Destiny City is a large place, with a large population. It’s not uncommon to find a lost item here or there. Maybe a keychain, an earring, a book.
But, a six sided die? That’s different.
While traveling through Destiny City, you find a strange little object. It looks like old, stained wood, but something shiny in it catches your eye. How could you resist picking it up? But then, maybe you've found one of these dice before. Maybe you remember the Gameboard, already.
That's okay.
Even if you know better than to pick it up, all you have to do is look at it, and it's ensnared you. Again.
It looks like a normal die in terms of shape, and each side has a gilded number, one through six, carved into it. The most interesting part of it all is that the dice seems to be made of old, stained wood with fossilized opal throughout the whole piece. Something about it called to you, and now that it has your attention, a harsh wind slams into you. Darkness falls all around you–and then, slowly, a path illuminates. It’s black all around you; there’s no light, but you can see clearly marked spaces.
A line of squares unwind in front of you, each clearly marked.
You can’t see anything around you, can’t feel anything else–just the gameboard. And the die. Whether its in your hand or on the ground where you left it, it's there with you.
Even if you don’t recognize the game, you don’t really need instructions to know how to play–you have a die, and you have a path. In the distance, you can barely make out a dark wooden platform at the end of the path, but it seems to have the same fossilized opal inlay as the die–and pretty golden symbols along the rim.
You can’t step out of your square. Trying to leave the gameboard results in you walking to an invisible barrier and it feels like slamming into a glass wall. You cannot leave your space–unless the die says you can. If you want to get out of here, you’re going to have to roll your way there–but it isn’t so easy.
Strange gold markings differ from one square to the next. There’s no telling what they mean–you’re going to have to land on them to find out.
Though, judging by the tension in the air, it’s probably not going to be anything good.
Whilst three years may have been considered enough time for memories of most things to fade - especially in a place like Destiny City which had more than its fair share of oddities were commonplace - it hadn't been so long that Sadalsuud had forgotten her unfortunate encounter with the strange dice - but between the stench of rot in the oppressive darkness and the sensation of sinking deep into swamp mire, the details had lingered and provided ready fuel for her nightmares.
So it was safe to say that when Sadalsuud spotted something glinting from the small wood stained object on the sidewalk, she had had absolutely no intention of picking it up–
Although intention had meant little when the wind had chosen that exact moment to rise without warning, slamming into her with unnatural force before sweeping her away.
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2025 12:27 pm
Quote:
Space 0: You have arrived here; nothing happens until you roll your die.
Sadalsuud had found herself deposited into darkness as a path slowly kindled to life and stretched out into the darkness.
Just as it had three years ago, the place offered no true light, and yet its absence did nothing to conceal the clearly marked line of illuminated squares unfurling in front of her.
The Sadalsuud of three years ago had promptly turned away and tried to walk away in the opposite direction, a part of her desperate for some other exit - like a convenient mirror or at the very least a way out that would spare her from the strange squares - but there had been no convenient mirror and no hidden escape, instead there had been the jarring and unpleasant sensation of walking into glass, the experience one that she had not one that she’d wanted to experience twice–
And one that she certainly didn't want to experience this time.
Instead, a die rested in her gloved hand because of course it did.
It left her with only one choice.
Sadalsuud bit her lip, as nerves tightened in her chest and then rolled.
Space 4: Something smells rotten. You can’t see very far into the darkness, but if you squint closely a dark form seems to be dragging itself along the ground. Sometimes you see a pale hand almost close enough to grab you–or, maybe something does grab you. It’s cold, and frightening, and it’s trying to drag you out of bounds.
The strange force had shoved her into darkness, the stench of putrid rot instantly familiar–
Although that was hardly surprising given that it was the same rot that had seeped its way into some of her nightmares.
Dark.
Rot. And–
Sadalsuud remembered, almost too late just what else had lingered in the darkness, a pale hand reaching out from a shambling figure just as she spun the die clenched in her hand.
The hand lashed out, fingers grasping, but a strange force carried her forward and just beyond its reach causing the hand to miss her outfit overlay by mere millimetres, even as the force propelled Sadalsuud forwards and onward into the dark.
litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6Total: 6 (1-6)
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2025 12:50 pm
Quote:
Space 10: A swampy smell fills the air. You take a step, and you seem to sink into it. Mud creeps over your feet, and you sink rapidly. Ankle deep, knee deep. Whether or not you squirm and fight against it, you are sinking. The mud is crushing and painful, and if you sink too deep it steals the breath from your lungs. There’s nothing to grab onto; you have to roll your dice quickly before that too gets sucked into the muddy quicksand.
And it seemed as if the strange force was determined to drag Sadalsuud through all her nightmares as she took a step forwards and the ground gave way beneath her, dumping her into swamp mire.
A swampy stench clung to her throat as mud oozed over her shoes, swallowing first feet and then ankles.
The mire crushed inwards, heavy and merciless, pulling her deeper with every heartbeat.
Sadalsuud was knee-deep, when she’d managed to roll the die as her gloved hand, slick with sweat, trembled around the die–
But somehow she managed it, even as the pressure continued to bite into her legs as the swamp did its level best to claim her.
The strange force surged upwards, catching her up and wrenching her free before sending her tumbling forwards and away from the sucking mud that had done its best to pull her under.
Space 11: You hear a frantic flapping above you, but that’s all the warning you get before a hoard of bats descend. They scratch and slap and screech, but you avoid getting bitten. For now. You’ve invaded their space and they seem keen to defend it. You can try to fight them, but the only way to escape them is to roll again.
Sadalsuud had barely had time to catch her breath after being wrenched free of the swamp but at least she was still alive, even if her senshi outfit was sodden with muck from the waist downwards as swamp mire dripped in sluggish rivulets down her legs–
And the stench of the mire seemed to cling to her almost as stubbornly as the filth, although that was perhaps hardly surprising given her untimely dunk.
Even so Sadalsuud couldn’t have been more relieved to be away from the muck and the mire, even though she just knew that her future dreams were going to be swamp-related.
So profound was her relief in having managed to escape the swamp for a second time, that it took a while for Sadalsuud to notice the leathery flapping of wings–
In fact they were almost upon her when she finally registered it, as bats swirled towards her in a living storm made up of furious chattering and a frenzy of wings.
And Sadalsuud didn’t want to deal with them.
Not after the swamp or the pale hand in the dark.
She immediately rolled the die, a thought occurring to her as the strange force tightened around her and then whisked her away–
There had been bats last time too.
Right before the end.
Right before freedom.
So maybe, just maybe, they were a sign–
A sign that this living nightmare was finally nearing its end.
litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6Total: 6 (1-6)
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2025 2:26 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.
For a heartbeat Sadalsuud thought, had hoped, that this would finally be it. That the bats would be the end of things - just as they had been the last time that she had been trapped in this place–
But when she finally felt solid ground under her swamp-ruined shoes, she found herself surrounded by oppressive darkness.
Her heart sank, as crushing disappointment settled like a stone in her chest.
She had been soo sure the bats meant the end of things.
Had been so sure she was done - but it seemed like the living nightmare wasn’t finished with her.
At least not yet.
Then came the howl.
A raw sound rending the air, loud enough to rattle through her bones as yellow eyes prowled in her direction.
Sadalsuud froze, breath catching in her throat only for a second howl answered from the opposite side, this one even closer.
Growls followed, then a snarl that raised every single hair on her neck as more eyes glinted in the darkness.
Not one. Not two, but dozens - far too many to count.
A braver person may have stood their ground or pulled out some sort of impressive magic and used it to attack.
Sadalsuud was not that braver person.
Instead she swallowed hard as the ground trembled as something, or perhaps many somethings came charging straight for her.
Her gloved hand slick with sweat and swamp muck tightened around the die for a moment–
And then she rolled it because she didn’t want to die, and just about anywhere had to be better than here,
[Space 19: You’re so close! Almost at the end! But the space you’re standing on shifts and shakes and seems to crumble beneath you. You have to hold on; there’s nowhere to fall but down into the deep abyss. If you manage to hang on for long enough, you find some invisible purchase and can pull yourself back up, but it’s quite the ordeal. Make sure you don’t get cut on falling spaces! The ground restores itself once you roll again.
Sadalsuud landed in yet more darkness, a scream escaping her lips as the ground beneath her promptly fractured and crumbled as if it was nothing more than brittle glass.
Her stomach twisted and lurched violently as she plummeted downwards into the darkness, until by some miracle her fingers managed to scrape against some sort of jagged outcrop allowing her to catch herself, albeit barely, as she clung to the edge with a desperate strength that would have surprised her–
At least if she hadn’t had more pressing things to worry about.
Like not dying.
The jolt of the sudden stop rattled through Sadalsuud’s arms and pain bloomed as her breath came in ragged, uneven bursts–
And terror gripped her chest, as the thought struck her that she might not be able to hang on.
It was too much.
The pale hand. The swamp. The snarls and glowing eyes in the darkness and even the bats, all of it surged back in a wave of panic as tears pricked at her eyes.
Because somehow, despite everything, she had managed to escape them.
Somehow.
But now she hung suspended in a void, clutching a jagged edge of something in the middle of nothingness - and she didn’t want to die.
She heard rumbles of things crumbling around her, shards of things cracking and breaking loose before tumbling down into the darkness–
And then her flailing legs managed to strike and then find purchase on something solid. Solid enough to push against and (more importantly) solid enough for Sadalsuud to finally manage to drag herself upwards on aching arms.
She pulled on her super level senshi magic as the ground continued to crack and break around her and narrowly managed to miss yet another bit of cracking ground as as she managed to dodge out of the way at the last possible moment.
"No.. No. Not like this," Sadalsuud whispered, her voice trembling as her hand tightened around the die that despite everything she had somehow, impossibly, managed to keep hold of.
Then with a strangled cry as the ground once more cracked and started to give way beneath her, Sadalsuud rolled once again, the die spinning from her fingers as the strange force rose up and shoved her forward.
And as she tumbled forward and onwards, Sadalsuud didn’t see the way the shuddering ceased, or how the broken ground began to knit itself back together.
Instead all she could think of as sobs tore from her throat was that she didn’t want to die, the words forming a chant that echoed over and over in her mind as the strange force sent her tumbling forward and onwards.
Quote:
Super Sailor Scout Attack: Clover's Fortune Sailor Sadalsuud calls on her magic which takes the form of a a medium-sized glowing golden four-leaved clover. Sailor Sadalsuud has a few seconds to either give this clover to an ally or choose to keep it for herself and then the clover will glow and disappear.
Magical effect: Whilst the effects of the magic is not immediately apparent, the magic will boost the target’s luck for the duration of the attack. This allows for an attack (physical or magical) to hit better than expected (for a boost of 10%) or for their dodge to be improved (for a boost of 10%). The magic will do one or the other. It will not do both.
Target: self or 1 ally Duration: 30 seconds Usage: Twice, but not on the same person
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2025 4:12 pm
Quote:
Space 20: The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best.
However...if you have already acquired a die from last year, or if you are unlucky enough to encounter the gameboard twice this year, you may notice that the opalescent fissures of the dice glow when close to each other. There's no telling what this might mean, but you'd best be safe about it.
It had taken a while for Sadalsuud to notice that the darkness was gone as she huddled miserably on the ground, as she waited for the next horror to reveal itself.
But nothing lunged from the shadows, or crumbled and collapsed from underneath her and it eventually began to dimly sink in that nothing seemed to be trying to stalk, drown or actively kill her.
Instead there was light.
A warm, opalescent light that shimmered and spread itself softly around her, gently washing over her aching limbs and bathing clothes and gloves still slick with swamp mire and sweat in a soft glow that felt like the end of a very long nightmare.
The light grew brighter, too bright to look at, as it somehow managed to wash everything away - and when it faded there was no darkness or unfurling squares into nothingness–
Instead there was only the night and the ordinary evening noises of distant traffic.
Relief crashed over Sadalsuud so suddenly that she could do nothing to stop the tears that once again pricked at her eyes as she took in the familiar surroundings, even as she shivered in her swamp-stained clothes–
Because despite everything, she had survived.
Had escaped bats, collapsing floors and being dragged under in a swamp.
Something glinted under a streetlamp, sitting innocuously on the sidewalk–
A six-sided die that looked like the twin of the one that she had gained three years ago and kept tucked away in her sub-space.
Sadalsuud glanced at it for a moment, before reaching out for it with trembling fingers.
It seemed that after tonight she would be having more nightmares. The events of today likely to provide new fodder to haunt her sleep–
