[DROP] reimagined

RANDOM EVENT

For weeks now you've heard about it: the skeletons buried deep in the boneyard have once again found life, or some simulacrum of it. No doubt this close to one of Ludo's shrines there's only one explanation of it, and if it really is the raggedy herald having a bit of fun, Mort help anyone who might try and put an end to it.

There is just one thing though...

As the prehistoric skeletons amble about, their bodies imperfectly reformed with some borrowing bones from their brethren too far gone to reawaken, there's the glimmer of something inorganic. Something that shines and shimmers with power and potential and perhaps even magic.

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Welcome to the drop! You have 48 hours to post your character arriving!

flora

For the purposes of getting out of level 11 hell, Flora is in the desert. Besides, it wasn't every day that bones came alive in Caido and wombled around, so if for no other reason, that seemed worth seeing.

With Spice on her shoulder, the little dragon breathed small clouds of frozen mist against her shoulders and neck to keep her cool. Dressed for the oppressive heat, the desert perpetually felt like Torchline during LongHeat, the queen fanned herself with a paper fan painted with a cheerful tropical coastline as she tried to find any amount of shade within which to watch the beasts as they ambled about.

"What's that?" She whispered to her companion, nosing toward the orb that two of the creatures appeared to be using as some sort of soccer ball between them. "Think you could dart in and snag it?" Lifting her eyebrows she's quick to add, "—safely?"

My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Melita

yes, yes, I am wild
I am the wind that makes breathing hard

Ludo shrine? The Honeybee? An adequate combination if she did say so herself – which she did, obviously, as she jetted her little Firecracker over the surroundings and scenery, peering down at the collection and assemblage of wobbly bones. She’d had plenty of experience here – mostly fighting skeletal monsters – and remained completely unbothered by any other strange aspects.

Instead, she waved down to Flora. “Hey!” Before opting to land her skyboat nearby in the sand – eyes narrowing at the shiny sparkle and glimmer across the dunes. A greedy little temptation…but she’d wait it out, for now, to see what anyone else strived and tried. It’d suited her well in her last drop ambush.

I am the ocean and the battered shore
I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury

Lena

Lena was curious enough to see how the other lands were faring during the Void infestation to take a brief flight. She hadn’t heard anything about Hak Etme, which she took as a good sign, so as she traversed over on wings and bright plumage (without Mittens – the companion would surely melt), she spied down, eyes widening at the maneuvering of bones.

But rather than lower herself down and join the impending masses, she began to hover, tracing and trailing her way over, striving to see the action below, and if she should join in when all was said and done.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

With every broken bone, I swear I lived

While usually not one to listen to rumors and therefore apt to miss interesting events, this time Maea was simply in the right place at the right time. Meandering across the desert in search of a better mood, she was drawn to the cloud of dust kicked up by many and heavy feet and paused on the ridge of a nearby dune to take in the spectacle. Even through the gloomy numbness that was slowly overtaking her, Maea had to marvel at the sight. If the bony remnants of the creatures were this big, what would they have looked like with muscle and skin? Did they have skin, or would they have been clad in feather, or scale, or something beyond recognition?

It was only as an afterthought that she took notice of the people that had begun to gather. A squinting closer inspection suggested that she knew all and would prefer to avoid the majority. Deciding to keep to herself until she figured out what was going on, the short ancient approached the animated skeletons with quiet apprehension. Perhaps it was best to keep her distance to the behemoths as well - this was not a good day to get trampled, and she did not have a good track record with undead things.

maea

code by sky

Evie

gender nectar sifting

Similarly summoned by otherwise self-serving needs, Evie arrives on the back of a rumor and finds herself elbow-deep in strangeness and flanked by other women of varying caliber. Luckily they don't cluster together, but Evie keeps far away regardless when she spots Maea, turning her eyes to the strange shambling skeletons instead.

Waiting to see what occurs is a great idea, but that doesn't seem very helpful. Still, it's better than rushing in headfirst like she'd done with the skeleton landshark. As the strange orb goes skittering around, the Evergreen shrinks down into the sand and goes very still to hide herself. Perhaps if she gets close enough she can call on her magic to flatten out the sand to try to have it rolling faster and smoother, like a ball over finely manicured turf instead of pockets of dense granules that snag and slow the artifact. Maybe it will encourage the skeletons to have to amble farther to retrieve it, either encouraging or boring them. Or maybe it can get the orb far enough from their reach that one of the gawkers (herself included) will have enough time to swoop in and snatch it without having to engage. Eyeing the others, Evie tries to gauge if it's safe enough to move forward into her 30ft magical range yet.

- - -

Evie shrinks down to try and blend in and waits.

Through the grain of gold tripping

Above all shadows rides the Sun

Summoned by nothing other than his pure inability to stay out of anything interesting, Zavien wiped the sweat from his brow as he made his way across the sandy dunes of the dessert. He hadn't spent much time in Hak Etme, preferring kinder climates and easier to navigate areas. Maybe that's why he found himself lost in the endless expanse of identical sand features. He'd been trying to find the mysteriously supernatural tree again, only to end up in an unfamiliar spot surrounded by bones. 

Zavien's eyes narrowed against the sunlight and odd shifting of things around him. Was that the heat playing tricks on his eyes, or were the bones moving? Placing a hand over his eyes to block the powerful rays, he looked closer at a nearby skeleton. Nope. Not the sunlight. Maybe he was dehydrated? Or crazy? Doing a quick analysis of his faculties, he determined that everything was in tip top shape, and the bones were in fact moving. Chuckling lightly to himself, he stopped his panic enough to notice the glistening metallic object. Did he dare? Why not? So Zavien made the decision not to run, instead watching the creatures closely.

Zavien

A ship is safe in harbor,

Thal had made the possibly dumb decision to check on the status of the Void Lotuses she'd burned with Tal and Maea recently, by herself. The creepy despair-inducing flowers had made enough of an impression to give her adequate motivation to ensure its absolute destruction. It wouldn't be fun to find that they'd been unsuccessful in fully eliminating the flora, only to find it floating through another place in Caido. So, with that in mind, she'd found her way back into the desert, and subsequently encountering a gathering a people around something she couldn't quite explain. 

Although she wasn't interested in socializing, Thal quickly spotted the bright white head of a familiar Ancient. After everything they'd been through, she cast aside her usual sentiments and approached Maea. She stopped next to the woman, looking towards the morbid movement of bones with narrowed blue eyes peeking from beneath her staple black hood. "Any idea what's going on here?"

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.

Elizabeth

You have power over your mind -
not outside events.

Curiosity had carried Elizabeth here on swift wings. Not a curiosity for the rumor of moving bones. No. She didn't care for that kind of science. Elizabeth was more interested in confirming the facts of the rumors and how it had progressed, warping with each telling of the vague information. Were they actually moving bones, or just emancipated creatures that gave off an 'undead' look? Was there a magical object, or just a wet rock that was reflecting the bright sun? The distortion of heat and exhaustion could sometimes make it difficult to see what was really happening in the desert, so Elizabeth had determined to let her own eyes take note of the facts. 

Trapsing across the sand, her thin white dress helped keep the sun from baking her alive (although she expected to be quite burnt later). It swished comfortable against her legs, producing a comfortable movement of air despite the stiflingly stagnant air. Her breaths were difficult, but she had finally found the spot of such interest, lifting her spirits immensely. Looking around at the shifting of white bones, she confirmed that the people had not been wrong. She immediately pulled out a notebook and began to document the strange occurrence.

Realize this,
and you will find strength.

RANDOM EVENT

Without eyes, the creatures nevertheless seem able to see—to smell and hear as well—given the way they turn around as the lot of you arrive. As no one has really approached any of them or their shiny treasure, they seem content to ignore what's going on in lieu of enjoying this brief vacation from Mort's hall.

A few birds circle overhead on wings that possess neither skin nor feathers, while a large fish flops lazily in the sand. A few herbivore-type creatures mill in the distance, nudging at the sand as if meaning to forage for food, while two upright creatures that looked as though they were some sort of upright lizard kicked at the glowing orb before batting it with their tails and darting after it. 

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The drop will continue in 24 hours. Please state clearly in an OOC note what your character does along with any relevant abilities/items!

flora

"Hey!" turning toward Melita, Flora flashed the Honeybee a crooked smile before folding her arms comfortably over her chest and trying to assess the what and why and who of everything happening around her. Everyone certainly seemed to be staying quite a polite distance away, which had the queen grinning mischievously as she turned toward Mel.

"I bet we can get that thing." She whispers, raising an eyebrow and reaching into her pocket for her mirror. "If you can distract them, I bet I can slip in and grab it." Nudging Spice off of her shoulder, Flora tosses her mirror onto the ground and when an exact duplicate of Flora appears in its place, the queen twists her ring disappearing from view. Hopefully it would not only serve as a distraction for the creatures should they look over, but might also make anyone else watching think that Flora was also just standing idly by.

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Flora duplicates herself/disappears and will try and steal the orb if Melita can distract the dinos!

Regional Score bonus: +7 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +7 should be included)

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Lucky you | A ring that when worn grants +3 luck. Must be included in all PQ/PQ+/KQ/DROP posts to be counted.

Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Invisibility Ring | A gorgeous, copper-gold ring that, when worn, renders the wearer invisible.

Type: Grey | Style: Defensive | Level: Upgraded
A pocket mirror that when placed on the ground duplicates the user's appearance exactly. Duplicate cannot speak or leave their place and appears as if the user is simply standing still. Lasts 2 rounds in combat. Must be picked up to be re-activated.

My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

With every broken bone, I swear I lived

Turning her attention towards Thalassa as the pirate approached her, Maea's greeting was warm, if a bit subdued. Their adventures together had largely erased any hard feelings at least on Maea's part, and she managed a brief smile towards her younger friend."Seems like some Ludo mischief, doesn't it. That orb is interesting though... want to team up and see if we can snag it?"

Pale eyes narrowed at Flora, who seemed to have the same idea. Lacking any real interest in playing games at the moment, it would nevertheless be satisfying to deny the Queen something she desired. Winking at her fellow Ancient, Maea shifted and set off across the hifting sands with paws swallowing up the distance, attempting to get to the 'ball' first so she could bat it away from the skeletons and take off with it. Whether Thal chose to join her or not was up to her.

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Maea shifts to a Molten Tiger and tries to get the orb.

The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)

maea

code by sky

Above all shadows rides the Sun

He noticed that the creatures didn't seem to care about his (or anyone else's) presence, minding their own business, enjoying life. In fact, it looked like they were playing. If he unfocused his eyes enough and ignored the complete lack of bodily systems and removed the eerie bone aspect, Zavien almost felt like they were just regular animals.

Leaning into that idea, he smiled, letting his fears vanish. Unless they gave him a reason to be concerned, why should he treat them any other way? Zavien got along with almost all animals! And what did most large dogs or playful creatures like more than a game? A nearby stick was the perfect toy and he lifted it into the air, moving it side to side enticingly. "I don't think that ball will be very entertaining, but I'm more than happy to play!"

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Zavien decides to play with the bone creatures, waving a stick to offer a game of fetch.

Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)

Zavien

A ship is safe in harbor,

Thal definitely agreed with Maea's suspicion of Ludo's involvement. She'd never met the herald, but the strangeness of it all and the blatant use of bones seemed like something right up its graveyard aisle. Despite that, the spooky situation didn't bother her enough to discourage the temptation at getting her hands on the shiny silver object. Grinning with uncontained mischief, Thal immediately agreed to the offer of teaming up. "Lead the way!"

As the pale Ancient shifted, taking off across the sand, Thal followed, her feet flying quickly with practiced grace despite the uneven surface (one of the many benefits of her pirate life). Not seeing any other Ancients, an idea came to mind and the pyromaniac in her didn't hesitate to chuckle menacingly. Pulling out a match, she lit a small flame, letting the magic inside take hold of the hungry fire and guiding it with an intent to ward off all vertebrates (skin or not) from Maea and their treasure. With any hope, it would make an intimidating wall of fire around them, a very convincing and visible deterrent. 

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Thalassa lights a match to fuel her fire magic, attempting to make a fiery field around Maea and the orb.

Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.