INSIDE THE STORY (RUN ONE)

[dramatispersonae]

[You find yourself standing on a circular stone stage, in an open-air theater in the round. You’re at the edge of the stage looking toward its centre; a massive tree is growing up through the stone there, taking up most of your view. Surrounding the stage are tiered seats of gemstones and silver, in Aather team colors. The seats, like the stage, are being overtaken by riotous plantlife; thorny rose vines climb between them here and there, along with patches of moss, glowing flowers, and multicolored morning glories. A few of the seats look like they are in need of serious repair.

Around the stage you will notice that there are seven exits, all equidistant from one another. They are all different shapes, sizes and styles, but it’s oddly hard to pin down specifics from here; you’ll have to step off of the stage in order to differentiate them from each other.

In the seats, though you can't see your audience, you can hear the faint whisper of voices, waiting to see what move you make. You’ll also find two objects in your hand: a fine quill pen, and a crystalline hope seed.]

Comments

CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[dramatispersonae]

[You get a sense that the quill pen can be used to rewrite things in this place, and the hope seed can be used to create drastic new growth. There is a hot current of power in both objects, resonant with the key around your neck.]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[glorious]

[turns over the quill and hope seed in his hand, considering...]

[...pockets both, then takes a look at the seven exits.]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[motifated]

[There are seven in all.

- A pair of large wooden double doors that look like they belong on a castle.
- A rose-covered trellis; a curtain of ivy obscures what’s on the other side.
- An open archway made of ice; cold mist obscures what’s on the other side.
- A villa doorway, pitted and crusted with sand.
- A translucent marble door, its carvings softened and water-worn into illegibility.
- A door patterned in black and white squares; its proportions are cartoonishly off, and the knob looks a little like a grinning face.
- A pair of carved folding doors.

Head through one, or investigate this area further?]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[primetimehero]

[ :|a

pockets the quill, then also pockets the seed ]

Hey, so if you're looking for a performance, you're gonna have to find another actor.

[ stepping off the stage ... ]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[motifated]

[The only thing really of note off the stage are the seven doors:

- A pair of large wooden double doors that look like they belong on a castle.
- A rose-covered trellis; a curtain of ivy obscures what’s on the other side.
- An open archway made of ice; cold mist obscures what’s on the other side.
- A villa doorway, pitted and crusted with sand.
- A translucent marble door, its carvings softened and water-worn into illegibility.
- A door patterned in black and white squares; its proportions are cartoonishly off, and the knob looks a little like a grinning face.
- A pair of carved folding doors.

Head through one, or investigate this area further?]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[puppy_loves]

[Carrying these objects carefully in his mouth, trotting to examine the damaged seats]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[motifated]

[There isn't anything in particular that stands out about them--aside from the fact that they're made out of gemstone and silver. The closest damaged seat to you is a row of ruby benches, cracked through by grapevines that are slowly making their way over to the jasper seats.]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[screwthatnoise]

[turns towards the seats upon hearing those whispers—after a moment's consideration, she bows]

Onward.

[gripping the items, she steps off of the stage to examine the doors]

Re: CENTER STAGE (Dramatis Personae)

[motifated]

[There are seven in all.

- A pair of large wooden double doors that look like they belong on a castle.
- A rose-covered trellis; a curtain of ivy obscures what’s on the other side.
- An open archway made of ice; cold mist obscures what’s on the other side.
- A villa doorway, pitted and crusted with sand.
- A translucent marble door, its carvings softened and water-worn into illegibility.
- A door patterned in black and white squares; its proportions are cartoonishly off, and the knob looks a little like a grinning face.
- A pair of carved folding doors.

Head through one, or investigate this area further?]

The Black and White Door

[motifated]

[You step through the door and enter a land that doesn’t look very natural at all.

Above, below, and around you--all around you, always around you--is a vast checkerboard pattern with so many staircases, balconies, windows, and doorways at different heights and odd angles that it is almost impossible to tell what is up or down, inside or outside, backward or forward. Planes reverse themselves as you watch, receding corners suddenly jut out, rising steps invert themselves, floors become ceilings, and walls turned into precipices.

Through the windows and staircases there are clouds, endless clouds, shifting and changing into whatever comes to mind. Pieces of the checkerboard seem to reflect themselves, and if they stay for long enough you can recognize them as part of a mirror maze.

There is a tiny bit of stability in the form of what could be a swamp. It is up a staircase--no, it is on the other side of a window--wherever it is, it seems to be content to remain there, a solid spot of reference in your shifting perceptions. The heavy black mist that hangs over it seems to spark and burst into flames, but just as quickly burn out and fall as ash into the sludge that makes up the swamp. The murky brown waters bleed with an oily black, bright red, tarnished silver, plum purple, sea green--the colors change before your eyes, but they are always changing, and the swamp itself seems to waver in and out of reality. The entire swamp, while stable in its location, doesn’t seem to know how to be.]

Re: The Black and White Door

[primetimehero]

Woah. Thhhis is one trippy room.

[ approaching the swamp as best he can??? ]

Re: The Black and White Door

[motifated]

[You feel right-side up once you step away from the checkerboard patterns and head into the sludge of the swamp. The smell, hits you immediately, the stench of burning and rot and decay. You have to find something to cover your mouth to keep yourself from gagging. At least it’s not always intense: the smell fades in and out as the swamp does.

As you take your first step, the rainbow slime ripples and forms distorted words in front of you:

T͚͞h̼̗̖̼ͅḭ̧̰̦s̷̗͙̟̲̟̞̻ ̼̯̮̩͘i̻̯̫ṣ̟̯̠͔͞ w̜͎͕ͅh̜̫̝̪͝e̵͍̠̭̖ŗe ͎̞͈͕͉̻͚t̗̞͉̕hẹ͉̼͓͍̠͘ ̱͓͖̪̘ͅmo̗̫n͓̮͓͍̲s̨t̸͖͈e͈̭͕̝r͇̀ ̲̳l͎̮̭͔̮͓iv̴͇̙̰̗̖̣͇e̱̦͜s̛̫̺͉̠͖̪.̴ ̵̳̭͚̲͔͓T͈͔̬̤h̟̠̭̟̥͚ḭ̝̬̥͉͝s̭͓͈̮͈̥̳͡ ͖̼i͈͎̣̠͈s͓ ̢̯w̘̕h̟̲͈̲̳͉̀e̸͉̩̤͈͖̥̣r͖̭͍̤͕͔͠e̲̞̠̻͉̮͚ ̝ṱ͍̼͖͔̞̻h̭̮̼̳͜e̙͠ ̟m̠̯͕̗̥o̗͝ns҉̟̫͈͙t̰̮̰̹e͚̟͔̠͔̥r̶̪̣ ͉ṣ͙̞͟l̶͇̩̰̙̭e̛̗̭̯̖̮̻̝e̡͉̻͕p͙̩s̖.͓͓̤͓ͅ ͔͍
̹̣̦̗͓͚͓
͓̜T͕͍̀ḩ̰̰̟͎̣i̗̤͙͢s̢͈̜̻̻̦ ̸͎̫̼̞̥̺i͚͓͈̰̣͉̯s̖̯͙̣̦̼͝ ̡̝wͅh̙̙̪̘̟̜͇e̹̳̦̮͕̙̕r͍̜͔̱̘e͔̞̺̪ ̫̳̥͝th̳̻͕͔̟͓̳͞e͏͇̲͔͓ ̗̣͖̺l̜͝i͓̩̳̹͕̯ṯ̝͇̫̺̜̮́t̯͕͙̠͉̺̀l̹̹̟͍͖̝̻e̦̺͚̩ͅͅ ̣̯̫̣͡g͎͉̣̟ir̹̙͠l'̢̣͎̮̩̩̤̖s̘͍͔͈̗̻̮ ̧̠h̥̥͎o͢m̢e̥̦̻̖͔͖̘ ̨̙͎͚̝b̛̘̞̩͚̣̳u̧̬̣r̞͙̘n̷̯e̲͇̘̘̥̯̼d͏ ̴̠̭͇͚̼̤t̨͎̳̼̣o̹̱̕ ̸̟͎̻̻̲̣̞t̷̬̦̘̺̺he̫̘̠ ̞̹͟g̘r͚̗͞o͇̭̼u͢n̡̮̦d̛̹̺̭ ͈͍͇͕̺̖̥a̝n͢d̞ ̲̞̬̠̗͓͢t͉̗̻͜hḙ̵̞̗̘ ͞D̶a̜̹̘͇̥r͚kn̤̟̣e̺̦̫s͎̟̝̞͔̙̣͜s ̕t̠o̙̥̫͉͔̰͙o̧̰̩͇k̛̼̭̳̘͕̮ ̥͎̝͟ͅh̨̦͎͖e̫͙͓͎̺̘͜r͈̗͙͉̗̥ͅ ̺̭͔̖̟̹f̭͚̠̞͕͔̭͝a͟m̧̻̘͉ͅi͚̤l͇y̷̰̭̺ͅ.̙̪

The Rose Trellis

[motifated]

[You step through the trellis archway, pushing through the thick curtain of ivy, and find yourself in a sprawling forest. Squirrels and birds chatter in the trees, little glowing creatures (are they butterflies? pixies?) dart to and fro, and brilliantly-colored flowers of every shape and size imaginable bedeck the landscape before you.

Moss is thick on the ground like a green and velvety carpet; there are no true roads here. However, you can make out two trails heading further into the woods. The one to the left is relatively low and flat, sun-dappled, winding through the open ground between the trees. The one to the right is narrower and leads up to hilly ground, curving up steeply until your view of it is blocked by a rocky outcropping.]

Re: The Rose Trellis

[trope_attack]

[following the hilly trail]

The Marble Door

[motifated]

[As soon as you step through the door you find yourself underwater. Completely submerged, with the sting of salt water rushing through your ears and your nose and your eyes. It isn’t cold water--it’s actually quite warm, and the water is crystal clear. You can’t immediately make out much more than that through the overwhelming sense of understanding that you shouldn’t be underwater.

The ocean floor before you slants upward, heading towards the shore, while the sand behind you only goes down further, deeper and darker, filling you with a sense of fear and dread. Go up or go down? Decide fast: you’ve got air in your lungs to chance heading deeper if you want, but you can’t just hang around here.]

Re: The Marble Door

[glorious]

[I'M...GOING UP FIRST. I can figure out a plan when I am not worried about drowning.]

The Ice Archway

[motifated]

[The ice archway you enter through frosts over behind you as you step all the way inside. Before you there is a small, snow-covered village in microcosm, perfect as a picture postcard. The houses are mostly made of wood, and the chimneys are all cheerfully puffing out smoke. There’s a warm glow visible through the cracks of the windows, though they’re tightly shuttered. Even though you can’t see anyone there is a feeling of the village being full, a buzz of excitement, as if it were almost dinnertime and everyone is gathering together to eat.

There is one tiny road that leads straight through the village and continues on past its borders, lost in a whirl of snow. Though the whole village is rather quiet and peaceful, just outside of its borders a snowstorm rages. It’s quite cold, standing out in the snow, and you won’t be able to withstand it for very long without getting frostbite. Still, you’ll have to brave it if you want to reach what you can just glimpse in the distance outside the village: a bright blue ferris wheel.]

Re: The Ice Archway

[screwthatnoise]

[LITERAL CHILLS DOWN HER SPINE, wrapping her arms around herself]

[the village seems nice, maybe it doesn't need help, so it's best to move forward and BRAVE the snowstorm]

The Folding Doors

[motifated]

[You step through the door and find yourself in a large courtyard garden. It is surrounded on all sides by tall white walls that seem to disappear behind the overflowing foliage. There are cherry blossoms and apple blossoms in full bloom, the sweet smell giving the garden a relaxing feeling. In fact, everything about the garden seems to promote tranquility.

There is no sign of any living animal, but there are carvings of fish, sparrows, cranes, oxen and rabbits all around the garden, and a few statues of foxes and serpentine dragons standing guard along the paths. Most of the garden is occupied by a large, still pond with elegant pagodas scattered on its smooth surface. The pond meets land abruptly, with a golden rope bordering its edges as if to keep the water from spilling into the land. Low bushes and elegantly pruned trees decorate the two paths directly before you:

- One is a small path that skirts around the pond and touches the edge of the wall, making its way to the other end of the garden.
- The other snakes out into a bridge across the pond, ending at a small island in the center.

The sun is high in the sky, but you can see the moon reflected on the water.]

Re: The Folding Doors

[puppy_loves]

[keeps an eye on those animal carvings/statues to see if they move, but heads down to the path that goes out over the pond]

CENTER STAGE (A Return)

[motifated]

[The chorus has been replaced by a single shadowy, almost featureless figure underneath the tree. The Storysona’s voice whispers from it, tired and wavering:

”I do not believe that Heroes can defeat the Darkness without the Story. But...if they could, by some miracle...then what do I exist for? Why was I written at all?”

[When you give your answer, the figure vanishes. Where it stood is a trapdoor with a ring set into the top, its outline is delineated by brilliant light and flickering shadows coming through from the other side. Go through...?]

Re: CENTER STAGE (A Return)

[trope_attack]

Why does anyone exist for? You can decide what kind of person you want to be. Or what kind of stories you want to be. Or both at the same time. Telling stories are awesome, and there's so many you haven't seen yet.

We might argue about what is best, but I hope we can still be friends. And I'm glad you've been protecting us and trying to talk to us, even if you're sometimes a jerk. That's the way some people are, though.

Re: CENTER STAGE (A Return)

[puppy_loves]

You exist because you have meaning. You have an identity, do you not? I was -- I was not meant to exist beyond what I could do to protect someone, either. I thought, for a long time, "I should just disappear now". But I believe my existence is ...valid. Is important. Perhaps not on my own, but... I have made friends, I am loved. I think... I'm sure... it must be the same for you.

[when the vanishes, though, just kind of looks sad and goes through. i hope there aren't ladders or i'm plummeting]

Re: CENTER STAGE (A Return)

[glorious]

...You were written to slow the spread of Darkness, to make it possible for us to arrive here and develop our strength. You need Heroes in order to effectively fight the Darkness but...

[a long pause, considering how to phrase his words]

...But we need the time you bought for us, and guidance on how to use the powers we've been granted. You can't continue to hold as you were but, if you join us, you could become a Hero yourself and help us. You can still defeat the Darkness, just in a different way than before.

[and yes, once the trapdoor is available, he'll do through]

Re: CENTER STAGE (A Return)

[screwthatnoise]

You need to determine your own purpose. Establish the identity you desire. Think for yourself. You now possess the capability to perform your own actions, weighted by meaning you can determine yourself. Given this, you are able to do so much. What I saw before was the acknowledgement of a past that could not be changed, but a future that could. There truly is hope.

In simpler terms: allow yourself to be selfish and follow your heart.

[...it's a bit hesitant, but she leaves through the trap door upon its appearance]