Daily 1 - How it Was

[crazynuto]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Transcript}

And now, a light bit of reading.

Act 1 - How it Was

(Enter, a creature shrouded to the eye. A pinprick of light illuminates a crown on their head, and several souls gather around, bowing and kneeling in the creature’s presence. The world around them shifts and morphs, creating a small hearth and haven for the souls to gather.)

The Entity: For millennia, it has repeated. For millennia, it will continue. For millennia, it will never end. I must keep //x////x/// , I must. The price of failure is more than these bare wisps can, or should bear. They simply exist, unaware of their creation, their creator, and their role in this.

One small bite, one small morsel…that will do. That will keep me- that will keep it at bay. One’s sacrifice is more than enough for the rest of //x//x/// to live. It has to be.

End Scene.

---

After a long, harrowing, and exhausting journey, each one of you finally manages to make it to Alderman Fields, where a nervous, slightly twitchy Travel Agent meets you in a small airport/seaport just outside of town. Their limbs move somewhat erratically as they usher you onto a coach bus, explaining how you all were the lucky winners of the Alderman Fields FunFest Sweepstakes! You don’t remember entering such a sweepstake, nor do you recall knowing the existence of this quaint little town, but it would be rude to just refuse this vacation. Especially after traveling so far.

The Coach Bus is filled with faded signs and banners plastered with “Winner!”, “Congratulations!” and “We’re Sorry for your Loss!” among several dozen other slogans. You all manage to squeeze in and sink into the plush seats, chattering amongst yourselves, reading the attached “Alderman Fields and You!” pamphlet taped to the back of every seat, or just napping after a long day of travel. The tour guide silently sits behind the wheel, clutching it with a white knuckled grip, and immediately accelerates. After a short 10 minute drive, you feel a sort of…calmness wash over you, the bus pulls into a small parking lot, and you quickly get ushered out, luggage in tow. The tour guide mutters out a quiet “Enjoy your stay.” and leaves as quickly as they arrive.

Taking stock of your location, you scan over the area, taking in the breathtaking view before you. A rather large stately refurbished home sits atop a short incline, silhouetted by the descending afternoon sun. A small sign sticks up out of the ground, naming this building rather succinctly as :




^{Yes I know this is AI generated but it looks cool okay. The photoshop generative AI did it, and as we all know corporations are super ethical.}

The Eternal Requiem
Established 1609 by xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Strangely the founder's name seems scratched out. Ah well. Eroded by time. Climbing up the hill (and squinting at the sun), you take in a large, sweeping lake, around 400 feet below the Eternal Requiem (which thinking about it, is rather precariously situated on top of a cliff face. Shielding your eyes to the glare, you spot the vague silhouette of an island in the middle of the lake, with some small structure on it. To the South lies the road you just road in on, winding off behind the hills. There's also a small path to a cove nearby to the Inn. To the north is a small, quaint little town, presumably the aforementioned Alderman Fields.

What would you like to do?

[Jackie :3 (Bloom/Pollen)]

“Good time to be alive!” *A normal looking guy walks around. Or normal as a man with a megaphone as a head can get.*

[⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆]

A thicc young man with light green hair stands at the top of the hill. Attached to his waist by several scabbards are three distinctive katanas.

Without a word to anyone, he grunts and starts swimming across the lake toward the island. He doesn't even look around to see if there's a boat or a bridge that leads across. He just swims.

[crazynuto]

Dec 26, 2023 11:14:15 GMT -6 ⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆ said:

A thicc young man with light green hair stands at the top of the hill. Attached to his waist by several scabbards are three distinctive katanas.

Without a word to anyone, he grunts and starts swimming across the lake toward the island. He doesn't even look around to see if there's a boat or a bridge that leads across. He just swims.

Perhaps this thicc young man failed to notice the 400 foot drop into the water below. A fall that would likely feel like landing on solid concrete?

You jump and die. The end.

Is that I would like to say, but strangely as you fall, you feel your eyes getting heavy, and when you open them, you're sitting back on the cliff, staring off into the sunset.

To those watching this spectacle, it would appear the thicc young man just...sat down. Nothing more, nothing less.

[jash]

Sanji walks up to Zoro and snickers.

“The hell was that mosshead, feeling like taking a nappies already?”

[⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆]

Dec 26, 2023 11:18:49 GMT -6 crazynuto said:

as you fall, you feel your eyes getting heavy, and when you open them, you're sitting back on the cliff, staring off into the sunset.

"The hell?"

He tries it a couple more times and presumably gets the same result. Then a few more times, for good measure.

Dec 26, 2023 11:23:02 GMT -6 jash said:

Sanji walks up to Zoro and snickers.

“The hell was that mosshead, feeling like taking a nappies already?”

"Ah, shut up, you dandy."

He storms over to a nearby tree and starts slashing at it with all three swords in frustration.

[crazynuto]

Dec 26, 2023 11:23:30 GMT -6 ⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆ said:

He storms over to a nearby tree and starts slashing at it with all three swords in frustration.

Perhaps you were expecting this to be less effective, but your sword slices through the tree like a hot knife through a buttery man at a hot knife convention. Meaning, it falls to pieces. Or so you think.

When you blink, it's back to how it was moments ago.

To those watching, it appears that our thicc young man didn't swing his swords at all, just glared angrily at the tree. The tree shakes in fear. No wait, that's just a breeze.

[jash]

Sanjis eyes linger on Zoro for probably a bit too long as he walks away. He decides to head up to the Manor to try and get inside, lighting up a smoke as he walks.

[world]

A young man with redish hair and freckles nervously darted their eyes around the vast fields."I don't get how I could have won something like this,"

He muttered to himself. However, he decided it would probably be best to at least explore, until he could get his bearings of the situation. He looked up to see what looked like a very fancy country home. "I should probably try to find someone in charge," he pondered, his hands shaking at the thought.

He began walking until he saw a path leading up to the inn, hoping someone their would be able to help him get his bearings. The young man had been very nervous on the bus ride there, as he always was at this unfortunate time in his life, he had felt bad for avoiding the woman who had sat down next to him, but he knew he didn't deserve any kind of comfort. If he was hated, that was just what he deserved anyway.

When he turned his head, he could see a man vigerously swimming across the lake for whatever reason. At least, attempting to swim, he thought. The man stayed on the cliff, and the young man moved on, figuring it was his own imagination

He continued up the path until he could see the small in and after breathing in deeply, put out his hand to knock on the door, before thinking better of it and turning back around to walk down the path once again.

[⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆]

Dec 26, 2023 11:31:46 GMT -6 crazynuto said:

Perhaps you were expecting this to be less effective, but your sword slices through the tree like a hot knife through a buttery man at a hot knife convention. Meaning, it falls to pieces. Or so you think.

When you blink, it's back to how it was moments ago.

Zoro growls in frustration. "Nothing works in this damn place."

It's too much for him to comprehend. So he puts away his swords and starts heading down the path toward the cove and the inn.

[world]

Haru keeps walking down the path to see a man walking up the path towards him. Feeling nervous again, he starts stepping back over to the in.

[Skullmaster4]

"It's good to meet you all. My name is Sayori, and I'm a member of the literature club! We are all happy to be here, please treat me and all my friends well! Oh, this trip is just going to be so much fun!"

She looks out at the view in front of her.

"Just.. Wow~ I'm so glad to be here!"

[world]

       Feeling kind of winded, Haru sits down on a rock in front of the in. "I don't know if I.. should even be here," he panted.

      Haru looked up to at the sun, before quickly looking down and squinting. "AAUGH!" He yelped, frowning. Of course he knew not to look at the sun, but it seemed like he was forgetting everything today.
       

[crazynuto]

Dec 26, 2023 11:31:52 GMT -6 jash said:

He decides to head up to the Manor to try and get inside, lighting up a smoke as he walks.

Ah young love...

Sanji approaches the tall mahogany manor door, a small "No Solicitors" sign plastered on the wall next to the door. As Sanji struggles to get his cigarette to light, he glances down and notices he doesn't have a cigarette in his mouth at all! He glances back up and sees "No Smoking on Requiem Grounds" added to the bottom of the sign. Weird.

Dec 26, 2023 11:35:13 GMT -6 world said:

When he turned his head, he could see a man vigerously swimming across the lake for whatever reason. He had no clue why, but figured it wasn't really his business. The man didn't seem to be in danger, but if he started to drown, the young man would find himself running in, despite not actually knowing how to swim.

He continued up the path until he could see the small in and after breathing in deeply, put out his hand to knock on the door, before thinking better of it and turning back around to walk down the path once again.

You blink and the swimming man hasn't swum at all. As you approach the door you notice "No Cliff Diving" added underneath the sign at the side of the door alongside the other two messages and a rather perturbed looking sharply dressed man.

Dec 26, 2023 11:36:06 GMT -6 ⋆⋅ Sage ⋅⋆ said:

It's too much for him to comprehend. So he puts away his swords and starts heading down the path toward the cove and the inn.

You arrive just after Sanji, noticing "No Slashing the Foliage" written under the other 3 messages by the door. Dang. This joke really has gone on for a while hasn't it?

---

The door swings open as you three approach, and a small woman dressed in Victorian attire, with a large umbrella and a bonnet greets you.



Ah, you must be the winners I've heard so much about! Please, come in, come in.


She ushers you inside. Her presence is...oddly calming. Any grouchy moods or grievances you had to speak are wiped from your mind. The interior of the Inn is about what you'd expect from such an establishment, feeling more like a home than a hotel. A large desk adorns the entryway, and the short statured woman hops onto a nearby chair, looking through her registry.

Let's see...names? Or shall I guess?

A large rack of keys sits behind her, labeled 1-25

Keys 1-5 appear to be missing however.

[Misaki]

"I've finally made it to Alderman Fields! It's just aa beautiful as I imagined it! The fresh air! The rustic vibes! But best of all..."



"NO WORK!!!!"

Qingque then runs off towards the manor to check it out