White Chain (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
peace_keeper) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2019-02-04 11:01 am
peace_keeper) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-02-04 11:01 am
I will see you in Samura
Who: 82 White Chain and the Outlands Cosmology Class
What: Field trip!
Where: Dead Kingdom of Samura, The Outlands.
When: Early February
Warning: I hope you got a signed consent form from your legal guardian.
After weeks of talking about the voices of gods and the void between worlds and the King's Road and other such esoteric topics, it would not be surprising for even a studious student to still not have a good grip on what The Outlands were. They were a big place, after all. Far larger than the Earth, and far stranger.
Eventually, you had to just go there.
White Chain had been reminding her class of the upcoming trip for the last week, but it might still be surprising to see a large stone archway set up in the front of the classroom. It was covered in carefully carved runes, and would not have looked out of place in a wizard's tower or a crumbling dungeon full of goblins and beholders. It definitely looked out of place in a classroom.
Once the class was gathered, White Chain addressed them all with her hands clasped behind her back. "Once active, this gateway will lead to the dead kingdom of Samura. Samura was once a land dedicated to peace. A land of philosophers and poets. Such things rarely last, but Samura's end was not what you might assume. No one conquered it. No, Samura fell because of wars in neighboring regions. Refugees, seeking peace, continually fled to Samura until eventually there was not enough food and shelter for anyone. The result: Famine, riots, and collapse. Now, only ruins and bones remain. It is a somber place. It is also safe, and so an ideal place to first experience the outlands."
Each student was offered an emergency kit that included a signal flare, should they get lost, a lightweight emergency blanket, and a water bottle. She touched a rune on the gateway and a portal of shimmering light swirled into being before turning clear, and suddenly instead of seeing the blackboard behind the gate, you could see a starlit desert. "Are there any questions before we go?"
The Ruins of Samura
The first thing anyone noticed on stepping into the Outlands was that Samura was COLD. Breath fogged the near freezing air. The second thing anyone noticed that this was like no place on Earth. A desert of vividly purple stand stretched out to the horizon. Strange, alien trees remained here and there, stunted, twisted, and dead from centuries of drought and famine. Above, a sky impossibly dense with starts of a thousand vibrant colors lit the land almost as bright as daylight. The portal stood in the middle of what must have once been a beautiful plaza lined by building that looked to be almost as much sculptures of art as they were homes and businesses. Now, most of them were falling apart or just rubble, but a few remained upright.
The main street led away from the plaza towards a large cliff which appeared to have a waterfall flowing down it and the shapes of more buildings along the top. On closer examination, however, it became obvious that the "waterfall" was actually a sandflow, and that it was flowing up the cliff face. Indeed, there appeared to be an entire river of shifting sand that wound through the ruins of canals that criss crossed the ruined town.
Here and there, one could find bones. Human bones. Nothing lived here. Not anymore.
"Be cautious with the ruins. Some of them are quite fragile, and could collapse. We leave in three hours time. I will set of a signal flare by the gateway half an hour before we leave, and will leave the gate open until all students are accounted for. If you get lost, set off your flare and I will come for you as fast as I can."
What: Field trip!
Where: Dead Kingdom of Samura, The Outlands.
When: Early February
Warning: I hope you got a signed consent form from your legal guardian.
After weeks of talking about the voices of gods and the void between worlds and the King's Road and other such esoteric topics, it would not be surprising for even a studious student to still not have a good grip on what The Outlands were. They were a big place, after all. Far larger than the Earth, and far stranger.
Eventually, you had to just go there.
White Chain had been reminding her class of the upcoming trip for the last week, but it might still be surprising to see a large stone archway set up in the front of the classroom. It was covered in carefully carved runes, and would not have looked out of place in a wizard's tower or a crumbling dungeon full of goblins and beholders. It definitely looked out of place in a classroom.
Once the class was gathered, White Chain addressed them all with her hands clasped behind her back. "Once active, this gateway will lead to the dead kingdom of Samura. Samura was once a land dedicated to peace. A land of philosophers and poets. Such things rarely last, but Samura's end was not what you might assume. No one conquered it. No, Samura fell because of wars in neighboring regions. Refugees, seeking peace, continually fled to Samura until eventually there was not enough food and shelter for anyone. The result: Famine, riots, and collapse. Now, only ruins and bones remain. It is a somber place. It is also safe, and so an ideal place to first experience the outlands."
Each student was offered an emergency kit that included a signal flare, should they get lost, a lightweight emergency blanket, and a water bottle. She touched a rune on the gateway and a portal of shimmering light swirled into being before turning clear, and suddenly instead of seeing the blackboard behind the gate, you could see a starlit desert. "Are there any questions before we go?"
The Ruins of Samura
The first thing anyone noticed on stepping into the Outlands was that Samura was COLD. Breath fogged the near freezing air. The second thing anyone noticed that this was like no place on Earth. A desert of vividly purple stand stretched out to the horizon. Strange, alien trees remained here and there, stunted, twisted, and dead from centuries of drought and famine. Above, a sky impossibly dense with starts of a thousand vibrant colors lit the land almost as bright as daylight. The portal stood in the middle of what must have once been a beautiful plaza lined by building that looked to be almost as much sculptures of art as they were homes and businesses. Now, most of them were falling apart or just rubble, but a few remained upright.
The main street led away from the plaza towards a large cliff which appeared to have a waterfall flowing down it and the shapes of more buildings along the top. On closer examination, however, it became obvious that the "waterfall" was actually a sandflow, and that it was flowing up the cliff face. Indeed, there appeared to be an entire river of shifting sand that wound through the ruins of canals that criss crossed the ruined town.
Here and there, one could find bones. Human bones. Nothing lived here. Not anymore.
"Be cautious with the ruins. Some of them are quite fragile, and could collapse. We leave in three hours time. I will set of a signal flare by the gateway half an hour before we leave, and will leave the gate open until all students are accounted for. If you get lost, set off your flare and I will come for you as fast as I can."
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I encountered his sister and was able to remove the influence of whatever entity made her aggressive. I am unsure what happened to her spirit following that, as she left the Earthly plane swiftly- but I had promised to deliver a message to Toki in her stead.
[ That much he has planned to say, not that it sounds much different to his casual conversation. Or as casual as Rex ever gets.
The next part is a little more strained- clearly, a painful memory attached to it.
The memory is disintegrating Toki's sister though so. ]
I don't break promises.
[ And then, apparently embarrassed at his poker face slipping, he sniffs and reasserts it. ]
Unfortunately, my message was misinterpreted, leading to Toki's current emotional state. Subsequently, his attempts to escape my presence caused the tower to collapse.
[ He rubs his upper arm slightly and shrugs with one shoulder. ]
...I'd also like to know the answers to his questions.
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As for Toki's sister...
[She didn't sound VERY sympathetic by normal standards, but by angel standards she was doing pretty good.]
The dead do not belong in this world. They cannot stay here unless something is holding them here. There is likely little that could be done to stop a ghost from staying on Earth once any corrupting influence was removed.
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tahnk you Whiat Chunn he's home free you fuckig nidtiotsDespite the fact that this is ostensibly good for him, Rex doesn't feel the smallest thrill or relief. Part of him, a very loud part with large teeth that sink deeper into him every day, wants him to pay for everything he's done- although what is included in 'everything' he'd struggle to tell you beyond this. Just being alive in general counts.
The sigh he lets out, the customary 'goosh', is one of complete defeat.
He nods at White Chain- ]
Thank you for your assistance.
[ In helping him, more than saving them.
He really should consider himself fantastically fortunate and run off now, never talk to Toki again. Instead, he has to lay seeds for the future, hands on his knees as he leans a little towards Toki. ]
I promised her I'd protect you, too. That's why I've been so worried about you since we met.
[ He reiterates probably the biggest lie he'll ever tell. ]
I don't break promises.
[ He really, really hopes that one works, he needs people to know he's a creepy, grim, fearsome looking giant who is basically a good guy. Not just a. Whatever He Is. ]
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[She did not have a good sense of what was going on just now, but something felt OFF about this whole situation.]
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Eh, he’ll just find a way to sneak back here himself some other time. That’s the smart idea he comes up with. ]
That’s reasonable.
[ He points at Toki- ]
Uhm. You want me to carry him or...?
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[ Rex lets Toki walk a bit before he starts following. Just in case, he stays an arm's length (his arm's length) away.
Well, assessing how this has gone- 65% successful! No one died, looks like Toki isn't going to make him live up to his (fake) promises. Sure things look weird, but White Chain's interjection has helped him immensely. Nothing short of some kinda truth potion can out him now!
Aww crap. He's got to come up with some sort of counter truth potion now. And work out when it might be administered. Or make one without side effects so he can take it every day- etc. etc.
Rex's look of quiet contemplation as he considers ways to dig himself deeper into paranoia looks a lot like he's concerned for his classmate. Couldn't have gone better if he did plan it! ]
no subject
We can just go now, right~!?
[It might be suspicious to just run off the second they got back.]