ORIGIN

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DUST OF DREAMS

The Cave Stories - Canis

Canis lay stagnant, as it always did; dusty and full of bones, the movement of life within a rarity.

Yet a soft crumble in the heart of the room, deep within the Chambers, foretold of change coming to this place.

The decay of stone and bone, over long millennia--this was finally reaching its completion, and a quiet rattle quickly became a low roar. The thud and clatter of a bone wall falling away echoed through the cave, and when it finished, a large plume of dust rose as if to signal its epicenter.

Those following the dust cloud would find a spectacular sight: within the remaining three walls of this crumbling chamber lay framed a scene so beautiful it seemed almost painted.

A pool of clear water, shrouded at its edges by touches of green and a glimpse of budding flowers, lay among the bones. The floor of the pool was pale, purple gemstone, one that granted its color in the refraction of light through the waters, so that shimmering violet danced along the broken walls, and ignited the multicolored dust sparkling through the air.

Beyond the pool sat what looked almost like a statue: an immense skeleton, sat upright, with a tall spear still clutched in one hand's bones. Delicate horns curled down from its long skull, and flowers bloomed from vines that had curled along its bones. Candles, half melted away, lay nestled in its hollows.

The purpose of this little room--the identity of the skeleton, and the sense that the place was almost hallowed, like a shrine--was a mystery untouched for centuries.

This thread is part of The Cave Stories event series!

As described in previous news posts and announcements, this is a low-stakes group of quests that will potentially unlock new spells, techniques, and/or tactics. Each active Group has had a quest designed around their home cave, but all characters are welcome to join these quests at any time (unless otherwise stated at the bottom of a GM post).

Subsequent quests will generally be posted up as current ones near their midway points or their ends, so there won't be pressure to dip your toes into every single one at the same time.

Nemo

Nemo had been gliding around the cave, having come back from the Tunnel near Ursa a few days ago- he hadn't seen anyone, though honestly had probably missed someone when he had... erm. Chrysalized for a long nap.

When he awoke, he came right back- after all, he missed his children, and wonders how they have fared since he fell asleep, and where they might be until a cave shaking collapse causes him to pinwheel mid-air. The rising dust brings his attention, and he wings quickly towards it in alarm- he can see a vague shape, which becomes clearer as he gets closer... well, that and the eerie light draws him down. He lands with a bounce near the edge of the pool, which he tilts his head left, right, and then leans towards in towards the water to investigate the crystal, and then lean up to look at the giant statue... which he feels compelled to bob a small bow to.

He lifts a wing, then, pulling at his magic to try and clear any dust away that may have settled near the shrine.

The thud and crumble didn't go unnoticed at the bone pit. Giggle's big round ears twitched at the sound, dark eyes opening and squinting off into the distance. After a moment, her muzzle lifted from her paws, and she yawned hugely.

THERE IS A THING, MOTHER-SISTER. The squalling thoughts of her familiar came strong, emotion more than word, as always--though Omen was easy enough to interpret. I see it. And hear it, Giggle confirmed, along that link. Omen was winging quickly toward the dust plume, and Giggle issued a quick warning: Be careful. It might be dangerous. It might be something that can fly, she added, to forestall the inevitable protest that Omen could just fly from any danger.

She broke into a lope, spores clinging to her pelt, and threaded her way down the slope and into the distant Chambers. It took some searching--and some guidance from her bird, above--to find her way through the maze of bones to the little shrine that'd been revealed.

To her surprise, another bird had beaten her to it: Nemo, the vulture, and one she knew fairly well. "What is this?" Giggle asked, offering Nemo a respectful nod as she slowed her pace. She made her way in, dipping her head warily to sniff, her eyes trained on the bones.

"Be careful," she added, in quiet warning. "It wouldn't be the first time a skeleton's come alive in Canis."

DUST OF DREAMS

The Cave Stories - Canis

Nemo's magic sent the dust spiralling into the air, away from him, for the most part--yet stirring it up nonetheless.

The water Giggle drank, the air that they both breathed--it carried this dust and this dust, as it turned out, was spores. Within moments of entering the little alcove, both Nemo and Giggle would find themselves falling into a deep sleep, as would anyone else entering behind them.

Yet both would awaken... together?

Their dream forms would rise in the same alcove, their bodies seeming to lay there beneath them, as though they were projecting. And although the skeletal creature had not moved, its eyes now glowed a deep orange-red.

"You have come..." said a voice, deep and resonating, thrumming through the room. "...At last. But tell me... who are you?"

Anyone may still join this thread, though they will fall into the shared dream shortly after entering the alcove.

@Giggle @Nemo

It wasn't really all that surprising that Kaimana was here. No, the development in Canis of all places, room of slow marching decay, that was much more uncommon. Fornax was a place of mystery and monstrosity, storms blowing over every island on the regular, upturning artifacts of all ages. Canis was a much more meticulous graveyard.

The exposure of the new room had caught her eye fast, but she arrived late, or maybe she decided to hang back. Holding out wouldn't stop her from reaching the impending transportation to a new, more mental sort of realm. One good puff of dust in the lungs, one wheezy cough and he was out. Once he materialized within the dream, Kaimana began to feel a little bad for his fashionable lateness on account of even the most minor modicum of intrigue he realized now that he may have missed. The surroundings appeared exactly the same but the star of the room had changed. The eyes, the soul, the sentience beamed right at them all while they each hovered above a contrastingly newly-inanimate form.

"I'm Kaimana." She thought only to speak for herself, since that's all she felt she could do in this current situation. "Were you waiting for us?" No, wait, first— "Who are you?"

Nemo

Nemo opens his beak in a small smile when he spots Giggle- and bows back in kind. All he can offer in reply, however, is a small lost shrug as his feathers ruffle in unease.

"Not sure, but it looks way too important to be this dirty... but warning noted, Giggle. Good to see you again...."

Words barely finish leaving his beak before everything blurs. It's not weight that brings him to rest... more like the wave of dust he sent up, he slides down and settles to the floor peacefully in a small puff of spores.

His next realization is not, in fact, that he's out of his body...

Oh.... huh. I really do miss cleaning those feathers on the back of my head. That crest is new though...

Before his attention is pulled to the now glowing, speaking statue... and his jaw drops. The normally chatty bird is struck speechless long enough for Kaimana to join them, then speak to the being. After enough of catching dust in his dream-scape beak, he clicks it shut and shakes himself out.

"My... my name is Nemo." he stutters, before taking a second, deeper breath- do we even need to breathe here? - and continuing, "I live in this cave, here in Canis... what can we call you...?"

Giggle 'stood,' her dream form shimmering, her eyes widening with alarm.

Oh, I don't like this.

It resonated far too hard with memories of being pulled into another, although admittedly far less unpleasant, realm. Fear threatened to spike through her, and for a moment she wondered if it were real--if all of this were real--and even in dreams, her body trembled.

The skeleton-... was talking? Yet--was it the skeleton at all?

Kaimana's arrival, and speech, had her gaze shooting backward to size the leopard up. Just what we need... a cat, she thought bitterly.

Cats were ever the harbingers of fucking disaster.

"Giggle," she snapped, eyes cutting back toward the skeleton and narrowing with suspicion. "You'd better not mean us harm. I don't like being..." What do I even call this-? she thought, exasperated. "Controlled, like this," she settled on.

Almost as an afterthought, Giggle cast out her magic--searching for any other magic, searching even for the source of the voice. Yet could she cast, while unconscious-? Was it her body, or her mind--how would all of this even work? I've used my magic while asleep before, she reasoned--she'd projected herself in dreams to try and terrorize the very asshole cat that'd yanked her into another realm. So it stood to reason that she could use her magic here, but... could she?

DUST OF DREAMS

The Cave Stories - Canis

The voice gave a low and rumbling hum, a thoughtful sound that resonated through their bones.

"Kai-mana... Nee-mo... Gigg-le..." The skeleton's eyes seemed to flare, and a strange echo of it--a mirror image of its form, but translucent--broke from the bones to stand towering before them. The vines it left behind, but a ghostly spear remained clutched in one skeletal hand. And Giggle would sense some shimmer of arcane, some lingering fungal magic--the Gembounds would find that their magic worked, though perhaps only in the shared dream.

"I will not... harm you." The spectral skeleton took a rattling breath, and gestured to the gemstone that lay at the bottom of the pool. "But I ask... your help. I am... his Guardian. I have no name. But he... he was our King; and he lies... lost. And has lain... lost. I believe... I must awaken him... and I need your help."

The skeleton turned, gesturing to the narrow pathway that now opened in the wall of bones, one that led out of this chamber and into the darkness. "He was... a hero for us all... strong. Courageous... selfless. But it will put you... in danger." Another deep, rattling breath blew through the clearing like a wind. The glowing eyes regarded the trio with deep sadness. "If you will... risk yourselves... for the greatest of us... The greatest there ever was. One who would have... fought and died... for any of you. Then come. Aid me... in awakening him... please. But first... you will need to see... how he came to be here."

The shade stalked to the little tunnel, ducking down to exit, leading the way for those willing to aid in his mysterious task.

Those choosing to aid the skeleton's... ghost?... should follow him into the darkness of the little tunnel.

Anyone may still join this thread, though they will fall into the shared dream shortly after entering the alcove, and may be a little lost...

@Giggle @Nemo @Kaimana

Well the intrigue of this situation was growing exponentially. This nameless Guardian needed help with bringing back their King, whoever that was — someone who, if all was to be believed, would be worth the cost of resurrection. Kaimana was ready right then to find and pour her magic into the King's stone, although she wasn't certain if that would work in a dream, nor was she sure that was what the Guardian was asking for. Once a new corridor opened and the Guardian started down it, Kaimana understood that, for whatever reason, there was much more to this process than usual. She wondered what kind of real danger could be encountered in a dream. She wondered why the presence of this Guardian felt a little more ghastly than unreal. This dream had a magical sort of substance, he felt. But how was that possible, and what did it mean?

She would without a word or second thought, as if entranced by the pied piper themself. Ears and eyes open, ready to listen and learn. She hoped Giggle and Nemo would choose to follow if only to avoid the awkwardness of Kaimana's forlorn embarkation, but ultimately it was their choice.

Stumbling on wild stuff completely by accident is the best way to go about stumbling on wild stuff — anything really — don't you think? So Pelly had entered this cave within a cave that was part of a cave they barely knew anything about as it was, and then... baboom. Surprise! Dream. Dream cave. Cardiovascular exercise such as running opens up the airways more than regular activity, so Pelly (ever the runner) was breathing in a lot of dust. They didn't even get to hear themself hit the floor before they had "awakened" somewhere else.

And it seemed like, if this was a dream, it had very little to do with Pelly themself. Very strange to experience a dream where you really are an observer taking no part in the main storyline. In fact, it seemed the storyline was heading off altogether without Pelly in tow. Noticing just the tip of the tail(s) of whoever might be heading down that passageway, Pelly (ever the runner) figured they'd have to hurry and catch up. So Pelly went, flinging themself into danger unknowingly, all for the sake of keeping with the script. Well, they would've gone voluntarily anyway even with the full story, so between you and me, it doesn't really make all that much of a difference.

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Game Master Dark

Nemo

Giggle

Game Master Dark

Kaimana

Nemo

Giggle

Game Master Dark

Kaimana

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