the waiting and the wanting
The ocean is suddenly roaring out against the coastline. Sand is shuddering around the moat and the bear like some behemoth is rising up from the sea to rub his scales along the belly of the island. Even the trees (what is left of them) sway as if they are brittle-backed and frail-rooted. Sighs rush in with the wind, whispers of some old language that mortals have long since forgotten.
Is it a secret whispering in their ears? Perhaps the wind is sighing over and over again...run, run, run
But the relic, and the island watching with chrysalis and black-glass, knows these horses will not turn away. It does not matter if it's avarice, or rage, or hope, driving them on. The island knows, like all hidden gods know, that none of them will turn away willingly.
Until the end then, it says in sighs of brittle-backed trees. Until the end.
Path One
It might seem at first that the blackness is nothing more than a slim river of still dark against the sand. Perhaps it even seems that each horse brave enough to step onto that sliver of space moves miles for each small step they take on the black. But for each step they take, and each mile they seem to move, the dark glass seems endless. There is always more to walk, or run, or fly over.
The task seems hopeless.
Ahead, at the endless end, the relic starts to quiver like molten gold tipped down the hilt of a sword. It grows like a flower given rain and summer sun. Like a flower it starts to unfold. Blooms of ruby start to fall from it (when did those flowers even root? How?). And when the first blood-red petal falls to the black path the distance disappears.
Where they walking for miles or only heartbeats?
Between the blooms the relic shines, molten hot and waiting. Who is brave enough to cross this new barrier of blood-red petals?
Path Two
By the time the horses make it to the bear through way of caution, blackness, or butterfly, he is pacing like a wildcat. The chrysalis hanging in his face sway with the movement. Under the membrane it's almost easy to see the wet flutter of golden wings dreaming of flight. He seems more like a restless god than a bear with a new butterfly hanging in his eye sockets.
Perhaps he's a god older than the relic or the stones beneath their hooves.
When the first horse comes they will find between themselves and the bear a strange mirror-like wall. There is the bear pacing endlessly on the other side. In places where he crosses before them there is a strange reflection of themselves and the bear melding together, like beats freshly forged-- half mortal, half god, all wanting.
The bear turns and the reflection ripples like water where he faces the horses. The golden wings start to break trough the green like small birds crashing through the canopy. His mouth opens but it forms no words and there is no movement but the appearance of his dirty teeth. Yet there are words crashing through the glass towards the horses, a siren song with no sea, only glass.
Only the worthy can pass.
His mouth remains open and the twin butterflies break free from his eyes. They fly through the glass towards the horses. But is it a hint or a warning?
Just beyond the bear, the almost-mirror and the glass other horses are gathering around the relic. It seems so close....
Path Three
Ah, the island sighs at the horses waiting to see what fate falls the others. The sand trembles around their hooves it too sighs ah. Even the air feels heavy with it, gavel heavy, as it falls on the waiting horses like a blanket.
And the air, the heavy air, has a color to it. It's blue, ocean blue, and it grows thick like oil as it gathers around the waiting. More and more air presses in for their muzzles, their eyes, and the hollows between their vertebra. It's cool and tainted with brine, and when the horses are carried away on it (maybe it feels like drowning with a death that never comes) they will find themselves belly deep in the ocean.
Oh, the ocean sighs, it was not for you.
Your character has a choice.
This is the third round for the relic hunt. Both the bear and the glass moat have led towards the relic. It's shining and so, so close one one side there is a bear and almost-mirror blocking the relic from reach. At the end of the moat it's a line of red petals that remains the only barrier. Do you crash through either blockage to reach the relic first, or do you wait and try to figure out if there is a trick?
Each round is decision-based. We will give you a set of options for your character to choose from ICly; at the end of the round, a dice roll will be made to determine which options proceed. For this round we will roll for a number between 1-50, the highest number will proceed. If your character proceeds you may continue to reply; if your character does not proceed, you may not reply to any of the next rounds.
If your character has an unused mollusk shell, golden leaf, horseshoe, or iridescent feather from a previous round, you may use that to automatically proceed once even if your character rolled otherwise. To use this reward, wait until the dice are rolled: if your character does not proceed but you would like to, reply to the next round and add at the bottom of the post which reward you are redeeming.
For this round:
Your character may choose from the following options, although you may each write them out differently the core choice must be one of the options below.
Option One: Rush to grab the relic before the others
Option Two: Wait
Please clearly mark your character's decision at the bottom of your post.
Example: @isra has chosen option two.
Each reply to this thread gives you +1 post in an SWP.
All replies after October 2nd, 2019 will not be considered for a progression roll.
Is it a secret whispering in their ears? Perhaps the wind is sighing over and over again...run, run, run
But the relic, and the island watching with chrysalis and black-glass, knows these horses will not turn away. It does not matter if it's avarice, or rage, or hope, driving them on. The island knows, like all hidden gods know, that none of them will turn away willingly.
Until the end then, it says in sighs of brittle-backed trees. Until the end.
Path One
It might seem at first that the blackness is nothing more than a slim river of still dark against the sand. Perhaps it even seems that each horse brave enough to step onto that sliver of space moves miles for each small step they take on the black. But for each step they take, and each mile they seem to move, the dark glass seems endless. There is always more to walk, or run, or fly over.
The task seems hopeless.
Ahead, at the endless end, the relic starts to quiver like molten gold tipped down the hilt of a sword. It grows like a flower given rain and summer sun. Like a flower it starts to unfold. Blooms of ruby start to fall from it (when did those flowers even root? How?). And when the first blood-red petal falls to the black path the distance disappears.
Where they walking for miles or only heartbeats?
Between the blooms the relic shines, molten hot and waiting. Who is brave enough to cross this new barrier of blood-red petals?
Path Two
By the time the horses make it to the bear through way of caution, blackness, or butterfly, he is pacing like a wildcat. The chrysalis hanging in his face sway with the movement. Under the membrane it's almost easy to see the wet flutter of golden wings dreaming of flight. He seems more like a restless god than a bear with a new butterfly hanging in his eye sockets.
Perhaps he's a god older than the relic or the stones beneath their hooves.
When the first horse comes they will find between themselves and the bear a strange mirror-like wall. There is the bear pacing endlessly on the other side. In places where he crosses before them there is a strange reflection of themselves and the bear melding together, like beats freshly forged-- half mortal, half god, all wanting.
The bear turns and the reflection ripples like water where he faces the horses. The golden wings start to break trough the green like small birds crashing through the canopy. His mouth opens but it forms no words and there is no movement but the appearance of his dirty teeth. Yet there are words crashing through the glass towards the horses, a siren song with no sea, only glass.
Only the worthy can pass.
His mouth remains open and the twin butterflies break free from his eyes. They fly through the glass towards the horses. But is it a hint or a warning?
Just beyond the bear, the almost-mirror and the glass other horses are gathering around the relic. It seems so close....
Path Three
Ah, the island sighs at the horses waiting to see what fate falls the others. The sand trembles around their hooves it too sighs ah. Even the air feels heavy with it, gavel heavy, as it falls on the waiting horses like a blanket.
And the air, the heavy air, has a color to it. It's blue, ocean blue, and it grows thick like oil as it gathers around the waiting. More and more air presses in for their muzzles, their eyes, and the hollows between their vertebra. It's cool and tainted with brine, and when the horses are carried away on it (maybe it feels like drowning with a death that never comes) they will find themselves belly deep in the ocean.
Oh, the ocean sighs, it was not for you.
Your character has a choice.
This is the third round for the relic hunt. Both the bear and the glass moat have led towards the relic. It's shining and so, so close one one side there is a bear and almost-mirror blocking the relic from reach. At the end of the moat it's a line of red petals that remains the only barrier. Do you crash through either blockage to reach the relic first, or do you wait and try to figure out if there is a trick?
Each round is decision-based. We will give you a set of options for your character to choose from ICly; at the end of the round, a dice roll will be made to determine which options proceed. For this round we will roll for a number between 1-50, the highest number will proceed. If your character proceeds you may continue to reply; if your character does not proceed, you may not reply to any of the next rounds.
If your character has an unused mollusk shell, golden leaf, horseshoe, or iridescent feather from a previous round, you may use that to automatically proceed once even if your character rolled otherwise. To use this reward, wait until the dice are rolled: if your character does not proceed but you would like to, reply to the next round and add at the bottom of the post which reward you are redeeming.
For this round:
Your character may choose from the following options, although you may each write them out differently the core choice must be one of the options below.
Option One: Rush to grab the relic before the others
Option Two: Wait
Please clearly mark your character's decision at the bottom of your post.
Example: @isra has chosen option two.
Each reply to this thread gives you +1 post in an SWP.
All replies after October 2nd, 2019 will not be considered for a progression roll.
Please be advised, tagging the Random Event account does not guarantee a response!
