The Master Quest - One with Shadows, Part 1

<DM>	LAST TIME ON ZURPG!
<DM>	Kirran and Hal, the pair of you were stuck in the Twilight Realm, along with the rest of your party. In your efforts to get out, you befriended the Twili, wiped out every Interloper except Dark Link, encountered the Mask Man multiple times, got backstabbed by Medlora who turned out to be Bloodwind all along, betrayed by your now-former partymate Corsava, annnd possibly worst yet, Raine became comatose.
<DM>	As it turns out, Raine was never a fairy, but in fact, a vessel for an artifact known as Majora's Heart. In the chaos of everything, Bloodwind managed to steal Majora's Heart, which should've outright killed Raine, yet somehow, she still lives on in a hollow state of near nonexistence.
<DM>	With a dark storm brewing directly over Lon Lon Ranch and the final battle for the fate of Hyrule imminent, you two seek guidance from Impa, who potentially has a solution to bring Raine back to life, as well as aid with the corruption brewing within Hal.
<DM>	Oh, and it may result in one of you becoming the Shadow Sage.
<DM>	Say ready when ready!
<Kirran>	Ready
<Hal>	Ready
<DM>	cool
*	DM takes a deep breath in....
<DM>	-=FINAL QUEST=-
<DM>	-=SESSION START=-
<DM>	*Kirran and Hal, after what feels like ages, you two finally walk over from Kakariko Village to the Shadow Temple. Your feet are killing you for covering so much distance over such a long time. I wonder how that feels...
<Kirran>	Who knew Disneyland was so far away. That's the last time I ever take a vacation like that.
<DM>	*Impa opens the doors to the Shadow Temple to reveal a newly decorated hallway, filled with amateur inscriptions of the Sheikah emblem emblazed over the walls, with torches lined up unevenly towards the end.
<DM>	*Your Sheikah boss hangs her head and gives a looooooong sigh....
<Kirran>	Uh, boss. This is looking terribly unprofessional.
<DM>	[Impa]: *muttering to herself* Nope, just... give it time, they're rookies, don't snap, don't snap, don't you snap and kill them...
<DM>	*She clears her throat and turns to you two with her usual grim face of bravado.
<Kirran>	I think this one is in crayon.
<Hal>	Something feels off with these renovations.
*	Kirran pokes one of the symbols.
<DM>	*The symbol pokes your hand back with colored chalk.
<DM>	*Congrats.
<DM>	[Impa]: Welcome to the-
<DM>	[Doc Luggins]: Eyy, boss check dis out, I kin do tha shadow flashy thing!
<DM>	*You look past Impa's now twitching face to see what appears to be.... is that Dex's old army?
*	Hal scans the room to witness the hallway in its amateur
<Kirran>	Oh dear...
<Kirran>	This is where they ended up?
<DM>	*A reminder, Kirran, this was your doing.
<DM>	[Impa]: Well, a new generation of Sheikah needs to start somewhere. Thankfully, they have the combat skills.
*	Kirran feels an extra-dimensional tug of regret, reluctant of the plot.
<Hal>	I don't see that glitchzard anywhere. I forget what happened with him.
<DM>	*Doc Luggins goes in for the shadow flash. He tries to leap from one spot to another, fast as he possibly can, but he trips, stumbles, and then hides himself behind his own shield before he emerges back from behind it. The rest of Dex's army clap in resounding success.
<DM>	[Doc Luggins]: Aye, I DID IT!
<DM>	[Impa]: *muttering again* Don't strangle them, don't do it, just keep it together Impa...
*	Kirran claps as well, since he doesn't know how to do it either.
<DM>	*Doc Luggins enjoys your clapping, even though you clearly saw him the entire time.
<DM>	[Impa]: I don't know what happened to Dex, and frankly, I'm glad he's not here.
<DM>	*She gives another deep long sigh.*
<DM>	[Impa]: Well then, shall we continue?
*	Kirran realizes he's not going to be able to call Impa "boss" without annoying her.
<DM>	*Just uhh... call her Boss Impa or something. So they can differentiate from Dex Boss.
<DM>	*Anywho, she leads the way through the newly uhh... renovated Shadow Temple.
<Kirran>	I like the spooky pumpkin drawings. Really adds some color in here...
<Kirran>	>_>
<DM>	*It has that same darkness to it as before, that same mystery lying around each corner and under every shadow, but everywhere you'd expect to be creeped out or in awe of Sheikah lore, you just find... well...
<Hal>	I don't know, those drawings of hooks and spider claws fit the aesthetic of the place better
<Kirran>	Is that one Dex, but his arms are axes?
<DM>	*Oh they're still there. They're just attached to stuffed animals.
<DM>	*And yes, there's a statue of Dex in the corner, except every limb is a blade of some kind.
<DM>	*There's another statue of Dex, holding the Master Sword in his teeth while ripping out Ganondorf's eyes.
<DM>	*It goes on and on.
<Kirran>	Well, they don't lack for enthusiasm, that's for sure.
<Hal>	They sure did pay as much homage to Dex Gamebreaker as they could
<DM>	[Impa]: Indeed...
<Kirran>	To be fair, he is a rather terrifying force if you know anything about him.
<DM>	*Eventually, you reach a chamber not infected by the new aesthetic. As soon as you enter it, Impa locks the doors through a multi-faceted puzzle.
<Kirran>	0_0
<Hal>	Dex... let's say he knows ways to bend reality to his will
<DM>	*Said chamber is a dark and dank- I mean damp locale, traditional Shadow Temple aesthetic, with a number of tables and writings scattered around. It's simultaneously messy yet organized.
<DM>	*Impa uncharistically puts on a pair of glasses and sits at one of the tables, sorting through various scriptures and scrolls.
<DM>	*Apparently, you're in Impa's personal study, the one place that the bandits have yet to redecorate.
*	Kirran sits on the edge of one of the other tables and waits for instructions.
<DM>	*Kirran... roll Wisdom.
<Kirran>	$27d10
<Navi>	Kirran: You rolled 27 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 10, 1, 8, 6, 2, 3, 2, 9, 5, 5, 5, 10, 7, 4, 6, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 2, 10, 6, 3, 9, 3 and 7. Total: 145. Successes: 19.
<DM>	$30d10
<Navi>	DM: You rolled 30 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 3, 4, 6, 3, 4, 6, 1, 9, 8, 3, 1, 6, 8, 5, 10, 8, 2, 4, 4, 8, 7, 8, 2, 10, 9, 1, 6, 2, 10 and 9. Total: 167. Successes: 20.
<DM>	*Right as you find yourself in a comfortable location on said table, someone taps you on the shoulder from behind, surprising you.
<DM>	[Bob]: BOO!
<DM>	*Except, his "tap" just phases right through you... because as you turn to face Bob, he's.... a ghostt.
*	Kirran falls off the table, but gets up quickly and dusts himself off.
<DM>	[Impa]: Darn it, Bob, could you please not enter my personal study?
*	Hal turned around upon earshot to see Bob tap Kirran, whose finger phased through him.
<DM>	[Bob]: What? Aww... but I hadn't seen dese two in so long!
<Kirran>	Oh. Oh hey, it's Bob.
<DM>	*You last recall Bob dying back when you were at the Gerudo Fortress, taking down Agahnim.
<DM>	[Bob]: Aye, tis me, da wun an' only!
<Hal>	Bob, you are looking kinda... grim. Phasing through objects and all.
<Kirran>	Sorry about that.
<DM>	*He's got a devious grin on his face. He's actually... kinda reminding you of a certain other ghost from the past.
<DM>	*If only he had a spectral shovel with him, he'd be the spitting image...
<Hal>	You'd make a great replacement to Dampe
<DM>	[Bob]: Ehh heheheh, dat's me al'ight! Been in dis state fer a while now, ever since me body de-composishuned an' stuff.
<DM>	[Impa]: *without looking up* Your body is fine, you're just unable to return to it.
<DM>	[Bob]: What she said, yarr!
<DM>	*Impa finally stops at a particular scroll, snatches it up, then clears some space in the middle of the room.
*	Kirran snaps to attention.
*	Hal follows suit, watching Impa carefully
<DM>	*There, you see the symbol of the Triforce engraved in the floor. At the center lies the Eye of Truth, and right where the eye should be, there remains a slot that looks like it'd fit something relatively small...
<DM>	*Impa pulls out the Shadow Medallion.
<DM>	[Impa]: Kirran, if you could produce Raine, please.
*	Kirran carefully takes out Raine's bottle and looks in with great care.
<DM>	*You see a bare fairy, covered in some cake remains, but otherwise, there's no shadow, and there's no light surrounding her. You notice the very faintest of breaths every once in a while, but she does not wake.
<DM>	*Impa gives one last look at the scroll, then back to you.
<DM>	[Impa]: I... apologize for keeping such a secret, about Raine, to you.
*	Kirran does not look up.
<Kirran>	We wouldn't be Sheikah if it weren't so.
<DM>	*She nods.
<DM>	[Impa]: For such a grievance, I... offer a way to bring her back, at the cost of...
*	Hal nodded too.
<DM>	*She looks down at the Shadow Medallion, trying not to clutch it so tightly, her hand wavering a bit.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... as Sahasrahla has said, your skills have surpassed my own... but...
<DM>	[Impa]: There lies a power that even I was not able to master, nor come close to harnessing.
*	Kirran is in awe to hear her say something like that.
<DM>	[Impa]: It is a power and knowledge that drove a Sheikah mad beyond belief, turning him into the cursed beast Bongo Bongo.
<DM>	[Impa]: And it's a power that... I failed to control, and....
<DM>	*She seems especially hesitant to continue, but... she wills herself through.,
<Hal>	Bongo Bongo... Hmm...
<DM>	[Impa]: This power brought back the Old Sheikah.
<DM>	[Impa]: Which, as you know... led to the downfall of us as a whole...
<Kirran>	I refuse to believe it was only your involvement that made that happen chief. And I certainly won't lay all the blame for it on you.
<DM>	*She gives a faint smile and a sigh of relief.
<DM>	[Impa]: Thank you for your forgiveness.
<DM>	[Impa]: Now, tell me... what is a shadow?
<DM>	*Ghost Bob the Ghoster interjects.
<DM>	[Bob]: Aye, it's dat thing dat stalks me everywhere I goes!
<Hal>	Do ghosts have shadows?
<DM>	*You look and see... no, ghosts don't have shadows.
<DM>	[Impa]: Each of you, if you could give me your answer.
<Hal>	A shadow is a veil of darkness cast behind an object when a source of light hits it
<DM>	[Impa]: A literal answer, but correct, nonetheless. Kirran?
<Kirran>	Shadows are the darkness created by the light. Inseperable, equal, unavoidable.
<DM>	[Impa]: Good, both of you.
<DM>	[Impa]: However, much as we Sheikah attempt to blend in and hide with and among the shadows... we are physical beings.
<DM>	[Impas]: Shadows are not.
<DM>	gnrotuesaiogjue
<DM>	(okay, guess there's multiple Impas now, OH BOY)
<DM>	(THANKS TYPOS)
<DM>	[Impa]: Kirran, you yourself have experienced this frustration in a previous Sheikah Trial, when you tried to attack a shadow.
<Hal>	I really hope Bloodwind is not involved right now.
*	Kirran does not wish to re-live that embarrassment.
<DM>	[Bob]: Annnnnd wot if 'e is?
*	Hal stares at the multiple Impas
<DM>	*Impa flings a dart at Ghost Bob. It pierces his ghostly skull and pings the wall behind him.
<DM>	[Impa]: Out, you.
<DM>	[Bob]: Aww, fine den, ennnnjoy!
<DM>	*Bob waves to you both and phases out through the walls.
*	Kirran is not bothered by the multiple Impas. It's happened before.
<DM>	*Hal, you stare at multiple Impas, but there is in fact only, one.
<DM>	(what in the world is with my comma placement today)
<DM>	*The Sheikah Boss holds up the Shadow Medallion to you two.
<DM>	[Impa]: This trinket, although it signifies that I am the Shadow Sage and enables certain abilities to me, it has another purpose.
<DM>	[Impa]: It is the boundary between the physical realm and those of shadows.
<Kirran>	(It's a trap card?)
<DM>	[Impa]: For the purposes of Sheikah Trials, we can use it for its illusory powers, but not for making that a reality.
<DM>	(IT'S ALWAYS A TRAP)
<DM>	[Impa]: Should one harness the Shadow Medallion's true power... one would exist as both themselves and their own shadow at the same time.
<DM>	*You look down at your own shadow in confusion.
<Kirran>	That's a dizzying thought.
<DM>	[Impa]: It is. That's why, before you go through with reviving Raine and unlocking this boundary, I thought I'd warn you...
<Hal>	Of the interlopers, only Dark Link remains
<DM>	[Impa]: This boundary is as thin as a shadow. So indescribably minute, that should you stray in the slightest, you will not only die... your shadow will never return to your body, and no force or fairy can bring you back to life.
<DM>	*Not even me.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... who said that?
<DM>	*Impa looks around for Bob, but there's only me, and the walls of course. Especially the 4th wall.
<Hal>	I don't know. Probably the fourth wall
<DM>	*She squints at one of the walls intensely for a moment, then returns her guise back upon you two.
<DM>	[Impa]: Do you two accept that risk?
*	Kirran ponders this gravely for a bit.
<Kirran>	(Brb, 2 minutes)
*	Hal ponders too.
<DM>	(refilling water to let you ponder a tad longer)
<DM>	*She looks at you, Hal.
<DM>	[Impa]: I should note, this method shares a hidden duality, if you will, with the darkness that threatens to engulf you. Should you walk away now, you'll have to face that fear for the coming threats ahead, but at least you'll walk away with your life in tact.
<Kirran>	Raine risked her entire existence to save me. To save us all, really. I couldn't do less than that for her.
<Kirran>	She deserves a chance to be more than a vessel for some other being's heart.
<DM>	(quite literally, too. I mean, she exists literally to sacrifice her life to revive you.)
<Hal>	Will this help to combat the curse that is growing in me?
<Kirran>	(Or turn me into a strawberry blood fountain.)
<DM>	[Impa]: Possibly. In fact, it may even cure you.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... or it'll enable the curse to consume you entirely.
<DM>	[Impa]: It's up to you, in the end.
<Hal>	Hm? How could it consume me entirely?
<DM>	[Impa]: Well... once I unlock this Shadow Medallion... the two of you will become your own shadows, which is what harbors your darkness and follows you everywhere.
<DM>	[Impa]: You'll be much closer to your curse than ever before.
<DM>	[Impa]: And your goal will be to bring Raine's shadow back to her body.
<DM>	[Impa]: The path of which may provide insights and answers to curing you... or bring out the worst of you.
<Hal>	Hmm...
<Hal>	As much as a grave risk this is, I need to get rid of my curse.
<Hal>	I will accept this as well
<DM>	[Impa]: Very well. Kirran, could you hand over Raine?
<Hal>	If I leave it alone, my curse may very well destroy me in the coming battles.
<DM>	(or worse, turn you against the party)
<DM>	[Impa]: I need to position her properly so that you all don't get sucked into a vortex of insanity right off the bat.
*	Kirran hands over Raine carefully
<DM>	*Impa very carefully accepts Raine, takes her out of the bottle home, and rests her a distance from the center of the inscriptions on the ground. She then positions a torch somewhat nearby, and then...
<Kirran>	I mean, it wouldn't be the first time we've been in such a vortex.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... I'm not ready to give this up... but this is the only way.
<Kirran>	Who knows, maybe it'll come back to you in the end chief?
<DM>	*Impa places the Shadow Medallion into the slot at the center of the Sheikah eye, then presses it in. You all hear a clicking sound, which shakes the whole room.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... maybe.
<DM>	[Impa]: You two, place your hands on the Shadow Medallion.
<DM>	*She steps back to allow you to regret your life choices- I mean do as she says.
*	Hal slowly nodded with hesitation. "Here goes nothing..." he uttered before slowly stepping up to the Shadow Medallion
*	Kirran does not hesitate to step forward and help his friend.
<DM>	*Impa then casts Veil of Shadows on the Medallion, where your hands are...
<DM>	*A veil of darkness briefly obscures the nearby light... and the next thing you know...
<DM>	*You feel like a great weight has been lifted. You feel light and airy, like you're free to go anywhere...
<Hal>	So. This is what becoming one with your shadow is like
<DM>	*You also hear a pair of thumping sounds. Nearby, your bodies have collapsed to the ground. The veil of shadows has disappeared, and... in its place, a pair of shadows have separated off from their bodies and are now attached to the shadow of the Shadow Medallion.
<DM>	*You can still see and hear fine, though your perception feels a tad off...
<DM>	[Impa]: The two of you are now shadows. Now, try and move over to Raine's shadow.
<DM>	errr
<DM>	hang on I did not phrase that right
<DM>	[Impa]: Now, try and move over to Raine's body.
<Kirran>	(Press the A button to jump)
<DM>	*Impa holds her hand over Raine's body, producing a shadow over her.
<DM>	*You look towards Raine's body, annnd there's a gap of distance between the shadow you're in and the shadow Impa's producing with her hand.
<DM>	*Seems simple enough. What could go wrong?
*	Kirran experiments with the movement controls.
*	Hal carefully moves around within the shadow, getting familiar with how being a shadow works
<DM>	*Kirran, you mess around a bit, annnnd the moment you step out of the medallion's shadow..... well...
<DM>	*Hal, you see your friend's shadow just.... blink out of existence.
<DM>	[Impa]: What the.... Kirran?
<DM>	[Impa]: Hal, I still see your shadow, what happened to Kirran?
<Hal>	He stepped out of the medallion's shadow
<Hal>	And suddenly he vanished
<DM>	*Out of a slight  panic, Impa incidentally nicks the torch slightly. Hal, you try to remain within the shadow, but uhh... it moves the wrong way.
<Hal>	(inb4 Fellshard shows up to this scene)
<Kirran>	(You know, I meant experiment more in the sense of moving slightly in different directions as opposed to dancing about like a fool. Just for the record.)
<DM>	(I know. But given how tiny the Medallion's shadow is, uhh.... it ain't hard.)
<Darte>	(I'm sure DM will use Darte as a convenient corpse prop.)
<DM>	*You find yourself passing through a dizzying array of scenery, like the whole world flying by you in an instant.
<DM>	*Suddenly, you find yourself in someone else's shadow. A big, burly fella. Kirran's here, too! You hear the fella talkin' to someone.... wait a minute, this voice sounds familiar...
<Hal>	(inb4 we end up in Darte's shadow
<DM>	[Baegba]: Oi means it, don'tchu be gettin' any bad oideas naow, fishy fella!
<Kirran>	Baegba?
<Kirran>	Hooray!
<DM>	*You look up, and yes... it's Baegba.
<Hal>	(... close enough)
<DM>	*Across from Baegba is what appears to be the slightly afeared form of Darte.
<DM>	*Seems Darte hit a nerve...
<DM>	*Looking around, you'd guess you're somewhere on the cliffs of Death Mountain...
<Kirran>	This is not what I imagined in the slightest.
<DM>	[Baegba]: Oi, wot et be et err proiblem with moi? You’m bergoinning to roilly be a’gurden. Oi’m err a-thinkin’ yew’s makin’ Boigba angry. Yew dun’t wunner know wot ‘oippens when da Goiron gets et err be angry, do ya’s?
<Hal>	Me neither. Impa will be worried sick about us
<DM>	*It would seem Baegba has not noticed you two. Darte over there seems to be slightly confused, both by Baegba getting angry and happening to notice you two as shadows inside of Baegba's shadow.
<DM>	*Would you like to wave hi to Darte?
<Kirran>	I'm guessing we're here for a reason, but I couldn't begin to tell you why.
*	Hal tries to wave hi to Darte
<DM>	*Darte tries to wave back, but apparently, that just ticks up Baegba even more...
<DM>	[Baegba]: DAT'S IT, YEW'S DUN IT NAOW! GRRRRAAAAAARGH!
<DM>	*You feel Baegba's shadow quickly move, but you realize you're not moving with it and you're about to be separated from it.
*	Hal moves into Baegba's shadow
*	Kirran tries to keep up.
<DM>	*Darte looks back up to Baegba to try to clarify the situation..... but it's too late.
<Kirran>	Uh oh, I think Darte's about to blast off again.
<DM>	(let's see, time to account for angry Goron speech, and uhhh.... dice modifier here, dice modifier there, annnnnd)
<DM>	$50d10
<Navi>	DM: You rolled 50 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 8, 2, 2, 3, 5, 5, 9, 5, 4, 7, 8, 4, 2, 6, 9, 2, 4, 10, 6, 8, 7, 2, 5, 8, 2, 4, 9, 8, 5, 8, 6, 3, 10, 7, 5, 4, 2, 4, 9, 5, 10, 7, 8, 2, 3, 6, 4, 6, 5 and 9. Total: 282. Successes: 35.
<DM>	*Baegba's punch squarely lands into Darte's body. You two managed to keep up with Baegba's shadow, buuuuut you inadvertently entered Darte's shadow.
<DM>	*Right then, Darte is flung off the edge of Death Mountain, where he will kindly land as a corpse in the valley below. Not that you get a chance to see that, only imagine it. Baegba's and Darte's shadows separate, forcing you two out annnnd LET'S DO THE WARP AGAIN, WHOOOOOO!
<DM>	*Dizzying landscapes pass by you both again, and this time, you find yourself in a forest, looking up at.... oh no.
*	DM sighs.
<Hal>	It's Fran, isn't it?
<DM>	*You see the giddy face of Fran.
<DM>	*And next to him, well...
<DM>	[Fran]: A little bit of sulfur, a sprinkle of salt, annnd a pinch of magic beans! It’s done! The ultimate bomb! Eh-hee-hee-hee-hee this’ll launch Mido’s good-for-nothin’ bum blastin’ off to the heavens!
<DM>	*He's making a bomb.
<Kirran>	Who is this goofball?
<Hal>	Fran.
<DM>	*He looks back down at the bomb's shadow, and coincidentally, you two.
<DM>	[Fran]: What in the flabberty gibbity, what are you two doing-
*	Kirran is nonplussed.
<DM>	*There's suddenly a sizzling sound.
<DM>	[Fran]: WAIT, DON'T LIGHT THAT, IT'S GONNA-
<DM>	*Would you two like to attempt to anticipate where his shadow is going to end up, ooooor just enjoy the fireworks?
<Hal>	(Is there any way for me to diffuse it?)
<DM>	*There's a sprinkler of shadows nearby. You could try for it....
*	Hal tries to anticipates where his shadow is going to end up, and tries to reach for the sprinkler of shadows.
*	Kirran shrugs and tries to follow, feeling it's probably going to be a bit futile predicting this guy.
<Hal>	Knowing Fran, he's going to end up as a fine mist.
<DM>	*Hal, you reach into the sprinkler of shadows, but you feel the searing pain of hundreds of knives piercing your shadow. It's nothing like actual knives slicing your body, but the sharp pains are causing your shadow to desync with itself.
<DM>	*Thankfully, just then and there, the bomb goes off.
<DM>	*Team Fran is blasting off agaaaaaaaaaain!
<DM>	*An explosion of magic proportions blocks your sight, leaving Fran’s quickly dissipating scream to let your imagination fill in the rest of flight details.
<DM>	*You're not there to feel it, as you've jumped once again... this time to a much quieter place.
<DM>	*You hear two people talking. One's a gruffled fellow, you think you've heard his voice before, and the other is a calm, slightly British female voice. You feel like you should know her voice, though you're not positive you've ever met her in person...
<Hal>	(Zelda)
<DM>	[Gustaf]: He's there, right in the center of it. We can end it now before he strikes!
<DM>	*Looking up, you're in the shadow of the former captain of the Hylian Guard.
<DM>	*Across from him is none other that...
<DM>	[Zelda]: This evil being helped launch a moon at Termina. What do you expect you’ll do on your own?
<Kirran>	After all this time, and this is how I meet her?
*	Kirran sighs.
<DM>	*In the middle of an expository dialogue?! Oh the sighs...
<Hal>	(Beats meeting with her to get locked into prison)
<DM>	*It's odd. She can't hear you, and from her position, with Gustaf's shadow directly behind him, she shouldn't be able to see you.
<DM>	*Yet, you feel as though someone has noticed your presence...
<DM>	[Gustaf]: I'll....at least I won't just sit here and wait for him to strike. I'm taking him down now!
*	Kirran scoffs.
<DM>	[Gustaf]: What, you think a hero is going to come save you this time?
<DM>	*There's a silence in the air before Zelda speaks.
<DM>	[Zelda]: Link is gone, and he's not coming back. I know that.
<DM>	[Zelda]: But... perhaps there's another hope after all.
<Kirran>	I can just picture it now. The mighty captain of the guard, running full tilt, and getting smacked dead in the face with a flying ocarina.
<DM>	[Gustaf]: Hmph! Fine then, sit here and die with the city for all I care! I'll take him out alone if I have to. Good-bye.
*	Hal just silently sits in the shadow and waits.
*	Kirran laughs.
<DM>	*Right as Gustaf walks out of the throne room and closes the doors behind him, a flying, dusty ocarina lands smack-dab into his face.
<Kirran>	More like gust of hot air.
<DM>	[Gustaf]: WHO SAID THAT?!
*	Kirran tries to get back to Zelda if he can.
<DM>	*There's nothing but silence and hot air around him, just as you said, Kirran.
<Kirran>	If anyone knows anything, she's got to have some kind of clue.
*	Hal looks over to try and see where Zelda's shadow is
<DM>	*Kirran, you slip under the throne room's door to the other side, annnnd there's a giant beam of light aimed from the opposite side directly at the throne room door.
<DM>	*Meaning....... uhhhhh.........
<DM>	*You done did step out.
<Kirran>	Dammit.
<DM>	*Hal, your attempts to look for Zelda's shadow result in the same misfortune.
<DM>	*However, just before you two zip away this time, you hear a voice inside your heads...
<Hal>	(Welp, no shadow)
<DM>	[Zelda]: I don't know who you are, but you carry the presence of Impa with you. Please, save my uncle from facing inevitable death...
<DM>	*The voice slips away.
<DM>	*You do the warpity warp, once again! And this time...
*	DM checks the list.
<Kirran>	Man, that's gonna be a task. But as you wish, princess.
<DM>	(Ooooh.)
<DM>	*Oddly enough, you're shadows, yet the moment you get here, you feel the hot, beating sun sizzling your shadowy faces off. Your shadow feels dry, dusty, sandy...
<DM>	*Immediately afterwards, before you can even get your bearings, you hear the whispers of Ring Wraiths- I mean Interloper whispers all around your heads.
*	Hal looks up to see whose shadow he is in now
<Kirran>	I swear, if we're in Corsava's shadow, I'm going to rip it to shreds.
<DM>	*Hal, you look up through the cursed darkness to see..... uh-oh.
<Hal>	(Corsava?)
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Look, it's simple really.
*	Kirran slaps his forehead.
<Hal>	(Worse)
<Kirran>	Even better...
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: We just gotta find Koume and Kotake's graves, dig up their corpses, and with their rotting powers and yours combined... in theory, it should bring back old man Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm.
<DM>	*He is... indeed talking to Corsava.
*	Kirran does his best not to explode from sheer fury.
*	Hal tunes out of the Interloper whispers
<DM>	*Bloodwind is about to continue, when... his face of literal darkness turns to look at his own shadow.
<DM>	*Aka directly at you.
<DM>	*The Interloper whispers intensify. As you are a literal shadow, you can't tune them out.
*	Kirran is not in the least bit surprised.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Accursed shadow, get out of my head!
<DM>	*You sense those same whispers are plaguing Bloodwind, but before you can really confirm that, he draws the Fierce Deity Sword and impales his own shadow!
<Kirran>	Darkness can't defeat darkness.
<DM>	*Before you're whisked away once more, Bloodwind seems to have heard what you said.
<Kirran>	I feel sorry for you Bloodwind, if this what it costs to do whatever it is you're doing.
<DM>	*Even though you can't see what's under that veil of shadows, you can still see the anger and uncertainty in his face.
<DM>	*The blade's shadow overlaps with yours, and the next thing you know, you hear a glass mug slamming down onto the table, and the cheers and uproarious laughter overwhelming your senses.
<DM>	*You are... in a bar, it would seem.
<Hal>	(His face is a miserable pile of secrets)
<DM>	(YES)
<DM>	(Thank you)
<Kirran>	Hal, I get the feeling we're on the Hyrule Express World Tour.
<Hal>	You don't say
<Kirran>	But I'm wondering, what's the connection?
<DM>	*All around, the fellows of Lon Lon Ranch are singin' and dancin', merrily drinking Chateau Romanis.
<DM>	*The barowner, Ingo, is laughing voraciously, dedicating his joy to the man of the hour and his new prime-time customer...
<DM>	[Ingo]: Aye, we haven’t had this much business since Link got dumped by Zelda, hahaharr! Yer a real lifesaver, man!
<Kirran>	Two guys that die a lot, one that is apparently looking to get himself killed, and the inscrutable madness of Bloodwind.
<Hal>	Madness would be my guess
<DM>	*You look up from the new shadow you're in, annnd Hal, your madness is immediately amplified. You realize you're sitting in the shadow of someone very, very closely aligned with Majora.
<Hal>	(Skull Kid?)
<Hal>	(No, Happy Mask Salesman)
<DM>	*The red-haired, purple-suited man sits cross-legged on a stool, sipping away at a Chateau Romani himself.
<DM>	*He smiles back at Ingo.
*	Kirran is feeling incredibly creeped out again.
*	Hal is feeling on edge, struggling to keep himself composed through the sheer madness
<DM>	[Mask Man]: Ah yes, I remember that little runt, just like it was yesterday.
<DM>	*Around you, the laughs and cheers turn to screams and cries of agony. Dances of joy turn to the merry dances of death and the welcoming embrace of fear.
<DM>	*Kirran, you don't feel this way at all, buuuuut you noticed Hal is not holding up well.
<DM>	[Mask Man]: Boy, this stuff is truly exquisite! Tell me, what's the secret to it?
<DM>	[Ingo]: Ha-har, if'n I tells ya that, ye won't need mah business anymore, will ye?
<DM>	[Mask Man]: A fair point.
<DM>	*The Mask Man drops 5 Golden Rupees on the table.
<Kirran>	Hal, stay with me here.
<Hal>	Yes...
<DM>	*The bar owner’s eyes gleam with glitter and joy.
<Kirran>	We're here for a reason, and it's not to watch this guy drink.
<DM>	*Kirran's words pull you back to your harsh reality, which is that you're, for whatever reason, in Mask Man's shadow, watching him obsess over Chateau Romanis...
<DM>	*Weird, I wonder if there's some property in particular that would make him want to monopolize such a thing...
<DM>	[Ingo]: That’s it, conquer tha land, you can have as much Chateau Romani as ye want! With you ‘round, we don’t need anyone else for business. DRINKS ARE ON THE HOUSE, FOLKS, AYE!
<DM>	*Cheers are abound, as Lon Lon Ranch enjoys the patronage of a man about to conquer the world.*
<DM>	[Ingo]: DEATH TO THE ADVENTURERS AND THEIR CORRUPT BUSINESS! DEATH TO SHADY! DEATH TO HYRUUUUUULE, AYE!
*	Kirran is getting the sense that he's seeing the bigger picture for the first time in his life.
<DM>	*The Mask Man takes another sip  of the Jack Daniels laced Chateau Romani, still unphased by its alcholic content, then peers down at his own shadow.
<Hal>	Gah... This is... ugh... real... bad...
<DM>	[Mask Man]: Oh... why.. hello there. Didn't notice you among all the joy and commotion.
<DM>	[Mask Man]: I wasn't aware someone was listening in on my master plan...
*	Kirran grabs Hal and throws the both of them out of the shadow as best he can.
<DM>	(Good call!)
<DM>	*The two you escape yourselves as far away from that madness and despair as possible.
*	Hal initially resisted, but immediately dropped his resistance as he saw what was about to happen.
<DM>	*The furthest place away from the Mask Man's grasp, a place he could never touch...
<DM>	*The noise fades to nothingness. Not even the slightest ambient noise of darkness...
<DM>	*You find yourselves in a pristine chamber, with polished stones lining the walls...
*	Hal looks up to see which shadow he is in now.
<DM>	*You look up, annnd you appear to be in an Iron Knight's shadow, but... it's not moving. It actually looks more like a statue than anything.
<DM>	*Around you, specks of dust are floating in the area, but they're suspended, unable to fall to the ground or flicker around freely.
<DM>	*And then, it catches your eye... a blue glimmer from the center of the room...
<Hal>	This place... looks like it is frozen in time. Nothing moves, at all
<Hal>	Is this...?
<Kirran>	Frozen in time....
<DM>	*You look at the center of the room. There, you see the pedestal from the Temple of Time...
<Kirran>	Master Sword?
<DM>	*... and the Master Sword in the pedestal.
*	Hal suddenly cut out as he saw the Master Sword in the pedestal
<Kirran>	Hal, we finally found it!
<DM>	*Hal, you feel all that anger, all the flare from before, suddenly removed from yourself.
<DM>	*For the first time in forever, you feel free, removed from the burden that once followed you everywhere and plagued every thought.
<Hal>	This is it...
<Kirran>	But where are we?
<Hal>	I have no clue
<Kirran>	This isn't the actual Temple of Time. That place is empty, and has been for ages.
<DM>	*You try to get a better sense of your bearings, but suddenly, you feel a tug...
<Hal>	When I heard "Frozen in time", I didn't think it would be literal!
<DM>	*The two of you suddenly sink into the ground, into and through your own shadows, submerging and plunging you two into the darkness.
<Kirran>	I wish I could remember the other half of the...
<DM>	*You're ripped from the sight of that room... that pristine light, erased from your clutches.
<DM>	*You emerge back from your own shadows, still as shadows, but you feel murky, like you can't get a proper sense of your own being. You can't quite make out the outlines of your own shadows, as you're engulfed in darkness...
<DM>	*A land of complete and utter darkness...
<DM>	[Dark Link]: Why hello there.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: What ever are you two doing wandering around as shadows? And in my realm, nonetheless?
<DM>	*You look up and see the enraged glowing eyes of Dark Link, and not far behind him, the faint light of darkness incarnate surrounding the Great Fairy, sitting inside of fountain of black light. It's an incomprehensible sight that contradicts your very sense of perception.
*	Kirran remains silent for the time being.
<DM>	*You realize that... unlike everyone else thus far... Dark Link can directly interact with you as shadows.
<DM>	*He can kill you as shadows.
<DM>	*He inspects you briefly, changing into your physical form briefly before reverting back.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: Ah, yes, I remember you. You... you're the one that punched me and sent me flying!
<Hal>	(I take it we have free movement in the darkness?)
*	Kirran looks around for any means of escape.
<DM>	(You wanna give it a shot?)
<DM>	*It appears you're in a land of actual murky darkness. The only source of light that can cause shadows is where the Great Dark Fairy is, but you're not entirely sure if that's a safe option...
<DM>	*Hal, you consider wiggling your foot, annnd you have free movement.
<DM>	*Buuut you also feel uneasy. You can try to move, but it's your call.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: And you...
<DM>	*He looks at you, Hal.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: You... you're the furry one that won't die.
<Hal>	(What if we generated light?)
<DM>	*He engulfs himself in laughter.
<DM>	*You take a quick peak into your inventories and find your items completely inaccessible. Your skills and spells, however... those appear to be usable.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: Yes, the one that wouldn't die, and the one that nearly killed me! How fitting, that I should find them here. Yes, as divine retribution, a gift from the Fierce Deity himself, mwahahahahah....
<DM>	*He draws a dark version of the Master Sword, unaware that you two were just checking out the real deal a moment ago.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: Now die, infidels!
*	Kirran casts mass blind.
<DM>	(Roll it!)
<Kirran>	$33d10
<Navi>	Kirran: You rolled 33 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 4, 2, 1, 8, 10, 3, 2, 8, 10, 7, 5, 5, 9, 4, 2, 4, 8, 3, 7, 7, 7, 7, 3, 5, 8, 5, 10, 1, 1, 5, 10, 4 and 6. Total: 181. Successes: 24.
<Kirran>	(I was kinda going more for the "It's a big ball of light" than the attack factor.
<Kirran>	)
<DM>	(yeah, but.... why not)
<DM>	*Caught off guard completely by your ability to cast magic as shadows, the Mass Blind emits a great swathe of light. It threatens to erase Dark Link, but then you see the light freeze in place, and, quite unnaturally, bend and slowly get sucked into the Fountain of Black Light behind him.
<DM>	*However, with that great light suspended there momentarily, your shadows have actual form among this darkness.
*	Kirran dives into the light.
*	Hal follows up, generating a PSI Flash to extend the strength of the light
<DM>	(Roll it)
<Hal>	$33d10
<Navi>	Hal: You rolled 33 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 10, 2, 6, 3, 4, 3, 2, 10, 8, 7, 8, 2, 8, 1, 10, 1, 8, 6, 8, 4, 8, 2, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 2, 8, 1, 1 and 10. Total: 160. Successes: 19.
<DM>	*The light intensifies, preventing Dark Link from re-entering it.
<DM>	[Dark Link]: Gah, you darned fiends... Great Fairy, ERASE those two!
<DM>	*The two of you dive as hard into the light as possible, letting your shadows turn a pure black, separate from the darkness.
<DM>	*Right as the corrupted Great Fairy turns to launch a black fairy at you two, a pair of shadowy hands appear and grab you from within the deepest depths of your light magic.
<DM>	*You get pulled under once more, with Dark Link screaming obscenities behind you.
<DM>	*Blinded by light, you hear music from FFXIII- I'm kidding
<Hal>	Thank Hylia
<Kirran>	It's going to be a real pleasure packing that guy up into some pocket dimension where he can't hurt anyone anymore.
<DM>	*Eventually, you re-emerge from the light, annnnd you find yourself staring at disgruntled Twili queen. She loosens the grip of her shadow hands and leaves you two hanging on a wall, illuminated by teal light. Nothing is casting a shadow on you, yet you find yourselves suspended on the wall, perfectly fine.
<Kirran>	Uh, hi.
<DM>	[Midna]: What arcane magics are you two messing with that I had to pull you out of the Interloper's Realm?
<DM>	[Midna]: Why are you two a pair of shadows?
*	Kirran explains as best as possible, including DM... I mean fate's wild ride.
<DM>	*After several minutes of exposition later...
<DM>	[Midna]: Oh yes... Sheikah. Of course.
<DM>	*She says that name with a noticeable displeasure.
*	Kirran frowns somewhat.
<Kirran>	Hey, I'd think saving your realm should count for something.
<DM>	*She's about to retort, but she stares at you in disgruntled silence.
<DM>	[Midna]: ... fine.
<Kirran>	But in the end, we're trying to save the being that made it even possible.
<Kirran>	Though so far, we've gone just about everywhere but somewhere useful to that end.
<DM>	[Midna]: What you, and that crazy Impa are doing, stop it right now.
<Kirran>	Except one place, and we have no idea where it actually is.
<DM>	[Midna]: Even those that live in this land of darkness are unable to exist in both the physical realm and shadow realm at once.
<DM>	*She demonstrates by turning herself into a shadow... then back to her physical form.
<DM>	[Midna]: We Twili can change back and forth at will.
<DM>	[Midna]: But to exist in both at once is impossible, and doing so, you risk tearing apart the fabric of reality itself.
<DM>	[Midna]: Crazy Sheikah, first stealing our devices and stones, and now this... *sigh*
<Kirran>	Maybe, but considering what I've seen, it seems a pretty tough weave for what it's been put through.
<DM>	*See: Dex
*	Kirran waves at Wind
*	DM waves back, smiling from within the darkness.
<DM>	[Midna]: Look, I'm grateful for what you did for us, but please, don't continue this. Return to Impa and tell her to stop this at once.
<Kirran>	Not until we find a way to bring Raine back.
<DM>	[Midna]: So this is for that fairy, is it?
<Kirran>	It is.
<DM>	*She raises a shadow fist and strikes the wall next to you. The wall doesn't take damage, but you feel an impact right next to your head.
<Hal>	And this will hopefully provide me with the guidance and resolve to cure me of the Majora's Curse that's been placed into me.
<DM>	[Midna]: Too bad. She's gone. Let go. Now get back to your realm already...
<DM>	*You see her mouth a name with the slightest subtlety...
<DM>	*You're pretty sure that, as she told you to let go, she was thinking of Medlora... the real one.
<DM>	(Whelp, Midna's given up, and she's the Queen of Shadows. Guess that's it, quest is a wrap, I don't have to do anything, whoooooo!)
<DM>	[Midna]: ... well, what are you two waiting for? Go, already.
*	Kirran tries to recall Medlora as best as he can in his mind and also summon up whatever force has been whisking them about thus far.
<DM>	*You try to whisk away, but uhh... you have no idea how.
<Kirran>	You have a source of light around here?
<DM>	[Midna]: Wait... have you two been jumping around without knowing how to move?
<Kirran>	Pretty much.
<DM>	[Midna]: So she didn't even teach you the basics... *siiiiiiiggggh*
<DM>	[Midna]: Darned Sheikah, messing around with something they don't know...
<DM>	*She backs up a bit.
<DM>	[Midna]: As a person in a physical realm, when you move, you exist in three dimensions, but you travel somewhere in a straight line, in two dimensions.
<DM>	[Midna]: But as a shadow, attempting to do that will only cause you to hop from one shadow to another.
<Kirran>	Definitely proven that one to dangerous effect.
<Hal>	Yuuup
<DM>	[Midna]: Yes. Too much, and you risk losing your shadow forever. It's miracle you didn't die from the number of shadow hops you did...
<DM>	(A miracle, eh? Nah, totally wasn't a pre-planned list, nope, no idea what she's implying.)
<DM>	[Midna]: So, imagine that all shadows exist on a single plane, which can be rotated and perceived as any other point. Instead of being existing as three dimensions and moving among two, you exist as two dimensions... and move along three dimensions.
<DM>	*Roll to see if your brain explodes- I'm kidding.
<Kirran>	(I think we're hitting about 2-3 cuils at this point.)
<DM>	*Kirran, you realize that this is... kinda like Cuil Theory. And both you and Hal have experienced enough Cuils to understand... this should totally work. Nothing could go wrong.
<DM>	[Midna]: Now, go home, and please don't unravel the fabric of reality anymore.
<DM>	*She's telling you to go home, but... now that you know how to freely use the shadow hopping, you could uhh, you know... go wherever you wanted.*
<DM>	*Just sayin'.
<Hal>	We should probably go back to Impa. Raine isn't far from her.
<DM>	*Kirran, the image of that very flashy Master Sword appears in your head. Sure you don't wanna go for that instead?
<DM>	*Not that you could do much as a shadow, but, you know.... it's theeeeeere.
<DM>	*It's totally not a traaaaaaap.
<DM>	(Shiiiiire..... Baggiiiiiiiins!)
<Hal>	(We got trapped by Dark Link going there)
<Kirran>	I agree, we need to go back and let Impa know we're alright.
<DM>	[Midna]: Thank you.
*	Hal shadow hops allll the way back to Impa
<DM>	(hold on, when you say all the way)
*	Kirran thinks of Medlora again and heads off to try and find her.
<DM>	(do you mean one jump, or reversing your path?)
<Hal>	(?)
<DM>	(I'm kidding)
<SubconsciousEye>	(at least it's not one direction)
<DM>	*Hal, you jump on back to Impa, but not before detouring to see Darte's corpse getting prodded by some Dodongos at the bottom of Death Mountain.
<DM>	*He seems..... almost at peace, like he's among his own kind.... the suffering kind.
<DM>	*Kirran, meanwhile, you try to bounce over to where Medlora is, and using Midna's feelings and the relations, you... end up in a box of complete darkness.
<DM>	*Just like before, in the Interlopers' land, the absolute darkness is diffusing your shadow, making it difficult to get a proper sense of being on yourself.
*	Kirran generates a much smaller ball of light.
<DM>	*There, you see... Medlora. The real one. She was supposed to be dead, killed by Bloodwind, yet here, she's just... asleep.
<DM>	*You can't quite get a sense on where you are though. You're not particularly attached to anything...
<DM>	*There's not even ground here...
<Kirran>	(If a giant stained glass platform appears, I'm going to be a little disappointed.)
<DM>	*Before you can inspect it more, the light ball vanishes, and the sheer darkness engulfs you once more, threatening to rip you apart. Do you wish to stay or get out before you become one with the darkness?
*	Kirran decides it's probably wise to head back.
<DM>	(To Midna or Impa?)
<Kirran>	Impa, for now.
<DM>	*You let yourself embrace the darkness momentarily, but with a shift of your mindset, you travel at Cuils * a random amount of QPUs, annnd a moment later, you appear back in Impa's study, along with Hal.
<Kirran>	Where did this hamburger come from?
<DM>	*You get a sense of your bearings, only to realize... there's a cake in the middle of the room. With a hamburger sticking out of it.
<Hal>	O.o
<DM>	*You're... in Impa's study, but you're also not...
<DM>	*It seems, by trying to shortcut the description of perceiving shadows as Cuil Theory, you succeeded in your goal...
<DM>	*Congratulations, folks. You two are now in Raine's mind!
<DM>	*ENJOY!
<DM>	-=SESSION END=-