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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:11:24 GMT -6
Notice Every once in a while, this rickety old mansion is exposed to massive waves of temporal displacement - distorting the reality of the great building. This notice is posted at the front iron gate of the mansion, before you even enter, explaining the dangers of the Mansion, as well as the documented displacement fields that effect it, and at what times...
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:12:54 GMT -6
January Holiday: InkantanaGods Associated: Light, TimeThe mansion grounds are a sparkling expanse, from the strangely shimmering glass-like (but still quite soft and pliable) foliage, to the sweeping spires of crystalline structures that serve as a lightly glowing decoration. The sky sparkles with stars like diamonds on a field of velvet and is constantly between the hours of late evening to early morning. It is never lighter than a pale purple of dawn, never brighter than the end of sunset as it wanes. With constellations that swirl slowly above the earth, but quickly enough to be seen, the astute can ascertain an excellent view of constellations only seen in lands far away from Pethia. The otherwise pretty gardens have grown thick in some places, and bioluminescent foliage is a treat for the eyes that also makes it easier for the denizens of the grounds to hide away in plain sight. The mansion has become a sweepingly intricate example of what could almost be considered a Gothic marvel; complete with flying buttresses, soaring crossed ceilings, and gorgeously shimmering stained glass windows in purple and blue starscapes. The entire building is mixed in ebony and ivory shades and a distinctly orderly and grand countenance. The entire place screams of both decadence and a nearly modern spartan usability in some places while boasting beautiful mysteries of form and function in more hidden nooks. Most of the floors appear to be checkered marble matching the ivory and ebony tones of the rest of the mansion. The stained glass windows cast an eerie glow inside of the main rooms, casting shimmering constellations across the entire room where they fall. The entire mansion is much bigger inside than outside, and time seems to spin wildly out of control sometimes, at times moving incredibly slow, at other times racing forward or backwards at high speed only to stop and return to regular time. This strange force sweeps throughout the mansion in a manner that defies conventional logic but doesn't seem to do much harm to explorers typically; though it is easy to get lost or perhaps confused. Some rooms are filled with clocks, running at all different intervals. Some rooms are filled with candles lighting books of mystery and lost knowledge, casting a ghastly and frightening flicker that bares one's soul to some unseen force. Some rooms are little more than dungeons, though it would seem that there is always a light to lead you out of the otherwise all encompassing darkness. Sometimes one is deposited into what feels more like a magical forest; but there is always a door to be found to lead one back into the mansion itself if you could just follow the glowing mushrooms shimmering with nebula-like spores... Other rooms are more like enigma puzzles- each more dizzying than the last. Still yet, there are plenty of rooms that open up into what appears to be the emptiness of space. Stars and nebulae twinkle all around but if one stepped off out of the doorway and into all of that vastness, they can experience the sensation of falling into nothing for hours on end. Glass staircases spiral infinitely into the void, curling around one another- does this hint at something more, beyond the typical understanding of the viewer? Going up one of those stairs, if you could find a way to get to them, would allow one a spectacular view. A singular gilded room is the true prize, a dome with many technological marvels for viewing the night sky in ways that very few in Pethia have had the pleasure of seeing. A huge telescope can be looked through, if only one knows how to use one... Light and Time have come together this month during the Festival of Stars; Inkantana. This holiday celebrates the cycle of time and new beginnings after the darkest parts of the year. The darkest part of the year is now over, and light is returning to lead the way- though watch out for the dangers of allowing yourself to be lured too far off of your path.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:13:37 GMT -6
February Holiday: VakrahGods Associated: Dark, HarvestThe mansion seems to have taken a turn for the Victorian. Intricate lattice-work decorates the gardens, just beginning to show off their new colors of green sprouts. The owner of the mansion clearly prefers the color lavender - a lavender roses lead both edges of the pathway leading up to the mansion. A green wreath, with dried lavender flowers waits for you at the door, a delicate silver serpent intertwined amongst it's boughs. Two golden bells dangle from it, letting all know when you enter. The season of love, they say, is in February. Vakrah, the time when Dark would show his undying affection for the goddess of Harvest; and shower her with gifts. When you enter the mansion, this is apparent. Victorian. All of it. The furniture, the walls, even the tea-sets sitting upon the tables. As always, with this mansion, it seems to be endless. You could walk into a kitchen, then into a bedroom, then into a hallway with a hundred doors, then into the attic, which leads directly into the cellar... One could get lost in here, and it seems the rooms shift. Chocolates, caramels, roses, cards of affection. All of these can be easily found here.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:15:48 GMT -6
March Holiday: FaelotGods Associated: LightSprings new life, Faelot is the time for children's play and growth. Tradition has it where young children should be given stuffed toys or their first furry companion, soft and gentle. This is a time where all harm should be forgotten, and the nurture of children is lavished. The mansion yard is decorated with beautiful new blossoms, the sweetly scented air laced with pollen. Among the flowers, eggs are scattered, brightly dyed and hidden against the shrubbery. Good fortune is said to shine upon the one who finds a golden egg.. Though, if one isn't too very fond of the pollen-air, come inside for shelter. Within, the mansion has transformed yet again. Soft and gentle, pastel patterns decorate the walls, and the flooring consists of soft carpet. Brightness and light, in the morning the windows seem to amplify the sun's nourishing light and lift the all the rooms. At night, lanterns seeming to contain the essence of the sun gently banish any darkness. The brightly colored eggs from outside seemed to have been hidden inside as well, looking among the flowering potted plants should prove to harvest of an egg or two. The fresh spring air has been captured indoors, but any trace of pollen has been eliminated. The endless expanse of rooms provide a fun maze that most children would just love to run around and play in. A simple 'guiding light' shines into each room from the entrance, to keep from any little kids (well, anyone really) from getting lost. The sound of children's laughter echoes playfully if you listen hard enough.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:16:59 GMT -6
April Holiday: Tiken TekaiGods Associated: Luck, ChaosThe ground will quake and the trees will twist, taking forms one would not think a tree could. Even the leaves will change; Or will they? One minute they look normal, and the next, they could appear to be made of flesh, or rubber balloons. Whatever you might glimpse, they turn to normal at the second glance, an high pitched giggles can be heard behind you. No matter how fast you may try to turn around to catch the culprit, you never find the source of the laughter which can be both joyous, and maddening. The mansion itself follows the twisted ways of the garden; The front door stretched thin and tall, while the rest of the building looks spun like a screw. All of it looks tightly wound, save for the roof which looks almost 'melted'. Trying to get inside is hard in-itself, for if one tries to open the door, one of few things could happen. It could, indeed, open up to the mansion, or it could open to a brick wall; Or spit boiling flames that could hurt someone quite a bit. Sometimes, if you blink, the door might disappear entirely! If one does manage to get inside, the door will close quietly, melting in with the sides of the building to disappear or simply lock itself, much like every other door inside. The tiles are black and white, and the once square, 'ordinary' house seems melted, twisted, and 'bubbled'. Some places could make one laugh, and others if one were to stare, make them go mad. Half of the rooms seem to be inverted, most harmless fun, like having it so your walking along the wall, while others will be filled with ravenous animals that will eat you if you make too much noise. Careful you don't 'harm' the house, it may never let you leave and drive you mad until the next holiday.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:18:03 GMT -6
May Holiday: Day of DreamingGods Associated: Ariesa - The BinderThe Day of Dreaming has arrived! But it seems "day" doesn't matter to the owner of the mansion, as he or she is more than happy to extend it for an entire month. The outside of the mansion appears like any other wealthy place, with nothing particularly special on the outside. But once you step inside, that's when things truely start to change. The celing is endless, stretching up for what seems to be six stories in some 'rooms', and seeming to not have a celing at all in others, leading up to the clouds, sun, or stars. Caverns where you thought the kitchen should be, and crystalline pools where you thought should be the bedroom. Places of swirling magic, stone walls, and great swirling crystals that glow hanging from the 'ceiling'. Surely, you must be mad! Suddenly, a shadow darts by you; you could swear you saw a dragon!
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:18:43 GMT -6
June Holiday: Firefly FestivalGods Associated: ChaosAlmost upon entering, chaos is everywhere. Distant crackles of fireworks are always heard, and sometimes, the ceiling seems to have disappeared- and the only light in the room are the constant bursts of red and yellow and blue. Sometimes, you'd swear there were fireworks bursting in the middle of the air- right next to you, and shooting up from the floorboards. If you change rooms, it could change entirely to a green place- grass growing through the floorboards, bushes growing in pots with bright red juicy berries, and glasses of wine set on tables among the bushes. You can hear raucous song in this room- sometimes familiar melodies, and sometimes just merry unfamiliar ones. One could see this room, and think "garden party". In another room, there would be a bonfire- the crackling of it louder than it usually is. In this room, there are distant sounds of laughter and yelling, like children playing. In the shadows of the fire, you would think you could see fairies- but there are no such thing as fire fairies, right? It's just the light playing tricks on you. You think, anyway. Sometimes, other shapes can be seen in the bonfire- and random bursts of circular light shoot across the room. In another room, candles line the walls- some aren't even in shelves, just floating in the air. The fire is weird, though. It's either the same flickering being, in a weird color like purple or green- and in others, it looks like red and orange sparks shooting from the middle of the candle. Faint smells of barbeque and waves of heat can be sensed in the room. Walking into yet another room, it's like you've stepped outside- even though you know you haven't. The floor is entirely grass, with the ceiling blue, and a bright sun illuminating the entire place. A "pond" lay in the room- with a tree and a tire swing. In another part of the same room, there are butterfly nets- and occasionally, a paper insect would float by, perfect for capture. Another possible room to come across is completely dark, save for the flow from the "stars", "moon"...And the fireflies, of course. Jars of them are all over the room, but free ones are everywhere- you couldn't take a step forward without having one in your face. Aside from the fireflies, a small tree stands in the corner of the room- and hanging from it, square paper lamps, with a warm orange glow coming from within.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:19:47 GMT -6
July Holiday: MaredianGods Associated: Varash - The TidebringerThe mansion has twisted itself to look like a great wooden skyscraper made entirely out of driftwood and the grounds have been covered in sand dunes and deep blue salt water ponds. Now and again a harsh wind will whip the sand into your eyes and carry with it the smell of salt and brine, and is that also the scent of…fish? In any case you can see that looking through the deep ponds and the surrounding dunes could be beneficial, but it’s the inside of the mansion which is truly the stunning part of the experience, right? The second you walk through the door the world outside seems so far away, the door slams shut behind you and you are seemingly inside the great wooden skyscraper. The floor is covered in grains of sand, probably tromped in from the dunes outside and all manner of fishing related knick-knacks adorn the walls, Each “path” is actually a thin corridor leading to a door, each one made out of the same driftwood which the outside of the mansion. You may be surprised when you open the door of the kitchen and find the entire room blanketed in snow with a floor made up of thick ice. The bedrooms are completely inundated and the beds themselves are just barely staying afloat, yet for some reason the water doesn‘t spill out into the hallway from beneath the door. You open the door to one of the bathrooms and find a fish staring directly back at you from a wall of water. You walk into the cellar of the house and find it to be full of a myriad of seafood all kept nice and chilly to keep it from smelling. The backdoor of the mansion leads to a seemingly underwater garden covered in bright corals and other aquatic flora, you can’t help to wonder just where in Pethia are you? Maredian, a celebration of the ocean. During this time the tidebringer, Varash, is the patron deity. All throughout the house oceanic reminders can be found referencing the bounty with which Varash blesses the world. Some of them come in the form of salted fish placed out as snacks, other like the gardens and the rooms of the house, are a little more intricate. All oceanic habitats are represented within the house and you could very easily go from a polar environment to a tropical one just by stepping through a door. The mansion during this time brings a rare look into a mysterious world which many of the lab’s inhabitants have never before witnessed, the ocean and its bounty.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:21:10 GMT -6
August Holiday: EbbedianGods Associated: Varash - The TidebringerThe tide is out! There are tide pools aplenty, shallow (and shrinking) pools of water collected here and there, especially between large standing rocks. Pieces of broken coral, abandoned shells, and driftwood litter the sandy beach like leftovers from a party. Small crabs are plentiful, stranded after the tide. Use caution; even if you catch one before they burrow or scuttle away, they may just pinch you! Despite the water being so far away (always just out of reach, though you can hear the roar of the waves), the Mansion has taken on a Tropical Island vibe. The driftwood tower is replaced with a large beach house and a few palm trees provide shade nearby. Thatched roof standing tall above you, smooth wooden walls wrapped around magical space - for if you venture inside, you will completely forget you walked into an oversized cabana. Opening the door, you are greeted by - the plank! You have to walk across a short, narrow wooden plank to get to a platform that resembles the mansion you know and love. Doors, always doors. Don't look down! But if you do, you'll see a sparkling blue pool of water ready to catch the clumsy- but can you trust it's not just an illusion? What if there are sharks down there?! You've crossed to the platform and are free to explore the rest of the house. Varash the Tidebringer is the residing God this month as well, leaving trinkets and gifts throughout. Some are straight forward on tables or counters; some are hidden under and above. The room layout is familiar, with doors placed at random, new rooms lurking behind. The first room might be a tropical paradise, the next might be a pit filled with water and shark fins breaking the surface. One room might have parrots flying amongst trees with bright fruit and colorful flowers, the next might be a desert oasis. The next might be humid and filled with green plants suitable for a rain forest, then there might be a wall-of-water room with glow in the dark jellyfish. A prized room opens into a vast ocean, where manta rays gather to feed and fly. It seems new and glorious species not normally found in the Labs are celebrated this time of year! Out the back of the Mansion, also accessible through a water filled tunnel if you fell off the plank, is a beach at twilight. Gorgeous sunset, no matter what time you originally stepped into the Mansion. Orange and red clouds over a purple sky, palm trees casting black silhouettes, a warm sandy beach leading out to the water, waves gently splashing against the shore. Plenty of shells here. A table is set up, filled with shrimp dishes and tropical drinks, tempting you to stay in this purgatory forever.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:21:48 GMT -6
September Holiday: Serpent's DawnGods Associated: HarvestThe air is crisp and cool while the summer gives way to the autumn. Calmness seems to be the new philosophy of the people, since the buzz and spark of summer is all but gone. Trees are gaining bright colors with great rapidity as they loose their leaves one at a time in a slow dance to the ground. It's a peaceful time, though that promises nothing within the vast walls of the great mansion... The grounds are splattered with apple trees, each one bearing bright, delicious fruits of various sizes and colors. Leaves of crisp orange, bright yellow, fiery red, and soft brown sprinkle the grass, crumbling with a soft crinkle when tread upon. Small creatures of many different colors and shapes skitter around, gorging themselves on the freshly ripe apples hanging from the trees and resting on the ground. Among them are ever annoying bees, buzzing a faint warning to whoever comes too near. Inside the mansion is an almost comforting warmth. Though it is not particularly cold outside, the difference between the inside and out is another small reminder that the summer has gone. The entrance gives way to a large room, warmed and lit by a dancing fire in a fireplace to the far wall. Two long tables stretch from one end of the long room to the other, each overflowing with goblets of warm cider and food of all sorts. Though it is not particularly tempting to leave the feast, the room bears two doors, one on either side of the flickering fireplace. One such doors opens to a sea of corn stalks, higher than even the tallest humanoid. A pathway is cut neatly through, allowing people and creatures of decent size a walkway through. As it goes, the pathways twist and split, turning into an intricate maze. The opposite door opens into a room that is hard to believe is still indoors. The moon twinkles brightly down from the starry sky above to show rows and rows of pumpkins and gourds growing out of the soil that is the ground. Vines twist every which way, creating an intricate pattern. Among the large fruits grow a handful of bright flowers, giving a burst of color to the otherwise orange and brown dominated landscape.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:22:32 GMT -6
October Holiday: Vai Min MurGods Associated: DarkThe Mansion's grounds become twisted and dark, painted over in hues of dusky blue and ashen grey. Charcoal bleeds into the shadows, and light seems to be drained away in places that not even shadows would be brave enough to touch. The beautiful trees of the inner courtyard are stripped of their once-prized leaves, and though they were once golden from the fall, now lay mottled brown-grey on the garden floor, preventing your footsteps from ever being silent. The branches of the trees seem to reach out for you, twisted and gnarled and full of the agony that the coming winter will plague them with. The mansion itself seems to slowly decay. It's paint peeling, it's wood chipping, it's shingles slowly sliding down the roof, stained with what weather would do when abusing them from years of hardship. Up to the right you can see a window has broken, it's jagged glass shattered down into the wilted flowerbeds below it. A shutter hangs on a single hinge. Every floorboard creeks, and none of the lights seem to work. Should you carry a flashlight, it flickers and dies - only a candle's flame able to light your way through the darkness. The moon shines down upon you, in a constant state of full, and a crisp wind cuts through you, even through the drafty windows, should you seek shelter within' the crickety walls. At the back of the property, where there was just a month before a pool and fountain, the fountain is instead surrounded by ground... Ground which is covered in tombstones of every shape and size, that seems to stretch in a field that goes on for beyond the eye can see... but in this darkness of the night, that's not very far at all... is it? You can almost see the trees in the distance, and the faint glow of eyes staring back. It seems that on this month of Vai Min Mur, when one honors the dead of both light and dark spirits alike, even the very grounds of this displaced mansion are twisted and dying - a mockery of what's to come for all who grace the earth.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:23:19 GMT -6
November Holiday: The IncursionGods Associated: SpiritWith the anniversary of the Labs' creation drawing near, the Mansion shows its appreciation in the only way it knows how! The grounds outside the mansion seem relatively normal. The gardens are lush, and filled to the brim with bright flowers and other exotic plants, the likes of which the people here have likely never seen. This is not something someone would expect during such a cold time of the year, but stranger things have been known to happen, especially around here. For the most part, the plant life seems harmless. Well, until it starts to move on it's own accord. Surely it's not truly dangerous, right? Inside the mansion's large steel door is an exceptionally clean looking room. The floor is covered in bright white tile, and the walls are clean and white, made to look even brighter by the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Across the floor sit a few tables, sturdy and made polished clean steel, and the walls are lined with bookshelves. They are littered with more books, journals, and confusing research notes. If examined, the books prove themselves to be quite the read. Most of them are about biology, some dabbling into chemistry and botany as well. That's just the ones that are readable, however. Interlaced among the books written in common or other easily understood languages are some written in an ancient text. They're riddled with runes and pictures, surely describing fantastic things that few people here could understand. One of the adjacent rooms is not nearly as clean as the initial room had been. The walls are lined, floor to ceiling, with cages of all sorts. Some of them are open, even more are broken, and most of them are empty. Most of them. Though it is made of the same white tile, lit by the same bright lights, this room feels so much darker. Blood stains the floor, and claw and teeth marks mar the cages and tile. A few of the cages contain... something, as can be seen by the peering eyes from within. Upon closer inspection, most of them pull back with a hiss, obscuring themselves in the darkness. In another room, a rare breath of technology can be seen. Screens of all sorts display confusing words and jumbled letters upon flickering green backgrounds. Surely, there is someone who understands it... Huge displays, set on cold steel tables contain many buttons and switches. It can easily be gathered that it would not be such a good idea to touch any of them. Not that one would know where to start, anyhow. Just like the screens, the few of the objects that are labeled, are not too clear on their purpose. Yet another door reveals another clean, white room, this time dimly lit, and quite large. Tubes of all kinds, filled with a translucent green liquid can be found here. They vary greatly in size and shape, and a good portion of them are empty, some even broken. Inside the tubes that aren't empty are... well, it's hard to explain what they are. Creatures, surely, suspended silently in the green goo. They are in various stages of experimentation, some looking almost complete, and some... not so much. They are all completely silent, and completely unmoving, as though they are being held in some kind of suspended animation. Some of them are rather cute and small, fuzzy little creatures surely intended as companions, and others... well, others seem more like monsters. It really makes one wonder - what about all those broken tubes? Well, isn't this interesting? In this room, there are all sorts of strange objects, some of which seem to have a mind of their own. The floor is littered with wires and chunks of metal, and semi-complete parts lay on tables. Something that could only be described as a mechanical eye turns to look around the room, moving wildly about on its own accord. Some of the machines are just parts - arms, legs, tails, and other such enhancements, but others seem to be nearly complete creatures. Though offline and unmoving, there is something oddly unsettling about an almost complete robot, composed of little but bare wires and metal. Without their synthetic 'skin' to make them more personable, these things really can be rather terrifying. The whole place has a peculiar feeling to it. Almost like something else is at play, something intangible, and barely detectable. It's not exactly a malicious feeling, though its unknown nature is a bit disquieting.
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Post by NPC on Jan 1, 2023 21:24:35 GMT -6
December Holiday: The Broken Time / Festival of LightsGods Associated: Order, LightThe winter has finally taken hold, and though the sun is high in the air, it provides little warmth. The virgin snow blanket's the ground, and the garden's former glory can no longer be seen under it's pure-white cover. The only trees that remain with any amount of pride are the tall evergreens, and bushes green as well, their leaves short and prickly, decorated with bright red berries. Every once in a while, the flash of red from a cardinal can be seen flying from one evergreen to the other, but aside from that, the basic courtyard and garden is still and quiet, a place filled with peace and calm. Tiny flakes fall form the sky, drifting down lazily to lay upon your shoulders, and your feet leave deep footprints in the snow. The mansion itself in in decent condition, compared to a few months past where it seemed to decay before your very eyes. And instead, it's once shattered windows seem solid and new. Ripples and imperfections in the frosted glass seem to enhance the flickering light that the candles resting on the windowsills inside give them. Upon entering the mansion, a bell chimes above the door, jingling lightly to mark your entrance. The wood floors creak, but not with such noise as to startle. You could swear you smell something good coming from the kitchen - but should you attempt to find the kitchen, it always seems at least one more door away. Small green plants hang from the doorframes, and upon the tables rests bowls of strange fruits, oranges, nuts, and berries. A drink that was rich and dark, an likely once warm usually accompanies them. A fat mouse scuttles across the rug, before disappearing beneath a door. A candle in every window, and a strange warmth fills the mansion. Soothing. Comforting. And yet you would still be a fool to remove your coat. Out back, where the pool once was, you find snow-covered ground... or... it could be ground.. perhaps it really is the pool, simply frozen solid? Too hard to tell. And the fountain in the center seems to have had time play a cruel joke on it, frozen solid like a statue... a beautiful statue admittedly. The garden that stretches beyond it looks exactly like the garden in front, only much larger. Save for a single difference. A series of sculpted ice statues play in the garden there, various games and frolics. You can see a fox dancing, light glittering of it's perfectly sculpted fur. Children stand frozen in the position of throwing a snowball, and a bear rests peacefully beneath an evergreen. All of these are of course, statues of ice. Or are they..? Below on that frozen fountain rest over a dozen candles, berries and nuts yet again. Paintings too far from this window to truly see.. Another shrine it seems... a shrine for the lost, with candles to light the way. Only disrespectful fools would not leave a present behind in case they found their way... but you couldn't possibly do it from the warm walls of the mansion... for that, you'd have to go outside. Then again, there's so much to explore still in here.
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