Lesser Lord Kusanali 🌱 Nahida (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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songerein2024-04-17 11:40 am
bloomingwisdom) wrote in songerein2024-04-17 11:40 am
Entry tags:
The Samsara of Gods ☘ OPEN
Who: Nahida + You! (Players who are TDMing are welcome!)
Which: Open Interactive Dream
What: Sumeru crumbles under the Withering, and you are beckoned to save the Lord of Verdure
Warnings: Environmental Decay/Corruption, Mind Control, Glitchy Memory/Amnesia
The repeating festival day leads you to suspect a nightmare is at play, with near inaudible whispers encouraging you to save someone. Following the whispers leads you to Nahida's dreamscape, and in the dream her nation is crumbling into dust. The rainforest is withering and monsters threaten to encroach on your position. The whisper, louder now, beckons you towards a glimmering city in the distance, wrapped around a giant tree and protected by its foliage...
This log functions like a regular event log! Feel free to post a top-level and thread amongst yourselves! A majority of these prompts will not need my presence, and those that do will be marked with a ** and 🌱 in the title. If you have any questions about the setting or the dreamscape, you may be direct them to the questions thread!
Note: Some prompts in this log will allow characters to recall any forgotten memories or see brainwashed versions of anyone familiar to them, including those from their canon not in Songerein. These are purely optional, and whether or not characters keep the forgotten memories is up to player discretion!
This Interactive Dream Log is a part of the event and the TDM for April! As such, characters outside of Songerein are permitted to participate in this log. All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not. You can find more information about this part of the event here!
TO BE ADDED
I. A WITHERING LAND
II. WISDOM CRUMBLING
III. CORRUPTION
**🌱IV. HER MEMORIES**
Which: Open Interactive Dream
What: Sumeru crumbles under the Withering, and you are beckoned to save the Lord of Verdure
Warnings: Environmental Decay/Corruption, Mind Control, Glitchy Memory/Amnesia
The Samsara of Gods
Verdant green surrounds you. You stand in a rainforest, a tiny ant amongst the giant, towering trees, stretching out into the sky as if to seek for the stars. There is but one nation in all of Teyvat that has greenery of this scale and abundance: Sumeru, the Land of Wisdom, domain of the benevolent and all-loving Dendro Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali. Ever has she protected the nation from danger, sin█e the ██ment of its incepti█̶̧̨̩̥͙͇̩͈͇͐̿̇̊̍̕͜█̸̢̭͙͎̠̬̉̿̕ͅ█̶̩̪͕͍̘̻̭͔̭̌͑̃̈́͜█̷̲̺͓̬̩̰̏̍̍͒́̀ͅ ̶̡̡̤͎̺̱͓̮͍͒ ̷̡̡̖̣̦̣̔̋̂̉̀͘͘ͅͅ ̸̻̙͕͈̜̼̪̝̜̈́̂̉͑̀̿͐͝ͅ█̸̡̮͍̉̒͒█̸̨̭̈́̓͑̍̇̿̄̓̾͝ ̸̛̪͕̯̲̺͑͒͂̕ ̶̡̨̼̮̩̄͑̀͐̂͝█̷̦̰͆̋͌̈̃͝█̶̨̡̞̮̥̗͍͕̭̾█̷̮̫͓̏́́̕█̷̛̘̝̙̽̎́̇̆̕█̸͙̰̰͚͓̫̳͒̈́̆͑͐̅█̶͖̗͛̆͛̾\
█̴̣̔█̷͇͙͗̋̓█̴̙̻̰͚̈█̷̋ͅwr ̷̧͇͖̄ ̴̝̍̃͐̍͘ ̸̲̣̱͂̎́̈́̃█̶̗͕̪̈́͒̀█̶̞̦̣̍ ̷̱̟̆ ̷͓̯́͂̓̐̇͜o█̸̡͛͌█̴̦̟̭̤̓͝█̴̹̈́█̵̖̣̣́ ̷̡̜̂̓̒̃͜ ̵̧̥͒̍̉̓ ̷̱̣̈́█̶͍̦̝͙̿͌̽́█̸̊̈́̓͋̎ͅng ̵̡͖̮̣̖̈ ̵̙̞̝͆̀̋̚ ̴̼̲̬̥́ ̸̢̹̟̮̋̍͊█̴͈̺̹̫̎̑̆̾̈́█̶̨̯͕̳̱̾█̶̢̫̻͍͕̀̾̌█̵͔̖͇̓̈́͑̇͘█̸̧̯͇͇̏͋͝█̸̜̟̒̽ͅ
"̷͓̓Buṱ̷̛ ̷̻̄████... ̶̹͛̀t̴̯̖̋h̶̆ī̷̘s ̵̪͈̃ï̴̍ͅs ̸̠͈͗͆s̶̞͆̍͜o... ̵̑͜█████.̸͚̒ ̷̳̜̽̈́I ̵d̸̪͓̔͋ö̷́n'̷́t w̵͚̓an̵t ̴̘̭̔́t̸̢̠́o̵ ̶̤͘██████ ̵̬͊͛͜y̵̱̼͛̚o̶̠̍u!"
...
"Do you still remember... what happened just now?"
"̵͚͙̅̑P̸͓̗̐l̷̤̉ẽ̷̟̚a̷ś̶̗͌e... ████ h̸̗̽̌é̵̬r."
█̴̣̔█̷͇͙͗̋̓█̴̙̻̰͚̈█̷̋ͅwr ̷̧͇͖̄ ̴̝̍̃͐̍͘ ̸̲̣̱͂̎́̈́̃█̶̗͕̪̈́͒̀█̶̞̦̣̍ ̷̱̟̆ ̷͓̯́͂̓̐̇͜o█̸̡͛͌█̴̦̟̭̤̓͝█̴̹̈́█̵̖̣̣́ ̷̡̜̂̓̒̃͜ ̵̧̥͒̍̉̓ ̷̱̣̈́█̶͍̦̝͙̿͌̽́█̸̊̈́̓͋̎ͅng ̵̡͖̮̣̖̈ ̵̙̞̝͆̀̋̚ ̴̼̲̬̥́ ̸̢̹̟̮̋̍͊█̴͈̺̹̫̎̑̆̾̈́█̶̨̯͕̳̱̾█̶̢̫̻͍͕̀̾̌█̵͔̖͇̓̈́͑̇͘█̸̧̯͇͇̏͋͝█̸̜̟̒̽ͅ
"̷͓̓Buṱ̷̛ ̷̻̄████... ̶̹͛̀t̴̯̖̋h̶̆ī̷̘s ̵̪͈̃ï̴̍ͅs ̸̠͈͗͆s̶̞͆̍͜o... ̵̑͜█████.̸͚̒ ̷̳̜̽̈́I ̵d̸̪͓̔͋ö̷́n'̷́t w̵͚̓an̵t ̴̘̭̔́t̸̢̠́o̵ ̶̤͘██████ ̵̬͊͛͜y̵̱̼͛̚o̶̠̍u!"
...
"Do you still remember... what happened just now?"
The repeating festival day leads you to suspect a nightmare is at play, with near inaudible whispers encouraging you to save someone. Following the whispers leads you to Nahida's dreamscape, and in the dream her nation is crumbling into dust. The rainforest is withering and monsters threaten to encroach on your position. The whisper, louder now, beckons you towards a glimmering city in the distance, wrapped around a giant tree and protected by its foliage...
This log functions like a regular event log! Feel free to post a top-level and thread amongst yourselves! A majority of these prompts will not need my presence, and those that do will be marked with a ** and 🌱 in the title. If you have any questions about the setting or the dreamscape, you may be direct them to the questions thread!
Note: Some prompts in this log will allow characters to recall any forgotten memories or see brainwashed versions of anyone familiar to them, including those from their canon not in Songerein. These are purely optional, and whether or not characters keep the forgotten memories is up to player discretion!
This Interactive Dream Log is a part of the event and the TDM for April! As such, characters outside of Songerein are permitted to participate in this log. All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not. You can find more information about this part of the event here!
TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)
TO BE ADDED
I. A WITHERING LAND
"̸͍̈́W̶̼̽̕e all ██████ ̴͓̹͊̃und̴e̷r ̷thę̵̰̚ ̸̢̰́͠████ tre̷̿e of w̵͓̉i̷͍̐ś̶͍d̸̡́̕ò̷̘m̵̛͖̏, ███████ ̵̉out to ̶̬͐█████████ the wo̸̢͘͝r̴̛̩̅ͅld."
This rainforest must have once been a beautiful place. The trees seem impossibly tall, and impossibly wide, stretching into the sky many times the height of a regular human. But all of this majesty pales in the face of a wave of rot sweeping across the region. The plants and trees have all withered. The cause? A flower, several dozen times bigger than normal, blooming in an ominous, blood red, and pulsing with dark energy—nostilium. It sits nestled in the roots of the mighty trees, spreading malady to the forest. These flowers can be found dotting the forest grounds at irregular intervals.
"T̸̲̹̿̍h̸̩̀͝i̶̢͍͊̎s ███... ████ ̸̪̭̍̏t̷̙̀h̸̦̳̉i̷͙͈͂̉s way," a soft, feminine voice whispers quietly into your ear. It is barely discernable, garbled in noise, but it directs your attention to a path that you're certain leads to a city, towards the source of this dreamscape. "████ ḥ̸̋̚e̶͝r, ple̶̝̊ả̶͈̄s̷͓̱͒͛e." The voice pleads.
A. Destroying the Tumors. The blood red flowers are filled with nostilium, and have smaller buds surrounding them, protecting the main flower from coming to harm. Touching the flower or the buds will fill a character with a rush of nostilium, and draw out any memories of failing to protect something or failing one's duty. Prolonged contact with the flowers may cause characters to be overwhelmed with any guilt associated with these memories.
It's possible to destroy the buds and flowers with positively charged dreamotion abilities. The main flower is impervious to damage until its surrounding buds are destroyed, and the buds will attack with bullets of nostilium energy. Once the buds and flower have been destroyed, the surrounding area will be restored to verdure. However, this is only temporary, as new flowers and buds will begin to sprout in the area after an hour has passed.
**🌱B. Child of the Forest.** Lucky characters might be met with a strange little plant-like creature that peeks out from behind one of the many trees of the rainforest as they progress towards the city. After a few sightings, it will approach and begin to speak.
"Once again, the trees must see the withered flowers that cover the earth, and the earth must remember the dark blood it once devoured," it begins cryptically. "Even for Nara, Marana's touch is dangerous, because Marana will teach you death." The little creature circles around them with curiosity. "Marana rampages through the forest, but foolish Nara hasn't left. Why are you still here, Nara?"
"T̸̲̹̿̍h̸̩̀͝i̶̢͍͊̎s ███... ████ ̸̪̭̍̏t̷̙̀h̸̦̳̉i̷͙͈͂̉s way," a soft, feminine voice whispers quietly into your ear. It is barely discernable, garbled in noise, but it directs your attention to a path that you're certain leads to a city, towards the source of this dreamscape. "████ ḥ̸̋̚e̶͝r, ple̶̝̊ả̶͈̄s̷͓̱͒͛e." The voice pleads.
A. Destroying the Tumors. The blood red flowers are filled with nostilium, and have smaller buds surrounding them, protecting the main flower from coming to harm. Touching the flower or the buds will fill a character with a rush of nostilium, and draw out any memories of failing to protect something or failing one's duty. Prolonged contact with the flowers may cause characters to be overwhelmed with any guilt associated with these memories.It's possible to destroy the buds and flowers with positively charged dreamotion abilities. The main flower is impervious to damage until its surrounding buds are destroyed, and the buds will attack with bullets of nostilium energy. Once the buds and flower have been destroyed, the surrounding area will be restored to verdure. However, this is only temporary, as new flowers and buds will begin to sprout in the area after an hour has passed.
**🌱B. Child of the Forest.** Lucky characters might be met with a strange little plant-like creature that peeks out from behind one of the many trees of the rainforest as they progress towards the city. After a few sightings, it will approach and begin to speak."Once again, the trees must see the withered flowers that cover the earth, and the earth must remember the dark blood it once devoured," it begins cryptically. "Even for Nara, Marana's touch is dangerous, because Marana will teach you death." The little creature circles around them with curiosity. "Marana rampages through the forest, but foolish Nara hasn't left. Why are you still here, Nara?"
II. WISDOM CRUMBLING
"̶̬̔̌F̷ró̶̰m t̸̞͛̈h̷͈̼̏̽e █████, ̷a̴̓n̶d ̵͒fro̷m ̵̀̔t̷̂h̶̺͙͗̓e ̴̤̱͊̀████, ̷ẇ̶̧͖e p̶͝erce̵i̶̋v̶e ̶͔̺̑i̴t̴͘s ̵̬͝███████ ̵un̵̬͐ti̴͌l ̷̛̥̖ẃ̷e ̷͙̤̅██████ ̶̜̇́a ̴̠̊͝ẉ̸̕hi̵̠͔̕͘t̵̞͐e ████ ̵t̸͠o pè̴̼̠rc̷̮̚h at̶̯̓ǫ̴͔̀p ̵͕͗̓a █████..."
A crumbling city greets anyone who makes it through the harrowing, withered rainforests. "Y̷̢̟͂o̴̙̼̍̆u ̸̺̲̈͒must ████ ̵̨̬̅͝h̸̰̯͒͠e̸̬̪͒r ███ ̴̤̬̉o̵̢͖͑f ̷̫͔̎ṱ̴͋ḩ̸̟̈́e ̷̮̍█████," the voice whispers again, this time urging you to head towards the top of the city, where the abode of the Dendro Archon is located. "S̸̝̘̓ḣ̴̺͠e h̵͍̍ȧ̶̛͜ͅs ̷͈̈́͋█████████, b̶͕̐͜͝u̶͈͗t sh̴̢̔e ȋ̴̗̀s ██████ ̵̜̹̑ṱ̴͝o ████████. An̵̳͗d̵̜͙̈͝ w̸i̷͚̾t̴͖̋h ̸ḯ̶̥̖͂t c̴̢͛̚om̷es ̵͇́ẗ̷̻̹́̚h̸͋e █████████."
The city is eerily empty, almost entirely bereft of the inhabitants that would bring it to life. Blood red nostilium flowers have taken root in the pockets of earth interspersed between the roads and sprout from cracks in crumbling buildings. A man shuffles across the street in a stumbling gait. There's a glowing red symbol adorning his left ear. "Glory to the Lord of Arcane Wisdom," the man mumbles, laughing deliriously to himself. "Humanity doesn't need the Dendro Archon anymore!"
There are more individuals shuffling across the city in a daze, mumbling similar phrases. And not all are citizens of Sumeru. Some may even be individuals you recognize from home. But they are under some influence all the same, and if you try to shake them out of their daze, they won't respond favourably.
A. Break the Brainwashing. Any individual that characters encounter in the city will be seemingly brainwashed to repeat the same thing over and over again, praising the Lord of Arcane Wisdom and disparaging the Dendro Archon. While a majority will be citizens of Sumeru, it's possible to encounter any individuals the character is familiar with, including those from their home world. Trying to snap these individuals out of their brainwashing will provoke them and cause them to attack.
The source of the glowing red symbols is an earpiece, which can be removed to stop the brainwashing. Once they are removed, the brainwashed individual will fall unconscious, and cannot be woken up.
B. The Purest Branch. The dreamscape is saturated with nostilium, which should be affecting a majority of characters by now. The nostilium will try to draw any forgotten memory to the surface, or magnify any negative emotion characters currently bear. Those particularly sensitive to nostilium may eventually find themselves becoming Noctaere as their own negative emotions begin to overwhelm them. However, those seeking to fight against the slow march of the corrosion will find that thinking of positive memories will temporarily help.
White branches with glowing, blue veins can be sparsely found across the city. Should characters approach the white branch, they will find that the pressure of nostilium will ease off entirely. But it doesn't last forever. The branch's influence will eventually begin to wane, and it must be supplied with dreamotion energy to continue its warding effect. Characters can traverse by locating these branches and sheltering in their warding aura as they progress to the top of the city.
The city is eerily empty, almost entirely bereft of the inhabitants that would bring it to life. Blood red nostilium flowers have taken root in the pockets of earth interspersed between the roads and sprout from cracks in crumbling buildings. A man shuffles across the street in a stumbling gait. There's a glowing red symbol adorning his left ear. "Glory to the Lord of Arcane Wisdom," the man mumbles, laughing deliriously to himself. "Humanity doesn't need the Dendro Archon anymore!"
There are more individuals shuffling across the city in a daze, mumbling similar phrases. And not all are citizens of Sumeru. Some may even be individuals you recognize from home. But they are under some influence all the same, and if you try to shake them out of their daze, they won't respond favourably.
A. Break the Brainwashing. Any individual that characters encounter in the city will be seemingly brainwashed to repeat the same thing over and over again, praising the Lord of Arcane Wisdom and disparaging the Dendro Archon. While a majority will be citizens of Sumeru, it's possible to encounter any individuals the character is familiar with, including those from their home world. Trying to snap these individuals out of their brainwashing will provoke them and cause them to attack.The source of the glowing red symbols is an earpiece, which can be removed to stop the brainwashing. Once they are removed, the brainwashed individual will fall unconscious, and cannot be woken up.
B. The Purest Branch. The dreamscape is saturated with nostilium, which should be affecting a majority of characters by now. The nostilium will try to draw any forgotten memory to the surface, or magnify any negative emotion characters currently bear. Those particularly sensitive to nostilium may eventually find themselves becoming Noctaere as their own negative emotions begin to overwhelm them. However, those seeking to fight against the slow march of the corrosion will find that thinking of positive memories will temporarily help.White branches with glowing, blue veins can be sparsely found across the city. Should characters approach the white branch, they will find that the pressure of nostilium will ease off entirely. But it doesn't last forever. The branch's influence will eventually begin to wane, and it must be supplied with dreamotion energy to continue its warding effect. Characters can traverse by locating these branches and sheltering in their warding aura as they progress to the top of the city.
III. CORRUPTION
"̶̢̽̊A̴̭͇̋̔n̴͓̮̍d ̴███████ ̶ṡ̴̜͖n̵̨̨͘a̸̱͛p ̷███ t̶̡̳͛h̵̯̳̓e ̶͕̄m̴͖͆́o̵̩̾s̵̰̐̀t̴͓͆ ḯ̴̭̻̀m̷͈̥̓p̵̸̴̴̣̩̭̌̋̈́͝o̵̡̥͐̉rtant leaf."
Eventually, you reach the highest building in the city. A beautiful door with green stained glass greets you, carved into a building that seems to meld seamlessly into the tree that holds up the city. This is the home of a god—the one you have come to rescue.
A bright light engulfs characters' vision as they open the door. Once it subsides, they're greeted with a dreamlike scenery. Surrounded by towering cliffs forming a valley, a massive silver white tree with light pink foliage stands before them. The tree hums with energy, glowing with a radiant light. It is a wondrous sight, but before anyone can take a step towards it, the scene darkens as black mist shrouds the entire area, and dissipates to reveal a barren, dark landscape carved into dead wood.
In the clearing up ahead, a swirling mass of nostilium sits, barring the way forward. The concentration of nostilium emanating from this mass is overwhelming. It must be the source of all the withering across the dreamscape, and is likely drawing the negative energy from the repeated days outside of the dreamscape. Destroy it, and everything will be resolved.
Marana's Avatar bars the way to rescue Nahida from her nightmare. It fights by generating a whirlwind of nostilium around itself, showering the area around it with negative energy and protecting itself at the same time. Characters must destroy the blood red flowers in the surrounding areas to weaken the concentration of nostilium and stop the whirlwind. Once it's no longer protected by nostilium, Marana's Avatar can be damaged by positively charged dreamotion. But the flowers and buds will reappear quickly, so characters may need to eliminate the flowers multiple times as they tackle this fight.
Arama, the mysterious plant-like creature from the rainforest, will appear halfway through fight to aid characters. When Marana's Avatar is showering the area with beams of nostilium, Arama will generate a barrier warding off negative energy that characters can take shelter under. Arama will not be able to hold the barrier indefinitely, however, so call upon their aid only when necessary.
A bright light engulfs characters' vision as they open the door. Once it subsides, they're greeted with a dreamlike scenery. Surrounded by towering cliffs forming a valley, a massive silver white tree with light pink foliage stands before them. The tree hums with energy, glowing with a radiant light. It is a wondrous sight, but before anyone can take a step towards it, the scene darkens as black mist shrouds the entire area, and dissipates to reveal a barren, dark landscape carved into dead wood.
In the clearing up ahead, a swirling mass of nostilium sits, barring the way forward. The concentration of nostilium emanating from this mass is overwhelming. It must be the source of all the withering across the dreamscape, and is likely drawing the negative energy from the repeated days outside of the dreamscape. Destroy it, and everything will be resolved.Marana's Avatar bars the way to rescue Nahida from her nightmare. It fights by generating a whirlwind of nostilium around itself, showering the area around it with negative energy and protecting itself at the same time. Characters must destroy the blood red flowers in the surrounding areas to weaken the concentration of nostilium and stop the whirlwind. Once it's no longer protected by nostilium, Marana's Avatar can be damaged by positively charged dreamotion. But the flowers and buds will reappear quickly, so characters may need to eliminate the flowers multiple times as they tackle this fight.
Arama, the mysterious plant-like creature from the rainforest, will appear halfway through fight to aid characters. When Marana's Avatar is showering the area with beams of nostilium, Arama will generate a barrier warding off negative energy that characters can take shelter under. Arama will not be able to hold the barrier indefinitely, however, so call upon their aid only when necessary.**🌱IV. HER MEMORIES**
"Only dreams can awaken consciousness from the deepest darkness."
With Marana's Avatar vanquished, the nostilium permeating the dreamscape quickly vanishes. Lush greenery returns to the region, and Sumeru is saved. However, Nahida, the source of the dream, is nowhere to be seen. Arama flutters forward, towards the center of the clearing where Marana's Avatar was fought and turns towards everyone present.
"The Lord of Verdure wishes to remember the dream that has been severed on purpose. Even Sarva cannot remember dreams that have been severed on purpose, but here, in the dream severed from Sarva, dreams can be connected again," says Arama, "Once, the Lord of the Roaring Sky appeared with the severed dream. Now she is not here, but the forest remembers all."
"I will become a tree, to bear the dream as Bija. Nara, you must give the Bija to the Lord of Verdure, so she will remember what she has forgotten."
It seems, in order to find Nahida and wake her from the dream, this little creature must become a tree and bear a seed containing the memory she has forgotten. Characters can try to dissuade Arama, but there doesn't seem to be any other way forward, so whether or not characters bid the Aranara farewell, they will burrow themselves into the ground. Soon after, a sprout appears and begins to grow rapidly, growing and growing, morphing the environment until suddenly, characters will find themselves standing in front of Irminsul again. In front of them is a small branch bearing a unique looking seed, and even further forward, nestled in the hollow of the great world tree, is a large orb of energy.
Anyone who touches the seed will also see Nahida standing in front of them, smiling kindly. But she will not respond to calls of her name, instead beckoning characters forward, towards the orb of energy, revealing... another Nahida in deep sleep.
"I am her, and she is me of the next Samsara," Nahida(?) says, and it's then that things click. It is this person's voice that has lead you here, and has been asking you to save Nahida from her nightmare. "She was forced to forget, but now she can remember. Thank you, and goodbye." With those parting words, Nahida's duplicate dissipates into a swirl of leaves and vanishes.
You now hold the Bija, and Nahida is in front of you, sealed within that protective orb, in deep sleep. It's time to end the dream.
"The Lord of Verdure wishes to remember the dream that has been severed on purpose. Even Sarva cannot remember dreams that have been severed on purpose, but here, in the dream severed from Sarva, dreams can be connected again," says Arama, "Once, the Lord of the Roaring Sky appeared with the severed dream. Now she is not here, but the forest remembers all."
"I will become a tree, to bear the dream as Bija. Nara, you must give the Bija to the Lord of Verdure, so she will remember what she has forgotten."
It seems, in order to find Nahida and wake her from the dream, this little creature must become a tree and bear a seed containing the memory she has forgotten. Characters can try to dissuade Arama, but there doesn't seem to be any other way forward, so whether or not characters bid the Aranara farewell, they will burrow themselves into the ground. Soon after, a sprout appears and begins to grow rapidly, growing and growing, morphing the environment until suddenly, characters will find themselves standing in front of Irminsul again. In front of them is a small branch bearing a unique looking seed, and even further forward, nestled in the hollow of the great world tree, is a large orb of energy.Anyone who touches the seed will also see Nahida standing in front of them, smiling kindly. But she will not respond to calls of her name, instead beckoning characters forward, towards the orb of energy, revealing... another Nahida in deep sleep.
"I am her, and she is me of the next Samsara," Nahida(?) says, and it's then that things click. It is this person's voice that has lead you here, and has been asking you to save Nahida from her nightmare. "She was forced to forget, but now she can remember. Thank you, and goodbye." With those parting words, Nahida's duplicate dissipates into a swirl of leaves and vanishes.
You now hold the Bija, and Nahida is in front of you, sealed within that protective orb, in deep sleep. It's time to end the dream.
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You're not going to hurt me. ... I know we barely know each other, but I can take care of myself pretty well.
You need to get a hold of yourself. You can do it. Remember who you are.
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You don't know... you don't know what I'm capable of. Stay there. Please.
[Joshua insists, his voice trembling with emotion.]
[He takes a step back, his eyes narrowing with determination as he meets Tobias's gaze. Satisfied with the distance between himself and the teenager, he takes another breath, this time with the hopes it will help steady himself.]
My name... is Joshua.
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[He nods as the older guy starts talking again. A name's a good place to start.]
We met before in the forest. I'm Tobias. The... uh. The bird.
[He's... he'll explain later.]
You're... what sort of things do you like to do?
[Just keep him talking. Just keep him focused. He has to help this guy...]
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[Joshua remains still, stuck in a stance that's, in turn, caught between defensive and ready to flee. If nothing else, he's willing to listen.]
I... remember you. The hawk with the red tail.
[He's not trying to be rude ignoring Tobias' question--it's just all he can do to focus on the first sentence.]
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[He holds up his hands - look, they're right here. He's not got a weapon at all. Wouldn't know what to do with one if he had one.]
You're going to be okay. All right? You're going to be okay.
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You sound so sure.
[Joshua shakes his head, as if trying to clear it. He can feel himself swaying on the precipice between slipping away into the shadows and keeping his feet firmly planted in the light.]
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But I'm not. And things won't be okay unless you fight for it, but I know that you can.
So fight this.
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[Tobias said he was a warrior. That he could never find rest. That all he did was fight.]
[Perhaps Joshua had taken that too literally at the time, picturing Tobias perpetually on a battlefield when, as he understands all too well, battles occur just as often in the mind and heart.]
[He'll have to fight just as hard to lean away from the cliff, but it's possible. It must be.]
Pray tell me more about yourself.
Why can you shift between a bird and a human?
[Give him something to focus on, please.]
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[He hopes, at least.]
It's... technology. From a world not my own. It's our main defense. Six kids against an invading alien species, until the people who gave us this technology send backup.
[So, yes. It's... quite bad. Worse than one might initially suspect.]
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[All, apparently, laid at the feet of children. Joshua tries not to allow the despair to feed into the creature clawing at his resolve.]
And that technology allows you to transform into a hawk? To defend your home?
[It's a question that should sound incredulous, but he manages to avoid that tone. Pure curiosity fuels him--along with a desperate desire to maintain his sanity.]
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[He's not eager to be stuck as a redwood tree thank you very much.]
I prefer being a hawk. ... Though it's my default form now for complicated reasons. You can only spend two hours at a time in a morph before you get trapped. I can change because someone with powers higher than ours pulled some shenanigans.
[He cheated, basically. But he's not going to complain.]