#pi:newisland

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Pruina Rock

@summertidesun​ | @dancing-lxghts​

In the distance, there is fog. From your small boat, you can see a mass of fog lined with a shore of white and topped with the jagged tops of bare mountains. This doesn’t look like normal fog at all, either. Not with the way it remains frozen in place, like crystal. Not in the way it’s completely opaque and nearly solid. After a few moments of sailing towards it, you spot a long, black pier jutting out from the fog. The pier is large, intricate, like it used to house hundreds of ships in a time long since passed. 

And after you step onto the dock and wander closer to this white shore and fog...you’ll notice that they aren’t either of those things. The shore isn’t made of white sands. It’s simply a normal shore coated entirely in a thick, fluffy layer of snow. And the fog that you see isn’t a fog at all. What lies before you and your companions is what looks to be a blizzard, completely frozen in time. Millions of thick snowflakes, each one intricate and different in design, sit unmoving in midair. The illusion of fog is simply these snowflakes sitting at a standstill. And if you touch or move these snowflakes, they simply melt on contact, the cold water trailing down your skin like normal. 

The ground is coated in snow, the accumulation reaching up to at least knee level on an averaged sized person. It is quiet, like an average day at sea.

> I Actually Hate This

> I Wanna Find Elsa

As you walk through the frozen blizzard, you leave something akin to a tunnel behind you, a straight path through the snowflakes in your shape. All the while, there seems to be no indication of any pathways or signs of any sort. If there was a pathway, it has long been buried in the snow, and you are simply trudging in a straight direction in the hope of finding something. 

However, as you reach further and further into the island, there’s a sudden shift in the air. First, it’s the rumble of the ground. Then, it’s the smell of ice. Then, the temperature, while already cold in this snowy tundra, drops way below freezing.

And the moment is finalized with a long, deafening roar.

And just as the roar finishes, the snowflakes all around you begin to move. It’s slow at first. The snowflakes slowly begin to twitch out of their time frozen state, and then they start to fall one by one, and then even more fall from the sky, and then the wind begins to pick up. The process takes several moments to take shape, but even if you’re running back at full sprint, you would never be able to outrun it. The time frozen blizzard has begun once more, and you are caught up in the middle of it.

You find yourself completely lost, unable to gather your bearings. You can try to make a break for it back to the pier, but you can’t seem to find it anymore. You can barely even see your hand if it’s outstretched in front of you, and if your companions aren’t keeping close by, it’s too easy to get separated and lost in this blizzard. And the longer your stay out exposed like this, the more in danger you are of getting hypothermia or worse. 

Finally, after countless moments of searching aimlessly, you see a faint yellow light in the distance. And as you walk towards this light, you’ll find that it is an  electric lamppost, standing tall outside of a small, wooden cabin. 

As you enter this cabin, you find a dark, abandoned cabin. Faint white light casted by the blizzard outside casts a dim light from clouded windows, faintly illuminating a large, unlit fireplace with a stack of clean-cut wood sitting in a pyramid beside it. Beside the front door is a small coat rack containing two thick, heavy coats. On the far side of the room is a long, rectangular table with a large map sitting unfurled upon it. And in the corner of the room is a large bed with countless blankets piled on top of it. It’s just as cold as it was outside in this little cabin, but lighting the fireplace will easily rectify that after some time. If any of your companions were separated from you in the blizzard, they too will eventually find this cabin, albeit in a more dire state, due to their longer exposure to the blizzard winds. 

The unfurled map in the far side of the room is hand drawn, painstakingly scrawled by hand. Water damage is visible on this map, and it looks like it’s been drenched in water and subsequently dried countless times. And the lines are drawn on top of each other over and over again, each individual line jagged and shaken like they were drawn by a shaky hand in the middle of the blizzard. 

The top of the map reads Pruina Rock, and it has a very rough outline of what you assume the entire island’s perimeter is. Marked in red in the center of the island is a sketchy drawing of a cabin, and this cabin has been circled multiple times. And from this cabin are multiple pathways, all marked in red with what looks like to be flags drawn along the paths.

There are multiple copies of this map rolled up in the corner of the table.

There are four destinations marked in total: The Docks, Wep’keer, The Summit, and The Den.

Travelling

Once you decide on a destination to venture to from this cabin and between locations, you can follow the directions provided by the map. As you travel by the map, you’ll find multiple wooden posts along the correct paths, a red scarf tied to each one. They will be your markers along the journey. 

However, the journey is not completely infallible. Roll the following to see whether you complete your journey safely:

t!choose safe | safe | safe | monsters

If you are to roll monsters, then from the blizzard, multiple shadows will appear all around you. They take the shape of large, shadowed foxes with bright blue eyes. And they’ll team up on you and your companions to attempt to defeat you in combat. Immediately, your map is torn from your hands and tossed to the wind, so even if you defeat your foes, you’ll be unable to navigate correctly.

Roll the following to find where you end up, should you roll a monster roll.

t!choose cabin | wep’keer | summit | den

The Docks

Upon your arrival at the docks, you’ll be right where you started. You’ll be free to leave without harm. And as you leave, you’ll see the blizzard slow before it freezes once again.

Wep’keer

As you near the destination marked Wep’keer, you’ll notice several different yellow lights, the same as the light that came from the abandoned cabin. And as you grow closer and closer, you’ll find a few buildings clustered close together, like it was the tiniest village in existence. Around these three buildings are the snow-covered foundations of new buildings, all incomplete. This town was obviously meant to be much larger, and it was in the process of building up its size. All of these buildings are abandoned in a similar fashion to the cabin, though each building has its own items within.

The General Store

You’ll find a completely cleared out general store, all emptied of stock. It looked as though this was a smaller store, only meant for a small amount of visitors and not anything stocked for a heavy amount of traffic. The only thing remaining inside is a small flyer swept under the front counter. It’s an advertisement to visit Wep’keer, a new village promising just the same amount of opportunity that Leuda did, and also promising a strong mining opportunity. 

Small Home

There is a small home with a door slightly ajar, and on the inside, it’s completely covered in snow. There is a small, golden necklace tucked away in the corner of the room. If worn, this necklace will curse the holder to only speak the truth for as long as it is worn.

Mining Company

The largest complete building is what looks to be the main building for a budding mining company. On the outside reads the following in ornate, blue letters: The Wep’keer Mining Company. On the inside, there is a front desk with two doors beside it. There are other doors, but the rooms past these doors have long since collapsed from the snow accumulation. The door on the right leads to a larger room with multiple beds, obviously mean to house any workers. The door on the left, however, leads to a stockroom filled with countless gems and ore.

In the center of this stockroom, however, is the most peculiar thing of all. There is a floating blue flame in the center of the room. And this flame has a nearly hypnotic quality to it. The more you look at it, the more you feel warm and drawn to it, growing closer and closer to it. And you start to forget about anything outside of this flame. It will only have this effect on the first person who sees it, and none of the rest of you. You won’t notice any of your other companions if they enter and talk to you. You won’t notice as the blue flame begins to cast a long shadow on the ground in the shape of a fox. 

Eventually, the white figure of an impossibly large, twelve tailed fox will appear from the shadows. As you sit distracted by this flame, the fox will scoop you into its mouth. And the only thing you can feel is the slow realization of what is happening, and just as you begin to panic, everything goes dark.

To everyone else who bears witness to this, they will only see you lifelessly get lifted into the mouth of a fox. And just as they move to attack, the fox will slowly melt back into a shadow on the floor, taking you with it. And once the fox is gone, the blue flame will go out.

The companion who was taken by the fox will awaken in The Den.

The Summit

This path will eventually lead uphill through the blizzard, and eventually after a long while of walking, you will emerge from the top of this blizzard fog and be heading towards the summit of one of the many tall, pointed tips of a mountain. The path is very long and treacherous, but at the very top of this mountain lies a large, flat circle. And in the center of this circle is what appears to be a shrine. It sits on a circular, light blue dais, and there’s an altar in the center of this dais. 

Anyone with the Summoner Class will be able to detect that this altar contains a resting place of a summon spirit. And if you approach this altar, the summon spirit Celsius will emerge.

If one of your companions has been taken by the blue light in the village, Celsius will refuse to challenge your party, as it senses that your strength is needed elsewhere. She will provide a path of ice to lead you to The Den.

Contact the main for the full summon post.

If you and your companions are defeated by Celsius, she will transport you back to the docks at 1HP each.

The Den

This pathway will lead to the mouth of a large cave. The closer you get to this cave, the colder you begin to feel. It was already cold in the middle of this blizzard, but near this cave, it just gets colder and colder until you don’t think you can handle it. Cold wind cuts right out of this cave, not making it any better. 

If you brave the cold wind, you’ll enter into a large cavern. And this cavern is a sight to behold. The walls are covered in rich ore and jewels, the walls of a mine that has yet to be exploited for all of its riches. Countless sapphires, emeralds, iron, gold, silver, diamonds...as much as the eye can see. And it isn’t just the rich rock that catches your eye. 

The cavern is decorated. The stone beneath your feet is covered in ornate rugs, all matching in beautiful, intricate patterns of blue and white. Several of the more bare walls of the cavern are draped in rich, white curtains lined with silver, beautiful framed pieces of artwork that appear to be worth millions, mirrors lined in ornate silver frames, and countless other expensive things.

The furniture is nothing to pass over either. It appears to be furnished as a home of sorts, and not one piece of furniture is dull. A wooden chest with the most intricately carved design on the top. A table with curved legs and countless, expensive possessions meticulously placed upon it. An antique bookshelf containing all the world’s rarest books and most difficult spell-casting books. A large, king sized bed dressed in the softest white sheets you have ever seen.

And standing in the center of this den is a tall man dressed to the nines in robes of white and blue. He has long, perfectly straight hair, glowing blue eyes, fox ears upon his head, and twelve fox tails.

And in a perfectly calm voice, he demands that you leave. He declares this entire cavern to be filled with his own possessions, and that he won’t tolerate anyone who steals from his collection. Countless humans attempted to steal from his cave years ago, humans who wished to harvest all the gems from the cavern walls. And he took care of them. He made sure that none of them set foot on this island ever again.

And if you refuse to leave, he will have no choice but to attack.

The Kidnapped Voyager

If you were kidnapped by the fox in the mining company building, you will find yourself waking up in the middle of the large bed in the middle of this cavern. You’ll feel safe, like you are home, even if you don’t recognize the cavern at all. And as you begin to take notice of your surroundings, you’ll find that you’ve been dressed in intricate robes of white and blue, though this does not bother you as much as it should. And as you stir from your sleeping position, you’ll see...the human form of that very fox. And strangely, though you do not know him, you feel calm around him.

The moments with the fox are calm...but strange. You find yourself unable to act against his word, and everything he tells you to do, you’ll obey without question. He’ll treat you kindly and give you food, companionship, anything you may require...but it’s almost as though you are a doll to him. A possession with considerable worth, similar to the rest of his collection.

And when your companions enter the cavern, you will recognize them...but for some reason your brain doesn’t connect that recognition to anything. You can see their faces and know that you’ve seen them before, but all your memories are hazy. And when the fox decides to attack your companions, he will order you to fight beside him. And you will have no choice but to fight these familiar strangers.

Upon the fox’s defeat, you will fall out of the thrall of the fox and remember everything again.

The Fox’s Defeat

If the Fox is defeated, the blizzard hanging over the island will vanish. It will still be a snowy area, but the thick blizzard will be gone and it will be safe to navigate without getting lost. In addition, all of the monsters will be gone.

In the cavern, you can collect up to 100,000G worth of items.

The Fox’s Win

If you and your companions are defeated by the Fox, you will be struck down one by one. Just as the Fox attempts to land a killing blow on all of you, his attack will suddenly be caught by something...or someone. Standing before all of you, defending you from the final attack, is the summon spirit Celsius, who tires of this Fox’s mockery of her element. She will buy you enough time to escape, and you will find a path made of pure ice leading you back to the cabin, ensuring you will not get lost in the blizzard.

Unfortunately...anyone still under the Fox’s thrall will still remain in his cave. Either the rest of you rest up in the cabin and try again...or you leave to call for help in defeating this Fox.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: The Isle of Song

This voyage was written by Ford-mun!

@childlikemermaid​ @elvenrock​ @blondered​ 

You and your group of voyager have been traveling for a while. Finally, on the horizon, you see an island. As you draw closer, you see that the island is somewhat small. A mansion is located on top of a very tall hill, with a dirt path leading up to it from the docks. As soon as you begin to walk off the docks, you’ll be filled with a strange sort of feeling- although, you won’t think it strange at the moment.

Music will begin playing, but none of you will pay it any mind. As you walk towards the mansion, you may begin to skip or sway to the tune of the music, as you all begin to chat about what you’re hoping to discover this voyage. Then… you will get the urge to sing.

> I’m not much of a singer.

>ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING!

The first song you all sing together will be about how you all feel about the fun adventure you are embarking on. You might all sing the same lyrics, or you might each have different lines. The important thing is that you will have little control over what comes out of your mouth- and what dance moves you pull. It is as if you are playing a part in a musical. This also means that if a person sings something to themself, or as if they were speaking aside to an audience rather than the other members of the voyage, other people might not hear or acknowledge what was said, despite it being sung out loudly.

Eventually, the song will end as all of you enter the mansion. As you sing your final lines, the doors will slam shut behind you, and lock themselves. At this point, all of you will come to your senses, and realize what just happened. If you examine the door, you’ll find some sort of strange barrier on it, preventing you from trying break through it. The same can be said of every window. If you want to escape, you’ll have to explore the mansion to find some way to break the spell on you.

Every new room you enter in the mansion, the same spell will take hold on anyone in that room, and they will begin to either sing, or act as an accompaniment to someone who is singing. What you sing about might be based on the room itself, or on a conversation taking place between voyager, or even the venting of secret feelings a character has been bottling up. Simply vowing not to talk or sing going into a room won’t work- some sort of song will wind up playing out, no matter how contrived it winds up being.

Whether you split up during your search or not, eventually, all voyagers will reach the attic of the mansion together. When they arrive, there will be a demonic-looking figure with red skin, and yellow eyes. He wears a bright blue suit, with a top hat and black tap-shoes. In his hand, will be a black cane- more for show than out of necessity.

The demonic creature will then judge the performance you’ve put on for him. If he has enjoyed watching all of you, he will ask that you give him a parting song, before he lets you go. If your little musical was neither lively nor drama-filled, he will be bored by it, and refuse to let you go until you give him a real show-stopper.

If you don’t wish to entertain the demon any longer, you can attempt to fight him. Of course, this will naturally turn into another song-and-dance sequence as you fight. If you do kill him, not only will the spell on the mansion doors and windows break, but the song-and-dance spell will also be broken on the entire island, forever… save for one last refrain, which the demon casts with a wicked smile, before passing.

As you walk back to the ship, all of you will have time to reflect on what you’ve all sung about. Was it fun, singing and dancing? Did one of you reveal a secret? Everyone become a bit closer? Did you learn something you weren’t meant to hear?

As all of you board the ship, and head for home, all of you can’t help but wonder… Where do you go from here?

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Apis Mellifera

This island was written by Neil-mun!

@violetxlights | @phlllip

The trip to the island is a ways away from the guild, but it’s not unbearably long. When the voyagers first spot the island, it looks like any ordinary island. As the boat ventures closer, the passengers will see an abundance of trees and flowers populating the island. There is a large tree, larger than the rest, that sticks out even from a distance.

There is no dock, just a small sandbar attached to the island itself. The voyagers must be careful not to get sand in the boat’s engine as the water quickly becomes shallow the closer you get to the island. The boat must be anchored and the voyagers must tread through the shallow water to reach the island.

As soon as you step foot on the sand, you hear a mix of bees humming and… jazz music?

> I HATE JAZZ > KENNY G, BARRY? IS THAT YOU?

For the most part, it seems passive and just a scenic island full of flowers, trees, and bees. One could almost say it’s the bee’s knees. If bees had knees that is.

It isn’t long until you see a path laid out. A honeycomb path and the path’s sides were lined with bushes. If you follow this path, it will take you directly to that large tree that stuck out from the island. The path is long and winding, up and down a couple of hills. It sure would be easier if you had wings. As you’re walking, a couple of bees will fly in your face, they won’t sting if you don’t do anything to aggravate them.

When you come to the end of the path at the large tree, it is even larger than you thought. The circumference is about the size of a storage shed and it reaches up so high, that you have to tilt your head back all the way to see the top. At the base of the tree is a couple of doors that holds an elevator. Quite a high tech tree, huh?

Honex: The first floor brings you to this large interior of a factory. It is inhabited by bees, however, it is large enough for the voyagers to freely walk and move around. Huh, weird. There are all sorts of machinery made for making honey. In fact, the machines are in the process of making honey right now. The bees are a little upset that you have come and think that you are trying to steal their honey. They don’t do anything though, they just buzz angrily in your ear.

Floral Shop: The next level brings you to a room which looks like a shop. When you enter, a sweet scent fills the room and your senses. The room is filled with lots of flowers that look like they’re for sale. There are a counter and cash register for purchases, but no one’s there to make the sales. Must be an abandoned shop. Walk around and you’ll find not much except flowers. No bees. However, if you take a closer look at the counter, you’ll see an engagement ring and a handwritten, outdated letter from 2007 that reads:

Dear Ken,

Here’s your ring back. While I did enjoy the yogurt nights and tennis matches, I simply cannot hide the fact that we are just too different. I am sorry to have realized this far too late. We were going to get married, but it seems that I cannot bring myself to marry you. You don’t even like honey!

After some long thought, I have decided that I must do what is right for me. You have shown multiple times that you do not care for me or my passions. So, I am leaving you to become who I really am.

Take your ring and leave me alone.

Your ex-fiancée, Vanessa

P.S. Eating with chopsticks is not a special skill.

Tennis Court: When you reach this level, you come across a large enclosed area. A tennis court. The net is still put up and there are tennis balls and rackets laying around. Nothing of danger here. Voyagers are free to play tennis if they wish, there are no repercussions.

Top of the tree: When you reach the top of the tree, you will walk into a large office room. There are couches in the center of the room and a large desk with a cushy office chair. Windows line the walls of this room. When you enter, the office chair will spin around to reveal to your surprise, a woman. She is dressed in a bee costume. You can only assume that this is the Queen Bee. A rune sphere is in a frozen block of honey in the safe behind the large desk. Not impossible to retrieve, but you’ll have to get past the Queen Bee first.

“You want the honey, don’t you?” the woman speaks.

The voyagers can attempt to explain that they don’t want to steal the honey (unless they do), but either way, the queen will not listen to you. She wants to protect her hive from any intruders, like her ex-fiancé, Ken. Seeing that Ken didn’t listen to her, she had to get rid of him herself, just like she will do to you. She will snap her fingers and two bears and a swarm of bees come out from the doors on the side. You must fight them and the queen in order to retrieve the rune sphere.

While you are fighting, a strange song will play.

If you manage to defeat her, then you must unlock the safe with a combination of numbers somehow. Maybe that letter was useful for something…

Once you collect the rune sphere, you are free to exit the building. However, once you are out, the bees will attack to avenge their queen. You can try to outrun them, but remember, there are millions of them and they have wings. Your chances of not getting stung at least once are highly unlikely.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Shrek Island

This island was written by Luke-mun!

@gun-nun | @phlllip

After you sail for some few hours, it becomes clear that there is something strange nearby. The normally bright blue water of the ocean begins to grow murky and dark, and the strong odor of onions and old mud become thick in the air. Not too far away is the outline of a thickly-wooded island, the murky water originating from there.

The boat can be brought upon the muddy shore, though voyager(s) should be wary as the mud isn’t very solid. Your shoes will begin to seep into it, so move quickly. Hopefully you didn’t wear sandals. Venture forth and you will come across several hand-drawn signs posted on various trees, each with “Keep Away!” or “Private Property” scrawled on them in hideous handwriting. Some of the signs only show a poorly-done drawing of a green man with odd-looking ears.

Within the woods are several different bugs to catch, as well as a variety of berry bushes. (Follow the foraging and critter catching according to the correct season). 

As the voyager(s) continue(s) forward, they will find that the ground becomes slightly more solid the further inland they go. However, once they reach the center of the island, they will discover what appears to be someone, or something’s home. It’s a shack of a home, roughly put together, and there is something that appears to be a crudely made porch swing sitting in front of the shack.

Enter the home and you will discover that no one is home, though someone has most definitely been there very recently. The place smells terrible, like rotting onion mixed with raw onion, and there are mysterious stains all over the place. A long dining table is set in the middle of the shack with a bowl of mashed bugs being the only food available.

There is little else to be found within the home, but as soon as the voyager(s) begin(s) to leave, they can see something coming from within the woods, headed back to the house. There are two options:

Make a run for it: You bolt out of the door and take off back in the direction of the boat. In the process, you’ll hear the creature shout at you in… Is that a scottish accent? Hard to tell when you’re running away in a panic. You trip and fall a few times, the mud making it hard to run away, and you end up losing a shoe or two in the process, but you manage to escape relatively unscathed (but very muddy and smelly).

Hide: You manage to crawl under the bed and hide, and if other voyagers are with you, they manage to hide in the wardrobe or under a pile of blankets (which smell terrible). The creature enters his home and begins to go about his usual business, sitting down at the table and eating his mushed bug dinner. It appears that the creature is what was drawn on the signs in the forest, though he looks far less menacing than you thought he’d be.

Should the ogre become aware of the voyager(s) presence, he will become enraged and throw you out of his home in a violent manner. He will then roar, long and loud, with spit flying in your face(s). After that, he will demand that you leave. You can fight him, but is there really a point?

Boss:

Name: Shrek

Level: 30

HP: 90

Chatzy Roll: /choose HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT, HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT

Discord Roll: t!choose HIT | MISS | HIT | HIT | HIT | MISS | HIT | HIT

If you win, you will be able to take what you’d like from the shack, though there isn’t much to begin with. Shrek will drop 10 onions as the prize for defeating him. That’s all. Shrek is also a possible summon, so you may attempt to form a pact with him. If you choose to attempt such a feat, use the following:

/choose Success!, Ignored, Attacked, Ignored, Attacked, Cursed with Poison, Ignored, Attacked, Ignored, Death Curse, Ignored, Success!, Attacked, Success!, Attacked, Kidnapped, Attacked, Success!, Attacked and lost 5000G, Knocked Out Instantly, Attacked and lost 1000G, Death Curse, Cursed with Poison, Attacked, Ignored, Death Curse, Attacked and lost 10000G, Cursed with Sickness, Success!, Death Curse, Attacked, Cursed with Silence, Attacked and lost 5000G, Inflicted with Confusion, Kidnapped, Knocked Out Instantly, Attacked, Ignored, Kidnapped, Cursed with Sickness, Kidnapped, Attacked and lost 5000G, Kidnapped, Death Curse, Attacked, Cursed with Paralysis, Attacked and lost 2000G, Ignored, Knocked Out Instantly, Success!

Your result from the roll will be your result for the summon attempt. If you have a monster glove OR offer the ogre a golden onion, you may remove three options of your choice. Please follow the Monster Taming page for more information on this process.

If you lose, Shrek will toss you into his mud bath pit and you will have to escape from there (the smells are almost enough to knock anyone unconscious). You can choose to fight him again (though he will be fully rehealed) and you must repeat the process.

If you defeat Shrek, he will only be rendered unconscious. You can return to the island to fight him again, if you so choose.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Chorus ad Mortem

This island was written by Ford-mun!

@forte-days-and-knights | @strawberrypriestess

When arriving on the island, voyagers will eventually find a large building that is pitch black inside. Should the voyagers choose to explore it, once everyone has entered, the door will quickly shut behind them, blocking the exit, and cutting off any light. At the same time, everyone in the room will feel something around one of their ankles. Glowing words will inscribe themselves on the wall opposite the exit. “Welcome brave voyagers. For all but one of you, your time as come to an end. Now, if you wish to survive… you must dance.”

After everyone has gotten a chance to read the inscription, the words will fade away. Suddenly, the room will turn bright, lit up by flashing panels on the walls and floor. On the far wall, the words “ROUND 1” are displayed, along with a timer frozen at “5:00”. Underneath that, in slightly smaller writing, will be each of the names of the voyagers, with a starting score of “0” next to their name. It is at this point the voyagers will be able to see that they have been chained by their ankles to a large enchanted pedestal in the center of the room. The length of the chains keep them out of reach of the door. The pedestal cannot be broken, no matter what the voyagers might try. The chains seem to have been enchanted with a similar but weaker spell- normal weapons can’t break them, but an extremely powerful spell or enchanted item might. Fast-paced music will begin playing, and the timer will start counting down from 5 minutes. Players will get scores based on their dancing. At the end of 5 minutes, the song will stop, and all the lights will turn a steady magenta. Text on the wall will display, congratulating the winner, and telling the losers that it’s time for their punishment. Every voyager except the one with the highest score will receive an electric shock. If everyone is tied, they all get shocked. Anyone who refused to dance gets an extra penalty shock. For Round 2, the voyagers will be instructed to dance one by one. The timer will be three minutes per voyager. Scores increase from was earned the previous round, so anyone in last better try to catch up. Once everyone has gone, the song will stop, and all the lights will turn a steady magenta again. Once more, text will appear congratulating the dancer in the lead, and ever voyager except the one  in the lead will be shocked, and if everyone is tied, they are all shocked. Round 3 will have everyone dance together again. At the end, text will appear congratulating the winner. If two or more wind up tied, the text will demand a one minute tiebreaker to determine the winner. If everyone is tied, they will all be determined losers. If there is a winner, the chains will open on their ankle, freeing them, and the door will swing open for them. If they decide to step out, the door will close behind them, trapping the other voyagers. After the winner exits, or after about thirty seconds or so, the pedestal will start descending into the floor, dragging the other participants down into a hole. If someone at any time up to and including this point manages to break a chain, what will happen is the following: The lights will flash red, and the door will swing closed. Text will display reprimanding the players for cheating. A new chain will shoot out of the pedestal and attempt to recapture the escaped participant(s). If the pedestal has not yet started descending, it will begin its descent. Those who were dragged down by the pedestal will fall down about 20 feet into a large underground room. There, they will be faced with a Chimera. Attacks from the Chimera might break the chains. Killing the Chimera will also break the spell on the chains, making them easily breakable. The death of the Chimera will also open the door, although the door can also be broken with enough force. Hey, all things considered, if the Chimera is killed off and the chains rendered useless, this island might make for a fun attraction. Voyagers can discuss it on the way back. And… no hard feelings towards the winner, right?

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Storyteller’s Keep

@heartmadetotravel | @angoraexpert

It is mid-afternoon when you catch a glimpse of an island in the distance, hours after you began your journey out to the sea. It is a smaller island, countless times smaller than either Leuda or Arcadia, and the only major features are the shape of a large house, a dome shape, and a large tree in the center, with branches extending high into the sky. There is also a small, well-kept pier jutting out from the island’s southern side, allowing you easy access to dock in.

As you approach, more prominent features begin to emerge. The house has been long-since abandoned, with scorch marks along the outside stone lining the windows, like it survived a fire many years ago. The dome is made of a strange black metal, curving in a very smooth way from the ground. There is one door on the dome, and it appears to have been padlocked shut with a thick, metal chain.

The final detail is a small swing-set hanging from the tree, put together with two long ropes and a slab of wood to sit on. It gently sways in the wind, back and forth and back and forth.

The doorway to the abandoned house has long since crumbled to ash, giving any visitor a certain way inside.

> Well this is weird.

> HEWWO?

The House

As you approach the house, the smell of smoke fills the air, permeating from the very walls and floor this house stands upon. Upon looking around from the outside, it doesn’t appear that there’s been any major structural damage to the place, aside from small holes in the roof above. Entering into the house by the main entrance is simple enough, and when you do...

The first thing you notice are the books. 

There are no walls to this home, only rows upon rows of what used to be bookshelves. While a majority of the books have been burned to illegibility - and the surviving ones only having only dozens of pages left in tact - it’s obvious that this home used to house more than a library’s worth of books. Perhaps even double. Even to the most dedicated reader, it’s hard to imagine what this home could have looked like in its heyday. Maybe even stepping into it would be overwhelming, back in the day. 

The only remaining books that have a scrap of information in them are novels. Some for a child, some for an adult. Stories you may have read before, stories you never knew existed. Passages of an impossible land in the clouds, stories of dreary cities and rainy hometowns. The longing of a woman wishing to speak to her lover. An introspective piece on the biding of time. Every single one of the remaining pages holding something different, from genre to tone to even language, at times.

From what you can tell, whoever lived in this home worked their life around books. A cracked table with several burnt books bunched up in the center. A well-worn chair burnt grey. A small kitchen holding the four odor of burnt appliances stacked upon even more books.

There are stairs leading to a second floor, and they appear sturdy enough to ascend. All along the staircase, between each step, are even more books, these ones appearing to survive a lot better than the others. 

The second floor only holds two rooms. 

The first, with a window overlooking the sea, looks to have been a child’s room. This room doesn’t have as many books as the rest of the home, but it does have a healthy stack piled up beside a tiny bed. While most of the items in this room are equally burnt up and ruined, there is a small silver locket sitting on a nightstand beside the head of the bed. It is old and worn, and while there appears to be a photo inside, it has long since burnt up inside.

The second, with a window overlooking the strange black dome occupying the island, is even more cluttered than the rest of the house, if possible. The remains of books practically liter the floor, giving only a small pathway to navigate. This appears to be the room of an adult, with a larger bed occupying the center with countless books stacked up on both sides. While the rest of the house and the child’s room had novels, this person’s room held more non-fiction books. Books about travel, about far away places on the sea. Books on magic, particularly the illusory arts and how to bind spells to objects. 

In the corner of this room is a small fire-proof safe. Upon investigation...it has not been locked.

Inside of this safe is a thick, leather-bound journal, all handwritten in careful writing. Most of the pages are blank, but there are several journal entries at the beginning. In the back of the book, taped to the back cover, is a large metal key.

Leather-Bound Journal

20XX, Entry One

We’re back from the hospital, thank the Goddess. I can’t believe the nerve of those doctors, telling me to keep Sadie there when they just told me that she didn’t have a chance. I almost felt like I had to steal my own daughter away from that place. If my daughter is going to end up like her mother, then I’m not going to have her waste away on a hospital bed, too.

Thankfully, Sadie has been doing well since she left. The boat ride was a bit rocky, so I was worried. But she was reading up a storm as soon as I carried her to bed, so I’ll take it as a good sign.

I was told that she only has six months left. Her birthday is only two months away. Just that long to finish. If I can’t take Sadie to see all the places in the books...then I’ll have to bring them here.

Goddess let me make it in time.

20XX, Entry Two

My editor called today, I told him to cancel all appointments and push back all of my deadlines until next year. I don’t care if I get dropped by the publisher. This is the only thing worth writing.

Sadie started reading about a festival held in Arcadia. Perhaps I can work something in. 

20XX, Entry Three

Bad day today. Sadie got sick again. Spent the entire time by her side. 

Sometimes I’m scared she won’t even reach one month.

20XX, Entry Four

I finished the first one today. I hope the keys won’t be difficult to find. But I do want Sadie to enjoy herself with each one I make. Just writing a shallow set piece feels like too little. If this is all Sadie can see of other places and worlds, then I need to do my best. No matter what it takes.

Sadie keeps getting worse. I’ve been working at night to make up for when she’s awake. It’s tiring, but it’s something I need to do. For her.

20XX, Entry Five

Haven’t written much lately. I have four done now. I’m finishing up the last one tonight. Sadie’s been doing better lately. I hope she can walk around when it’s finished. I’ll carry her if I need to.

Tomorrow’s her birthday. I made her favorite meal and she was up reading a new book about falling stars. I’ll put it in the last one. I think she’ll be surprised.

20XX, Entry Six [Final]

She’s gone.

The Dome

The key found in the leather-bound journal thankfully unlocks the only door of the dome. When you enter, it’s completely dark aside from a warm, blue glow that seems to come from everywhere within. If you are attuned to magic and runes, you’ll know that this dome is filled to the brim with magic, almost impossibly so. Like a thousand lifetimes of magic were poured into every inch of this place.

In the center of the room is a single, short pedestal. And all around the pedestal, surrounding it from every direction, are six books. Each book is locked shut with a special lock, and it appears that the lock is enchanted by some sort of spell. It won’t open no matter how hard you try. Lock-picks will immediately turn to ash if they touch the lock.

However...the books possess a certain magic attuned to the pedestal.

If you put a book on the pedestal, the dome and everything around you will melt away. And you will be in a completely different setting and world. An experienced mage can tell that this is a form of illusory magic, and that everything around you in this setting is a fake illusion. But the detail and work put into the illusion is incredible. You can touch objects, eat food if it’s there, talk and interact with people inside the illusion. People in these illusions feel alive. You can smell the smells in the air, feel every texture, hear everything buzz on by around you. You can even walk as far as you can, so far that you’re sure you’ve walked through the walls of the dome - even if you know it to be impossible. 

Everything in these illusions feel impossibly alive. Like every detail of the illusion was specially crafted to thrive and live a life of their own. An absolutely perfect snapshot of what another life would be like. Another place. Another world.

All crafted by a novelist for his little girl.

Each of these worlds has a key that can be found within. The key can be used to unlock the book that created the respective world. Upon opening the book, you’ll find a hollowed-out storage for a certain item or gift. However...upon opening a book, the illusion will fade away permanently. It’s your choice to open the book or simply remove it from the stone pedestal - which can always be found in the world - to allow more people to witness these moments.

There are five different worlds.

The First Book: City of Light

You place a grey colored book onto the pedestal, and the first thing you notice are faint raindrops falling down on you from above. And when you look up, you see tall skyscrapers, a delicate fog winding through each building, and the gentle hum of rain. You find yourself standing beside the stone pedestal at the corner of a large intersection, with countless people milling through the sidewalks off to an unknown destination. However, you do notice that unlike most cities, people do smile and give a polite greeting if you make eye contact.

Sitting beside the pedestal is a large, white umbrella.

The City of Light is an idealized city, a sprawling metropolis of dreams that people always hope it to be. Upon every street corner is something to do. Coffee shops to visit, street musicians performing under the overhang of a hotel building, a theater show you can attend free of charge. Anything you would so desire to visit is just laid off on your feet, ready for you to look around in.

As you explore the city, you will eventually be approached by a crying child, who appears to have lost his mother. If you were to help the child find his mother again, you would be rewarded with a small silver key with a skyscraper etched into the handle.

Opening the book will reward you with a sapphire-encrusted locket with nothing inside of it.

The Second Book: Oasis of a Thousand Stars

When you put a sandy colored book onto the pedestal, you find yourself standing in a cool oasis at night, the surrounding desert cooling off from a long, blazing hot day. It’s very quiet, almost peaceful. Above, you can see countless stars. While you can easily point out several constellations, you quickly realize that there are more stars in the sky than you’re used to. It’s impossibly populated. And the results are beautiful.

As you stare up at the sky and admire the scenery, something begins to shift in the sky. You will start to see streaks in the sky, signaling a meteor shower. And then, some of those streaks of light will descend onto the oasis. They land with a gentle tap on the ground, landing with the sound of shattering crystal. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that they’re meteorites of countless shapes and colors. 

One of the meteors will contain the key inside of it. 

Opening the book will reward you with a small, hand-sewn wooly doll.

The Third Book: Festival of Fire

When you place the red book onto the pedestal, you will find yourself in the middle of a grand festival populated with countless people. While you can’t figure out the point of the festival or why all these people are gathered, there is an energy in the air that just feels happy and exciting. There are countless booths and games lined up, and you can play for your heart’s content.

In the center of this festival, however, is a grand fire lit up with stacks upon stacks of wood. It feels very hot around the area, but many attendees don’t seem to mind at all. There is music playing from the sidelines, and many dancers have gathered around the fire to dance in whatever particular style they so choose. One of these dances, a very attractive person, is wearing the key on a ribbon around their neck. If you dance one song with them, they will gift you the key as a thanks for dancing with them.

Opening the book will reward you a very old, antique pair of wedding rings.

The Fourth Book: A Mirrored World and the Floating Land

When you put a blue book onto the pedestal, you will find yourself in the middle of an impossibly large salt flat, where the land perfectly reflects the sky as if the land itself has become a mirror. It is partly cloudy, casting a beautiful image in all directions. However, upon looking at this majesty, you will find the reflection of a massive floating island up in the clouds. And when you look up, you’ll see the very island with a rope slowly descending from it.

When you grab the rope leading up to the floating island, it will slowly start to pull you up. Strangely, you don’t feel strained when you’re being lifted up, and anyone can hang onto the rope and get up safely and without trouble. The floating island itself is a grassy land with countless flowers scattered about, some of kinds you’ve seen before and some kinds you would only read about in a book. The floating land is a hill, steadily going further and further up. Eventually, at the highest point, you’ll find a key sitting on a large slab of stone.

And at that point, high in the clouds, you have the best possible view of the entire salt flat.

Upon opening the book, you will find a worn photograph of a happy couple and a young girl of only three years old. The mother in the photograph looks significantly weaker than the other two, like she was coming down with an illness.

The Fifth Book: Esteemed Guests and a Grand Ballroom

When you place a purple book on the pedestal, you will find yourself standing in the corner of a large ballroom with countless people dressed to the nines in impossibly intricate clothing. And strangely, you will find yourself in similar clothing, dressed up in extremely formal gowns and suits to match the rest of the room. 

Everyone in the ballroom is looking up at a stairway, where the king and queen of the castle are greeting their esteemed guests and welcome them to the ball. It is after this that the music will start playing and people will begin to dance with one another. At this point, you may dance with guests who will each have their own personalities and stories to tell, you may leave to explore the castle and see what you can find, or just watch from a distance.

At some point during the ball, the prince or princess will invite one of you out for a dance. They will thank you for coming to the ball, and will gift you the key as soon as the dance is over. 

Opening the book will gift you a small, unused, leather-bound journal.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: FMK Island

This island was written by Mist-mun!

@cagedlepidoptera | @piccola-cara | @lest-i-forget | @carosellocafe  

(FMK as in Flirt, Marry, Kill-- it’s SFW here, folks. ♡ )

After sailing along on a bright and sunny day, your ship stumbles upon a small, heart-shaped island. While the island itself is rather small, there is a rather wide sandbar surrounding it. There is no dock, and you will have to wade through the shallow waters of this sandbar in order to reach the island.

When you do reach it, although there will be some bushes and even a few trees on the island, voyagers will find it mostly pare and grassy. The only notable feature here lies right in the center of the island. A large, 10x10 foot metal platform will be sticking out of the grass, no thicker than an inch or two above the dirt.

> I’m gonna stand on it!

> Seems like a trap…

After all voyagers stand on the platform, it will begin lowering into the ground. It will sink down slowly through a short metallic tunnel, before lowering into a room roughly 50 feet in all dimensions. Towards one edge of the room, there is a metal door. The red outline of a rectangle pattern outlined on the floor before it. On the opposite side of the room, a red outline of a square roughly ⅓ the size of the other rectangle is on the floor. On one of the walls, the words “Flirt! Marry! Kill!” are written in large curly font. 

The word “Kill” is written in pink, and in a font four times as big as the other two words, which are written in black. There also appears to be a stone tablet embedded into the wall under the words, just a few inches off the floor.

When the platform finally touches the floor, a panel will slide over the tunnel in the ceiling, barring any sort of exit. Voyagers will be unable to force open the metal door as well. It seems the only way out is to follow the instructions on the tablet.

The tablet’s instructions are rather simple. You are to play a game of Flirt, Marry, Kill. This room features the ‘kill’ portion. All voyagers must vote one person to kill. The person who has been “killed” must stand or otherwise be put in the red square, while all others stand in the rectangle.

Once all voyagers are in their proper locations, a trap door will open up under the feet of the voyager in the red square, and they will fall through. Other voyagers will be too far away to possibly reach them in time. There will be a horrific crunching sound, and the trap door will close up, unable to be opened again. The metal door will now open.

> The “Killed” Voyager

You will fall through the trap door. There will be a crunching sound, but although you have stopped falling, you feel no pain. The trap door closes above you, and candles light all around you. Just as you realize you’re hovering about a foot or two above the ground, gravity will begin to affect you again, and you’ll fall the rest of the way to the floor.

In this room, there is a stone archway that seems to lead down a long dark path, lit by the occasional candle. There will also be semi-transparent hooded figures standing in the room. The figures will explain that you are free to leave the game now. You weren’t killed- but the voyagers above don’t know that. If you wish to seek revenge on them, you’re free to take your boat and leave now, stranding them here. With that, the hooded figures will giggle and vanish.

If the voyager is observant, they may notice suspicious markings in the walls as they pass by. When they finally reach the end of the tunnel, there will be instructions written above a strange marking.

“Tap the marking three times, and say ‘open’.”

If the voyager does this, a panel will open up above them. Sand will come pouring in from above, as the door was originally hidden beneath sand. At this point, the voyager may choose to return to the ship- even leaving their fellow voyagers, if they so wish.

If the voyager wishes to return to other marks instead, they will find that performing a similar process will open up doorways into various rooms. One of them even has a bunch of security cameras, where you can see what is happening to your fellow voyagers. At any point, assuming you find the right door to open up a hidden panel, you can now wander into any room and interrupt the proceedings of whatever is happening there, saving your fellow voyagers from… whatever is going on here.

> The “Surviving” Voyagers

Walking into the next room, this time, the words “Flirt” and “Marry” will be written in pink large font. There are three circle outlines drawn on three walls- a blue, red, and yellow. Within these circles are two circular indents. Written above the first indent is the word “Flirt”, and written above the second is “Marry”. Below each circle, on the floor, are two round stone balls, which fit perfectly into the indents. In front of the yellow circle is a blue and red ball, in front of the red circle is a yellow and blue ball, and in front of the blue circle is a red and yellow ball.

There is a stone tablet in this room as well. The instructions explain that each person will stand in front of a circle, and use the balls to vote on who they want to “Flirt” with and who they want to “Marry”.

If when everyone finishes voting, there are two matches- one on “flirt” and one on “marry”, those will be used. If there is only one match on either “flirt” or “marry”, then for the remaining match, the person who did not match up with anybody gets their choice of person. If there are no matches, the pairings will be randomized (note: the pairing for “flirt” and “marry” cannot be the same two people.)

When the voting is finished, a trap door will open under everyone’s feet, and everyone will fall into what is essentially an enclosed slide. The slide will spit out the match for “flirt” into the same room first, while the remaining person for the “marry” pair will be spit out into a different room.

> The Marriage Room

The odd person out will be spit into a pitch black room. Immediately, they will feel hands on them, tugging and pulling at them and their clothes, yanking some sort of fabric over their body. Eventually, the hands will stop, and lights will come on. The person in question will look down, and find themselves in a wedding dress. Two hooded figures will appear, and tell you it’s time to prepare for your wedding. Come, get your makeup done, and help pick out the decorations. Pick out the flowers and choose what kind of rings you want to wear.

Sure, it’s all legally binding. But it’s the only way to leave.

>The Flirt Room

The two voyagers paired together for “flirting” slide into the room. A panel closes up over the slide immediately after spitting them out. This room is rather unlike the other rooms before it. It is dimly lit, with a plush carpet and red wallpaper. There a table set up for a romantic meal for two, with a lit candle providing the only source of light in the room. There is a comfortable looking couch, and even a bed, complete with an oak bed canopy and silky red sheets.

As one might suspect, the people in this room must flirt. A certain level of “flirtation” is required before a panel in the wall will open up, revealing a pitch-black hallway. (If only flirting, neither participant must feel as though they were snubbed or holding back on the charm).

Once entering into the darkness, the panel will close behind you, and you will feel hands on you, pulling at your clothes and hair, and pulling something onto you. When the lights come on, you’ll find yourself standing in front of an alter in the chapel. The person chosen for “marry” will be standing in the position of the groom, wearing a tuxedo. The other person will be wearing either a tuxedo or a bridesmaid dress, and will be standing a bit off to the side. Music will swell, and looking down the hall, you will see the “bride” coming down the aisle.

> The “Bride”

After all the wedding decorations have been picked out, you will be ushered in front of a set of doors. The veil will be pulled over your face by one of the hooded figures, and, just as the music swells, the door will open and you will walk through- or else, you’ll be pushed.

> The Wedding Ceremony

Without any sort of intervention from outside helping with your miraculous escape, there is no easy way for voyagers to escape without the “marry” couple completing the ceremony and saying “I do”. They will also be forced to sign a contract- which will be magically sent off to the Pelago Islands government. Yep, you’re really married!

> Leaving

If all goes off without a hitch, the hooded figures will guide you to a secret panel and let you leave. What did they even want in the first place? What a bunch of weirdos.

If voyagers are able to escape with the “killed” voyager’s help, it will be a mad dash to the boat. Who knows what these guys will do to you if they catch you and drag you back to play more games.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Frost Queen’s Lair

This island was written by Kana-mun!

@piccola-cara | @royalminttea | @rxzberries

The voyagers sail on the ocean for a while before seeing something off in the distance. A mass that, upon closer inspection, appears to be an iceberg.

But the closer the voyagers get to it, the quicker they realize that’s not all there is to it. What looked like a giant iceberg from a distance is in fact, an island covered in frost and ice. There are no docks surrounding the island, and even the shore that greets any travelers are frozen solid. It doesn’t seem as if it will break or crumble if it’s stepped on, but the path leading from it looks to be a slippery one, that leads to the entrance of a cove.

However, the mist surrounding the entire island will disable anyone from peering into the entrance to see what’s inside. How very... ominous. Would it really be a good idea to check it out?

> Let it go, and move on.

> THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY

Should the explorers decide to enter, they will immediately fall into a slide of ice, separating them immediately. Perform a Chatzy or Discord roll for each traveler to determine where they will fall:

Chatzy: /choose underground lake, graveyard, ???

Discord: t!choose underground lake, graveyard, ???

Delete a result once it gets rolled. All paths are connected one way or another, so meeting each other is not impossible.

Underground Lake

Explorers falling on this side of the cavern will splash down into an underground lake. The water inside is twice as cold as the water outside, and if you don’t swim out fast enough, the spirits residing in the lake will slowly wake up, not at all pleased to have their slumber disturbed. The spirits will take on a visible ghostly form and swarm those still in the lake, slowly freezing them the more they lingered in their presence. The spirits have an icy touch that will drain a person of their life-- starting with their happiness. They will not lose their energy immediately, but their mental state will be shaken as past traumas revisit them the more the spirits touch them.

The lake itself is circular and only has two sides that the explorer can escape to. The first leads to a pathway that will eventually lead you to the Graveyard. The second leads to a hallway-like path surrounded by ice, extending all the way into a dead end. If the explorer is sharp enough, they’ll notice behind the walls of ice is a hidden chest containing weaponry from long ago, both made from rare metal that will never melt. They will need either strong fire magic to melt through the ice, or forcibly take it down by force.

If you will use fire magic, base the following choices with your M.ATK. If with strength, base with with your ATK. These can be rolled a maximum of two times.

ATK/M.ATK > 150: /choose melt, melt, melt, melt, fail

t!choose melt | melt | melt | melt | fail

ATK/M.ATK > 100: /choose melt, fail, melt, melt, fail

t!choose melt | fail | melt | melt | fail

ATK/M.ATK > 80: /choose melt, fail, fail, melt, fail

t!choose melt | fail | fail | melt | fail

ATK/M.ATK > 50: /choose melt, fail, fail, fail, fail

t!choose melt | fail | fail | fail | fail

Treasure:

Icebrand: A sword with a clear blade that resembles ice. Adds water element to attacks and can block fire magic.

Ice Scepter: A staff that grants the user a passive magic: Wall of Ice. Should any fire magic come your way, it will be nullified.

Note: Attempting to take the treasure will cause the lake spirits to catch up to you. You can only attempt to melt the wall twice before the spirits find you. You will have to battle three spirits as you make your way back to the lake and to the other exit. The spirits are of Class A rank (if you would like, refer to monster hunting mechanics) and cannot be tamed.

Now out of the lake, the spirits will lose their ghostly form and disappear, allowing you to move on. If they’ve touched you, the effects of their magic will linger, but wear off over time.

Graveyard

After falling on solid ground, the explorer notices only the walls are frosted, and the floor beneath is filled with grass. The entire chamber is full of gravestones, all without names. Magical users that can sense the spirits in the area should notice a strong concentration of earth spirits on the far right side of the chamber they fell into, and if they were to check it out, a small shrine can be seen, a singular flower of frost growing right beside it. The closer one goes towards the shrine, the more they will hear the voice of a man mumbling gibberish words. His tone is one of yearning… his voice, crying…

If the explorer were to touch the flower of frost, the entire cavern will shake, similar to the effects of an earthquake. A spirit of luminous green color will rise from the ground, hands covering his face as his crying grows louder: My love… where are you, my love?!

His voice will echo in the entire cave, and he will turn aggressive. You cannot fight this spirit.

If the explorer who touched the flower is male, the spirit will possess him. If the explorer is female, the spirit will mistake you for his past love, making you lose consciousness immediately with a frosty kiss. Another explorer will have to find you lying unconscious right beside the shrine, the flower rested on your chest. Only the touch of another person can restore your consciousness.

While unconscious, the person will be able to see the spirit’s memories. The following visions will flood both the possessed explorer and the unconscious explorer:

Visions of an exploration crew will come to mind, their leader speaking of treasure as he holds his wife. Their ship was wrecked in the middle of the storm, and what was left of the crew was washed ashore in this icy island. With no food and no means to seek for help, the crew slowly dies of starvation.

Visions of crew members drowning themselves in the lake can be briefly seen. If anyone dared to stop them, they would immediately turn aggressive and speak of an unknown queen.

Visions of the number of gravestones increasing will pass by in fast forward, the crew’s number lessening until only the crew’s own leader remains-- a man who resembles the spirit’s voice. He can be seen using what little earth magic he can use to turn the ground into an area completely free of frost. It was the least he could do.

The last vision will be of a woman screaming as the ground beneath her breaks and she inevitably falls into a pit. Sounds of a man searching for her can be heard as darkness fills the vision.

If possessed: The spirit taking control of the male body will begin searching the caverns. He will immediately be drawn to the pit he was never able to venture in his weakened and starved state. But not you-- not the explorer who came here willingly. Fearless and without regards to safety, the possessed explorer will jump down the pit... (refer to ???)

If not possessed: Once you awaken, water can be heard from one of the two exit points. The first exit will lead to the Underground Lake. 

The second one leads to multiple exits, but only two of them are not dead ends. Ice fairies and golems of Rank B will be inhabiting the paths leading to a dead end, one exit leads to the entrance of the cavern, the other to a dark pit (refer to ???).

???

The cold will increase the further anyone slides down to the darkness. The pit seems long and unending, but after a full minute of falling into the cold darkness, you will fall into a wide room, ice crystals surrounding the entire area. In the middle of the room is a crystal statue, with the image of a woman seemingly encased in it.

If not possessed: An explorer that falls first into the room will hear voices of two women, one laughing maniacally, the other crying miserably. Both voices will come from the crystal statue. Your presence will cause the laughter to stop for a brief second before it begins to speak in an alluring voice. The crying will stop and only the whimpers of a woman will remain, as the other voice urges you to follow its commands. The voice will refer to itself as Queen, and will repeatedly instruct you to hurt yourself. You will need a strong mind to battle the Queen’s commanding voice. You cannot fight her without attacking the crystal.

If possessed: The possessed explorer will immediately approach the crystal statue and attempt to destroy it. He will recognize the presence of his wife’s spirit and will do everything to free her. The spirit’s control over the possessed explorer will lessen, and negotiations can be made. It is up the explorer whether or not they join his cause and fight this battle for him, or let the spirit take control of his body fully.

Either way, the moment the Queen’s crystal is attacked, she will be enraged and turn incredibly aggressive. From within the crystal statue, the spirit of a tall woman with pale skin and long blue hair appears. Despite the coldness of the room, she is dressed minimally, with cloth of blue and white covering her. She possesses no weapon, but frost surrounds her entire figure. (Refer to summon post here.)

Alternatively, if you don’t want to go with the stat-based system, the explorers can battle her monster hunting style, rolling the level line of the highest leveled voyager, against hers:

/choose HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT, HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT

t!choose HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT, HIT, MISS, HIT, HIT

Five times each. Whoever ends up getting the most HITS wins!

If a Summoner is present: If the voyagers manage to prevail over the Ice Queen, she will become theirs to summon at will. Upon defeat, this summon will gift you with 1,000 EXP, two Water Crystals, and Ice.

If there is No Summoner present: The voyagers will gain 1,000 EXP for besting her. Upon defeat, the Ice Queen will retreat into a weaker spirit form and crystallize herself once again in her lair. This will give the explorers time to escape through a secret passageway that leads to a long staircase extending towards the entrance of the cavern. Shiva can be attempted to be claimed by any summoner that will visit her lair again, her strength would have returned by then.

Fail In Defeating Shiva

Should the explorers fail in defeating the Ice Queen, the spirit that possessed the male explorer will exit the possessed body (or appear, if he didn’t possess anyone) and shield the explorers, insisting that they escape. He will not leave his wife, not now, not anymore. This will cause the Ice Queen to laugh hysterically and attack the spirit continuously, mocking him of his weakness and the horrors she caused his wife during the time he wasn’t there for her. The spirit of the wife will lead the explorers to the secret passageway in order for them escape and will then return to her husband’s side to help conquer the Ice Queen.

The two spirits will not be able to rest in peace until Shiva frees them.

Succeed In Defeating Shiva

If the explorers do succeed, the wife’s spirit is freed from its imprisonment in the lair and the spirit possessing the male explorer (or not) will reunite with his wife. Both spirits will thank the explorers before locking into an embrace, a bright light shining on them as they slowly fade and rest in peace. A silhouette of them almost kissing will be the last scene the explorers will see.

Once the explorers make their escape, if the Ice Queen is defeated, they will notice balls of light floating above the caverns. These are the spirits of the crew that were trapped in the lake as they were forced to drown by the Queen’s commands. Not being able to defeat Shiva will cause these spirits to be aggressive until they are freed.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Albens Barrier

@sherrysoda | @heartofshale

It’s said that there’s a tree of life somewhere far out in the sea. 

It’s been a rumor that’s permeated through the docks for several years, after someone was said to arrive on a dock on the northern border of the Norad Empire carrying a large slab of rainbow-colored bark. It was said that ingesting the smallest amount of this bark could heal any disease, save someone from the brink of death, and even slow down the aging process by several years. It’s almost too good to be true. 

Since the rumor started circulating, many have gone out on the sea in search for this mysterious tree, with some returning empty-handed and some not returning at all. Many assume that this tree doesn’t even exist to begin with, and that it’s all the work of some fantasy. Still, the rumor is still spread to this day, sometimes even wandering away from the docks and into the ears of various interested parties. 

And today, you see such a tree that matches that description.

It’s a long, flat, slender island, stretching for many miles across the sea and never going up further than several feet above sea level. Strangely, all the vegetation and features of this island are stark white. The grass...dirt...sand...bushes...they’re all a pale white color, as if petrified. They still sway in the wind like regular foliage and aside from their color, the island is just like any other. The sand still feels nice between your fingers. The grass still feels like any other grass...though instead of grass stains, your clothes become bleached with white if you roll around in it too long. 

And in the center of this long, white island is a splash of color. A tree with plenty of green leaves up on top, practically towering over the island around it. And the bark upon this tree is decorated in multiple colors. Reds, blues, greens, purples, and even a splash of yellow here and there. 

If the tree from the rumors does exist...then this appears to be the closest thing to what it could be.

> Um no thank you?

> RAINBOW

When you step onto the shores of the island, you smell something enticing. It has a floral scent to it, like an enticing rose in the distance. While it’s easy to assume the scent is coming from the tree, as it only gets stronger the closer you approach it, how appealing the scent is and how it just draws you closer and closer takes you off guard. You’re drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and even if you realize that something’s wrong, it would take all of your willpower to resist it - let alone pull your companions away with you. 

Stepping under the leaves of the tree is almost overwhelming. It’s akin to having all of your senses overcome at once, so much so that all you can really cling to is the scent. There are several things you notice beneath the tree. Roots jutting out from the ground in a spiderweb pattern around the tree, intense colors jutting through the clear white. Strange mounds that make the surroundings of the tree lumpy and uneven. 

But it isn’t long before something begins to happen. The leaves from the tree begin to fall. It’s too much to be normal. They’re falling and falling until green surrounds you like a blizzard. And if you look up, you don’t see the branches getting any thinner. The scent just grows more and more intense until you can’t even comprehend anything, your mind blanking out and becoming hazy. And then you’re falling.

And when you open your eyes, you’re back at home. 

You’re in your bed, sheets ruffled as if you were having a nightmare, your skin wet with sweat. And for a moment, you wonder if it all was a nightmare. Maybe you dreamed going off on that boat with your companions. Maybe that dream of the tree was just a dream that was all-too real. Or maybe it wasn’t. 

You decide to go about your day...only to realize that everything you’ve ever wanted was beginning to happen. Any desires you’ve had - whether you knew them or not - are starting to come true. Any difficulties you’ve had are quickly overcome. Everything just seems to start falling into place, one by one. It’s almost too good to be true. 

Your voyage companions are here too, all experiencing the same dream and also coming into their own fortunes. 

However...things are not completely perfect. The ports are closed for an indefinite amount of time due to inexplicable troubles at sea, the only boats allowed to depart are for Arcadia and Leuda. If you start asking about your strange dream with the tree...people other than your companions begin to insist that you shut up about it. And if you discuss this shared dream with your companions, people always seem to drop in and interrupt you with a distraction. 

And if you decide to reject the reality around you...the world will start to grow hostile to you. Police will try to arrest you for no reason. Your loved ones will reject you. People will try to trap you somewhere you can’t escape. And as more of your companions begin to reject this perfect reality, the more the horizon will begin to glitch out and crack.

To escape this world...you must head towards the horizon, leaving it all behind. 

Once you awaken...you’ll be beneath the tree, roots tangled around you and holding you down. You feel weak, as if your energy has been taken from you. It’s a simple thing to free yourself from the roots, but it’ll feel like you ran a marathon once you do. If any of your companions were left behind in the fake world, they will still be asleep within the roots, and you can see the roots slowly and steadily try and pull them underground. You can easily free them.

Beside the edge of the trunk is the smallest amount of bark fallen from the tree. You can take it, though taking more is near impossible, as once you pick up this piece of bark, you’ll start to smell that same scent again, very weak but gradually increasing. If you stay for much longer, you’ll simply be swayed back beneath the tree again. 

Surprisingly, the rumors were true. The bark is able to completely heal someone’s disease, remove all curses, heal all injuries if ingested. However...there’s only enough for three doses of this miracle cure, so use it wisely. Alternatively, you can always turn it into the Explorer’s Guild for a solid 50,000G.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Conatum’s Gate

This island was written by Ford-mun!

@starryeyedcowboy

The unassuming island comes into view as the sun slowly sinks behind the horizon. It is not all that big in diameter, and while it seems rather tall by the time your ship sails up to the old dock of the island, it is a bit closer to being a very large hill than a mountain. There is a path cut into what is otherwise mostly sheer rock, which the dock leads directly into. Walking up the path, things will begin to level out a bit, and eventually, lead into the woods.

After a bit more trekking, as it begin to grow a bit darker, you will see a light in the woods. Before you, the path you were following turns into a stone pathway, with paper lanterns lighting the way on either side. At the end of this path, there is a vertical circle of stone, with stone offering table beside it. The front of the the table bears the following inscription:

The cowards runs no faster than the reckless.

Pride and self-loathing are both prisoners of the mind.

You already know what it is you are missing,

You merely have to accept it.

Place what your heart treasures here, and let the trial begin.

> I’m heading home.

> YEET

The voyager can place anything they like on the stone offering table- be it a weapon, money, family heirloom- the actual value of the thing being placed doesn’t matter. However, it is important that it bears some great value, symbolic or otherwise, to the voyager.

Once the item has been placed, the space inside the stone circle will begin to light up with an otherworldly light. It will flash, momentarily blinding the voyager. After a while, the voyager will blink, and find themselves in a world that seems pitch black. However, there is someone standing there…

>The Premise of the Trial

The purpose of this trial is for a voyager to be confronted with their weaknesses. They will have to overcome challenges and obstacles that do not play to what they feel their own strengths are. In fact, this trial will likely be overwhelming, because of that. However, the voyager will not have to go through these challenges alone. There might even be multiple people showing up throughout the trial, but there can only ever be one at a time.

Whoever shows up will be subconsciously chosen by the voyager to help guide them through a particular obstacle. This person can be someone from the voyager’s backstory, or it can be a character currently in PI. If the latter is the case, then that mun can be temporarily invited into the rp. However, they won’t be rping that character completely normally.

> The ‘Guide’, and What They Know

The guide is, in a sense, a little more than fake, and a little less than real. They are composed of a number of elements- things the voyager consciously knows about that person, things the voyager has subconsciously picked up, and a bit of that person’s actual spirit that has rubbed off on the voyager. The guide will be fully aware of what they are, and will be willing to explain that aspect of themselves if asked, as well as what is going on- albeit, in a very in-character way. (Whether the guide has any feelings on not being ‘not real but not fake’ is up to the rper, but the guide will not focus on this aspect unless pressed about it, as they are there primarily to help the voyager.)

The guide knows that they are currently in a sort of ‘mindscape’ designed to challenge the voyager’s weaknesses, and they know all about the challenges that the voyager will be facing. They will also understand that they can’t beat or solve a challenge for the voyager, as that is not their role. This is the voyager’s trial, so they are there to encourage and give hints while helping the voyager figure things out. In some cases, the guide may even be carrying out some aspect of the trial.

Since the guide is also a partial construct of the voyager’s mind, they will be more attuned to what the voyager is thinking and feeling at any given point. Not exactly to the point of being able to read the voyager’s mind, but they will have far more insight than their ‘real’ counterpart.

> Going Through The Trials

As mentioned before, upon entering the mindscape, the voyager will find themselves in a dark empty world, but with someone standing before them. That person will be the guide for the first challenge, if not the whole set of trials. Again, the guide can be either someone from the rper’s past, or another muse from the PI, controlled by the mun.

Likely after explanations are out of the way, the trials will begin- the dark world turning into whatever it needs to be for the upcoming challenge. What exactly the trials are, as well as the number of trials to be faced, is up to the voyager’s mun. (However, note that if another mun is rping the guide, they should be made aware of what exactly the challenge and weakness being faced is, so that they can play their character right.)

The trials can be anything, ranging from combat battles to logic puzzles. However, they should not be easy to overcome, and they should definitely be based around one or more of the voyager’s weak points.

> Ending the Trials

When the voyager has gone through all the trials, the guide may or may not wish to have a final conversation with the voyager. Once that is over, everything will fade to white, and the voyager will wake up to find themselves kneeling in front of the offering table.

The voyager can now take back whatever they put down on the table. However, they will also find an item that wasn’t there before.

The “Necklace of Introspection” is a mystical item which can only be used by the voyager. On the golden ring part of the necklace, the voyager’s name is inscribed, marking it as their rightful prize. By taking the necklace off and holding it in their hand in a private location where no other person is around, the voyager is able to summon some sort of ‘guide’ to appear before them. They are incorporeal, but can be consulted for advice. They will vanish instantly if the voyager’s privacy is invaded by someone.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Sword Graveyard

@dannysdinghy 

You have your reasons for travelling out alone, but even the silence and monotony of the sea is beginning to get to you. It’s a rarely quiet day at sea, with the waters still and calm, a cloud scarcely in the sky. You’ve been sailing for several hours at this point, and all you have passed are islands already marked on the map. Nothing you wish to see. No, you wish to see something new, something grand. After all, no matter your reasons, you brought yourself to the sea to find something new.

And in the distance, that new island takes the shape of a tall, jagged mountain, practically sparkling in the sunlight. It is imposing, almost like a tall well of shadows upon the sea. And as you begin to get closer to this mountain, the more details start to pop out at you. 

The mountain itself is thin, but rises high, the top nearly touching the clouds. And as jagged and rough this mountain looks like, it doesn’t end in a point. Rather...it ends in a curve, as if someone bent the tip of the mountain to point elsewhere, the point curving towards the east. And hanging from this point by a thick, steel chain is what looks to be a rectangular steel cage, large enough for several people to fit into. It dangles down quite low, giving you a clear view of the cage. Empty.

And soon, you discover that the sparkles illuminated from this mountain isn’t natural. Nearly every inch of this island is covered in swords, all embedded into the rock and dirt composing it. Each and every sword is different, from the style, wear, and materials. And the only portion of this island that isn’t covered in swords is a small, narrow dirt pathway leading from a small, wooden pier and goes further around the mountain, obscured from view.

> Ow

> Hewwo?

As you leave your boat and ascend up this pathway, you’ll take note of several peculiar things. None of the swords can be picked up. They’re firmly stuck in the ground, like they were sealed there. And strangely, while most of this mountain is void of life, there are several lights and wisp on by. They look akin to blue fireflies, floating whimsically along the wind, forever out of your reach. They do seem to take notice of you, and though you can’t see any eyes on these lights...you can feel their eyes.

Finally, at the end of this pathway is a large, circular stone platform, nearly fifty feet in diameter. Across from the pathway you took, there is another dirt pathway leading further up the mountain. And in the center of this platform is a pile of armor.

As you step onto the platform, there will be a shift in the air. Hundreds of swords from across the mountain will sprout up from random places across the island, rising up and flying directly around this stone platform, embedding themselves all around, effectively blocking your way out from both directions. And one of these blue lights will float into the platform and fly directly into the pile of armor.

There is a small, blue flash from the armor, and then it begins to rise up. Rising up is a shadowy figure with indistinguishable features aside from its rusted steel armor and haunting blue eyes. Just as they stand up perfectly, one more sword will rise up from the island and sail directly to this shadow figure, who perfectly catches it in midair. 

They will then address you in an indistinguishable voice, sounding almost as though it were made up of thousands of voices speaking in unison.

“It has been quite some time since we have been visited by a challenger. You come for a sword in this mountain, do you not? Tell us, challenger, what will you wager in exchange?”

If you answer in rightful confusion, the figure will explain.

“Thousands journey to our grave to partake in a piece of our power. They seek to challenge three of our most powerful spirits to earn this piece. We had wondered if our legend died, as it has been centuries since our last battle. Now, challenger, let us decide your wager.”

You will feel a chillness on your back, the feeling of something crawling under your skin, through your veins, into your brain. And after several moments of this odd feeling, several blue lights will exit from your chest, floating away and flickering excitedly. You will feel another shift in the air, and another sword will fly out from the mountain. But instead of crashing down into the ground, it will gently float to the center of the stone platform, just out of your reach.

“We shall offer this piece of power to you. And your proper wager has been decided.”

The armor snaps its gloved hand, and in an instant, the sword is gone. And just as you wonder just what this wager is...you hear the steady creak of metal from above. You look up in confusion, up to the cage dangling from the top of the mountain. It is occupied now. 

Think of the person you would do anything to protect. Depending on who you are, it could be a lot of people or just one person. It could be the most important person in your life, or it could be someone you only have a passive relationship with. But think of someone you would do anything to protect.

Because they are in that cage now, suspended from the top of the mountain. And it isn’t a trick or some sort of fake version of this person. It is that person, in the flesh, having suddenly been spirited away from where they previously were. And they are definitely trapped. No magic will allow them escape, and there’s not even a door to pick the lock of. And even if they were to escape...they’d fall an impossible distance to their death.

Before you can even protest this wager, you see the shadow ready their weapon. And it’s time to battle.

In order to win the challenge, you must defeat three of these shadows upon three different stone platforms, all ascending the mountain to get closer and closer to the cage. Once the first is defeated, the swords will lift and allow you entry to a long, steep pathway to the next stone platform with a different pile of armor for a spirit to possess. And the same happens when that shadow is defeated. 

And at the third stone platform, impossibly high up the mountain, the battle is waged directly beneath the steel cage. 

The battles are difficult, long. It is impossible to leave unscathed. Even the most skilled swordsman will not have the upper hand here.

Fortunately...help can be gotten from above. While the person wagered in trapped in their cage...they are still able to attack from a distance. Magic can be formed outside the cage and shot out towards your opponents. If they happen to have had their weapon when they were spirited away, they can potentially use it if it’s a ranged weapon.

Once all three spirits are defeated, the side of the cage will suddenly swing open...though the cage doesn’t move from its position...meaning you’ll have to get creative on how to actually safely get them from the cage.

And once the third spirit is defeated, a sword will conjure up in the center of the stone platform, your reward for besting the challenge. It will be a clean, new sword, freshly sharpened and ready for battle. It looks to be your style, whatever that is. 

Contact the main to discover the specific stats of this sword. Please note that the stats of this sword will differ depending on your performance in the voyage and the class of the person who was wagered. So remember to make it a good fight ;)

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Temet Nosce

This island was written by Soseki-mun!

@postmanwayne | @thedensedoctor | @apiescatch | @gourmaid

When the island appears in the distance, it looks to be nothing more than a hunk of oddly shaped rock. As the boat draws closer, the details of the island become more apparent. White buildings come into focus, several of them dotting the island from tip to tip, but most are gathered near the center. Clustered in the middle of them is a clocktower, a clock face situated on each side and looking out. Along the coast, a pier stretches out over the water with ample space for a boat to dock safely and for the passengers to disembark with ease.

> I hate islands.

> What’s the worst that can happen?

Once on the pier, the only path stretching off leads into the town proper. However, if anyone was expecting to find people living here, that assumption is quickly proven wrong. No matter where the voyagers venture in the town, there is no one there. Every building is empty and has seemingly been abandoned that very day judging by the untouched dinners, the clothes hanging out to dry, and the open market stalls.

The voyagers can take their time exploring the area if they wish. Each home and place of business will look as if everyone had been doing something only hours before only to leave immediately. However, there is no trace of where they might have gone. Market stalls and businesses have their merchandise still on display. Every home is unlocked and free to enter. Besides the oddity of no one being around despite its appearance, voyagers may catch glimpses of people in ball gowns and ornate masks, but they’re visible for only a split second before disappearing as if they were never there at all. Other times they may swear the air is filled with the scent of perfume and sweets only for it be replaced by a fresh breeze a moment later.

Whatever the voyagers may find — food, accessories, clothes, weapons — they are free to take.

In the center of the town is a large fountain with golden coins scattered across the bottom, their surfaces reflective in the water. A close inspection reveals that each coin’s surface has a word engraved on it. They all seem to relate to faults: bigot, blunt, arrogant, gullible, nosey, reckless, the list of words goes on. If anyone attempts to gather them, they find that they cannot. The coins keep slipping through their fingers. However, if anyone took the time and concentrated effort to count them, they would find that there are 347 coins.

Besides the businesses and homes, the only other noteworthy place to visit is the clocktower. Its entrance is a few feet away from the fountain. Entering, the voyagers find nothing of note on the ground floor but a sturdy staircase wraps around the wall and goes up into the air. At the top, the voyagers enter a square room, each wall hosting a large circular glass that looks out with the face of a clock.

It’s only a few minutes of being in the clock tower room that a sudden and powerful sleepiness overcomes each voyager. One by one, they pass out.

When they awaken, it is not to the pristine interior of the clocktower, but to a ballroom. Each voyager is sitting in an ornate chair when they awake, all of them separate from the other, and dressed to fit the occasion. A suit, a ball gown, masks: whatever would be their hearts desire to wear at a masquerade. They will also find that any items they may have picked up in town are still with them or near them in some fashion.

The initial feeling they have is that they belong here. They are honored guests of this party and well expected. Some of the other guests may seem familiar — perhaps the voyagers have seen them in brief glimpses before? — but it is hard to pinpoint where exactly, especially with everyone in masks of their own. Regardless, the other guests are nothing but extravagant and polite.

Very soon, each voyager will find themselves approached by another dancer. This person will take the form they find most appealing in both looks and attire. When they speak, their voice and words sweet as honey, the voyager will forget about any loved ones they may have. They will find themselves further pulled into a complacent state of mind. Eventually, the dancer will offer them a coin, a party favor they will call it, and request that they keep it close. Only the strongest willed of the voyagers will be able to refuse such a request and the others will be very compelled to do as asked.

> Accept the coin

From now on, the voyager does not know it yet but their life is on a timer. The coin, the words ‘Find freedom in the acceptance of your mortal faults’ engraved along the edge, is designed to slowly drain the life from their body, which they will start to feel the effects of as time goes on. If they come across a mirror at the masquerade, on the edge of the ballroom or a pocket mirror carried by another guest, they will not see their reflection but instead they will see their sleeping bodies back in the clocktower.

Their bodies, however, are not just sleeping. Due to the coin’s powers, they are actively dying at an increased pace. Their hair graying, their skin wrinkling, their body wasting away. At advance stages, their skin and muscle will start to decay right down to the bone. The entire process will take a different amount of time depend on how old they are. Those in their twenties and younger will have up to six hours while someone older may only have two to three hours.

If they happen to glimpse other masquerade goers in a mirror, they will see bones and skulls instead of skin. This is true for everyone save other voyagers.

The voyagers have until their sleeping figures are skeletons to figure out how to escape. Their only clues are the coins they possess. Additionally, they will feel compelled by their dancer companion to enjoy the festivities, their worries easing from their mind like magic when they speak. However, seeing a horrifying sight or being approached by another voyager might knock them out of the spell.

As per the coin’s engraving, each voyager must verbally, and with their whole heart, accept and proclaim one of their faults. This cannot be a minor fault of theirs, not something they would easily admit to another, but rather something they are struggling with. Once they do, they awaken back in the clock tower. All of their life energy will be returned to them and any changes made to their bodies reversed. If any other voyages are still asleep, they will see their bodies slowly decaying, but revive in the same manner when they awaken. Any items they picked up before are now nothing but piles of dust.

> Reject the coin

If a voyager is able to reject the coin from their dancer companion, however, an entirely different fate awaits them. The dancer will continue to insist but if their offer is ultimately rejected, a feat accomplished by those with great magical talent or incredibly strong will, then the ballroom will instantly fade away.

While at first seems that they have awakened back in the clocktower, none of the other voyagers are present. The inside of the clocktower is also extremely different, now instead worn and old with busted boards and broken windows. They will also still be in their ballroom attire but, like the clocktower, it is now dirty and torn. A rustling, scratching, growling noise will come from the lower area of the clocktower and make its way up. Inexplicably, the staircase now continues up where before it did not.

The voyager can choose to run or to face the physical manifestation of their faults, which will take the shape of the voyager they are pursuing, right down to their voyaging clothes, and will claim to be them, saying things the voyager would never say to someone and would not admit to themselves, but only think and feel in their weakest moments. If they run up the stairs, they will find that each room above is identical to the clock tower, as is each room below, and the staircase itself is never ending.

The apparition will whisper their faults to them. The only way to escape and not be consumed by their faults is in acceptance of the apparition’s words and that what it says is true. The more they struggle against the truth, the more powerful their apparition grows and the more likely they are to be devoured.

Once they accept their faults, the apparition will disappear, seemingly happy for their true feelings to be accepted. The voyager will pass out once more.

However they make it back to the real world, the first noticeable difference is the utter state of decay the town is now in. The clock tower is still standing, though the glass of each clock face is now broken in jagged strips. The afternoon sun filters through the openings to paint itself haphazardly across the floorboards, suggesting that the voyagers have spent only a few hours sleeping. However, if a voyager takes longer they might be greeted with moonlight instead of sunlight. The floorboards of the clocktower are busted in and the staircase leading back down is rickety with each step prone to creaking or possibly giving away entirely under the weight of a voyager.

Outside, the atmosphere is generally gloomy, complete with crumbling buildings and ruined homes. The fountain from before is now dry and the golden coins have been replaced with a multitude of skulls, the only remnants of the villagers now forever trapped in their dance. And a chilling reminder to the voyagers that their own skull could have joined the pile. The pier is now rickety and unstable, but if they voyagers are careful they should be able to make it back to their ship without too much trouble. If any of the voyagers chance a glance back at the clocktower, they may see the dance still continuing in and out of the broken windows.

When arriving back to the Pelago Islands, the voyagers will find themselves unable to talk about what happened to them, either verbally, written, or with any other kind of communication. This effectively leaves the magical residents of the island to continue with their glamour and ensnare more hapless voyagers.

[thepelagoislands]

???: Lolithia’s Tower || Floor One

@givehimtheleaf | @royalminttea | @lest-i-forget | @sheepishsunshine

It has been hours since you left the docks, since you last saw the sight of land, since you last saw anything, really. According to the small map given to every voyage party, you’re approaching the edge of the region and the border of another land’s seas. But just as you decide to turn around and head back, you see what looks to be a needle sticking out from the horizon. A long, black needle that seems to be split in half, splintering upwards towards the heavens.

And as your boat curiously approaches, this needle only grows larger and larger, giving form to a tall, thick tower colored in an inky black. 

The tower is a strange sight to behold, built up in a mash of odd architectures that do not seem to perfectly fit together. There are patches of black stone seemingly stitched together to boards of wood. Blocks of concrete tied together with long sheets of black steel. Long, pulsating black tendrils twirl around this tower, like they are holding this entire wonder together. And yet the tower is incomplete at the top, the black building blocks seemingly broken apart at the top, with only five of these long tendrils jutting out towards the sky, looking akin to five claws of a hand desperately reaching towards the sun. And the bottom of this tower is split into two, leaving a wide center large enough for even a warship to pass between.

And the more you gaze upon this horrifying wonder, you may or may not begin to recall a story. It is a simple fable, typically passed between children of Arcadia who want to give each other a scare and to tease each other that they would be sent to work at Lolithia’s Tower. The Leudan children knew of it, of course, but it was moreso a story one told to pass the time, as that’s all it was. A fable. Others may know about this fable, of course. Anyone with a penchant for children’s fables and myths of the region would be familiar with this tale.

The tale tells of a queen of ice and wanting, a lost traveler, and a civilization lost to the sea.

A long, long time ago, long before the time of Arcadian elves and Leudan curses, there was a vast civilization. This civilization was a vast land, encompassing a large island in the middle of the sea. And the ruler of this land was Queen Lolithia, the reigning queen of ice and snow. 

Queen Lolithia was a kind ruler and worked tirelessly for the people, utilizing an extraordinary gift of ice magic to defend her people and work to create a perfect kingdom. She could freeze warships in their path, freeze an entire patch of the sea, and even channel other magics through her ice. She was a queen to be feared, but her people were never afraid.

But one day, Queen Lolithia’s heart was stolen.

A traveler, a mere visitor to the fair country. A beautiful man with not a penny to his name, only an innocuous disposition and beautiful, pink eyes. Some say that Queen Lolithia was cursed by this man. Some say that her heart was stolen and kept in his bag. Some say that she fell under a spell.

But all knew that she had fallen in love with the traveler named Pyxis.

A whirlwind romance was had, a blissful moment of peace in the kingdom. After a year spent on this land, the traveler resumed his travels, promising Queen Lolithia of his return by the twelfth new moon.

Queen Lolithia waited, always keeping her eyes on the sea during those long days of waiting. And by the twelfth new moon, her lover never returned.

The queen was...inconsolable. She would fret, tears in her eyes, as she worried over her lover, lost to the sea. Oh, what had happened to her lover? Had he lost his way home? Had he no way to return home? Was he unable to find such a small civilization on the sea?

An idea, poisonous and insidious, came to Queen Lolithia.

If he could not find his way home, she would erect a beacon. A shining star that would guide him home.

Queen Lolithia ordered the construction of a tower, a tower that would be unmatched by any other on the entire planet. A tower bold and tall, something to withstand the test of time. Something that would never fall until her lover returned to her.

Queen Lolithia’s love and kindness quickly morphed into something completely different. Something that her people had never seen before. She would force the working men to work for days on end, without an opportunity to see their families. And if they tried to escape and see their families...she would make sure they forgot their families. Whenever the worker numbers would dwindle, she would order her subjects to recruit more from other countries. And whenever a worker entered the tower...they never left.

When supplies dwindled, she would order that her subject’s homes and businesses be dismantled for building materials. And despite all this abuse towards her subjects, all of them became too scared to leave. As they had all witnessed Queen Lolithia’s immense power before, and they knew exactly what could happen if they fought against her.

But Queen Lolithia did not care of her subject’s suffering. Every day, her smile would grow wider and wider the taller her tower became. She did not care as her people died beneath her. She did not care as her island slowly began to sink down into the sea. She did not care as everything crumbled at her feet. She could only see that growing horizon and the more she could see, which meant that one day, her lover would sail in from that growing horizon. Every day she would think, “Just one more mile, then I will be able to see him. Just one more mile, and he will return to my arms.”

And as work on the tower continued...the tower began to change. All the suffering experienced by the workers began to morph the tower, change it into something evil. Emotion, especially in such concentrated forms, has the power to change things like magic. And to the tower, suffering turned it into black, a cursed mark on the sea. The architecture inside this tower began to twist and alter, turning it into a living creation in itself. The remaining workers became twisted by the suffering too, becoming husks of their former selves. Some turning into monsters, some turning into spirits cursed to follow Queen Lolithia’s orders for all eternity. 

At the top of this tower, Queen Lolithia became trapped inside, a prisoner of her own creation. But some say that a smile is still on her face, eyes still focused on that horizon.

That civilization has long since fallen into the sea, but some still say that Queen Lolithia’s tower still stands today. And some warn that sometimes, spirits will whisk you away to work on her tower, as Queen Lolithia will never stop building her tower. Not until her lover is in her arms again.

> Leave

> Approach

The water is still, the only ripples on the sea being the trail made by your own boat cutting through the sea. It is quiet aside from the faint hum of your boat and the occasional banter between your fellow voyagers. As the boat approaches the split in the tower, they will discover a large cavern within this massive tower. In this cavern is a vast network of docks meant to hold hundreds of ships, thousands even. There are even some ships docked, all in various working conditions. Some are half-sunken into the sea, while some look as new as your own boat.

As you dock your boat, you are only met with more silence. You walk through the docks and find nobody in this entire area. Sure, there are boats, but even the newest looking boats have a thick layer of dust on top of them. After several minutes of searching, you and the rest of your party will feel a sharp chill course through your body. 

It is the sensation of cold needles coursing through your body, the same sensation one would get with a leg that’s fallen asleep. And as you feel this sensation, you will be unable to move. You hear a light-hearted chuckle across the room, and you will see a woman standing at the top of several stairs. 

Only this woman is only the visage of a woman. A ghostly illusion of a woman with faint outlines of hair, a face, regal clothing, and an intricate crown upon her head. And she’s a beautiful woman, possibly the most beautiful woman you have ever laid eyes upon. She looks upon each of you and smiles, and takes careful, methodical steps towards your group.

“Welcome,” she greets. However, her voice does not come from her mouth. You see her mouth moving and you assume she is saying these words, but you do not hear them from her. You hear her speaking directly in your mind.

“I’m so happy you have decided to join us,” the woman continues, “We’re so close to our goal. We require every worker at our disposal, and with your help, we will be even closer to completing my tower.” She steps towards you. If one of you begins to rightfully feel fright or fear of this woman, she will merely chuckle, seemingly amused.

“There is no reason to be alarmed,” she speaks, approaching one of your companions and cuping their cheeks, “Everything will be clear to you soon. Once you earn your place and let go of your attachments, you will have no reason to be afraid. We’re all working towards the same goal. For now...you must rest. You have a big day ahead of you.” And with that declaration, the woman presses a cold kiss to your companion’s lips. The kiss is cold, like she were made of ice. And it isn’t a quick kiss. It is deep, long, and soon enough, your companion collapses into a deep sleep. And the woman kisses each of you, until the last of you collapses into their slumber. 

When you wake up, you will find yourself separated from part of your group. Each of you will awaken to be dressed in plain, white gowns, with a collar around your neck, resembling a band of ice. You will find that your weapons and armor have been taken from you, and any magic ability you have has been sealed away.

The voyage party will now be split into parts. Half of the voyage party will be given to scenario one, while the other half will be given to scenario two. In cases of an uneven party of three, one voyager will be assigned to scenario one while the other two will be assigned to scenario two.

Scenario One: The General and His Men

You wake up on the floor of a cold, circular room made of black glass. Along the walls, you can see the same black tendrils you saw on the outside of this tower slithering through the walls of this room. But upon further inspection, you will see that the pulse of these tendrils isn’t just the movement of a pulse. Within these tendrils, you can see the faint glow of light blue traveling through these tendrils, mostly obscured by the tendrils’ thick black film. 

However, you won’t have too much time to observe any more of this room. You hear a voice boom from the far side of the room, ordering you to stand. And as you get up and look towards this far side, you will see what appears to be a shadow equipped in thick, intimidating dark blue armor, holding a long sword pointed directly at you.

This shadow will introduce themselves as The General, someone whose sole duty is to ensure that the workers of this tower continue their task obediently and clearly. You (and your companion, if you have one) have been personally chosen by Queen Lolithia as a new recruit of The Guard, who works with The General to ensure that Queen Lolithia’s tower continues to grow taller and taller. And now, The General will begin to test your loyalty to Queen Lolithia and her vision.

The General will begin to test your loyalty with a series of tests, all demeaning in nature. These tests can be different from person to person. He may fight you and order you to not fight back. He may order you to strike the other voyager in the room, if there is one. He may order you to say something demeaning.

Obedience is rewarded with a quicker end to the tests. And disobedience is met with a much worse fate. You will feel a shock of ice course through your body, knocking you right to your knees. And you feel something wrong. You can feel spots in your memory that should be filled. It begins as little things. Maybe you forget just what your lover sounds like when they laugh. Maybe you forget the face of your mother. And it only grows more and more with each act of disobedience. The more you disobey, the more you begin to hurt and forget. What may have started as forgetting the color of your father’s eyes may end in entirely forgetting about your father. And this forgetfulness always targets your most treasured memories, your most valuable ties to the outside world. If one of your treasured people is on this voyage as well, then it’s entirely possible that you will begin to forget exactly who they are.

After The General decides that you have proven your obedience, you will be tasked with overseeing the workers of Floor One, which includes the voyagers in Scenario Two. You will be equipped with a whip, a sword, and a shield. You will be carefully watched by more experienced members of The Guard, so if they decide you are being too soft on the voyagers, you will experience the same punishment for disobedience. 

However, it’s possible to sneak away to convene with your worker voyagers. Staying out of sight for too long will garner suspicion, however.

While working on keeping the workers in line, you may hear a rumor about how The General’s chambers has a portal to the docks. That appears to be your way out, though accessing The General’s chambers may be difficult. Perhaps displaying obedience will allow you to figure out a way to The General’s chambers...or perhaps you have another plan in mind?

Scenario Two: The Workers and The Collective

You will awaken to a banging, the sound of a bell waking you up inside a large, crowded room. Beneath you is a thin, flimsy mat, and on top of you is a ratty blanket with the texture of paper. And you aren’t on the only mat in this room. There are hundreds of these makeshift beds across the room. And occupying most of these beds are the shadowed figures of people all dressed in the same white gowns that you now find yourself in. The only other living person in this room is your other voyager, should one be with you.

All around you, the shadows will identify you as the new kid, and urge you to get up and report to duty. All of them will be surprisingly friendly towards you, assisting with your questions as they come and guiding you to work.

This entire working force of Floor One, including you, is tasked with strengthening and expanding the bottom level of Queen Lolithia’s tower, so that it may safely reach the heavens with the proper support from the bottom. You must work and obey the orders of The Guard, or else you’ll be punished for disobedience. And no matter what, you must always work to your greatest ability, or else you’ll be punished. They claim that The Guard acts as the eyes of Queen Lolithia herself, and that she is always watching.

At some point, you will spot your fellow voyagers as members of The Guard.

Work on Floor One of the tower is exhausting, pushing even the strongest to their limits. You have to lift impossibly heavy objects from one place to the other, assist the shadows in building up walls and long columns reaching up to the upper floors, and other laborious tasks that are all exhausting. And any hint of weakness will result in a member of The Guard dishing out your punishment.

The punishment is physical, at first. But any repeated offenders will be punished directly by The General, who will activate your collar. When your icy collar activates, you will feel a cold, painful shock course through your body. And you will begin to forget memories. It will be small memories at first, but will grow into larger missing memories if you prove to be more and more disobedient or are seen to be not working to your best ability.

However, members of the workers are allowed breaks, as brief as they are. During breaks, workers are allowed to eat shadowy meals conjured out from nothing. Upon a break, you will see a plate of shadowy fog appear before you. It doesn’t taste like anything, honestly, and has the texture of cotton candy. Eating this shadowy meal will recover your strength...and also sap away even more of your memories.

During one of these breaks, one of the shadows will show you something. They will take you down a long, winding path, until you arrive in a large room made of stone. And inside this room is a pile of...objects. Parts of boats, strips of the roof of a house, the thick, steel beams of a ship. All random objects hobbled together in one room in random order.

The shadow will tell you that this is The Collective, a collection of materials collected over the years to be used in construction should materials run low. The shadow tells you to come to this room if you should need more building materials to help Queen Lolithia’s tower.

And in the corner of this room, you spot your voyage party’s equipment. 

Rejoined: The Escape

No matter how you plot your escape from Floor One, you will need to escape through The General’s chambers and arrive at the docks, where you first arrived. However, as you teleport to the docks, you notice multiple figures standing at the dock, looking directly at you. There, you spot The General, alone. The General will be rightfully angry at this escape attempt, and will attempt to punish one of your for disobedience and sap away more memories, this time with the intent to completely make you a completely blank slate.

However...The General can only do this to one voyager at a time. And cannot do so if he breaks his concentration. 

In order to escape and make it back to your boat...you must kill The General.

The General

HP: 60 ATK: 130 MATK: 50 DEF: 30 MDEF: 10 SPD: 5 Weak to: Light Resistant to: Dark

Winning the Battle

If you successfully kill The General, the scene will immediately freeze just as he collapses. In the center of the docks will form that mysterious, ghostly woman from before. She will seem...amused at such resistance, as if this were a game. She will approach each voyager and press a kiss to each of the voyager’s lips. Only this time, the voyagers do not fall asleep. This time...they have been cursed.

They are cursed to never speak of this place to any other soul other than their fellow voyagers. 

And once the woman has kissed every voyager, she gleefully hopes that they will return, and will vanish, and the scene will continue on. After defeat, The General will leave behind a black shard. Upon giving this to the Explorer’s Guild, they will be rewarded with 100,000G. In addition, all the voyagers’ icy collars will shatter, and all of their memories will be restored.

Losing the Battle

After all the voyagers fall to 0HP, The General will approach one of them and raise his sword to land a killing blow. However, just as the sword approaches the voyager...the scene freezes in place. Beside The General is the same ghostly woman from before, who looks smug as she looks down at each voyager. She mocks the voyagers for even attempting to abandon her grand image, though she spitefully decides to grant them their wish.

She will approach each voyager and give each a kiss. Each voyager is cursed to never speak of this place to any soul other than their fellow voyagers. And in addition, out of pure spite, half of the voyage team (or only one, in pair voyages or three person voyages) has also been inflicted with a special version of a death curse.

This death curse is different than the others. A normal death curse will merely cause a voyager to be cursed with illness to the brink of death. This death curse, however, has additional effects. This death curse will also eat away at the victim’s memories, making them sicker and sicker and forgetting everything around them, to the point of forgetting their own name. The only way to cure this death curse is through either heavy prayer at either the church or the dragon shrine...or divine intervention.

The collars will vanish from each voyager’s necks, and the voyagers who have not received the death curse with regain all their memories. 

In addition, losing the battle will cause this island to be put back into the New Island roll, putting another voyage group into the same hell.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: The Soul Well

@marveloushello | @mistresstrupin

In the distance is a rather flat island, small in size and made completely of stone. There is one pier branching off from the island, sloppily thrown together by someone who didn’t have much experience in building piers. However, there is one boat safely tied on and docked. The boat appears to be newly docked, though perhaps left alone for several days. There isn’t anything identifying about the boat, nor is there nothing of value except for a small map of the region with this location circled in thick, red marker. 

Near the center of this island appears to be a small hole with rough, carved stairs going down into the center of the island.

> No spooks for me today, good sir

> YEET

Before the voyagers can approach the hole to begin the descent, there’s a shift in the island. It doesn’t feel like an earthquake. It feels more like there has been a shift in the structural integrity of this island. Like something far beneath them has cracked. And a crack does appear on top of the island, splitting right between the two voyagers. And strangely, a purple glow emanates from this crack. It splinters across the entire stone island, with some tangents snaking around one of the voyagers. 

In an instant, the ground beneath one of the voyagers falls through, plunging them into a thick darkness. And right as the voyager vanishes from view, the island shifts again, closing up the hole to just a sliver, leaving the other on top of the island.

And the island stops shifting. For now.

Voyager One - The Fallen One and the Bloom of Sunset

You’re falling, tumbling down into an endless tunnel of darkness. You can see the light above you briefly, fleetingly as it closes up and shuts from above, only growing fainter and fainter like the fleeting departure of day. And as you tumble into total darkness, you feel the rush of water, the soft embrace of water catching your fall.

Your eyes feel heavy, muscles turn numb. Above, you can see the faint sparkle of light above, reflecting off the surface of water. You can feel yourself sinking down into this water, but you are overcome with relaxation. Despite your fall, you feel yourself slipping away into complacency, like everything will be okay. Like you don’t care as you drift further and further from the surface. Like you don’t feel the burning of your lungs as they scream for air. Like nothing bad will happen, even as everything ends around you.

Just as your eyes start to face to darkness, you feel a gentle warmth behind you, pushing you upwards. It feels like thousands of hands laying soft touches upon your back, all working towards one single goal. The closer you get to the surface, the more you feel your senses come back to you, the realization that you can’t breathe and the knowledge that you almost welcomed death with an embrace. And the warmth behind you doesn’t stop pushing you up until you start clinging to the side of the pool of water, pulling yourself up and out of danger, soaking wet and choking out water.

And when you look up, you see a brilliant sight.

A large cavern, impossibly so, filled with thousands of brilliant blue lights that float whimsically through the air like fireflies. You sit on the edge of a large cavern pond sitting near the top of this cavern. Only...it doesn’t quite look like water. It looks more like the illusion or mirage of water, though it feels like water upon touch and you’re wet enough to know it’s water. And inside this pond you see even more of these blue lights floating whimsically through the water, each one steadily traveling downward. And no matter how far you look into the pond, it appears to not have a bottom. It goes down forever to an unknown destination.

There is a small tunnel that safely leads away from the pond, though it is completely dark, with only very few lights floating within it.

Some of the blue lights will float towards the you in a curious motion, as if they are looking you over. When you look at these lights, you’ll find that there’s nothing in the center of these lights. They are simply...circles of light and nothing more. 

If you reach for the lights, your hand will pass through them. 

But you’ll see a curious picture of your brain.

You’ll see...memories.

The brief glimpse of a sailor going out to sea. The smile of someone’s lover as they look up at them. A child asking their father for more allowance. The burning memory of someone’s house turning to dust. Hearing someone’s voice go nearly raw as they desperately call out to the retreating back of their partner. A young man sketching a blooming flower in a book with countless bookmarks sticking out of it. A child peeking between the wooden railings of a ship to watch the sunrise.

All memories are seen in the first person, as if you are the one remembering these things you have never experienced in your life. The longer you maintain contact on one of these lights, the more memories of that specific light you’ll see. 

One particular light in this room seems to bound right towards you the second it notices you. At first, it maintains a safe distance, observing you from a distance. And if you reach out to touch this particular light, you’ll see a specific memory of a young woman watching a sunset. 

If you pull your hand away from this light, it will merely float right back into your hand, as if it is determined to show you something.

You’ll see disjointed memories, all anachronistic but all showing details you’ll see from the perspective of a young woman, no older than twenty three years old. The playful song she sings as she skips through the streets of an old, rustic down by the sea. Her smiles as she looks up at her lover, who looks down on her with such love and care and even you can feel your heart just bloom from the memory. The tease of her voice as she cracks jokes with one of the sailors in town. The horror as her boat to Arcadia capsizes, plunging her into waters she can’t swim out of. The bright bloom of flowers on her windowsill, a gift from her lover.

All of these memories are interspersed by prominent memories of watching the sunset.

The feelings you feel from these memories are...bittersweet. Especially regarding her lover.

And soon...you being to hear a small, faint voice as you witness these memories. The voice of a woman who has grown to accept her death. The knowledge that she’ll see her lover again in the afterlife, though she misses him desperately. And a silent request.

This light...this spirit...she wishes to see the sunset again one last time. She’s willing to help you leave this place, a place that the living aren’t meant to reside in, as long as you allow her a way to see the sunset before she completely passes on. She cannot leave this cave...but she can if inside a host.

If you are to reject helping her, she will stick beside you regardless, as you are her one last hope to fulfill her wish. She will follow until you reach the outside, where she will not be able to follow you.

If you agree to help her, she will float close to you, slowly approaching your heart and floating inside. And it’s a strange feeling, like there’s a warmth in your chest. Sometimes, it’s confusing to walk with this spirit inside you. You now possess all her memories, and sometimes you mistake her memories for your own. Sometimes, you feel yourself becoming like this person. Like you look down at your hands and see a mirage of the spirit’s hands instead. And sometimes when you look into the reflection of the pool, you see her face instead of your own.

But regardless, there is only one way out from this pool. A dark cave that leads into a vast system of caves beneath the surface of the island. And you’ll have to navigate it with the spirit’s help to make it out safely.

And perhaps...you’ll find your friend along the way.

Voyager Two - The Remnant and the Necromancer

After your fellow voyager disappears beneath the crack of the earth, the earth shakes a few more times, before finally settling into a lull. While the hole the other voyager fell into has mostly shut, the other hole with the stairs remains open. The stairs have cracks in them, but they’re still relatively safe for you to descend down. And what other choice you have? It’s either go down and try to find whatever remains of them, if they aren’t alive, or to depart on the boat back to the main islands.

The caves are dark, silent. There’s rich magic within the walls of the caves, but it doesn’t appear to be any magic of this world. It’s unfamiliar, even if you’re the most experienced wizard in all the land. And the further you descend, the stronger this magical presence becomes. It isn’t oppressing, just a fact that lingers beside you, as if it were walking with you hand in hand. There is no fear, just the knowledge that it’s there.

After several minutes of descending down, you see several faint blue lights tracing the ceiling, illuminating a cave floor filled with cracks and rubble. These blue lights are made of pure light, but behave like living creatures, almost like fireflies. And they make sure to keep far away from you, far out of your reach. Almost like they are afraid of you. While they are able to light your way, you’ll never be able to grasp the lights or touch them.

And soon the lights illuminate the end of the cave, where one lone man sits upon a fallen rock hunched over, panting as he chugs a potion. The man looks ragged, for lack of a better term. Bags are under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in years. His skin is pale and his hair is a complete mess. He looks to be no more than thirty years old, though he could be younger through the messy exterior. And when you lock eyes with this man, he seems genuinely surprised to see you. While he is initially suspicious, he will relax if you explain that you are merely here to look for your companion.

The man will soon present an explanation of just what this place contains. And will offer a deal.

This island, at its core, contains a Soul Well, a place for spirits to rest and find peace before they pass on to the other side. This particular well is made up of spirits who perish at sea. The spirits wash away into the island and gather at the well, spending time to calm their souls and prepare them for the afterlife. Typically, mortals cannot visit Soul Wells, as they are in places that the living cannot reach. However...this man has been using a mixture of Earth Magic and Necromancy to pierce the veil that keeps mortals separated from the souls contained within. It has brought him to his limits, and he isn’t going to stop until he reaches the well. He isn’t sure what horrors lie within and what defensive measures this Soul Well has, but he doesn’t care.

The man explains that he is searching for the soul of his lover, a woman who perished at sea while on a boat to Arcadia. He desperately wishes to continue her life and bring her back, using whatever means possible. Whether that means using Necromancy or implanting her soul into a new host, he doesn’t know and he doesn’t care. He wants her to be with him again, or at the very least to live out all the years that were stolen from her by a storm on the sea.

Regardless of how you feel about this man and his plans...there is no choice but to trust him. His deal is that if you help defend him and help him find the soul of his lover, he’ll help you find your fallen companion. Only his magic can pierce the veil into the Soul Well. No normal earth magic can craft tunnels in this island.

Thus, the choice is plain. Help the man or risk losing your only way further into the island.

Soon after you make your choice, the man - this necromancer - uses his magic to continue to dig a tunnel. There’s a flash of purple light, the sound of breaking glass, and there’s another earthquake not unlike the one that cracked the ground earlier. And the rock in front of him tumbles to the ground...revealing an entrance to an elaborate cave system.

And hopefully...your friend lies within.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Patema Horizon

@summertidesun @ladyshadowland @strxwberrypriestess @tartetori

Along the horizon lies a completely flat island on the water. There are no distinguishing features of the island except for some odd trees that sprout out from the ground in weird formations, almost like roots.

However, as the voyage group gets close enough to the island, there is a shift in the water.

Slowly, the boat begins to flip over. And strangely, the voyagers do not feel as though they are being knocked off of it. Their feet remain planted right on the ground as the boat slowly flips over, submerging itself into the water until it is completely upside down. And then, the boat floats as normal, only floating on the surface of the water, with the bottom of the boat in the air. 

The other side of the island is breathtaking. 

Towers, impossibly large, jutting from the other side of the flat island into the depths of the sea. All crystallized and beautiful, a mesmerizing mixture of blues, pinks, yellows. There are windows on each tower, like underwater skyscrapers. And the entire island beneath the surface looks like a city out of a dream. Directly ahead is a vast pier system, meant to hold hundreds of ships yet containing none. The piers all jut out from the city, not tethered to anything yet maintaining its shape underwater.

Unfortunately...this is the only place the voyagers can go to. Their world has entirely turned upside down, and they and their boat have been cursed upon getting close enough. Their gravity is upside down. Trying to sail away will not make their boat return to normal. Climbing out of the boat will only cause the voyager to fall down into the sky. The oxygen on the other side of the water’s surface has become like water to them, and they’ll be unable to breathe it.

However...who would possibly think of leaving with a sight like this?

> Explore Patema Horizon

The city is...beautiful. Quiet, but holding a faint hum to the ambiance, like the sound of a wind-chime blowing somewhere far away. Between the crystalline towers are vast roads, patches of blue colored grass, and trees with leaves the color of fire. Some parts of it almost seems alien. 

Exploring the city is almost akin to exploring Leuda, if it had been abandoned on a moment’s notice. The towers have shops on practically every floor, all not attended to and free to peruse without fear of being caught if you should take something. There are a few other towers. Residences, vast apartment buildings that seem practically endless. 

Occasionally, one could even see sea creatures swimming through it all, right side up but looking upside down from the voyager’s perspectives.

However, there is a particular building in the center of the city that is different from the rest. A shorter building, almost looking like a temple. And this temple is made out of a green crystal. 

The inside of this building is completely empty. It looks as though it used to be similar to a church. There are spaces where pews used to be, a stone altar left completely clean...and a mirror. A mirror right in the back of the room. It reflects everything inside...except for the voyagers.

While the voyagers are exploring this city...whether they are traveling together or not...they will eventually encounter someone. Or several someones. They will find exact copies of themselves walking around. They won’t necessarily find their own copy. Perhaps they’ll only find a copy of another voyager. Or they will find their own copy. It’s hard to say. But these copies are nothing like the voyagers.

These copies are complete opposites of the voyagers in every sense of the word aside from appearance. On the outside, they’ll look nearly identical. But personality-wise...they are anything but.

These copies will also attempt to show that they are the superior version of the voyager. A shy voyager whose opposite is an outgoing personality. A terrible voyager whose opposite is a sweetheart. Whatever trait that the copies shine in, they’ll be displaying them full force. Perhaps they’ll try to convince their own original. Perhaps they’ll try to convince the others that they’re the superior version.

If a copy manages to convince someone to remain, they’ll lead the original to the emerald building in the center of town. In this room, neither the copy or the original will have reflections. There, they will perform a spell on the mirror and instruct the original to step through the mirror. If it is done, the copy will now have a reflection in this mirror.

If the original steps through the mirror, they will find themselves trapped inside a completely dark room, alone. No matter how much they run, they will not hit a wall. And as time goes on, they will begin to fade away. First it will be the transparency of their hands, which slowly fades into the rest of their body. Then they’ll be unable to see their own body. Then they’ll be unable to move. And then...they’ll finally begin to mentally fade away.

In order to defeat these copies and rescue any original voyagers who have entered the mirror, someone will need to shatter the mirror. Once this mirror is broken, then the voyagers are free to leave this island. However...they can’t wait for too long. Eventually, voices will be heard from all across the crystal city, and the mirror will slowly begin to put itself back together. Once it gets back together, the copies will be roaming the place again and they’ll still be unable to leave.

After getting a distance of about 1 mile from the island, they will flip back to the right side of the water. Also, anything collected from the island will float up into the sky.

However...anyone who comes back will likely face the mirror yet again.

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: West Gate

@earth-priestess | @therunefarmer | @postmanwayne

Along a rather calm patch of the ocean, there is a long shallow patch of water. In this patch, the salt water goes no higher than to your ankles, and beneath the shallow waters is a smooth sand that feels rather nice to walk on. There is a single pier jutting out from this circular shallow patch in the water, though it is suffering from years of wear and lack of upkeep. However, the center of this shallow patch holds a rather interesting sight.

In a row along the center of the island are a series of wooden gates. These gates do not look impressive at all. In fact, they mainly look hastily slapped together, some of the gates even collapsed from a lack of stability. They appear to have no special qualities to them at a glance, but any magic user would be able to feel certain magics radiating from each wooden gate. It’s too faint to tell exactly which kind, but it seems to react to the presence of people. 

Specifically, magic begins to react when people start to step through the gates.

> I’ve seen enough horror movies to know where this is headed

> H-Hewwo?

The magic begins as you walk through the gates. You walk through one. Then another. And then it seems like the gates have no end. And then it seems like you’re going faster than your feet are taking you. And you can’t stop. You tell your legs to stop but they won’t listen. And then at the end of the line, as you pass through the final gate in the line...you are no longer in the middle of the sea.

You find yourself in the center of a castle courtyard, with tall castle architecture all around you.

The gates behind you are gone, leaving you stranded for the moment.

It isn’t an abandoned castle at all, however. The garden is well-kept and thriving. The pathways are well-traveled. And after a few moments of exploring the castle, you are met with the sole resident of the castle. 

The Master of the castle, a charming young man with a very giving and polite attitude about him. He graciously offers you sanctuary for the evening and will answer any questions regarding the place...aside from how to leave. His gaze is almost hypnotic, like something is convincing you to believe him and take in his words as fact. 

He welcomes you to his castle and allows you to make yourself at home. And he leaves you to your own devices.

The castle is a large, vast castle with countless rooms. The entire space seems entirely empty aside from you and The Master. However...it doesn’t mean that all of the rooms are completely empty. There are grey shadows occupying some spaces. These shadows act as the castle’s maids, cooks...basically all the servants.

And there doesn’t seem to be an exit to the castle. There are no doorways leading out. All windows facing away from the courtyard are completely foggy. It is like this castle is the only spot in the world.

The longer you stay at the castle, the more The Master appears to assign certain...roles to you and your companions. He begins calling one of your companions by another name...and all of a sudden it is difficult to remember their real name. They begin treating one of your companions as a lover...and they begin acting as the part. Whatever role he treats you as...you begin working to become that role. As if by magic.

In the basement of the castle is a pressure, a book that makes all of the magic affecting you and your companions begin to fade. Just enough to make you remember yourself. The book is a very old magic, impossible to even comprehend for even the most skilled magician. And when you take this book out of the basement, things begin to crack. 

The castle begin to feel...disjointed. Chaotic. Cracks appear on the walls, and the layout of the castle seems different everytime you walk through a door. The magic affecting your companions is beginning to fade and they remember themselves. 

And in the center of this chaos...is The Master.

The Master is a disjointed shell of a human, with cracks upon his skin like porcelain and all breaks revealing a completely empty interior. However...he isn’t giving up without a fight. You must fight The Master, skilled in void magic and necromancy, to escape West Gate.

Once The Master is defeated, you and your companions will find yourself outside of West Gate with the ancient book. The ancient book is unable to be removed from the island, and if dropped into the water, it will not become wet. No harm will come to the book at all.

And if someone else takes the book through West Gate...something interesting will happen.