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, αιώνιος ήλιος
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, луны-близнецы
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
    cryomance: (034.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-10-26 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
    [ She'd rather be mistaken for a librarian than someone interested in low-grade smut. Not that she's particularly scandalized by the content at all. Their own library back home was filled with plenty of tomes discussing the fine merits of girdles being ripped open, and beyond that, she's far from a virgin.

    ...It's just that her romantic sensibilities are nonexistent, and her preferred genre of literature is a wine menu. ]


    Whatever gave you that impression? I'm only responsible for documents pertaining to the Church of Mondstadt, not whatever this place is called.

    [ ...Responsible is kind of a stretch. She's probably used their sacred scripture as a placemat and a napkin more times than she can count. ]

    If you feel that strongly about it, toss it out yourself.
    lockedon: (057)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-10-26 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
    [ The mention of a church would ordinarily be enough to scatter the rest of his attention, already barely there as it is, but it's the following name that rounds up all the pieces and shoos them back into place.

    His brow wrinkles, and he glances over at Rosaria a second time, a clarity to his gaze suggesting that he's looking at her in a new light now. He knows Mondstat—or more specifically, knows a certain someone from there. ]


    You're from Mondstat as well?
    cryomance: (100.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-11-02 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Given that the only one else here from Mondstadt that she's aware of is Kaeya, she can't imagine the wolf-dog-man must have run into anyone else. And if he has... that's a curious development. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one who woke up in that cave, but she's not about to get her hopes up.

    Also, why is she still holding this stupid book? She tosses it at him before folding her arms defiantly in case he tries to toss it back. ]


    You can probably enkindle your fireplace with it if you don't want to reshelve it. Now, who's this other Mondstadt-er you ran into? Eyepatch, talks too much, only buttons his shirts half-way?

    [ If that... ]
    lockedon: (pic#14244924)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-11-02 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Automatic reflex means he catches the book before he realizes what he's done. Scowling, he shoves it back onto the shelves between two completely unrelated books (The Art of Jellyfish Costuming and Bunions and You: A Guide). With any luck, no one will ever have to stumble across that mess of a novel ever again.

    With that out of the way, he turns back to Rosaria, unconsciously mirroring her by folding his own hands over his chest. His expression doesn't quite match the rest of his standoffish posture though, his gaze more surprised than anything. Interesting description. ]


    Something like that. Is that how he dressed in Mondstat as well?

    [ This is the important part, obviously. ]
    cryomance: (124.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-11-04 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ She might check out that bunion one later. Combat in heels is a grave threat to foot health. Some things don't change no matter how many worlds get destroyed. Kaeya is one of those things, and she never thought she'd be taking comfort in that fact.

    Still, she heaves out a tired sigh and shrugs, not that she's one to judge considering what she'd done to her own uniform. ]


    Neither of us are fond of the heat. Probably a common trait of all cryo-vision holders.

    [ Without the book distracting her, she can focus better on the ...dog-man, cataloging his traits quickly from the one exposed eye to the lack of tail on his ass. Was it chopped off, or did he never have one at all? Maybe it's folded up and crammed into his underwear.

    That's not the question she asks thankfully– ]


    Were you a friend of his? He'd briefly mentioned his time in Horos before he wound up here.
    Edited (I dropped this: / ) 2022-11-04 17:27 (UTC)
    lockedon: (b012)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-11-04 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Stop, don't be dogman speciest. Even if he wouldn't really care if she pointed that out or not.

    He's far more interested in learning about this apparent acquaintence of Kaeya's - another cryo-vision holder? whatever that means - than his own history with the man, though it's not like there's anything to lose in answering her question either. ]


    I wouldn't call each other friends.

    [ Because he's not really into the habit of calling anyone a friend, because also because he's pretty sure neither of them would refer to each other as such. Acquaintences for sure, coworkers maybe, but 'friend' is a muddy field that he's never been able to tidy up for himself. ]

    We worked together for some time. [ Which is about as succinctly as he can put it. ] What's a cryo-vision?

    [ He has a guess, but better to know for sure than to assume. ]
    cryomance: (003.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-11-04 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ She'll take that to mean dog-man gets along with Kaeya in a similar fashion as Rosaria does, which almost makes him alright in Rosaria's eyes. A vaguely acceptable ally. Because of that, she actually answers the question instead of brushing it off as her instincts often bid her to do. ]

    We had the same elemental affinity –ice– back in our world. It doesn't matter anymore here. Both our visions are gone.

    [ An expected side effect of losing both their world and archons. She's not sure how to regain it, except Kaeya had mentioned attuning in Horos had helped him. She has no proof yet that it works in this one, as she's yet to meet anyone who'd done the same. Of course, she also has yet to ask the dog-man in front of her... ]

    Have you joined either faction?
    lockedon: (b014)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-11-08 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Checks out.

    He tucks that nugget of information in his back pocket, a little surprised that neither this woman nor Kaeya have access to their talents anymore. Is is something similar to how he'd lost his memories, or is this something different entirely? He himself doesn't feel as though he's missing any skills he'd been able to use before, though then again, he'd never had anything to lose in the first place.

    The perks of being a normie.

    Her question earns her a cock of his head to one side and an assessing look. ]


    No. I'm not keen on working for anyone with ulterior motives any time soon. [ He's his own boss now....until something comes along that forces his hand one way or another. ] Why?
    cryomance: (004.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-11-16 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
    [ A smart man. A smart dog-man. She's still so distracted by the ears, unable to stop from watching them as they twitch and move with his expressions.

    It takes her a little while to actually answer– ]


    That's how it worked in this other world. Horos... those who woke up there pledged enough loyalty to either side and were suddenly granted perks.

    [ Why else would most people fight for a world they have no attachment to? Aside from wanting simply to survive, but survival is going to be next to impossible without some kind of added power to separate themselves from the herd. Rosaria had already felt gravely disadvantaged just dealing with a vindictive tree she couldn't cut down. Other dangers likely await her at every turn, and she doesn't want to be caught off-guard again. ]

    All signs point to this world sharing the same fate. Are you going to march towards the inevitable end or against it?

    [ She hasn't been here long enough to even begin to ascertain how she'd go about preventing any large-scale wars or cataclysm, as much as she's not itching to die yet again –even less so knowing she's now the retainer (along with Kaeya) for all memories of Mondstadt. ]
    lockedon: pid 4667155 (pic#14244914)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-11-16 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ She's not wrong; there are decided advantages to affiliating with one side or the other. It was the whole reason he'd bowed to the Regent's whims back in Horos after all, to gain information and security while working on his own investigations. Of course, nothing had come from that but the evergrowing chaos of his own conflicting emotions, a jagged crevasse through his once orderly thoughts that he still hasn't managed to repair.

    Some of his thoughts pass across his face, a troubled expression settling into the fine wrinkles between his brows.

    There's no reason for him to answer this stranger's question. Connected though they might be by the thin thread called Kaeya Alberich, Eustace has never been in the habit of letting perceived bonds dictate his actions. But in some ways, the fact that this woman is a stranger otherwise makes it easier to be truthful. She has nothing to gain by trying to manipulate him. ]


    I don't know. I haven't investigated either side enough.

    [ It's a bit of a cheap answer, admittedly, especially given how his investigations had gone the last time around (poorly). ]

    You?
    cryomance: (102.)

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-11-23 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
    The same.

    [ She's only been here a handful of days, and she's yet to ascertain who the biggest threat is –if it's even tied to either faction. For all she knows, the creatures outside are what will undo their world, and the people here are only wasting their time and energy on petty squabbles and disagreements.

    Her coming here won't stave off the inevitable, but she's not the only shard-bearer. Who's to say whether or not they can tip the scales in this world or if they're also just wasting time here until they die? Again. ]


    All refuge they've offered is only superficial at best, but I don't believe for a second that our worlds can be salvaged from ruin.

    [ Which is what Cyrus had suggested, according to all who'd spoken with him, so she's less inclined to be taken in by his optimism without further proof. ]

    What's gone is gone. If you were an assassin or a king in your world, you're not anymore, so do whatever you wish.
    lockedon: (pic#14244911)

    me: i can't believe evy never tagged me back.....me, after finding this tab open for the last week:

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-12-02 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Blunt words, but he finds himself agreeing with her rather than repelled. It's the simple truth of the matter without any sugarcoating, even if it makes the whole situtation sound all the more bleak.

    Although...now that they've reached this point, he wonders about something different, a question he's been weighing regarding his own motivations. ]


    Is there anything that would sway you one way or another?

    [ All people have their weakness, that one thing they'll jump over any hurdle to achieve. What might that be for her? ]
    cryomance: (129.)

    i'm always in your inbox...lurking...waiting...

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-12-03 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ What would convince her indeed? She's not really sure. She's never been the kind to respond to carrots dangled on fishing lines, and no one can beat what Mondstadt had given her: a chance at redemption.

    She shrugs after a moment. ]


    I'll see where my allies land.

    [ As her duty is still to protect every Mondstadter, that does technically include Kaeya. Someone has to keep him out of trouble while he's here. ]

    What about you? Would you take whichever side offers the most money or material perks or something more philosophical?
    lockedon: (039)

    uwahhh...but also i'll release you from my clutches now. until mistletoe.

    [personal profile] lockedon 2022-12-03 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Fair enough. It's hard for him to come up with any sort of concrete answer in reply, the silence between them stretching out for some time longer as he tries (and largely fails) to come up with some sort of adequate answer of his own. Surely if there had been something that could have appealed to him, he would have had it dangled in front of him by now, either by the Society or by the Regent.

    Well. There might have been one thing, a long time ago, but the follow-through of it now is impossible no matter which way you slice it. ]


    Power, maybe.

    [ Just enough to keep the people he loves safe. But 'just enough' is always a slippery slope, and he doesn't trust himself not to fall prey to its influence as so many others have.

    Maybe he should elaborate more on his answer instead of just letting her think he's some sort of power-hungry freak, but he doesn't. ]


    But I doubt you're here to trade deals with a stranger. [ Time for him to take his awful book and dispose of it. Surely the library won't miss it. ] Good luck finding what you're looking for.
    cryomance: (082.)

    slaps an end tag here

    [personal profile] cryomance 2022-12-11 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Power is a reasonable excuse to pick a side, so she's hardly one to judge him for his endeavors. In fact, she appreciates the like-minded train of thought –a rarity in this world and her own. Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship? ...or at least a vague sort of respect and understanding between two taciturn individuals? ]

    You too. There's bound to be something that isn't smut in this library. Just don't bring any more of your rejects this way.

    [ ...Unless she wound up in a smut library, and it's all smut. She didn't really check before entering, but she doesn't care too much about what people do for entertainment in this world.

    She watches Eustace disappear and goes her own way, returning to nap behind the "pet" care section. ]