⇨ EDEN

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 79 - Day 85
Where: Eden
What: Everyone arrives in Eden with their new animals forms - unfortunately, the welcoming party is a bit more intense than expected, with a ritual called 'The Anointment.' Better get this place figured out before anything gets any crazier.
Warnings: Hopefully no ritual sacrifice!

FLAME OF INSPIRATION↴ So it begins. After everyone has been given their new animal form and have had about an hour to readjust to it, the Ringmaster begins the infiltration. You don't see a lot of the specifics of the magic - all you know is that Pru's sword, the Hand of God, is somehow involved. It alone can tear through the wardings of Eden's realm, and once that entrance is made, the teleportation is instant. Everyone will find themselves in an open grassland overlooking a dense forest, with buildings and lights poking up out of the leaves. Behind you, there is a darker place - the barrens, the Ringmaster has explained. It's were the Outcasts are sent after they're banished. You are scattered across the area as if you've been dropped in with nothing. You've been given specific instructions - act as if you have no memory besides the vague life of being an animal. None of you know each other. You don't know how you got here, you've just been suddenly found yourself enlightened. Hopefully feigning ignorance will be what the residents are expecting, as what information the Ringmaster could find suggests it should be. Before the beasts of Eden come to claim you, you'll see the Ringmaster once last time, in the form of a giant serpent. With a nod of her head, she slithers away towards the barrens - she'll be in touch. ► THE WELCOMING: It's not long until you're discovered. The first to find you is a pigeon, who seems rather surprised. She'll ask the first few new arrivals she sees a couple questions - 'did you just get here?' 'did you meet the great Lilith?' Regardless of your answers, she'll hurriedly say she's going to go get help, and will fly away back into the forest. A short while later, an entire welcoming party of different animals will have come to greet you, sweeping out to find every straggler and explaining that you are the newest of the chosen. After they are sure that nobody is being left behind, they will invite you into Eden. ► THE GARDEN: Eden is a beautiful place. Every street, every structure, is surrounded by flowers and vibrant plant life - every bit as idyllic as its mythos would imply. The architecture is ambitious and creative, as if the residents have been perfecting the art for thousands of years, which they almost certainly have. There is the sweet smell of perfumes and incense on the other animals are you are led into the city. This is your home now, the locals will explain. You have been chosen by the Creator to serve Her cause. You will become one of the Honorable, one of Her artisans working towards the Divine Clarity. But first, of course, you must be sanctified. ► THE ANOINTMENT: On that first night, everyone is brought to a vast cathedral, covered in unknowable writings in a shining script. You are brought in through several gorgeous hallways lit with shining crystals and blue flame torches, only to emerge in a great hall built around a circular, sparkling pool of water. There are several braziers around its circumference blazing with fire, with sets of tools hanging out of them, like iron pokers. All of the new arrivals are gathered into the grand hall, and scriptures are read in the background that you can't really make out the specifics of. You will all be made to stand around the outside of the pool, and the local animals will gently explain to you what needs to be done. To become a new Honorable, you must be Anointed with the Flame of Inspiration - that is, they are going to brand you with the metal pokers they have heating up. If you go along with it, they will burn the mark into a highly visible part of your person (they have smaller brands for smaller animals), and then cool it off in the pool of water, where you are encouraged to bask until you are comfortable again. There are obviously a couple concerns with this. The biggest one is that it's sketchy as hell. The second one is that the brand is definitely made of medium grade iron. While the painful difference it makes won't be super obvious from the outside, long-term veterans and those with superlative fae qualities will find it very uncomfortable, and it will blister for a fair while afterward, which is seen as unusual. If your character refuses, or tries to get around it somehow, please explain in reply to the post down below. ► THE DAYS AFTER: After everyone is branded (or isn't, as the case may be), you'll be given the opportunity to dry off and head back into town. All of the fancy structures here are communal, they will explain, and you can choose wherever you'd like to sleep. There are a few buildings that are mostly empty that newbies seem welcome to hole up in, though the locals assure everyone they will be nearby in case they need help. In the days that follow, everyone will be welcome to explore Eden and find their bearings, and begin to discover what gifts the Anointment has bestowed on them. Whether or not you were good at a creative pursuit before, you will find yourself filled with inspiration for something - any artistic talent will do. It's like a creative talent will have been born in you overnight, or like an existing talent of yours has been boosted to near perfection. This effect will last as long as the characters are in Eden unless you are told otherwise. You won't feel the need to eat, but there is breakfast available, if you'd like it. The locals are very courteous, though they seem a bit confused. Something about your entry seems to strike them as different than usual.

Comments

[moonfang]

Could that be the serpent spoken of in the stories...? Of course, before he can do much else, the beast lunges, and Zangetsu, in the form of a Hollowfied shark, puts himself between the serpent and the rest of the group, his sword form materializing in his mouth. The posture is, however, clearly defensive as opposed to offensive.

[mirrortide]

Lapis flinches back at the sight at first, but Zan isn't going to be the only one who steps forward. Lapis in her polar bear form, stands on her hind legs as well, to at the very least Syr and Peridot behind her too. She's clearly nervous, but she's as willing to defend everyone as Zan is. Not that she knows what she could possibly do against snake mountain over there.

[periphrasing]

Yeah it's a good thing it stops, because Peridot is just about ready to throw down as well, because she has no sense of scale and has all the ferocity of an angry chihuahua in comparison to this thing.

When it pauses though, she'll try calling out again: "Hello? Can you hear us now!?"

[npcarnival]

A subtle wave of feeling will roll over all of them, like something is telling them, deep down, not to fight. You don't have to fight. It's okay. Please.

The serpent lingers for only a few moments more, before turning to the side and diving into the ground, pulling its massive body into a series of pre-existing tunnels and disappearing at a shockingly rapid pace. It will still take a good twenty seconds for its entire length to vanish, the ground rumbling as it does.

[periphrasing]

Peridot will turn to the rest of the group and pose the obvious question to everyone else: Should the follow it into the tunnels?

[chronosynthesis]

That, in Syrlya's opinion, depends what the hell made it stand back and what that feeling they just experienced was. Everyone else felt an emphasis on not fighting, didn't they?

[mirrortide]

Lapis is going to make it clear that she's willing to do whatever anyone else feels like is best. She's not making any decisions.

[stompadour]

Wow, that's definitely not a feeling Jasper's used to having. She was already uneasy about this entire place, but that makes her double uneasy.

Despite that, though, she is in favour of pursuing the snake. It probably knows something.

[moonfang]

Jasper isn't alone. The sensation of "don't fight" is enough to make Zangetsu crawl in his own skin. It's such an eerie, wrong feeling for him that it dispels his blade form and makes him thrash a bit in discomfort.

Once he recovers from the very not him feeling, Zangetsu will say he is of two minds about it. On the one hand, there's a good chance that is THE Serpent, and if anyone knows anything about the mirror, it would be her. On the other, he would prefer to never have such a completely opposite feeling to his very intrinsic being ever again.

He will mention that they probably need to make a decision soon -- judging by its spirit energy, that thing is moving at an alarming rate.

[periphrasing]

They came out here for answers. Peridot doesn't want to leave until they get some. But also, following a gigantic ass snake into some unfamiliar tunnels seems pretty risky.

Peridot will ask the group at large: Which one of you can fall asleep the fastest? They should see if Steven has any information about the snake that they've not yet been made privy to.

[moonfang]

Zangetsu offers, helpfully, "Would being knocked unconscious work?"

[mirrortide]

Lapis will pipe up and say that maybe they don't need to be unconscious? Steven was able to speak with her when she was Malachite one time, so maybe if she can just kind of feel for him, it'd work?

Other than that, Lapis will say she can fall asleep in like, 20ish minutes.

[periphrasing]

The Malachite thing is news to Peridot, but it's worth a shot if Lapis is up for trying. Can she try it now? She's a bit hesitant about knocking anyone unconscious when they still have further yet to travel, but waiting for someone to fall asleep might require time they don't have.

SUMMARIZING with Yak and mod permission:

Lapis agrees, and tries, but nothing happens because Steven rolled a frigging 2.

Peridot's getting kind of visibly anxious at this point because she's not sure if they should be trying to keep up with the snake or if they should take this slow and try to get as much information as possible first. Leading is hard, you guys! Someone suggest a course of action so she can agree with it and say that was her idea all along.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya isn't sure they can afford giving any of them a concussion to talk to Steven.

Since Peridot is starting to panic, Syrlya says they should go ahead and follow the serpent. He can place part of a portal at the entrance, and if things go immediately sour they can get out through it so they have at least that back up.

gonna say this is gonna need a 13+ to work at all.

[moonfang]

Like he'd give anyone a concussion. Tch. .... probably.

Zangetsu says he has one more thing he can try in order to contact Steven, but he isn't sure if it will work. He can try it and catch up with them in the tunnel.

He summons his sword form again and this time he stabs it into the ground. Then, he wraps himself around it as much as he can with his shark body and seems to sort of... zone out.

[stompadour]

Jasper is pacing impatiently. She suggests maybe they should split up.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is SUPER NOT KEEN on the idea of splitting up, but if Syr and Jasper want to go ahead and at least explore the tunnel entrance and prep to go in, she won't stop them. She can stay here and keep an eye on Zan.

She's kind of just assuming Lapis will stay with her.

[mirrortide]

Lapis will absolutely stay with Peridot. She's not too keep on leaving her alone to begin with.

Plus Jasper is a Wall unto her own, so.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya doesn't think they should split up long, but with a portal a couple of them scouting the cavern shouldn't be a problem. It'll give them an idea what they're walking into before they all do--and hopefully Zan will hear something in the meantime... with whatever that is.

So he takes to air again, trying to keep the same pace as Jasper to peer into the entrance.

Zan rolls good and gets a Steven

[starseedling]

Steven has been reaching out, looking for a pathway into a different dream than the one he's currently inhabiting - so when Zangetsu begins meditating, his mind stick out as a bright spiritual beacon for Steven to travel to. He passes through ruins, to skyscrapers, and then suddenly...

Everything is sideways?

Zangetsu may notice a new presence in his mindscape, in the form of a confused looking Steven. He's in his regular carnival form instead of his animal one, and one of his forearms is bleeding a bright pink fluid, from two parallel puncture wounds. Maybe a bite mark?

"Hello??" Steven calls out. He looks a bit flustered, but not seriously hurt or terrified.

+1 gemboi

[moonfang]

A white figure manifests from the darkness, just in front of Steven. Zangetsu, too, is in a more normal form, though lacking his carnival changes. He wears a long white coat and has fragments of his black mask in the form of his horns on his head, and white hair cascades behind him like water. There's a faint rumbling in the background of the scene, and the whole thing feels... unstable. Even more unstable than a sideways city usually is. The glass and concrete beneath his bare, clawed foot, lit faintly by a crescent moon, cracks a bit.

"Steven. We don't have much time, here; it's difficult for me to maintain this plane of existence without my master. That psychic energy against fighting the serpent we felt, was that you?" He casts his eyes on the puncture wounds for a moment, then back to Steven's face.

[starseedling]

"You felt that?" he asks, sounding surprised as he 'swims' towards Zan in the air. His form in here is pretty spooky, though, he's not sure he likes that. "Y-Yeah, that was me!"

"When I started sleeping, I ended up in this dream - and I think it was the Serpent's dream? But she was smaller and I picked her up and I was walking around and I saw all these things... like hungry animals and maybe Lilith - and I told her that I had friends coming out to find her and the rebels, but she got scared? I think she woke up in real life, and then she saw you, but I was still in her mind somehow! She was going to attack you but then I told her she didn't have to, and she ran away instead!"

He's gesturing frantically as he explains.

"But I was still holding the little snake, and the little snake bit me," he points as his arm, and the bite marks, "and then I dropped her and she slithered away... but I think it was like, a good bite? Like, it hurt a bit, but I think she was trying to help?"

"So then I wanted to find you guys because I thought you should know, but nobody was sleeping, but then you appeared and now I'm here!"

He lifts his arms, as little beads of pink blood float through the air, hardening into small chunks of clear diamond.

[moonfang]

He nods, "We all did. When you did that, she slithered off into her tunnels. In real life, she's enormous, the size of a small mountain."

He listens, nodding, and putting a clawed finger up to his chin, then raises a brow. "A... 'good bite'. Alright, if you say so. We're trying to decide if we should follow her, or if it's too dangerous," he says, not realizing that part of the team has already gone spelunking, so to speak "Has she lost her mind out here in the barrens, or do you think we can still communicate with her?"

A pause, then an additional question, "What does Lilith look like."

[starseedling]

Steven face falls at those questions, and he has to take a moment to think about.

"She... doesn't think like a person, anymore. I think she wants to, but... there's something wrong with her." He trails off, and then something occurs to him. "Tell Peridot she's like the corrupted gems back home, okay? She'll know what that means. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, but she's scared and really wild..."

"Maybe she wouldn't hurt you guys now that you've met? She didn't want to hurt me in the dream. Except... when she bit me, I guess, but it was a really friendly bite, I promise!"

"I don't know if the Lilith she remembers is literal or just a dream thing, but it was... kind of abstract?"

[moonfang]

"Like the Corrupted Gems?" Zangetsu says, curiously. There's clearly something he's missing there, but there is an insistent shaking of the ground beneath their feet, like a small earthquake, reminding him he had to be fast. "Never mind. I'll tell her that and she can explain it to me."

'Scared and wild' did not bode well for gathering information. It might be best to seek out other avenues, but they would have to decide that later.

"It looks kind of painful fer a 'friendly bite', but if you insist you're alright." He says, poking one of the floating diamonds. Pretty.

He growls a little at Steven's lacking description of Lilith, "... I guess that makes sense, though. Dreams aren't always helpful for things like that. It was worth a shot."

Another shake, and Zangetsu nearly loses his balance. He seems to be visibly struggling. The cracks have grown wider and parts of the cityscape are starting to crumble.

"Is there anything else? Any animals out here that we CAN talk to?"