PERIDOT

[dramatispersonae]

[The inside of the tent is spacious, but spare. In the center of the hard-packed dirt floor, as promised, there is a heavy oaken trapdoor with an iron ring set into it.

Apart from that, there is nothing.]

Comments

RULES

[dramatispersonae]

[OOC: Discuss as a team, but choose as individuals: do you venture back into Camelot? What will you try to save? How many of you will be going this time, and who will it be?

After every trip, players will be asked if they’ll be making the trip again. Each new trip starts a new round. After five rounds, when everyone in the team is satisfied that they’ve made enough trips, or are rendered unable to make further trips, inform Mordred and you’ll progress to the final round. Status effects, some mental and some physical, will be handed out each round, increasing in severity rapidly. Anyone who finds their status effects too rough to role-play may request catatonia instead, but that will effectively remove them from play until endgame.

This is not an exploradora, but a game about choices. If you choose to venture into Camelot, once you’ve picked your route, the journey itself will be handwaved except for the status effect and the success or failure of your salvage attempt.]

ROUND ONE: IN THE TENT

[dramatispersonae]

DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSS

[chaoticrights]

Really.

Re: DISCUSS

[fallingfree]

A trap with irresistible bait, then.

SUBMIT

[dramatispersonae]

Do you venture back into Camelot?
What will you try to save?
How many of you will be going this time, and who will it be?

ROUND ONE: DOWN THE TUNNEL

[dramatispersonae]

[Following the dank, cramped, serpentine coils of the tunnel will lead eventually to a cellar beneath one of the abandoned buildings in the lower city. The fire has not yet reached this point, but bristling shadows move past in the street in front of the house - traveling that way is sure to mean a fight.

The back door, however, is quiet, save for the buzzing of flies. A tacky, red-brown substance has leaked over the threshold - unmistakably blood. Even cracking the door lets in a charnel aroma. There’s no threat that way, and you can sneak to your destination… but you’ll be picking a path through the abandoned dead, which is an experience that carries its own negative weight.

Front door or back door?]

DISCUSS (BRIEFLY)

[dramatispersonae]

SUBMIT

[dramatispersonae]

Front door or back door?

ROUND TWO: IN THE TENT

[dramatispersonae]

DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

SUBMIT

[dramatispersonae]

Do you venture back into Camelot?
What will you try to save?
How many of you will be going this time, and who will it be?

ROUND TWO: DOWN THE TUNNEL

[dramatispersonae]

[The noise of combat in the street out front has grown, and savage snarling noises have joined the company of shadows. The scabbed blood under the back door has been joined by a few fresh runnels. Either direction you go, it’s more unpleasant than it was before. Front door or back door?]

DISCUSS (BRIEFLY)

[dramatispersonae]

SUBMIT

[dramatispersonae]

Front door or back door?

ROUND THREE: IN THE TENT

[dramatispersonae]

DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

SUBMIT

[dramatispersonae]

Do you venture back into Camelot?
What will you try to save?
How many of you will be going this time, and who will it be?

FINAL ROUND

[dramatispersonae]

[When the survivors of Camelot have finished, for one reason or another, with their trips into the city, the Ring has become yet more unpleasant. An ashy wind is blowing from Camelot, and amidst the hot grey snow, embers are catching among the tents, slowly eating red-rimmed holes in the fabric. The pulse of the light with each new gust of wind makes it look as if they are breathing. Mordred is standing on the closed trap-door leading to his new realm, eyeing the collection of rescued items and battered survivors.]

Was it worth it? Did all of that effort… really do any good? Look at what you saved. Consider what you lost. And consider… some among you have been marked by Darkness, now. You can see it in the way they act. If you come into the next realm with it, you’ll carry the Darkness with you. I’m not so heartless as to stop you… but you’ll be putting all that you are, and all that’s in you, into that creation. Would you want to bring with you the seeds of another Jabberwock?

[He grins, suddenly.]

Another me?

[He gestures, and his black knights heft a clattering parcel amidst the heroes.

Fourteen swords.]

Choose for yourselves. You can bring the infection with you… leave it behind to fester… or show mercy, and end it now. I leave the responsibility… entirely in your hands.

Follow me when you’re ready.

[Rules: decide whether to bring along, leave behind, or kill your insane or corrupted teammates. When you’ve reached your decision &/or carried it out, report to Mordred.]

Re: FINAL ROUND

[chaoticrights]

Ah! Is this where I expose myself as someone who has been corrupted long before this game even started, though not necessarily by the darkness as we know it here in Aather?

Re: FINAL ROUND

[crueltobekind]

[For a moment he looks hollowed and horrified but—but this is a supposed to be a game. Supposed to!!

The corner of his mouth twitches, fists clenching.]

This is taking things too far!

Re: FINAL ROUND

[heroinhisowntime]

... [grits his teeth]

It doesn't matter who's corrupted, we can't just leave them behind! We saved the Jabberwock, right?! We can save everyone here too. No one is going to kill anyone.

Re: FINAL ROUND

[immaturelycursed]

[just looking at Mordred, ANGRY BECAUSE HE DOESN'T CARE. also only using this icon for the expression.]

We are all going.

Re: FINAL ROUND

[fallingfree]

Utter bullshit, of course we're all going.

Final Answer

[crueltobekind]

We'll bring it with us, because we know we're stronger than the Darkness or any infection it tries to throw at us. We've beaten it before, and we'll beat it now and every other time it comes for us. With the support of our teammates and friends. With our trust and belief in them. With our freedom to make our own choices that are true to us, not adhering to some cookie cutter role you might try to hand us.

No matter how dark it gets or how afraid we may become, as long as we have all of that we will not succumb.