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 Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2025 7:18 am
Aberdonia looked around, and spotted something shining on one of the laws, near the shattered remains of one of the gargoyles. “Huh. What’s that?” he asked, half to himself, not realizing he said it aloud. He made his way toward it, peering at it curiously. It appeared to be a die, old-fashioned, but beautifully crafted, made of old, stained wood, with gilded numbers on the sides. In some places, the wood was so worn away, it was possible to see the fossilized opal that clearly formed the interior of the die. Strangely, something about it seemed to call to him....
Transfixed by the beautiful object, he curiously asked as he picked it up, "What's something like this doing here--"
A harsh wind slammed into him, and an all-consuming darkness fell upon them.
"Ako? Are you there?" he called out anxiously.
Abruptly, a line of squares ahead of him flashed into view, illuminated, marked by gilded letters he couldn't read from this distance. This...this felt bad. Like, the movie Jumanji bad. Possibly just like Jumanji. Which was definitely bad.
He could only feel himself, the die in his hand, and the board beneath his feet. Insofar as he could tell, the rest of the world had ceased to exist. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "Ako, please tell me we're not going to have to play a Halloween-themed round of real-life Jumanji."
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 4:37 pm
Dusting herself off, Ako glanced over at Aberdonia as she discarded the half chair she had used against the gargoyles. "What'd you find?" She raised her voice slightly to be heard across the area. Her eyes landed on the die in Aberdonia's hand, and her stomach lurched as the scenery around them changed rapidly. Crap. She could hear the boy calling out to her, though it took her a second to orient herself. Moving closer, her hand landed on his shoulder in a warm, calming gesture. "I'm pretty sure you hit the nail right on the head, kid. With any luck, it'll just be magic and won't actually leave any lasting damage." That's how these sort of things seemed to go. They traumatized you in the moment, but left very few physical indications of anything having happened. "Just stay calm, alright? We're in it together." She couldn't help the fond, gentle tone she used as she tried to abate the Order senshi's fears. A year ago, it easily could have been her looking scared and anxious. "Go ahead and roll the die. I'll be right behind you, okay?"
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elfstar89 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 6:02 pm
Quote: Space 3: A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you.
"I guess I get to find out how screwed I am now, don't I?" he asked the die idly as he clenched his fist around it. He shook the die around and then threw it at the ground.
The die bounced and rolled, rattling with a sound less like wood and stone, and more like shell and bone, across what appeared to be their strictly defined starting square, since he couldn't extend an arm or leg outside of it.
The die finally settled, and Aberdonia felt a pressure at his back, almost shoving him forward onto the squares extending ahead of him. He moved forward to the indicated square, the third, scooping up the die as he went. As he came to a halt, a strange fog began to coalesce around him, obscuring everything, making even the square beneath his feet almost invisible, but for the glow. The order senshi couldn't see Ako, but he clearly just had to keep going. Fortunately, on aggregate, assuming this really was just fog, then fog was not the worst possible outcome. Several other outcomes came to mind. Nope. Fog absolutely not the worst option.
He'd just have to figure out how to see the die when he rolled it next, which would presumably be after Ako's first turn.
"Ako, if you can hear me, I think it's your turn. I think I'm fine, and I'll see you next turn!" he called back to her, unaware of where the dice would take her.
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Lena Roze rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 6:11 pm
Quote: Space 3:A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you. Ako squeezed the younger senshi's shoulder reassuringly, ignoring the status quo in favor of comforting him. Right now, factions didn't matter. What mattered was that they both got out safely, and she was sure her boss would agree when she reported it to him later. As Aberdonia spoke, she let go of his shoulder and walked forward with an outstretched hand, curious of the boundaries on the gameboard. While she couldn't see any barrier, she could not physically move her hand beyond the edge of the space she stood on. How curious. In the back of her mind, she wondered what sort of magic was being used, and where it came from. Those questions would have to wait for later, however, as the die materialized in her own hand. Letting it fall to roll, she felt herself almost magnetically drawn forward as her heels clicked on the surface beneath her. It didn't take long before she found herself once again side by side with the Order senshi. "If this is the worst of it, I think we can manage, don't you?" She gave him a small smile, meant to reassure him.
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elfstar89 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 7:07 pm
Quote: Space 6: You hear a shrill, humming noise; it sounds almost like something is firing past you–and sometimes, you even feel a sharp burst of air, like something has just missed you. Maybe, even, it does get a slice out of you. Sharp, bladelike threads seem to string up around you; you’d best be careful not to get cut on any of them between now and your next dice roll.
The die landed not far away, which was good in this fog. Scooping up the die as soon as it stopped rolling, he was already moving before the compulsion started pushing on him.
Reaching the next square, he heard a shrill, humming sound, like something being fired right past him. Some of them included a sharp burst of air, like something just barely missed him. Flinching away from each burst, he froze as he saw sharp, blade-like threads emerge around him. Aberdonia yelped and looked around, but could not see the source of the threads, and, after a moment, they seemed to stop.
Turning to Ako, he said, "I think the gameboard heard you, and decided to take that as an invitation."
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Lena Roze rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 7:15 pm
Quote: Space 9:The smell of saltwater fills the air, and you can hear the water lapping against the shore. You hear boards creaking, and bells in the distance. And then, a song. Haunting. Ghostly, and calling you. For a second, you fall in love. And then, water fills your lungs. You’re choking, you can’t breathe. The song is loud and seems to caress you, even as a wet chill gathers in your square. Scaly hands reach for you, you gently caressing, and try to lure you into an endless sleep. Giving an apologetic smile in Aberdonia's direction, Ako rolled again. Rolling high this time, it seemed, she found herself moving past the other senshi with another apologetic smile. Once within the new square, her brow furrowed. ".....the ocean?" The smell of saltwater wasn't foreign to her, though the memories were long wiped away. Turning slowly in a circle, Ako listened carefully, slowly being lulled under without realizing it until it was too late. Her lungs filled with water and she grasped at her throat, desperate for breath as she dropped to her knees. The song grew louder to her ears, and she felt hands on her skin. She prayed to whatever god might hear her that the poor kid trapped in this damned place with her wouldn't land there too, or they'd both be screwed.
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elfstar89 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 7:46 pm
Quote: Space 7: Something is twitching and flapping above you, and while you might be minding your own business, something is a little too invested in what you’re doing. You can’t see them, but you suddenly hear shrill, high pierced noises that are disorienting and confusing. They can bring about dizziness and pain and can cause vertigo if you’re stuck in them for too long.
He swore softly under his breath. One square forward. Not close enough to help Ako.
Worse, he heard a flapping above him, followed by shrill, piercing noises, disorienting and confusing him. He collapsed to his knees, clutching at his head as a wave of dizziness and pain washed over him. Fortunately, nothing actively attacking him, but it seemed to be worse for poor Ako. If he could ever catch up to her, he was going to try to help her get out.
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Lena Roze rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 8:02 pm
Quote: Space 13:At first, the square is quiet. Nothing seems amiss. It’s unnerving in how safe it seems. But then, it only takes a few seconds before you understand why. It’s just taken a moment for them to get to you. The patter of tiny feet is rapidly approaching. There’s no light to see them, but there’s a reflection in their beady eyes. Rats. Thousands of them. Chittering, frothing in the mouth. These are strangely grotesque, mutated abominations. They’re running at you like they haven’t got a fear in the world–only, hungry. And rage. If they get to you, they’ll eat you alive. The ground is trembling with their weight. You’d better roll quickly if you don’t wind up a meal. As the die manifested ahead of her, Ako reached weakly for it and managed to toss it just enough for it to roll. As the die came to a stop, her lungs cleared and she gasped, coughing as she struggled to her feet. After that, she wasn't going anywhere near the ocean for quite some time, she decided. Calling out to Aberdonia, her voice sounded raw. "I'm alright. Be careful if you get that square. Feels like drowning...." Coughing again, she made her way forward. As the fiery senshi came to the new square, it seemed far too quiet for her liking. And then she heard them. A countless hoard. As one launched itself at her, Ako punted the rat as hard as she could before using her magic to protect herself. "Flash Storm!!!!" A ring of fire surrounded herself, and it illuminated the unfathomable hoard of grotesque rats around her, the creatures squeaking and shrieking and hissing in displeasure as the flames burned them for getting too close. "Hurry and roll! I don't know how long my magic will hold them back and I really don't want to go on my next date with rat bites taken out of me!!"
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elfstar89 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 7:53 pm
Quote: Space 12: The smell of smoke is in the air. You can’t see what’s burning, but you can hear distant screams, and–carnival music? It feels like people are running past you, and the air fills with panic and alarm–but there’s nowhere for you to go, and the smoke is so thick. You’d better roll quickly so you can get out of here.
As his die rolled, he saw Ako fill her square with a raging inferno as rats swarmed around her. He swore softly. Between the drowning, the threads, and the rats, the gameboard seemed to be actively trying to harm them. Aberdonia felt a pressure at his back, and looked down to see where he was going, scooping up his die as he went.
He found himself stopping in the square right behind Ako, but still unable to help her. Well, okay, not strictly true, he could use his last usage of his papyrus thicket, but it probably would just get burned away by the chaos senshi. Better to save it for an emergency...which might very well be his own.
Smoke began to fill Aberdonia's nose with an acrid tang. At first, he thought it was the smoke from Ako's fire, but he heard the distant music box strains of carnival music and screams of terror all around him, accompanied by the sensation of running feet pounding the ground, pushing past him in their panic. Where were the screams coming from? A forgotten tragedy when a circus burned to the ground? He could see nothing but the smoke, which he felt could not have possibly come from Ako. He began to cough, going again to his knees to avoid the smoke, which seemed to float toward the top of his square. At this point, he'd hit bingo with the right kind of storm blinding him.
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Lena Roze rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2025 8:33 pm
Quote: Space 14:The ground is sticky. You land on this and immediately dip, as though you’ve stepped on a trampoline. Close inspection reveals that you are standing on an intricately woven web–and your shoes are stuck. And something is skittering just on the horizon. Quickly rolling her dice, Ako scrambled one square ahead, leaving the damned rodents behind. This gameboard was the least fun thing she had encountered in a good long while, and she wasn't sure it deserved the title of being a game. Her relief at escaping the rats was short lived, however, as her knees almost buckled from the oddly bouncy floor beneath her. Catching her balance, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Something at the edge of her vision was moving... and she was standing in the very middle of a very large spider web. Crap.
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elfstar89 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2025 7:43 pm
Quote: Space 17: Something howls in the distance. It’s loud and echoes with such ferocity it seems to shake you. On the other side of you–another howl. Closer. This one is loud enough to hurt your ears. The ground trembles with the force of something charging at you. A growl, a snarl. Yellow eyes staring you down. There’s not just one monster out there–there’s several, and they’re all coming for you.
As he arrived, a loud, baying howl rent the air, somewhere off to the left. Another similar howl reverberated off something to the right. And then he felt the ground beneath his feet bouncing and trembling. Like something, or many very large somethings, were charging at him. Whipping his head around, Aberdonia peered around, trying to identify the source.
Which was when he saw them. Golden eyes, bright and horrible, wolfish in silhouette, but paired with serpentine pupils, and a hissing snarl of rage.
Whatever these creatures were, they were making right for him--and he had nowhere to go if Ako didn't roll quickly.
"Ako, your turn! Please hurry!" he called back to the chaos senshi. They really didn't have far to go, just a handful more spaces. He'd seen the platform at the end. But there was no telling just how much longer the game would go.
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