Your vision swims, and the world around you shifts.
Familiar surroundings fade into obscurity, then blackness. And in that instant of oblivion you are forced to bear witness to an infinite calming blue, an empty sea filled with Fragments of Dreams, of Worlds, of Miracles unharnessed and Certainties long since beyond your reach.
Your vision swims, and you are dragged into the abyss, darkness swallowing you once more.
A second passes, a moment, a minute, and so it drags on until an eternity seems to go by you trivially before the blackness lurches, and you stand within an elegantly decorated room, as if the abyss had never been.
The sound of a finger softly tapping wood draws your attention, and it centers upon an opened chessboard, the pieces placed haphazardly as if there was a game in progress.
"Hello." A voice cuts in, and your eyes are drawn to a pair of dark glasses.
"I am known as EMBER, Sorceror of Escalation and member of the Senate, although I doubt that means anything to you." He says, shrugging. "Well, I've more or less taken you from your previous existence on a whim of mine, although it would be more accurate to say that it's the fault of a group of old hags playing at youth."
A shadow passes through your vision, and a bead of sweat forms on the man's forehead.
"Think of this as my hazing. As a matter of fact, the two of us? We're both victims in this. We're practically comrades. Teammates, even."
His hands, gloved, fold underneath his nose as he levels a stare at you, "So I need you to play along in this. For both our sakes. You pull this off and I'll give you a wish or a bonus, along with the right to keep playing along to get more prizes or to bail out and go home. God knows I don't blame you."
He grabs a nearby glass of some amber liquid, draining it in a single, desperate gulp, "Crazy old Voyager Fruitcakes." The self-proclaimed sorceror shakes his head.
"So here's how this works: I'm going to pop you on this island in Japan called Rokkenjimma, don't worry about the language I'll take care of it with something I like to call 'Narrative Convenience', so just speak normally and I'll handle the rest." He pauses.
"Look, it's magic. I don't have to explain shit, okay? You want to know how it's done go bother Michael Blaine or something after all this is over, for now we have more important things to worry about. Here are the rules."
He picks up a pamphlet, tossing it over to you as it smacks you in the face. You are, somehow, miraculously able to read it and it's contents.
"So." EMBER replies, leaning back in his chair, "With that out of the way, there's something specific to you that we've gotta cover before getting started."
"So, with all that aside." The man concludes, extending a hand out to you, "What do you think?"
Familiar surroundings fade into obscurity, then blackness. And in that instant of oblivion you are forced to bear witness to an infinite calming blue, an empty sea filled with Fragments of Dreams, of Worlds, of Miracles unharnessed and Certainties long since beyond your reach.
Your vision swims, and you are dragged into the abyss, darkness swallowing you once more.
A second passes, a moment, a minute, and so it drags on until an eternity seems to go by you trivially before the blackness lurches, and you stand within an elegantly decorated room, as if the abyss had never been.
The sound of a finger softly tapping wood draws your attention, and it centers upon an opened chessboard, the pieces placed haphazardly as if there was a game in progress.
"Hello." A voice cuts in, and your eyes are drawn to a pair of dark glasses.
"I am known as EMBER, Sorceror of Escalation and member of the Senate, although I doubt that means anything to you." He says, shrugging. "Well, I've more or less taken you from your previous existence on a whim of mine, although it would be more accurate to say that it's the fault of a group of old hags playing at youth."
A shadow passes through your vision, and a bead of sweat forms on the man's forehead.
"Think of this as my hazing. As a matter of fact, the two of us? We're both victims in this. We're practically comrades. Teammates, even."
His hands, gloved, fold underneath his nose as he levels a stare at you, "So I need you to play along in this. For both our sakes. You pull this off and I'll give you a wish or a bonus, along with the right to keep playing along to get more prizes or to bail out and go home. God knows I don't blame you."
He grabs a nearby glass of some amber liquid, draining it in a single, desperate gulp, "Crazy old Voyager Fruitcakes." The self-proclaimed sorceror shakes his head.
"So here's how this works: I'm going to pop you on this island in Japan called Rokkenjimma, don't worry about the language I'll take care of it with something I like to call 'Narrative Convenience', so just speak normally and I'll handle the rest." He pauses.
"Look, it's magic. I don't have to explain shit, okay? You want to know how it's done go bother Michael Blaine or something after all this is over, for now we have more important things to worry about. Here are the rules."
He picks up a pamphlet, tossing it over to you as it smacks you in the face. You are, somehow, miraculously able to read it and it's contents.
DA RULES said:
"So." EMBER replies, leaning back in his chair, "With that out of the way, there's something specific to you that we've gotta cover before getting started."
" @Silvan Elder you're an interesting case. Your teleportation ability is incredibly powerful if used properly on the Meta level. And if you play your hand right, you can pull it off on the mundane level as well since it's an 'Intrinsic Trait'. Just keep in mind that if anyone even gets a whiff of it, they're going to descend on you immediately to either eliminate you as a suspect, or just plain eliminate you."
" @ThePremise you got lucky, so to speak. You get to kill someone who's most notable achievement is ruining things for people and being turned into hamburger. Unfortunately, she's currently a five year old kid or something with an incredibly protective older brother and set of cousins, not to mention her parents. But if there was anyone you stood a chance of actually offing due to meta ineffectiveness? It would be this girl. You can use your aura on the meta level, but dont expect anything consistent. On the mundane level you'll just be some weirdo cosplaying in a suit of armor. You'll fit right in."
" @Mortifer , well, holy shit. You're going to be little Miss Popular, you know that? But keep in mind that you are literally the only thing more sympathetic than the sole survivor of a shipwreck getting washed up on shore. You'll have free reign in both Meta and Mundane, and I wouldn't be surprised if you got scouted by a Player as well. But don't overreach. On the Meta level, you'll be all too helpless."
" @The Out Of World , hmm…You're in an interesting position. On the meta level, you're strong. Very strong. But you're going to make a number of enemies, quickly, and these guys can put you down permanently. That strength won't carry on over into the mundane, either. Hope you're good at dodging bullets."
" @Bladestar123 , well, well, well. Even that person needs some allies, am I right? And I honestly can't think of anyone better suited. Unfortunately, you're also going to be trying to off the person who is the hardest to kill on the gameboard who isn't a Player themselves. Your powers won't carry over into the mundane, but on the meta you'll be quite the support for your friend. Just, uh…Mind the Gaap."
" @God and the Snake , you are a literal godsend for the fantasy side of things. Thankfully, your powers work effectively on the meta and have a very interesting interaction with the mundane. Once you find your niche you'll be a powerhouse in this setting, and will likely get recruited by that person. Good luck."
" @Illusion , well my friend, you are precisely as effective on the mundane level as you are on the meta level. Except for the ability to extend your Light Blades and absorb living creatures. That's meta-only. Thankfully, however, you'll be fairly difficult to kill. Which, combined with your musculature, should assist you greatly when it comes to dealing with Mister Fatty over there."
" @Azrael , under any other circumstances you and Erika would get along like a house on fire, most likely. Unfortunately, in this case you will literally get along like a house thats burning down around both of your ears. Your eyes can shift things, very subtly, on the mundane level. But the midget's going to have her eyes on you constantly. On the meta level you'll be able to go all out, but keep in mind that the moment you get caught on the mundane, you're finished. Subtlety is your friend, but you have a very, very bad matchup here."
"So, with all that aside." The man concludes, extending a hand out to you, "What do you think?"
