Kabbalah Quest

[einargs]

Kabbalah Quest:
So! This is a thing. More specifically, it's a quest that draws heavily on a reinterpreted version of the Kabbalah. I'm not going to explain everything that's going on, but there will be a plot that isn't related to whatever world you chose. A lot of the abilities are going to be influenced by choices you make in the story, because the Sephirots are fundamentally about virtues and characteristics. Also, don't expect stuff you find in the real world on the Kabbalah to be 100% accurate; I'm going to be reinterpreting a lot of this stuff, mostly because its really hard to figure out how to turn stuff about self enlightenment into weapons.

There is going to be a lot of vagueness here, and that's intentional. (and because the mythology behind this is really fucking vague and contradictory) Writing out a paragraph justifying an action, or explain how a skill might work will get you bonus points. Now, those bonus points can take a bunch of different forms that really depend on the circumstances, but generally it means that I'll give a choice more weight. I'll probably be rolling some dice behind the scenes, but those rolls are going to be influenced by roleplaying.

Oh, and as a warning: I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. Make of that what you will, cause this train is going to inevitably crash and burn. I just hope the ride is fun.

Spoiler: Character Creation:

Name:
[X] (Insert name here)

Gender:
[X] Male
[X] Female

Appearance:
[X] Write in.

Chosen Sephirot: (This is a big deal that will influence pretty much the entire quest. Make of that what you will.)
[X] Keter
[X] Binah
[X] Chokmah
[X] Gevurah
[X] Chesed
[X] Tiferet
[X] Hod
[X] Netzach
[X] Yesod
[X] Malkuth

World:
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy.
[X] A world mired in sadness, a single god mourning the loss of its partner.

Difficulty:
[X] Easy.
[X] Medium.
[X] Hard.
[X] Insane.
[X] OH MY GOD WHHYYYY!! *sob*

Revert Game:
[X] Hardcore. (no rez)
[X] Only after death.
[X] A vote.

Start Age:
[X] One.
[X] Four.
[X] Nine.
[X] Eleven.

Sephiroth:

Kabbalah Diagram

​

Da'at

Da'at: Da'at represents the quality of unification, for Da'at is not properly a Sephirot. Da'at instead represents the unification of all Sephiroth into one form, Knowledge. This Knowledge can take many forms, such as Knowledge of the world, or Knowledge of the self. Da'at is the name of the dream world that you sometimes enter, as it is the place where the Sephirot meet.

Keter

Keter: The Crown above the Kingdom. That which hold the potential for all, the blank canvas that is molded by the Sephiroth and manifested in Malkuth. Keter is the source of the light of all creation, for while it holds infinite potential it does not, in and of itself, exist. Keter is purity of thought, and often expresses itself as immunity to manipulation, both mundane and supernatural, as well as an ability to channel more light than normal. People who are strong in Keter often no longer require earthly sustenance.

Binah

Binah: The deductive reasoning process by which someone can arrive at an idea from another idea, Binah represents the process by which an idea can give birth to another. Binah is the reflection of Chokmah. Binah often manifests itself as an increase in reasoning capabilities and speed of thought. It also has connotations related to quarry, and birth. It also represents the process by which an idea can be refined. Binah has close ties to the left hemisphere and eye.

Chokmah

Chokmah: The wisdom that comes from nothing, or Keter, it is incomprehensible without Binah to shape and give birth to it. Chokmah represents intuitive thought and raw leaps of logic, as well as the innate wisdom that some people posses. Chokmah also represents perceptiveness and the ability to deduce the raw incomprehensible essence of something, though you need Binah to understand such essence. Chokmah has close ties to the right hemisphere and eye.

Gevurah

Gevurah: The left hand of God, that which judges the unworthy. Gevurah is closely associated with fire and rebuking, so the fire produced by channeling the light through Gevurah often produces a potent fear in those unworthy of God's benevolence. Gevurah is the hand that separates the unworthy from the right hand, which bestows kindness to all. Gevurah is often associated with restrictiveness and discipline in contrast to Chesed's compassion and permissiveness. Fire is Gevurah's physical counterpart, representing judgement.

Chesed

Chesed: The right hand of God, that which bestows kindness to all. Gevurah is closely associated with love, kindness and giving, so Chesed often manifests as a healing or buffing effect when manifested within Malkuth. Chesed is often called associated with compassion, in contrast to Gevurah, which is associated with discipline. Both are balanced within Tiferet, as neither can function on its own. It is also associated with permissiveness in contrast to Gevurah's restrictiveness. Water is Chesed's physical counterpart, representing kindness.

Tiferet

Tiferet: Balance, Integration, Spirituality, and Beauty. Tiferet balances the two forces of Gevurah and Chesed, moderating restriction and permissiveness, discipline and compassion. Tiferet is often associated with the sun, as it takes a central place in the tree of life, much like the sun is the center of the solar system. Tiferet's place in the central pillar means that it can be considered a lower reflection of Keter, and a higher reflection of Yesod and Malkuth. Tiferet is the conduit between Yesod, form, and Keter, force. The five sephiroth that surround it, Chesed, Gevurah, Hod, Netzach and Yesod combine with Tiferet to form Zer Anpin, which Tiferet often represents. Vapor is Tiferet's physical counterpart, representing the soul which Tiferet is closely tied to. Tiferet is closely tied to the torso, and more specifically the heart as it is the anchor for the soul.

Hod

Hod: Majesty, Splendor and Glory are all closely associated with Hod. Like Netzach, Hod is associated with the feet; specifically the left foot. While the hands are the instrument of action, the feet are what brings a person to the place where they wish to execute an action. Hod is the force that breaks down energy into forms, and is associated with intellectuality, learning, and ritual. Hod is what gives Netzach form and purpose. Hod and Netzach are balanced within Yesod, where it is then passed on to Malkuth. Hod is similar to the Superego; it and Netzach, the Id, are balanced within Yesod, the Ego, before being expressed in Malkuth, the world.

Netzach

Netzach: Netzach is associated with eternity, victory, endurance and perpetuity. Netzach is the ability to endure in order to achieve one's goals. Netzach is the energy required to achieve a goal, while Hod is the ability to turn that energy into action. Netzach is similar to the Id; it and Hod, the Superego, are balanced within Yesod, the Ego, before being expressed in Malkuth, the world. Netzach is represented as the right foot.

Yesod

Yesod: Yesod is the foundation upon which the world is built. It is the power of connection, for it is Yesod that channels the other Sephirots through to Malkuth. Yesod balances the energies of Netzach and Hod, and channels the energies of Tiferet. Yesod is a vehicle for states and changes. Yesod plays the role of the Ego in the trio of Netzach, Hod and Yesod.

Malkuth

Malkuth: The Kingdom below the Crown, this is the reality of the world. Malkuth is where the other emanations are given shape and form in reality itself. Malkuth often expresses itself as a greater control of the other emanations, as well as a greater ability to express the other Sephiroth in the real world as opposed to Da'at. Malkuth is all about control and the ability to better express oneself- if Keter is focus on the self, Malkuth is focus on the world.

Characters:

Johnathan Wick (age: 8, Keter) Joan Wick (age: 8, Malkuth)

• Johnathan Wick:
  The Chosen of Keter, he is the twin brother of Joan Wick. He has white hair that seems to radiate an unearthly light, white, pupiless eyes, and pale, aristocratic features. He is eight years old.
  
  Skills:

  Light of the Self: (Lv. 3, Tier 1)

  This technique allows the user to touch and manipulate the Light of the Self. The Light of the Self is not truly of the Self; rather the Self acts as a channel for a much greater Light. One of the most basic uses of this technique is to allow the Self to change the World, even as the World changes the Self. This generally manifests as a white beam of not-light, that scorches and burns it's target. Level affects two things: how 'wide' the channel is for the Light of the Self, and how skilled you are at manifesting and manipulating the Light of the Self when you release it upon the world.
  
  In general, it takes you about a minute to burn through an inch of material. Your max diameter beam is around three inches, though this will quickly exhaust you.
  

  Illumination of the World: (Lv. 3, Tier 1)

  By harnessing the unrestrained potential of the Light of the Self, you have seen beyond the layer of reality that is the world, and into the foundation itself. The Light of the Self scours away illusions and deceptions, as it comes from a higher reality, and is thus beyond such things. When using this skill, nearby illusions are constantly degraded at a rate proportional to the level of this skill.
  
  You can burn through illusions in minutes with a crackling lamp of not-light that illuminates the World.
  

  Manipulation of the Self: (lv. 2, Tier 1)

  By manipulating the Light of your Self you can change it's reflection: your body. In essence you are forcing the Light of your Self into a specific pattern and then using the connection between the Light of your Self and your body to impose it upon your body. In general, if it involves altering the body, it is possible; healing bones, hardening skin, enhancing vision, and even turning an arm into a weapon is all possible. Changes will regress to the default state, which means that alterations such as shaper vision will wear off while healing won't. Level affects speed of alteration, duration, how much you can enhance something, the chance to 'fumble' and several other things. In general the closer to your existing body the change is the easier and quicker it goes and the longer it lasts.
  
  You can accelerate your healing by about 25% percent, and heal even unhealable wounds at a very slow rate. You can change minor things about already existing features for about two hours, and it takes around 5-10 minutes to implement them.
  

  Contemplation of the Crown: (lv. 6, Tier 2)

  You have touched the whispers in the dark, and in doing so seen something beyond. Keter, The Crown above the Kingdom. A channel has been widened, and sometimes you hear whispers of things that you shouldn't know. You have learned to meditate upon the whispers, seeking guidance upon a specific matter. This skill measures a lot of things; it deals with how in sync you are with your chosen Sephirot, what the whispers will say and how clear they are as well as various other things. (many of which are secret) Perhaps more importantly, this skill is crucial to the Tier system.
  
  You can meditate upon the whisper to seek guidance, and the whispers will occasionally give aid- though it may not always be relevant, or even useful.
  

  Glory of the Crown: (lv. 1, Tier 2)

  Your connection with Keter has expanded, and more than whispers may now flow across. The Glory of the Crown now flows through your veins, elevating you above the Kingdom. This technique passively reduces the amount of sleep, food, energy spent on a given task, and at higher levels can even eliminate earthly needs by in essence elevating your body's existence. The Glory of the Crown makes you both more and less real, shifting and changing your body's existence such that it is greater and yet lesser all at the same time.
  
  You now need only sleep for four hours. However, you can choose to sleep for longer; it is just that sleeping for four hours will perform the exact same function as a full night of sleep.
  

  Form of the Self: (lv. N/A, Tier N/A)

  By peeling away the first layer of the qliphoth obscuring the heavenly spheres, you have allowed the true form of your soul to shine forth. When you are in the Da'at, you no longer appear in your physical form; instead it is a manifestation of your soul. This is not a skill as such; it is more akin to a status effect. When this effect is in play, all Kabbalistic abilities are far, far more potent.
  
  When in the Da'at, Johnathan no longer bears his mortal appearance. Instead, he appears as a six foot tall pure white mannequin that is dotted with ever vigilant eyes and mouths that whisper inaudible arcane secrets. Wings made of flickering silver flame extend from his back.
  

  
  
• Joan Wick:
  The Chosen of Malkuth, she is the twin sister of Johnathan Wick. She has black hair that seems to suck in the light, a trait which her iris' and pupils share. Her sclera is a light gray color, which her skin shares. She is eight years old.
  
  Skills:

  Beat of the World: (Lv. 3, Tier 1)

  This technique allows the user to tap into the Beat of the World. The Beat of the World is the pattern in the not-light that creates and maintains reality. One of the most basic uses of this is to allow the World to change the Self, molding the channel by which you sup upon the World's lifeblood to enhance and reinforce yourself. Level affects two things: how skilled you are at dealing with the Beat of the World, and how good you are at using it's power to enhance and reinforce yourself.
  
  You can now crack a brick wall and bend steel beams with your strength when you go all out, though it quickly exhausts you. You can reach peak human speeds as well, though again it quickly exhausts you.
  

  Illumination of the Self: (lv. 2, Tier 1)

  The Beat of the World thrums through your ears and eyes, Illuminating your Self. The Beat of the World is what shapes Reality, and this skill allows you to see it and intuitively understand it. When this skill is active, you can get information on anything simply by focusing; the amount of time spent focusing indicates how much information and how accurate it is. In general, the information that you focus on is the bit that the skill focuses on. Information also displays (in Joan's case) as a user friendly Heads Up Display. Later levels can allow for minor passive applications of this skill, as well as constant display of the HUD.
  
  You can analyze the dimensions of a simple object in five seconds; more complex ones take longer. You can begin analyzing the composition of an object after you have completely analyzed the dimensions, though you can only get a list of major components.
  

  Manipulation of the World: (lv. 2, Tier 1)

  The Beat of the World is what shapes Reality, and by changing it you can change Reality. This technique allows you to alter and change the Beat of the World, if only temporarily. The Beat is an iterative thing, taking into account that which it was before when it becomes anew. As such, changes to most objects will not unravel. However, changes to more fundamental things such as gravity, density of objects, and other manipulations of the laws of Reality will unravel, as they are constants programmed into the Beat.
  
  You can make minor changes to an object in 5-10 minutes; these build upon each other, allowing you to create something completely new given enough time. Having enough information about something will make it easier to change.
  

  Contemplation of the Kingdom: (Lv. 6, Tier 2)

  You have touched the whispers that accompany the Beat of the World, and in doing so seen something beyond. Malkuth, The Kingdom below the Crown. A channel has been widened, and sometimes you hear whispers of things that you shouldn't know. This skill measures a lot of things; it deals with how in sync you are with your chosen Sephirot, what the whispers will say and how clear they are as well as various other things. (many of which are secret) Perhaps more importantly, this skill is crucial to the Tier system.
  
  You can meditate upon the whisper to seek guidance, and the whispers will occasionally give aid- though it may not always be relevant, or even useful.
  

  Glory of the Kingdom (lv. 6, Tier 2)

  Your connection with Malkuth has expanded, and more than whispers may now flow across. The Glory of the Kingdom now flows through your veins, aiding you in all things. This technique passively enhances your body, making it more resistant to hardship and damage, as well as increasing its strength and agility by solidifying its existence. The Glory of the Kingdom makes you both more and less real, shifting and changing your body's existence such that it is greater and yet lesser all at the same time.
  
  Your body is faster and stronger than it should be for your age and build, and you can run for longer than you should be able to. Around a 30% passive increase in physical ability, which you can modulate at will.
  

  Form of the World: (lv. N/A, Tier N/A)

  By peeling away the first layer of the qliphoth obscuring the heavenly spheres, you have allowed the true form of your soul to shine forth. When you are in the Da'at, you no longer appear in your physical form; instead it is a manifestation of your soul. This is not a skill as such, rather it is more akin to a status effect. When this effect is in play, all Kabbalistic abilities are far, far more potent.
  
  When in the Da'at, Joan appears as a six foot tall featureless mannequin. Even the indents that most mannequins would have in place of a face is nothing but a smooth plane. Wings made of white polygons extend from Joan's back, each individual surface a window into the world. A globe of pulsating not-light hovers nearby, slowly pulsing in tune with the Beat of the World.
  

Voting:
This is going to get changed quite a bit, since I'm still trying to work out how to actually run a quest. Input is, as always, appreciated.

Okay, so here is a brief run down of how a normal vote should happen:

Spoiler: Example

1. You look at the votes that are at the bottom of a Johnathan section.
2. You put then put them after a section indicating that it is a Johnathan vote like so:
[X] Johnathan:
-[X] Blah.
-[X] Blah blah.
(Where Blah and Blah blah are different Johnathan votes)
3. Then you look at the Joan votes, and do it similarly to Johnathan:
[X] Joan:
-[X] Blah.
-[X] Blah blah.
(Where Blah and Blah blah are different Joan votes)
4. Then you look at the AN for unaspected votes, stuff that have to do with how the quest works. You don't have to do anything special to these ones:
[X] Blah blah blah blah blah...

Take note that some 'character' votes can be taken at the same time; it just means that the next update will include that character preforming both tasks. Mutually exculsive tasks cannot be preformed at the same time (for obvious reasons). I will note somewhere in the update if there are special rules for how the votes are going to work in a 'Voting' section below the story section.

Setting:
So! This quest will take place in essentially two different places; Hogwarts, and the Da'at World. The Harry Potter side of things is going to have some people acting differently for... well, reasons that you guys are going to have to figure out. The Da'at World is going to be where the original part of this quest comes into play, and it's essentially a dream world. It's quite a bit more complicated than that, but you guys are going to have to wait to find out more in character. Feel free to ask me questions about the setting/quest/whatever; I'll probably end up answering it. I am looking for suggestions on myths and monsters to populate the Da'at World with; while I do have some ideas for stuff, more is always welcome. I will be updating this section with notes on various things you encounter both at Hogwarts and in the Da'at World.

 

[erlking]

[X] Johnathan Wick
[X] Male
[X] Keter
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy.
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.
[X] One.

This looks like a lot of fun, it's always interesting to see peoples interpretations of things like the sephrerot. I look forward to seeing where this goes.

I have no clue for appearance, so I left it blank.

Also, Is this vote Harry Potter?

 

[einargs]

[X] Johnathan Wick
[X] Male
[X] Keter
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy.
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.
[X] One.

This looks like a lot of fun, it's always interesting to see peoples interpretations of things like the sephrerot. I look forward to seeing where this goes.

I have no clue for appearance, so I left it blank.

Also, Is this vote Harry Potter?

Click to shrink...

Yep. I'll confirm the second one after someone inevitably guesses it.

 

[erlking]

Yep. I'll confirm the second one after someone inevitably guesses it.

Click to shrink...

It's worm, it's totally worm.

 

[einargs]

It's worm, it's totally worm.

Click to shrink...

... I had twenty bucks on both getting called before 30 minutes. Woot! But yeah, its worm.

Also: does anyone have an opinion on how well I did the Sephirot write ups? I tried to capture the mystic-y confused feeling that I got when I was researching this, but... yeah. Mostly asking because I'm going to be doing write ups of skills/techniques that you develop in this manner, and I want to have the right balance of awe-inspiring and confusing for some of the later skills.

 

[einargs]

Update One: Wherein you get a name. And a sister.
Winning Votes:
[X] Johnathan Wick
[X] Male
[X] Keter

Your name is Johnathan Wick. You are currently lying on a raised cot with wooden bars surrounding it. You feel strange. You are but a child of twelve months, and yet you are calmly considering your situation. You know that this is strange, but you do not know how you know. This frustrates you. Intensely so. You sigh, letting out an adorable baby gurgle instead of a world weary sigh. You close your eyes and attempt to rub your forehead to dispell the building headache.

You stare at the tiny, useless baby arm that moves. You sigh again; you can already tell that is going to be a long couple of years. You shift yourself onto your side and stare at the other thing that has been occupying your thoughts lately.

Your sister. The thin covering of hair on her bare scalp seems to absorb the very light itself, and you know that if her eyelids were open her pupils and iris would be the same shade of reality defying black, frame by her gray sclera. You know that her gray, lifeless skin has already prompted your parents to take her sister to the doctor several times. You only know this because your sister has told you. You also know that they won't find anything, for the cause lies beyond the mortal world.

Unlike the doctor visits, you do not know how you know this, but you are beginning to learn to accept such things. It still frustrates you though.

You know that your sister has experienced the same thing, albeit in a different manner. The differences between the both of you brings to mind Yin and Yang, though again you are not sure how you know of such things. You ache for her company, once more cursing her recklessness. Still, perhaps this is part of her charm?

After a brief period of contemplation, you begin to ponder the fact that your emotions seem to be far less complex than a matured adult despite your advanced state of consciousness. You wonder if anyone else has ever experienced such a situation. You file the thought away as something to bring up with your sister once she wakes up from exhausting herself practicing. Yet another reminder that you no longer have your other half available to talk to.

For lack of anything better to do, you turn to your normal standby:
[X] Attempting to better... feel the hazy impressions you sometimes get from objects.
[X] Attempting to touch the dim glow of light that you can sometimes feel within yourself.
[X] Attempting to better control your own body.
[X] Contemplation. You will know yourself so that you may better know the world.
_____________________________________________

Your name is Joan Wick. You are currently waking up from a minor exhaustion induced coma. Your head pounds in an indescribably horrible way, constantly breaking your train of thought. You surrender to it's beat, keeping your eyes closed in an attempt to reduce outside stimuli. It works, and after an indeterminate amount of time you are once more able to think.

Your eyes snap open to the sight of your concerned brother staring at you. You giggle a bit at the expression on his aristocratic features, but you stop once you see the genuine concern in his pupiless eyes. Your brother is horrible at interaction, despite how much he craves it. You had to be the first to make contact, weeks after you first developed awareness. It saddens you sometimes to know just how reliant he is on you, but the truth is that you both need each other.

You know that without him you would bury yourself in social interaction, hiding the truth of yourself behind the world. And you know that he would lose himself in contemplation without you, never emerging from his shell despite how much he needs human contact.

You are unsure how you know this, but your instincts have never steered you wrong. That is another difference between the two of you; you do not care as much about where the impressions and feelings come from, but he has an insatiable drive to figure out why. You sometimes find it funny, in a peculiar way.

Your thoughts are disrupted by your brother brushing his hand against yours, the frown on his face only highlighted by his white lips and face. You giggle again, and communicate to him through the strange language you have fashioned the good news:

-Breakthrough! Excitement! Not worry.-

His pupiless eyes roll up into his skull, the motion only enhanced by the lack of any concrete reference point. -Relief. Exasperation. Inquiry?-

You purse your lips. You will have to switch to the more complex and less... spiritual language for this.

(-Fine! Look at what I can do now! -)

[X] You can now instantly grasp the rough dimensions of an object, its volume, and the forces acting upon it, the accuracy increasing with time spent on the task.
[X] You can now feel and channel the light that you sometimes feel beating throughout the world. When you tap into it, you feel rejuvenated, like you can do anything. Well, until the crash hits at any rate.
[X] You can now make subtle adjustments to how the currents of air move, filtering out particles and the like.
[X] You now understand the nature of the world better, and through it yourself.
_____________________________________________

AN: Well, that was a thing. I'm putting this up now because... ideas started percolating, and then this happened. I had intended to wait until midnight to post this, but this happened. Again. I really hate my brain sometimes. in other news, you have a sister. Yes, she is Malkuth. (What, you thought that you would be alone? Keter is the Crown above the Kingdom, and Malkuth is Kingdom beneath the Crown. You can't have one without the other.) Yes, you may come across the other Sephiroth.

I would appreciate some feedback on the writing style I used here; I was trying to capture that the twins thought process were... rather strange compared to normal adults and children. I also want to know if I managed to give Johnathan and Joan their own 'voice' so to speak. (not at all necessary to do so, but it would help tremendously to get some feedback on my writing style.)

There are however a couple of topics which haven't closed, so feel free to keep voting on those:
World:
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] A world mired in sadness, a single god mourning the loss of its partner. (Worm)

Difficulty:
[X] Easy.
[X] Medium.
[X] Hard.
[X] Insane.
[X] OH MY GOD WHHYYYY!! *sob*

Save Game:
[X] Hardcore. (no rez)
[X] Only after death.
[X] A vote.

 

[erlking]

[X] Attempting to better... feel the hazy impressions you sometimes get from objects.
[X] You can now instantly grasp the rough dimensions of an object, its volume, and the forces acting upon it, the accuracy increasing with time spent on the task.

I like the writing style personally, both twins do seem to have a somewhat separate style of speech. John seems much more mature and almost regal in his mannerism, whereas Joan seems more childish and understanding.

Also, If you want more votes I would recommend posting in the Player Recruitment Thread, it may help.

 

[einargs]

[X] Attempting to better... feel the hazy impressions you sometimes get from objects.
[X] You can now instantly grasp the rough dimensions of an object, its volume, and the forces acting upon it, the accuracy increasing with time spent on the task.

Click to shrink...

Hmm... going for sensory stuff? makes sense.

I like the writing style personally, both twins do seem to have a somewhat separate style of speech. John seems much more mature and almost regal in his mannerism, whereas Joan seems more childish and understanding.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. Joan seems childish, but she's actually very insightful when it comes to other people. I tried to get across that they relied/will rely on each other to function, and its good to know that I seem to have succeeded.

Also, If you want more votes I would recommend posting in the Player Recruitment Thread, it may help.

Click to shrink...

I've already done that, though thanks for the suggestion

 

[veekie]

[X] Contemplation. You will know yourself so that you may better know the world.
[X] You now understand the nature of the world better, and through it yourself.
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.

 

[johanges]

[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.
[X] Attempting to touch the dim glow of light that you can sometimes feel within yourself.
[X] You can now feel and channel the light that you sometimes feel beating throughout the world. When you tap into it, you feel rejuvenated, like you can do anything. Well, until the crash hits at any rate.

 

[Bob Murphy]

[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Insane.
[X] Only after death.
[X] Contemplation. You will know yourself so that you may better know the world.
[X] You now understand the nature of the world better, and through it yourself.

 

[Avalon Du Lac]

[X] Attempting to touch the dim glow of light that you can sometimes feel within yourself.
[X] You can now feel and channel the light that you sometimes feel beating throughout the world. When you tap into it, you feel rejuvenated, like you can do anything. Well, until the crash hits at any rate.
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.

 

[einargs]

Hm... we need a tie breaker of some sort. Should I wait for someone else to vote, or flip a coin? (I plan to start writing the update in a couple of hours.)

EDIT: Coin flip it is!

Contemplation: heads
Light: Tails
Coin: Tails.

So it looks like I'll be writing:
[X] Attempting to touch the dim glow of light that you can sometimes feel within yourself.
[X] You can now feel and channel the light that you sometimes feel beating throughout the world. When you tap into it, you feel rejuvenated, like you can do anything. Well, until the crash hits at any rate.

and for normal, non tiebreaker votes, the winners are:
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.

 

[einargs]

Update Two: Wherein you feel the Light. And hear the Beat.
Winning Votes:
[X] Attempting to touch the dim glow of light that you can sometimes feel within yourself.
[X] You can now feel and channel the light that you sometimes feel beating throughout the world. When you tap into it, you feel rejuvenated, like you can do anything. Well, until the crash hits at any rate.
[X] A world of wizards and a prophecy about a scared boy. (Harry Potter)
[X] Medium.
[X] Only after death.

New Skills:
Light of the Self: (Lv. 1)
This technique allows the user to touch the Light of the Self. This light can be manifested in many ways, though the easiest by far is to simply unleash it in a beam of not-light. Level affects how it can be manifested, as well as the potency of said manifestation.

Beat of the World: (Lv. 1)
This technique allows the user to tap into the Beat of the World. This manifests in several ways, though by far the easiest is to reinforce the body. Level affects what can be reinforced, how effectively and for how long.

You are Jonathan Wick, and you are currently reclining against a chair leg. You are watching your sister build increasingly elaborate structures out of building blocks. Your parents have left you alone in the house. Your sister has taken this opportunity to acquire more building materials for her constructions.

You, on the other hand, are quite busy contemplating your self. What your sister had been able to explain of her breakthrough had been mostly useless in your endeavors, but the essence of it had not.

You reach deep into your self, past the lies and facades that are presented to the world and grasp at the flickering candle within. It is beautiful, in its own way; it tastes of limited potential, of shaped reality. You are not sure how such a thing can have a taste, but it does. It is a very good taste, and you rather think that you want some more of it. Its flame is formed of not-light, as if it is something more than normal light. You are not sure how you know this either. The old frustration surfaces, but you force it down with ease of practice.

Inside the dark room where the candle gutters and flares, there are whispers. You cannot hear them, and every time you try to focus on them they disappear. It is as if instead of being on the edge of your senses, it is on the edge of your mind.

You stop for a moment, realizing what an apt description that is. Your mind soon turns back to the product of your breakthrough.

You are... deeper now, you suppose. You have reached beyond the mortal bounds and touched something greater, and it has left its mark upon your psyche. Strangely, it does not feel like something alien has been added; rather it feels as if something alien has been removed. Your mind turns to the peculiar and intriguing taste of the light, and you think that maybe it isn't that strange.

You open your eyes, the image of a dark room and a flickering candle receding to the back of your mind (but not disappearing) and inspect the light coming off your skin. It is soft and not quite there, and has a rather alien quality to it. You don't think it belongs in this world.

You close your eyes once more. You bring the dark room back to the forefront (it was never gone). The candle flares a brilliant white for a moment. You open your eyes. Your right index finger comes up. You open your self to the world, and the not-light expands. The whispers double in volume.

A pencil thin beam of not-light spears across the room and hits the wall. You see that it cuts off a moment later, leaving nothing but a slight singe on the white wall. You slump against the chair leg, woozy from the exertion. Your lips quirk despite the effort. You rather think that this has potential.

The last thing you see before everything goes black is your sister's concerned face.

[X] By the light of your Self, you have seen beyond the world and into the foundation it rests upon.
[X] You have forced the Self to change, and through it it's mortal reflection.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers. You now understand the Self better, and through it the world.
[X] The Light of your Self burns brighter than before; it is no longer a guttering candle, but instead a crackling lamp.
_____________________________________________

You are Joan Wick, and you are currently cursing your foolish brother. You are well aware that this is somewhat hypocritical, but you don't really care. You force yourself to calm down, attempting to emulate your brother. You of all people should know how potent facades can be. You briefly wonder where that thought came from, before discarding it in the face of the current emergency. You cut yourself off from the beat of the world, forcing yourself past the dizziness to get to your brother.

He is not obviously injured, but the beam of not-light has clearly taken something out of him, and you are worried. You do not know what to do. You do not like this state of being, and it rather frustrates you. You want your brother to help you resolve these feelings, but your brother is lying on the floor in front of you and-

You tap back into the beat of the world, and lose yourself in its whispers. You are calm. You know the world, and through the world you know yourself. You see, as if in a mirror, the frustration and anger and rage far more clearly than before.

You stop, and force yourself to listen to the whispers. They show you your rage and your anger, but you stop yourself from flaring up with a herculean force of will. (how do I) The self is molded by the world. You can control yourself. You will control yourself.

You focus on the beat of the world and the whispers at the edge. You feel the pulse of not-light as it becomes, filtering through the foundation and into the world, forming the beat with its pulses.

You emerge from the beat several minutes latter. You feel the not-light pumping through your veins, revitalizing your body and mind. You know that as soon as the not-light fades you will pay the price, but you feel that it is worth it.

You suspect that being so submerged in the world is what caused your volatile reaction. You know that you would have reacted similarly no matter the situation, but it seems that being so deep in the world amplified your reaction. You sigh, your face twisting into a frown as you gaze down at your brothers face.

You search for other things to think about, finally settling on the results of your previous experiment. You had been attempting to increase your connection to the beat by interacting with the world, and thus the beat, as you listened, but it doesn't seem to have worked.

You are forced to amend that statement as you look at the towering structure you have constructed out of various household items and wooden blocks. You are beginning to suspect that you know even less about the beat than what you had previously thought, which is... rather remarkable really, considering how little you knew previously.

Still, you think as you stare at the elaborate construct, perhaps that is for the best. You smile involuntarily; after all, the journey is half the fun, and it seems as if you have a long journey ahead of you and your brother.

You release your grip on the light, and fall asleep curled up next to your brother.

[X] You now feel how the Beat of the World defines the reality of an object, and can thus get a rough understanding of the dimensions of an object, its volume, and the forces acting upon it. The accuracy increases with the amount of time spent observing.
[X] You have forced the Beat to change, shifting the way the air moves.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.
[X] You have felt the Beat of the World, and you can now tap into it more effectively and for longer.
_____________________________________________

AN: So! I managed to get this out today, (I have no idea how) and it has some stuff happening. I hope that I didn't fluctuate to much in my portrayal of the twins, but... yeah.

If you're curious about the skills, then it should be a rather simple system: the more times you 'research' something related, the more levels it has. (the levels are of course abstractions as much for my benefit as yours) If there's anything I messed up with it, or suggestions for how to make it better, please mention them; as I said previously, I have no clue what I'm doing right now.

This update takes place about a week after the last one. The next one will probably take place about six months to a year after this one. If this seems off, the reason that you were able to get a project done so quickly in a week is because you had already started on said project before the quest started. Johnathan and Joan 'woke up' when they were around 4 months old. The plot to this story should kick in in a couple of updates, but toddlers are pretty hard to write fight scenes for. *makes face*

 

[johanges]

[X] The Light of your Self burns brighter than before; it is no longer a guttering candle, but instead a crackling lamp.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

 

[veekie]

[X] By the light of your Self, you have seen beyond the world and into the foundation it rests upon.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

One to see the Outside, one to know the Inside.

 

[Bob Murphy]

[X] The Light of your Self burns brighter than before; it is no longer a guttering candle, but instead a crackling lamp.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

 

[einargs]

[X] The Light of your Self burns brighter than before; it is no longer a guttering candle, but instead a crackling lamp.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

Click to shrink...

Wellll... shit. So I forgot to close the vote. Gonna need to do that in the future. For the record, I had already nearly finished writing Johnathan's portion when you posted this @Bob Murphy. So since previously I was going to do use:

[X] By the light of your Self, you have seen beyond the world and into the foundation it rests upon.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

Thanks to @veekie's addition of a justification (they do in fact do things. Not big things, but they can influence little things). So I'm going to continue writing with the previous assumption. In the future I shall endevor to make sure that I close the vote when I start writing. So, sorry about that.

 

[einargs]

Update Three: Wherein you light the World. And touch the Whispers.
Winning Votes: (By virtue of having a justification/phrase attached)
[X] By the light of your Self, you have seen beyond the world and into the foundation it rests upon.
[X] You have brushed against the whispers and heard what they say. You now understand the world better, and through the world your Self.

New Skills:
Illumination of the World: (Lv. 1)
By harnessing the unrestrained potential of the Light of the Self, you have seen beyond the layer of reality that is the world, and into the foundation itself. The Light of the Self scours away illusions and deceptions, as it comes from a higher reality, and is thus beyond such things. The Light of the Self can also reveal the more... spiritual side of objects. When using this skill, nearby illusions are constantly degraded at a rate proportional to the level of this skill.

Contemplation of the World: (Lv. 1)
You have touched the whispers that accompany the Beat of the World, and in doing so seen something beyond. Malkuth. The Kingdom below the Crown, it resonates with every fiber of your being. A channel has been widened, and sometimes you hear whispers of things that you shouldn't know. This skill measures a lot of things; it deals with how in sync you are with your chosen Sephirot, what the whispers will say and how clear it is and various other things. (many of which are secret) Perhaps more importantly, some skills require a certain level in this to be able to 'research' them.

Story:
You are Jonathan Wick. You are currently sitting cross legged in the dining room of your families house. You are leaning against a pillow, the blanket that you and your sister normally use in front of you.

You raise your left hand to wipe away the sweat running down your face from the strain of materializing a shadow of the Light of your Self. It is a ghostly, transparent flame that burns the color of not-light. You stare at it as it flickers above your right palm. You are rather concerned by the fact that it is so small, and seems so fragile.

You are also aware that the Light of most people's Selves appears as a flickering ember. You shake off the train of thought, well aware that anything less than complete and utter concentration will lead to the candle flame disappearing. Your return to complete and utter focus seems to bolster the flame, and it burns brighter for a moment.

You then turn to the most frustrating part of this technique: splitting your focus between the flame and the object in question. You slowly begin to shift your focus to the blanket in front of you. You struggle to split your focus between a dark candlelit room filled with eerie whispers and the blue wool blanket in front of you.

You finally achieve equilibrium several minutes after you began. You are unsure of the exact time, though you know that it is better than your- you quickly reaffirm the mental divide, preventing the flame from completely collapsing. Your second attempt goes much faster, for which you are grateful.

You see, as if out of the corner of your eye, (two images two eyes idea) an image of two toddlers sleeping underneath a blue blanket while propped up against a wall. You manage to note the relaxed and content expressions on both kids before the ghostly candle collapses into nothingness. Your lips twitch downwards as a wave of exhaustion rushes through your body. You are beginning to suspect that the hardest part of the technique is going to be maintaining the strict segregation of the mind in the face of interesting information.

You have no doubt that you can do it of course; you are ******** after all. You pause. Your mind tingles unpleasantly, and you are fairly certain that it is not from Illumination of the World. Your exhausted mind files it away in the ever growing file of 'things you know that you don't know how you know'.

Your mind, exhausted from the mental strain of running Illumination of the world for several hours, drifts asleep quickly. You don't even notice your sister curling up next to you, pulling the blanket along with her.
_____________________________________________

You are Joan Wick, and you are currently dancing. You are dancing to the Beat of the World to be specific. You have been trying reach the whispers for nearly half a year now, but it is only in the last month that you have made your current breakthrough. Instead of sitting still and thinking, you are instead moving. You are interacting with the world, synced to the Beat of the World.

You are also closer to the Whispers than you have ever been before. You are unaware of this however; you are lost in the Beat of the World. You are no longer aware, your consciousness adrift in the endless song of creation and destruction that makes up the Beat of the World.

The whispers grow ever louder, but you pay them no attention. Why should you? They pale in comparison to the majesty of the-

Malkuth.

You stumble. Your nose bruises from the impact with the hard linoleum floor. You lie dazed for nearly half an hour as your mind slowly withdraws from the whirling rhythm that you were so lost in.

Even after your mind fully returns, you still remain curled up on the kitchen floor. You almost lost yourself. You almost died. You are not sure how you know, but you do know, and it scares you. Your mind runs in circles, repeating the same thing over and over again. You almost left my brother behind. You almost died and left your brother behind. Your brother wouldn't be able to live...

Eventually you recover enough to drag yourself up onto your hands and knees. The wave of nausea tries to force you back to the ground, but you resist it. Your brother. Your brother will be able to help.

You finally find your brother in the dining room, the blue blanket that the two of you normally use in front of him. You crawl over to him unsteadily before collapsing by his side. Your still shaky hands fumble at the blanket for a couple of seconds before finally grabbing it. You pull it over the two of you before snuggling up to your sleeping brother.

He might not be awake, but he's there and that's all that matters.

You fall asleep with a content expression upon your face, the only thing you will ever need by your side.
_____________________________________________

Your name is Johnathan Wick, and you are confused. You are standing in a black room (isn't there doesn't exist how?) composed of not-black tiles. You quickly realize that this is because they are not the color black; instead they are made of the absence of light. The same inky darkness that you find in particularly deep holes and other such phenomena. You shake your head at this description as well. You know that it is not ordinary darkness in the same way that you can tell that not-light is not ordinary light. (you don't know how you know but you just know)

After several long moments you name the tiled material 'not-dark'. Your brief detour accomplished you shift your attention to the door in front of you. It is composed of a solid slab of not-dark, with a diagram made of not-light embedded in it. The diagram is composed of eleven circles with writing inside connected by various lines. The topmost circle shines far brighter than the others, though you can not make out what any of the circles have written on them. You are surprised the topmost one is the most legible despite how much brighter it is compared to the others.

What do you do?
[X] Try to open the door.
[X] Try to use Illumination of the World to unveil any illusions.
[X] Try to damage the room with Light of the Self.
[X] Wait here.
[X] Write in.

How do you explore? (if you do at all?)
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
[X] You explore quickly, attempting to map out the entire place before coming back to examine anything interesting.
[X] Write in.
_____________________________________________

You are Joan Wick, and you are confused. You are in a room composed of bla- (something whispers to you) not-dark tiles, with a strange diagram on the door. You are not curled up next to your brother. You force down the fear and panic that arises in you at that notion, and try to distract yourself by examining the door. (fear panic no)

The diagram is made of the same not-light that hums through your veins when you listen to the Beat of the World. The diagram seems to depict several different circles, each with writing inside of it, all connected by various lines. The bottom most circle is the brightest, yet despite this you can with a bit of work make out what it says.

Malkuth.

What do you do?
[X] Try to open the door.
[X] Try to use Contemplation of the World to find out something about this place.
[X] Wait here.
[X] Write in.

How do you explore? (if you do at all?)
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
[X] You explore quickly, attempting to map out the entire place before coming back to examine anything interesting.
[X] Write in.
_____________________________________________

AN: So! A lot of things happened this update. It was a bit of a pain to write, but I think it was worth it to actually get the plot started. I'm still probably going to need to skip forward quite a bit, but I hope that I'll be able to do it in small pieces instead of a big one. I also learned that I need to close the vote when I start writing. (again, sorry @Bob Murphy)

Hmm... I seem to enjoy tormenting Joan quite a bit. As for why Joan seems to be so much more unstable than Johnathan, it's because Joan is unstable in the Self, instead of the World like Johnathan. If Johnathan were to lose Joan he would essentially wilt away as he absolutely needs Joan to function socially. Johnathan just can't do social stuff, but I haven't gotten a chance to show that since any social interaction for the two of them is pretty far off in the future. I have a couple of ideas percolating for how the two of them are going to deal with having to be separated at school though that are making me particularly eager to get to that point however. *evil laugh*

*clears throat* Did I mess anything up with the characters? Any real complaints? Constructive criticism always helps, especially when it comes to the Quest side of things.

Also, out of curiosity, should I set the story when Harry Potter canonically happens (~1990's) or in a more modern time?
[X] Set in the 1990's.
[X] Set around now.

 

[johanges]

[X] Try to use Illumination of the World to unveil any illusions.
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
If any illusions crumble, Jonathan explore what is changed. Jonathan is more careful, for example, he labels new phenomenons before moving on with his explorations.

[X] Try to use Contemplation of the World to find out something about this place.
[X] You explore quickly, attempting to map out the entire place before coming back to examine anything interesting.
Joan is a bit eager and certainly less careful than Jonathan.

[X] Set around now.
It is harder to get things right in the near past as so many have personal experiences to compare it with.

 

[veekie]

[X] Try to use Illumination of the World to unveil any illusions.
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
[X] Try to use Contemplation of the World to find out something about this place.
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
[X] Set in the 1990's.

 

[einargs]

Hey guys, gonna close the vote now to stop anything like last time from happening. The winning votes are:

Jonathan:
[X] Try to use Illumination of the World to unveil any illusions.
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.

Joan:
[X] Try to use Contemplation of the World to find out something about this place.
[X] You explore quickly, attempting to map out the entire place before coming back to examine anything interesting.

By dint of them having justifications/reasons. (bloody tie breakers) I'm going to wait on the time period vote as it is sort of a big thing, and I want more than two people voting on it. Update should be incoming in a couple of hours, though I may be delayed.

 

[erlking]

Damn, I keep getting to these votes just too late. Ah well.

For the time period I agree with johanges, it's much harder then it seems to write the recent past. Just going ahead and making it closer to our time shouldn't have too much of an effect beyond making it easier to write, as Harry Potter did little to mention technology and so on due to the anti-tech effect of magic and wizards having their own world, so it will probably not change the story overly much.

[X] Set around now.

 

[einargs]

Update Four: Wherein you venture through a creepy Labyrinth. And find some Demons.
Winning Votes:
[X] Try to use Illumination of the World to unveil any illusions.
[X] You explore slowly and cautiously, carefully examining anything interesting you see.
[X] Try to use Contemplation of the World to find out something about this place.
[X] You explore quickly, attempting to map out the entire place before coming back to examine anything interesting.

Story:
You are Johnathan Wick, and you are currently confused. You are in a room made of not-dark, with only one door. You are not where you feel asleep. Your sister is nowhere to be found. You sigh deeply, before putting aside your worries. You know that your best bet for finding out what is going on is to explore.

You approach the door, stopping several feet away. You force yourself to focus on the flame within, calling up the Light of your Self to Illuminate the World. You are startled as it comes easily, flaring up above your hand within mere seconds instead of minutes. You lose control of it almost instantly, your mind not yet fully divided.

You call it up again, the ghostly flame of not-light manifesting itself in a shower of silver sparks. You are once more forced marvel at what you are doing. You are an eighteen month old child who can manifest a fraction of the Light of his Self in the real world. You call upon forces unknown to mortal man with ease. You are again forced to wonder at what makes you and your sister so different.

You shrug once more mentally, redirecting your attention to the door in front of you. You restabilize the candle flame in your palm. You note that you have far more leeway in terms of attention payed to stabilizing Illumination of the World. You are surprised that the not-light has no impact upon the not-dark, simply reflecting off of it's surface. You wait for several moments, eager to see if Illumination of the World will reveal anything about the room or diagram.

You are not surprised that it does not; something tells you that this place will require far more powerful techniques to accomplish anything. You still sigh in disappointment; you had hoped for more information about the diagram at least.

You move forward, inspecting the door more closely. It has a long depression on the right side, similar to a sliding door. You note that it extends to about six inches off the floor, a fortunate development as you doubt that you would be able to reach a more normal height. You strain your hands as you force the heavy door to move. You are forced to quickly withdraw your hands from the slot as it begins to pick up speed. You flinch as a loud boom echoes throughout the room.

Your lips twitch downwards, your brow furrowing. The echoes of the sound have doubtlessly alerted anything else in the complex. You once more sigh. You take a cautious step through the doorway, keeping Illumination of the World active.

You walk for several hours through a featureless maze of not-dark tile. You eventually manage to find the right path through painstaking memorization. You emerge from the maze onto a straight walkway hovering over a seemingly endless pit. You manifest Illumination of the World with a mere thought, the constant practice having honed your skill tremendously. You briefly wonder at the fact that this place seems to be far easier to use more... exotic skills in, before filing it away in the back of your mind.

You stare at what the not-light has revealed. The room you are in is a sphere, with a circular platform at the center, which the walkway you are currently on leads to. Your attention is drawn by the large monolith standing upon the platform. You note that it is covered in elaborate writing made of solidified not-light. You do not recognize the script; it changes between various writing styles seemingly on a whim.

You approach the platform cautiously, constantly aware of the lack of railings and supports. Your mouth tightens as you approach the base of the monolith. You stop several feet away, and once more bring up the Light of your Self to Illuminate the World.

You spot a crack as you feed Illumination of the World more not-light. You back away quickly as the crack begins to spread across the face of the monolith. As it spiders across its surface, a light shines forth from within. You speed up your retreat as chunks of stone begin to fall from the top. As the stone hits the ground they shatter into a dark miasma which spreads across the platform, clinging to it's surface.

You begin to prepare the Light of your Self to attack, stoking the candle that is your Self into a fury. Your preparations are quickly proven to be a good idea as the dark miasma begins to condense into a decayed monstrosity. Your throat tightens as you gaze at its impossible biology.

It appears similar to a boar. It's tusks drip with a strange fluid that sizzles as it touches the ground. It is spiderwebbed with cracks that expose its inner organs. A black, viscous fluid drips from the various cracks, and the bones are yellow and rotted. One of its eyes is covered with pus while the other has bulging black veins. It snorts and paws the ground, its decayed hoof crumbling slightly from the force. You note with a growing sense of horror that it is as large as a full grown man.

[X] Johnathan: (Write in a plan here)
_____________________________________________

You are Joan Wick, and you are currently trying not to panic. You are in a strange room made of tiled not-dark that seems to suck in the non existent light. The door in front of you has a complex web of circles and lines set into it, with a long slot running down the left side. You exhale forcefully, straightening your spine and forcibly recomposing yourself. You open yourself to the whispers, allowing them to reflect your Self. You see your fear and you panic, and you acknowledge them.

You will never have the same calm surety of self that your brother has, but you can fake it. You can accept your flaws and recognize them. Your breathing is now far calmer, and you withdraw your Self from the comforting embrace of the whispers. You move towards the door, still anxious but reassured.

You slide your hands into the slot, noting how it has a rough surface on the inside for to improve the grip. You tap into the Beat of the World, and heave. The door goes flying into the wall even as you stumble backwards. The not-light that had hummed through your veins had been so potent, so powerful... it was amazing. You note almost excitedly that the dizziness that normally accompanies the use of the Beat of the World is almost completely absent.

A crack of thunder echoes through the room like god's judgment as the door spiderwebs with cracks from the impact with the wall. You crack a smile at the absurdity of an eighteen month old child shattering stone, before devolving into giggles as the door seems to disappear before your eyes, melting into a dark smog that evaporates into the air.

You draw upon the Beat of the World, strengthening yourself enough to make your footsteps leave cracks in the floor as you run. You cloak yourself in the whispers of Contemplation of the World as you seemingly bounce from one spot to another. Pearls of laughter ring through the blackened maze as you run, whispers telling you where to go. It takes you several hours to finally reach your destination, as the whispers had been wrong almost as much as they had been right, but you don't care. The not-light that hums through your veins energizes and excites you, inspiring you to perform even more impossible feats.

You ricochet off one wall and bounce off the other, taking the corner at a death defying run. You are forced to skid to a halt however as you reach the end of your journey, the endless pit in front of you making a convincing argument for moderation. You flop to the floor as you begin to disconnect from the Beat of the World. You feel the liquid energy in your veins begin to diminish, along with the faint haze of light that had been obscuring your vision for a while.

You sigh in disappointment as the flecks of light that had been floating towards you ever since you started tapping into the Beat of the World begin to slow their movement, then finally cease.You pick yourself up off the floor, the normal dizzy feeling that normally acompanies tapping into the Beat of the World instead a pleasant burn similar to the feeling you get after a particularly good workout.

You luxuriate in the adrenaline rush that the journey had been; you don't think you ever actually slowed down, let alone stop. You have a feeling that you're going to be an adrenaline jockey when you grow up.

Your face twists into a moue of distaste as you force yourself to get up. You slowly walk along the walkway slowly, taking in the sights. You are rather nervous; the whole place screams evil lair, and the strange sense of deja vu you're getting isn't really helping your nerves. The earlier adrenaline rush is beginning to wear off, and you cloak yourself in Contemplation of the World once more.

As you reach the edge of the platform you briefly wonder exactly how the bottom of a sphere manages to be obscured by darkness when you can see the other side of the circumference before chalking it up to the seemingly invisible lighting. You pause momentarily as you step onto the circular platform, tapping back into the Beat of the World. Not-light hums through your veins as you approach the black monolith, the whispers of Contemplation of the World blunting the effect of its presence.

You barely have time to begin looking at the peculiar writing on its surface before cracks begin to spiderweb across the monolith's surface. (danger, move) Not-light shines from within the cracks as you jump backwards, forewarned by the whispers.

The chunks of not-dark stone crumble to dust in midair before coalescing into a towering column of dark dust. You watch as it slowly shifts into a large, indistinct blob with two wicked claws hovering nearby. The central blob splits in half, jagged teeth sprouting from each end of the vertical mouth even as two eyelids open, revealing blood red eyes. You gulp involuntarily; the final form, while nowhere near as large as it once was, is now nearly eight feet tall.

[X] Joan: (Write in a plan here)
_____________________________________________

AN: So! Sorry about being so late, was spending time with my family so I didn't get that much chance to write. This chapter reveals a bit about what's going on with the weird maze, gives you an age for the twins, and also has some of the demons I promised in my signature. The write in bits are something of an experiment; I don't know if they'll work, but I certainly hope so.

The write in bits should work like this:
[X] Joan: Try and dodge around any attacks while disrupting the cloud. Attempt to shatter the claws and teeth if you can.
Where you put the plan after the name so that I can tell which twin you're talking about.

The previous vote on when the story should be set is still open due to lack of voters. (check update three if you don't know what I mean.)

Damn, I keep getting to these votes just too late. Ah well.

Click to shrink...

Ouch. That really sucks.

For the time period I agree with johanges, it's much harder then it seems to write the recent past. Just going ahead and making it closer to our time shouldn't have too much of an effect beyond making it easier to write, as Harry Potter did little to mention technology and so on due to the anti-tech effect of magic and wizards having their own world, so it will probably not change the story overly much.

[X] Set around now.

Click to shrink...

Indeed. I don't plan to have the time period affect the Harry Potter side of the story much, other than perhaps having the new muggleborns frustrated by not having access to any computers or internet. Mostly I ask because I have ideas involving the twins and the net, but they can be discarded if need be.

 

[Avalon Du Lac]

[X] Set around now.