beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenosooc2024-03-12 03:34 pm

THE ADVOCATE ORACLE - A RIP VAN WINKLE IN TIME


INTRO
Hello Kenos! Welcome to the Advocate Oracle! Did we say Stargazer? Shhh no we didn’t. As we hinted earlier in the Discord, the conclusion of this Oracle will lead to a timeskip that Bearers will be subjected to in the end. How long? Well, that depends on your choices, and how well you exemplify the Advocate Oracle.

Just like with the Exalt Oracle, and to keep things even until a little closer to the end game, this Oracle has been predetermined to go to Zenith.

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF BLISS
Bearers will find themselves being pulled into a deep sleep, where the Advocate Oracle will beseech them for their knowledge of home and seek understanding. Where did you come from? What made you as you are? What were the victories and challenges of your land? How did you become the you that you are? The Advocate seeks understanding and wants to see others achieve happiness. Does your world bring you happiness, or would it be cathartic to see it lost?

As the Advocate learns bits and pieces about Bearers, it will become clear that their dream is closing in on something that the bearers who have experienced it will recognize as the Timestream. The Advocate is not a thing, but a presence, and bearers will be able to sense the force (amorphous and shapeless) reaching into the Timestream, and you know – know that they are reaching for something on your behalf. As it slides out, you can feel a calming sense of joy, because you recognize it. It fills you with joy, bliss, or perhaps frustration and disgust, as you recognize the feeling of being home.

Everything will go white, and your one-on-one time with the Advocate will be at an end.

CLICK YOUR HEELS TOGETHER, DOROTHY!
Bearers will open their eyes and will find themselves in a new world. This is not Kenos at all, but familiar or not, you know it is someplace in the scattered worlds.

Where is it? Well, it’s either your world or another Bearer’s! That’s right, it’s a world share event! Bearers will find themselves scattered either on their own or in groups (up to you!) in a new world, that could be familiar or not, depending on your CR net. The Advocate has pulled the memories and description of a world from the Timestream, and for what purpose… well, that will become clear with time. However, these are not the worlds that characters came from, not exactly. These are worlds that are AUs of your character's canon, and this can be in very minor ways that would be essentially the same as canon, or it can be in very large, dramatic ways. Up to you!

You are not required to share a world, however, bearers will feel a strong compulsion to invite the Advocate to experience their worlds in their vision with the Advocate. (This leaves you all options to opt out of sharing your own world, but for those characters who may be less inclined, this is your opportunity to do so!)

But first, the logistics! Bearers will be in worlds for 12 hours each. You will not experience hunger or tiredness – but feel free to eat or sleep your way through worlds as you so choose (we expect there to be a lot of them!) – and the scope of each world is about what is discoverable within 12 hours. (You don’t need to describe the entirety of your world, but a city or area. Please make sure it's large enough to accommodate the entire shard-bearer population. For example, the Millennium Falcon would be too small, but a Star Destroyer would be fine. It should be a place that provides significant hold over your character.) There will be an open header here for players to post a short description of their world. If your character wants to go hang out at a coffee shop and watch shit go down, feel free! (The mod team has examples, and we will be sharing those shortly!) Please have your descriptions in by 03/15/2024 at 1:30 PM so that everyone can choose participation in other characters’ worlds before they get their TLs up!

For characters that are from shared worlds, we’ll leave it up to you how you all share that, but if you choose to have different regions or cities to share, go for it! For example, Batman might choose Gotham, whereas Superman might choose Smallville. Again, this really should be what’s feasibly travelable within 12 hours – they will cycle like the rest of the worlds – and your characters will not have money or funds on them for travel, so don’t feel like you have to describe the entirety of your characters’ worlds. Just a small blurb (you can include links of course!) to give players a general sense of what they can discover.

Also, these worlds will shuffle in the order on the taken list, just so the Savants have an unsolvable puzzle to chew on. (heh)

Characters will experience every world that is submitted into the header, but the Advocate’s last impression will echo as you move from one word to another. “Is this worthy of saving?”

Your twelve hours can be spent in one of three ways. Bearers can do whatever they want, and simply experience the world as they wish, they can hunt for the soul of the world, or they cant hunt for the soul of the dreamer.

  • The first is self-explanatory, of course. Each world is full of life, from creatures to people, to everything in between. (Conspicuously missing would be anyone of significant “closeness” to the character who manifested this world – think of it as the difference between a friend/family and an acquaintance.) Characters can create chaos, go to a café, find a precious spot you’ve heard about, and go wild! This is your opportunity to learn about your CR’s homes in a first-hand experience kinda way! This is your have fun and deepen connections sort of prompt.
  • The second, the Soul of the World will be a shard to be found by any who are searching for it. It is something that anyone can simply find, but it will be hidden. We ask that our players choose the location and list it in the description of their world, so players can actively plot for it! This is your opportunity to sneak, steal, fight, and destroy each other over the soul, it will come with a distinct benefit as you move onto the next world! They will be somewhere that is difficult to find, surrounded by shadows that creep closer and closer to the shard.
  • The last is the Soul of the Dreamer, which is, interestingly enough, a second Shard that matches the person who dreamed it up. The odd thing about these shards in these worlds is that they are of a different Aspect of the character that exists in game. (For example: Amos the Harbinger, or Hayame the Advocate) The character it belongs to will feel a pull toward it, but it is no guarantee that they will find it. Maybe someone else does! And maybe that’s a kind soul, or maybe it’s someone who would think to shatter that this Shard. Or maybe you keep it!


There will be a header on the turn-in post to list if your character chooses to keep the different Aspected Shard of themselves. If you find someone else’s Shard, and you keep it to the next world, it will return to that Bearer to decide what to do with it. Essentially, if you don’t shatter this Shard, they’ll be able to do with it as they see fit before you leave their world. If you do shatter the Shard, there will be no consequences to the owner. Or at least none that will appear in this event.

It goes without saying, but please plot this with that player, so there are no surprises!

AROUND THE WORLDS IN 60 SECONDS 12 HOURS
As you close your eyes, in that last moment, the Advocate will reach out to all of the Bearers that have made it to the end of this world, and beseech them to make a choice. Does this world have something of value? Something to be preserved? Do you understand the Bearer who dreamt of this world better, now? Do you think that this world has enough value to continue its existence? Before you open your eyes into the next world, Bearers will be compelled to answer yes, or no. This will be on a separate header post that will go up on the turn-in log. You will have until Wednesday March 27th at 10:00 PM.

As an aside, whatever bearer has captured the soul of the world will count to double their action's choice. (For example, if they choose to destroy, the total destroy votes will be doubled.)

We’ll be tallying the results, so there will be some extra exciting consequences to your choices as Bearers! Always keep in mind the tenets of your faction as you make your choices, bearers. Now that you have lost your leaders, the members of your faction back home are looking to you for victory. Of course, your choices will also determine the state of the world when you return, and how long it has been. Stay steadfast, and understand that you will have to make choices based on what your character believes is the best path forward. Your leadership trusts you – or if they don’t, they will have no choice, now will they? It’s up to you now, Bearers.

FAQ AND QUESTIONS
This Oracle is a touch more free-form than previous Oracles, and that is intentional! You are not required or expected to explore or have major action in every world. In fact, it's strongly discouraged, since this will provide opportunities for all players to have an opportunity to make big decisions! Even if you do not thread in the world, please still vote for them before 3/27/2024 so that we can have an accurate tally! The votes will make a difference in what our world looks like moving forward.

And finally, since they didn’t fit in the above, here are some quick FAQ style questions and answers about things we figure might be asked:

Are these really our worlds?
These are versions of bearer worlds. They can be very close (ie: identical) expressions of your character's worlds or they can have one event change such that the world is rather different. So they are alternate universes, but not so far that you're making up a whole world on the fly! The Advocate, unfortunately, cannot bring back your worlds. There's a lot of options out there in the Timestream. :(

What About Discord?
Characters do not seem to experience heightened Discord. Weird!

What happens if my character dies in the event?
They will fall into a deep, deep sleep and can no longer participate in the world-hopping adventures! They may be asleep for some time, depending on when they are dissipated, as they won’t revive early compared to their fellow Bearers. Whatever votes your character made leading up to the point that they died will count toward the goals of the faction. The Advocate accepts you for your efforts, even if they draw short.

Please make sure to post your deaths to the death page! You're gonna be sleeping a long time, and there may be things your Bearer discovers as they dream...

Are characters depowered?
Your powers will work perfectly fine! Oddly, if you are in a world where powers don’t exist, the denizens of the world may stare blankly, as if they Do Not Perceive. You gotta protect those little minds somehow.

We hope you have fun, and happy plotting!

CODING
fursuit: (① tlamatilia.)

[personal profile] fursuit 2024-03-12 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: Chichén Itzá in the South AmericanMesoamerican Lostbelt

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: Found in a husk of corn in the fields—The Shard has replaced a single (very large) kernel.

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected as an Advocate, this Shard is found, Kinder egg style, inside a chocolate sold at the market.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Chichén Itzá is the third layer of the world and is the city of the Deinos. Chichén Itzá is a city reflecting pre-colonialism Mesoamerican cities but is populated by intelligent dinosaurs rather than people. The city is ruled by the Dinosaur King through the divine favor of... Quetzalcoatl. :)

The portion of the world that's presented is a part of the city including its marketplace and arena, and a small section of field that quickly leads into deep jungle.

Also as a general note, this description/details are all spoiler-free for the Lostbelt save for worldbuilding details! No story information is included.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
  • Participate in a xoqqer match. The Deinos' favorite sport is xoqqer, which, you guessed it, is basically just soccer.
  • Explore the marketplace. Chichén Itzá is a fertile land with diverse offerings that are familiar, but with fantastical bents. For example, you can get a three foot long ear of corn, find finely woven, colorful clothing, or other ancient goodies like feathered shields.
  • Fend off an attack from the Ocelomeh. During your stay, a fight will break out in the fields where masked people will invade with, uh. Heavy weaponry. Most of the Deinos are peaceful and not equipped to defend themselves, so they'd appreciate your help, especially since the Ocelomeh are attacking and taking the hearts (and meat) of the Deinos they slay.


More Info—
Chichén Itzá is the center of the Deinos' culture, and is marked by a temple at its center. However, this area isn't accessible in this world, alas, since you get the feeling that's where this mysterious Dinosaur King probably resides, should you want to meet him. The city seems prosperous and relatively peaceful, and you might realize that the Deinos think that you're a Deino... Weird, but don't worry about it!

Notably, the sun in this world moves vertically—that is, it doesn't move east to west, but seems like it would sink into the ground if you were here long enough.

Around noon, there's also a small streak of red and gold across the sky. The Deinos react warmly to the presence and some even offer prayers to Quetzalcoatl as she passes through the sky. But it's only a glimpse, alas. She won't descend to greet the people.

Chichén Itzá



Deinos



Ocelomeh
faceripper: (pic#12307179)

[personal profile] faceripper 2024-03-12 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: Bloodmoon Island

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: Held by The Advocate (that really is his name lmao)

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected as a Harbinger, this Shard is found in one of the tombs.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Bloodmoon Island is land that's truly tainted and corrupted by the influence of demons—extremely literally. The land is overgrown with nightmarish tumors of blood and flesh and eternally stinks of carrion. Demons and those possessed by demons roam the small island and are likely to attack any intruders, save for the powerful Advocate and the demon-possessed people in his entourage who prefer negotiations. The island is also surrounded by Deathfog, a fatal poison to anyone with, well. Flesh.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
  • Kill demons. It's good for society. Demons come in beastial varieties and also possess normal people. In theory, if you can free people from their possession, you might be able to save them.
  • Negotiate with the Advocate. For the low, low price of just a little bit of a hold on your immortal soul, the Advocate can give you a boon (a Tier 3 spell to use for the rest of the duration of the event). The hold on your soul might linger if you don't destroy this world, though...
  • Tomb puzzles! Scattered across the island are entrances to tombs below the islands that can reveal information about the island, treasure, or that Dreamer Shard you're looking for. While there are canon puzzles here, feel free to make up new ones that are more fun to rp. As an example, there's someone possessed in the tombs below, but if you free them, the demon will just possess the nearest person instead... And then swap to the other if they get too injured. Can you beat each other just short of death to force the demon out to kill it?
  • Skeletal kitty! There is a skeletal cat wandering near the docks, and it very much likes being pet. If you can talk to animals, it'll even explain that it misses its fur and people petting it. :( aw


More Info—
A quick wiki page about Bloodmoon Island if anyone is interested in finding out what happened! This would be detailed in some books in the tombs, if anyone is so inclined. But basically this is a truly nasty island that should be completely purged, honestly. There's definitely nothing worth saving here, because even those possessed by demons are too far gone to regain their sanity. Go on a holy purge here. It's (essentially) morally correct.

The island is surrounded by water that has Deathfog floating over it. Deathfog is extremely deadly and will kill any creature that comes into contact with it, assuming they have flesh. Fane is immune as an undead, but since undead in Divinity means "does not possess flesh", it's a pretty specific case where it's survivable.

Bloodmoon Island




and a video showing more of the environment as they walk around
cutlery: (clearly you're just an apple juice hater)

[personal profile] cutlery 2024-03-12 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: The Campania luxury cruise liner

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: Sitting on a ledge in the Wheelhouse

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected as a Savant, this Shard is found tucked in a cupboard in the ship's kitchen.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: So. The Campania is Black Butler universe's version of the Titanic. But also there's zombies.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
  • Normal 19th century cruise things! The majority of your time on the Campania will be a luxurious treat, since all Shard-Bearers will be considered first class. From an occassion to dance early in your stay to Turkish baths, there's a fair amount of normal, lesiurely activities to partake in.
  • You can also go further below decks if you want to have a less high society time with the much more normal people. They're happy to have you and will engage in some friendly gambling or just swapping stories.
  • As it gets towards the later evening, you might see some people leave the parties and head to a meeting of a secret society... Strike a stupid pose and the Aurora Society will allow you in to witness a miracle. A corpse is reanimated... But of course it's just a zombie that immediate starts to attack people. Yikes!
  • For the last few hours of the world, you might not have to worry about the ship sinking, but you do have to worry about a hoard of well-dressed zombies. kuroshit is a very normal canon



  • More Info—
    There's actually not much to add here! The Campania is a very normal cruise liner circa 1889 with all the good and bad that implies. Characters will leave before it starts to sink, but they will have to deal with a few hours of zombies roaming the halls and attacking/trying to eat people. Fun times!

    More info on the wiki if you're so inclined.
bakedapple: (Default)

[personal profile] bakedapple 2024-03-12 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay I'm sure this will not be the only questions I will have, but these jumped into my head immediately -

1. What happens if a Soul of the World gets shattered instead of being brought along to the next world?
2. Powers are not being disabled, but do characters have access to items?
kaientai: (Default)

[personal profile] kaientai 2024-03-12 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
As requested in Discord, I'm repeating my question here for the benefit of all~

1. Do locations have to have sentimental value for the character, or can they just be interesting locations from canon?

2. Also, should the different Aspects for our characters be Aspects they could've technically ended up with or does it not matter if they don't fit or are opposites?

3. If characters come from the same world but don't have their own section of it, would their Dreamer Shard still appear, or do they not get one at all?
Edited (SORRY I KEEP ADDING QUESTIONS) 2024-03-12 22:24 (UTC)
hauntedking: (13)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2024-03-12 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: Fhirdiad, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: Located in the royal palace, tucked into a cupboard in the stables.

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected as Exalt, this can be found in the entry hall of the famous school of magic, placed into a cubby behind the receptionists desk.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Fhirdiad is the capital and chief city of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. It reflects relatively stereotypical European medieval fantasy city - but it is clean and apparently very well-ordered now! There are broad stone streets and towers and seems like a an all around decent place to be. It is also rather cool, even in what is (presumably) spring, with a chill wind that blows when you aren't in the lee of the city walls or buildings. Beyond the walls, there's rugged terrain - pine forests and scrubland, without much productive territory in the immediate environments.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:

  • See the royal palace! It's a large building smack in the center of the city, with it's own set of impressive walls and grounds. There's a stables, a garden, a barracks, and lots of corridors to get lost in. Also Dimitri's room, but no need to poke around there.

  • Visit the famous school of magic! This is also a sprawling campus set and several neat school buildings. Students mastering their craft can be found here, along with visitors from elsewhere in Fodlan.

  • Ye olde taverns; there's quite a few taverns, inns, and roadhouses to partake in - even if the air is chill and the weather not-so-great, the people of Fhirdiad do their best to be hospitable with warming tews, good ale and beer, and music.

  • Markets; there's items to be bought here. The food variety isn't great, but the city is full of skilled craftspeople - blacksmiths, artisans, and others hawk their wares here.

  • Beyond the walls there are pine forests and rough terrain if you really want to poke around. They're inhabited by deer, wild boar, and other various animals (even wolves). They're normal animals, though, so they'll mostly just want to avoid people!


Edited 2024-03-12 22:04 (UTC)
semicharmed: (cosmic love)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-03-12 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Hewwo hewwo~

1) So one thing Matt's been itching to do is get some face time with an Oracle. If he uses magic to try and get a vibe check on the Advocate, either in the one-on-one dream or in another world, to attempt to answer the highly refined and magically scientific question of HEY ARE YOU A PERSON IN THERE DID YOU USED TO BE A SHARD-BEARER, what will happen?

2) How will characters know that the worlds contain a Soul of the World/Soul of the Dreamer (apart from the pull they feel towards their own alterna-soul)?
corvidant: (Default)

[personal profile] corvidant 2024-03-12 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
hey, mods! a couple of questions:

1. do these worlds have to be something characters would consciously recognize? say, if my character was born in a city, left as a baby and never returned, would they still be able to share it?

2. for characters coming from the same world, would there be a single soul of the world or one for each individual "piece" of it? what if characters canonically hail from alternate versions of that world, like the fire emblem cast and their three fodlans?
leicesters: (023)

[personal profile] leicesters 2024-03-12 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
this is kind of a weird one.. throws fe3h on the ground for being like this... but would I be able to do a world share of a location from Claude's homeland Almyra? We don't get to see it in canon so all the details we know about it are secondhand, so I'd effectively be creating a location based on that and headcanon.
eightfoldfiend: Armored (Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs)

Re: QUESTIONS

[personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2024-03-12 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Can the world visited be one that is from another potential time?

In my case, the "place" most significant to Yuber is a foreseen apocalypse, for example.
corvidant: (pic#14663431)

[personal profile] corvidant 2024-03-13 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Perfect! Thank you for the prompt response, mods!!
kinaesthesia: (Default)

[personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-03-13 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
ok miru made me think about this, so. can characters get hit with the furry beam if they go to arknights world if they want?
zauneyete: (Not the only thing I stick in my eye)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2024-03-13 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: The Undercity (aka the Nation of Zaun but nobody calls it that because it's a pipe dream)

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: It is a shimmering crystal that can be located in a shimmer factory deep in the sump area. It's being worked by children. 🙃

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected as an Iconoclast, it's suspended in a vial of shimmer being sold by a dealer somewhere in the Black Lanes.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The nastiest fucking place you can imagine, but seems to have hit something of a renaissance in recent years. Zaun is a festering, polluted shithole of a city where the air is barely breathable, pollution and filth run through the river and streets, and the people look like they've been fully on the edge of legality their entire lives. The nation of Zaun is now exemplified by income inequality, where the poor are only more obvious because there are Chembarons and wealthy Zaunites interspersed everywhere. Zaun spans the fissures beneath and to the side of Piltover on the shores of the River Pilt. There is a grand elevator that will take you across the bridge across the river to Piltover, but you will find that it's blocked by a blockade of Enforcers, so Piltover will not be accessible. They will shoot on sight if you do not follow orders. From the elevator, one can find the Black Lanes (Fences, Smuggling goods, and an open market) as well as bars and whorehouses, and if one moves deeper, they will find the Shimmer Factories, as well as the sump level, which is where the garbage and refuse go. (Human and otherwise.)

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
  • Go to The Last Drop, of course! A bar with a very cutesy name with a GIANT EYE over the sign. Gee. Wonder who's there. It's a bit of an odd place that looks like it was a homey bar turned into a Nightclub.
  • Shop Steal in the Lanes. There's a huge open air market where Imagine Dragons plays, and any number of trinkets, junk, or exotic (read: disgusting) foods can be found.
  • Later on, Enforcers at the bridge will raid the undercity! You'll have to choose between intervening on the part of the Zaunites (some poor, some... Rather wealthy and brandishing shimmer and chemtech augments) or helping the Enforcers with putting their boots down on the populace. It's a particularly delicate situation, but in the end, the Enforcers will be forced to retreat and return to their blockade.
  • Storm the Child Labor Factory Shimmer Factory to find the shard of the world! You'll have to fight the Security if you head down there!
  • Go visit the Yordle-run Brothel.


More Info—
There's a lot that can be found in Zaun, given that it's rather compact. It's something of both a mining area and a shipping lane, although in this version, the shipping seems to barely be trudging along, and those who look up can discover why, given that flying dirgibles seem to be periodically flying overhead, and it's obvious that whatever little shipping Zaun did before, the only people using it now are those who use black markets. Those who frequent Kowloon can probably put together why Silco is so comfortable there, but if you need a few quick scenes, check out: this, or this for more details.

The Undercity is the kind of place that has recently seen a lot of money flow through it, but none of it has really trickled down to the little people. There's dirt, there's filth, and it's city of open and free excess. There aren't really any rules or laws, and what laws exist are enforced either by foreign enforcers from topside, or to protect property, there are the Shimmer-addicted guards. (as seen here, which is what would be encountered in the factories for the shard of the world.) This looks and feels like the kind of place where there's no hope, no promise, and everyone is kinda barely making it along. There are plenty of orphans, but don't worry! Most of them work in the mines/factories because that's how they support their families of children! Yay.......)

For the Last Drop, I would suggest watching this video for a good picture! It's like 45 seconds long, but it really sells the chaos of both The Undercity and The Last Drop.

Things that you can encounter (for visual reference and god help you all I have so many screencaps) are:

The Black Lanes:




The Sump:



Factories:



Of course if you want to know if something's possible, just hmu! I don't want to make this too long! 💚
Edited 2024-03-13 17:58 (UTC)
erbe: You understand kindness (050)

[personal profile] erbe 2024-03-13 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: Zelretch's Dungeon (a buried castle in Europe)

WORLD SHARD LOCATION:
At the bottom level of the dungeon in the treasure room there's one treasure chest that has a tome in it. It's labeled to be the Akashic Records and but it's just an archive of everyone's journey in the dungeon with a shard embedded on the inside of the hard cover.

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION:
An Advocate Aspect shard that hides in a "save spot" room where one would regroup with their party. It resides hidden amongst a pile of supplies that looks like it might have been left behind by the ones who came before.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
Zelretch's Dungeon will be a sunken castle filled with monsters, magical items, and treasure! It will be a highlight on magecraft highs (funny magical gadgets) and magecraft lows (horrifying tales of magic gone wrong). The idea is to have a classic dungeon crawl dripping in Fate/ references. Since it's based on one mage in particular the themes would be parallels/distortions, jewels, and magical items.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
    ✧ Encounter Monsters (eldritch horrors that pop out of spell books, demon boars, w/e)
    ✧ Read about horrifying mage accomplishments in the library (learn worm lore™ - a joke, mostly)
    ✧ Find magical items (fun or dangerous - or both)
    ✧ Be able to play around with Fate/'s magecraft system like you are a mage
    ✧ Explore a magecraft workshop complete with cauldron!


More Info (cw: bug/worm imagery)
A lot of it would take inspiration from the fact that Zelretch is a long lived mage who studied in jewelcraft and the power of alternate/parallel worlds which I thought would be appropriate! He's lived so long and is even known to observe/record information on other worlds. Which is why I'd like to have a huge library available chronicling some insane mage atrocities from all over the nasuverse.

The idea is that this place, over time, has collected many facets of magecraft from the span of Zelretch's life and it's all crammed into a huge castle that has turned into a dungeon. Some good things to keep in mind would be phantasmal species, mystic codes, and spells. And since it's an AU / he was alive during the Age of Gods feel free to make things wacky (mimics and other dungeon staple magics/monsters/tropes).







dreamflowers: (a song in the silence.)

[personal profile] dreamflowers 2024-03-13 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
LOCATION NAME: Silvergrove, a desert jungle village on the east coast of Enderal.

WORLD SHARD LOCATION: Inside the Boy's necklace, who will always be carrying it with him.

DREAMER SHARD LOCATION: Aspected by the Advocate, the Shard can be located in the Ruin at the Waterfall, found inside the framing of a peculiar painting.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Silvergrove, a peaceful village cordoned off by looming mountains and humid jungles, where there are absolutely no darker implications behind the curtain whatsoever. Those who arrive at Silvergrove will be initially overwhelmed with a crippling headache, which will subside within a few minutes. At the gate, they are met with a guardsman who greets them with an overly friendly and almost childlike demeanor. The locals seem to be very trusting, despite the cruel world they live in and the surrounding dangers they seem to have little fear of; in fact, the village itself is rather tranquil. Kick back, relax, and enjoy your well-deserved beach vacation where nothing bad is bound to happen eventually!

WHAT TO DO IN THIS WORLD:
  • The Old Silver Fortress to the south of the village, shrouded in jungle foliage, has been overrun with Lost Ones, basically a form of undead skeletons that usually weild swords, axes, maces, but sometimes use bows and arrows and fireballs at enemies. Upon investigating the Fortress, ghostly whispers can be heard even after clearing out the Lost Ones, but not much sense can be made of them. If the place is haunted, the ghosties are keeping to themselves.
  • The ruins of Old Darkesh is inhabited by some wild mages afflicted with the Red Madness, and will attack anyone on sight. If given the chance, they might shout things like "It burns!" and "You took him! Give me back my son!" and "How... how dare you come back?" or just laugh uncontrollably. It's clear that these people are hallucinating.
  • Make yourself at home! Swing by the marketplace for some coconuts and crusty bread (it is very tasty), or maybe stop at the Silent Moon's Inn, where the Innkeep will offer some complimentary date cakes and a story about how Silvergrove came to be. There will be music, banana brandy, and dancing. Most lines of questioning will lead to how great it is to live in Silvergrove, how you should stay, comment about "what a treasure that Boy is" and praise him as being the reason why the village has come to prosper.
  • Meet the Boy, because if you want the World Shard, you're going to have to. He will be intrigued by the new travelers who enter Silvergrove, as they are the only ones who are not immediately puppeted by the will of the entity that has trapped the village in a years' long illusion, using the Boy's wishes of being loved against him. He is in truth a lonely victim of circumstance who simply wishes for a family that will accept him for who he is, after his biological father abandoned him for being a "monster". He'll do everything he can to make sure that those who newly entered Silvergrove will want to stay, asking them to grant him three wishes in exchange for the Shard he's wearing. Interestingly enough, these wishes will be tailored to what he thinks will make your character happy. Maybe a relaxing day at the beach because you deserve it (and are Kennough), or an adventure in one of the aforementioned ruins/fortress to retrieve some old books he's always wanted to read? Catch some butterflies, and be the kid you never got to be. Isn't this fun? Don't you want to stay?


More Info—
  • QUEST TIME WITH DIVERGING ENDINGS IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT: Whether you threaten the Boy or go along with his wishes, he'll eventually lead into the Ruin at the Waterfall, where the Dreamer Shard is conveniently located as well. The World Shard can ultimately be obtained from the Boy through either trickery, force, or being nice and acquiescing to his wishes. For instance, you can lie to him that you intend to stay, which will convince him to hand over the Shard, only for the shadows to consume him and transform his body into a grotesque monster the size of an elephant, screaming in pain and covered in bumps and oozing boils -- the same will happen if physical force is used against him. This will lead to a pretty nasty fight, unless you're equipped for that kind of thing.
    • If you convince the Boy to put an end to the illusion through simple gestures of kindness, however, the shadows will still consume him before he can surrender his Shard... but will create an "avatar" of the grotesque monster instead. You'll get a nice little "bonus ending" where you get to see the "real Silvergrove" -- a ruined village of corpses of the people who were once happily greeting and walking around just an hour ago. The World Shard can ultimately be obtained by the dying Boy, his true form revealed to be a disfigured child with glowing red eyes (not much unlike those afflicted with the Red Madness encountered in one of the ruins). He will die shortly after, where the Shard can be taken from his necklace.

  • Whether it be felt right away or noticed after some time, there is obviously something... off, about the locals right off the bat. If characters have such abilities, they will find that the people of Silvergrove have no souls and are more or less just mindless puppets who don't need to sleep and have long since been dead. Time itself seems to have frozen the village in an eternal sunset -- which is pretty, but unsettling.

  • The wiki doesn't provide much to go off on beyond the questline, so enjoy this image gallery for visual references.

  • I don't have my playthrough uploaded that far into the game yet, so I'll just showcase my friend's. It's pretty long it's also a pretty good visual gist of the village and the vibes: 1, 2, 3

  • Enjoy your Depression Quest theme song while on your journey.

Edited (fixed some links) 2024-03-13 10:29 (UTC)
escardos: (pic#13478908)

[personal profile] escardos 2024-03-13 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Do the shards' location have to be a place or can it be a person that characters can interact with?

Page 1 of 10