weirdly behind in some ways though, because nothing in Atsumu's life prepared him to deal with something on this scale.

    He watches Vander's face carefully, frown getting deeper the more the man keeps talking. As much as he wants that to be true himself...
    ]

    Didja not feel it when you woke up? Like an ache in your gut knowin' that it's all gone...

    [ He felt it so keenly and sharply when he woke up inside a crystal not too long before now--

    Or, according to Yima, many years before now considering how long it took her to pluck his soul from time and space.
    ]
    exhound: (50)

    Sorry for the delay!

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-11-01 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
    [There’s a frown of his own just barely tugging at his lips at that question. He wishes he had more of an answer, but the truth of it is, Vander still isn't sure how much of all of this he could really believe.]

    Sometimes it’s good to trust your gut, but when you’re out of your element, it isn’t always gonna lead you right.

    [And how much more out of their element could they get than this whole mess? He shakes his head as he continues.]

    Can’t deny that something must have gone wrong. Wouldn’t be so many of us ending up in this place if it hadn’t. [A shrug.] But we don’t really know what it was, do we? Don’t have anything but the word of strangers to explain it. And I’m keen to find out for myself what the truth is.
    settingup: (i see another mountain to climb)

    No worries, since same!

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-11-05 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
    It ain't just a gut feeling.

    [ No, it is still just a gut feeling, but Atsumu has instinctively felt things before. None of those gut feelings in his past had anything on the crushing sensation and deep understanding that his world was gone for good. Just like none of them held a candle to the feeling of holding a mysterious shard in his hand and understanding on a soul deep level that what he was holding was the remnants of his twin brother.

    Whatever people who weren't at Horos feel, it must be a shallow imitation of what he went through. No one could possibly question it if it was the same.

    At least, that's how it is in Atsumu's mind, regardless of the actual reality of the situation.

    His body language has changed too. He was somewhat guarded before, but he's tense now in a way that suggests he's closing himself off to other explanations that Vander might give him.
    ]
    exhound: (46)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-11-08 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
    [Vander is incredibly curious as to what would make the kid feel so damn sure about that fact. Was it simple denial, a way to cope with being thrown into this mess from a seemingly normal life? He can’t necessarily blame him, considering what they were all facing, being brought here in the first place.

    The tense way Atsumu holds himself now tells him that asking such a question would get him nowhere. In fact, he’s suddenly regretting that he let the conversation steer in this direction, unintentionally or not. For some, the reminder of the enormity of what they’ve all lost is not so easy to think about.]


    We’ll agree to disagree, then.

    [Tone just edging into conciliatory, willing to let it drop. Then, with a slight grimace—]

    Sorry. Doesn’t exactly make for light conversation, does it?
    settingup: (of a partnership)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-11-09 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
    [ There's a twitch of the brow as the groves between them deepen, and all as his shoulders raise slightly while he keeps the tension there despite the subject change. A small and quiet way to say "I ain't agreeing to shit".

    Atsumu isn't always the easiest guy to get along with on his best days, and he hasn't had one of those in months now.
    ]

    Who'd wanna have that given what's goin' on anyway?

    [ Light conversation...

    Maybe eventually he'll learn to relax and let loose again, but he's still in the processing phase of this mess.
    ]
    exhound: (41)

    [personal profile] exhound 2022-11-13 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
    [That stubborn look, the tension held in his tall frame, it all draws a sadness to Vander’s features. He sure as hell understands where the kid is coming from here—had a lot of that same sort of bitterness bottled up himself when he was a kid and the world proved to be cruel and unfair. It took him a long time to come to terms with it, move past it and build something better. He’ll have a while to go yet, but the least Vander can do is offer a bit of advice, even if it likely won’t be appreciated in the moment.]

    Take it from me, kid. When life goes to hell, you need a little levity to keep going. Gotta have a little something to hold onto, or else you just drown in the bad.

    [He’d always had a bit of that, just to keep himself afloat through those turbulent years down in the undercity. Eventually he learned to let more of that in, to go from simply floating along to thriving.

    He sighs, taking a step back from the shop display and giving the shopkeep an appreciative nod. Then he glances back over to Atsumu one last time.]


    Hope you can learn to let yourself at least have that much. But I’ll leave you to it for now.

    [No use riling up the kid with further arguments. Atsumu gets a parting nod from him as well, then he turns to resume his meandering through the marketplace.]
    settingup: (running to the waves below)

    [personal profile] settingup 2022-11-14 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Adults pass out wisdom because they've lived through the same nonsense that kids are currently going through--

    Okay, maybe not exactly what Atsumu is going through right now, but certainly the longer you live, the more rough the conditions you live in, the higher your chances are of going through a truly traumatic event. That someone would be able to apply the unfortunately hard earned knowledge of rough past experiences to this current one isn't at all inconceivable.

    But kids, teens in particular, they're pretty infamous for thinking that no one can possibly understand what is going on with them even under normal circumstances, much less extenuating likes like this.

    Vander is offering some good advice right now, but as Atsumu watches him walk away with a tight and guarded expression, it's hard to tell if he'll end up taking that to heart or not.
    ]