Nanashi Kokoro
38468ba75f
- Changed DOMAIN to DEMENSE - Improved Demense interactions - Altered NPC listings Signed-off-by: Nanashi Kokoro <nanashikokoro@gmail.com>
192 lines
No EOL
17 KiB
Text
192 lines
No EOL
17 KiB
Text
This gate is a golden ring with a white magic wall, looking like a slow falling of snowflakes
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In the snow:
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https://youtu.be/Tkn3YVh4wu8?si=8Ackzr_TD9qwpX49
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On the snowball field:
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https://youtu.be/qD2ahwiPRBk?si=sMQ2yPCv_X6BI5tr
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## Upon exiting the WHITE gate,
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You are immediately struck with a wave of cold and the sound of crunching as you step into ankle-deep snow, and the sight of a pure field of white stretches as far as the eye can see.
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Welcome to the **Tundra** demense!
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(Dont penalize the players for not having warm clothes, just make them experience cold-like symptoms. The second time they step out, THEN start penalizing them with either HP damage or the FROZEN status effect, or anything else you deem appropriate)
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You're not alone though, there are dozens of other people here enjoying the winter time as well.
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- There are several adults and kids alike sledding down the long inclines to the left
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- A small group of adults are slowly building a MASSIVE igloo on the right
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- Several children have grouped off in the center and set up base walls for a surprisingly well coordinated snowball fight
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- In the distance you see a few couples wearing ice skates, dancing across a frozen river of ice like it was nothing
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(Everyone they talk to is bundled up so thickly in winter clothing that you can't tell who or what they are, but everyone you ask questions to will give basic generic answers)
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(If they ask about the DM/REGALIA, the response will be "The Demense Master tends to keep away from public eye, not really sure why.")
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(NOTICE ROLL)
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You hear whip cracking noises, followed by the sound of a man with a thick accent yelling MUSH! MUSH! coming from your immediate right. Pulling in and stopping right behind your group is a good old fashioned dozen-dog snowdog sled, which is pulling a second sled with multiple smaller seats behind it.
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The sled driver steps off, a rather large man under a thick tan winter coat with the hood pulled up,his white nametag reading EXILE. He pulls back the hood to reveal his face so he can speak, and he is a blue and white husky man who speaks with a thick Russian accent. "Hello comrades! You are new of the faces in this demense! Are you in need of guide dog perhaps? Ha ha!"
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*ASKS ABOUT DM/REGALIA*
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He will shake his head. "I am sorry, I have not seen ice Master in some time, tends to be secluded. But I know where house is! Come, Exile escort you to cabin. Get you warm, get you dry, then get you to ice Master house, yes? All for small cost of 5z each!"
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You only now notice he is piloting a snow taxi service with his double sled. (And if you're concerned about the weight, the average snow dog can pull 100 pounds each, so six bodies is right at its comfort threshold)
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*IF THEY ACCEPT*
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He collects his payment, gets everyone seated, re-grabs the reigns, and all the dogs start pulling & running along the side of the frozen River at a brisk pace.
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A few minutes later, you see a thick pillar of smoke in the distance coming from a VERY large wooden cabin, big enough to easily hold a hundred people comfortably.
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Exile's sled pulls in front of the building, and he detaches the dogs from the sled, guiding them to a nearby corral with a fenced in fire pit. "Okay, halfway there! We take break, warm up, get snacks, 'maybe get better clothing?'" He's jabbing you for coming here so underdressed.
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He walks with you to the entrance, opens the tall oak door to a second set kf doors just inside with a sign saying "CLOSE DOOR BEHIND YOU BEFORE OPENING." The doors behind you have the same sign.
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Upon opening the second door, you are immediately struck by the warmth of the inside, the soft sounds of winter style jazz, and the warm scents of burning hickory wood & hot cocoa.
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The massive one room building is mostly centered around a colossal roaring fire, contained inside a black metal cage leading up to a metal pipe leading through the ceiling. Surrounding it are several rounded rows of seats, and in the back corners farthest from the door is a pair of kiosks, the left one having a longer line than the right. Right between them is a slightly elevated stage with a live jazz band of four people.
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*SEATING*
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The seats are all thickly woven cushions built into a wooden rounded frame surrounding the giant pitfire in the middle, designed to act like massive warm couches. The seats AND the wood are all warm to the touch, and some have spaces in between large enough to place your drinks.
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*LEFT KIOSK*
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A white fox man with silver hair tied back in a clean ponytail in a white dress shirt, black vest, and white nametag reading OUJA is running the kiosk expertly, casually strolling between two different hot drink machines.
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He quickly hands off two cups of cocoa and a plate of fresh cookies to those in front of you, and smiles to your group when your turn comes up. The overhead menu shows he is selling multiple varieties of hot chocolate, coffee, fresh baked goods, and even meat treats like jerky. "What can I get for you?"
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*RIGHT KIOSK*
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An eight foot creature you can only describe as a white-haired ape-bear with slicked back black hair in a white shirt, black vest, and a white nametag reading BODHI is running this kiosk, trading coin for heavy snow equipment singlehandedly.
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He trades a small bag of coin for a snowboard to those in front of you, and flashes you a toothy grin when your turn comes up. The menu in front of the stand shows he is selling coats, hats, small sleds, gloves, magic rings in a white hue, and rentals for winter sports gear like snowboards and family size sleds. "HOW ME HELP YOU?"
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*JAZZ BAND*
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The group between the kiosks don't look entirely like professionals, but they clearly enjoy what they do and really bring the atmosphere. All of them ARE wearing identical outfits of deep blue pants & sports coats over white button front shirts and sunglasses.
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- On Baritone Sax is a pretty young Harp Seal woman with brown baided hair, her white nametag reading PIPER
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- On Trumpet is a heavy Saint Bernard man in a deep blue fedora, his white nametag reading RAMONE
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- On Bass Guitar is a surprisingly slim Musk Ox man in a deep blue fedora, his white nametag reading ZIMRI
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- On Piano is a young human boy with visible white hair under an Indigo fedora, his white nametag reading CAELUM.
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*APPROACH*
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You can't really tell if anyone pays attention to you behind the sunglasses, until the song ends and everyone in the building gives the jazz band some well-earned applause. The Saint Bernard on bass guitar announces in a gravely voice they're going on a five minute break. Caelum on piano picks up a small lizard and puts it on the top of his fedora, turning to walk away before he notices your group. "Uh.. what're you guys doing here..?"
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*DM/REGALIA*
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"Uhm.. haven't seen the Demense Master today, but I haven't been looking. I came here cuz I.. kinda.. like playing piano." He excuses himself to go wait in the food line, petting his little lizard on top of its head the whole way.
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Exile approaches and sighs happily, patting his stomach. "Ahh... Nothing like warm cocoa on cold winter day, yes?"
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He pauses and walks closer to one of the massive windows, and his demeanor becomes a bit more serious. "Is time to go, Ice Master is home today."
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*IF THEY ASK HOW HE KNOWS*
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He will point out the window, and you will see a clear view to one particular spot in the distance where the snow is falling VERY hard in this otherwise barely flurrying area. "Where ice Master goes, surely it snows. Is a uh.. bad habit, keeps people away."
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He will lead your group back outside and re-hitch the dogs to the sled, before cracking the reigns and taking everyone to the thick pillar of snowfall. It takes a few minutes, but he eventually stops at the top of a snow embankment at about a 45 degree angle leading into a small flat valley from a good 50 foot drop, the perfect height and angle for a quick sled ride.
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"This is far as I go comrades, Ice Master house is on opposite end of valley. This path only way in or out. Thank you for patronage!" He rides off, leaving your group in front of the inclined embankment as the snowfall in front of you thickens.
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WHOEVER SLIDES DOWN THE EMBANKMENT, they land right in front of a group of a dozen snowmen. And they are all facing the same direction: the center.
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*APPROACH THE CENTER*
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(ATHLETICS Roll) (Lowest roller) is suddenly STRUCK in the back of the head by a solid impact of cold before a shrill voice pops out from an angle you aren't looking at, screaming ATTAAAAACK!!! Suddenly every snowman head explodes open, and all party members are struck by ten attacks each, to which there is unfortunately NO save, and will all do a collective of... zero damage each.
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*Because they were pelted with snowballs. Thrown by a gang of small children.*
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After the initial excitement, all the children suddenly become dejected and a little upset. One little brown bear girl in a pink coat approaches, pouting a little. "I'm sowwy, we tawt you was someone else.."
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*IF THEY ASK*
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She will point to a house in the distance, surrounded by the thickest blanket of snowfall compared to the surrounding area. "The nice people pway with us aww the time, so we wanted to do a supwise." She sniffles a bit as she heads back over to the snowmen and her friends.
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After a few minutes of walking, you spot a pair of people in the distance, chatting away as if everything was right with the world. One is a tall dark cat woman whom looks SURPRISINGLY underdressed to be in the snow, covered in a spacious and open red robe-like dress trimmed in thick white. The other is a deer about a foot shorter than her if you don't include the antlers, in warmer clothing of a black sweater stopping above the knee and thick black boots stopping just below the knee.
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They spot you approaching, the deer hiding behind the taller cat woman while she smiles warmly, arms crossed. "Well hello there, new faces! How can we help you?"
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*DM/REGALIA*
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"Well if it's the Demense Master you're after, them look no further!" She giggles to herself before continuing, "My name is Morana, and this is..." She turns behind herself to see the deer has disappeared, replaced by a rather large chunk of snow. "..the best disappearing act you never saw!"
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She looks around for a moment, then points to a nearby tree and launches an ice spike at one of the high branches, causing a pile of snow to fall from it, as well as the very deer that disappeared a moment later. "There's the little darling~" She waltzes over and grabs the deer, carrying him over her shoulder, before looking back at your group. "Let's get out of the cold and chat, shall we?"
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Morana sits back in a chair inside their shared home, smiling quietly as she pets the deer between the antlers, no differently than if he were a pet. "Now, let's try again... My name is Morana, and this is Whitaker, the Demense Master~"
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*ASK ABOUT DM/REGALIA*
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Whitaker whimpers a little, hanging his head in shame, as Morana reaches down to pet him again. "Please forgive him, he's very upset with himself. He had his Regalia stolen a few weeks ago by the Marauders. He was overseeing a snowball fight, the Marauders started harassing the children."
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"He tried to stand up for them, but the Marauders did a whole hostage thing. Tod him to trade his Regalia for their safety, and he agreed. So whoever has it has what amounts to an unbreakable white shortsword."
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(CONTACTS ROLL) You remember seeing a sword matching that description in the hands of a Marauder when you came here on your first day.
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"After the exchange, they DID let the kids go, but then they ganged up on him when he couldn't properly defend himself. This is just the latest in a long line of targeted abuse, and it started LONG before I came around. It's basically what caused us to meet."
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"I found him sneaking into my home one night, beat up and hungry... I sat him down and made him a warm meal, and the rest is history. Took a while before he learned to trust me. You can imagine my surprise when I found out this adorable little man ruled the demense of Ice." He actually hides his face in his sleeved hands.
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"It's hard to explain, but when people are abused near constantly by everyone they meet, it can lead to PTSD and Anthrophobia. So, given his disposition, when social things come up, I work on his behalf unless some--"
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She is suddenly interrupted by the same little bear girl from before, barging into the house, making excited noises and grabbing Whitaker's hand, pulling him toward the door and outside. You could swear you saw a smile cross his face when the kid grabbed his hand.
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The door shuts, and Morana continues, "...unless something like that happens." She waltzes over to the window and invites your group in to watch as he gets boobytrapped by the same children hidden in the snowmen, but he bursts into laughter when it happens, before playfully starting a snowball fight with all of them.
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"The little darling is afraid of everyone and everything... except for children. It's the one time he lets his guard down, because before he met me, the local children helped him by bringing him food, toys, and warm clothes. It might be the only reason he will ever be a good demense Master." She sighed a bit before continuing, "Sadly it didn't do much for him when he was King..."
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*IF THEY ASK ABOUT KING*
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She smiles at your group knowingly. "Oh, you were never told, were you? All the demense Masters were Kings, in a sense.. a fun little bit of trivia about Diadem's history I picked up while moonlighting as a college teacher. Tell me, which of the demense Masters have you met so far?"
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Aodaghan the King of Rage, believing in hard work. He helped construct the whole town, and expects commitment to labor.
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Conroy the Curious King, believing in knowledge. He maintained the town's history, as best he can & could.
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Zahir the King of Joy, believing in happiness. He believed the peoples' smiles was paramount above all.
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Corentin the Calm King, believing in serenity. He was devout in the stillness of mind and flexibility of form.
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Dorrin the King of Sorrow, believing in patience. He encouraged unwavering stoicism, even behind an ocean of tears.
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Arledge the Kindest King, believing in generosity. He desired a bountiful harvest and longevity of life for all.
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Miranda the Intimate Queen, believing in relationships. Physical or emotional, she wished for everyone to find closeness.
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Fulmo the King of Judgment, believing in the Law. He was adamant about enforcing strict yet fair policy for basic society.
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Thanatos the King of Despair, believing in ceremony. He valued the life and memory of everyone that ever came.
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Cassius the Silent King, believing in solidarity. He... just wanted to be left alone.
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Tlaloc the King of Hope, believing in strength. Dopey as he may seem, he embodies the idea that a rock-solid mind and body always wins. He just has issues articulating it. (She circles her mouth with her finger)
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"And Whitaker the... Timid King. He tried so hard to be a king that advocated for those that couldn't speak for themselves. Even after they treated him horribly. Tormented him. Hurt him. Destroyed his confidence in himself."
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"The only ones that didn't were the children. They adored him so much, partly because he's cute as a button, partly because he actually cared about them. So he plays with them, cares for them, does whatever he can for them." She sighed a bit and watched him from behind the window with a smile.
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*IF THEY WANNA HELP*
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"If you mean his Regalia, there won't be much you can do, unless you can find it and return it. But if you mean helping HIM..." She muses for a moment as she watches the children build more snowmen with his help. "..are any of you good at building things? Because I bet if you were to go out and make things in the snow for the kids..."
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The players can earn his trust by playing in the snow with Whitaker and the children
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- FIGHT/STEALTH for snowball fights
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- CRAFT/RESOURCES for snowmen and igloos
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- EMPATHY/RAPPORT after each activity to earn trust
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AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS
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All the children are called out to by their parents, and all of them give a resounding AWWWW. Each one of them comes up and gives Whitaker a massive group hug, and you see him give them the most heartwarming smile you ever saw. All the children then start shuffling their way off to their parents in the distance, climbing that incline with relative ease despite one or two stumbling a bit.
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*IF THEY ROLL POORLY*
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Whitaker will maintain that warm smile until he turns to your group, rubbing his arm nervously. He will give you a small timid wave before heading back to Morana, whom is waiting for him at the front door.
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*IF THEY ROLL WELL*
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Whitaker will maintain that warm smile until he turns to your group, rubbing his arm nervously as he trots up to your group. He will open his mouth to try and convey words, but finds he can't get them out, so he instead gives (highest overall roller) a sudden tight hug for a few seconds, before walking away. He will pause a few steps in, turn back to your group, and give you a soft wave, before walking into Morana's awaiting arms for a hug of his own. |