Keylo
Lurker
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2008
- Messages
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((OOC Note: Sorry this took so long. Hopefully the hidden messages will make up for it though~ Kudos to anyone who can get all of them. Either way though, time to get this show on the road.))
Falling…falling…sinking… The sensation of unending descent is all that is experienced following the events of the pitch black room… events that quickly becoming fleeting as one continues to sink further and further into the darkness...
Sinking…Sinking…plummeting… It is as if the darkness is beginning to swallow one whole, as the lack of sensations causes one’s consciousness to fade, one’s sense of self to disappear…reduced to nothingness.
However it is as is about to vanish completely that sounds, familiar sounds begin to grace one’s hearing, to return one to a sense of “reality”.
The winding of a music box…the ticking of multiple clocks…dripping water and impish laughter… all this and more spin one’s perception back to a realm of actual existence, a flow of various feelings and “experiences” guiding one back to an actual plane of “something”.
Invisible hands which guide one’s fall, causing one to drift gently down…the feeling of velvet rubbing against one’s bare skin as one descends into an invisible but waiting seat…a swirling of colors as images are formed… matching sights with sounds and touch…
When the image is complete, a room with a checkered floor and choice furnishings as well as inhabitants, all is made clear.
There, across a glass table, upon which a chess like “board” is laid out, are two velvet thrones… seated in them, the sources of the impish laughter. The first being the familiar, dreadful, yet elegant Lady of blue in her trademark Victorian Dress. An unsurprising sight, given the circumstances and recent course of events...though the thin pipe adorned with miniature sapphires that she held in her right hand was a new feature. The latter however, despite being adorned with a similar garb, a grey and sophisticated dress with blue trimmings…complete with feathered hat and a thin veil, is a stranger sight…For unlike the former, her countenance seems more gentle even through the enigmatic veil, and strangely familiar at that...at least, by appearance anyway. However her manner of speaking while engaging in “idle chatter” with the Lady of blue seems to contradict such, sounding as enigmatic yet cruel as her companion…
Eventually of course, when the previous discussion is finished, the malicious duo turn their attentions to that which is across the board, both of them seeming to be in a sinisterly high spirits.
“It is that time once again fufu~… A most wonderful time when the final preparations for the game come to an end~ Isn’t that right Reina dear?”
…Although a sense of visible dread is what generally fills those addressed by the enigmatic blue Lady, the maiden seated in the other throne seems unaffected by such, retaining her spirits regardless.
“…Indeed, it is that time again my Lady, a time most of us have been waiting for. A time that shall arrive and end once this final tidbit is taken care of~… Shall we present the rules then? After all, it simply wouldn’t do for players to accuse the game of being rigged.”
A short chuckle is heard from the other follows as she acknowledges the notion, followed by a wave of the jeweled pipe, blue smoke billowing forth following the gesture.
“See them for yourself faceless ones fufufu~… The grace and elegance that will rule this game board. Etch them into your mind~…”
It is then the that the blue smoke begins to form a perpetually changing image…going through each rule that was to dictate the course of the game, one by one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smoke reforms the rules once…twice…thrice, then ultimately dissipate upon going through enough repetitions for all to know of the nature of the game. Though it is then that, surprisingly enough, the maiden in grey raises a question…a strangely simplistic one at that.
“If I’m correct my dear Lady, the reward for prevailing in the game is the same as it was before? A wish?...”
To which the Lady of Blue pauses for a moment, not out of slow understanding, but perhaps…bewilderment at being asked as to such a clear statement. Yet, nonetheless the elegant witch replies in good humor still, her smile unfading.
“I do believe that the rules explicitly state it dear. As before, if the pieces should prevail once again, they may request anything of yours truly~ A splendid prize for a bit of simple fun no? Fufufu~”
A conjoined moment of laughter between the two follows, as if amused by the concept…a period of time that is interrupted however, when blue butterflies drift down before them…piling on each other one after another, and creating a vague humanoid illusion… before fluttering away, and revealing an individual in a black tailcoat with complimentary top hat. Bowing before the two enthroned individuals, the figure seems to conjure a golden scroll from out of nowhere… presenting it to the one that was to serve as the opponent for the upcoming game; a scroll that seems to “confuse” the one in blue for a moment, as she reads it carefully…but causes her to clap her hands in realization shortly after.
“Message?... Hmm?… Ah…I see. Let them know I’ll be right there. I’ve no intention to keep our beloved spectators waiting after all.”
Though…such a realization of course, does not come as easily to the one in grey, largely due to not having seen the presented message, causing her to adopt a visage of perplexion and confusion. One that is fortunately dispelled as her other opts to explain to her the contents of the supposed message.
“The council dear, they’ve come calling for another tea party. One you should really consider attending~ After all, it seems that there’s many who are eager to see you.“
A shake of the head, accompanied by a humble declining gesture of the hand follows the explanation… one seemingly given in good humor still, despite its implications.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. Such lengthy gatherings… I simply can’t expect to last.”
An awkward silence follows as the Lady of Blue and the Grey Maiden seem to stare one another down, their smiles fading slightly as facades threaten to crumble…as if both have suddenly become suspicious of the other. A stand off which threatens to last forever…until oddly enough, the more naturally domineering of the two chooses to back off first, the sadistic smile from before returning as blue butterflies begin surrounding her and the messenger from the council...
“Fufufu~ Whatever you say then dearest Reina. Until I return, the game board shall be under your care. Do give a good show for the council dear~ After all, boredom entails such horrible things~... ”
A swirl of blue wings and smoke, a gust of wind…and soon…all that remains in the room is the voiceless onlookers, and the maiden in grey…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once alone however, it is then that “Reina”…begins to act…strange, her voice seeming to change from the spirited and cruel manner of a witch to a more…hollow, and empty manner of speech. A voice that seems monotone, if not a bit emotionally drained as it opts to utter cryptic words, one with seemingly little relevance to what was mentioned before.
“…Reverse the flow of time, look from the end to the beginning for truth to be unveiled. Nothing is permanent, and everything is fleeting…”
What could such odd words possibly mean? Why had they been given? Such were the thoughts that most likely ran through those present as they were uttered. Yet…before much thought can be given…the sound of reverberating bells is heard…
DING…DONG….DING…DONG…
And a dull pain begins to fill the heads of those present, save for of the one dressed in grey…who begins to rise at this time. Each of the countless clocks has reached its zenith, the peak in which all the hands meet…and thus, as the room begins to spin, and the table of glass begins to glow brilliantly…signal the beginning of the new game. The last thing that consciousness allows one to be aware of, is the same dull voice from before, ringing throughout the minds of all present in confirmation.
“…Let the games begin.”
The world was then enveloped in light…
Falling…falling…sinking… The sensation of unending descent is all that is experienced following the events of the pitch black room… events that quickly becoming fleeting as one continues to sink further and further into the darkness...
Sinking…Sinking…plummeting… It is as if the darkness is beginning to swallow one whole, as the lack of sensations causes one’s consciousness to fade, one’s sense of self to disappear…reduced to nothingness.
However it is as is about to vanish completely that sounds, familiar sounds begin to grace one’s hearing, to return one to a sense of “reality”.
The winding of a music box…the ticking of multiple clocks…dripping water and impish laughter… all this and more spin one’s perception back to a realm of actual existence, a flow of various feelings and “experiences” guiding one back to an actual plane of “something”.
Invisible hands which guide one’s fall, causing one to drift gently down…the feeling of velvet rubbing against one’s bare skin as one descends into an invisible but waiting seat…a swirling of colors as images are formed… matching sights with sounds and touch…
When the image is complete, a room with a checkered floor and choice furnishings as well as inhabitants, all is made clear.
There, across a glass table, upon which a chess like “board” is laid out, are two velvet thrones… seated in them, the sources of the impish laughter. The first being the familiar, dreadful, yet elegant Lady of blue in her trademark Victorian Dress. An unsurprising sight, given the circumstances and recent course of events...though the thin pipe adorned with miniature sapphires that she held in her right hand was a new feature. The latter however, despite being adorned with a similar garb, a grey and sophisticated dress with blue trimmings…complete with feathered hat and a thin veil, is a stranger sight…For unlike the former, her countenance seems more gentle even through the enigmatic veil, and strangely familiar at that...at least, by appearance anyway. However her manner of speaking while engaging in “idle chatter” with the Lady of blue seems to contradict such, sounding as enigmatic yet cruel as her companion…
Eventually of course, when the previous discussion is finished, the malicious duo turn their attentions to that which is across the board, both of them seeming to be in a sinisterly high spirits.
“It is that time once again fufu~… A most wonderful time when the final preparations for the game come to an end~ Isn’t that right Reina dear?”
…Although a sense of visible dread is what generally fills those addressed by the enigmatic blue Lady, the maiden seated in the other throne seems unaffected by such, retaining her spirits regardless.
“…Indeed, it is that time again my Lady, a time most of us have been waiting for. A time that shall arrive and end once this final tidbit is taken care of~… Shall we present the rules then? After all, it simply wouldn’t do for players to accuse the game of being rigged.”
A short chuckle is heard from the other follows as she acknowledges the notion, followed by a wave of the jeweled pipe, blue smoke billowing forth following the gesture.
“See them for yourself faceless ones fufufu~… The grace and elegance that will rule this game board. Etch them into your mind~…”
It is then the that the blue smoke begins to form a perpetually changing image…going through each rule that was to dictate the course of the game, one by one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Overview of the Game~
- The objectives of the game for both sides are to place the other into “checkmate”, a situation where no further action can be taken by the side.
- ”Checkmate” is defined differently for each side to provide for an optimal game play experience for both sides.
- In order for the Lady to declare checkmate, she much subjugate every piece of the opposing side into complete submission to her will.
- The Forgotten however, may declare checkmate either upon complete subjugation of the Lady’s pieces, the capture of the Lady, or simply playing in a manner that makes checkmate completely impossible for the Lady.
- A turn’s length shall be defined as a full cycle of day and night.
~Rules of the Game~
- The Forgotten, out of good will by the Lady, will be liberated of any and all physical ailments they may have at the start of a game so as to ensure maximum enjoyment.
- The Forgotten will also be permitted to draw power from either select memories or the game board itself during the course of the game, as the Lady wishes to encourage “fair play”.
- In addition, as the Lady is a most generous individual, the Lady herself may not enter the board in play until the end of the seventh turn.
- The Lady, until her placement upon the board, may not directly intervene with the board itself and must instead rely on other pieces.
- The same applies to the Lady’s opponent, lest she place herself upon the board.
- The Lady is under no circumstance permitted to make use of power which is overwhelming, impossible to overcome, or deemed as “unfair” by the host.
- The Lady is forbidden to remove one of the opposing side's pieces permanently from play, barring a violation of the rules.
- The Forgotten is permitted the use of lethal or deadly force at all times against the opposing side, and is permitted to permanently remove opposing pieces from the board at any time.
- Both sides are permitted to introduce whatever pieces they deems appropriate for any purpose at any given time within reasonable proportions.
- Both sides are also forbidden to take their leave from the game board once a game begins, until a victor has been decided.
- Upon the Lady's victory, the Forgotten are permitted to "retry" the game if they should so desire. However upon the Forgotten's victory, the Lady is FORBIDDEN to request a second chance herself, and must grant any whims or requests from the victorious side. None will ever be exempt from this rule, as it is the supreme rule.
[SIZE="-9"]The Lady reserves the right to become temporarily exempt to regulations directly relating to her upon impending capture at the discretion of the host.[/SIZE]
[SIZE="-9"]Death, both physically and metaphysically are not the end upon this board…[/SIZE]
[SIZE="-9"]Penalties will be imposed upon those who break the rules…and those who choose not to adhere to the spirit of the rules.[/SIZE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smoke reforms the rules once…twice…thrice, then ultimately dissipate upon going through enough repetitions for all to know of the nature of the game. Though it is then that, surprisingly enough, the maiden in grey raises a question…a strangely simplistic one at that.
“If I’m correct my dear Lady, the reward for prevailing in the game is the same as it was before? A wish?...”
To which the Lady of Blue pauses for a moment, not out of slow understanding, but perhaps…bewilderment at being asked as to such a clear statement. Yet, nonetheless the elegant witch replies in good humor still, her smile unfading.
“I do believe that the rules explicitly state it dear. As before, if the pieces should prevail once again, they may request anything of yours truly~ A splendid prize for a bit of simple fun no? Fufufu~”
A conjoined moment of laughter between the two follows, as if amused by the concept…a period of time that is interrupted however, when blue butterflies drift down before them…piling on each other one after another, and creating a vague humanoid illusion… before fluttering away, and revealing an individual in a black tailcoat with complimentary top hat. Bowing before the two enthroned individuals, the figure seems to conjure a golden scroll from out of nowhere… presenting it to the one that was to serve as the opponent for the upcoming game; a scroll that seems to “confuse” the one in blue for a moment, as she reads it carefully…but causes her to clap her hands in realization shortly after.
“Message?... Hmm?… Ah…I see. Let them know I’ll be right there. I’ve no intention to keep our beloved spectators waiting after all.”
Though…such a realization of course, does not come as easily to the one in grey, largely due to not having seen the presented message, causing her to adopt a visage of perplexion and confusion. One that is fortunately dispelled as her other opts to explain to her the contents of the supposed message.
“The council dear, they’ve come calling for another tea party. One you should really consider attending~ After all, it seems that there’s many who are eager to see you.“
A shake of the head, accompanied by a humble declining gesture of the hand follows the explanation… one seemingly given in good humor still, despite its implications.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. Such lengthy gatherings… I simply can’t expect to last.”
An awkward silence follows as the Lady of Blue and the Grey Maiden seem to stare one another down, their smiles fading slightly as facades threaten to crumble…as if both have suddenly become suspicious of the other. A stand off which threatens to last forever…until oddly enough, the more naturally domineering of the two chooses to back off first, the sadistic smile from before returning as blue butterflies begin surrounding her and the messenger from the council...
“Fufufu~ Whatever you say then dearest Reina. Until I return, the game board shall be under your care. Do give a good show for the council dear~ After all, boredom entails such horrible things~... ”
A swirl of blue wings and smoke, a gust of wind…and soon…all that remains in the room is the voiceless onlookers, and the maiden in grey…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once alone however, it is then that “Reina”…begins to act…strange, her voice seeming to change from the spirited and cruel manner of a witch to a more…hollow, and empty manner of speech. A voice that seems monotone, if not a bit emotionally drained as it opts to utter cryptic words, one with seemingly little relevance to what was mentioned before.
“…Reverse the flow of time, look from the end to the beginning for truth to be unveiled. Nothing is permanent, and everything is fleeting…”
What could such odd words possibly mean? Why had they been given? Such were the thoughts that most likely ran through those present as they were uttered. Yet…before much thought can be given…the sound of reverberating bells is heard…
DING…DONG….DING…DONG…
And a dull pain begins to fill the heads of those present, save for of the one dressed in grey…who begins to rise at this time. Each of the countless clocks has reached its zenith, the peak in which all the hands meet…and thus, as the room begins to spin, and the table of glass begins to glow brilliantly…signal the beginning of the new game. The last thing that consciousness allows one to be aware of, is the same dull voice from before, ringing throughout the minds of all present in confirmation.
“…Let the games begin.”
The world was then enveloped in light…