songerein | { when it snows }

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{ when it snows }

WHEN IT SNOWS

All items on this post will last/be available for the entire month! So timey wimey shenanigans are allowed.

More details on everything can be found here. We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during A.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

I. REVEREIN THAWED

After freeing the Ice Queen from the glass shard from her chest and clearing the dreamscape, the blizzard that affected not only Reverein but the Wildlands and beyond finally dissipates and soon everything returns to…mostly normal.

A. Glitter Snow. While the freezing sleet and ice of the blizzard is no more and a more gentle winter has entered Reverein, the fresh new snow that falls is not one one might want to stick their tongue out to try and catch a snowflake. Unless one likes the taste of glitter.

🎉 Good luck getting it out. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad if the glitter melted like snow, but it does not. It sticks to everything everywhere and while some might like a splash of colors, others may not.
🔮 Dreamglobes. Some fae are passing out empty spherical glasses, suggesting those who are interested to collect some of the glitter snow into them and then set the snowglobe next to their bed before sleeping. Whatever dream they have will be captured into the glass and upon waking will create a physical representation of the dream to create a little special "dreamglobe." Hope it's a good one!
✨ Glitter Collector. There are a number of people and shops that actually want the free glitter and ask for anyone to collect as much as possible. Works well for those trying to clean up and not sure what to do with it. What kind of products will end up coming from them well.

B. Mari Lwyd and Family. Mari Lwyd has finally returned to Reverein, and she's bringing along some family she's found. However, they can be a bit of a handful. Some are friendlier than others while others are going to make full use of this glitter snow with pranks and mischief. But they all just intend to have a good time, something that everyone may be in need of after that blizzard.

💃 Little Pranksters. The young Lwydlings cannot sing or speak, but they love to dance around and make all manner of noise—they also bite if you're being a big fat party pooper in their presence, and are a lot more likely to pull a few harmless pranks than their dear older cousin Mari Lwyd is. Very quick, they have the same vanish-and-leave-you-with-bad-luck if harm is attempted on them. Have a dance off with them, or aid them in pranking those who are being big fat grumps/meanie-butts.
🔥 Bonfire. One of the merry friends looks like a very tall pile of long hair and arms, but with them they seem to be carrying a basket and filling it with sticks and other kindling. This is for giant bonfires! Help gather wood and kindling to make a great bonfire to welcome some warmth in this winter, and aid any lost to not wander in this cold.
🥜 Nurturing Gifts. There appears to be another skull-faced being wandering around with their own 'little one' in tow—and despite the horned and frightening appearance of the larger fur and hyde clad figure there are small gifts to be shared. An act of kindness rewards one with a bundle of magic beans that if nurtured and cared for will bear a great gift come spring. Great.

C. Hot Springs. The dragons are holding an open invitation to anyone who wishes to use their hot springs to warm up after that frigid blizzard. The dragons in particular will be practically living there, so hopefully others can squeeze in a spot. Rooms will be available for anyone who wishes to stay the night, and all amenities will be available: food, recreational games, etc. Just beware of the monkeys that have descended down from the mountain seeking warmth as well. They are prone to stealing things, particularly clothing—and wearing them.

D. Dream Board. This is the perfect time to do many of the Dream Board prompts, and while the full details are on the notes, here is the quick list of what they are:

Dream Board List:

⛄ Snowball Tonics: Transform into massive, different colored snowballs.
🔔 Bell Choir: Grab a bell and play for a concert!
🧣 Never-Ending Scarf: Help untangle the beautifully, extremely long crocheted scarf, dodge cats, and get the whole thing together in one place.
🍻 Keg Brawl: A game where one must carrying a keg of ale from one end of a field of ice to the other while avoiding the other team trying to stop you.
🐶 The Inugami. Help a pair of spirit dogs find each other.
🌠 Falling Stars. Make wishes upon the falling stars before they cause too much damage!

II. SHATTERED DREAMS

Although the Dreamwalkers were successful in removing the strange glass shard in the Ice Queen's chest and ended the nightmare dreamscape that caused the blizzard, the Ice Queen still has yet to awaken. Jack Frost has taken her to Orkili to try and purify her with the pods, yet it only caused an adverse reaction, prompting the Orkilins and Jack Frost to ask for help from the Dreamwalkers once more. Isolated in a separate room where neither dreamotion nor nightmare energy can enter, those who are willing to investigate the Ice Queen's dream will be able to freely dreamwalk, with the warning that she seems sensitive to positive dreamotion so everyone should take caution when using it.

In the meantime, there are some other happenings going around in Orkili, including investigation into some nightmare crystals.

A. Piecing it Together. Those who enter the Ice Queen's dream will find themselves free floating in a dark void with large reflective glass-like shards with blurred, fogged scenes reflecting on their surface. They float aimlessly through the space, and a closer inspection will reveal that these shards can fit together and likely form a larger image. The goal is to now try and put the pieces together, though it's not as easy as it might seem.

🪞 Nightmare manipulation. For whatever reason, those who either have high nightmare resistance or can control nightmare energy will be able to move and be around the shards with very little effect to them.

💥 Too much of a good thing. Because the shards are dark and clearly exude nightmare energy, there will be those who will try to use positive types of dreamotion to purify the shards. Some dreamotion will be safe to use and will help clear up the image on the surface. However, too much focus will have a negative feedback where the dreamers are pushed back with a freezing gale and the shard they are focusing on will crack and break into smaller pieces. Nightmare energy can help mend the cracks, so it's better to try and use both at the same time.

💔 Blurred visions. As the surface of the shards clear up, various scenes of different themes can be seen, both good and bad. Love, heartbreak, hatred, anger, joy, jealousy, loneliness, fulfillment, family, abandonment. Those who experienced the ice mirrors in the previous dreamscape will feel a strong familiarity with these larger shards, except these are clearly towards the Ice Queen herself.

This is where we want players to come up with any scene that the Ice Queen may have experienced that could be reflected on the shard! We'll request submissions and piece together a story based on player input. Don't worry about any contradictions, we'll work it all in one way or another. The only constant is that Jack Frost and the Ice Queen do have a close, romantic relationship, which is why Jack is very worried about her.

B. Unwanted Intruder. While in the dream, a grotesque looking noctaere will appear and try to attack and consume the shards. Should it succeed, the Ice Queen will receive physical damage that everyone will be able to hear and feel inside the dream. The void will contort and turn more like sludge. Attempts to use dreamotion will only worsen it, but those who can control or absorb nightmare energy will take it away from the Ice Queen. How it affects them however, will vary between dizziness to momentary lapse in judgment and may need to leave the dreamscape.

Those monitoring outside the dream will witness the Ice Queen scream and her skin blackening as if charred by fire. Same thing applies here: those who try to use dreamotion to heal her will only worsen it, but those who use nightmare energy to either draw it out into some other container or absorb it themselves will be able to pull it out of the Ice Queen. Those who absorb the nightmare energy will have similar varying effects, from just light dizziness to becoming more irritable and hostile. Attempts to try and directly pull out the nightmare energy otherwise will be unsuccessful—it will only work when the noctaere has consumed a shard and caused the physical side effects.

No one will turn noctaere through this method because not enough nightmare energy will have accumulated.

As for the noctaere, it will sometimes appear outside the dream, and those who encounter it or deliberately try to hunt it down either within or outside the dream will find both dreamotion and nightmare based attacks effective against it. However, it's a very tough and difficult foe, so while it can be damaged, it cannot be defeated at this time. Those who investigated the claw marks from a few months ago will notice it leaves behind the same claw marks. Those who witnessed it will also find it familiar and can safely say it's the same.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Barok van Zieks is a man who could be called painfully Victorian. Even in terms of his contemporaries, he's a tad old fashioned—and that's even without any other issues he may have with baring skin. As a result, when he ultimately decides to visit the dragons' hot springs, he's acquired the most ridiculous looking blue-striped number for a bathing suit, and it covers him quite solidly from collar to elbows to shins. It unfortunately does not conceal a few assorted battle scars, the most recent of which appears to be a set of claw marks on his right forearm, though even they are still multiple years old at this point.

Either way, the suit works... well enough, and he's attempting to make his way around a few dozing dragons to find a spot in the water. He may mutter a polite excuse me or two as he shuffles by, as unfortunately he is not small enough to get by without bumping into one or two—perhaps even another person-sized bather.]

[It is certainly a bit more crowded than the last time Ira visited the hot springs. He's a bit more aware of the dragons this time around and finding space between them seems to be a bit of a premium. Though, he's managed to find a small space, maybe? At least big enough for a few people, or one small dragon. But hopefully that hypothetical dragon doesn't come over here.

He is about to settle into the water when he is jostled by Barok trying to get by.]

Oh, uh, sorry. There's not a lot of space here.

[Oof. It's good there wasn't really any space to move quickly. Van Zieks shakes his head to dismiss the apology.]

The fault was mine. [It's probably more of the dragons' fault, but it's literally their hot spring, so who is he to cast blame elsewhere? The other man's observation is true enough, however, and he lets out a brief hum of agreement.]

I fear I may have to compromise my intent to bathe apart from others...

[His life is suffering! He is looking at this space that Ira has located with some interest, however. Feel free to notice and offer a spot, rather than force him into the uncomfortable situation of asking to share. (Or make him do it, which he deserves.)]

I've looked, there isn't really much in the way of options. And, it's a little intimidating to ask the dragons to make some space.

[They probably wouldn't roast him with firebreath, but also, why take that risk?]

If you're alright with compromise, there is some room here though.

[And he indicates the space.]

[Ah, good; this man appears receptive to his typical habits, which is to never be direct about normal social things. With a grateful dip of his head, van Zieks steps forward to start settling himself into that small space.]

My thanks.

[It takes him a minute to acclimate, practically putting in a toe at a time, but he does finally manage to sit with a huff. Even the luxury of a heated bath, which he had easy enough access to back home, pales in comparison to the temperatures here. It is quite a contrast to the snow.

But yes, the dragons. He glances at the scaly side of one closest to them, whose tail circles half their space.]

In my experience, they are more hospitable than they may initially appear. [... van Zieks isn't gonna ask them either, though.]

It's been very kind of them to share their space, and I've been happy to help out with their harvests in return.

[Even if it does result in him dealing with giant vegetables.]

If you feel crowded, it probably won't be too difficult to ask them to move.

[Van Zieks shakes his head.]

There is no need to disturb them. [for now.] I'm certain some few are recovering from their experiences in the blizzard, much as we are.

[Speaking of harvests, though—he can't help but air a complaint regarding his own experience.]

My own crops have suffered no small amount... [A weird thing for such a stiff and proper sort of man to say, perhaps. He absolutely does not have the look of a farmer.]

I suppose that would explain why it is so crowded here. If everyone is coming to warm up.

[It's an attempt at a joke anyway.]

What sort of crops, if you don't mind me asking?

[He's been known to help out with the odd harvest.]

[It makes logical sense. If even the ~~prudish~~ reserved Barok van Zieks accepted the dragon's offer to enjoy the springs' warmth, he can imagine the vast majority of dreamers are willing to as well...

He tries not to be bothered by the dragon now scooting up into his space as some other bathers settle in nearby. His shoulders tense with vague annoyance, though.]

A small vineyard and orchard. Though I have some familiarity with altering the weather for them, there is only so much one can accomplish against such drastic conditions.

[Compromise seems to be the name of the game here and Ira scoots over as some more space on the other side opens up. And he indicated that Barok should do the same. It's a bit of a dance.]

I imagine that that would not be particularly easy, given the conditions they might need.

Though, I'm interested to hear about your weather alterations. Is that through dreamotion?

[Van Zieks... scoots towards Ira. Reluctantly. The dragon, meanwhile, lets out a quiet rumble as the man attempts to focus on the conversation and not let the lack of personal space distract him.]

It is. Such things are not possible whence I hail. [And thank goodness for that! As convenient as this sort of magic can be, the potential for disaster would be... unfortunate.]

Thankfully, I had done some research on the topic of particular climates on which to base my work before coming here.

With how much the weather changes here, and how quickly, such knowledge would be extremely important.

It is not often that I hear of dreamotion being used this way, so I admit I'm fascinated.

[But that could also be old habits, hard to break. As he's usually applied it for combat.]

You must have a lot of precise control.

I would like to believe as much, though I am no less susceptible to fluctuations caused by nightmarish afflictions...

[Which, at one point, froze his entire house and garden. That was a bad time.

Van Zieks has a few specialties in combat himself, but he vastly prefers the other sorts, partly because it is more precise. Much harder to keep a plant alive than to kill it.]

I know of a number of those who use it towards more culinary applications. I presume you are more familiar with offensive sorts?

Nightmares do tend to throw a wrench in things.

[He's becoming a little familiar with that, unfortunately. And he can't say he approves.]

But yes, that is more my forte. I've been combining with the magic I typically use, and it's had some effective results.

I wouldn't mind applying it to more practical things, however.

It does have significant potential, despite the risks... which I consider incentive enough to continue to practice and achieve control.

[Given how much of a stickler he is for the details, he doesn't really let anybody else handle his affairs, especially not without his strict supervision. Unfortunately that means things outside of his work are frequently left in a bit of a mess, but that's a topic for another time. Or never.]

Would there be any particular endeavors that would hold your interest?

I've found that combative magic can be rather limiting when you're outside of combat. I suppose being able to use dreamotion in a more domestic sense would be very helpful.

Perhaps in gardening as well.

[He has something of a small one, but outside of the basic maintenance, he's stalled on how to make it better.]

That is so.

[... there's not much he can do with the "summon a giant scythe-wielding spectre" aspect of his dreamotion that doesn't involve attacking things. However!]

Perhaps some aspect of the magic you have used thus far may be adapted to such purposes? Fire into a lesser heat to provide any needed warmth, for example.

[There's a splash as the snoozing dragon's tail suddenly flicks in the water, the creature awakening and turning its attention to another of its approaching fellows. There is about to be even less space than they currently have.

... Barok's scowl deepens, but he says nothing.]

[Ira considers things for a moment, before nodding. And wordlessly moving away from the Dragon's tail. He doesn't want to be splashed, or worse.]

That's a good idea. Usually I am more concerned with a larger fireball, rather than something smaller and more contained.

And certainly that could be put into practice with other elements as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ when it snows }

For Ira

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