[Legendary Quest] Nuri [FIN]

[Suhuba]

Legendary Quest: Nuri

|| This quest is a CYOA style prompt.
|| There will be five to six rounds in which the character must respond.
|| If you have questions feel free to ask Suhuba.

IC ||

The world wasn't always like this... ancient legends that are no longer known in Tendaji describe that the world was once cold, over crowded, and with buildings that were trying to dominate the sky. Once the world was much bigger and yet... felt small as what were once called humans moved about their daily lives.

There was life, but clouds of smog and acid rain was threatening the very existence of those who lived there. Hatred and war threatened to destroy everything. Air raid sirens were a daily occurrence, the sound of gun shots ringing through the streets. Society... was on the verge of collapsing.

But even in this darkest hour, things change, events occurred and now the world was saved by a very specific tree. Deep under the earth's new crust lay something... or things that are better left undisturbed. But even things that are forgotten have a way... of coming back to light.

In today's world Tendaji is much smaller than what the world once had been, no longer referred to as 'humans', their descendants were Earthlings, with crystals growing from their skin and a wide variety of new cultures springing forth from the rubble of Old Earth. Your character is such that had seen many things during their life time but the events of this one day... could only be described as Legendary.

You may choose one of the following options to write about:

A) Your character stumbles upon a 'rift' that will transport the character to a new location. You will decide how they find it and where its location is. Most rifts 'shimmer' and are transparent and hard to see. About six feet in height and three feet across these narrow slices of powerful magic open and close ripping the fabric of space and time. (Please note these rifts are often in strange and often isolated locations. On the edge of a cliff, deep inside a cave, high on remote mountain tops are some examples. These rifts open and close randomly and once used are often not found in the same place twice.)

B) Your character discovers and touches a sacred artifact or relic that will transport the character to a new location. These items can be ornate or even dull in appearance. They can be found anywhere on Tendaji and humm with a special sort of magical energy. Once touched the item loses its magical properties and no longer work.

C) A spell backfires. The spell is usually complex and never been attempted before by either your character or a NPC. It can involve several npcs trying to accomplish a bigger spell, or trying to create a new spell altogether. Once cast it seems to stop time for the briefest of moments and the magic engulfs only your character before it transports them to a new location. (Please keep in mind that these are 'freak' accidents in magic. Impossible to replicate more than once.)

You must write a minimum of 300 words and no more than 1k words to this round of the prompt. Please end your response with your character being transported and nothing beyond that.  

[Elyessi]

Suhuba

A) Nuri stumbles upon a rift

Nuri was in charge of a special expedition, one that required him to work with a remote team deep in the Oban desert. They were beyond the reach of the oasis and cities, in a land that many considered a death trap. Here, they were hunting for Gerru, the warbeasts of the Oban army. Normally, they raised these creatures on their own, but the female of their pack passed away suddenly from sickness, leaving them at a loss and in need of new creatures to train.

Even at peace, the Obans always prepared for war.

As a result of this trip, he had to step away from his wife and newly born children, two beautiful girls that were born close together in a few years. Also, the results of this trip caused him to miss the great event in the north, where most of the army traveled 'just in case'.

Really, being a captain was often so troublesome.

As he moved through the rocky dunes, he found himself getting deeper and deeper into a ravine. This was the last known location of a Gerru nest, but that was noted over 40 years ago. Really, Nuri just hoped he'd be able to find a trail. As he moved, the sun disappeared beyond the rocky cliffs of the ravine, and he was covered in a cool shadow. A small smile of relief fell across his worn features - for he was hot from his travels, and he took a moment to shift to the side.

The cool air across his face was welcoming, and he closed his eyes for a long moment to take the break in. For a long second, he thought about the frivolity of his trip, and how he'd most likely be unable to find the Gerru let alone tame one on his own. Maybe it'd be best if he just took a break and rested against the cool walls for the rest of the day?

All of a sudden as he moved toward said walls, a shimmer crossed his vision, and he thought he was seeing things. But no, the shimmer surrounded him at the last second, and suddenly he found himself spiraling, falling, as if he hit a cave, before he appeared somewhere entirely new.  

[Suhuba]

Elyessi

Legendary Quest: Choice 2

IC ||

There had been a bright light, it felt as if your body was being torn in two and your mind stabbed with a sharp pain. As things settle you feel yourself back on solid earth and when your eyes open you are dazed by the low level of lighting. Your eyes adjust and you can see the giant mushrooms glow eerily in blues and greens and can feel the humid air surrounding you.

You are far beneath Tendaji, under a vast system of roots, where an underground forest exists. With a ceiling of roots and soil, the creatures here lived in this cavernous forest system without natural sunlight. Instead, crystals grow throughout the cavern, illuminating the air from the ceilings above as well as the ground under their feet. The forest and its caverns range from the northernmost area of Jauhar, stretching all the way down to the cities of Oba and to the east under the soft ground of Tale. Sprouting out in random areas are graveyard cities and towns, places overgrown with foliage but once home to the humans of Earth.

Looking up you can see the tall shadows of... you're not quite sure what they are... rectangular in shape they reach high up into the cavern. You are on what appears to be a ledge; the 'city', or the ruins that were left of it, start deep below you and stretch outwards before you. There is hardly any sounds, and there is no obvious way back to where you came from. No portal, relic or spell. In the distance one of the tall strange shadows begin to move.

You can hear the echo of its steps amidst the quiet of the large underground cavernous forest. It... must be huge no... colossal and it was moving very slowly and carefully.

Please choose one of the following options to write about.

A) Your character decides that there is little point to sticking around and waiting to be rescued. As far as you can tell there is no way back so perhaps it was better to head down the path to the left and head towards the giant beast. Maybe it is friendly? With this in mind you move forward taking note of your surroundings as you went. It is quiet except for the steady sound of the foot falls in the distance. They get louder as you approach and the earth shakes with each footfall.

B) Your character decides not to be rash and to explore current surroundings before heading deeper into the ruins. There is a path to the right and traveling down it you discover that the buildings are a mixture of rock and metal and what appeared to be glass. The forest that has grown in and amongst these ghost like structures are sturdy and it is hard to believe that they grew without the aid of the sun. It is quiet except for the steady sound of the foot falls in the distance. They get louder as you explore and the earth shakes with each footfall.

C) This is crazy and your character decides they are better off trying to find a way back. They don't want anything to do with this place and their primary objective is to get back home. It turns out that they had appeared on a ledge with two branching paths, both of which happen to go down and towards the creepy city. You try to replicate how you got there in the first place, but the sound of foot falls distracts you, maybe it was better to get out of the open. Taking either path will basically take you down into the decrepit city...  

[Elyessi]

Suhuba

C) Nuri avoids the beast and heads back

As he gathered his bearings, Nuri attempted to look around the new location. Here he was, going from the dry desert to the moist area he was in now. It just wasn't possible. This wasn't a random cave, this was some sort of plant he was within. The moisture, the glow, the roots, everything was different and unknown. As Nuri attempted to look up, high above him he saw nothing but a canopy roof. He hadn't fallen, so how had he gotten here?

Moving a bit, he realized he was on a ledge, and looking up he caught sight of a shadow of sorts. Where was he? Taking a deep breath, he attempted to find a path out, and that is when he heard it. Scratching, dragging, thudding steeps, loud against the silence of the area. From his experience, he could tell it was something big, bigger than anything he could imagine.

Was this a warbeast undiscovered?

He wasn't foolish, that was one thing he prided himself on. There was no point in fooling himself. This creature, if he was right, was large. Huge. And not worth any interaction. Nothing that large, in a lonely place like this, was willing to have unwelcome company. He needed to avoid the steps, and so he turned away from the ledge to look down at the two branching paths. They all led down to a creepy city, and down wasn't where he wanted to go. However, there was no way up, and those footsteps were getting closer.

Nuri took a deep breath, and decided he needed to get out of the open and collect his bearings. He needed to find a spot, settle, and evaluate where he was to find a way out.

And so, determining that each path led about the same way, Nuri made his way down.  

[Suhuba]

Elyessi

Legendary Quest: Choice 3

IC ||

As you go down deeper into the decrepit city you realize that these stone structures look like buildings, unfathomably tall with many square holes that... you guess were once windows. With no light they seem like empty eye sockets staring into the depths of the void. This place gives you the shivers as if countless voices had suddenly been silenced.

As you continue through you can't help but notice that the place is eerily quiet. Despite evidence of there being creatures down here none choose to grace you with their presence, perhaps it was the sound of heavy foot falls that had caused them to vacate the premises, perhaps it was your presence that they feared the most. Distracting yourself you look at the countless 'things' that littered the area, you can only guess the purpose and uses of such things and upon closer inspection you realize this isn't just an abandoned city... it was a graveyard.

Countless bones could be found inside the buildings and amongst the roots of the strange trees. It is alarming to think about the sheer number of them... but the beast is suddenly upon you. It is colossal and strangely humanoid in shape, with glowing eyes perhaps to help it see in the dark, its large ears swivel in your direction as if listening intently. Although not as tall as the broken buildings it rivaled them to an extent, and it was certainly bigger than anything that you had seen in Tendaji. It seems to be studying you, perhaps it was intelligent, and then... lifting its one massive fist brings it down upon you.

Please choose one of the following options to write about.

A) This beast is NOT friendly. In fact it seems pretty intent on killing you. Despite its massive size you decide to try to fight back, it is trying to kill you after all. Its seems to be impervious to projectiles and blades do little to its thick hide. Magic seems to annoy it greatly but doesn't actually hurt it. Despite all of this you fight back trying to dissuade it from attacking you further although it seems a fruitless task. Your biggest advantage is the creature moves slowly, but each one of its attacks seems calculated and very accurate, this thing is much smarter than it appeared.

B) Your decide to flee for your life and hope the beast doesn't pursue you! You avoid the downward thrust of its fist miraculously and try to escape by moving past and around it. The creature being so large has limited maneuverability in these tight quarters perhaps it will be too slow to keep up with you! Out running it may be your only option to stay alive!

C) After dodging the fist you try and hide! Anywhere will do, even these creepy buildings! Hiding at the best of your ability, the creature seems to have lost sight of you... but it seems to know you're in the area and is intent on searching for you.  

[Elyessi]

Suhuba

C) Nuri seeks to dodge and hide

As Nuri moved further and deeper into the cave, he felt his ears ring with the silence. A shiver ran down his spine, mostly because of the immense sense of being alone, and yet feeling as if he was being watched. Maybe it was paranoia setting in as he continued down the eerily quiet steps, looking about the abandoned city before him and trying to just comprehend where he was. As his eyes continued to slowly adjust to the light, he really wasn't sure what to think.

He caught signs of creatures, of course it was easy to see because he knew where to look. The dirt, old as it was, was also disturbed with scuttling, as if something was moving around, but it was so quiet he wondered just where everything really was. Was he really as long as he felt in the silence? Maybe it was the great beast from above that scared them, or maybe it was him. A stranger, a rarity, a threat.

As Nuri finally got into the city, he couldn't help but wander slowly around, exploring and evaluating the dust covered items. They were so foreign, and so unique he really couldn't describe it. However, after a long moment he could describe the weird feeling he was getting. This place...it was a graveyard.

The thought caused another round of chills to roll up his spine, and Nuri stepped back from where he was studying the things around him. The homes were filled with bones, so many bones, and the roots and the trees were filled with them too. It was like a city was all taken out at once. However, before he could really comprehend the scene before him, the beast from above suddenly appeared.

Gasping, Nuri moved back from the large humanoid creature, the glowing eyes blinding him as the ears swiveled in his direction. So it had multiple ways to sense things. For a long moment, Nuri dared not to breath hoping that the creature would move away. However, it seemed to think otherwise, for after a long moment it lifted its arms and began to swing.

As the fist came down, Nuri noticed how calculated and precise it was, but it was slow. With agility honed after years of training, the Oban rolled to the side and made the split second decision to run. The creature was large, which would limit its ability to move through the city, and so Nuri targeted tight spaces and low holds to run through. Eventually, he found the perfect area and the beast seemed far away. Rolling into a small area of the creepy building, he ignored the bones and praised the gods the creature seemed to have lost sight of him. However, it was moving and searching, and Nuri knew he had to think of a better solution.  

[Suhuba]

Yenaal

Legendary Quest: Choice 4

IC ||

The creature is still intently looking for you even as you try to slip away. Whether it is able to locate you by smell, sight, or hearing it's hard to say. But for now you're safe. Right? Though the creature seems able to hone in on your location, you quickly dart to a new spot allowing you several hallowing minutes of safety before being driven to find a new one. The creature is resilient and unwilling to give up the hunt for you. While hiding you realize the footfalls have stopped, you hear... a voice? Daring to take a look the beast is much closer than you thought it was, seeing it so close catches your breath but it's the figure in front of it that currently draws your focus.

Abnormally tall, even taller than the Alkidike from Tendaji she raises a hand towards the creature and utters a few soft words. The creatures stoops to get to eye level with her as if trying to get a better look at the newcomer. More soft words are spoken as she gently lays a hand on what you presume is the creature's nose. More words, a language that seems oddly familiar and yet off. Perhaps it was the accent? Gesturing the creature gives a final evaluating look in your direction before it straightens and turns away, moving away its heavy foot falls weaken as it recedes.

You realize she... has a tail and though it looked like hair you can see that it isn't. Instead she has what appears to be vines and flowering plants adorning her scalp, her clothes are... certainly unique and though she is flat chested there is something about her demeanor that reads as feminine. Once the creature had begun its trek back to wherever it had come from the woman now... began her search for you. Though she wasn't about to play hide in seek, instead she spoke out.

"How did ju 'et 'ere?" Her english feels broken as if this is her first time using it in a long time. "Why 're ju 'ere?" She inquires more persistently and although she didn't appear to have any weapon in her hands and didn't give off a hostile stance, there is an urgency in her voice that betrays her unease with your presence. She awaits for you tor reveal yourself.

Please choose one of the following options to write about.

A) You decide it's better to befriend this stranger who just saved your life than to attack her. Perhaps she has some idea on how to get out of here. You explain how you got here, and inquire about the beast and how she managed to control it. She seems genuinely confused about what you mean, as she tries to explain as best as she is able that the Guardian was not controlled but could listen to reason. It is here to protect this place from outsiders... to prevent another catastrophe from occurring. What catastrophe she doesn't elaborate on but by looking around you can sense something big had happened here. She gestures for you to follow her to where you are unsure but it was away from the beast and away from your original starting point, perhaps she knew the way out.

B) You decide it's best to keep your distance, you don't know where she came from, how she found you or how she managed to control the beast. She is so alien from anything you had seen before it's hard for you to trust her even as she tries to coax you in her own broken english that it was safe and that you didn't have to worry. It seems better to just leave, and go back to finding a way back familiar lands. Food and water would become a concern if you can't find your way out promptly. No sense in wasting time listening to a strange creature when you could be getting out. As you leave however the woman tails you and unaware to you... is herding you away from the beast and where you appeared from originally.

Elyessi

 

[Elyessi]

Suhuba

B) Nuri wants to leave

Nuri knew that his spot was not protection enough from the great beast that was hunting him. As he moved from one to the next, darting down and around, he couldn't help but feel like he was trapped and needed a better means to escape from the creature hunting him. There had to be a way to get out without getting into the open. If he could find another path, maybe he could find a way to get back home.

As he continued to move, his awareness that this all felt like some weird dream continued to p***k the back of his mind. Maybe he had passed out, and this nightmare was his mind's way of dealing with the heat of the desert he was hunting through. Each time he found a few minutes of silence in a hiding spot, his mind wandered down this path before he was started into running once more.

It took a few moments for him to trust his senses that there was indeed silence, and a...voice? Stilling for a moment, Nuri shifted and looked out, before realizing the beast was still close but something else was there as well.

A figure...taller than an Alkidike with mushrooms and strange eyes. Nuri watched in silence as the woman spoke and the creature began to stoop. She was communicating with him, maybe controlling him as she touched his nose and spoke more of her soft, unknown words. She did one last gesture, before the creature gave a lingering look at Nuri and suddenly stood up and left.

As the creature left, Nuri took a moment to study the woman, from her plants to her long tail. Maybe she wasn't even female, as she turned he noticed she didn't really have any breasts. But she seemed feminine, and Nuri felt the connection come easy. Then, she began to speak, in broken words that he could lightly recognize.

How did you get here...why are you here.

She was questioning him, and suddenly he had the same feeling like he didn't want to interact.

"Thank you..." He gruffly stated, before looking around for the path back up, "But I'm going to go now..."

She was different, and she controlled the beast. In his mind, Nuri couldn't fully trust her, so he decided it was best just to leave and not bother with her broken english or attempt to make him feel safe. Backing away, he shook his head and made a brisk pace. But...she followed him. Why was she following him? After a long moment, he realized she was all but forcing him to a different direction. As this continued, Nuri finally paused with a heavy sigh and glanced back at the woman tailing him.  

[Suhuba]

Elyessi

Legendary Quest: Choice 5

IC ||

Whether corralled or led willingly, you're back on the ledge from where you were originally dropped. The city looms out like the graveyard you now know it to be. The strange being with her hair like roots and strange clothes with even stranger facial features finally stops you where you are.

She starts to speak to you, "Dis world is older dan 'ju know." She gestures out to the expanse behind her with the strange underground forest and glowing crystals wrapped around and through the buildings. "Ju don't remember, but we do." She emphasized 'we', so there must be more than just this figure before you. She continues to tell her tale. The world was wrought with war, the people of earth were destroying themselves slowly, until finally a group launched a disease that changed the very makeup of the planet. The humans of earth began to die off, until scientists created the tree now known as Aisha, the mother of the Alkidike. This tree... it gave life back to the world. But by the time the pollutants had been filtered away by Aisha'a grace, the humans were no longer called humans. They were now the earthlings of Tendaji. The history and science of Earth was lost, there were too few to retain any of the advanced engineering of the old world.

At this the strange woman pauses. It seems as if she is caused grief, but whatever it is, she won't divulge it to you. She seems to skip over the rest of the history that led up to the present day world of Tendaji, and calls out to you once more. "Ju don't belong 'ere." She reaches out and with a gentle tap she touches your skin.

There is a warm glow from the point of impact, it simmers through you and you can feel the heat building. The heat turns into a tingling, and then... it stops. She looks at you with almost a look of warm affection, like she wants you to stay but she knows you cannot.

"It is time now." She trails off...

Please choose one of the following options to write about.

A) The warm feeling from being touched throws you off guard. You stumble backwards, losing your footing and falling. You expect to hit ground, but a light sparks up from behind you, and you're suddenly going through the portal again, the shimmering light engulfing you and takes you home. You land with a thud and one of the first things you notice is your own appearance. Something has happened. When she touched you, it changed you... [Pease allow for introspection and the realization of the changes in your character. The touch from this woman has granted them their legendary trait!]

B) You're almost comforted by the warm touch, but you're not really sure why. She waved her hand once more and the portal opens behind you. "It is time to go 'ome." The light is blinding at first after all of the dim light in the underground forest. You step through, landing on the other side with a soft drop to the ground and realize you're back in Tendaji. One of the first things you notice is your own appearance. Something has happened. When she touched you, it changed you... [Pease allow for introspection and the realization of the changes in your character. The touch from this woman has granted them their legendary trait!]
 

[Elyessi]

Suhuba

A) Nuri is startled

It took a moment for him to recognize the light ache in his legs, a sign he was moving upward on a hill. Startled from his focus of fleeing the beast and the woman, he spun around and noticed he was once again where he fell. His eyes, now adjusted to the light, looked out in the distance for a long moment, before he threw a distrustful glance at the woman guide.

Then she began to speak and he took a breath. She spoke of a world not his own, one that didn't belong to him. He wanted to growl at her that he knew, he knew his race was unjustified for trying to control the world, but his words fell short of his lips. Did she mean the Obans...or something more?

Her words continued, weaving a story of a land he couldn't quite imagine. What were humans, and what did they do to destroy the world? When she spoke of the tree being an experiment for life, he let out a hiss of denial. It was a tool to save the world...maybe they were right. The sisterhood claimed to be superior and maybe they were. If this story were true, they were a race built to survive, while he was simply a survivor that surpassed expectations. Both were strong but who was right?

He missed the woman's look of pain, deep in thought and trying to believe whatever was happening around him.What she was explaining was crazy, it had to be a crazy story in a crazy dream. How else could he explain being under ground or in a tree, being chased by a giant creature, just her appearance alone. How else could it be possible?

As the woman spoke up again, Nuri felt like the atmosphere changed. She seemed a bit more closed off, and her words were warm but dismissive. He knew their conversation was over and frankly he didn't mind all that much. It was when she reached out to tap his forehead, the glow on her finger that he gasped and stumbled a step back.


Her words echoed as he finally fell, the tingling and warmth spreading around his eyes and his temples. He noticed a light spark behind him as he fell off the edge of the path, expecting to timeless but instead going through the same jarring path that got him there. He felt sick, his head ached with the almost painful warmth, burning and erupting in some locations high on his scalp.

And then, he was in the sand, looking up at the night sky as his skin freckled with goose bumps.

"A delusion..." Nuri whispered with a heave, moving his hands over his body to check for any harm from his fall, first his legs and then his arms. Finally he moved to his head, still burning lightly from an expected concussion. Nuri cursed as his hand touched the back of his skull, but it was when he moved to the front that he realized the truth.

His hand cut across something sharp, but he gripped them hard and noticed their weight and attachment. Right where that woman's...light spread...he had...horns.

Horns.

Falling back, Nuri couldn't process the reality of his situation. This...gift...of sorts, was proof. Proof of a crazy dream of a past world. Proof that there was more than just pride and war and control. Proof that he was both crazy and right. She was right. Proof that he needed to get home and do hope that no one would think twice of his newest forehead adornments.

He avoided any glimmers in the side of his vision as he raced away from the caverns, intent to get home.  

[Suhuba]

Legendary Quest: Completed!

After the strange journey and all that has happened to you, your adventure is finally complete! You've made it to the Legendary stage and have accomplished something incredible. Congratulations!

Being Legendary
|| The outside world of Tendaji does not know of the Underground and it is a secret among those who are Legendary.
|| Nothing from the Underground world can be taken back to Tendaji.
|| Legendary characters (and all other characters) cannot return to the Underground.