wethelostooc | Event: Tierra de Olvidos (Plotting)

Entry tags:

!event,
!world hop

Event: Tierra de Olvidos (Plotting)

On the May 6th, residents of the Meadous will wake to a note from Zephyr at their bedside. It's much shorter than it usually would be from the godling, and it's also much more direct. Those who remember The Void will find this note very familiar.

Everyone,

I hear another voice across the planes. She's calling... she's calling out for help. We need to help her. We've done this before. We can help her!

We will help her! I know we can help her just like we did the sisters!

Please meet me at the playrground tomorrow at 3:00pm! I know that's really early for some of you guys who are nocturnal, but this can't wait very long. We're gonna help as soon as we can!

Love,
Zephyr

TIERRA DE OLVIDOS

The Events Calendar post for the plot is HERE

Welcome to our second foray into world-hopping! With the combined efforts of those who have spoke to Zephyr and their godling friends, Zephyr has finally decided to try searching for a cure to whatever ails the gods. This will entail connecting the Meadous to other random realms they find out in the ether. These are not necessarily (or even probably) realms created by gods like Zephyr, they're just whatever Zephyr can grab hold of.

In this instance, the realm is one that Zephyr heard a voice calling out for help from. The morning of May 7th, the archway by the playground has been activated once again.

Zephyr will turn up at the appointed time and explain the following:

The archway is a portal to another world.
The only access to the proper archway is through the Mirror Dimension. (Zephyr doesn't want anyone accidentally stumbling in there.)
The archway is a two-way connection to another realm. They DO NOT have control over that other realm. The only thing they can make sure of there is that there are no other connections. Characters can go to the new realm from the Meadous and come back to the Meadous from the new realm.
THIS MEANS THAT INJURY AND DEATH IN THE OTHER REALM IS OUTSIDE THEIR DIRECT CONTROL.
They're not sure who was calling for help, but it sounded like a woman. Zephyr couldn't make out words, they just know she was distressed.

As for the new realm...

Welcome to Recuerdo

Recuerdo is loosely based on a mixture colorful movie The Book of Life with a dash of Pixar's Coco. Recuerdo is a land of death, celebration, remembrance and rebirth! This land is the central hub of death for several other realms nearby. Those remembered fondly, remembered deeply come to this realm once their spirit leaves their bodies.

The primary goal given is to find out how and why residents of this lands shadows are disappearing. Is an illness spreading? Are residents pasts coming to haunt them? The Lady in Red encourages characters to explore her realm and discover what she herself cannot see.

Shadows are important for maintaining ones form in this realm, so shadows suddenly disappearing is a very dangerous thing. When their shadow is gone, the residents start to subsist from memories alone. The longer this goes on, the more memories they lose in the process. The Lady In Red has to stay put to ensure her affected subjects do not wither away mentally and physically.

The main inhabitants of the landscape vary wildly, from living candle people, capybaras and reanimated skeletons. NPC interaction will definitely be prominent to find out clues. Lady in Red has a few clues to give characters who ask and will try to lead them in the right direction. Better yet, ask the local Welcoming committee for aid. They have a good idea of who and what is going on. Local gossip is always a good place to start! Characters gathering clues, sharing knowledge and questioning the locals is the best way to get things going. Lady in Red has designated specific areas for character's to start searching for anything suspicious.

A mod will also be privately PM'ing people in more active threads to lead them to specific clues regarding the vanished shadows.

tl;dr version

-Tierra De Recuerdo is a death realm connected to four living realms. Those who die in any of those realms find themselves enjoying a comfortable after life in Recuerdo. The realm is never ending, always expanding as more lives end in the four realms it is directly connected to.
-Shadows are disappearing from residents, leaving them ill and on the verge of breaking apart. Characters need to find out the source of this issue.
-Without your help the Lady in Red will have to let some of her residents fade away into nothing to save more since the problem is growing wildly out of control at this point.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Which mod is running this event?
Sora is in charge of this plot and will be responding to questions.

May I opt out?
Yes! Your character can skip this event if they wish. Characters can simply just skip going through the archway.

Can we talk to Zephyr?
Zephyr will be available through the regular means as needed. They will not be appearing in the landscape proper.

Where are we?
We’re in a world of death. Those who passed in realms nearby find themselves at peace in this landscape. Tierra de recuerdo, tierra de los inolvidables to be exact if you’re looking for a title. Its kind of a mouthful, so most residents simply call it Recuerdo for short. Many realms consider this their final resting place for souls.

Where do characters arrive in Recuerdo?
Once they cross the archway, characters will find themselves dotted around the staircase of the palace. NPC characters will welcome player characters and usher them inside as needed or wanted. Characters are free to wander away as they wish.

Disappearing Shadows? Can characters do anything?
Yes! Characters after getting the skinny from The Lady in Red can explore the landscape looking for specific clues to the whereabouts of the shadows.

Shadows even when gone from their original owner drips a strange spotty residue leaving a trail in its wake. Locating the black drips will give characters a clue as to where to go next. Working together is highly recommended to find the source of the shadows. Work quickly because the residue doesn’t last long!

What’s the big deal about stolen shadows?
Shadows are very important to the residents of this land. Given they’ve passed on from life, they’re made up of mostly memories and their shadows. When their shadow is gone, they start to subsist from memories only. The longer this goes on, the more memories they lose in the process. The Lady In Red has to stay put to ensure her affected subjects do not wither away mentally and physically.

Do we have to find shadows?
Nope. Your character can stick to the Meadous or help out residents of this world in less dire straights. There will be much lighter missions paired with the main goal for some variety.

I mean the family of Capybara bakers are trying to set up a feast, everyone is too preoccupied with the shadow issue to help them! Someone has to step in for that! If not that they can meander the landscape and enjoy the atmosphere. Be wary, it isn’t all wholesome. There could be a seedy underbelly you’ve yet to see.

What do characters do when they find a trail?
Follow it! Those trails tend to disappear fairly quickly. So its best to jump on the chance whilst you have it. I (Sora) will privately PM/ping the two players in a thread give them a chance to follow the trail seriously/discover clues.

Sometimes that will lead to characters discovering more about what is going on, other times it will lead to someone landing face first in a cart of cabbage. Good luck.

Do my characters have their powers back?
Similarly to how we handled ‘I Fell In Love With The Majesty of Colors’ characters will find themselves able to use their abilities. The only exception to this is no game-breaking abilities. Please use discretion and make sure you talk with your fellow players if your actions are going to have a major impact on their characters.

Can we die in the realm of death?
Given Zephyr’s lack of control here/lack of connection, the usual death structure isn’t in place. Here characters who die in the realm will awaken to find themselves as one of the many skeletal undead partiers. They will have very hazy memories and be more invested in partying than the mystery at hand. This will last for 4 days icly. Once that has ended characters will find themselves very fleshy all over again and alive. It isn’t the most fun experience, lets just say that. Zephyr will attempt to make the transition easier once the character stumbles back into the Meadous.

Edited 2018-05-05 22:45 (UTC)

Do guns and other weapons work normally here?

Yes! Though they will not hurt the residents present. It will only hurt other Meadous folks or The Lady In Red.

Will there be forcefield type thing, or will the bullet/weapon just go through them? Sorry for the nitpicky questions; there's a non-zero chance that Alfie will end up shooting a resident and I don't want to play it out wrong in a thread.

Hey, its perfectly fine to ask! They're not physical in the same way the Meadous characters are. So it'll kind of just pass through them at best.

So would Gabriel's ability to look at the 'past history' of objects be considered game-breaking? I'm always happy to have him just not use his clairsentience, but he could also only get certain information off of the things he tries it on, as well.

He also has a lie detection ability, but I've kept it pretty muted in the Meadous. Is this something that would work for him?

Edited (Forgot the link!) 2018-05-10 14:45 (UTC)

I'd be cool with him being able to pick up a few things from touched items. We'll say the most recent memories given a lot of things are centuries old. The realm is based so tightly on memories he might get overloaded depending on what he touches. The NPC's in particular would give him a headache more than likely since they're a collection of memories in a vaguely humanoid shape.

I'll say yes! I'll try to highlight in any NPC tags for you when characters are fibbing or withholding shit.

Oh man, I love the idea of him getting overloaded by the NPCs. And that makes so much sense.

And thank you! I'll keep all that in mind. :D

Two things! First, Ienzo's got some pretty poorly-defined wizard sense that grants him insight into the various magical properties and other characteristics of other living (or un-living) beings. How would you say the inhabitants of Recuerdo would appear to him? Would they be more like ghosts - intelligent beings whose bodies are made up of magic and willpower? Or do they have some form of physical presence? Would the ones missing their shadows seem any different? Like, weaker or less emotionally present? And what about the Lady in Red? Does she seem human? Or along the lines of a being like the sisters, or even Zephyr?

I tend to play pretty fast and loose with what this means, so feel free to give me as much or as little information to work with here as is convenient.

Second, Ienzo has powers that allow him to recover a person's lost memories. If he were to use these on someone who's lost their shadow, could that serve to reverse the process or stabilize them in some way?

Thanks!

Ienzo would see the inhabitants similar to how you've described ghosts, at best very colorful magic/will power and shifting sizes at whim/mood, with long shadows cast out behind them. Those missing their shadows would be flicking in and out of existence, along with being less present emotionally. Lady in Red is a bit different than say Zephyr or the Sisters, Ienzo will have a hard time really reading her, trying to focus too hard will get him a lot of loud mental static and strong push back to stop. Lady in Red does not want to be seen for her true self past her flickering borrowed faces.

Yes it could! It would be temporary at best, but help stabilize them enough for characters to properly question them about what they last remember before their shadows disappeared. In their current state, they're more than a little hard to carry a conversation with.

If you have any other questions, definitely ask!

If a character dies and becomes a party skeleton, do they retain their powers and possessions?

Edit: If someone becomes a party skeleton, what will happen if their friends and/or magical outerwear attempt to bring them back to the Meadous in that state?

Edited 2018-05-06 18:13 (UTC)

For character deaths, characters will retain their abilities but be very foggy on how they work. Possessions will reappear when characters return to life. The Lady In Red is a little scattered during this so she's having a hard time giving characters their items once they become a part of her realm for a brief period of time. Once they reawaken alive in a villa they'll find their items waiting for them.

Attempts to bring someone back to life before the 4 day limit will be... unpleasant. Taken back to the Meadous they'd likely flicker between the two states rapidly until they settle on one (of players choice). It would be wildly painful since suddenly being alive and then losing it isn't the most comfortable state in the world.

I have a question and may end up with more...though I'm going to try and use what info you've also already given us.

You reference lost shadows, and that if these shadows are lost then the residents ultimately subsist only on memory.

Do the residents in Recuerdo have souls? Kid can (and would, most likely) attempt to collect the souls of those who have had their shadows lost. Canonly he does it and then...its sort of unclear what he does with the souls after but in this case I believe returning them would be appropriate.

Along the same lines, do the residents in Recuerdo have souls that can be seen at all?

Sorry! I hope these questions make sense ;_;

Questions are always a good thing! Don't be shy about asking them. I'll do my best to answer! Hopefully my explanation makes sense!

The memories are more or less what their souls are. The shadows are as physical as they get in a sense. A grounding force for keeping them tied to this realm next to memories from their loved ones/their memories. They've died in their original realms and were brought here as an eternal resting place. Whilst player characters will feel them if they touch a resident. The resident's won't be the same level of physicality if they were somehow brought to the Meadous for example. Player characters present aren't tied by the same rules (they're still living & breathing obviously! No one can steal their shadows etc) but can still be touched or feel the NPC's present unless otherwise stated in narration.

Regarding Kid's soul quest- everyone whose lost their shadows are currently in the palace with The Lady in Red. She's using her magic/powers to keep them somewhat stable/turning into dust. No one has turned to dust yet, though a few residents are fairly close given they're used up a *lot* of memories to stay present. Kid is free to speak to them and see how they're doing/use his powers as needed.

Similarly to how I described it to QV, they'd appear as magic/will power in very colorful form. I'm personally picturing bright circles of colors clashing, stretching and moving with the resident's mood, with a very long shadow cast out behind them. If using some kind of soul gazing ability a player character would see that.

Hello!

In a thread with Masaki, she and Kid are chasing what is presumably a lost shadow. And now I'm scared that was wrong and it was just "user error" x_x please advise

You guys are perfectly fine! Shadows are a bit wily and The Lady In Red doesn't know everything about them like she thinks she does. So Masaki and Kid are correct in chasing the shadow.

The shadows do operate akin to how she stated, but when pulled along by something else or broken up from a full shadow will behave strangely. It does not have a complete will of its own, but without a person, shadows become a bit wonky.

Edited 2018-05-08 01:41 (UTC)

Okay! I was considering changing my tag and then like "you know what I think I'll let this cocky shit be wrong it's ok if Lady in Red learns that he doesn't just look fourteen" X'D

Question! But a little bit of context first: In Bleach, the spirit plane that people go to after dying is basically made entirely of spirit energy rather than physical matter, and would feel noticeably different from the living world to Masaki.

My question is: Would the same be true of this realm? Or would it still feel like a physical plane, just one that has skellingtons and wax people?

It definitely would feel akin to the spirit energy! Whilst player characters can physically feel an NPC if they touch them or bump into them (same goes for in world objects/food/etc), Player characters are not tied to this realm in the way the residents are. So there would be a noticeable difference for those privy to that.

A follow up question to that: Masaki's powers can pull spirit energy out of the air--or off objects that are made from spirit energy. Canon has shown other Quincies accidentally disintegrating parts of nearby buildings in the spirit realm when they pull the spirit energy in to use it. Not people, just objects.

Is that something that she'll have to watch out for here, and if yes, how much trouble would she be if that accidentally happened?

It is something Masaki will definitely have to keep an eye out for! Though it will affect primarily smaller objects and older buildings that are in a state of disrepair to some regard. The newer areas around the palace will affected less since they're within the Lady's general view.

If it does happen, she'll get a pretty stern talking to from The Lady in Red, likely a punishment of some kind if it happens twice. If it does happen twice, we'll talk over the options of what Lady In Red would do!

Haha, awesome. Thanks! I'll let you know if it comes up.

I've worked it out with Fossil that Monty will be murdering Bucky while they're in the Land of the Dead. Monty will be doing his damnedest to set it up to look like an accident, though. It seems like the lower levels are where he'd have the best chance of doing this. Would it be possible for someone to jump, get "tangled up" in wires and be accidentally hung? Or would the physics of the realm prevent this?

Would pushing someone from a walkway work? Coming to that? Or would it be a case of it must be a conscious choice to jump.

It would be very possible! Whilst residents would be fine from that fall or entanglement, any guests would not. A purposeful jump would be fine and safe. Accidental fall be less fine. A push or shove with ill intent would equally lead to a bad time. This little world hasn't had anything like this happen, so feel free to rock its undead foundations.

To restate it publicly- Monty's punishment for murder would be anything he ate or drank in this realm turning into Marigold petals in his mouth. The petals will have a distinctly sour taste to them. Given Monty isn't one of Lady in Red's citizens, she can't do much to him personally.

Edited (tweaked wording) 2018-05-07 05:11 (UTC)

Understood and thank you!

Would there be anything to find in a boarded up or abandoned house if someone were to break into the ones out in the back alleys? Royce is asking for a friend.

also, would he go to crime prison if he broke into a bunch of houses

Royce would likely find wild skeleton animals huddling inside eating any left over food. If he finds a specific abandoned house (which I'm fine with him finding, just gimme a heads up and I can drop in to describe stuff fully in a thread) he'll find a forgotten shadow puddle.

~~im sending him to baby jail RIGHT NOW.~~ Lady In Red would kick him out for a day. After scolding him.

Edited 2018-05-09 04:57 (UTC)

OKAY SO FOLLOW UPS:

Royce and Alfie are going to do some exploring around the back alleys and they're trying to see if there's an actual seedy underbelly to the party town. Actual crime, not drinking after curfew, Kanda!!!

1. Is it cool to say me and iddy can npc a few citizens just not knowing anything just so alfie and royce can flex their interrogation muscles? what kind of things would they say, if so? if that's not chill can we request some npcs to Interrogate gently?
2. are there crime and crime bosses in the back alleys or is this a seemingly crimeless world? excluding the drinking punks since they're Too Cool For School
3. would murder threats be laughed off? like "tell us this thing or else" type of things, since there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of danger here and they're like. already dead.
4. also also, is there a way to figure out who the shadows belong to without giving the shadows to the Lady in Red?

sorry for all the questions!!

Hey questions are always welcome! It gives me a chance to give you guys more of the world/stuff to play off of! I don't want ya'll to be bored or anything. Tell me if you need more details on specific things.

1. I'd be happy to NPC them for you! If you want to do a thread without me helping- the NPC's would mostly be baffled by being interrogated and mildly annoyed at best. They'd likely also insist the whole shadow thing is an illness that isn't a big deal. Maybe some idle talk of the Lady In Red not being completely honest with them with no real heat to it. At best they're speculating since they're unsure how many people have gotten ill. If they knew the actual number they'd be real pissed. Most people in the world don't know how far its gone and trust the Lady to take care of it.

2. Given the Lady's general sense of control, crime at best is kind of... embarrassingly petty. There are no real big time crime bosses, any who attempt it usually have very tiny rackets of swapping rare home brew booze or booze the lady doesn't supply anymore. Even then it's fairly small and the punks tend to make better beer anyway. Home brewery has kind of kicked off since people get bored.

The biggest 'crime' issues tend to be- Neighborly feuds, in family fighting, pranks gone too far, there is some gambling, drinking and seedier partying (like getting drunk enough to fall off a level and walking it off, exchanging limbs or occasionally heads if you're a skeleton or candle.), stealing each others shoes and clothing. Even if Lady In Red hasn't fixed those neighborhoods, she usually keeps an eye on shit, has a punishment system in place (Similar to Zephyr's system be it different punishments).

Other aspects they'll find the more rundown part of town is the fact the people in more broken down areas, are people rejected from their families or no real family they want to associate with. Ex criminals who really have nothing to do with their time or can't really do much here. They all generally know each other fairly well, self police of sorts and make sure no one is shaking someone down for any family heirlooms.

3. Murder threats would 100% get laughed off. Even by those being forgotten by their family on their living home realm. They're already dead and kind of impervious to most shit. Threats of violence would work with varying results. Shoving them off a ledge with ill intentions would be the best threat since they'd land very badly, roughing up their property would also do wonders if ya'll need some loosened lips. Shooting at them would purely go through them.

4. Unless characters want to break into her palace to talk to the people affected, sadly no. ~~dare u to break into the palace.~~

Can Phil’s magic be able to be used in and affect skeleton people in Recuerdo? It affects their emotional state and could temporarily let them be more open for short periods of time, like enabling them to have clarity of mind. I figure that since this is a different world, it could be for seconds at most, if allowed of course!

Yes, Phil's magic will definitely work! Be it primarily for those in the infirmary/clearly without shadows. He'll have a a minute to try and get information out of them or converse with them clearly.

Apologies for the delay in answering this!

Thank you! I’ll request the NPC threads accordingly!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Event: Tierra de Olvidos (Plotting)

General Questions (Please post here with other questions you have!)

Re: General Questions (Please post here with other questions you have!)

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cw: mentions of murder/strangulation/hanging

cw: mentions of murder/strangulation/hanging

cw: mentions of murder/strangulation/hanging

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