seasonsrpg | Event #3: Can't Defeat the Temple

Event #3: Can't Defeat the Temple

Can't Defeat the Temple
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Game Start

Part 1

A new message appears on everyone's smartphones. There's been a change in the Temple of Life: the door has finally opened! No one knows how or why, but the sensors left by quest goers alerted them to it suddenly being open. Preparations are made in each guild to finally explore what's inside it.

Those interested in helping are greeted by researchers in the guilds that will provide everyone with one single use item: Escape Rope: an item they found out about while investigating the temple. Should the Temple really prove to be a place "no one can return from" they should be able to use this rope to escape. It should teleport the person using it (just one) outside of the place they're in (can only be used indoors). Of course the rope can be saved for later use if it becomes unnecessary. Everyone also gets basic climbing and survival items, just in case. They have no idea what to expect inside, but better safe than sorry, right?

The new Teleport Crystal system will get you to the Temple of Life in a minute, but no one is forbidden to use a longer route if they want to travel rather than take the easy route. Once they get to the Temple (the teleport stones take them to the surroundings of the fountain in the courtyard) they will notice a lot of natives collecting various tropical fruits as the area is safe and the fruit are nice and nutritious. Anyone eating a fruit will notice a boost in stamina, too.

All that's left now is to climb the stairs and enter the Temple of Life.

Part 2

Inside the Temple of Life is a "lobby". It's actually just an empty room made with the same stone as the temple, but it has four different doors, each with a different symbol: lightning strike, snowflake, fire and a hurricane of sand.

Characters inside will notice that the door they walked in from is now gone (of course) and they may feel different as the temple has stripped them off of all their powers, including Seasonal ones. Instead they may feel like they're lighter (their jumping ability has increased to triple their normal one) and that they have three holographic hearts on top of their heads.

There's a holographic display near the doors and a shelf for laser guns. The display says the following:

This is the Gigaman simulator. Welcome, players. Each of you have been given three extra lives. Once all of your total of four lives have been used inside the levels you will get a Game Over. For native participants this unfortunately means you Die.

However, otherworlders! You are in luck. If you die four times inside the simulator you will be thrown out of the simulator, into the courtyard of the temple and you can try again! Dying is painless. Getting hit, unfortunately, is not. You have ten regular hits before you lose a life. Your lives are indicated by the hearts on top of your heads.

Things that will instantly kill you include: lava, falling into an endless pit and spikes.

Please take a laser gun and enter the level. You may bring any other items as well, but your powers will be gone and so will the special effects of the items. Except for the legendary "Escape Rope". That is something that can bypass our system. Keep the rope at hand if you get scared. If you lose your other items inside the levels, do not worry, they will appear outside. However, if you lose your laser gun it will reappear next to you.

Oh and you may keep the laser gun afterwards.

The question is: cAN yOu deFEAt [redacted]?

Well, the choice is yours. Do you enter one of the doors or use the escape rope to get out of the temple?

Part 3

All of the levels start with a normal room of just the environment of the level. But there, in the starting point of the place, there are natives of Ellipsa sitting around with a look of defeat and desperation on their faces. They're physically fine as the simulator grants you the ability to just ignore hunger and other basic needs, but they're also stuck here. It seems the simulator is just too hard for them to get past. Most of them have no holographic hearts over their head or just one: they're close to dying and don't want to take the risk.

Escape ropes are their only hope of getting out of the place and they promise anything if you give them the item and help them escape.

If you give away your Escape Rope, the only way to leave is to either Game Over or Finish the Level. Good luck, players.

(There are also some natives in various other parts of the game, too scared to go further or go back. They can also be saved by taking them with you to the end and defeating the boss monster together but if they die, they die, so there is a risk in that method.)

The Levels [ Click to Expand ]

All basic monsters and boss monsters are weak to the laser gun. Some can even be jumped on to decrease their health.

Electricity
Design: A factory with plenty of platforms and conveyor belts over bottomless pits (or spikes) that change directions occasionally. The main hazard of the level is the beams of electricity that will damage players. They can be switched around with buttons, but deactivating one beam will activate another.
Instant Deaths: Bottomless Pits, Spikes

Basic Monsters: Ufo Catcher (a claw with googly eyes that will try to drop characters into a pit or spikes), Small Robot (small robots that throw wrenches at players), Slinky (slinkys with googly eyes that won't stop for anything)

Final Boss: Squirmle: A slinky minion mass-producing machine (looks like one of those Worms on String with googly eyes, but mechanical). Occasionally fires electric shocks that stun players for 5 seconds while the minions attack them. Weak to Smokescreen as the sand jams its machinery and makes it temporarily lose the ability to produce minions.
Boss Loot: Laser Gun Upgrade: Electric Shock (damages and has a chance to stun the opponent)

Snowflake
Design: A snowy mountain cave with active waterfalls. The ground is slippery (ice physics!) and some of the platforms have a limit as to how many times you can jump/walk on them (they reappear after a time). Occasionally, while on a normal platform, a strong stream of water will fall on it, intending to push players into a bottomless pit (it can be predicted by a few drops of water before it).
Instant Deaths: Bottomless pits

Basic Monsters: Snowmen (throw very sharp carrots at players), Skeletal Fish (fish that appear from the waterfalls and spit out lasers), Yeti (a monster that will try to stomp on players)

Final Boss: Frosty: A bipedal monster made of spiky ice (doesn't have a distinct form to refer to, just looks like a giant block of animated ice) that breathes a frosty breathe that both damages and makes players go slower. Tries to stomp players by jumping high in the air. Weak to Fire Bullets, as they will melt it little by little.
Boss Loot: Laser Gun Upgrade: Ice Beam (damages and has a chance to slow down an opponent)

Flame
Design: Inside of a volcano where all bottomless pits are lava pits. Platforms are mostly normal, until a notorious section where the only way to get over a lava pit is to jump on disappearing blocks. Learn the pattern and follow it. Occasionally lava rocks will fall from the ceiling (but luckily not during the disappearing block section).
Instant Deaths: Lava

Basic Monsters: Demonic Fireballs (fireballs that jump around from spot a to spot b and hurt a lot when they hit), Lava Bomb (occasional lava rock with googly eyes that can move towards players like a homing missile), Fireman robot (a robot that will try to douse fires with scorching hot water).

Final Boss: Lavadoom: A volcano headed monster (a volcano with eyes, mouth, arms and legs) that shoots fire bullets and lava rocks at players. Occasionally makes part of the floor be literal lava that burns players health little by little. Weak to Electric Shock as it will stun the monster for long enough to turn off the volcano on its head and then you can jump on it.
Boss Loot: Laser Gun Upgrade: Fire Bullets (damages and has a chance to cause burn damage over time)

Sandstorm
Design: A desert area full of bottomless pits and rocks with spikes. The floor is mostly quicksand that can only be crossed if you stay constantly in movement. Late in the level massive sandstorms will block players' view and push them towards the pits and spiked rocks, making movement during it very dangerous.
Instant Deaths: Bottomless Pits, Spikes

Basic Monsters: Walking Cacti (cactus that shoot spikes at players), Angry Missiles (ride the sandstorms and try to hit players), Sandworms (appear from the sand and try to bite the player)

Final Boss: Hurrisand: A bipedal sand monster (looks a bit like a it could be a human, but at the same time has animal features, not to be mixed with a certain Looney Tunes character) that will turn into a literal sandy hurricane that makes it hard to see anything and makes bullets miss. Weak to Ice Beam because it slows it down so that it can't turn into a hurricane.
Boss Loot: Laser Gun Upgrade: Smokescreen (enables easier escape from situations)

You're free to challenge all of the levels and gain all of the upgrades to the laser gun, which you can then use outside the temple as a weapon. Even after all of the natives are rescued or all of the levels have been beaten, you can re-enter the levels and do them again. You won't get the boss loot again, however.

When Your Heart's Not Open

Part 1

Back in the city, the weather is strangely cold in every district (except the central one that's safe due to the artificial weather there). Even the hottest of them, Solarpeak, is advising people to wear long-sleeved shirts, just in case, even if the temperature only drops to +10 Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit at worst.

The reason for the unexpectedly cold weather is simple: a cold breeze travels through the whole city. Sometimes the wind even appears white, as if it's laced with snow and ice. It's easy to tell that this is not a normal sort of wind, but a very magical one.

The wind indeed has a special effect: there's a chance of the wind freezing someone's heart. This doesn't instantly kill anyone, but instead it starts to freeze people from inside out. This effect especially targets people who either have secrets or have feelings that they hide. The freezing is a slow and painful process, taking two weeks to completely encase someone in ice. Once that happen they will end up breaking into pieces and die.

Somehow this wind doesn't affect the plant life or animals at all.

Part 2

Scientists are quick at work to work on a cure. They have found that there are certain ingredients in all four of the Segments that when mixed together into a potion will undo a frozen heart. So, to help those affected, there are some options that you can do.

Stay in the City to take care of the affected. The key to healing a frozen heart is not only the potion that they will make but also affection. So those brave enough to touch someone who feels cold as ice to touch are encouraged to hug and cuddle, tell them positive things about them and making sure they're comfortable. This will ease the pain and slow the spreading down.

Head to one of the Segments to find the ingredients. The guilds are helping with the preparations to go outside and providing anyone interested clear instructions and maps on where to find them:

• Winter Segment: Bottom of the Unfrozen Lake, a coral that can survive in cold temperatures
• Spring Segment: Breeze Hills, the eggs of a monstrous Firebird (a bird that has wings made of fire that spits out fireballs, not to be confused with a phoenix)
• Summer Segment: Deserter's Desert, a special cactus flower that only blooms during a sandstorm
• Autumn Segment: Mushroom Sanctuary, a special mushroom that only grows on top of the mushrooms that are a size of a house

Once all the necessary ingredients have been found and delivered, people can also participate in potion making. The more people helping with making potions, the quicker everyone affected can get their potions and be cured. The potion is successful if it smell like a warm fireplace during a winter night.

The Towering Jenga Heights

Part 1

The VR Arcade of the Underground is holding a special event: they have managed to come up with a technology where you can minimize yourself and enter board games! They're looking for volunteers to test this new way of gaming.

For example, there are games like Jenga, Monopoly, Chess, Hungry Hungry Hippo, Checkers, Scrabble and many, many more! The games are made to fit the tiny people, but are also very realistic. Oh and Monopoly has an actual jail, but the money is as fake as can be.

It seems Jenga in particular is at its regular size and people will have to climb to push pieces out. That definitely seems like a fun challenge? Everyone gets a safety rope that's attached to poles around the Jenga towers, that will act as sort of a safety bungee jump rope.

Usually the minimized effect wears off once you end the game and leave the game board, but occasionally the technology glitches and leaves players small. The unexpected side effect wears off between 2 to 12 hours.

Anyone who did participate in the experiment will either get a month of free VR gaming time or a handheld gaming console with classic 8-bit games like Tetris.

Part 2

Those stuck in a tiny form longer than expected may discover jumping platforms to the fairy mall. It's located in the ceiling of the Underground Mall and is fit for small people like fairies. Here the fairies are all visible as they go about shopping and relaxing. They're all friendly and will make sure you have a lovely time relaxing in this small fairy oasis. Be warned, however, that the food here is strictly for fairies so if you eat it, you might end up sprouting fairy wings for a week. And not necessarily on your back.

Don't worry, you can't turn back to your regular size in the middle of the fairy mall. The magic there prevents that for the duration. Once you return by jumping onto one of the cushions left below the mall, you will return to regular size.

For souvenirs, why not buy a little bit of fairy dust? It's useful for potions, as it gives them stronger magical capabilities but used as is will make anyone be able to fly for 24 hours. The problem is you cannot use it on yourself or else it will horribly backfire and turn you into a talking frog for 24 hours.

OOC TIPS

• Ask event related questions here.

• Smut is not allowed on the event post, so if your thread is heading that way, please move it to a private entry of your own (your own entry or a new locked post on the comms).

• Remember to content and spoiler warn as necessary!

• All of the prompts happen around the same time but you can get affected by the frozen wind after visiting the Temple of Life or the other way around.

• All natives will be rescued by the end of the month, but the Temple can be accessed later just for fun.

• The frozen hearts potion will be done by the end of the month as well.

Temple of Life
• More Escape ropes can be picked up from the guilds to save more natives, but there's no way to tell there's someone trapped inside until someone goes in, so they'd have to get back after the first visit.
• Smartphones do not work inside the Temple of Life.
• You are very much allowed to work together inside the temple.
• The boss door will only open once the previous group of players has defeated it and have been transported out of the Temple. Then the boss will respawn.
• No one will have basic human needs inside the temple. It's basically a simulator so it doesn't matter how long you spend in there. Once you get out you might need to refuel on touch energy and food as soon as possible, but other than that all one needs to worry is surviving the temple.
• We admit the inspiration for this came from "I can't defeat Airman" without shame.

Frozen Hearts
• The event can affect anyone, not just those with secrets and hidden feelings.
• At the same time, the event can completely miss people as well.
• Samples of the wind can be collected and analyzed but it will turn out as a classic "it's magic" explanation.

• Reminder that this month is Activity Check-in month and check-in ends on July 31st, at 23:59 PST.

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That's not really something to be proud of, but at least he's been surviving! ]

I see. Well, I am glad that you're capable in dangerous situations. Though, you do not seem to possess any magic, do you? Apart from the ones that were granted to us here.

Nope. Not a one. You average, everyday, Lowelander. Though Nette says my "uncanny" ability to sleep anywhere and anytime is like magic.

[ He rolled his eyes and sighed. ]

Right, so. Patching this up. I brought some stuff for first aid, but I didn't quite prepare for "pierced by a rock" levels of care. I'll need to go to hospital, have this stitched up I suppose.

One moment, please.

[ She did say she would look at it! With the pot of water all ready, she pours a bit of it onto a fresh towel. Unfortunately, no antiseptic, but she readies it to clean up the wound. ]

May I? It's hot, so it may hurt a little bit as I clean it. My magic should suffice for now, but it may be best to have it checked when we get back to the city.

Go for it.

[ He pulls open his clothes to make it easier for her and braces. He twitches and inhales sharply when contact happens and keeps his complaining to a few pained grunts. ]

You made that lunch box?

[ Ayaka wipes his wound to get whatever blood's left that's sticking to his skin, amongst other things that may be there. When that's done, she sets the towel aside and uses her healing magic. She's never tried anything like this before— healing a cut like this, but she's practiced enough that she's able to fast forward the regeneration process to just a matter of seconds.

The wound might still feel a little raw, though. And it does take a bit of energy from Ayaka. She looks tired once she sets down her hand. ]

There we go. [ Still, she smiles nonetheless. As for the bento? ] Ah, yes, I did. It has become easy to prepare onigiri now.

[ He's not about to complain or ask for a bit more. The bleeding stopped, and he'll take not bleeding over bleeding any day. A little bit of pain is manageable, and he did say he'd go to the hospital or something after. ]

I recognize those little white things. They were on that catsoup bowl dish you got for me. It's starting to look like food between you and I might be a recurring thing.

[ Everything is going to be new to him because, again, his world sucks in terms of cullinary delicacies. ]

But I think I'll pass for now, or at least until we get back. [ He taps the sacl of coral. ] Need to deliver these high priority goods to some smart folk what can help everyone, and I've never been late for a delivery and I certainly won't start now.

[ With a breath he rose to his feet, gingerly putting his clothes back on the right way then going to pack whatever remains of his things. ]

I reckon I'll leave this lifeline here, in case someone else might need it if they're gonna send someone else to get more. Hopefully they have a partner. Thanks again, by the way, Ayaka. I might be expired if you weren't around.

Edited 2023-07-27 13:04 (UTC)

So long are you are not hungry. Please make sure you get to take some breaks, too.

[ Especially if they will be traveling back now! She has to clean up and fix everything she's brought out, so it may take some time. But if Noah's getting ready to head out, then Ayaka will do the same. ]

You're welcome. I have not gone this far into the Winter Segment before. I'm glad we are both safe.

Aye.

[ He continues to pack his belongings, pausing to rest his injured shoulder which led him to stare at the horizon. ]

...That thing, the Darkness, is out there at the edge of this place, yeah? Eerie thing, something like that outside the borders rather than inside.

With the information we learn from cooperating with the power holders, then perhaps we can do something about that in the future.

You are right, though. It is eerie.

[ And she used to live in a place that was surrounded by a thunderstorm! ]

[ He continues to watch the horizon while his mind pictured his home, Avalon, and the foul shadown festering in its bowels. There's a moment, a subtle one, where Noah's jaw tightens and his free hands tries to grip at something. His breathing becomes firm and steady, attempts at holding something back. His emotions, maybe. ]

...That's a shit kind of reason...

[ He whispered to himself. His voice calm but, perhaps there's more vitriol in the reasoning behind those words. He spends another moment staring before shaking his head and turning to Ayaka with a smile. ]

Right-o! I'm all good and set! Need any help over there, torch? Err...Ayaka.

Oh! That's alright. [ She was a hand dismissively his way. ] There's no need.

[ He's already done enough! She does take a moment to fix things and pack up though, careful not to leave anything behind. Once she's ready, she looks back at the lake and heaves out a sigh. Job well done! Hopefully what they have will be able to help many people. ]

The airship station is just nearby. I'm glad we won't have to travel far.

[ He nods and hoists his bag to his good side. ]

Lets make tracks then.

[ He doesn't rush but he doesn't dawdle either, taking measured steps towards the direction of the landing as he can remember it and for the most part he was silent but mulling something over with great concern. ]

Say, this Darkness, how often to people go inside it? If at all they do?

I don't believe anyone has gone out there before.

[ Not that she knows of, anyway. ]

I believe there is a barrier that prevents anyone from getting past.

Mmmm...is that right?

[ Noah pauses. ]

This darkness, it reminds me of home, as tragic as that sounds.

[ He's silent once more, the bag of coral rustling at his side as the water on the surface start to cluster together into ice. ]

There's a place called The Deep back home. It's just like what's here, a pitch black darkness that swallows everything and anything. Light, life, hope. Everything. Only difference is that this one is...more rampant. At least it's not spitting out monsters.

[ A beat. ]

It doesn't do that, right?

From my understanding, it is the Darkness that gives the monsters in the Segments strength and power.

[ Though she doesn't know much beyond surface level knowledge. ]

[ And cue the most exasperated sigh and the lowest his shoulders could possibly sink. ]

Brilliant. I can't escape. Even in another world, darkness still follows.

[ He sighs. ]

Well, at least that opens another job possibility for me.

If I may ask, what is your world like?

[ She can't imagine him venturing out into the Darkness like this, especially when it doesn't seem like he can fend for himself all that well. Hopefully he takes a travel companion with him if that's what he intends to do. ]

My world? Well, it's nothing like this.

[ Noah pauses, chewing on his lip while mulling over her query. ]

Alright, well to start with........Okay, okay, okay. We, by that my people, live on the towers created by the Architects after the Purging of Tyranny. Errr, the Architects are the gods of my world and the Purging is when they first arrived and saved mankind from the Tyrants. Those are monsters that toyed with man before the fogsea was born.

[ A beat. ]

Gods, this is alot harder than I thought. Am I making any sense?

A little.

[ She may need some more time to absorb those terms, but she thinks she gets it! ]

The fogsea. . . is like the Darkness?

Ummmm...in-in-in a way, yes. It's...well, it's a thick cloud of fog and the entire surface world is covered in it. It's a by product of that time and it covered the entire surface world, so the Architects made the towers and that's where mankind has lived since.

[ He thinks it's odd he has to explain this as if it weren't common knowledge but, given the situation, it really isn't. He just better make sure he doesn't sound condescending or anything. ]

As for me, I come the towers of Avalon. Caliburn tower, level twenty two, Loweland city. It's a city right by the edge, and since it's on the lower levels it's not as progressive as the rest. Actually it's one of the cities with a lot of slums and industrial and blue collar jobs.

[ A beat. ]

Ah but that's not what I was talking about was it? A-Anyway. With the towers built and the fogsea covering the world, the malice managed to slip inside the tower and create The Deep. Darkness that creates monsters from the fog to hunt down humanity. That's why I'm a little bothered by the Darkness being outside. The Deep is already a pain and half to deal with, and it's contained inside the towers already.

Much as I would like to stay positive, I believe that there will be some tragedies we will be experiencing in the future.

[ Especially with what they are tasked to do, as well as the past events. ]

There have been many a couple of instances where mysterious portals would appear for no reason, either bringing in monsters, or creating some strange phenomena. Two out of the five months where we have been here have brought these portals.

It has been worrying, though I do not know how many of us here have realised that.

[ Because no one seems to be making a fuss. She shakes her head. ]

My apologies, I was just reminded of that with what you said. Please continue.

Edited (added a bit more) 2023-07-29 14:12 (UTC)

[ Noah stopped in his tracks and groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with clear frustration on his face. ]

....It's just like The Deep. It's just like the fucking Deep. I really can't escape.

[ But two out of five months of nonsense like that. Those are terrible odds. ]

The Deep is a strange place that's alive and sometimes has the tendancy to appear in places you'd rather not want. Like, for example, a few months ago before we raised anchor - "we" being the ship I was serving on - there was a commotion at the port where the Deep had crept up to one of the offices of the port authorities. They opened up their break room or summin' and then - bam! - black fog and unfathomable darkness. The Guild had to close the place off, last I heard was that it took them a whole month to find the source and seal it off. Three Divers died in the process.

That's horrible...

[ And she's only hearing about it. She imagines it must be so much more terrifying were she living in that moment. ]

It can be sealed, but not dispelled entirely?

[ That's what she's understanding, though she might be wrong. ]

Aye. The fact that only three died is a relief, as horrid as that sounds.

[ She sees the tradgedy but not the whole issue it seemed to him. ]

The Deep isn't a place you can just get rid of, it's....[ He sighs clearly struggling to explain something that he himself cannot fathom. ] It's not just a place or a living being. Truth be told, I don't know what it is. No one does.

There's a bunch of scholarly folks what study and theorize about what that bloomin' place is but having spent most of my life going in and out of it, I can say with full confidence that The Deep is the embodiment of the word "Bizzare". Up can be down, left can be right, the path you took today could be different hours later if you don't mark it - the damn thing can even hold entire bloody cities with skyscrapers which you'll never see again when you come back the next day despite taking the same route.

I stepped in one day, middle of summer at noon in July, only to get a face full of cold winds and snow two hours after venturing in. It's....well, I think you get the picture.

There are quite a lot of mysteries in Teyvat, as well. That is where I am from. But I don't believe we have anything like that.

[ Not in her travels, none that she's heard of in other nations. It would be such a big deal, otherwise. ]

There is the Abyss, although we know a little more about it compared to what we know about the Darkness. Or ah- the Deep.

[ But she isn't all that knowledgeable, either. She would refer Aether, if asked. She's more knowledgable of incidents that have shaped Inazuma's history, than that of the world. ]

How did you get back?

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