lots of changes nearly done

Story/03 - Demense/Green-Demense.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+This gate is a golden ring with a green magic wall, looking like a slow swirling tornado 
+  
+In the meadow:  
+https://youtu.be/TZSA5HbOIEA?si=LsifjOBxxEd7iTrq  
+  
+In the Archery range:  
+https://youtu.be/D9X-bE51G08?si=v7PRWVioJGvBxWTb  
+  
+## Upon exiting the GREEN gate,  
+you feel the gentlest of breezes, you hear the lightest rustling of grass in the wind, and you see nothing but the cleanest and lushest green grasses as far as the eye can see, sparsely decorated by the occasional tree.
+  
+Welcome to the **Grasslands** demense! 
+ 
+(NOTICE ROLL) 
+The silence is abruptly interrupted by a sputtering noise coming from right beside your group, a horse head leaning down and nibbling the shirt sleeve of (lowest roller).
+
+The horse is inside a large wooden corral connected to a stable with a dozen other horses. You also see a sign against the fence that reads "Villi's Fillies, Rentals 10z." 
+  
+*IF ANYONE COMMENTS ON IT* 
+A female voice from behind you speaks out. "Knock it off Rosa, they don't have food for you!"  
+  
+The gate is attached to a fairly large boulder, and lying atop said Boulder stretched out is a black Kitsune in a matching black skirt over a white long sleeved top. "Dont worry about them, they just want some snacks."  
+ 
+*ASKS ABOUT HER*  
+She doesn't really move, but her head turns a little toward you. "Name's Villi. You new here?" 
+  
+*ASKING ABOUT DM/REGALIA* 
+She sits upright and perks her ears, listening for a moment. You see she is wearing a white kimomo-style top, a drastic contrast to her own black fur, and also has long black hair. "You want the Land Lord, he's that way about... two miles. Look for the giant oak tree next to the horse stable."
+ 
+*IF ANYONE COMPLAINS* 
+She rolls her golden brown (almost red) eyes and jumps down behind the rock, stepping out from behind it and walking into the ranch's main entrance. "Come with me."
+
+She will lead you into a walkway outside of the main pen, a few of the horses within approaching your group curiously. "Walking would take a while, but if you were to ride THESE, you'd get there in a few minutes." 
+ 
+*IF YES* 
+She will guide (1/2 the number of players rounded up) horses toward the entrance, slips a saddle pad, an all purpose saddle, & a bridle to each, and extends the reigns to your group. "Pick your pairs, I don't have enough single saddles for all of you right now."
+ 
+*REGARDLESS OF WHICH OPTION* 
+As you travel through the lush grasses, you see mostly open greenery all being pushed around by a light breeze, and you hear leaves rustling in the nearby trees. You spot an occasional rabbit hopping through the shorter grasses or a bird flying by overhead, but other than that, it's a quiet calm bit of travel. 
+ 
+(NOTICE ROLL)
+(All rollers) You spot an extremely large and flourishing tree in the distance, its branches overhanging and partially covering the outlines of a wooden fence.
+(HIGHEST ROLLER) As your group gets closer, you detect a peculiar scent in the air, something delicate and sweet. And it gets stronger as you get closer to your destination.
+ 
+As you all get closer, you see the grass gets much taller, except for this one conveniently cut out section narrowing down into a governed path.
+
+- You push your way through the tall grasses, 
+- You follow the path through the tall grasses,
+and you notice the grass is cut in a spacious circle around the tree. Both it & the path leading to it are kept incredibly short, while the grass AROUND it is a few feet taller, almost acting like a natural fence. Perfect for hiding in plain sight.
+
+(TO THE LEFT)
+The wooden fence is actually a fairly large wooden corral with about a dozen horses inside, wearing similar saddle and bridle sets as the ones from Villi's ranch.
+
+(BEFORE YOU)
+You are in the shadow of a massive oak tree, easily 50 feet wide at the base and likely even taller, with thick brush hanging from its branches partly hiding a few hanging ropes.
+ 
+(TO THE RIGHT)
+You spot another fenced in area, but this one is a garden with rows of bushes covered in flowers, which is definitely where the sweet scent is coming from.
+
+-----
+- CORRAL
+- TREE
+- GARDEN
+-----
+ 
+*CORRAL* 
+All the horses inside are casually eating grass or drinking from a nearby trough of water, all of them wearing saddles, most of which are single seaters. The corral doorway has a large sign on it saying "hold your horses" sitting just above a latched gate.
+
+(IF THEY BROUGHT HORSES)
+The gate opens easily enough from the outside, and the horses walk inside with no complaint. The first thing the horses do is go for the nearby food and water troughs.
+
+-----
+ 
+*GARDEN* 
+There are a dozen rows of bush that stretch out several yards back, all contained within a handcrafted wooden fence. The lattice archway at the entrance is about eight feet high and ten feet wide, with a wooden sign on the left stating "Camellia Sinensis" and an identical sign on the right stating "free to take."
+
+The bushes all look identical from beginning to end, some having flowers and some having tiny brown or green berries. The bushes that DO have flowers are either a brilliant white or with some small amounts of pink, seven or eight petals each, with yellow stamen in each of them. 
+ 
+(ACADEMICS ROLL) Camellia Sinensis is the scientific name for the Tea Plant. You are looking at a massive tea garden.
+
+-----
+ 
+*OAK TREE* 
+You couldn't see it from so far away, but there is a large treehouse hidden inside its higher branches. It is masterfully crafted, shaped right in and around the branches themselves, blending in seamlessly. There is a partly hidden rope ladder on the left and a climbing rope on the right, both leading to a wooden outcropping. 
+  
+*IF THEY CALL UP* 
+You get no response except for some chirping of birds around you. 
+ 
+*IF THEY CLIMB IN* 
+You make your way to the landing, which could easily be called a porch, and there is no real front door. You can easily see inside, and it is very obviously a genuine home, full of breezy open windows, and comprised of three main rooms: the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom
+ 
+- The living room has a wood and wicker double couch & single chair set with a coffee table in between them all, and a fireplace centered  behind them.
+ 
+- The left doorway leads to the fully functional kitchen, including a wooden table & chairs, cabinets full of glass & wood dishware, shelves full of jars of dried leaves, an actual metal sink, and an old-fashioned ice box fridge.
+ 
+- The right doorway leads to the bedroom, which is fairly empty aside from a couple small tables around what LOOKS like it should be a bed, but it resembles a giant fabric sack full of... hay or straw?
+
+-----
+ 
+(INVESTIGATE ROLL)
+- You stare out from the higher-up window, and
+- You walk behind the tree itself, and
+you spot a huge group of people behind the tree, but they're all weirdly making very little noise.
+
+*BEHIND THE TREE*
+There is a group of tables with people crafting things behind the tree, yoga practicers on the left, kite flyers on the right, and archers in the back shooting targets FAR into the distance.
+
+This explains why you couldn't hear them, everyone is doing quiet activities.
+
+-----
+- ARCHERS
+- CRAFTERS
+- KITE FLYERS
+- YOGA
+-----
+
+*YOGA*
+You see one instructor, a swan woman in a black leotard, leading a group of nine other men and women in stretching exercises. They bend in a myriad of directions that some of you could easily handle, and a few that you couldn't do in your wildest dreams.
+
+*APPROACH*
+When she spots you, the teacher advises everyone to take a ten minute break, then approaches your group with a smile and a towel slung over her neck. You now spot her green nametag stating AVA. "Hello, can I help you?"
+
+*SENT BY SISTER SCHOOL*
+"Oh you met my twin sister, lovely. This is where we host our classes, as this grassland is so open and free for everyone to bond with nature. But some people prefer a more... rigid facility, so we co-opted the gym building. Were you interested in signing up for one of our schools?"
+
+*DM/REGALIA*
+"Oh you're here to see the Landlord? I believe he is practicing his Archery today a bit farther down."
+
+-----
+
+*TABLES*
+The eight or so people relaxing at the table are doing arts and crafts projects with the twigs, berries, and leaves of nearby trees. Some of them appear to be makeshift arrow shafts, others look like they're stripping the leaves and petals of the flowers from the garden, and one is making a bird nest held together with blades of grass.
+
+*APPROACH*
+A young boy in an indigo hoodie and white shorts turns to your group. He puts down his bowl and chasen (bamboo whisk) and quietly asks, "Need something?"
+
+*DM/REGALIA*
+He points toward the archers. "Landlord's that way."
+
+-----
+
+*KITES*
+The four people flying kites are all lying in the grass, each one's kite string tied to their ankle or wrist and actively being guided in the soft wind. One is flying a diamond kite, one is flying a square box kite, one is flying a snake themed windsock, and one is flying a mini hot air balloon.
+
+*APPROACH*
+The four people in the grass are actually a group of identical looking geckos, each one wearing the same style of red shirt and blue shorts with short dirty blonde hair, the only difference between them being the various shades of their clothing and hair. They all look up to you at the same time. "Yes?"(x4)
+
+*DM/REGALIA*
+They all point their respective kite-holding appendages toward the archers. "That way." (x4)
+
+-----
+
+You spot five different people in all manner of dress, shooting either practice arrows, homemade arrows, or true arrows in professional grade old fashioned wood bows. Most of them actually make their mark, aside from one or two that break on release, but that doesn't seem to deter anyone.
+
+*APPROACH*
+A white moth woman with black hair in a ponytail turns to you, lowering her bow. She's wearing an old fashioned white kyudogi training shirt with a long red hakama skirt, and a green nametag reading BELL. Her eyes carry a tired expression, but she approaches with an odd amount of grace. "Good afternoon, can I help you?"
+
+*DM/REGALIA*
+She nods quietly. "Follow me, please."
+
+She walks at. abit of a slower pace into the grassy distance to another cut grass clearing, where there sits a solitary green snake man in a loose fitting white Japanese Yukata with blue sky sleeve ends. The right arm is completely slid off, revealing the black shirt with red trim underneath, only barely obscured by the quiver of arrows on his back.
+ 
+She raises a hand to put a finger vertically against her lips, then points to all of you, and then the ground. (She is telling you to be silent and wait here.) She walks forward quietly, and when she is maybe ten yards away, she finally calls to him. "Lord Corentin, you have visitors."
+
+Without turning toward her, he pulls out a fresh arrow and nocks it in his bow, aiming it directly at the sky in complete silence, holding perfectly still. Bell will take this opportunity to walk back to your group, nod quietly, and walk away.
+
+*AFTER ANY RESPONSE*
+He turns to the side, staring into the distant grasses with his slitted green eyes, and fires the arrow in a seemingly random direction, staying in the air for several seconds before finally coming down and disappearing in the taller grass. And the moment it disappears, you hear a female voice in the far distance shout "OW! SON OF A BITCH!"  
+  
+A far off head suddenly stands up, looking like a human woman under a bandana, rubbing her forehead and holding the arrow in her hand, which you now see is tipped with a green rubber ball. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"  
+  
+*IF ANYONE ASKS ABOUT HER SAYING 'WE'* 
+*OR IF NOONE NOTICES, (NOTICE ROLL)* 
+Several more people pop up form the grass, one of whom is wearing a motorcycle helmet and smacks her upside the back of the head.
+
+The one in the helmet takes off through the tall grass, leaving the others (clearly Marauders) to charge after you and Corentin.
+
+But right when they get close, the green rubber ball on the arrow will suddenly POP, causing them all to scream that their ears are now either hurting immensely, or they can't hear. 
+
+*ALL ENEMIES WILL HAVE DISADV UNTIL THE START OF THEIR SECOND TURNS*
+
+*CORENTIN WILL ADD COVER FIRE IF NEEDED*
+
+AFTER THE FIGHT  
+  
+The Marauders lie in a heap, many of them with blood stains around their ears. Corentin slithers closer, placing his (now broken) bow against his back. "You have disturbed the peace of my demense. I wish to know why."  
+  
+The one out of the group that can actually hear him, some form of disguised reptilian male, will reply, "That's what we were sent here to do! It's literally our job!"
+
+Corentin closes his eyes and shakes his head in disappointment, pulls down the other sleeve of his yukata, and unfurls a large pair of reptilian wings, an array of long emerald green scales glittering on them in the sunlight, almost like crystalline feathers. "Please take your disturbance strategy elsewhere."
+
+He flaps his wings once, and then darts toward the Marauders, causing them to shriek, before making an abrupt turn and suddenly encircling them sideways, his serpent-like body trailing behind him as he forms a tight circle. 
+
+It takes a few moments, but you see a slowly forming vortex of green magic form around the Marauders. Each one slowly levitates off the ground as a small tornado forms, pitching each one of them high into the air and out of view.
+
+-----
+  
+*PLAYERS ASK ABOUT MARAUDERS* 
+All but one of them are unanimously flung through the gate by the air current, the last one flopping on the ground in front of it. And when she raises her head, her eyes are greeted by the sight of Villi, cracking her knuckles.
+
+-----
+
+Corentin suddenly lurches back towards your group, making a sudden stop a few feet before you, standing tall on his serpentine body. He collapses his wings with a soft sigh, resleeving his yukata over his left arm only as before. "I appreciate your assistance in removing the troublemakers. Care to join me for a cup of tea?"  
+  
+*BACK AT THE TREEHOUSE* 
+He hangs his quiver of arrows and NOW broken bow by the door on wooden hooks, slithering to his kitchen, and coming back out with three kettles, all of which are placed in the fireplace. He lights a match to start a fire in it, the smoke rolling up and out a fairly well hidden chimney. "While the kettles warm, why don't we discuss what brings you here today?"  
+
+-----
+
+READ EACH OF THESE OVER THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION
+
+As you chat, he will grab a jar of honey and (number of players +1) cups out of his cupboard, placing them on a nearby table, each with a saucer and a spoon.
+
+*HE WILL POUR TEA FOR EVERYONE AS THEY TALK* 
+The first kettle will pour white tea for anyone wanting something sweet and fruity. 
+The second kettle will pour green tea for anyone wanting something flowery and earthy. 
+The third kettle will pour black tea for anyone wanting something malty and full-bodied
+
+-----
+
+*ASK ABOUT VILLI*
+"Oh yes, the young lady with the horse ranch... she came here a few years ago with the stresses of the universe on her shoulders it seemed. Lost, alone, betrayed by one she trusted her entire life... I can sense she still harbors a grudge, but she is slowly learning she does not need to let it consume her very being. Her stables are proof of this, horses are known to be excellent stress therapy animals."
+
+*WHEN DM/REGALIA IS MENTIONED* 
+"My Regalia is no longer in my possession. It was stolen from me some months ago." He oddly doesn't seem to care that much about it, treating it no differently than losing a sock he would never use. 
+ 
+*IF THEY ASK WHY HE DOESNT SEEM TO CARE* 
+"Well it wouldn't do for a demense master of the most Serene paradise in all of Diadem to lose his composure, would it? The demense is sort of a... reflection of its master, and as such, we share certain aesthetics and characteristics. I can see you have visited another demense before mine, and I'm sure you noticed how... peculiarly perfect the demense is to its respective master."
+
+(READ THESE BASED ON WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN)
+- A raging inferno volcano and endless labor for the angry Aodaghan
+- An endless supply of discovery and information for the curious Conroy
+- An endlessly enjoyable party palace for the joyful Zahir
+- A visually calm ocean with endless depths for the stoic Dorrin
+- A thriving farmland of endless bounty for the compassionate Arledge
+- An infinite range of potential companionship for the intimate Miranda
+- A protective wonderland of wintery beauty for the timid Whittaker
+- An imposing facility and symbol of justice for the prideful Fulmo
+- A somber resting place and ceremony hall for the mournful Thanatos
+- A curiously dangerous & beautiful forest for the seclusive Cassius
+- A thoroughly challenging playground for the auspicious Tlaloc
+
+He sits down with his own cup of tea, taking a long slow sip. "Mm.. but mine is a peaceful and airy pasture, where stress and aggravation can be left behind, and one could embrace the sensation of tranquility in all its forms."
+
+"The sight of the rustling leaves from the vine, the sound of the flickering grass,
+the smell of the inviting flowers,
+the taste of the cleanest & purest air,
+the feel of the breeze against one's skin.
+This place is a delight to all five senses, and embodies the purest aspect of peace."
+
+He stares at each of you from behind his cup. "I desire nothing more than to share that with anyone whom wishes to partake. Including you."
+
+He will finish his cup of tea and stretch his arms high over his head. "Today has been a rather exciting day... I believe it is my turn to relax... If you happen to come across my bow, please do return it to me, and we can discuss a potential challenge then."