CARNELIAN

[dramatispersonae]

You sink down, down, down through the water, the light fading away above, but somehow you neither get wet nor have trouble breathing...

Occasionally, fragments of song reach you.

Comments

THE LOWEST LEVEL

[dramatispersonae]

You need to live, goes the snippet of song in your head.

Welcome to the bottom of the sea. It should be dark here, but something illuminates a vast garden surrounding you. It should be wet here, but the sensation of the water around you is distant, and you stay dry.

At the center of the garden rises a great spiral staircase carved out of mother-of-pearl.

EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

 

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dissorder]

[ FROWNS ]

Ha. Do I.

[ but moves towards the center of the garden, surveying around him as he goes. Anything stick out on a casual glance? ]

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[thermoplasticvirtues]

[following along]

It seems we'll be working together.

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dissorder]

Mars.

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

Great fronds of kelp rise out of the ocean floor, gleaming faintly in all shades of green, as well as red and purple. Strange creatures as beautiful as any flower inch slowly along the sandy bed, and brilliantly-colored fish dart in and out of the waving seaweed.

ONWARDS

[dramatispersonae]

Glimmering with the light, the opalescent stairs rise high above, vanishing into dark water once out of range of the light. A coral gate bars them from you for now. It is locked, but the faint outline of a key can be seen in the lock.

Whenever you get near the stairway, a snippet of songs resolves into words in your head:

Make a wish from your heart.

You know that is what one person here must do to proceed.

Re: ONWARDS

[thermoplasticvirtues]

I wish I might meet all my siblings again.

Re: ONWARDS

[dramatispersonae]

The key materializes in the lock. You can turn it now, open the gate, and go on up the stairs...

Re: ONWARDS

[thermoplasticvirtues]

[up we go!]

THE MIDDLE LEVEL

[dramatispersonae]

You need to love, goes the snippet of song in your head.

As you come to a broad shelf on the sea floor, a peculiar sight unfolds before you in the returning light. The ancient remains of a shipwreck litter the ground, but before them, a number of marble statues have been arranged like some kind of art installation.

Beyond all this, another mother-of-pearl stairway rises into the waters above as they approach the surface.

EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

 

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[thermoplasticvirtues]

[checking out some of the statues, their faces especially]

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

They do not appear to be very well-made. Although they seemed at first to be marble, on close examination it's some kind of imitation--perhaps a ceramic, or a particularly cunning plastic. They might have been painted once, but that has long since chipped off.

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[thermoplasticvirtues]

Odd...

[tapping to see if they're hollow or solid]

ONWARDS

[dramatispersonae]

The opalescent stairs rise high above, wavering faintly in the rippling water as they go up, then vanishing into more gloom. A coral gate bars them from you for now. It is locked, but the faint outline of a key can be seen in the lock.

Whenever you get near the stairway, a snippet of songs resolves into words in your head:

Make a wish from your heart.

You know that is what one person here must do to proceed.

Re: ONWARDS

[dissorder]

[ . . . ]

I wish to have the power to save her.

Re: ONWARDS

[dramatispersonae]

The key materializes in the lock. You can turn it now, open the gate, and go on up the stairs...

THE TOP LEVEL

[dramatispersonae]

You need to dream, goes the snippet of song in your head.

The water falls away around you as you emerge into a cavern, its stone walls dappled with light reflecting off the calm water. Plants and seaweed grow in the shallows, and all around you in the sand are fantastical sculptures.

The way out of the cave is barred by another coral gate.

EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

 

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dissorder]

[ reaches out to touch the closest sculpture ]

Re: EXPLORE AND DISCUSS

[dramatispersonae]

It's made of sand, and yet somehow it stays stable and unharmed, firm to the touch.

FINISH

[dramatispersonae]

The walls of the cavern slowly narrow into a tunnel to the outside. Yet another gate made of coral blocks the way to it, though. It is locked, but the faint outline of a key can be seen in the lock.

Whenever you get near the stairway, a snippet of song resolves into words in your head:

Make a wish from your heart.

You know that is what one person here must do to proceed.

Re: FINISH

[thermoplasticvirtues]

I wish... I wish I could remember more about Aslan.

Re: FINISH

[dramatispersonae]

The key materializes in the lock. You can now turn it, open the gate, and return to the Ring.