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

[hyphanated]

Can we? It's definitely not scientific, as far as I know. [And that is...basically all he knows!]

You were wrong about...magic? [A pause, as he picks up his frog.] I wonder how you'd learn it.

[badfengshui]

Guess it is magic. [ Since if it isn't one, it has to be the other! ]

Yeah. [ The rat still nuzzles his face. ] It seems like it's hard and tough on the person... I only heard a little bit about it... there was a cult and it ... anyway... [ Henry trails off with his own explanation. ]

I don't know the process.

[hyphanated]

[An Zhe can't help looking curiously at the rat...honestly his own frog is interesting too, but.]

What's a cult?

[Just look at his big wide curious eyes...!]

[badfengshui]

[ Henry stares back calmly. His mind, however, is moving at the speed of light to try to find the right words to explain a cult. He's surprised that the bee-flying man doesn't know it. Maybe it isn't that common of a word. ]

It's ... a group of people that believe in something... and sometimes ... that belief hurts other people.

[ A pause. That doesn't sound quite right? ]

Sometimes, it's religious... the beliefs, I mean. Anyway, they're adamant that they're right and so it causes innocent people to be harmed. [ NAILED IT. ]

[hyphanated]

[People who believe they're right, and who might hurt innocent people because of it....]

...Doesn't that describe humanity? Groups of it, but also humanity as a whole.

[You never know if your beliefs might contradict with other people, after all.]

[badfengshui]

I guess you aren't wrong...

[ We live in a society But it also doesn't sound right. Did he explain it wrong? Probably. ]

I think the difference is... the people in these cults aren't even nice to their people, either... even though, they think they are.

[hyphanated]

[A group that hurts its own people...but thinks it isn't? That seems kind of confusing...]

I didn't know magic was such a complicated subject.

[badfengshui]

Yeah...

[ It doesn't make much sense to him. He read a lot of the Holy Scripture and didn't figure anything out. But he did make a hole in his apartment - so did he learn how to do magic? He doesn't think so. His room might have already been magic. Or haunted.

... anyway. ]

At least this magic seems ... nice.

[hyphanated]

[.......An Zhe looks doubtfully at his soggy boots in the large puddle of water on the library floor.]

It's...less dangerous than guns, at least.

[badfengshui]

Yeah.

[ It's easy to agree with that statement. ]

Anyway, I guess we're not going to find any pearl pieces here...

[hyphanated]

Mn. I wonder where they'd be, though? This is a very big building...

[His frog croaks, hopping in place to face a specific direction, and An Zhe turns his head to look in that direction too.]

...That way?

[badfengshui]

[ The rat on his shoulder squeaks loudly. ]

Seems so?

[ It's the first time it has done anything that isn't just being affectionate, anyway. ]

Okay, then. [ Nothing left to lose as he starts to head in the direction that the frog hopped and rat seems to agree is the way to go. ]

[hyphanated]

[And so they start walking! In search of the shikon jewel shards pearl fragments! After a minute or two though, An Zhe asks:]

I wonder how they know?

[badfengshui]

[ Henry supplies, uncertain: ]

... animal instincts?

[hyphanated]

......Do they eat pearls?

[badfengshui]

.... I don't know enough about them to say.

[hyphanated]

.......Oh.

[He falls silent, following the frograt duo. Forward! Onward! If only he spoke frog...or rat? But he doesn't even speak mushroom, really, since mushrooms don't actually talk...so do frogs and rats have a language?

The mushroom has accidentally gotten lost in thought, whoops.]