Field Mission 7: The Queen of Hearts, Part 1

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Once upon a time... NAVIGATION Click here for the RNG thread! The day is met the way all others begin: the sun rises from the eastern stretch of land facing the sea, as the citizens of Emberwharf awaken to a fish market brimming with life and splendor. The same sun is seen in Ok'talar, where its warchief watches, as is tradition for its leader to be meditating under the warmth of its warm embrace. The clans of the Highlands pick up where they left off just yesterday, squabbling over minor infractions of land, marriage, or deals that have fell through. And in the cold clutches of Orrenvia to the north, people are bundling up and preparing to visit the mines at the base of the Spine of the World. The general news throughout the Kingdom of Fanelia is that today is a day of celebration. It marks the 110th anniversary of the coronation of its ruler, the Queen of Hearts. While some people around the outskirts of the citadel proper consider this as a day of mourning, many are called forth to partake in festivities, dining, and the accompaniment of the finest musicians from the far-reaching town of Peppelfen. For the last 110 years, the Queen has kept order and, somehow, relative peace throughout the kingdom she rules. Although open defiance and protest is met with swift justice and sentencing, no one can overlook how crafty and careful she is. Her manipulations resonate throughout the annals of the history of Fanelia, present in every major brokered deal throughout its vast land mass and diverse population. Her benevolent guidance is felt by all... as is her tyranny. She is a monarch of paradoxes: obsessed with control, but only acting for the betterment of the realm's self-preservation. Every passionate declaration of "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" had been necessary up to this point; who else can steer and guide this world into prosperity than she herself? The horizon in the far off distance swirls with its usual tumultuous temper. A dark cloud surrounds the continent where Fanelia is located, known to all as "The Expanse." Every year, the border closes a little bit more inward, narrowing the lands and threatening the civilizations that reside on the fringes. Its presence encroaches, and with it, a general looming sense of fear that one day only the capital city will be left standing, protected by a magical bubble of pure radiant light that allows only those permitted by decree to enter. But none of you can remember your life before this illusion took hold. As far as you're concerned, you've been here your entire life. You don't notice that this farce, this world created by the usage of a Grand Relic, has only existed for a year. One whole year has passed since magic was cut loose from Faerun's fabric, and no one is any wiser that it's been gone at all. You look down to your wrist, noticing the same three clouded, empty colored crystals that have always been there since the day you were born. Each one bears the shape of a heart, and it makes sense to you why Lucretia is known as... The Queen of Hearts. 1. THE COURT OF HEARTS A. ANOTHER MORNING, HOWEVER YOU SLICE IT Good morning! Where are you right now? Another day is creeping over the horizon, and your life as you know it is continuing down the path it always has. Wherever you are. However you're feeling. The crystals on your wrist, though you've managed to sort out at least one purpose for them by now, remain as dull and lifeless as they've always been. Maybe you've long since figured out that not everyone has them — and maybe today is the morning that you finally heed a call to figure out why. The harder you think about it, the more questions you seem to have. It's a wide world out there, and there are people you just might be dying to remember. Where will you go? Who will you run into? B. NETWORK Speaking of that one purpose you've stumbled upon: A series of messages that, if you choose to access them, dance across your mind as if they were your own thoughts. Over the years, the messages have ranged from confused — people on the other end wondering what this is, without really finding any answers — to just straight up sales pitches. One day, though, a message under the name of Avalon appears: Wandering fortune teller and adviser offering services. Have a burning question you want answered? Do you wish for a quick peek into the void, to light a match into the unknown? Giving out free samples now! Just message me ;) [ooc: If you'd like a randomized way for a memory to begin unraveling, feel free to hit up the RNG thread for a fortune! Note: A low roll doesn't necessarily mean a failure to nudge your character in the right direction, it will just dictate how cryptic and/or troll-y the fortune actually is. Or, feel free to come up with an unrelated fortune for a prompt.] C. AROUND THE CAPITAL One way or another, you may make your way to the capital city, the seat of the Court of Hearts. Whether you're here for answers, or whether you're here just to see the sights, here are a few ideas to get you started. ○ Chaotic croquet: Indeed, you will be discovering how the capital city plays the queen's favorite game. You and a fellow crystal-bearer/Reclaimer will near immediately be roped into a round and pitted against each other, with a rather stern reminder to follow the rules. If only the rules made sense! Each path to the next wicket is more treacherous than the last — you may find yourself quite literally navigating the ball over a bottomless pit, or bumping it up stairs that threaten to send the ball right back, careening toward your face. There is also the Stone Golem guarding the final wicket to contend with. It's a bit strange, actually. It's almost as if this match of the Queen of Hearts' imagining would prefer that the two of you worked together, rather than against each other. ○ We mentioned earlier that the castle, should you wander past the common areas, gets a little ... strange. It's labyrinthine in nature, with staircases, doors and hallways that lead to no where, or straight into the ceiling. The neat line of roses planted along the hallways begin to wither the farther you walk — almost as if nobody dared getting lost just to water some plants. And then, you wander into an empty room, that quite literally transforms before your eyes. It's the place you call home. Or ... is it? This is most certainly not your bedroom back in whatever corner of Fanelia you hail from. In fact, you don't think you've ever set foot in there before — it might be a bedroom with views into outer space itself. It might be a place from another world entirely, one that you definitely don't recognize. But as time passes, and as you stand there, your sense of longing grows stronger. You should probably get out of there, before the guards find you. ○ The Queen of Hearts, in a recent twist (not unusual for her), has a keen interest in the relationships her subjects have with one another, whether it's romantic or platonic. And she'd like to see to it that the people of Fanelia are able to find those important people in their lives. Enter: THE FANELIA FRIENDSHIP (OR SOMETHING MORE?) EXTRAVAGANZA Yeah, it's pretty much a dating show, for both the amusement of onlookers and for your benefit! Or friendship show, as it were. Sign up, answer a brief survey, and showrunners will pair you with a fellow crystal-bearer/Reclaimer that they think you may be compatible with. Let the dating begin! You may: - Slay a monster together - Take a nice long walk around the capital city together - Be given a series of embarrassing questions to ask each other - Cook a meal together - The list goes on Is the right person, or your new best friend, waiting for you in plain sight? Sign up and find out! D. EXPANDED WILDCARD As we mentioned in the OOC post, we highly encourage worldbuilding and creating your own scenarios to recover your character's lost memories! Outside of the capital city, the entire setting is yours to alter, and play in, as you see fit. Want to haunt the Enchanted Forest, or hunt wild boars? Want to follow your character's fairy tale story and have them work their way to leader of a clan, or of a settlement in Kingstown? Go for it! This is your story to write. If you have any questions, feel free to hit us up on the OOC post. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

Merida

[ryuji]

1. the curse of loch abar

[DunBroch castle, a particularly rough place for Ryuji to return to, remains stalwart as the largest citadel in the Highlands, towering high and mighty from its vantage point over the sweeping hills and flower blanketed canvas of greenery. Particularly so, because the warring families of the region: Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall have all taken up residence in its once great halls. A curse has been placed on the DunBroch family, leaving Ryuji's father- King Fergus and three younger brothers frozen as bear statues all throughout his home. The lack of leadership among the clans and the inability to break the curse had led to infighting and old conflicts reared their ugly head, once again.

The three heirs to the competing families had once vied for Ryuji's hand in marriage, but shutting them down and claiming his own stake to his freedom by competition had left him pleasantly single and without the interference of someone else's claim over the DunBroch family line. Which was fine, and all, except for the minor fact that Ryuji was next in line to rise up unite the clans of Loch Abar. With his family out of commission for the time being, of course, those demands for marriage rose up once more.

Demanding time, Ryuji had staved them off for as long as he could, trying to find a cure for the ailment that struck his family down, but they were persistent nonetheless. He had to leave in the cover of night, locking down a new sort of conflict where the Macintosh's, MacGuffin's and Dingwalls all took up residency in waiting for the clan prince's return.

If only King Fergus were here. If only his mother wasn't trapped in a spectral essence of a bear form, a companion to Ryuji's lifelong struggle to avoid being forced into a loveless marriage. They'd be able to help, surely. But with the state of the world the way it is now, Ryuji returns by moonlight to nab something he's long loved and left behind: his prized bow. Simply put, it was being kept ransom while he was out trying to find a cure.

Here's where you come in: either you've met Ryuji before hand and agreed to come help him steal his prized weapon back from the castle, or you're here on business of your own, perhaps to steal his father's legendary magical helmet. Either way, he's going to need all the help he can possibly get. Especially in the distraction department. The last thing he needs is someone recognizing him and rekindling the marriage vows.]

2. will-o'-the-wisp

[They're said to lead a person straight to their fate, their destiny, and catching one is as powerful as holding a shooting star in your hand. For whatever reason, they've helped him out before; the ancestral spirits of those long gone have always smiled upon him in one way or another, and he has to hold out hope to find one again. He needs their help to lead him towards finding a cure that will revive his family and restore order to Loch Abar.

And he's hunted for days on end, frustrated that the Enchanted Forest isn't acquiescing to his desires, but determined nonetheless.

Two weeks in, he's come across a pattern of towering rocks in formation, deep within the forest. Ever since he was a little boy, he was warned not to go into the forest, but being brave and standing on his own had always been Ryuji's strongest point. The faint light of a will-o'-the-wisp flickers around the pillar and he gasps out.]

C'mere ya little bugger.

[The chase begins! Just... forgive him if he crosses your path, either figuratively or literally, in his hunt of this rare and ephemeral creature. He's definitely a klutz, so landing right on top of someone else as he stumbles down a hill isn't out of the question either. Or maybe you're looking for one yourself- they're said to be extremely good signs of fortune and luck, guiding people to their fate. But that only works for the first person who catches them. This might be a competition.]

3. my mom's a bear

[She stands in river, giant paws sweeping down into the water as she hunts and grabs fish for her and Ryuji to share for their supper. It's a slow go; his mom has taken quite a while to get used to the idea of being a bear and although she retains a lot of her human qualities, it's hard to overlook the fact that she's 800 pounds and lethal at best.

He's beginning to think Mor'du must've had it easy.

Except for the minor fact that someone seems to have crossed her path and looks ready for a fight, a hunt, or... maybe just terrified out of their wits and begins running away.

Ryuji calls out upon either one of those circumstances.]

Hey! What're ye think yer doin'!?

[And in response, Mama Sakamoto-DunBroch roars out defensively.]

4. into the wild(card)

[Don't see something that tickles your fancy? Ryuji is desperately looking to find a cure for his family's curse- the one that's turned his mom into a bear and the rest of his family into bear statues back at Loch Abar. To that end, he's probably visiting the Kingdoms of Fanelia to find out as much as he can- slowly making his way up to Divinoa to find out what magic can be used to help. If you're a fellow royal, he might stop by your keep and ask questions, but expect him to be about as princely as a rock during his journey.

Eventually, Fanelia might be a stopping point as well, but the big city feel it has is sure to make Ryuji feel like a fish out of water.

Lastly, if you'd like to plot anything or ask questions, please feel free to hit me up on discord: trash#2958 or over at centerfold!]

[ryuji]

[placeholder for personalized prompts]

1

[seasaltkeys]

[It's not his usual damsel in distress mission, but a hero has to learn how to roll with the punches, right? And not withhold help from anyone. Still, he can't help but feel a little uneasy as he stares at the castle.

He glances back at Pegasus, who whinnies at him before going back to eating the grass. He's not too worried about the winged horse, since he'll take off if danger occurs. Slightly bolstered by that, he looks at Ryuji.]

So, what sort of things can we expect in the castle? Traps, monsters, the usual?

[Maybe it's stricter adherence to the rules (#56 Plan ahead) or the fortune he received, but he feels compelled to ask.]

3 Bear Fight Bear Fight

[achillea]

[Now, most wolves don't hunt bears. Certainly, not alone. But Kenpachi isn't just any wolf. He's the Big Bad Wolf. Rabbits, pigs, humans, why not bears too?

At first, when he lunges out of the nearby brush, for a moment it looks like an actual massive wolf, loping along on all fours. But it becomes clear fairly quickly that no, it's a man covered in a pelt. Still on all fours though. Weird!! When shouted at, he comes to a stop, but he's still clearly ready to attack at any moment.]

Hunting.
[A single, growled word. Exactly the sort of voice you'd expect some sort of feral creature to have.]