⇨ 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

[npcarnival]

Nothing obvious, at least. The carvings seem mostly abstract, and though there could be some kind of meaning to it, it's nothing Peridot will automatically understand.

Fortunately, none of them have to do anything to make the row of upside-down pyramids floating along the room suddenly activate, beginning to move along like a conveyor belt. It wouldn't be hard to catch a ride.

[moonfang]

Hmmm. Kind of like the glyphs in the churches back in Eden?

Zangetsu slings his sword back, where it seems to adhere to his back somehow, freeing up his mouth. He looks at the conveyer belt of pyramid rocks. Despite his emotionless mask, he seems to be frowning.

"Everything about this tunnel is funneling us deeper in. There's either somethin' really important down here, or a trap."

He pauses.

"Probably both."

Regardless, guess who's moving forward? THIS FISH.

[stompadour]

Jasper snorts, which is a sound somewhere between her usual mouth-only dismissive huff and a horse noise. "If it's a trap then we'll fight our way through that too. We've come this far, I'm not giving up."

She doesn't jump yet, though, although she's poised to, with one hoof raised; she's obviously waiting to hear a verdict from Peridot and Syrlya.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is uncharacteristically silent, watching the conveyor belt with an unreadable expression. She's hesitant to vouch for any particular course of action; the only reason they're out here in the barrens at all is because she pushed for it, and she's getting an increasing sense of guilt around the fact that it's her fault that they're in this mess. Now she's afraid to urge one course of action over the other, on the chance that it will provoke ire from any of her teammates.

Turns out bossing people around in a low-stakes setting is a lot easier than actually leading! Haha!

Jasper's commentary pushes her into showing a bit more backbone at least. She really doesn't want to look weak in front of the other gem, so. She hops up on that thing next to Zan.

"I'm not giving up either," she says determinedly.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya watches the conveyor belt, finding that way too convenient with the combination of feral animals driving them in (who have conveniently stopped pursuing). He shifts on his feet, and then starts a new portal entrance where he stands before rising to the air again.

"We're probably being led somewhere, which means we need to be careful. Be aware of your surroundings, and--anyone with some sort of shield would be best to go first. I can deflect projectiles, but I can stop nothing running straight at us."

It's not his mission, but Syrlya doesn't want to stand idle to them all potentially dying by charging in without a plan because they don't want to give up. There's too many unknowns.

He flies forward either way, getting closer to Zangetsu and Peridot. He doesn't quite land yet, and instead follows through the air as long as he can get away with.

[stompadour]

Jasper tosses her mane. "I don't have a shield, but I can take the brunt of whatever comes at us. I'll go in front."

[mirrortide]

"If there was any sort of water around I could probably do something, but there isn't." Which means, Lapis is more or less useless. And... she doesn't really like that, all that much honestly.

[moonfang]

"Jasper can go in front, and I'll take up the back. The rest of ya stay between us."

That seemed like a reasonable plan.

[npcarnival]

The conveyor belt of pyramids moves along at a moderate pace, moving the group deeper and deeper into the abstract tunnel. They travel for about fifteen minutes, during which not much happens - all until two other rows of pyramid blocks converge from either side, continuing to travel along with them as a grid.

Finally, the blocks forming the outside of the tunnel begin to shift as well, changing the shape of the interior and gradually opening an entrance - not unlike the eye of a camera shutter opening.

Of course then, while everyone is distracted, sets of six blocks will attempt to fly together, trapping each individual in a cube of stone with the flat sides facing inward.

Everyone has to roll to escape. Or, they can just stand there, that's fine too.

[stompadour]

As the blocks fly towards them, Jasper rears up, anticipating some kind of attack she'd need to deflect or withstand -- only to find them closing in around her in a way that traps her rather than harms her. She bellows in rage, hooves scrabbling against the hard stone, and smashes her helmet against the inside of her geometric prison.

[mirrortide]

It's mostly the same for Lapis. One moment she's reared up ready to fight, the next she's stuck in a box.

Trapped. She can move, so there's still something, but she doesn't bother fighting against it. There's no bellowing of rage from Lapis' end, just acceptance.

[moonfang]

He doesn't see it coming.

Well, actually, he does. He's in the back, and he sees the other blocks moving quickly into position to trap the others. But what he doesn't see coming is the block behind him and to the side -- his mask cuts off a lot of his peripheral vision.

He whirls and tries to jet back the direction they came with a powerful stroke of his tail and -- BAM.

There's a slight cracking sound as he runs, nose first, into the wall that had already set itself up behind him. His vision fills with bursts of light and searing pain; a jolt of electricity running from his snout, around and through his eyes, and right into his brain.

This is an Incredibly Painful Experience for two reasons; 1. Sharks have very sensitive snoots, what with all the electrosensory nodes and such, and 2. Hollow masks are certainly their weak point. They don't crack easily, but when they do, it feels like a shattered bone.

Zangetsu temporarily loses his ability to stay aloft as he continues seeing stars, vision and senses swimming with bright and intolerable light, and flops on the bottom pyramid as the other blocks close him in.

About thirty seconds later, there's a ferocious roar followed by yelling in an even more distorted and bestial voice than usual-- "SON OF A BIIIIIITTTCCCHHHHH!!!"

[periphrasing]

Peridot's comparatively smaller size works in her favor here; she manages to avoid being trapped, but she doesn't get out unscathed.

As the blocks approach, she squawks, and her expert scampering instincts take over. Rather than going up, she moves to launch herself off the conveyor belt and dives under one of the blocks approaching from the side, intending to make the quick shift from raccoon to bat once she's clear. UNFORTUNATELY, it's such a close shave that, when the blocks slam shut around the space she was just occupying, it catches her fluffy little raccoon tail between them. And Peridot lets out a bloodcurdling screech, because she has just broken multiple bones at once.

Turning into a bat manages to free her, since her tail in this form is so short it's almost non-existent. But when she flies up to get a better view of what the hell just happened, there's still tears of agony in her eyes.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's still in the air as the blocks come down, which gives him a vantage point as they close in. He looks up, and then quickly teleports out of the way, further to the corner as the blocks intended to trap him fall around nothing.

One look at those getting trapped, and Syrlya immediately goes invisible. It'll be no good to get trapped because someone's watching for a round two, and hopefully it'll leave him undetected enough to get an idea what the hell is going on.

[npcarnival]

With Syrlya and Peridot both in the air, none of the blocks will make another attempt as grabbing them. Instead, the cage that almost captured Peridot remains closed, as if it still has something inside of it, as far as it knows. It, and the three others containing Lapis, Jasper, and Zangetsu, will change directions, floating into the entrance created by the shifting of the tunnel walls.

They will move along for a few minutes before beginning to slow - the path they've entered begins to widen, forming an interior room instead of just a passageway. The four cages will com to hover over pits in the ground that match the size and shape of the bottom pyramid, sinking down to interlock with the stone.

Meanwhile, a large rat with brown and white fur is working at some kind of crystal interface. They don't immediately notice Peridot or Syrlya, and are instead taking a curious look the stone boxes.

[periphrasing]

It is extremely tempting to jump the rat. Peridot feels like she could pull it off; just drop right down, turn back into a raccoon and get it into a headlock or something, like one of those action movie heroes.

She knows that would be foolhardy, though. She didn't exactly have time to see Syrlya escape so for all she knows, she's the only one who didn't get caught, and therefore might be the only one in a position to get them out of there. So instead of charging in, she carefully clings to the underside of one of the pyramids on her own empty cage. If she can, she'll wriggle into a position where she can watch the rat, but also be close at hand to Do An Assault if they look like they're going to try anything harmful to her companions.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya, meanwhile, circles around to perch a little higher in the room to watch the rat below under his veil. He doesn't have a lot of faith in deciphering anything on the interface on his own, so he's watching the rat for a better idea just what's going on.

[npcarnival]

The rat sniffs the corner of one of the boxes, and then looks at the interface, which seems to be written in a language that Peridot and Syrlya can't read. After considering things for a while, the rat taps out a pattern onto one side of a pyramid facing them, causing the sigils to light up.

The base (facing the captive inside) glows blue for a moment, and then the pyramid shifts upwards like a lid. It's the box holding Lapis, now with one side ostensibly open. The rat peers inside, getting up onto their hind legs for a better look.

"Hello there?" they ask. "Can you understand me?"

[mirrortide]

Well, she isn't expecting the box to open so soon? But it's probably that it's good that it does, because she's very tentatively looking out, though even with freedom very much in sight, she stays where she is.

What a huge range of emotions that Lapis just isn't properly equipped to deal with right now!

"Uh. Yeah. I can? Is it alright if I uh, get out of this thing?"

She's. Very polite, at least!

(It's very much the fear.)

[npcarnival]

The rat gasps.

"You can!" they confirm, sounding genuinely surprised. "I thought it would be weird for one of the cursed ones to ride all the way down here..." The rat scurries closer to the opening of the box.

"Are you from Eden? How did you get here? I mean... of course, I'll let you out in a minute, I just need to ask these things before because I'm supposed to be manning security today!"

[mirrortide]

Well, that's a tentative 'Yes,' so Lapis is feeling... Marginally more comfortable?

"We came from Eden... And I guess we walked? We followed the snake down here." Wait, how much of this is she supposed to be giving away?

[npcarnival]

"You saw the Serpent?" the rat says, just as surprised. "Well, I guess that explains her shifting around so much... um."

They seems like they're trying to determine what else they needs to ask.

"I suppose... why did you come? You're not hostile, are you?"

[mirrortide]

"We were looking for someone. And I'd rather not be? Everyone else in these might not be all that happy, though. Considering that you suddenly boxed us all in without any warning."

[npcarnival]

"Well, it's just what the system does," they say, raising their paws into a shrug. "Usually it's just Bezaliel's goonies or cursed ones slipping in through the tunnels. Here."

They run over to the three other boxes 'typing' in some kind of code into the sigils on the side of the front pyramid. Each one does the same thing - the base of that pyramid glows, and then shifts upwards like a lid. The last pyramid box has nothing in it.

"Oh, there's nothing in this one..."

[periphrasing]

At this point Peridot determines that it's probably safe enough to reveal herself, and clambers out from her hiding place with a sigh of relief. "That's because I'm up here," she says weakly, and drops onto the floor.