Beyond the Tainted Mire — IC

[FinalTemplar]

Finally seeing movement, Sekil would follow his companions further through this dream.

[ratwizard]

Guvenc follows behind, Meer peering over her shoulder. At this point, what choice do we have but to follow this weave of thread to the end?

[BartNL]

Egash follows his companions. Sticking to the shadows, or do they stick to him?
Typical Argan. Thinks he is ready. Ha. None of know what we might need to be ready for in the first place.

[Scratcherclaw]

With Argan at the helm, you begin to creep down the stairs. The steps seem to creak with every movement, although you feel as though it sounds more like a croak than a creak. Just my mind playing tricks? the young oracle thinks, closely trailing behind as the group descends the stairs. In no time at all, you're on the floor immediately below, or at least you assume you are. It appears identical to the floor you'd come from, right down to the tome and the bell.

You faintly hear the sounds of chatter from below but see no other obvious signs of life. You continue downwards.

The floor repeats again. And again. And again. As if you're caught in a perpetual loop despite knowingly heading downwards, towards the nexus mentioned by Fay. Finally, after what feels like a hundred flights of stairs, you step onto a landing that's different. Gleaming marble floors add a click to your steps. You see you're on a grand staircase, a railing overlooking a foyer below. Dozens of people come and go throughout the foyer, their steps echoing upwards in the large chamber.

"New arrivals, yes?" a voice says from out of nowhere in a low voice. Turning behind you, you catch sight of a petite woman dressed in a frilly black dress with a white apron. "Meet me in the library after you've stopped by the front desk." She points towards the foyer below, where a hall veers left. "You must stop by the front desk, or..." She stops, glancing around herself nervously. She coughs and raises her voice. "Ah, I cannot spend all day chatting with the guests! Au revoir!" she says, hurriedly rushing down the stairs and vanishing from sight down a hall.

[FinalTemplar]

Sekil would hesitantly revert back to his humanoid form, crouching next to his allies. "Front desk?" He asks.

[ratwizard]

Frogs again, Guvenc thinks as they pass down the stairs. Her heart pumps faster as they descend, time and time again to the same landing. Then, when the marble floors and grand foyer appear, her breath stops. We've been moved again.

The strange woman vanishes and Guvenc is left feeling even more on edge. "Or what?" she asks the other tribesmen, not expecting an answer. "This is all very..."

She continues down the stairs slowly, her eyes scanning the people below them as she goes.

[Fialova]

"Why is this place so weird?" Ravza asks, as the woman walks away. "Is this what the world outside the swamp is like? Puzzles and riddles and shiny buildings? It makes no sense at all." She watches as Guvenc begins to step downwards again, hesitant to follow. She looks around to the others to see how they react, waiting to move after at least one or two others do.

[ratwizard]

"It can't be," Guvenc says over her shoulder to Ravza. At least, it is not how I remember it from long ago. The thought unnerves her. Unless it is?

[Namelessjake]

"Who are all these people?" Argan asks no one in particular, following Guvenc down the stairs slowly. What is the meaning of all of this?

[FinalTemplar]

Sekil continued following the others down, fear that would normally stay hidden beginning to dance across his face. "W-where are we g-going?"

[ratwizard]

"Down," Guvenc supposes. "I don't know. Some sort of large chamber." She peeks behind her. "Everyone, let's stay close. I don't want to become separated here."

[FinalTemplar]

Sekil stayed close to her now, only moving when she does.

[Scratcherclaw]

As you creep down the staircase, more and more people file in and out of the large chamber. Descending further and growing closer, you try to make out their faces. Many look familiar to you, though you realize they're all blurred beyond recognition despite being close enough for clarity.

Emre turns to Argan and plainly says, "Lost souls and broken memories. Those with nowhere to go. Those who aren't fully remembered." He shakes his head, continuing down the steps behind Guvenc.

Soon, you arrive at the bottom step. Looking upwards, the building seems taller than it did a second ago. The strangers continue to pass through the chamber, even passing through you. You feel a chill as the apparent phantasm moves through you, paying no mind to the party, as if caught in an endless daze. Across from the steps is a set of large white doors, glass windows built-in glowing with the intensity of the sun. You strain your eyes to look towards it. The doors are firmly shut, but an occasional spirit phases through it on a mindless loop.

Halls continue both left and right, lined with bright windows and ornate marble pillars. Notably, almost everything seems white, unnaturally so. The leather couches, the potted plants, the paintings: all pure, blinding white.

Looking behind you, past the staircase and before the rightmost hallway, you see a large desk. Two figures stand behind it, faces you finally recognize: Kahli and Fernya. They're dressed in strange clothing, similar to your mirrored counterparts. They smile at you, their grins unsettling you but offering no immediate sign of danger.

"Bonjour, honored guests. Are you looking to extend your stay with us?" the Fernya lookalike says. Her voice sounds similar to the Fernya you knew, though something seems off about it.

Kahli watches wordlessly, simply continuing to smile as she waits for a response.

[Fialova]

Ravza follows after as it becomes clear everyone is taking Guvenc's lead. She watches in both shock and amazement as the room below comes into view, the blinding white of it all making it difficult for her eyes to stay fully open. She resorts to squinting as they approach the desk, a look of shock washing over her face as the hosts come into view.

"Um, no," she responds to the strange women as they approach. "We have other places to be." She feels extremely uncomfortable being near the women, and speaking to them, but she figures they are the best chance they have of getting out of there. They clearly put us here. They must have a way to let us out.

[ratwizard]

Guvenc has never seen anything so blindingly white before. Living in the swamp, most clothing, furniture, sundries, practically anything created or built or beginning there — all of it was a beige, or brown, or green, or blue. Nothing this pure could stay that way for long before the rot and the damp of the swamp could corrupt it. It is... beautiful. And... terrible.

She looks over Fernya and Kahli, a stunned breath escaping her nostrils. She grits her teeth, angry at their sight. Them. But is it... truly them? Or simply another reflection?

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Insight to determine what may be off about them: 20(1d20) +13 = 33

OH MY GOT HE GOT THE GOD ROLL

[Namelessjake]

"Is this an afterlife?" Argan asks Emre, confused by the man's ramblings, although he knows better than to expect a straight forward explanation.

He is surprised to see their original hosts again, their appearance taking him off guard. Like the reflections again. What is the meaning of all this. What do you want from us Elder One? He asks himself, almost praying.

"Yes, we ARE leaving," he says, after Ravza.

[FinalTemplar]

Sekil grumbled slightly. "Yes, we will leave now. And you will allow us to leave." He took a firm stance, holding his staff defensively. "I trusted you once and I will do so no longer."

[Scratcherclaw]

Emre shakes his head at Argan's words, looking down towards the ground with a blank expression on his face. "No. But it's close," the young oracle says.

"Oh dear, it's unsafe to leave on account of the storm. Perhaps you should stay with us a little while longer," apparent-Fernya says. The blinding light in the room seems to darken, everything taking a muted gray tone instead. Suddenly, you hear the crack of thunder, the chamber shaking briefly.

"We can let you check out, but departing would be unwise," Kahli says through an eerie grin.

Guvenc

[SHOW]

You get the sense that you're not talking to the same pair you'd met earlier, despite their appearances being almost identical past their fashions. Their words and expressions seem vacant and constructed, rather than full of life as before. Though their tone still holds a sense of emotion, it seems forced and inorganic.

The smiles remind you of the reflections you'd seen in the mirror earlier: outwardly looking like you and your companions, yet seeming hallow yet vaguely malicious past the surface. Though they do not seem ready to attack, you sense a hostility buried under faux smiles and pleasantries.

[ratwizard]

A shock of fear cascades through Gunvec' mind as she senses the dark threat at bay in the women's words. Fear, then a burning anger. They cannot keep us here, keep me here.

Meer seems to sense it, too, as he draws a half-meter above Gunvec' shoulders, his forked tongue out as he hisses at them.

"Get out of the way. We are not staying here," the young tamer says with a bite to her tone. She doesn't have to speak a threat, it's already in the air.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Intimidate, using Speak with Spirits: 10(1d20) +7 = 17

[BartNL]

Egash steps out of the shadows to aid Guvenc. "It is you who should be worried. Release us from this place or else!"

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Intimidate/aid Guvenc
9(1d20) +13 = 22

[Namelessjake]

If this doesn't work there are always other, more violent, ways, Argan thinks as he watches Gunvec and Egash attempt to threaten the strange versions of their hosts. His lips curl into a smile at the thought.

[Fialova]

"Why is leaving unwise?" Ravza asks. "Is there even really a storm, or did you just use some sort of magic to make us think there is?" These women clearly do not want us to leave, they want us to stay. Wherever this is, we should definitely not be here.

[Scratcherclaw]

Faux-Fernya's face grows contorted in anger. Yet its contortion looks more severe than one would expect, unnaturally so. Her scowl almost looks as though it's melting from her face, and her brows slant at a ferocious angle. "Fine, so be it. Try to leave. I will not stop you insufferable fools."

All the while, Kahli's grin grows larger and eerie. Her eyes stare forward with an empty gaze. Staring into them, one only sees their own distorted reflection. "Be sure to visit our ballroom before you leave. I think you'll find it quite magical," she says in an oddly cheerful voice.

Another crack of thunder echoes through the cavernous chamber, almost painful to your ears. It's followed by a bright, blinding flash that seems to conceal the blindingly white objects. When it subsides, Fernya and Kahli are gone, the positions behind the desk now vacant. The bright whiteness of the room seems to fade too, with colors restored to their seemingly natural form.

"Are we leaving? What about the library?" Emre asks nervously, hiding much of his face beneath his cowl. Or the ballroom. She said it was magical.

[FinalTemplar]

"We shouldn't have stayed... this is the last time I trust my judgment about poor old ladies." Sekil growls.

[ratwizard]

And this is the last time I take the advice of those who I don't quite trust, Guvenc thinks, regretting not taking a harder stance on leaving the women's shack as soon as they arrived.

"What about it?" Guvenc asks Emre, concern in her voice. "Are we supposed to blindly trust that the woman in the black dress was any more real or friendly than those two hags? I don't know what this place is, or how to leave, but I'd like to find out."

[Namelessjake]

"We shouldn't waste our time with more of this place. Especially not the library," Argan says, agreeing with the others.

[Fialova]

"They were so... angry," Ravza says. "What did they intend to do to us? Why do they care so much if we leave? I wish she'd answered me." This place is so unnatural. Why did we ever stay here.

[ratwizard]

"I don't think those two were the same as the two women from before," Guvenc explains to Ravza. "They were... different. An image. Like a nightmare."

Turning to Argan, she sighs with frustration. "We don't exactly know how to leave yet. Maybe we should see the library. The Elder knows it's been nothing but twists and turns ever since we began." She narrows her eyes, something about that ruminating in her mind. "Wait, we arrived here from my room — our room. What if we went back there? Maybe we return that way? Of course, we may not be able to get back up there now."

[FinalTemplar]

With the imminent danger of the two hags gone, Sekil seemed to mellow out a bit after a few moments of listening to the others speak. "Huh... well shit. Maybe I can find somethin' here..." He says, letting his voice trail off as he begins to search the room.

OOC

[SHOW]

Looking for ritual components or maybe even books or maps that might be lying around in this room.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception: 1(1d20) +12 = 13

[Namelessjake]

"Perhaps," Argan reluctantly admits to Guvenc. "Whatever we do we should stick together. This place could change and separate us for good," he adds as the option of returning to their original rooms comes up.

[BartNL]

Egashes hops over the desk, and starts to search it.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

17(1d20) +8 = 25 Perception to search the desk.

[Fialova]

"This whole place is like a nightmare," Ravza responds to Guvenc, as she mentions the nature of the now-gone hosts. A nighmare we all share, so it must be real. I do not know enough about these people to imagine their personalities so vividly. She glances around the room for anything she can spot that stands out, hoping something there might hold the clue to their escape.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception: 10

[Scratcherclaw]

"It might not even be there," Emre says nervously, unsure if anything they've been through is still around. He turns to Argan and nods. "Yes."

By now, the large atrium you're in is eerily empty, the shades that once walked it now vanished. A cool breeze brushes across your skin, odd as you're inside and all the doors are closed. The air grows colder, staler, and it fills you with a sense of foreboding, more so than you felt before.

Sekil

[SHOW]

You're unable to find anything that might be considered a natural reagents or materials in this strange world you find yourself in.

Egash

[SHOW]

As you rummage through the many drawers in the desk, you find that most of them are empty. In a small drawer towards the top, however, you find the broken shard of a mirror. Peering into it, you see your cleaned and foreign visage staring back at you. However, you notice the reflection does not seem to be in the same room as you. You notice several other figures behind it, reflections of your companions, swaying around in a strange yet artistic manner. You swear as though you hear music for a moment.

Ravza

[SHOW]

You notice a bright light coming from beneath a door on the building's eastern hall, the direction where the strange woman had pointed towards the apparent library. You're unsure if it had been like that before though.

[ratwizard]

"Have you found anything?" Guvenc asks the pair who are rooting around the abandoned chamber. "Perhaps we really should see the library. What other option do we have at this point? Those old hags hardly left us much to work with."

[FinalTemplar]

Sekil growls and lets out a whine as he plops down on the floor. "I can't find anything." He puts on an over-dramatic pout. This is the clearest I've been able to think in a while and it's not helping... I've gotta find something.

[Namelessjake]

"What about you?" Argan ask Egash hopefully. "If not the library does seem like the only option unfortunately," he says not happy with the prospect.

[Fialova]

"It seems to be the only place... alive," Ravza continues. "There is light coming from that direction, but nowhere else really." If they sought to harm us, that might be how they plan to lure us in. But we've been in this dream so longer and haven't been harmed yet. What do they even want with us?

[BartNL]

Egash walks over to Guvenc, with the shard in hand.
"I found a small shard of the reflective wall. Maybe we need to repair it."

[ratwizard]

Guvenc frowns, remembering the strange reflections she had seen earlier. "Weird. I haven't seen anything broken." Yet.

"Let's go to the library," she advises, beginning to walk in the direction of the light.