TDM #3

[aionmods]

TDM #3

DREAMING (new characters)

At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.

You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.

The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.

It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.

❖ THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.

You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.

Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.

❖ THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.

If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.

Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.

❖ THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.

REBIRTH (new characters)

In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.

The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.

The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.

Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.

[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]

DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)

For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.

More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.

No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.

SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)

Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.

❖ PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.

Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

❖ KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.

The Hylicians will be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.

RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)

New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.

❖ TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.

There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.

New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.

❖ TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.

Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.

This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.

Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.

QUESTIONS

Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.

Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.

When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.

What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.

Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.

Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.

Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.

Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.

How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.

Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!

Comments

TSUNAMI 🌊 WINGS OF FIRE 🌊 CHAMPION

[wavetrain]

i. rebirth: the shrine of the champion

Tsunami rips her way out of the crystal cocoon thrashing and snarling. Relief overwhelms her as she finally flops free of it, her wings splayed either side of her as she pants with exertion, but the realisation that comes a few seconds later of how weak she feels has her reeling with panic. Where is she? What has happened to her? Was that dream some kind of prophecy?

If someone approaches, she bares her fangs, her curved claws scraping against the ground, but, if they are as human in appearance as most of Horos's Aions so far, she pauses in surprise...


If they are a) newly-hatched and naked, like her, Tsunami tilts her head, looking at them curiously. "What's a scavenger doing here?" she muses quietly. She sounds like she's talking to herself more than to the other person. "Sheesh, what am I saying; what am I doing here? Where even is here?"

She shakes her head and looks around.

"I guess you're not going to be able to tell me, huh, little guy?"

(She is going to call you "little guy" even if you are like 50 years old and totally jacked.)


If they have arrived b) armoured, or armed, or otherwise capable and equipped, she takes a step backwards, her body close to the ground like a cautious cat's. She eyes them warily like a person might look at a wild animal; something smaller than you are, but which you know might bite. She's not afraid of scavengers, not normally, but she feels like she has a fraction of her strength right now—and, after all, wasn't it a scavenger who killed Queen Oasis? As weak as she feels at the moment, Tsunami finds for the first time that it isn't hard to imagine how that happened...

ii. returned: pleroma

a) The cavern is even more improbable-seeming than the SeaWings' summer palace. Tsunami stops in place to take it in, her neck curving as she looks up at the canopy of water overhead.

"What kind of magic built this place?" she asks one of the nearby Aions. She's adjusting quickly to the fact that she can actually talk to humans, although it is still a bit weird. That's not the reason for the uncertainty in her voice as she asks, though; she seems cautious about the idea of magic as a whole, although perhaps not so much that she's afraid of this place...

b) Exhausted after the day's events, Tsunami is very grateful for the warm waters that surround the lodestone. She settles in the shallows with her wings spread out, resting her head on her talons to watch the crystal crabs. These are clearly not edible, which is a shame, but the fish swimming around her she's less sure about. They're very small, sure, but it would feel really good to scoop up a mouthful between her teeth.

"Hmmm." She lifts her head to speak to someone else resting close by, and points with a claw to the fish. "Do you think we can eat these?"

c) Even in her weakened state, Tsunami is better built for swimming than the average human; as such, after she's rested and eaten, she's willing to offer help with swimming to the surface. There's only room for one human to cling to her back, but if you fancy an underwater dragon ride through the "swimming through pockets of water" route, her broad tail and webbed claws will probably get the both of you through it a little quicker than if you went for it on your own.

OOC: If you'd prefer to tag with brackets please go ahead, I'll match format!
Tsunami is an aquatic dragon about 6 feet high at the shoulders. Here's a full body species ref!
If you want to do something not covered here, feel free to drop me a line on DM/discord/ormery

i. dragons of a scale, flock together or something

[horniness]

[ ...Little.

No one has called him such a thing in years, if only because everyone else tends to be dwarfed by his tall, horned stature, but he also recognizes in this form, he's probably less impressive and intimidating-looking to her. Still, he can't help but bristle slightly at the word. ]

I advise you to reconsider your manner of address quickly. Were I to transform, our sizes would differ less.

[ But he's having a little trouble at the moment as his magic doesn't seem to be responding at all to him, perhaps due to his dormant state prior to inspecting the other shrines. It might need more time to awaken.

In the meantime, he busies himself studying the dragon before him, quite sure it isn't one of the fae, otherwise she would have recognized and bowed to him instantly. So she must be closer to the dragons he's read about from distant regions, who roam around permanently in one form, almost indistinguishable from other creatures of the land. ]

However, your assumption was correct. I have no knowledge of this landmark nor through what mechanism we were brought here. I expected you to be the one to have the answer. Is this not your habitat?

Re: i. dragons of a scale, flock together or something

[wavetrain]

[ She blinks in obvious surprise, her head drawing back on her sinuous neck. ]

Whoah! You can talk?

[ She stares at him for a moment, his words sinking in as she gets a better look at him, taking in those dragonlike horns and what he said about... transforming...? ]

Wait. Are you... a dragon? But—who would do this to you??

[ She's definitely assuming someone's changed him into a human shape against his will or something. ]

[horniness]

[ How naive. Has she truly never encountered the fae? Then again, most of the students at Night Raven College seem to be also terribly misinformed on the intricacies of their kind. ]

This is but one of my forms, the one I use when attending school, otherwise it would be unwieldy for me to wander through the halls or sit in such a small classroom.

[ Yes, he knows it's a travesty, but he also thinks everyone would be far more terrified by him if he appeared before them as a full dragon. Such sacrifices must be made. ]

You are no eastern dragon, judging from your compact physique, and you are certainly not from Briar Valley. From where do you come, if not this cave?

[wavetrain]

Compact physique? Excuse me??

[ She draws herself up and takes a step towards him so she can look down at him more efficiently, even though what he's saying is bewildering her completely. ]

I happen to be a Princess of the Sea Kingdom, actually!

IB

[coerthantorment]

Estinien's arrival at the Champion's shrine is heralded by a rain of fire. Truthfully, this isn't the first time the men and woman of the barracks surrounding it have seen him, and as if expecting it, their aggression is immediate. Thankfully, that is something Estinien expects and is eager to accept.

A few explosions erupt outside of the cavern, and the nearby soldier can be heard shouting and organizing. Arrows are shot, and defenses are hidden behind. None of them really want to face an Aion head-on, especially not the one that set the place on fire the last time the shrines were active.

When Estinien enters the mouth of the cavern, he looks very unlike the scavengers she may be familiar with. Though he has humanoid features, they are buried in white scales, spines, and three sets of feathered wings. Behind him, there is a halo of light. His tail lashes furiously, in anticipation that he'll be followed.

Of course, he pauses upon seeing an actual dragon inside of the shrine. Of course, he thinks, his expression going from one of anger to confusion. There's no reason a dragon soul couldn't also be called.

"Fear not," he manages, seeing her defensive posture. "There are those outside that would imprison you, but I can take you from this place."

[wavetrain]

Her posture does not get less defensive. Her own tail is curling warily from side to side as she watches him. What is going on with this guy? She's not about to claim to be some kind of scavenger expert, but this is not a normal scavenger. Some of his features are like a dragon's, but she's never seen a dragon with wings like that.

Her wings spread slightly at her sides, unconsciously trying to make herself look bigger.

"Take me where," she says, uneasily.

[coerthantorment]

There are many reasons that Estinien is feeling particularly unstable and aggressive, and it takes a conscious effort for him to remain composed. She is a dragon, after all... a people has come to love but spent most of his life fearing and hating. Seeing one coiled defensively triggers instincts within him that have kept him alive. Yet, he knows he cannot forsake her here.

"...Away from this cavern, past the warriors guarding it... and then... wherever you please."

He settles on clawed feet, his pale skin and scales seeming to glow dimply in the low light of the cavern.

"But know... Wherever you call home, you are there no longer. You have woken on a different star... one ruled by a being intent upon destroying all you hold dear. Had they their way, they would enthrall you as one of their servants. I have come to spare you from that fate."

[wavetrain]

Past the warriors guarding it... She hadn't known about those yet. She has yet to venture outside the cave.

She doesn't know if she can trust this bizarre stranger, but her gills prickle with discomfort at the thought of being trapped here. She's still processing everything else he's said... Somehow it's not too hard to accept she's no longer on Pyrrhia, after everything... that crystal egg, the strange dream... Wait. Does that mean that dream... is her home already gone? No, she can't know that just from some weird dream. Her dreams don't mean anything, she tells herself; she's not a NightWing. The last time she dreamed something and thought it had really happened, she got mad at Starflight because she thought he'd been hoarding prey, and he sulked about it all week even after she realised she'd made a mistake.

... Whatever's actually going on, she hopes he and the others are okay.

She makes herself straighten up a little, wanting to look less like a cornered eel.

"Okay," she says. "I'm not saying I believe you, but... If you can get me out of here, then sure. What are you?"

[arcaneward]

"Maybe," comes the perky response from somewhere off to Tsunami's left, Aerith seemingly unperturbed by the fact she's responding to, well. A dragon.

"But don't they look kinda like glass to you? We could probably eat them, but I don't think it'd be easy."

She scoots closer, leaning into where Tsunami's claw is pointing.

[wavetrain]

Tsunami tilts her head, frowning a little. She dips her claws into the water, watching the fish dart away from them.

"Not as much as the crabs do," she replies. "But maybe they're related."

She looks back at Aerith. Ah... it IS still weird to talk to humans. This one doesn't seem bothered by talking to her, though...

"What kind of thing do you usually eat...?" She's just realised she has no idea, and she's never really wondered about it either. She guesses she figured, like, fruit or something...?

[arcaneward]

"Hmm," Aerith replies, touching her chin with the knuckle of her index finger.

"Lots of things, really! My mom makes a really good apple pie, and there's a cafe in Sector 4 that has really good croissants. What about you? I've never met a real dragon before!"

[wavetrain]

Tsunami nods. She has never heard of a croissant, but "apple pie" at least seems within expectations. Maybe a croissant is some other kind of fruit.

"Oh, pretty much anything... I like seafood the best, but I'm good with cows, or deer, or boar..." She trails off. She needs to not think about eating with her friends so she doesn't keep worrying about whether they're okay! "Anyway, I haven't spoken to a... human, before today, either, so..."

IB

[dragon_rider]

[ Hiccup's not really wanting a fight, but he'll take it if it comes his way. He doesn't want to see anyone else in the hands of the Kenoma. He's prepared enough, a shield on his back and inferno on his belt - To the outside eye it's just a hilt, but he knows his weaponry quick enough to pull it out within seconds if he needs to.

He veers on the side of stealth mission - Which isn't so easy when trying to take on the Champion Shrine. He's already had at least one tussle by the time he makes it to the shrine's interior and is half nursing a wound on new wings - Seems the soldiers don't take kindly to winged people flying through the air (wonder why).

But he stops when he sees the new arrival - a dragon. It's not surprising to see a dragon or wholy unexpected one could wake up here, he just... Wasn't sure about walking into one right now. And not one that seems afraid of him. Immediately, Hiccup raises his hands in a sign of good faith, in coming in peace: ]

Hey there. You've got nothing to worry about - [ Okay, they do have something to worry about, but he has to earn trust before that (or try to): ] I'm Hiccup. I'm not here to hurt you.

[ He's sincere, at least. His wings fold against his back, but he doen't change form back to his fully human self- who knows when they might need to take flight. ]

[ ooc: hello! welcome! c: i also just wanted to note that one of hiccup's powers aside from half dragony transformation/flight is also dragon empathy/connection if you want to play with that at all! ]

[wavetrain]

[ Tsunami blinks. From his raised hands it looks like he's trying to communicate with her, but that's not—oh, wait, no, he's actually started talking. Weird... except it doesn't seem as weird as it probably should, somehow?

She tilts her head, her position becoming slightly less defensive, but still cautious. ]

I've got nothing to worry about? Are you sure about that? 'Cause last time I checked, hatching out of a rock in a mysterious cave is plenty to be worried about.

[dragon_rider]

You know, I'm not even going to deny it. You're right. [ Because she is. He knows this situation well - Still can't his own arrival out of his head and how it had gone. He can't blame anyone for being afraid, least of all a dragon. He knows how humans often treat them. And though he keeps his left hand close to where the hilt of Inferno is sheathed, he doesn't move in any quick quick way- Careful to appear not a threat. ]

I just meant from me. There is a whole fortress of people just beyond this shrine we want to avoid or they might try to kill us, but something tells we're not going to have the easiest time of that.

[ Not that they ever do. ] I can help explain things, but first - We want to get as far away from this shrine as possible.

[wavetrain]

[ Tsunami isn't exactly the world's best dragon at stealth, she'll readily admit, and right now her strength is a long way from reassuring her about that fact. If this guy is willing to help her, then... ]

... Okay. [ A brief pause. ] But if you're lying to me, then I am going to bite you.

iib

[leicesters]

Claude has been observing Tsunami for a while now, and he's wondering just what kind of crazy turn his life has taken to see dragons everywhere he goes. First, what he can only assume was the Immaculate One back at the battle for Garreg Mach, then Wrathion had shown up at the Seeker shrine with him, and now this.

He doesn't actually expect her to look over and address him where he's sitting on a crumbled column nearby, and he blinks.

"Oh-- probably? I don't know if they'd taste good, though."

[wavetrain]

Trust her, Claude, it's way weirder for Tsunami to see humans everywhere to the extent she has been over the last few hours. She's trying to take it in stride, though!

She tilts her head, grinning. "Well, there's only one way to find out, right?"

[leicesters]

"True. Hope you don't mind if I just stay up here and watch."

He only just got dry and got a set of clothes, so the last thing he wants is to strip off and fling himself in the nearest body of water. He does, however, love the idea of seeing a hunting dragon in action, so he hops off his perch on the column and moves over to the water to spectate.

IIA

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya takes enough of a breather between visits to the shrines to recover himself. It doesn't seem as though they'll be overwhelmed, so after the most recent battle he's pacing himself in expectation for... what's to come.

So he can field a question from a newcoming dragon. That's become a less and less strange sight to him over the years so he, at least, doesn't blink twice as he casts a look aside to her.

"I'm not really certain. I would assume it was another Aion ages past, but I don't know enough about the magic theory of Horos to give a detailed explanation."

[wavetrain]

Tsunami frowns slightly. (If Syrlya's appearance surprises her, she doesn't show it; to her eyes his appearance isn't really more different from that of what she would have considered a "normal" human than a SeaWing's is from an IceWing's.)

"Huh," she says. She pauses, looking up at the lodestone, before apparently deciding to ask, "Isn't it... dangerous, to make something like this?"

[chronosynthesis]

"I suppose if you didn't know what you were doing," he shrugs a shoulder, utterly unperturbed by the magic underground dome. "But this place is stable and has been around for a long time, so I doubt that's the case."

Returned - B

[eyeofthavnair]

[ooc: I’m not actually in the game atm, but I thought some dragon threads would be fun! Hope that’s ok]

It’s hard not to notice the stretched-out dragon in the cavern with him. What is less certain is whether the dragon will notice him - this “humanoid body” form is inconspicuous to most, but he doesn’t know what senses this distant kin of his might have. It’s very possible that she might recognize him for his true self…or she might see only the charming young boy that he presents as. Regardless, he’d like to find out more about her. He is fairly certain that none of his siblings’ broods have webbed claws, after all.

Fortunately she speaks up first, while he’s still discreetly sitting nearby and trying to decide how best to approach her. Her question startles him slightly, and he glances over at the fish in question. They do look similar to some species native to Thavnair…but he can’t say he knows much about seafood, despite living on an island.

“Ah…perhaps our gracious hosts might know?” He replies, glancing around for one of them - but alas there are none nearby.

[wavetrain]

[ooc: of course!!!]

Tsunami is a far less mystical entity whose senses encompass only the traditional five, and so when this young man speaks to her she doesn't see anything else. The fact that he's able to speak at all is still the strangest thing about this, in her opinion, but that's also nothing new at this point... At least he has a tail. It makes it a bit less weird.

She tilts her head, taking a quick glance around herself.

"Haahh... I still can't tell who's new or not." She gives him a wry smile. "I'll be honest, I was kinda hoping you might be one of the ones who knows what's going on."