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

O-Oh, I was...

[ He was just kidding but, oh well. He really should have expected that.

After making knicks in the wood, he pilled them like a pyramid inside a ring of stone and the smaller sticks under the larger. Whatever was not used was put to the side. ]

Okay, that's good to go. Once the fire is lit, all that's left is to go down there and get the damn thing.

[ He undoes part of clothing wrapped around his waist as he stood, revealing it to be the top half of a drysuit. He removed and tossed the thick winter jacket he wore before struggling to put on the rest of the drysuit. ]

Do you remember how many we had to bring back?

I shall wait and ensure that it is safe up here.

[ Teamwork!! ]

I don't think it was mentioned how many are needed, though... I think the more you are able to bring back up, the more potions the researchers will be able to make.

[ Of course, try not to kill the entire ecosystem or anything.

She lights the match now and starts the fire. It is but a small flame at first, but she lights another match to get it to burn brighter faster. It is cold here, after all, so the warmth truly does help in making the environment more comfortable to stay in. ]

[ He nods, gathering up whatever heat he can take from the growing flame. After securing his suit he goes to the chord by the branch and takes the other end, the rest of the bundle he throws into the lake before tying securely around his waist. ]

This the lifeline. [ He picks up the line of parachord at his feet and rings the bells. ] Two rings means I'm coming back up, three means something has gone horribly wrong. I'll try to keep it as taut as I can so if something does go awry, you can pull to help bring me sorry arse up.

[ There's a quiet "lets hope it doesn't come to that". ]

If you need me to come back, tug on it twice. Strong hard tugs to be sure. Annnnnnddd....that's about i-oh wait, wait!

[ He reaches into the suit, which was just as much of a struggle like putting it on, around the neck and after a few minutes of fighting with it he takes out a silver locket engraved with an emerald held by worn black chord. ]

Hold on to this for me.

[ There's more he'd like to say but it's dark so, he instead takes a sharp breath - grabs the goggles and a small folded sack - and heads towards the shore and into the water, but not before - ]

MAKERS TITS!

[ - swearing as the freezing water come up and over his head. Noah is officially not happy. Donning the goggles, he hyperventilates to empty his lungs and take in a large amount of air before dissappearing below the surface of the water. The lake quickly grows still, only the bright colorful chord serving as proof he was in there. ]

[ It's great he's cautious, but she frowns when "three rings" are mentioned. She hopes it doesn't come to that, but she'll do her best to be his backup if push comes to shove. ]

Alright. Please take care, Noah.

[ Ayaka's then told to keep the locket, which she takes with both her hands. There's no reason to ask more about it, especially when he seems pumped to get going already. She values privacy above all else, and she considers his privacy to be of value, as well. And so, she places the locket in her pouch, keeping it safe there.

She follows him towards the water once he's ready to go, casting a quick Manaward to keep him safe on his descent down to the lake's floor. Somehow, it the barrier provides a bit of light as well, helping with his vision in case he needs it. ]

[ The barrier produces enough light to show where he was up until a certain feet, after which the void of the lake swallows him whole.

The branch occasionally sounded but it was just from the way he just moved at the other end. At least he was still alive. A few minutes pass and the bells ring, twice, and eventually he surfaces with a hefty gasp for air.

Rushing to the shore, he yanks off the goggles and goes to the fire to warm up with the sack tied to his right hip. ]

Cold. So fucking cold.

[ The skin around his face was discolored, the clear signs of frostbite, though regaining a bit of color as he started to warm up. Once he's regained some composure, with shivering hands he recovers from the sack a fairly large piece of coral. ]

Please tell me this is the right thing.

[ She helps him up as much as she can. Her physical strength is not exactly worth commending, but she still does her best, anyway. Not to mention, a bit of touch should help give him some more energy, if not heat.

The priority is to get him close to the fire so he can get some warmth. She even lends him her cape, small as it may be, to help him cover up some more. Ayaka would have offered to use her magic to heal what wounds he may have, but he shows her the coral and is momentarily distracted. ]

Yes, I believe this is what we came here for. [ It's a coral, that's for sure! And it wasn't specified as to what kind— just that it grew in the harshest of environments. ] Thank you for your hard work.

[ Best to set that aside for now, wrapping it up with cloth to keep it safe. Once that's done, she sits next to him and gestures to her own face. She can't exactly point to his, after all. That would be rude. ]

May I? [ Heal him, she means. ]

[ He holds up his hand, universal sign for 'not right now' (at least he hopes so). ]

We have a problem then.

[ He points to the coral. ]

There's a lot of that stuff down there. A lot of it, but they're just out of my reach. I can hold my breath for about ten minutes, but it'll take me five to get down to that level and another five to get back up.

That was all I could get without risk of drowning, and if we're getting this for people who need it badly I don't think a fistful of that stuff would be enough.

[ If he's sure!

She sits by his side, then, and waits for when she is needed. ]

It is still more than what the researchers are able to procure on their own.

[ Barely any of them travel the Segments without an Otherworlder with them. The Segments are so dangerous, after all, and they don't really have anything to use to fend for themselves. ]

If only I knew how to dive...

[ He'd like to press that its not an issue of whether she knows how to or not, but it doesn't resolve anything.

Instead he thinks, thinks as hard as he can to find a solution and one does come to mind. ]

I have an idea. [ It is absolutely crazy though. ]

Dig. Around the snow, find us a big rock.

[ Is the idea clear yet? Is his lack of self preservation coming through yet? ]

I will do just that.

[ The idea is most certainly not yet clear, and she. . . does not know how to dig without a shovel. She'll keep that to herself, though, and instead stands up. She does not ask about it for now.

Finding a clearing, as it would be best to dig away from the fire, she summons a gust of wind to clear the snow away from her. Ayaka lets her magic do the work for her in finding the rocks, approaching one and trying to see if she can pick it up with her bare hands if she's able to see one poking out of the ground. ]

[ He doesn't leave all the work to her as he takes out the larger knife again and started to dig around, but not before throwing a few sticks into the fire.

His wasn't as quick a method as hers but he's still doing his part in finding a few rocks but nothing quite what he was looking for. ]

Anything on your side?

Ah- Y- Yes...

[ It is a little embarrassing that she doesn't have anything to show just yet, but she's trying!! Very hard!! In front of her is a rock the size of a watermelon, but she just can't lift it. ]

Will this do?

[ The labor does good work to warm him up even if his hand were cold again from the shoveling. When she calls outs, Noah rushes over to extract and examine it. ]

Round-ish....smooth....

[ Grabbing whatever hold he can on the stone, he starts to weigh it against his own mass. Honestly he'd prefer something heavier but - ]

Aye, I can work with this.

[ He goes to the chord lying between him and the lifeline branch, reeling in a few feet and starts tying it around the stone a certain way. ]

....Good. This'll serve as a good enough weight. Or anchor.

[ He pats the stone before picking it up and walking towards the water. If she had any protests about this idea, now may just be good time. ]

Edited 2023-07-19 10:40 (UTC)

An anchor?

[ She has an idea now, but she doesn't want to get ahead of yourself. Walking with him, perhaps a little too briskly because she wants to know what he intends to do before he puts that stone down... ]

What will you do, exactly?

Simple, I'm gonna chuck this in and sink with it to the coral.

[ Reddest of flags said ever so casually. ]

Fastest way between two points is a straight line, yeah? Doesn't get any faster than this.

I suppose?

[ See, this sounds like an idea her beau would come up with... She's a little worried, but if he just holds on to the rope and doesn't wrap it around him, it should be okay? ]

Did you see any creatures in the water? It would be bad if you encountered any while on the way down.

I did actually. They were these small weird looking things. Like a leaf with eyes, and swam through the water like it was nothing. Swam away from me as quickly as they can though. Came out of the coral too.

[ He means fish. That's what he saw. ]

Ah! The sack!

[ He turns around and walks, well, waddles really being off balance thanks to the rock, and gets the sack back at the fire. Then promptly waddles back. ]

If they didn't do anything to you the first time, then they should avoid you the second time, as well. Though if it is fish you are talking about, we may be able to cook those if you catch some, as well.

[ She doesn't know if it's actually fish. A leaf with eyes is a very creative description. ]

[ It was green and kinda flat, so leaf. Which also isn't really helping his case but he's not sure what the heck a fish even is. ]

I'll try, if you're really peckish, but they were fast little buggers, they were.

Anyway, wish me luck.

[ He puts the goggles back on and starts walking back into the lake, letting out a series of chuffs as the water goes up to his waist and eventually to his chest.

He dissappears beneath the dark waters and remains quiet for a time. Even the branch barely moves.

Five to ten minutes should be his max, and the ten minute mark is drawing dangerously close. ]

[ She does wish him luck, and watches as he goes! Hopefully nothing bad happens, and she can only hope that he's recovered enough from his earlier dive that there won't be too much frostbite.

When she can't see anything anymore, she heads back to the fire to make sure it continues to burn. It may be best to get some more wood to keep it going, so she does just that! And she may even be preparing a hot pot of water, by the time he gets back up. Ayaka remains attentive to the bell though, just in case it rings! ]

[ It does ring, sporadic, but it was unmistakable. Three strong rings, the last one being strong enough to almost wrench out of the sand.

She doesn't have to worry long as Noah bursts out of the water shortly after, scrambling for the shore, and then promptly collapsing into a shivering mess as he clawed at the zipper of the dry suit.

His goggles were gone, a small cut on his cheek, and closer inspection, or just looking at him rather, would show there's a cut on the suit where red water was leaking out into the sand, snow, and ice. ]

[ Ayaka is worried and is almost prepared to dive in and do what she can, but she sees him burst out of the water. That takes care of that! But it doesn't mean her job is done. She gives him the space he needs and runs off to grab one of the cloaks they've got, wrapping it around his shoulders to at least provide some warmth as she leads him closer to the fire.

No need to say he's hurt, when it's already obvious and he likely knows of his own state. ]

Take a seat, and please let me get a good look at you.

[ Her voice is calm, at the very least, Panicking will only make things worse. It doesn't mean she's not scared, though. ]

[ He manages to get to his knees to push himself closer to the fire, shivering and struggling to breath and still unable to really sit up right. His hands are almost freezing into a claws as he still tries to grasp at the zipper, mouthing "O" and now acting out the motion to open the suit. ]

Please, allow me.

[ She'll do that, then. A hand rests on his shoulder as she sits before him, while the other pulls the zipper down enough until he can slip out. ]

[ More water rushed out and Noah let out a loud inhale almost hyperventilating to get air and warmth into his body.

The wound is better exposed and thankfully not deep or wide, though still bleeding quite profusely which is expected since it did puncture a thick suit and whatever layers he had under. ]

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