Group RP Luminous (The Actual Campaign Featuring Convoluted Magic)

@ChocoChicken

Where am I... Kanaru wondered as she looked around. How did I get from my bedroom to a forest?

Her heart quickened when she noticed it was a long way down to the forest floor. Forget about how I got here, the first thing I need to do is get down safely!

 

This leg of Ando's journey had been largely uneventful. He'd tagged along with a trade caravan for the better part of a week before parting ways with them. Their route carried them away from Lutze Forest, but Ando chose on a whim to cut through the Forest instead. It was the more direct path northward, after all. He quietly admired the scenery as he walked the worn dirt path. Eventually, he spotted a clearing through the trees. That will make a good place to rest, he thought.

As Ando approached, however, he noticed some figures who he swore he hadn't been there earlier. In the moments it took to process the situation, training took over; he snapped his spear into a defensive position and rapidly scanned the clearing for danger.

He counted three figures scattered throughout the clearing, plus a fourth in the tree branches above. Strangely, he saw no signs of a camp, supplies laying about, or obvious points of entry. Stranger still was the attire these people were wearing - he'd seen nothing like it before in his travels.

These people didn't strike Ando as the bandit type, so his posture loosened, but he kept his spear forward just in case. He called out to the odd assortment of people: "You there! Who are you? How did you get here? And how did you-" he gestured with his spear to the young woman precariously perched on a tree branch "-get up there?"

 

@ID Zeta

"I'm not sure, sir..." Kanaru stammered, aware of the spear a man was pointing at her. "I would like some help getting down safely..."

 

"Huh," Wakeng mused, turning around slowly to confirm the road behind him was replaced with forest, forest and more forest. "Either I'm dreaming, dead, or I'm not in Lawage City anymore. That's fun."

Shrugging, the man noticed four other people around him, with the strangely medieval-clothed guy shouting at him and the other people. He also noticed the girl dangling off a tree for some reason. "Strange crowd, amirite?" He asked the other girl dryly.

 

(Choco's description of the forest gave me Genshin vibes )

Robin recalled his last memory before going to bed was wishing Robyn good night.

Then as he slept, he dreamed of having a meeting with Naga in her sanctuary (the same sanctuary that he had visited once with his companions, via the local shrine). It was there that she told him of a certain island in its hour of need where not even her powers could extend to it, since it existed beyond what she called the Outrealm. When Robin readily agreed to help, he was warned that he would be on his own, amid a warning that things may turn dark in this world. Then Robin was taken to a space called the Outrealm, where a portal gate lay waiting for him and another world on the other side.

It had taken time for his consciousness to return amid the feeling of sunshine, the sound of rustling wind, and the smell of a natural forest. The next thing Robin knew was that he was sitting against the tree as if he had always taken a nap there. His eyes and mind were taking time to focus, having woken up from a strange dream, and he had to blink several times to make sense of his surroundings. He also noticed he was no longer in his nightclothes but in his Ylisstol High School uniform complete with the blazer - the same uniform he wore back home. On top of that, he realised his support log was also on his lap. Finally, once Robin was in his right mind, he found himself surrounded by a handful of people.

This kind of reminded him of what Robyn went through, or at least from what Robyn told him about her experience.

Where am I? Robin thought. Why am I not at home?

There was a younger woman with black hair who - for reasons unknown - was hanging right over him on the tree above! Then there was a young man, not much older than Robin from the looks of it, who was pointing at the young woman with a spear, and another young man who happened to be in the area. Then Robin realised he wasn't in exactly safe company as picked up his support log and looked at his surroundings. Apparently, he had woken up in unusual company where the woman with black hair appeared to need help getting off the tree.

 

((@ChocoChicken I'm assuming Ando has the equivalent of a D&D Explorer's Pack since he's been traveling quite a bit))

Taking another good look at these strangers, Ando didn't notice any weaponry on or near them; he was the only one appearing aggressive. He lowered his spear, hoping to diffuse the situation and ease the suspicious looks he was getting. "I mean you no harm," he said evenly. "Your sudden appearance caught me off guard, that's all."

@WavePearl
Ando looked back and forth between the young woman in the tree and the ground below while thinking of a plan to get her down safely. "Here," he eventually said. He leaned his spear against another nearby tree, then unclipped a length of rope from the pack on this back. "Catch!" He tossed one end up for the woman.

 

@ID Zeta

Kanaru jumped to attention as the man set aside his spear and tossed a rope to her. She reached out her hand and easily caught the rope. "I have it, good sir!" she called.

 

@WavePearl
"Good," Ando said. "Now loop it around the branch, secure it to yourself, and carefully step off." He quickly added, "I will not let you fall."

Ando wrapped part of his end of the rope around the trunk of the tree. He'd done similar exercises in the past - hoisting his comrades up and down walls with ropes - but there, he had a team on his end. He figured two points of friction would be control the young woman's descent in addition to his own strength.

"Whenever you're ready," he said, gripping his end of the rope tightly.

 

@ID Zeta

After following the man's instructions and making sure the rope was secure, Kanaru called down "I'm coming down now."

With that, she took a deep breath, and took a careful step of faith...

 

Li stepped out, the world breathing on her. She felt her hair being grabbed by the soft winds, the smell of the leaves, grass, rippling water, and damped wood was pleasant to her. However her thoughts overpowered. She looked at the sword, slowlying turning it, blood was splashed on to the edge of it. She closed her eyes, stumbled in her place before taking a slow breath. She looked at the blade with sorrow eyes and bent down to the water. She didn't touch the ground, but slowly washed the blood off the blade. A few tears dripped from her eyes and she wiped them with her sleeve.

"I promise... I didn't mean it.." she muttered to herself over and over again. Before her ears picked up on chatter. She perked up, her eyes tainted. She looked around before seeing in the vast distance a group of people, one holding a weapon she couldn't quite identify, two dangling from the trees, and another just staring.

She stood up and proceeded to step forward to try and understand the discord she was put forth.

 

@WavePearl
As soon as Ando felt the rope pull away from him, he pulled back. It took more effort than he expected to keep the woman's descent as even as possible. Within a minute or so, however, she was safely on solid ground.

@122 Generation @Jupjami @LassusVulpes
"One problem solved..." Ando mused to himself as he shook his hands in a feeble attempt to ease the rope burn away. Coiling his rope back up, he said to the woman, "You said you didn't know how you got here." He glanced at the rest of the gathered strangers. "Is that true for the rest of you?"

 

@ID Zeta

For Robin, everything happened too quickly now that the young woman was safely on the ground. Still dazed, he rubbed the side of his head to help his consciousness settle. Now that he noticed the handful of people around him, he got up on his feet (but not before hiding his support log away, along with the pencil that usually accompanied it).

"Yes, I... Where am I?" Robin said.

@LassusVulpes

It was then Robin noticed another figure approaching them from the distance. Now that he thought of it, the people around him wear definitely not from the same place. Some wore styles from a similar era. Other styles, from a completely different era! That included the girl in the distance in a black dress whose style was, in Robin's view, kind of wacky.

 

"Oh, that's cold," Wakeng said as the gothic lolita-esque (how didn't he notice that everyone was wearing strange costumes before) girl trodded ahead, ignoring his earlier statement. He decided to follow the girl in approaching the others, as they were his only source of information. He still had that job interview, after all.

"Is that true for the rest of you?" Wakeng stopped, hands up as the guy with the pointy spear glanced at him and the other people in the clearing. "Uh... yes. Where are we again?" he replied.

 

@122 Generation @Jupjami @LassusVulpes @ID Zeta @ChocoChicken

"Thank you, good sir..." Kanaru smiled at the man when she stepped on safe ground again. After noticing several other people around her, she asked "Can you tell us where we all are?"

 

As the questions came in, Ando suddenly felt very unprepared. He scratched the back of his head. "Well, we're on the continent of Juayang, and this-" he gestured around him "-is Lutze Forest. I... don't know how much more specific I can get than that. I'm no scholar." His curiosity got the better of him, and he abruptly asked, "None of you are from here, are you?"

 

@ID Zeta

Kanaru shook her head no. "Is there a city or a town near here for us to get our bearings?" And possibly figure out who or what called us here, and why?

 

Li stumbled over and felt eyes watching her. her eyes quickly bounced around to look at each the figures, and saw a male shape looking at her and she cupped her hands together dipping her head down a bit. The sword shook and tingled as her body shook. She started to sweat and her breath grew a heavy. She looked upwards once more, and heard some conversation.
"said you don't know how you got here. Is that true for the rest of you?"

Li stared at them like they were insane, and just tilted her head. As she tilted she felt her head go wonky and she stumbled. Her lips remained sealed, unsure if she could open them

 

"Fortunately, there is," Ando answered as he retrieved his spear. "If you contine along this path through the Forest, you will soon reach the capital city of Yangto. I can guide you there if you like, though I must confess: I only know of the route, I've not traveled it myself."

He glanced towards the sky, thinking for a moment. "If we start moving soon, we should be able to reach the city by nightfall."