TDM 006

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ Arrival is absolutely not normal this month. Instead of a hospital bed, you wake in a tunnel with a large group of other people. These are the residents. A woman’s voice in an earpiece hurriedly clues you in with an apology. I apologize; I had not planned to introduce you this way, but we are low on time. Please proceed down the hallway. An image of a shattered pearl pops up on your personal HUD and rotates. I am Aurora. You are joining many others on Etraya in order to save your world from destruction by completing missions. Your current mission is to find the pieces of this object that have become scattered in the library ahead of you. For everyone else, coming in is much the same. The instruction goes out to head to designated areas immediately, where companion bots will escort the residents of Etraya down into the depths, the area beneath where much the same is explained. ⏵ disrobing ⏴ The tunnel eventually opens directly into the foreroom of an expansive library, painted in marvelous hues and patterns with skylights far above. There are wizards milling about, bearded and holding tomes, quietly chatting amongst themselves. The reception area of the library has tall ceilings with equally tall doors Before you get too caught up in the scenery, a voice directs you forward. A gentleman, hunched and bespeckled craws out. "Make a line! Make a line, everyone! You cannot enter the library dressed as you are... Come forward and give me your name." The receptionist asks your given name and then hands over a box from underneath his counter. You can give him any name you want, he doesn’t seem to mind. It is tied with a tagged ribbon- labeling it accordingly. “The _____ robe of _______.” (First Letter of Given Name) (Last Letter of Given Name) A Controlling N Helpful A Melodies N Light B Glimmering O Floating B Discretion O Mind-Reading C Wet P Handsome C Growth P Climbing D Gruesome Q Gullible D Grasping Q Jumping E Observant R Ratty E Flying R Hurting F Powerful S Adhesive F Reading S Guiding G Psychedelic T Sweltering G Dancing T Bug-Speaking H Swift U Cheerful H Shouting U Exploding I Voracious V Anxious I Extracting V Complaining J Soft W Likeable J Punishing W Dividing K Keen X Ruthless K Creeping X Slapping L Fabulous Y Dramatic L Walking Y Charming M Fair Z Demonic M Listening Z Combustion As you read what the contents of the box may be, they form inside- Looking and behaving as your character expects them to. After all, magic is all in the wielder’s mind. Don your robes and enter the library. ⏵ unfamiliar familiars ⏴ For those without a familiar (like one hatched from an egg not too long ago) you may borrow one from the library counter. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but they will all assist in the very important mission. As you roam the library, they will make little indications that you are closer or further from finding a piece of the pearl. Pro • Hardworking • Gives correct directions 75% of time • Won’t run away from you • Very affectionate • Gives correct directions only when paired with another rat, toad, or personal pet. • Gives correct directions 90% of the time Con • Must feed bookworms • Will run away if too close to a cat • Does not care for you • Sleepy • Will run ahead • Gets distracted by rats ⏵ the task at hand ⏴ With robes donned and creature in hand, you must now complete your mission. Find the pieces of the shattered pearl. As you enter the library, you may notice that it’s all very dim. There’s oil lamps around the place that may be moved with you to assist in your journey if your robes do not already emit light. Break off and search the library. There is a directory at the front to point guests to all the different sections. Wings of the Library A General Works B Music C Philosophy, Religion D Fine Arts E History, Auxiliary Sciences F Language and Literature G Magic, General H Science J Geography, Anthopology K Medicine M Agriculture N Hobbies, Recreation P Social Science Q Military R Political Science S Practical Arts T Law W People X Education Y Spiders Each section looks enough like the last, though the books within have immense power. Pick up the wrong book, and you might conjure a dragon or a historical figure! You must persist and avoid making too much noise or breaking too many things. Or else the Librarian, a tall mass of knotted fabric will confiscate your robe and usher you back outside. Your name will be struck from the list, and you must pick a new one to re-enter the library to continue the search. You can try to fight back against him- he may be set alight with the lamp. But should you be starting fires in here? ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Any thread with 15 comments between you and another may be submitted to find a piece of the pearl. There are 20 pieces altogether, and we will determine if the mission was successful by March 28th. A post will go live on the OOC comm for this! This mission occurs out of time, similar to how the spaceship had. Meaning, those currently in game can experience these events any time between now, and March 14th. Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment! ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

An Zhe | Little Mushroom

[hyphanated]

the task at hand

[An Zhe has never been in a library before, or seen so many books or beards or bathrobes...he'd given his name as requested at the front desk and was handed a Demonic Robe of Flying, but as he doesn't know what a demon is, his soft white robe has merely grown bee wings out the back instead of doing anything recognizably demonic.

Quietly wandering the library with a tiny frog leading the way, he flies up to check out a book with a particularly sparkly spine.]

Sights of Atlantis? I wonder where that is? [He cracks open the book, only to immediately shut it again when water starts pouring out of it.

...At least he tries to, but the water pressure is apparently too much for him to handle? Someone please help, the frog is just croaking in a puddle below him...]

Wildcard
[Catch him casting curious glances at the wizards! Or attempting to read the books! Or warily avoiding library mice!

Also, for anyone with special senses, An Zhe smells like a poisonous mushroom, but otherwise appears human in every respect.]

task at hand;

[badfengshui]

[ This ... makes as much sense as anything else ever did.

Henry dons his robe - Swift Robe of Charming. He isn't sure what that means but he walks a little faster than he did before, so that's nice? The rat in his hand seems to like snuggling his hand and doing little else. It seems like he's on his own, but at least he runs into someone else.

And that person doesn't seem like they're being pursued by a serial killer. Another plus. Really, the atmosphere is not as suffocating or ominous; it feels a lot more hopeful than that and he isn't quite sure what to do in response beyond. ]

Oh... Atlantis. I've heard of that... once.

[ It's what he offers in greeting. ]

It... it supposedly doesn't exist, but ... who knows?

[hyphanated]

[Oh, hello there stranger. An Zhe looks at him curiously.]

It doesn't exist? This doesn't look like a storybook, though...

[Because aside from it spilling water out of its pages, the title just doesn't sound like something you'd see on a fiction book.]

[badfengshui]

Oh.

[ Hi, stranger. How is it to fly and have wings? ]

Guess it might, then...

[ He stares at the water coming out of the book. ]

... this place really is magic.

[hyphanated]

[It feels! Tall! He is normally quite short.

An Zhe also looks down at the book, then over at the stranger again.]

I don't know much about magic...do you think it's okay to leave the book like this, though? I can't seem to close it.

[His frog ribbits cheerily below him.]

[badfengshui]

You can't?

[ It's what he starts with before glancing at the frog that is ribbiting happily. ]

I guess if you can't... you can't. [ A pause. ] We didn't do anything purposely, anyway, so... it should be fine. [ His voice trails off in uncertainty. ]

[hyphanated]

[...He looks down at the book, which is still pouring out water like a small waterfall.]

It doesn't seem like a very good idea...to leave this around so much paper.

[Maybe if he puts it on the floor and tries to step on the cover...?

[badfengshui]

Yeah...

[ He has to agree. So -- ]

If you put it on the floor, and we both step on it, maybe --

[ Henry pauses to stare at his robe. ] -- you could get a running -- flying start at the book, even.

[hyphanated]

Would running at it work?

[Oh, his frog's trying to push it...maybe frog help can be enough to help him shut it with his feet!? It being a book makes this awkward either way, but--]

...I'll try dropping down on it.

[badfengshui]

Okay. We'll do it all at the same time.

[ Kneeling, he gets his knee wet from the little waterspout but it's fine. It's fine. ]

Should we count? [ Probably. ]

One... two... three...

[ And he tries to close the book - with the power of frog! Flying bee young man! And supportive rat combined!! ]

[hyphanated]

Okay, all together.

[On three! Everyone on the book!!!

Luckily it is ultimately still just a book, and their combined weight does in fact manage to close it. Hooray!

The floor is still wet but we can leave that for the wizards to deal with probably.]

Thank you, sir. I didn't know books could do something like that...

[badfengshui]

[ Hooray. Book closed! Success!

He slowly gets back up to his feet. ]

They normally don't... [ It seems important to say that, but... ] We're kind of in a magical place so... maybe they all do that here.

I take back what I said.

[hyphanated]

I don't know much about magic...it's not really something they taught, where I was living.

[So books doing strange things is considered magic...important thing to take note of probably.

And then...An Zhe blinks.] Take back what?

tasks? tasks!

[wolfish]

[ Yuri might've had a good chuckle at the sight of someone getting doused with water by a book — hell, it seems like the sort of mishap Constance would cause — but he doesn't get that far. He recognizes An Zhe and recalls the little talk they had about such things as food poverty and gods.

So he wastes no time in marching over and helping to clap the book shut as a fluffy-tailed rat seems to vanish into the weathered robe he's got draped over his shoulders like a cloak. ]

Not the best place to take a shower, I'd say.

[ The quirk of his painted lips suggests humor. ]

[hyphanated]

I-It wasn't on purpose...

[He automatically responds in a slightly petulant one, being used to a certain colonel's teasing back home. It isn't until after answering that An Zhe finally registers who just showed up, blinking at him with wide eyes.]

Are you looking for those bead pieces too?

[wolfish]

[ Cute types are entirely too tempting to tease, please understand.

Yuri moves right along with the current of discussion, gloved hands withdrawing from the book now that it's safely closed. ]

I am indeed. That's the task we've been set to, after all.

[ He got a couple of free robes in the bargain even, might as well do his part. ]

[hyphanated]

[He doesn't understand!! But also gratefully starts putting the book back on the shelf, hesitates because it's wet, then pulls it back again...where should he put it...the floor's wet too? Maybe he can wipe it off with his sleeve--]

...Do we often get tasks like this? [As he struggles with this.]

[wolfish]

It's always one strange bit of business. I found myself in some vessel that hung among the stars when I arrived.

[ As though this illustrates anything, Yuri points at the ceiling above them. He was way up there, evidently! ]

...Then they suddenly deployed me to some strange city to play house with my nation's king. Imagine, a royal spouse.

[ His tone turns a touch wistful without intention. Tortured as Dimitri had been, their time there might've actually been better for him. That child certainly was. He can only hope Dimitri's alright now.

...But he needs to press on, in case this does affect their world. So he shifts subjects, pointing instead at the book. ]

Let's take that one to the return desk. They can sort it out.

[hyphanated]

[A vessel hanging among the stars...so a plane? He doesn't fully understand the "playing house" thing though, considering the lack of traditional family units in his time, and so he blinks at Yuri with a wide-eyed look of curiosity.]

A spouse?

[But regardless! He hugs the damp book in his arms, nodding and looking in the direction of...wait.]

Is the return desk the one we got our robes from?

[wolfish]

[ What manner of life has An Zhe lived? Then again, most people in Yuri's world didn't have the privilege of literacy, let alone access to a library. ]

There's usually a place to return books within a library itself.

[ Yuri gestures for An Zhe to join him and starts walking. The search has commenced! ]

My first mission, we had to blend into this town we were sent to and pretend to be families. Dimitri and I were assigned to act as a married couple as part of that.

[hyphanated]

[Yuri knows so much...clearly a man of the world.

He follows along like the well-behaved fungus he is, pausing only to pick up his frog before continuing.]

That must have been nice... Everyone appreciates having a family, don't they?

[wolfish]

[ To that, Yuri shrugs. It's complicated really. He fancies the idea of marrying someday, of having someone who wants him for who he really is, but— ]

It's different when you're playing a role. I fancy the real thing's better.

[ He thinks Dimitri sorely deserved the respite though. ]

[hyphanated]

Playing a role...

[When he thinks about it, isn't An Zhe himself playing a role? He's not truly human, after all, even if everyone happily accepts him as one of their own. Then again, maybe that's different from a family role...not that he knows what it's like to have one of those.

He falls silent, lost in thought, not paying much attention to the wet book in his arms or the wet frog on his shoulder as he follows at Yuri's back. After a long moment, what he finally says is:] ...Human society really is complicated sometimes.

[wolfish]

I know a guy who might say something like that, though he might say people are complicated.

[ If someone lives an isolated enough life, they can see themselves as being outside of humanity. Yuri's seen it amongst some denizens of Abyss, especially those who'd lived on society's fringes for too long.

He can't be sure whether that's An Zhe's situation, or whether he's not human at all, since this place chooses all kinds. It wouldn't change how he treats the guy, in any case. ]

But I think the motivations are simple. People need a place to belong, need someone to really see and accept them, yeah? They don't always get to have that.

[hyphanated]

[Is there a difference between people and humans...seems like a question he shouldn't be asking. Then again, maybe should've also reworded what he said just now?

Ah well, too late. He nods.] Mm, having somewhere to sleep, and places to go, and people who are kind to you...it's definitely nice, even if it's hard to get sometimes.

[His frog croaks as if in agreement--or maybe it just wanted to be included in the conversation? He gives it a pat, regardless.]