166 lines
No EOL
12 KiB
Text
166 lines
No EOL
12 KiB
Text
This warbling gate is a golden ring with a gray magic wall, looking like a slowly moving gray fog
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In the graveyard:
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https://youtu.be/fX07qD_782Y?si=DipdsPgRYBKiCadk
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In the cathedral:
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https://youtu.be/6H2JbT4BRDU?si=lvecRpHQf5X5fU8H
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## Upon exiting the GRAY gate,
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you feel a strange chill run up all your spines. Not from it being cold, but moreso because you find yourself face to face with several rows of tombstones that extend into an unending gray mist.
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Welcome to the **Graveyard** demense!
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(WILL ROLL)
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(Lowest roller) suddenly has the strangest sensation that they don't want to go any further inside. You feel a sense of dread at the thought of what may happen in this massive graveyard.
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*IF THEY CONTINUE*
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As far as the eye can see is just rows upon rows of graves on both sides. The ones closest to the path itself look brand new, and their dates reflect as such. But other than that and the gray mist, you only see the brick path ahead of you.
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(NOTICE roll) You hear a strange kind of noise, like wood on stone creaking and clacking, as well as a few footsteps. Moments later, you spot a body in the distance, obscured by the mist.
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The obscured figure is a wolf man with messy silver hair, pulling a wheeled wooden cart behind himself. He will put the cart down a moment later, roll up the sleeves on his black dress shirt, bearing a beat-up gray nametag reading AZRAEL.
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*IF THEY SAY ANYTHING OR APPROACH FURTHER*
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The wolf man will suddenly turn to your group, his eyes a dull emerald green. He will speak with a soft Tamil accent, "Oh... Abologies, I was focusing on my work."
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He steps to the back side of his cart, grabbing an armload of fresh flowers. He walks to the graves beside the main path, kneeling to each one as he mutters a few words in a language NONE of you recognize, then places a few of them on the grave.
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(INVESTIGATE ROLL)
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- His beat-up nametag has a sticker over it with the text AZRAEL written on it
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- His fur hides it well, but he has hypertrophic scars on his forearms, and they wrap around his entire arm
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-----
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(The language is SUMERIAN)
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(The oldest recorded language in history)
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(Tamil sounds similar to middle eastern)
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(Replace T with D, P with B, roll the R, soft A)
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-----
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*ASK ABOUT DM/REGALIA*
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"Abologies, I know id is rude of me, bud I have much work do do before dhe ceremony. Would you be willing do waid inside for me? I will nod be long." He points down the pathway, and the fog is ebbing just enough for the general outline of a much larger building to be seen in the distance.
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-----
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You eventually come to a large cathedral-like facility with a massive pair of wide open doors, a sign beside them stating the next FUNERAL SERVICE and what time it starts. There is also a building on either side, not as fancy as the huge cathedral in the middle, but built similarly.
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*LEFT BUILDING*
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It's a storage facility filled with instruments. A piano, violin, harp, flute, ceremonial drums, and the tools to repair them all. You also spot a box with a couple dozen magic rings in a gray hue
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*RIGHT BUILDING*
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It's a warehouse with several sets of nice dress clothes in multiple sizes, as well as "pine boxes" in identical sizes, plus shovels, large slabs of stone, chisels, choir gowns, a wooden podium, and a surprisingly large hair and makeup kit.
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*OPEN CATHEDRAL*
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You enter the main congregation hall, with rows of pews like a church. The elevated stage in the back is holding a podium, an open casket, and a portrait of the deceased.
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There are dozens of people in the seats ahead of you, chattering, crying, and even laughing as they support each other. A few people are walking up to the casket every so often to say their goodbyes.
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(CONTACTS ROLL) It's a photo of Warton, the elderly bulldog man that ran the bookstore
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A younger bulldog man steps forth to the podium as that same grayscale wolf man you met earlier steps up to the piano, playing a soft tune as the bulldog speaks. "Hello, uh.. My name is Peyton, and I'm Warton's son. I want to thank you all for coming out to say your goodbyes and... I'm... I'm sorry, I'm gonna need a moment." He pauses to step away and take a stilling breath.
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"My father was a unique kind of guy. Always happy, well read, smartest man I ever met. He was always on the lookout for some new story or book he'd never heard of, loved meeting new people, and all he ever wanted was for others to love stories as much as he did."
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"He made sure to read to me every night, and I always felt like I never really told him how much it meant to me that he did..." He paused again, fighting back tears.
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"Back when I was a student at Diadem University, they had a class where they went over each known religion's interpretation of the afterlife. They were all different, but the trend showed if you were a decent person, then when you died, you went somewhere amazing or maybe got a better life the next time around."
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"I say that to say, this man was quite possibly the kindest, strongest, and most morally upright man I ever knew. And I may not be a religious man, but if any of them turns out to be true, he deserves the absolute best and has MORE than earned it."
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He turns to the casket, mic in hand. "Thank you for everything. I just hope that, wherever you are right now, you know that you are now, and always will be, loved."
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The audience erupts in applause and comments, a few stepping up on stage to hug him and compliment his bravery. The next person in line, a cardinal man, steps up to speak next.
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(NOTICE ROLL) You noticed the music stopped, and the wolf man from earlier is now standing/sitting a few feet from your group.
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"Abologies for my indrusion, I hope you do not mind. Bud afder hearing him, I needed do dake a moment for myself. Id is empowering do hear one speak with such passion. And id is clear as day his fadher is so full of pride knowing his son dhinks so highly of him."
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*IF THEY ASK HOW HE KNOWS*
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"Id is my... gifd, in a sense. In a manner similar do how dhe magic of dhis world has a unique color, dhere is a madching color do dhe emotions of people." He extends his hand for you to touch.
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*TOUCH THE HAND*
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Everything you can see shifts a bit, the room around you losing its color, and the people themselves now giving vivid colorful glows.
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You can see multiple sad people warble in a mix of blue & gray, including Peyton. There are a couple people to the side laughing and being supportive glowing a blend of yellow & violet with wisps of gray mixed in. You spot one person slumped in their seat, glowing an ominous black.
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-----
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(INVESTIGATE Roll) It turns out to be Nash, hunkered into a ball somewhat and staring at the floor. He has a blank expression, but his cheeks are stained with tears.
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*IF THEY APPROACH*
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He will look up to them, give a half-hearted "hey," and go back to staring at the floor.
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*IF THEY PRESS*
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"I knew Mr. Warton growing up... he helped me learn stuff when I was going through college... I didn't want to believe he was gone, but... yeah..."
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-----
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(EMPATHY Roll) You see a person shrouded in gray that wasn't there before you touched his hand, patting Peyton's shoulder with a warm smile, but it looks like Peyton doesn't even notice.
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"In dhis life, loss comes from so many blaces, bud none so sdrong as dhe loss of life. Id is such a sdrong loss, dhe sensation can even be feld in dhe afderlife."
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(highest roller)'s eyes are acting a bit odd, and are glitching a bit back and forth between normal view and this new mood ring like view.
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"Dhad is why dhese ceremonies exisd, so dhose dhad feel dhe loss of dhemselves and dheir loved ones can grieve. Id allows dhad magic do gadher, calls do dhe one dhey all losd, and allows dhem do move on peacefully. Nod say goodbye, bud do come do derms widh whad happened, AND prepare for whad comes nexd, widh no regreds."
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-----
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That player has earned a new STUNT:
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EYES OF ETERNITY
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- +2 on EMPATHY rolls with people in distress
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- EMPATHY ROLL to read emotions as a color aura
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-----
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His wolf ears will suddenly flick a bit, and he will stand up, staring atraight at the door. "I beliebe we have uninvided guesds.. excuse me." He will quietly walk out the door, making sure to close it behind him.
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Moments later, you hear several screams of men AND women just outside, while thankfully the people at the funeral have not heard a word.
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*WHEN THEY GO OUTSIDE*
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You will see the thickest blanket of gray mist outside the doors, but you THINK you can also recognize the outline of seven or eight people, the closest one looking like the wolf man.
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His back is turned to your group, and he steps forward, causing all the people he is facing to jump backwards a bit. You even hear one of them scream STAY BACK!!!
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You see the faint outline of something extending from his hand, but it is obscured by the mist. "None of you are on dhe lisd... I advise you leave before dhad changes..."
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In a fashion identical to an old horror movie, you hear several of the people suddenly shriek and run in the opposite direction.
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He will turn to your group, the mist slowly evaporating and his hands empty. "Abologies, id was some eh... barty crashers, here do ruin dhe ceremony."
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"Now dhad we are oudside, I believe now is a good dime for indroductions..." He reaches to his nametag and yanks off the sticker, revealing an equally banged up series of letters spelling THANATOS.
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"My name is Thanatos, and I am dhe Masder and caredaker of dhis, dhe Deadh demense. Id is a bleasure do officially meed you."
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*IF ASKED ABOUT CHALLENGE*
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He sighs a bit. "Drudhfully I would nod be able do do this right now, as I have many ceremonies to berform doday. Dhis one should be just aboud over, and a new one shall begin soon afder."
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Just as he says that, everyone at the funeral files out the front doors, casket at the very front in the arms of four men, the rest following with all the photos and flowers in hand.
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One of the grieving women, an elderly cardinal, walks over to Thanatos, sniffing and tearing up. "Thank you for such a lovely ceremony, sir. You did everything perfectly." He kneels down so he is at her eye level, taking her hands in his and smiling softly at her.
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"A gread man deserves nodhing less dhan do be surrounded by friends and family, no differend dhan in life. All I did was provide dhe venue. Your people... dhey made dhe ceremony come do life."
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She suddenly jumps up and hugs him tightly, bawling into his shoulder for a moment, and he eventually returns her embrace. And that is when she realizes your group standing right behind him.
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She quickly releases him and covers her mouth with both hands over a soft gasp, taking a step back, and straightens her outfit out a bit. "I-Im so sorry, I didn't see you there.. I'm Rowena. I'm here for the service.. obviously.." She pauses and looks to Thanatos. "Are these your friends, or..?"
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He replies hesitantly, "Dhey are nod friends ber se, dhey are.. a fudure abboindmend."
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She gasps a bit and walks up to you all, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "I'm so sorry for your loss. My husband just lost his closest friend and gambling buddy."
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Thanatos reaches down and holds her shoulder. "Acdually no, dhere is no loss. Dhey have a differend kind of abboindmend."
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She turns to him a bit confused. "You do other things than funerals here?"
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"Indeed. We host birdhday bardies, ghosd sdory nighds, and slam poedry readings on weekends." And she bursts out laughing, which catches the attention of the entire congregation as they set up the carry to the burial. He kindly ushers her to go back to her event, and she staggers off, laughing the whole way.
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"Dhad is dhe kind of momend I exisd for. Despide dhe endless flow of dears, she found a momend do share a smile. And now, dhad smile will become as infecdious as the woe dhad broughd dhem here. And she knows if she can smile ad a dime like dhis, dhen... she will be okay." By the time he stops talking, the entire group of people she was part of are all bellowing in laughter.
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(Whoever kept the eye ability can see her blue sadness fading into yellow joy, as does many others)
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"Id is dime for me do begin proceedings for dhe next ceremony... bud I meand whad I said when I referred to you as a fudure abboindmend. Come back on any fudure dade and we shall have your challenge. For now, I have much do do."
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He will step away from your group, heading back into the cathedral and slamming the doors behind him. |