⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳

[beleos]

ARRIVAL

All Bearers have heard whispers of them - the Oracles. Mysterious and unknown entities of an abstract nature, they serve as the heart of each faction’s cause - both as a means to an end and a very real stepping stone in achieving their objectives. To claim an Oracle means growing ever closer to victory: to see your homes restored as they were, or to herald in a new one of your making.

So you go.

A Cornerstone has been set up for each faction; one for the Zenith and one for the Meridian in Yima’s manor and Heliopolis, respectively. They warn you that upon transportation, your safety cannot be guaranteed and there is no telling what waits for you beyond - to be prepared. To make sure you have whatever you deem necessary with you before you go, as there is no telling when - or how - you will be coming back. CONTINUED HERE...

NOTES

Upon your arrival, you woke up with an HOURGLASS NECKLACE. Please refer to the Time Mechanics on the OOC Summary and bottom of this post for details on its usage.

The COURTYARD is frozen in time. Player Characters and the Great Tree are the only signs of moving, free life in the courtyard. During the intro, time magic does not work.

Characters are free to investigate but cannot move beyond the courtyard if you choose a prompt during the intro. You may mingle among your fellow Bearers or speak with [MR. TIBBS] if you so choose. (Also? LOOK AT HIM HELP)

Iconoclasts and Stargazers will notice Aspect benefits/detriments now.

All characters will be weak for the 24 hours - think like mild flu - and unable to leave until Mr. Tibbs has dispersed them. This is the time in which any threads with the NPC will be carried out.

The INTRO concludes with said dispersal of PC’s once interactions concluded. They will be sent to a location around the castle of your choosing; they are free to move about freely from here. Your prompts can start with you waking alone or in the presence of others - whatever you’d like!

Your character will innately understand how to use time magic from this point forward. It will come naturally to them, like a skill they were born with.

CASTLE: OVERVIEW (p a s t)

The Scorching Isles is home to the Atirat, a people of sea-dwellers who have the ability to walk on land. (Think mermaids with the ability to shift back and forth between human and mermaid forms.) As such, much of the Scorching Isles is covered in large bodies of blue water and glistening pieces of ice to accommodate their lifestyle.

THE CASTLE, however, is what dominates the landscape and it's where the Shard-Bearers will be spending their time. The white castle with colorful glass windows is obscured by a thick layer of clouds and fog. Nearly every location on the island has a thin layer of fog that rolls through it, which gives the entire Island an inescapable chill. The castle has artfully built rooms with a CAVALCADE OF DECORATIVE ICE, lavish mirrors, and white plants accented with blue decorations. Several portions of the castle are submerged due to the aquatic nature of the native residents.

And everywhere you go, you find them - STATUESQUE BODIES FROZEN mid-movement. They are haunting reminders of the power in your Hourglass - the very real power to decide their fates.

The castle has many winding paths to explore, as castles often do. There are sleeping quarters, HALLWAYS, a wine cellar, and a few large rooms presumably for diplomatic affairs. Players can use these rooms at their own leisure for whatever purposes they see fit. (Exploration, combat, or supply gathering.)

However, many of these rooms will require some strategy to access their full potential! Atirat were much more comfortable being underwater than many Kenosians may be. Therefore, rooms of higher importance may be COMPLETELY SUBMERGED or require swimming through an underwater pathway to reach them. Very minimal supplies will be kept out in the open for all to reach. More desirable supplies - such as warm clothing, small weapons, treasure, and the like - will be located past or within one of these flooded areas.

Players may gather supplies within and preserve their Sand or use their Sand to make other rooms accessible and gather whatever lies within! The larger the asset you attempt to unfreeze, the more Sand it costs - and the more drained/vulnerable you will be as a consequence, so choose your path ahead wisely.

Currently, a pervasive fog is preventing you from wandering beyond the Castle's limits. Should you try to venture past it, your Sand will rapidly be stolen and you will find yourself suffering the same fate as the islanders if you don't move back to safety quickly... However, if you ask Mr. Tibbs what lays beyond the mist - he will tell you about the thriving farmland, the once-bustling village surrounding the castle, and the beautiful coral reefs beneath it. Sadly, they're beyond your reach - but maybe if the Bearers decide to unfreeze them when the week is up...

LIBRARY (s a f e z o n e)

The ROYAL LIBRARY - A treasure trove of knowledge, history, and glimpses of a fractured past scattered throughout. The lower floor of the Library is void of much reading material and contains several intricate-looking art pieces on decorative pedestals.

A spiral staircase dominates the center of the room, with its once delicate structure overtaken by sheets of formidable ice; it leads you toward the upper levels where a sea of books awaits. There are isles and isles of books, most perched on intricately carved shelves. Many books lay in piles or are discarded onto the floor, and scattered papers are common throughout.

Curious Kenosians may pick out books from the shelves and read on various topics, but players may also pass through this room on their way elsewhere. This area will function as a safe haven where violence and the taking of others' Sand is not allowed; do not disturb the books or Mr. Tibbs won’t be happy!

NOTES

Characters who wish to receive a book with lore specific to the island may comment [HERE]. You will be RNGed a book from a pre-written list of topics. The books may give you a deeper look into the island, its inhabitants, and its history! (Only 1 book per player! Please assume all other books they read are about commonly-available topics.)

THE EATING PARLOR (p a s t)

There are no basic amenities on the island. No hot water, no warm beds, and no salacious magazines (that you know of. heh heh). That would make the Eating Parlour a wise stop for anyone. After all, this could be the perfect chance to procure some provisions!

The EATING PARLOUR has all the equipment one would need for meal preparation. Dried plants hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with mason jars filled with every strange manner of presumably edible thing (Is that a head over there? Hmm… maybe you should check).

The parlour also comes with a garden under a massive windowed dome so that the inhabitants could have fresh produce at hand. Many plants have withered, but there are some salvageable plants if you know how to look for them. But beware… Some of the plants have a strange blue glow. These plants can spell potential disaster.

If someone should make contact with these glowing plants, they will crumble into glass shards - glass that will quickly burrow its way under the skin and curse that person with Blight. Blight will make all resources within that person's vicinity slowly age and eventually crumble to dust. (Which I relate to on a personal level tbh.) Iconoclasts will be immune to its effects.

NOTES

Please see the "Blight" section below for more information on its effects.

TREASURE ROOM (f u t u r e)

Faint singing can be heard coming from this room. Once you hear the song, it dulls your senses and leaves you in a haze. There is no stopping your feet from guiding you to it through the doors and into the Treasure room. The door slams shut at your back, sealed with a wall of ice and magic.

Players will find themselves lured to an icy chamber bordered by a ring of cold blue fire. There is a deep pond that surrounds the platform you’ve found yourself standing on. Beyond its glassy surface and crystal clear water, one can glimpse all manner of treasures - from crowns, jewels, ornate statues in various statues of repair, scepters, spears, and books that seem impervious to the water's cold chill.

As you come to your senses, you will find yourself frozen in place and at the mercy of a large statuesque being before you. This beautiful and horrifying figure in a perpetual song is the SIREN, the only Atirat you’ve seen in person. She measures nearly 20 feet (6 meters) from her head to the tip of her long-finned tail. She cradles an icy shard in her arms, singing to it as if it were a child.

She sits serenely in front of a large hourglass filled with white sand, which is bordered by a spear and a lance. Emblazoned in faint text at the base of where she sits reads: “The future lies in our hands.”

NOTES

Welcome to the Siren’s Chamber! Players must use their wit, charisma, or some good ol' fashioned elbow grease to escape the room or break the Siren’s magic. The Shard that the Siren holds contains dormant time magic that players may activate by using the Sand within their necklace. Players can access the future in 5-second intervals and use whatever they find in that time period to escape their predicament.

For example, if they activate the shard by using their time magic, that shard will begin to glow blue. The room around them will shift, and it could change to a point in the future where there is a sword nearby. If you can grab it, now you have a weapon! When the 5 seconds are up and time returns to the present, you will still have that weapon on your person. You may also try verbal communication if you’d like. If your character is someone who would try and talk their way out of a situation diplomatically, they may give it a try!

It is up to player discretion/creativity to think of a scenario you’d like. Each “future" does not have to be the same across player encounters! What one group experiences may be tailored to the player wants (because branching timelines exist). Let your imagination run free!

HALL OF MIRRORS (p r e s e n t)

Should you reach the rightmost wing of the massive castle Library, you will find a door hidden in the very back of one aisle against a wall; it looks as though the door used to be concealed by magicks that have since dissolved.

The stairwell leads down and into darkness. Once you reach the bottom, shimmering light cast from an unknown source beneath sheets of glistening ice will illuminate your new surroundings; you are in a maze of mirror-like ice. This labyrinth is silent save for the quiet creaking of shifting ice that may disquiet you and leave you uneasy regarding the stability of this area… but it holds beneath your feet.

Mr. Tibbs had told you that the “Kaleidoscope” - where your Sand is counted - rests through here, so eventually, you must brave the journey. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe the product of an especially active imagination…?

Did you just see one of your reflections move without you?

NOTES

Please refer to the OOC Summary for details on the Hall of Mirrors!

THE BLIGHT and TIME MECHANICS

BLIGHT

Blight is an infliction that will age supplies and infect people with a creeping disease that steals their Sand. For objects, this includes weapons, food, and items like cloth. It will take a few days to deteriorate things beyond use - so watching your supplies and acting accordingly is in your best interest. Generally, it will make it more difficult for PC's to get by given that their already scarce resources will dwindle and deteriorate - especially since it's 'contagious' through touch.

The Blight will not act quickly enough to severely hamper infected persons, but repeated exposure will cause effects to a person's body - notedly protruding VEINS in the face and extremities, a lower body temperature, and increased agitation. These effects start out mild and grow more severe with each 'dose.'

Characters must touch an object/person that is Blighted to become inflicted with Blight themselves. When that happens, it will become easily identifiable as Blighted from the faint blue, shimmering outline around the infected subject, as well as the WITHERED, FROSTBITTEN or ashy appearance it takes as it progresses.

However, there is one single perk with Blight. (Or is it a perk?) Players will feel reduced impact by the cold surroundings, making the climate around them somewhat more hospitable. Beware of falling victim to a chill you can't feel...

TIME

To use your Sand, each character is granted access to and innate knowledge of a spell they channel from their Shard that automatically manipulates their Hourglass. This allows the remote control of Sand (aka gathering and dispersing), as well as the ability to pull Fragments of time from Shards.

Fragments are literal pieces of you taken from your Shard. They manifest as memories or images displayed on little shards of broken glass (think of the memory being played out in real-time on the mirror's surface), and can be crushed to convert into Sand automatically, either voluntarily or by force. The only stipulation is that the parties must be close to one another, and the Fragment must be exchanged while both Bearers are still. This means someone has to give it to you, or you need to immobilize them before you take it - one way or another.

Once the Fragment is crushed, the memory and associated time of that person's life is lost and your character will suffer amnesia until the Oracle is claimed. How deep this goes is up to you; they could lose a large chunk of time - even all their memories surrounding a person or place for a big payload of Sand, or they could lose very little for a meager net gain.

Sand is automatically gathered or distributed by your Hourglass and added/subtracted to your running total. No need to micromanage. Convenient!

Please note that using Sand to unfreeze anything (resources, a door which can be then opened, etc) is an unpleasant experience. Each time you use Sand in this way, your character will be left feeling weakened and flu-like for an hour or two, which will leave them vulnerable. This effect stacks and scales up to outright KO-ing them for a few hours if they go crazy, so unfreezing too large of an area is off the table!

NOTES

• An OOC POST will be coming shortly explaining how Sand is going to be tallied and the Oracle claimed.
• Should your character attempt to unfreeze any NPC's, please respond [HERE]. NOTE: unfreezing NPC's may result in physical violence with CW's for severe mental instability/illness and a potential reference to self-harm.
• HAVE FUN!!!

CODING

Comments

05!

[sanguinary]

[FLIPS IN HERE TO WILDCARD US SOME SIREN FIGHTING.

Which is to say - of course Matsui's been exploring, because no part of what either faction offers is particularly appealing to him and thus he has no incentive to focus on the Oracle or on helping one side over the other. Looking for information above all else has been his goal, since that could at least help other people here - and with that naturally comes poking around nosily and hoping he doesn't get bitten for his efforts.

...But, y'know, he's not really surprised when he's snared up by something sooner rather than later, piloted by some external force into a new space. He barely has the thought to be overtly concerned, disoriented as he is in those initial moments after snapping out of the haze. At the very least, even with a body distinctly too human to be comfortable, he's still a blade at heart. Even before his conscious mind catches up, he's already scanning the surroundings, taking everything in, doing a tactical sweep to understand the most immediate threats.

The fire, the ice, the door slamming shut - the slopes of treasure, glittering coldly. The Hourglass. The Siren herself, enormous and intimidating. And then, a snatch of something actually familiar--]

—Hayame.

[Somehow, there's always a touch of something melancholic to him. It's the look in his eyes, or the way he says things - even now is no exception, though the primary vibe is definitely Fight Incoming Probably™ and is accordingly tense. He's not exactly happy that there's another person stuck in this situation...]

[warmare]

[Hayame had heard talk in the library about this... thing. Some thing lurking in a large, opulent hall filled with treasure whose call was enough to pull in shard-bearers to the threat of doom... And she had dismissed it as the talk of weaklings, because surely she wouldn't be taken in by some fish woman's song.

Except at some point... her hooves had carried her past the place she planned to go, following the faint sound, growing louder, of a song she had never heard before. The rest of the icy castle falls away... until the door closes, the Siren catches its breath, and her sense returns.

For one moment, she is confused (and scared, like she always is and always covers for when dealing with magic and things beyond her ability to properly understand). But the next, she is ready to react, there's a bow in her hand and her arrow is notched, but the most immediate target is-]

-- Where did you come from?

[Why are they here? And why is the creature in the center of the "pond" in the room curling and preparing to open its mouth?]

[sanguinary]

The halls by the Library.

[A quick answer, though he doesn't ask it in return since he can see the Siren getting ready to open her mouth once more and he's already put two and two together here. After all, there are plenty of youkai from folklore he's all too familiar with who function in similar ways.]

—I can't say that it will help just yet, but try to keep your ears covered.

[Easier said than done considering they don't conveniently have two sets of arms - one for fighting and one for blocking out the song of the siren. He doesn't have a weapon on him just yet, anyway, though. It's instinct that has him crouching and covering his ears as soon as the Siren picks up from the song's lull, continuing to sing to the icy shard cradled in her arms.

On the plus side, dampening the sound is enough that he's not completely incapacitated like he'd been before. But wow! He sure would like that extra set of arms now! He'll glance over toward Hayame to see how she's managing.]

[warmare]

[She means to answer that she, too, had been in that area, attempting to narrow down how it was she could have been in one place one moment, and in an entirely different one the next moment she regained proper sense. But first-

He says to cover her ears, in a voice that speaks to a sureness about this creature that Hayame does not possess, and though she might not understand why he says it... She does it.

The problem is... jinba had far more advanced hearing than a human did, and even with her hands clapped suddenly over her ears... the song leaks in before she can secure her senses further. And as Matsui crouches... there is a moment when Hayame... goes slack. Her hands stutter and begin to fall away... and instead of moving for her bowstring...

She begins to step towards the siren.]

[sanguinary]

[WELL.

Well.

...Well, that sure wasn't what he'd been hoping for. Having muted human senses is actually doing him so much good in this moment, but without that extra pair of useful arms, he's sure in a pickle! He's naturally not one to leave anyone else on the battlefield high and dry, especially not when they're at a disadvantage, but it takes him a second to fully push through the slight haze he's still in and get his body moving again.

Fortunately, even without the less human stamina and strength he's used to, he's still a warrior through and through. His body is capable of moving without him having to put much conscious thought behind it, and it always does exactly that when he needs it to.

His feet carry him forward out of his crouch, and he darts forward, careful not to step directly into Hayame's path. Instead, he makes a dash for the Hourglass and veers away from Hayame, assuming based on its orientation that that's one of the things - if not the thing - that the Siren aims to protect. Sure enough, she turns her attention his way, turns her body to face him, and he can only hope that the song will be a little less potent when not directed at Hayame. If nothing else, she should at least be spared any immediate attacks. The difference between being collateral damage and a direct target is certainly noticeable though, and even with his ears still firmly covered, he's nearly brought to his knees.]

Hayame—!! Can you hear me?!

nlqf sorry for the delay

[warmare]

[Not quite aware of the movements of others, suddenly far less concerned, Hayame puts one hoof in front of the other... until she doesn't. Until it seems absolutely strange that she is doing that. Why? She shake her head as if trying to fling some sort of unbidden thought of it, claps her hands over her ears...

And it comes back as the song dulls slightly again. Enough that she gropes for her bow, for an arrow, sense returning enough to note that he is moving away, the thing is turning to him...

And before she can go under again, before the chance is lost-

She fits the arrow to the string and fires. Not the cleanest shot... an so she aims for the chest, and not the head.]

NO WORRIES samesies closes my eyes

[sanguinary]

[It's a sure-fire shot, clean and true, and even in the midst of this dire situation, the blade that Matsui is takes time to appreciate the strong form. Not the cleanest shot, but considering the kind of unnatural force they're up against? Impressive nonetheless.

It sticks true to course, too, landing with an audible thwack and embedding deeply into the Siren's chest. Not a fatal wound, but one that interrupts her singing as she shrieks in pain instead, turning her attention momentarily to ridding herself of the arrow.

With that precious break in time, Matsui takes his hands from his ears and darts forward. He hates using other weapons without permission, but time is of the essence here. From the treasure pile, he grabs a blade, turning to face Hayame again. It seems like he's able to block the song out a little better, so...]

--I will distract her. Let us try to find a way out.

[He has no interest in the hourglass or the shard in her arms, nor is he bloodthirsty enough to want her dead just for pulling them into this trap.]

[warmare]

[It might be wiser to follow his advice. Find a way out. Retreat.

But that word, retreat sticks in her craw like bone, and Hayame's remaining single eye darts between the hourglass on the Siren's "island" and the man who is also a sword across from her. Instead of bolting for an exit... her hooves crack on the ice, her fingers move to her quiver and not the rope tied around her barrel to align her spine for galloping.]

And leave with nothing?

[There was so little time before the beast started singing again. The arrow is on her string. In order to achieve victory in this strange place, they needed [TIME], and-]

You may not fight for anything, but I cannot let the Zenith take this gods damned Oracle- Whatever it is!

[Famous last words]

[sanguinary]

[Well, it's not the first time and it won't be the last time that his general opinions in (or about) battle have been succinctly ignored...

More than that, Hayame is stubborn, as he's seen before. The kind of stubbornness that can get a person killed. Matsui truly doesn't have anything to fight for here, nothing at stake that he'd hate to lose. Getting Hayame out safely is his primary goal, and if that means letting her try and either succeed or fail to the point that retreat (hopefully) becomes the obvious answer - then that's what he'll do.]

...Then I will have your back.

[Not that he knows exactly how much he can do when he has to lose Both Hands every time the Siren starts her song... But it's still a little more than what Hayame's working with. They're running low on seconds, but as a sword, it's in his nature to ask:]

What is it that you wish to do?

[He crafted to follow, after all.]

crawls back from manon shard debate aaaa

[warmare]

[Hayame has always had too much to lose, and only so much to gain. But every single victory has been fought and clawed for, suffered for, bled for, and she doesn't know any other way to live anymore. The stakes have always been life or death, she can't bring the intensity of her life down anymore.

But it's good- It's better- To have someone else there to rely on, at least a little. If they must act around that accursed song-]

We will take turns taking that thing's call if need be-

[It requires a degree of trust she does not like to give, but he had pulled her out once, he could do it again.]

Move in close as possible, keep it distracted-

[And she sees it open it's mouth, so before it can begin again... She decides that has to be all there is to this discussion, galloping off in the opposite direction to draw its attention and loosing another arrow at the siren to try and drive it off its island and back into the deep from whence it came.]

WELCOME BACK

[sanguinary]

[Matsui is quick to follow orders, half-said as they may be in this case. If nothing else, he's quick on his feet, quick to adapt, quick to survey what they're dealing with and figure out the best way forward.

He doesn't waste any time as the Siren turns toward Hayame now, shrieking in - fury? Upset? Something as she wrenches the arrow from its sticking point just below her collarbone with her one free hand, now bleeding sluggishly in the chill of the air from two points. Matsui can feel his legs buckle for a split-second as she starts up with her song again, but fortunately - well, fortunately for him, this time - her attention is still on Hayame.

Even like this, it's hard to keep a grip on his faculties. He can feel his thoughts starting to drift away, and he can only cover one ear if he has even a thin hope of utilizing his blade. But he has a mission of sorts to focus on, at least, and it's that single point of concentration that he can seize and focus on.

His feet carry him closer, with more control and precision this time than the last. He brings the blade up and darts in for a side-sweeping attack, though his aim isn't fatal. He wants to be able to push this Siren back, too, rather than ending her life.]

aaaaa

[warmare]

[She moves. Even as the siren's song tries to invade her mind again, even as it makes her legs sluggish and her reactions muddled, she has to simply trust that Matsui will take advantage of the moment and soon she will regain what she can, struggling to notch her next arrow as she has a vague sense of his approach, the leap closer to the beast in the shape of a woman and the flash of sword-

The flash of an image in her mind, that he will swing and the thing will seize him by his arm, rip him off the ground and into the freezing water, and though she does not know where the vision comes from-]

Matsui, lower!

[She calls out a command across the way despite, urging him to duck with his slash instead.]

[sanguinary]

[The sudden command takes him by surprise, but again, he's nothing if not perfectly honed to follow orders in battle. Without a second thought, he dives into a lower position midway through the motion - and over the top of his head, he feels a sweep of air as the Siren's arm whips over where he'd just been seconds before. He has no idea what that planned attack was, but he's grateful for whatever insight Hayame had that allowed him to dodge.

All the better, since he's able to get a decent slash in - though having to shift his trajectory at the last second means it's a very shallow one.]

—Drive her to the left?

[A short, quick question, shouted as he darts back and out of her range for the time being, having temporarily interrupted the song yet again. To the left, he spots an area of the crystal pool that looks darker, which he assumes might be another passageway.]

maybe heading towards wrap up before new event drop... ?!

[warmare]

[Somehow... it worked. That gut feeling (premonition) had been right, and so-]

To the left!

[- and hopefully, the Siren didn't speak Japanese. Or whatever strange magic land language that they might be speaking right now. Hayame had long stopped trying to understand how she could hear and make sense of what foreign looking people said.

Instead, she half screams at herself through gritted teeth trying to mute the siren's song in her ears with her own sounds reverberating in her own skull, firing off arrows as fast as she can. Some, she doesn't even aim to hit- she aims to drive, to cut off avenues of fleeing in other directions, faltering as the song moves with the Siren's attention between them...

But soon enough...

The fishy woman is left with little else but that patch of darkness behind her, treasures glittering on the icy surface.]

HELP YES RUNS FASTLY TO MASQ

[sanguinary]

[In any other situation, he'd take the time to admire her strength and form, because he is a honed weapon when all's said and done. It's impressive fervor, and it's largely due to the spray of arrows and the ferocity that she launches them that they're able to box this creature into a corner in a decent amount of time.

Matsui is of course using all he has to his advantage, striking where he can, using his ability to dampen sound as close to his advantage as he can manage.

When they eventually manage to corner her, it's all it takes, really - just one last, threatening sweep of the blade that leaves no room for argument backed by the even more looming threat of a very stalwart archer, and she's sliding away into the frigid water. Perhaps she'll return in due time, but the doors click open from behind, and Matsui's quick to turn.]

Quick— While she's gone--

[TIME TO FLEE.]