songerein | { lindwormeo and juliet }

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{ lindwormeo and juliet }

LINDWORMEO & JULIET

It is the third dreamshift, and when everyone rouses and becomes aware of their situation, they find themselves dressed in Verona, a gothic city where night reigns everlasting and violence lurks around every corner. Not because of crime, but because of the two main families, the Montagues and the Capulets, everlasting feud. Fights break out almost every other minute and peace is hard sought after. However, peace is perhaps on the table, for the Capulets are hosting a grand masquerade in a gesture of truce. But it's difficult when one of Montague's sons is cursed as a Lindworm, one of the key reasons why there is a feud to begin with.

"But that's not really all that important," a voice echoes around them. It's a voice different from the tapirs that they've grown accustomed to, and after another moment it chimes in again. "Up here my fair little dreamwalkers."

And lo, high above in the permanent night sky is a moon so full and bright that it almost feels as if it could swallow them whole. After learning about the Story Eater's actions against Songerein's moon, the appearance of a face would certainly alarm many. But then the face seems to recede before it changes into a full person holding a quill and manuscript.

"Greetings! I am William Shakespeare and you are now within my own dream, a dreamscape I believe you call it. My works can be found in many places and in many worlds. Yet that accursed Story Eater has been devouring my masterpieces! I must now pen them all over again, but one of its minions is invading my mind and altering everything and I refuse to become a brainless puppet like Marlowe. I have isolated it within this place of my own design based off of Romeo and Juliet. However it seems after my reading of the Lindworm King, my visions have been affected a bit, but no matter. A playwright must find inspiration where he can!

But it is now up to you to see this play through completion. Doing so will help those outside draw out the fiend through the accumulated dreamotion energy, and if you could give it a few stabs that will help as well. Not all of you need to partake in my play, and I have already chosen my leading actors and actresses. You should find a brief copy of the script on your person, but you may act however you wish. However, I should warn you—this is a tragedy, so deaths are expected. But fear not, you will leave this dreamscape perhaps a bit tired, but unharmed. It's all a dream after all.

Now that should cover it. I look forward to seeing how everyone's tragic romances will play out. It may give me material for my next masterpiece!"

And just as suddenly as he had appeared, Shakespeare disappears from the moon, leaving it to loom brightly over the otherwise dark city.

I. GENERAL PROMPTS

Reminder that those cast as Romeo and Juliet can participate in most of these prompts, but the timing would be set early on before they move onto their designated scenes.

A. Family Feud. Everyone in Verona is randomly split in allegiance between the Montagues and the Capulets, and whenever they meet there is some kind of tension. It could be violent, hostile, passive, petty, or even attraction. Surely Romeo and Juliet aren't the only ones who can love across the aisle. If not pit against each other to fight or exchange snide comments, opposing parties can also work together to deal with Erasers posing as creepy looking family members/soldiers/knights/etc.

» BONUS: TO ARMS. A city-wide family feud makes for good business if you’re in the weapons-and-armor trade. Gather materials to help smithies in creating armor and weapons.

B. Masquerade. Almost as if it's the opening act, everyone, both Montagues and Capulets are to attend a masquerade held within the Capulet's ballroom. It's a momentary "truce," and though tension between the families is still rampant, everyone is welcome to wear the finest clothing they can imagine and to partake in the festivities. The masquerade itself is in the ballroom, but there are also gardens and large terraces that guests can go to if they want some fresh air.

» BONUS: PREPARATIONS. Any good party requires a lot of preparation, and all of Verona is abuzz with activity leading up to the big night. Tailors need help getting fabric, jewels, and other baubles to create the finest dresses. Caterers need quality ingredients for the food that will be prepared and served. Someone needs to step up and be the band for the night. There are plenty of ways in which Dreamwalkers can help make the masquerade a success!

C. EXTRA SCENES. There are a few specific "scenes" featuring key characters from the original play. Whether taken voluntarily or "beckoned" by Shakespeare, those who participate will have a little "essence" of the original character. No full personality change, but they might feel certain impulses or find it easier to slip into the role. Note: anyone can fill in the roles of "Romeo" and "Juliet" for the Paris scenes; it is not exclusive to those who signed up for Romeo and Juliet.

PARIS V. JULIET. Paris meets and dances with Juliet, taking a fancy with her. With his arrogance believing he can win over the Capulet princess, throughout the night he attempts to woo Juliet, either in the ballroom or the gardens just outside. Juliet must not be swayed! (Or maybe a little swayed, but try not go totally off-book here). Juliet can shut down Paris however they want. (This scene happens during or immediately after the "Masquerade", but before the Balcony scene.)
PARIS V. ROMEO. Paris bullies his younger brother about the Lindworm curse on a near-constant basis. And to add insult to injury, after meeting Juliet he’s decided that he wants Juliet for himself. Obviously, Romeo is not about to let his stupid mean brother steal the love of his life! They’re going to have to fight this one out, either with words or via fisticuffs. (This scene happens during or immediately after the "Masquerade" but before the "Balcony" scene.)
BENVOLIO'S ATTEMPTS. Benvolio is trying to find a cure for Romeo's curse, and after some research in the library he finds something! Good cousin that he is, he puts the theory to the test immediately. Unfortunately, his attempt backfires and he gets turned into a lindworm (fully or partially) instead. The poor guy is now out of sorts, and he needs protection so that someone doesn't mistake him for some monster and kill him. At least the transformation is only temporary.
TYBALT V. MERCUTIO. The infamous duel. Considering how much their families hate each other, the inciting incident can be just about anything. The original story has Tybalt goading Mercutio into a duel by calling Romeo a villain, Tybalt killing Mercutio, and Romeo killing Tybalt. But no one’s enforcing the particulars very closely here, so players are free to proceed with the fight any way they please. (If this fight does end in one or more deaths, please refer to the event details on how death works within the dreamscape.)

D. Love is a Battlefield. As if there wasn’t enough drama to deal with, a large, winged noctaere can be found throughout the dreamscape firing arrows at the residents, turning them into Erasers. It can summon smaller winged noctaere to fight for it, and if a dreamwalker gets hit by the arrows, they will slowly turn into a lindworm that is full of hate. It's difficult to combat the boss itself, but it can be weakened by defeating its minions and those hit by its arrows. Love of any form will be a powerful counter that will hit the boss as well.

» BONUS: ROSE COLLECTION. In the forests are white and red roses that are hidden under logs and stones. They will sparkle a bit to make them look different than other flowers. They must be collected before the Erasers can get to them. A white rose fed to a lindworm will return them back to normal. Eating a red rose will allow characters to turn into a pink, heart covered lindworm for ten minutes to fly up and try to combat against the winged noctaere or the Erasers.

II. ROMEO AND JULIET'S OBJECTIVES

The following objectives are locked to those who signed up for Romeo and Juliet. Please refer to the notes for all the stipulations and effects characters will experience as the tragic couple. Final reminder that the characters will be aware of the tragic ending as well as reassurance that they will awaken unharmed at the end of their final scene.

Click for objectives.

A. Love at First Sight. Time to get your party-crashing pants on, Romeo, because there is a masquerade that you are not invited to but are attending anyway. Who doesn’t love a good party? If you wear a mask, no one will know it’s you! Here Romeo and Juliet have the opportunity to meet and flirt and make goo-goo eyes at each other. And if they really want to get into the spirit of things, they can go into a laborious metaphor about how holding hands is super hot but kissing is way hotter. (Yes, really.) At this point Romeo's curse is only a partial transformation, something along the lines of scales down one side of his body.

B. Balcony Scene. The time for light flirting is over–this is where Romeo and Juliet get to declare their undying love for each other. Romeo really needs to work it as his brother, Paris, has also made moves on Juliet. There’s some strangeness in the dreamscape at this point that seems to have mistaken Shakespeare for musical theater, so the loving couple must sing their love for one another. With that spirit in mind, the moment should be suitably big and dramatic! Immediately after this scene is when Romeo and Juliet get married, so there’s no reason not to put it all out there. Shakespeare will lend a "helping hand" in giving them knowledge of the lyrics to sing, though they are free to create their own song and freestyle it. (Players can use existing songs or make it up as they go.)

C. Elope. Being the very mature and intelligent lovers that they are, Romeo and Juliet decide to get married after knowing each other for a whole day. Time to get to the chapel, meet with the Friar, and exchange vows. Shakespear will lend a helping hand by providing wedding attire fitting for those who are cast in their role. That's right, every Juliet will have their own special bridal dress, isn't he so considerate? And then it’s time to do whatever it is that newlyweds do, if that's what they are into. Otherwise, Romeo and Juliet will need to return home to prepare for their future.

D. Runaways. Juliet learns that she is being forced to marry Romeo's brother, Paris, which is a problem because she’s already married and also she doesn’t like that other guy anyway. In a major divergence from the source material, Romeo and Juliet decide to make a run for it instead of that whole poisoning-yourself business. It’s just a better idea all around. The goal is to get out of town undetected, which means that this is a stealth mission. Romeo and Juliet must follow a path and avoid getting caught. Whatever it takes to get past the guards and would-be snitches that would turn you in!

E. Find the Cure. Even after making it out so far, fate is against them. At this point Romeo's curse is advancing, so they need to look for the cure. Just outside of town they encounter a very trustworthy set of three witches who provide a list of items for them to retrieve and mix into a potion: rainbow mushroom, feather of a dove, three snails, and lavender. No one said this was going to taste good. However, while it will work temporarily, only Juliet is told that the final ingredient must be the blood of his lover. It's a cryptic message, however they do not specify how the blood is taken. Do they mean just a few drops? Or her life?

F. Tragic Ending. Upon learning of the young couple's running away, the Capulets have declared war with knights out hunting to kill Romeo and bring back Juliet. They are soon found and no matter what they do, death will await them. But how? Players can direct this however they want. Did the soldiers catch them? Did they decide that the whole double-suicide poison thing was a good idea after all? Does one tragically sacrifice themself to save the other? Does Romeo go full Lindworm and eat Juliet? The possibilities are endless. At this point Romeo is capable of turning into a full lindworm if he's taken the cure without Juliet's blood. If he drinks the cure with Juliet's blood, then he will revert to a normal human (teenager) with no extra powers.

[Mod Note: Details on this event can be found here and we request all thread submissions to be made here.]

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(Now Anya has been dealing with the pesky Erasers for a while now, having to switch between singing to calm them down and freezing them in place temporarily.

She is no stranger in fighting the Erasers thanks to her time in the Realm of Stories, but, oh boy, she does hate how annoying they can be to deal with. So when another person offers her a white rose to use, she doesn’t think twice and gets it from Beatrix.)

Oh thank you. I appreciate it, especially with how tough the Erasers can be at times.

(She then tucks the rose onto her hair near her right ear while Pooka barks at some incoming Erasers in fuming rage.)

[The way Anya speaks about them implies plenty. The Erasers are not new to her, it seems. A first look is not necessarily the embodiment of the individual and Beatrix, though she knows that, it has never stopped her from judging from an initial impression. Anya... does not look like anyone who should ever be on a battlefield.

Fortunately, by this point in time, Alexandria's general has learned to keep those kinds of opinions to herself. It doesn't stop her from eyeing Anya with some slight befuddlement.]

This is not your first encounter with them.

[It's meant to be a question, but so often Beatrix's tonal inflections don't betray that. It sounds almost more like a statement—an observation—to be more accurate.

Ultimately, Beatrix has made a habit of underestimating the other dream walkers of this world. Anya is very likely to simply be another one in that category.]

Yes, you’re right: this isn’t the first time I have dealt with the Erasers. I have encountered a couple of them back in another world that is similar to this, but with fairy tales.

(Pooka is still barking mad at the Erasers as they speak, now even including growling as well.

Anya is looking at the Erasers with a grave look on her face: bringing the time when she had to fend off plenty of them during the 3rd act of the Sugar Plum Beast campaign.)

So, want to team up to try to stop the Erasers?

[...The Erasers are from another world? The crease in Beatrix's brown deepens. This shouldn't surprise her as much as it does, but somehow for one reason or another, everything she learns catches her just a touch more off guard. At this point, she ought to simply expect the unexpected.

Her attention drops onto Pooka for some moments. Dogs. Not seemingly a part of Eustace's magical-natured dogs. At least, not by appearance.

As her attention turns back onto their opponents at present, Beatrix tightens her hold atop her sword. She never has been one for team building exercises or... cooperation. But this is a special situation.]

We are both here, are we not? We might as well. I trust you to handle your own given your intimate knowledge of them.

Good idea, I can try to keep the Erasers at bay with my ice magic and this recently discovered light magic I just unlocked while fighting some of them moments ago.

(She has to keep an eye on Pooka as well or he might get hurt from the Erasers’ attacks as well. Still, she isn’t goin to stand around and let Verona burn.)

Alright, ready when you are.

[Beatrix wonders, for just a moment, how plausible it is that one can develop any number of elemental magics in this world. She knows only what she's come with, though she supposes somewhere along the line she picked up ice. Surely that's merely because of her disposition, however. She's almost positive she'll lose the ability to wield it if she should ever soften.

But maybe she's wrong. Wouldn't be the first time since her arrival.

Instead of getting caught up in her thoughts, however, her attention turns back onto the matter at hand. She can contemplate such deeper things later. Her hold upon Save the Queen strengthens and she gestures with her other hand.]

Smaller ones first. [She begins thoughtfully.] Just enough to carve a path. Most armies fall without a leader. I do not see any reason why this should be different.

That sounds like a very good idea. That would also mean that it can lessen the noctaere’s powers since they are taking in some of their powers from the Erasers’ existence.

(Anya begins to form ice magic within her hands as she prepares herself to tackle the lesser level Erasers that are slowly encroaching in her and Beatrix’s path.)

Okay, let’s do this.

A sound idea.

[Two birds with one stone, goes the saying, and it's not a foreign concept to her. Every time she thinks about the noctaere, however, she's just reminded of the run-in with the bear. She and Zidane failed to bring that one down, after all. And failure as an idea is not one particularly tasty.

She offers a little sharp dip of her head, which is all of the acknowledgement she's willing to provide. The blade of Save the Queen flashes, for just a moment, a radiant white and blue, and she relies on the agility in her body to push herself forward. She can let Anya take care of things from the back lines. That's where mages belong, after all.]

(Anya quickly aims for the Erasers coming from the back and starts to freeze them in place, any Erasers that came into contact with the ice beams get into blocks of ice. She is getting really good at ice magic already that she is even making icicle-like daggers to throw at the Erasers. This is becoming a lot like a good way to unleash her wrath at the Erasers for disturbing the Realm of Dreams.

Some Erasers were running so fast that she initially found it difficult to freeze them in place at first, but the icicle dagger do a good job in keeping them in place, which makes it easier for her to freeze into blocks of ice. She then switches to light magic to temporarily blind the more difficult of the Erasers before she puts them into the ice blocks.

Pooka meanwhile is avoiding the attacks as he scampers about in the battlefield, sometimes intentionally to distract the Erasers so both her and Beatrix can defeat them easily.)

[Beatrix opts for leaving magic in hands of Anya. As she busies herself with what threatens them from the rear, she focuses on the front line. A simple slide of heeled boots against the ground with unsheathed sword and she brings it up against one in a broad stroke. She evades a counter and uses that opportunity to bring up her knee and slam the flat bridge of her boot toward another nearby Eraser.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spies Pooka, assumes he'll know when it's best to retreat if need be, and offers only a fleeting glance back toward Anya. It's a combination of counting how many are on the field and taking observation of the current standing before she throws herself back into the foray. She must always be aware of what lingers on the lines. To grow complacent... dangerous.

But these creatures... surely they can't compare to Alexandria's well-reputed general.]

(While Anya is casting blinding light at some of the trickier Erasers before freezing them in place, she could see Pooka running about on the battlefield. Her stomach is twisting in concern, fearing that he could get hurt during the fight. She knows that it won’t be long before more tougher Erasers will show up and she doesn’t want him to get attacked by them.

But there is so much chaos happening right now and she has to focus on tackling the Erasers on the rear. One Eraser did tried to lunge at her from the side, but she blinds it with light before freezing it into an ice block for all its troubles.)

[Carve a path.

It's an inner reminder for Beatrix. It would be easy to get caught up in the gaggle of monstrosities. A leader is the one who holds morale for those who follow them. She is not at all inclined to lose herself in fighting an infinite horde of creatures. It would be wiser to kill what they must in order to move forward and then strike at their leader.

She offers another glance back towards Anya, scarcely keeping an eye on Pooka, who is still proving himself something of an invaluable ally as he serves as distraction. It's a more important factor than some may realise. As she makes headway and clears some in the front, she lifts a hand and beckons for Anya.]

Move forward! Keep an eye on our flank and the rear.

Oh okay, got it!

(As Pooka keeps on dodging attacks and barking at the Erasers as he weaves between their legs, Anya proceeds to take out more Erasers with a mix of light and ice magic tactics to keep them out of the town folks’ way as she moves forwards.

She wonders if there is a major weak spot within the noctaere besides taking out all the Erasers she and Beatrix can find and defeat. Regardless, she is keeping an eye on any Erasers that are coming to attack the people.)

[Tightened grasp upon Save the Queen, and for just a moment, the blade flashes a radiant white and blue. Magic, or whatever this world's equivalent to it must be, flutters across the ground and slams into an Eraser. It howls in agony before it collapses and withers away, as if, perhaps, it was never there to begin with. Beatrix casts another look over her shoulder toward Anya, just to keep an eye on her for some breaths.

She's not a trusting woman. It's a strange thing to have a foreign variable at her back. She wouldn't even be able to determine from the get go if Anya were an enemy or an ally. And the latter is a word that Beatrix rarely would use.]

How are things over there? You look as if you do not need much in the way of assistance.

[Which does have to lead her to wonder why Anya would think to keep company with aid. Or maybe Beatrix serves best as a shield. She'd believe that.]

I guess that trying to practice dreamotion energy powers every single day does certainly helped.

As for what is happening on my end, I think that their numbers are starting to decrease over time the more we defeat them. Pretty tricky creatures to deal with at times though.

[Beatrix shakes her head slowly. Helpful, indeed. She doubts she has enough discipline or patience to do that herself. Even if that's technically the right thing to do.]

One has to wonder if you have made it a habit to do that in place of other things. Not... that I suppose there is much else to do in this world.

[Yet. These little moments, this twisting of dreams and the noctaere, they're the most exciting moments. Very much to Beatrix's ever infinite chagrin, it would seem.]

I do not think it will be much longer. Any ideas on how you want to handle the large one? May be more useful for your ranged abilities. I have some myself, but not many. [Because unlike Anya, Beatrix hasn't exactly spent much time on her own dreamotion. She still doesn't feel particularly moved to change that.]

Well, I will try to see what I can do with that giant thing. Maybe I can blind its eyes with light so it won’t be shooting more arrows at people and turning them into more Erasers.

I am hoping that it can weaken it even more since we are nearly doing with taking out many Erasers.

Blinding it with light.

[It's a good idea. Beatrix hasn't considered that. At least not immediately. For some moments, she eyes the blade of Save the Queen. Even she can do that, though admittedly, it isn't a first thought that comes to mind. Surely eventually she would have come to that conclusion.

In this case, it may be best to permit her to handle it. Beatrix cannot handle all fronts of battle, after all.]

I shall leave that to you. I will continue to thin out the numbers here.

Sounds like a good idea to me too. I’ll definitely do that to the best of my abilities and keep it very busy.

(So off goes Anya sneaking past the other Erasers and getting as close to the creature as possible. Picking up a couple of stones near by, she then proceeds to throw them at the winged Noctaere as a distraction.)

Hey, you arrow shooting winged creep, try to go after me if you can.

(Of course, this makes the noctaere very angry as it tries to shoot arrows at her, but Anya is proven to be way too fast and clever for it as she quickly dodges the arrows left, right and center and she would occasionally hide behind various objects from time to time.

Because of how fast she is dodging them and how narrow minded it is at the moment, the noctaere didn’t seem to notice that it is slowly running low on the arrows. This is starting to allow her to put her noctaere blinding plan into action as she casts a large beam of light at its face (and its eyes) while it is left unguarded, just where she wants it to be.)

[To provide Anya adequate time to get into the thick of things, Beatrix plays diversion. At least for the smaller Erasers that litter the grounds. As she takes on two at once, she hears Anya. There she goes, egging the noctaere right on. It's almost arrogant. Reminds her a little of soldiers she's had under her command. If not arrogance, then certainly no shortage of confidence and that's not a bad thing.

She takes a moment or two to watch her. She's quick. Agile. Dexterous.

Beatrix cuts down one Eraser decisively and the second follows not long after, giving her an opportunity to witness Anya's plan finding fruition. For the most part.]

Now would be a good time to use that magic if you have any left.

[Uncertainly, Beatrix lifts a hand. All she has to do is think, right? That's all she has to do. The wariness lingers in her, however. No. Anya is the expert here. Let her handle it. Beatrix can stay right on the ground where she belongs.]

I still got enough energy to pull this off, so don’t worry about me getting tired out too soon.

(Anya quickly proceeds to conjure a huge ball of light that she will make an equally large beam of light that would surely blind the noctaere.

As soon as she sees the ball growing brighter as it grows into the size of her hands, she aims it straight onto the creature and shoots the beam at its eyes for good measure, all while making sure that she doesn’t accidentally blinded herself in the process.)

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{ lindwormeo and juliet }

Love is a Battlefield

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