DM PASTEBIN OF SPIRIT REALM

You are in a strange place...



The group seems to have a rather untroubled journey towards a neighboring mountain, rumored to be the place where others have often achieved connection to the spirit realm.

As of now, there lied a single bonfire in front of them. A pinkish fume emitted from it, clouding the skies above -- It seemed to be lit for a rather large amount of time, but something told them that it had never in fact had its flames snuffed out after the first few attempts.

Several runes around the firepit marked this spot, an almost tactile coat of mana shrouding it, the very faint echo of spirits talking coming from the fire itself. Now, there lied the first challenge right in front of them.

Traversing to where he wanted to go.

Leading the pack is a Wvelven clad in green and gold. The journey up the mountain had be a rough one, but they knew that it would be the easiest part of the entire journey.

A gloved hand points out the rising pink smoke as they arrive, eyes gazing into it only after he hears the low whispers of what he assumes to be spirits within.

".. I really should have asked Tiamat for more details. Not really sure what to do here.."

The lieutenant walks around the campfire a few times, examining the runes and the entire set up, truth be told. "Any ideas, guys?"
(Taro Wvelven)

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The ambience of the local area had left the youth unsettled, Hatsu remaining close to the group in question. He had been given a punishment of traveling with both Mei Xiang and Taro, due to his careless actions that had led him from fleeing from Dawn pursuers. Danger had a knack for punching him in the back of the head, and he felt a knot already forming as his eyes drift about nervously. The fire that refused to be quelled was an oddity in itself, leaving him to gently clench his teeth.

"Maybe the runes could maybe point out the direction we need to go? Or maybe lighting some torches up with this spooky fire could make sure it doesn't get snuffed out if we wander off."
(Hatsu Lee)

Tiff yawned as she sat upon Mei's shoulder near the fire and shook her head at Taro's question. It took her a moment to realize she could actually probably help if she put her mind to it and so she hopped off and floated around the fire thinking. The fairy rubbed her chin as she thought about how she might be able to commune with her original home.

"Ideas... uhhm-- I mean I think sometimes people go there like, with their mind right?" Tiff suggested with a tap to her temple. But then she shook her head. "Eh that might be too silly. Sometimes I know there's places that sorta, you know, connect. Like gates that are left open by accident or on purpose or something. Places where the spirits are more connected to this world than normal. We could try to detect one of those?"
(Tiff)

The Shogun gazed down at the fire with... a hidden expression, though they were probably interested.

Probably.

The woman's mostly enthralled by the series of runes seen around the fire. Approaching it, she knelt down and intended to glance them over, wondering if she could decipher their meaning or purpose.

She says nothing while doing so.
(Mei Xiang)


Taro Wvelven says, "You're right, Tiff. In fact.."
hatsu dies????????????

He takes a moment to look up at the smoke trail, recalling something that the spiritmancer had told him in the past.

"There are rifts around Agartha that, for one reason or another, are attuned to the Spirit Realm. I'm pretty sure this is one of them. Let me just try applying my energy.."

Removing his gloves, the lieutenant's hands are then coated in a thick, blue energy that begins to seep and trickle out towards the pink flame. It is subtle at first, but as his hands get closer and more effort is poured into it, he hopes for a reaction of some sort.
(Taro Wvelven)

Mei Xiang drinks a Candy Cane!

The blue energy slowly moves towards the flame and penetrates it. Soon enough, the coating that seemed to envelop the firepit moves away, expanding on the surrounding mountain's summit, moving towards each and every one of them. The flame underneath flickers, and reappears!

And it grows, seemingly growing together with the coating of blue energy. It emits no heat, but it most definitely is fire. It changes in colors, a rainbow quickly flashing on their very eyes, and it seems intended on consuming them soon after the shallow layer that separates this place from the spirit world goes off.

However, even stopping energy flow to it doesn't stop the growth. It's now or never. Allow the passage to the spirit realm to be done, or walk away from it, and drop this quest.

"Ah."

The purpose of the runes should have been obvious to the woman. As Taro flows his energy, Mei Xiang stands and takes a step back at first, though who wouldn't at the sight of fire coming towards them. It wasn't hot, but the sight of it was still alarming at the most. The skull mask finds itself facing Taro.

"What now? You're the expert on this."
(Mei Xiang)

The white-haired youth steps back momentarily as his eyes widen, watching the trickle of luminescent mana flowing into the ominous flames. The flames had shifted from a pink coloration to an myriad of various shades, causing Hatsu to cover his eyes momentarily. It was strangely beautiful and unnerving at the same time, as he felt an odd disconnect in the area before him. It was difficult to describe in words the sensation he had just felt, but he looks toward his allies as they manage to undo the veil that hid away the world they sought.

"I suppose we just go in, at this point? It does look a bit spooky."
(Hatsu Lee)

Tiff looked to Taro and Mei as the energy expanded. Obviously she wasn't going anywhere without them, and while an anxious tune played around the fae, she grinned, eager to see the world she was once a part of in a previous life, or at least part of it that was related... Either way, the Spirit Realm waited, and she wasn't about to let this chance slip away.

Unless for whatever reason no one went through.
(Tiff)

That was new.

After watching with a twinge of concern as the heatless flame reacts to his unique brand of magic, he grins a bit.. then aims to step through, looking back at the others as he does so.

"Yep-yep. In we go. Keep close to me, alright? Hatsu, don't fall too far behind."
(Taro Wvelven)

The flame twirled and expanded. Certainly, this was something different and new from what Taro knew, of course. His mana was controlling it nonetheless, the growth spurt only allowed because he was the one that kickstarted it.

Was it intended to work like that? All things pointed to yes. And soon enough, as they basked in the heatless flame, they found out that it did not hurt at all -- It was merely a sight, perhaps meant to keep the unworthy away.

In truth, now it would perhaps dawn on Mei as to what the runes meant. They were mostly amplification runes, ones that took whatever magic was imposed to them, but her time to examine those was simply cut short by the expanding flames.

And soon enough, a flash of white light ensued, blinding them temporarily. But once it was over, a beautiful paradise stretched around them. Trees, filled with life, animals walking around and the beautiful laughter of spirits living in the heavenly lands of--

A twist in their view. Something gurgled within every single one of them, distorting their insides, but soon enough, the pinkish flames move around each one of their bodies, enveloping them in a twirl of nigh unbearable agony, the inability to scream, overwhelming forces pressing them together with no chance for reaction AND!

The twisted lands of Helheim now stretch around them, faint visions of the formerly paradisiac landscape visible in the horizon. It followed a single flux, visible to the naked eye, a blue line of pure energy that stretched over their heads and onto a single, powerful light focused far away.

They weren't at the mountain summit; They weren't anywhere they could recognize, not even their spirit world equivalent. No, their trip to the spirit world seemed to have been hijacked by the very flames they trusted in.

It had all gone according to the plan he had forgotten to make.

Their trip had brought them to their intended location- one with grass, trees, and likely spirits floating every which way. He would be lying if he said that he was not proud of his problem solving skills thus far.

A hand reaches up to pull the forest green hood from his head as he turns around, smiling despite the pink flames that had not yet released its grasp on their forms. The second he does, everything goes black.

The world seems to twist and contort and he even loses vision for a moment, only to clench his teeth and clutch his sides.

They had fucked up somewhere along the line.

".. Out of all the places we could have ended up.."

The Wvelven (pronounced well-vin) groggily makes his way over to the others, aiming to check on their status, then their surroundings. "This is why you don't hop in random rifts."
(Taro Wvelven)

Tiff's anticipation and excitement quickly turned to a confused anger and frustration, as well as a sickened grimace as the air around them shifted and changed. This was not where she expected to go and it was very obviously not where Taro had originally intended to take them. The anxious tune that played about her increased to a point that complimented the irritation she felt in not being able to see what had been described to her as a beautiful and wondrous place.

So the question remained... where were they now?

"Random rifts and-- do we know where we are? Or did we just walk right on through an open door into this terrible place?"
(Tiff)

Things had been going relatively smooth, and Hatsu felt a sense of security in accompanying both the Shogun and lieutenant beside him, but that quickly changed. The tranquil scenery that the quartet had managed to indulge in were wrenched away before their very eyes! The youth felt a sickening sensation creeping along his body, twisting into the center of his gut as he momentarily hunches over. The rush of cold and darkness is all that encompasses his mind, as the tranquil scenery had turned into a living nightmare.

 Hellish landscapes marred the horizon, the twisted world they had now wound up in proving to be horrific in every sense of the word. Alarm marks Hatsu's features as he stumbles back, his head whirling around rapidly as his mouth hangs open in a stupefied manner.
(Hatsu Lee)

The small details of the runes was the last thing she saw before she was enveloped in pink flames.

It all seemed to be going well, as the fire didn't actually hurt, strangely enough; surely this was all in the plan she had trusted Taro to formulate. Eventually she was met with a blinding flash of light. There was some mild panic, but soon enough she was transported to the beautiful lands of the spirit realm...!

Not really.

The flames grow intense as their gaze is obscured by something. Unable to scream or even move, the Shogun was left to sit in momentary agony until they were spat out somewhere... unpleasant. The area was hellish and barren.

Uh oh.

She looks over to her allies. "This.. this is not where we're supposed to be, right?"
(Mei Xiang)