player plot: dreammare castle

[dreamposts]

PLAYER PLOT: DREAMMARE CASTLE

The result of Phantom’s alternate personality taking over and fleeing into the Wildlands, Dreammare Castle is situated on a ruined fort near the mountains and reconstructed using dreamotion energy. The Castle resembles Victorian architecture from a distance, furnished richly in black and red, and the doors are left wide open for visitors to enter.

The interior of the castle is an ever-changing labyrinth, procedurally generated as one wanders inside its halls. No two rooms are the same, and it is impossible to backtrack within the castle, as doorways completely vanish after being used. If you die inside Dreammare Castle, you will wake up at the entrance completely unharmed – fortunate, because many things inside the castle can and will try to kill you. While fighting in Dreammare Castle, dreamotion abilities are greatly amplified. Use this to your advantage!

There are many possibilities that can be encountered inside the castle. Some of the large rooms serve as stages where ‘scenes’ play out. These are excerpts from one of the Scarlet Troupe’s plays, where NPCs (or PCs) who have been kidnapped from Reverein will be brainwashed into acting out some of the plays’ leading roles. In order to free these people from mind control, the scene will need to be acted out… or you can kill them, upon which they will wake up at the entrance of Dreammare Castle without any memories of what happened while they were brainwashed. After clearing a scene room, characters will be sent back to the entrance of Dreammare Castle. They can totally go back in again if they want.

Other information can be read here. Questions can be asked here.

I. COMMON ROOMS

The castle is filled with many common rooms that have a variety of traps, puzzles, and creatures that need to be cleared to pass through.

1. Generic rooms such as long hallways, dusty storerooms, a noble’s bedroom, a deserted dining hall, etc. The walls of these rooms will start to ‘crunch together' if you stay there for too long – it’s the castle’s way of urging you onward.
   
2. Nonsensical rooms that exploit optical illusions such as never-ending mirrors or confusing wall-to-wall stripes, making the exit hard to find.
   
3. A room filled with a diverse assortment of teddy bears. There is one broken teddy bear, which has to be retrieved in order for the exit to appear. However, picking up the tattered bear will immediately cause all other bears to come to life and attack the characters holding it.
   
4. A room with several stone statues that move if no one is looking directly at them. The statues will try to kill you with their fists or their stone swords, so try to get out as soon as you can.
   
5. A ballroom where many people are dancing at a dinner party. While the ballroom poses no danger, the candles lighting the place give off fumes that have gradual sleep-inducing properties. The longer you stay in the ballroom, the less you want to leave.

II. SCENE ROOMS

In these rooms, pairs find themselves needing to play out a specific scene. Fortunately they are either able to figure out what needs to be done or given explicit directions on what to do. Only after the scene "ends" will they be able to leave the room. A scene with a goal does not need to be successful—failures and bad endings count, too.

A. Frost Deer and Snow Doe. A play about two attendants to the Snow Priestess wandering through a howling snowstorm. The Frost Deer and Snow Doe will be attacked by an assortment of creatures ranging from wolves, spiders, hawks, and large people holding claymores. Characters can try to escort the two through the snowstorm to their temple. Once they reach their destination, they will try to conduct a ritual to summon the Snow Priestess. The scene will conclude before the ritual begins, so whether they succeed is left up to the imagination.

B. Big Grieving Lock. Characters will see a young man being bullied by other theatre members for his clumsy puppet skills similar to a flashback. The actual scene takes place in a dark room containing a large teddy bear puppet. When approached, the teddy bear puppet will begin to cry, and its sobs will attract all sorts of dolls trying to tear it (and any nearby characters) apart. Only by defeating all the vicious dolls will the teddy bear calm down. He will tell his rescuers that he tried to leave the Troupe by committing suicide, but the Troupe Master bound his soul to a bear. His wish is to be decapitated by an outsider so that he can finally be free of the Troupe. Doing so will cause the scene to end.

C. The Treasure of the Lake. Characters will accompany a treasure hunter through a medieval forest and come to a lake. They will need to repair a nearby canoe and then row out to the island in the middle of the lake in order to take the treasure within. There is a sword stuck into a large stone on the island. Whoever can pull the sword out of the stone will ‘win’ the treasure, and the scene will end soon afterward. Certainly a very normal play compared to the Troupe’s other offerings…

D. Searing Sheep. A shepherd needs help shearing his sheep. Seems normal, except if you take too long to finish shearing a sheep, it will turn into a wolf. Hope you’re fast. Luckily, there are only fifteen sheep. If you manage to shear more than ten as a team, you will wake up at the entrance after the scene ends with a few antique gold coins.

III. LUCIEN THE CRIMSON DIAMOND

CLOSED TO PHANTOM'S CR. Dreammare Castle is anchored to reality through dreamotion energy, so by defeating its creator, it will disappear entirely. However, Phantom is very elusive, and he can only be found inside the castle with the help of Miss Christine. Phantom has his own stage, and he will use his song as well as a rapier to fend off any assailants. This is complicated by the high concentration of nightmare energy surrounding him; he's basically a Noctaere at this point. The key to defeating him is to try bringing him back - calling out to the real Phantom will cause his alternate personality to become disoriented. (Designated thread here.)

Comments

[inveilsible]

[ I-2. ]

[ Sana had realized almost immediately that something was wrong when Phantom hadn't been present for her piano lesson, and while she hadn't wanted to assume anything, her mind had instantly gone from "oh no something's wrong" to "I've definitely made him upset and he wants nothing to do with me". She waits a day, tries to reach out through the journals, drops by again-- nothing.

Until the ticket, and as much trepidation as it gives her, she can't not follow through on it. It's the only lead she's been able to find.

She hadn't asked anyone, but if you investigate, you may find her in one of the rooms filled with wall-to-wall mirrors, bonking off yet another one with a yelp. ]

A-again?? ... I thought I'd found it...

[ Nope. ]


[ II-B. ]

[ Okay, she's. Making progress. Maybe. She'd like to think she is, but witnessing an unfortunate young man being bullied isn't pleasant for someone who was bullied herself. But as she approaches the sobbing teddy bear puppet, and the dolls descend upon him (and her), so much for making progress?

Hopefully you're here to help. Or hopefully you didn't walk in right as Sana transforms and calls forth a massive shield to fling the dolls back, because she would feel bad if she just sent them flying into you. ]


[ WILDCARD. ]

[ For literally anything else, let's boogey. ]

wildcard!

[removal]

[ Sana eventually finds herself in some sort of dusty storeroom. Compared to the confusion and dangers of the other castle rooms, this one is remarkably normal. There are cabinets and shelves lining the walls, as well as a long table in the centre. There seems to be someone hiding underneath - the tablecloth isn't quite long enough to conceal him, and he looks to be a few years older than Sana herself. However, his golden eyes and grey-brown hair might look really familiar.

He doesn't say anything at first, looking at Sana directly as if assessing whether she would be a threat. ]

[inveilsible]

[ ... She is... aware that she's armored (sort of) and also has a massive shield and although she can't be entirely sure if it's him, the eyes and hair color are at the very least an indicator of familiarity. So Sana lets the shield vanish, before properly crouching a safe distance away. ]

I-- it's okay. I won't hurt you...?

[removal]

[ With the weapon gone, he seems more inclined to trust her words, shuffling forward to peek out of the tablecloth. The youth has cat ears, just like Phantom's, tipped with a tuft of black fur. However, there's no sign of recognition in his eyes. ]

Who are you? You have to leave this place now... this is the devil's castle!

[inveilsible]

The devil's...? Ah, but Phantom-sensei was the one who sent the invitation and I can't just leave him here--!

[ She pauses, looking at him a little more closely. He... really just looks like a younger version, doesn't he? ]

... Oh, sorry. My name is Sana. You are...?

[removal]

[ Yeah, she's got it right. Sana's looking at Phantom's younger self, not more than fifteen years of age. There's definitely more emotion in his voice and expressions, a clear difference compared to the melancholic tone that his adult self uses. ]

There's no one here with that name. It's the devil tricking you!

[ Well, she's got here all by herself, and that seems to convince him a little more of her capability. He looks around, then back at her again. ]

Lucien. That's my name. You really want to stay in the castle? The devil will find you and catch you.

[inveilsible]

Lucien... san.

[ Of course. ]

I'm... sorry. Thank you for worrying about me, but... there's someone I'm worried about much more. And I don't really want him to be left alone here, even if he turns out to not be here at all.

... If I can ask, why are you here?

[removal]

[ When she asks that question, he looks down and wraps his arms around himself, as if trying to vanish or look smaller. ]

I can't leave. The devil took my soul.

[ His voice is deathly quiet, and he doesn't elaborate. What that means is left up to the imagination. ]

I'll come with you. The faster you find your friend, the faster you can go.

[ He crawls out from under the table. His clothes are a little dusty, but they don't seem to have any additional magical properties. There's two small knives belted to his left leg, in the same place as Phantom's own twin blades. ]

[inveilsible]

[ Sana continues to be baffled and more than a little worried, but. It's not her place to ask, is it? Is she able to help free him? Or is it like a contract, where he's just doomed to be like this now?

Maybe she can figure it out as she goes, but for now, she nods. ]

O-okay. Thank you, it sounds like you're going out of your way already...

[removal]

[ It's the latter. However, there's still a single ray of hope for him. He can win his soul back if he kills the devil.

Can a child truly harm the devil itself? The answer is actually yes, but it will come at a terrible cost; one that Lucien will only realize years later after the deed, because it was so horrific that his mind sealed the memory away.

But that's not something Lucien knows as he is now. He is a few years away from it all. ]

It's not a problem at all. [ He says this softly, almost mumbling. ] I don't want you to get hurt....

[ With that, he starts moving towards the door at the other end of the room so that they can leave. ]

[inveilsible]

... Ah, I'll be careful! I promise!

[ Wow, he's so nice and he doesn't know her at all beyond her name. It still kind of startles Sana that there are people like this, but it just makes her all the more determined to see if there's anything she can do for him. For now, she just trots after him, anxiously glancing around in the event that something else might try to attack. ]

[removal]

[ Lucien removes one of his daggers from their holster, holding it loosely between his fingers. He pushes open the door and they step into an empty dining hall. The table has been set, but the food has yet to arrive, and the room is filled with candles. The candles give off a certain cloyingly sweet smell that doesn't seem to leave.

He stops near the centre of the room, glancing around. ]

How's your friend like?

I-2

[dethorne]

( the whole ticket thing had been weird enough but this place, this mansion? castle? was an entirely different animal. when shionne found herself in the mirror-filled room she was immediately on the defensive, gun summoned and held tightly in a waiting grip.

she was approaching what she was sure had to be the pathway through when that outcry startled her, straightening her posture and raising the weapon. )

Who— who's there?!

( she asks, definitely, 100% not at all on edge, and other lies she's telling herself. )

[inveilsible]

I-I'm sorry! [ it's very automatically yelped. She can't see Shionne, not yet, but from the tone of that voice, it's definitely someone who is 100% on edge and could take her down at the slightest hint of provocation. ]

[dethorne]

( her ears perk in the direction, thanks to the yelp of an apology, and shionne's glowing eyes dart towards where she's sure the voice must be coming from. she waits, hand hovering on the trigger and eye through her weapon's scope, waiting for a visual. )

Who are you? ( it's a bit of a demand. ) Is this your— is this this your dream or something?!

[inveilsible]

No, I just got an invitation...

[ And slowly she moves forward.

Very intimidating, this tiny pigtailed girl. ]

But it was... from someone who went missing. I wanted to see if I could find him.

-- Ah, my name's Sana.

[dethorne]

( shionne watches her with a trained eye, and the closer the comes forward, the more of her reflections disappear... revealing a truer image of a younger girl. slowly, the rifle lowers in her hands, though she retains a tight grip on it.
sana's story sounded much like how she'd found her way here, a ticket— an invitation... )

Shionne.

( the maiden offers her name, feeling less threatened now, and she moves in closer as well, revealing herself. )

If you're looking for them, then... do you know who it is that sent out those tickets?