[HC Event] Dreamworld

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

Dreamworld

Background Summary:

The Sailor Wars have been raging for over half a year.

It started suddenly and brutally. Chaotic forces on planets throughout the Milky Way attacked in unison, quickly overwhelming the Sailor Guardians of the respective worlds; only those who banned together were able to push back the army of darkness that spread, but wiping out Chaos on one planet did little in the grand scheme of this war. While the leader of the Chaotic Army was seemingly absent, his generals did well to direct forces in his absence, and the Guardians of the Sailor Queens had to organize the Senshi of their sectors in order to stem the flow of evil that marched against them.

The Sailor Queens themselves were pinned down - unable to truly fight as a Sailor Warrior any longer, it was up to them to use their Crystals to push back the miasma of darkness that would otherwise strengthen the forces of Chaos within their borders; so long as they lived, the Senshi within their zones of influence fighting to save the galaxy would have a chance, but the moment they fell, the vacuum of energy left in their wake would weaken their soldiers, and the miasma that filled it would fill them with dread even as it strengthened their enemies against their attacks.

The strongest of all the Sailor Queens - the Queen of Crystal Tokyo - protected the greatest area of stars, her influence covering nearly half the galactic disc; to protect her, barriers were erected around the Solar System, allowing nothing and no one to enter. Her own Sailor Guardians, some of the oldest and most skilled within the Galaxy, set off in all directions to save as many planets as they could, to organize the Senshi they came across, and systematically eradicate Chaos from within their borders. To this end, Sailor Jupiter and King Endymion stayed behind with Neo Queen Serenity, the latter to aid her in her efforts to keep Chaos at bay, the former to organize senshi volunteers and send them where they were most needed, using the complex computer system of Crystal Tokyo to keep track of Chaos's advances.

The war had not been going well. They were scrambled and short-staffed - they got the word out the best they could so senshi on planets who had yet to be affected could elect to help them, but that sudden first attack had killed many of their number, and their worlds were now strongholds for the Chaotic armies; attacking such places and reclaiming them were distant goals; their immediate futures wrapped up in preventing more planets from being taken as opposed to recapturing worlds already lost to them.

Four months in, the leader of the Chaotic Army surfaced, and the wave of Chaos intensified. ***

On his heels, a group of senshi emerged with an explanation for both his absence and theirs, coming back from an adventure that had taken them days, but wherein months had passed outside that system. They brought with them a woman who had defected from the Chaos Army who revealed that the trap that they had fallen into had been set for the Crystal Tokyo senshi of the Solar System, a trap that, had it been successful, would have made the Chaotic takeover of the Milky Way child's play. For ruining that plan, the Chaotic Prince had sent forth seeds of chaos to the planets of those senshi that would dig deep and eventually take over the core of their worlds.

To fight this, the senshi split up, went to those affected worlds, and eradicated the threat; all except one. The seed of chaos took root on one planet - Enyalius - and the senshi of that world was corrupted, her power source turned from Cosmos to Chaos, and she became the first Senshi of this Sailor War to turn sides, overturning the safeguards that had been put in place since Galaxia's Sailor War nearly a millennia ago. She escaped to her homeworld, and senshi of that original team, lead by her lover, Sailor Achelois, followed, set on healing her or killing her, should that prove impossible.

It did, and she died by her partner's hands; as her crystal went to rejoin the Cauldron, it was taken by the Chaos Prince with the intent to use the crystal's power to further his cause. Furious, Sailor Achelois followed him to Sagittarius Zero Star, her friends and allies joining her yet again in this attempt to save the Galaxy and stop the Chaos Leader once and for all. In the end, they won. The Prince was dead, his army without a head. Sailor Achelois saved the Enyalius crystal, and, in attempting to revive her partner, ended up making a deal with The Crone, a powerful, mysterious force for Cosmos, and traded her future for the lives of all of the senshi killed since the start of the Sailor War. Once the deal was struck, Sailor Crystals exploded from the Cauldron like a thousand thousand shooting stars, each returning to where they had died to take up the fight once more, surprising Chaos forces that had thought themselves immune to Senshi attacks in their strongholds.

Events described above:

*** Elsewhere:

The War had turned in their favor, but the process to eradicate Chaotic forces from previously peaceful planets was neither quick nor easy.

***Today***

Two months have passed since the Rebirth of the Stars, the event named for the sight of the Sailor Crystals returning home, and while Senshi were still locked in battle, a secret meeting was called between Senshi Leaders to discuss tactics and receive reports and to organize forces for their final push. Senshi volunteers gathered at this meeting as well rather than going home; with Sailor Jupiter awaiting reports from this conclave to decide where best to send them, those in attendance believed that this central meeting point would serve them best in getting to where they were most needed.

They met on a world near the center of the galaxy within Neo Queen Serenity's territory, the light of the Imperium Silver Crystal keeping the Chaotic miasma at bay. The world is a small terrestrial, its home civilization similar to Earth's circa 2000AD, and the Senshi are meeting in a small city in an upscale hotel with a convention center, the nondescript place decided upon to lessen the likelihood that they would be found out or spied upon. To the people of the city, they were simply important foreign, and somewhat eccentric, dignitaries. The request is made of all "guests" to remain within the hotel property; while the world is aware of the existence of aliens, having so many at one spot may prove to be... disconcerting.

The meeting began and participants quickly separated, choosing different informational sessions to attend, furthering their own training and giving them tips and tricks to take back with them when they returned to their home sector* to teach other senshi on their various missions - the more information shared, the better.

Panels and descriptions:

Timeslot	Room A	Room B	Room C
1	System-Wide Defense Fields -Technology- Sailor Mercury	Techniques for Decreasing Ability Cast Time -Training- Sailors Mars and Venus	Motivating Teams Effectively -Leadership- Sailor Perun
2	Small-Scale Energy Barriers -Technology- Sailor Shango	Tactical Team Organization -Leadership- Sailor Venus	Citizen Defense Forces: Helping Civilians Help Themselves -Resources- Sailors Mu and Chalybs
3	Advanced Enemy Analytics and Statistics -Technology- Sailor Wuluwaid	Techniques for Regaining Enemy Strongholds -Tactics- Sailor Mars	Maintaining Team Morale -Leadership- Sailor Perun
4	Directing Group Decisions -Leadership- Sailor Quetzal	Survival Skills and Improved Defensive Maneuvers -Training/Resources- Sailor Enlil	Practical Application of Healing Abilities -Tactics- Sailor Shango

1A: Lots of technical talk; heavy in theory for creating palaces that orbited worlds and embedding resonating crystals within the structure of that palace. The crystals are powered by the senshi energies of the world the castle circled, directed by super computers run by the Sailor Crystal Guardian of that planet; for major changes and real-time communication, the actual Senshi had to be present; however, the castle can be run by the Crystal Guardian alone. The protective field generated by the planet sweeps out and encases the area within the castle's orbit; the technology could be used to cover the area within the the orbit of that planet, as was the case in the Solar System, if multiple planets with powerful senshi worked together to cover the arc of the farthest planet's orbit they were nearest to.

Pros: Nearly impenetrable so long as the senshi is alive and the castle not destroyed

Cons: Palace construction can take a long time; finding gems that resonate with that planet's energy can take time. If a senshi has not opened their fullest potential and transformed with her planetary Crystal Power, she would have to stay to operate her castle in lieu of her hitherto-unmet Crystal Guardian.

Possible 'O.O' moment for newbies: all? lol; That their transformation could improve over time. That they have a guardian for their sailor crystal that can act independently of them once unleashed.
1B: Theory and practice; harnessing emotions and attaching said emotions to the attacks themselves to trigger the attacks without need of yelling out their name. Practice transforming on the run (literally), but as they were nearly always transformed nowadays, it progressed to aiming attacks at targets and paying attention to the energy signature of the attack. How it made them feel beneath their emotions, and memorizing that energy signature to call it back faster and faster.
1C: A quick study in psychology with tips and techniques to turn bad situations around within a group setting and providing a metaphorical carrot to keep things moving smoothly; emphasis was paid to situations they had been facing recently, including defeat, depression, death of a teammate, and situations wherein the people they worked with did not want to be there or did not value the mission. Light roleplay was involved, with characters taking up different roles in given situations and swapping out who would take on the leadership role and get the "team" moving again.
2A: Small, spherical devices were handed out to all participants that, when activated, would erect a particle barrier that would keep anything from entering or exiting. The panel was spent showing basically how the device works, how to use the device - whether placed, thrown, or triggered from a distance. Warnings were given about setting the "ghost" time for the barrier - the time it took for the barrier to materialize and "solidify", as much as pure energy would solidify - and the "battery life" of the device, as well as how difficult it could be to go about "recharging" it on various worlds.

Pros: versatile - can be used for offense (as a bomb), defense (as an impenetrable shell), and capture (of enemies)

Cons: nothing can get through until it is taken down - including air. Battery life can keep it activated for five minutes at a time. Has no connection to senshi - can be captured and used against them, must be recovered.

Sailor Bastet and Sailor Alshain gain an "Energy Barrier" ball.
2B: Practice in organizing well-balanced groups to be most effective when choosing from a large pool; practice with giving out duties, lists given for potential "small scale" duties for less-experienced senshi when shadowing an experienced teammate is out of the question; practice with organizing "thrown together" groups of volunteers that happened upon the same site at the same time. Practice with quickly learning about a senshi's abilities and connecting them to goal-specific tasks. Activities included practice within the room itself; randomly assigning groups and goals (defend a city, capture a city, find the enemy, etc.) and had participants figure things out with those who were actually there.
2C: General rundown of how to evaluate whether a planet's defenses would be adequate to protect them from the Chaos invading their worlds, considering technology and preparedness. Tips for approaching the active military on those worlds - cautions against engagement when the world is not united under one government and so would have multiple political structures in play if the Chaos attack is large-scaled and not contained within one region. Information on what to tell military leaders, hints to give soldiers for fighting against Chaotic manifestations. Ways to communicate with power structures put in place and the nearest senshi outpost - if it existed - should their fight prove too much. Organizing small scale militias when there weren't enough senshi in the region.
3A: What to look for when using scanners on chaotic enemies and generals; energy signals that can indicate whether an enemy can shapeshift, whether it can grow or shrink in size, whether it can control the minds of those around it, whether it can fly, whether it was stronger or faster or had higher defense than normal. Small scanners were handed out to participants who did not have any scanner technology, warned, however, that the scanner can be used by anybody, not just senshi.

Shadow gains a set of energy-sensor goggles.
3B: Rundown of basic "fortresses" Chaos typically put in place and where their weaknesses fell. A lot of analyzing recorded fortresses and planning how the participants would work their way in to take it over or destroy it; their plans were compared against the recorded plans that had succeeded, and discussions were had on where teams went wrong or what they could have done differently to be more effective or efficient.
3C: Another quick study in psychology for keeping spirits up when bad things happened; this panel differed from the Motivation panel in that the focus was on supporting teammates' morale rather than figuring out how to keep everyone moving.
4A: Similar to Motivation panel, but emphasis put on how to become the leader of your group when no leader is appointed. Emphasis placed on how to direct your team's attention to things you believe are important, how to listen to teammates and incorporate ideas to give ownership, and what to say and how to say "this is what I think we should do, and this is why you should do it."
4B: A course more on nature and how to survive the elements more than anything. What to look for in finding a safe place to rest, what to initially avoid in new environments, common nature-traps; the panel could be compared to "scouts in weird places: how to stay alive before you fight that battle." The Defensive Maneuvers portion was also skewed to using an environment to your advantage, but digressed into basic movement patterns to keep an eye in more directions, and then devolved from there into guerrilla warfare tactics.
4C: A quick crash-course in how to evaluate a team to determine who to heal first in an emergency or a fight, and techniques for not feeling guilty (or techniques to comfort your healer for feeling guilty) when literally putting the life of one teammate above others. Basic strategy was healer first, then the leader or tactician, then the head defender, then the strongest attacker, and finally anybody and everybody else. Soft talk about how healing is more difficult than it appears, how while healers may not be on the front line of the attack, they are on the front lines for emotional and mental turmoil. When things go wrong, when people die, the healer is often blamed first, by herself and her teammates; the nonhealers in the panel were politely asked to stand up for their healer if this happened, and the healers were reminded that if they did their best, no one could blame them.

But then... Two hours after the start of dinner, as the first day of the conclave came to a close, a small sampling of the senshi gathered started to fall asleep.

Some of these seemed natural - some were already in their rooms, or were hanging out with friends in the lounge, seeming to doze off after a long, information-packed day.

Others... were less so. Girls falling into their desserts, dead asleep; some drifted off mid-conversation, mid drink, mid joke, mid laugh; some fell asleep while dancing, while walking, while swimming.

Though caught, rescued, or gently laughed good-naturedly over... none of them would wake up.

Quote :: Setting****
This takes place within the Dreamworld; what it is and where it is will be a mystery to the characters that fell into it; ~~some will remember having fallen asleep, others may have fallen~~ characters fell asleep too quickly to realize they are asleep. Everything feels real and things work exactly as they expect them to in the real world - the best explanation for them was random teleportation of some sort.

Note to players: If the character dies in the dreamworld, they die outside the real world.

More information will be revealed when they come-to...

What is a Hardcore Event?

Event Rules and Information:

Hardcore Events wrote:

Hardcore Events
Hardcore events are a sampling of all the Roleplaying Section has to offer: profile approvals, live-chat sessions, dungeon crawler game elements, and a one-month time limit to complete the story or get a bad ending.

Duration:
One month exactly, unless a problem arises with the host, in which case the event will be extended for the number of days the host was absent.
If the storyline is not resolved within a month's time, the mission fails.
General Rules:
All roleplay rules and gc rules apply
Activity Rule: Participants are required to post within 24-48 hours or will be removed from the event (their characters will either be lost or replaced).
Random Events may be introduced into the story if all players are active within the OOC chat or on the boards; Random Events are storyline plot events in which players will have a limited time to respond before consequences are enacted; each will come with a caveat in that if you cannot respond within the given time-frame, you may request another player's character take your character with them (if movement is required).
Consistency Rule: All players are held to the understanding that they will pay attention to the story flow, taking note of roleplay elements (situational - who's talking to who, where people are located, etc) and event elements (their HP, MP, the placement of others on the map, etc.). If a player derails the event with inconsistencies, consequences will occur.
Requirements:
Character Profile - Participants are required to have their character's profile submitted and approved before the event begins. *Advanced Hardcore Events require advanced character profiles.
Word Requirement - Advanced Hardcore Events require minimum 100-word posts.
Additional Elements:
Real Time RP - some Hardcore Events will have real-time rp sessions to start, end, or move the story along. Participants are required to have a skype account for these live-chat events if they don't want their character NPC'd through those instances.
Dungeon Crawler - some Hardcore Events will have dungeon-crawler game elements to them, wherein players will need to distribute attribute points to reflect their characters strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities, and will need to prescribe MP requirements to attacks. During these events, they will be at the mercy of random number generators (digital Dungeons and Dragons style die) for attacks and defense rolls to minimize godmodding and/or powerplaying.
Certain Events officially happen within the Galaxy Cauldron's Crystal Tokyo Timeline and so can be added to character's histories, instead of just their Storyline Information sections. Participating in these events, whether playing an original character or a canon character, can have consequences within this timeline we're creating together - characters can become famous, can make enemies and allies, and can, through storyline events, grow and develop as characters and let that development follow them through the overarching plot. The current Otaku-inclusive event train is as follows:
Silver Crystal Sector
The Collector -> Decay -> Return to Zenar -> Remnants -> Andromeda Spire -> Leviathan Core -> Fields of Enyalius -> Light in Darkness --> Continuation
Tapestry Crystal Sector
Conscription -> Conviction -> Conflagration -> Consecration --> Continuation
Note, therefore, that choices have consequences in these games. Characters can die in these events if their HP goes less than 0 (in some circumstances), and therefore will not be allowed back into the chain after that event, and players who set stories in their character's 'future' may stipulate that a 'dead' character not participate because in their character's canon, that character is dead. This does not happen often.
On Character Knock-Out:
On Character Death:

New Character Creation Guidelines wrote:

New Senshi characters are allowed to join this RP with a few conditions:

The senshi must have an approved Advanced profile. Profiles may be adopted from our Otaku Adoption Center, but they must be modified so that they are advanced and follow all of the guidelines in this list. If you need help or clarification, discord DM me.
The senshi cannot be from Earth, the Solar System, the Silver Sector (within 50,000 lightyears of Earth (first set of events)) or the Tapestry Sector (within 30,000 lightyears of Zhi (second set of events)).
Available Sectors (named after the Queen's crystal) and the Queen's court senshi in attendance at this conclave:
---Sacbeob Sector, ruled by Queen Kukulkan; representative Sailor Quetzal
---Tuppi Sumati Sector, ruled by Queen Tiamat; representative Sailor Enlil
---Tsetse Sector, ruled by Queen Bumba; representative Sailor Shango
---Kanmare Sector, ruled by Queen Kunapipi; representative Sailor Wuluwaid
---Bogatyr Sector, ruled by Queen Mikula; representative Sailor Perun
*When making your profile, your senshi will know the name of their sector, it's general location (see me), their Queen (whether they met her before or not), and will at least be of acquaintance with their Queen's Representative; if you would like to use this representative in your character's backstory, see me for her general personality trait.
map:
The senshi must be named after their planet or the star of their system; senshi named after concepts, seasons, with two names, etc. (aka Sailor Flower, Sailor Time, Sailor Spring, Sailor Winter Evening) will be requested to make a name change to participate in these events. ((suggestions will be offered if requested))
The senshi must exist in this timeline - ~1000 years into Crystal Tokyo and the Neo Silver Millennium (Crystal Millennium); no time travelers.
At this point, there are practically no "new senshi"; there are young senshi (please no awakenings before age 13), there are novice senshi, but any "new" senshi has, at this point, either been serving actively for up to 6 months in outright full-scale bloody-and-until-weeks-ago-losing war-with-chaos conditions, or was murdered, died, and came back to life 2 months ago in the exact spot that she died; if she's alive now, she's seen some stuff. At this point they should know their powers and their limits.
---No more than 5 abilities per senshi. Younger senshi should have fewer abilities. Future abilities may be included in the profile but may not be able to be used within the event.
They must have attended the Conclave outlined in the Continuation event; while the player might not have participated, their character had to have been there; when signing up / creating your profile, choose from the panels listed in the rundown above to state what conferences your senshi attended (or sat out of) so we can figure out which other characters they would have made acquaintance of throughout the day. In your RP Sample for this new character, make a "final post" like snippet from the Continuation event; have them reflect on what they did that day and end it with them falling asleep.

Note: For this specific HC Event, all profiles must be approved by October 14 to give ample time to get HC stats and abilities settled before the event begins.

Event Begins October 21.

Reminders:

Pay attention to the story. Read every post so you don't miss anything. Major Plot Points will be delivered through me - either via DM Quote within a post or bolded within my character posts. I will announce, for example,w hen we find objects/people, and what things look like when prompted. I will arrange for enemies to fight and I'll handle the combat system to determine hit/miss and damage dealt/healing.
Needless to say, if you don't pay attention to the story, your character's reactions / ideas / etc. may be out of place and will be treated as such by other characters. All RP Section rules are in effect for this HC Event, including the rule that you cannot go back and edit the substance of a post once someone has posted after you. Read Carefully.
Activity Rule: Post once every 48 hours or your character will fade from the Dreamworld and expelled from the Event. The Activity Rule is in place to keep things moving, which can't happen if one character is waiting on another to post! If an emergency comes up IRL and you need an extra day, tell me and I'll carry your character for that third day.
Keep watch on Discord: OOC messages and game announcements will be made there (and I mean ooc chatter and who doesn't like that? ... if it's you, remember I @everyone when I make big announcements).
Random Active Time Events can happen! - if the majority of players are active in the Discord Channel I may spring Random Events on the characters that players will need to react to within a few hours time or something bad happens! These will always be announced in the Discord conversation with an @everyone attached; discord will be open for questions/comments/concerns and will always come with the caveat that if you are online but unable to post, arrange with a player in Discord to move your character for you; if you are not online at the time that player will be me. Instructions will need to be followed else consequences are wordlessly accepted for not following any outlined specific directions.
This is an Advanced Event. All posts outside battle are required to be 100 words or more.
Bold battle choices and actions that you would like me as the DM to respond to. Want to ask an NPC a question? Bold it~ Want to attack a tree? Bold it~ Want to attack an enemy with magic? Bold the attack name~ And remember please~ if your character didn't attend the "Decreasing ability time" panel and their ability has a title, they'll have to say it for best effectiveness~

Characters in the Dream World:

Sailor Andromeda - Bubbles - Sailor Neptune
Sailor Bellatrix- Verdandi - Sailor Saturn
Sailor Nocturnus - Aurae - Sailor Mercury
Sailor Aegle - Kyra - Sailor Uranus
Sailor Soul - Addelyn
Sailor Bastet - Brit-chan
Sailor Xibalba - Luna
Sailor Tartarus - Jasper
Sailor Chalybs - JupiterThunderCrash - Sailor Pluto
Sailor Vulkan - Anait Zelleire

Character Sheets
Stats

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

DM - Setting wrote:: The senshi wake up with a start, the last few moments completely blank for each and every one of them - how they got there a chilling mystery.

They find themselves in the dark, deep in the woods of some long forgotten world; trees crisscrossed the pathway before and behind them, the small glen they found themselves in seemingly a stop on some ill-used pathway, the vines that draped from limb to limb and tree to tree nothing but eerie in the halflight, their dreadful shapes lending itself to the eerie feel of the place, a miasma of sorts seeming to float amidst the mist that surrounded them. There was no moon to lend its light, only the faint pinprick glow of stars far overhead that bounced and diffused in the wispy fog that clung to the lower path. There was no rustle of wind in the decaying trees, no breath of true life about the place - it was as though the trees subsisted off of something other than good clean earth, produced something other than fresh air...

Somewhere in the distance, a great beast howled.

They were being hunted.

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

Crysdal gasped, quickly adjusting her balance and pose to stop dancing and catch herself before she fell into a small girl in a dark senshi uniform, her blue-grey eyes wide with confusion as her mouth set in a firm line of concentration, bending neatly and shifting her weight. Managing to avoid the collision, she straightened and her eyes narrowed to take in her new surroundings, noting the trailing vines, the dank stench in the air... the echoing howl. A chill ran down her spine - it was spooky here, wherever "here" was, but at least she wasn't alone. Glancing over the other senshi gathered, she projected her voice but kept calm as she asked, "Is everyone okay?"

Lotus Crystal

Sailor Xibalba opened her eyes with a start as she noticed the change in environment around her. The miasma that hung heavy in the air, the vines that clung to the trees, and the faint stench of rot and wet reminded her of home. But, none of this reminded her of the hotel she was staying at for the conference. "What the f--?" She started, before flopping over to land not-so-gracefully on the ground. She stood up straight, and then looked at the senshi gathered in the forest.

"Am I drunk?" She asked, but then paused as if she was testing her own body for drunkenness. The bone necklace around her neck rattled softly as she moved. "I don't feel drunk and that's a shame." The senshi of death and disease displayed her modified and stained teeth prominently as she leered at the senshi and tried to figure out which of them would have a bottle of the good stuff. "I'd like a drink of whatever got us here." She casually walked the perimeter of the group. The Lord of Death could have been searching for the bottle of 'whatever got them here', but she was probably looking for her Lords in the small crowd.

Lotus Crystal

This wasn't her room. This wasn't even the hotel! SAM was starting to lose her cool only seconds after waking up, taking in the group of senshi stuck in these strange woods with her. Some she recognized, but others were complete strangers. Why was it so dark and creepy here? A howl in the distance made her heartbeat spike, and she yelped, though her helmet muffled the sound significantly. This place was definitely bad!

"I-I think so...?" she answered Crysdal, moving a little closer to her. SAM wasn't physically injured at all, but that didn't make her feel any better about this.

Outer Senshi Admin Events & Storyline Admin

Bellatrix jolted awake, an apology on her lips, but she froze. She no longer sat in the dining room speaking to Shadow. She didn't know what this place was, nor where.

A moment later Bellatrix noticed other movements around her, other senshi that she recognized from their time together at the seminars and dinner. Bellatrix pursed her lips, though she was thankful that she wasn't left alone in this place.

She slowly regained her footing and stood up straight, taking in her surroundings. Bellatrix wondered why she was here, but Shadow was not. They had been sitting near one another, surely if some strange abduction occurred in the dining room, he would have been taken as well.

Well, perhaps it was best that there were as few people in this gross place as possible.

A sense of panic bubbled in her chest, pulling at her well-practiced sense of calm. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, quelling the unpleasant sensation. For what felt like the millionth time, she was thankful for the meditation techniques to help keep her hindering emotions at bay. It wasn't a cure, and it didn't make them go away completely, but it certainly helped.

A howl in the wind only exacerbated the increasingly uneasy feeling heavy in the pit of her stomach. Bellatrix concentrated for a moment, hand outstretched as she attempted to summon her Murzim Spear.

Lotus Crystal

Sailor Tartarus snapped awake, shivering involuntarily as her eyes took in the limited visual stimuli. Darkness on all sides, with naught but faint starlight to offer some semblance of direction in this gnarled grove. Such gatherings of flora on her homeworld were rather rare, lending a rather menacing tone of authenticity to her predicament. If she had woken up without the company of other senshi guardians, Tartarus would have seriously doubted her ability to escape or even form coherent thoughts beyond crippling, tear-jerking terror; the last time she was exposed to this kind of creepy gloom was the day she became a prisoner in her own physical body.

"Ss-something's not right," stammered the auburn-haired senshi in response to the question of welfare posed by a vaguely familiar young woman. Echidna could not remember if the two had been formally introduced, but soon found herself being distracted by the bizarre brunette who propositioned the group for a stiff drink. Such a fearsome face she had! And those teeth, well; they were certainly painted or stained to evoke strong reactions within the eyes of the beholder.

Letting her gaze slip away from the senshi with the bright death mask, Tartarus spied the armored suit of a rather familiar soldier. Feeling some degree of relief, she approached the one individual which counted as the closest thing to a friend she had.. at least for now, anyway.

Swallowing her worries, Tartarus began to approach SAM and Aegle. "Sailor Chalybs, is that you?"

Tartarus in Dreamworld:

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

Quote :: Bellatrix's spear appears as per usual.

There are no beverages in sight.

Outer Senshi Admin RP Graphics & Canon Admin

She came to in the dark, groggy and disoriented, her heart beating loudly at the sense of foreboding enveloping her. The location was unfamiliar, and she did not remember getting here. She seemed to be... in the woods? Had she been kidnapped? The mist was thick, and for a moment an uncomfortable flashback to that time in Zenar when the deadly fog had suffocated the group and caused her to pass out rose to the forefront of her mind.

She blinked, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, not moving, waiting until she could gain more information. Her Chrome Blade formed on her hand, ready to be used should a threat appeared. She sat up when she heard the howl of what sounded like a terrible creature. The place seemed dead, and yet...

Was this a Chaos-infested planet?

Her memory of what she last remembered made her stand up and look around, and that was how she noticed the other senshi around her.

"Nocturnus? Achelois?" she called out, her voice slightly panicked. Were they okay?

Lotus Crystal

What the? Amina looked around, eyes scanning, noticing the other senshi nearby. How in the world had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was saying good night to Shadow and Sailor Bellatrix and going to bed.

"Bellatrix, are you alright? Have you seen Shadow?" she asked, moving closer to the other senshi. Seeing that she had summoned her spear, Soul attempted to summon her scepter, knowing she would feel better with her weapon in her hand. Granted, it wasn't like she couldn't use her powers without them, but it made her feel better. Was Shadow with Bellatrix, perhaps somewhere close by?

Outer Senshi Admin Events & Storyline Admin

The heavy familiar weight of her spear comforted her even as the atmosphere in this strange place continued to be unsettling. Tight grip against the warm golden metal, Bellatrix glanced around once more, trying to keep any eye out for any dangers to herself or her fellow senshi.

A familiar voice caught her attention and Bellatrix turned to face Sailor Soul, and she felt oddly reassured by the other's presence. She didn't know Soul very well at all, but there was a sense of familiarity and companionship there that she couldn't quite explain.

In response to Soul's question, however, Bellatrix could only frown and shake her head. "I haven't seen him," she replied. She couldn't help but to glance around once more, just in case she'd missed the darkly clad man, but to no avail.

Her head still felt rather fuzzy, but she tried to explain the circumstances before she'd woke up in this place. "Last I remember, I was at the dining room still talking with Shadow before becoming incredibly tired." She paused, frown deepening. "I had meant to go to my bedroom but uh... I guess I'm here now. Somehow."

She gave a small shrug as a kind of apology. The worry Soul had for Shadow made her feel at fault, in a way, that she couldn't put those worries to rest.

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An expletive drew her attention to a foreign senshi just before the woman fell to the ground, picked herself up, and asked after a drink after leering at the rest of them; she didn't know how they had gotten there either, then, and apparently she was physically alright. Seemingly at the same moment, a muffled cry resounded behind her, but she recognized that voice and chose to keep an eye on the senshi with the stained teeth. Putting a hand gently on the small dark-clad senshi's shoulder in an attempt to calm her if she was afraid, she nodded when Chalybs came closer and gave her a direct answer, glancing to the side as the another tall woman summoned a spear - Bellatrix. Maybe. They had been in one of the panels together. Bellatrix turned to address Soul - she had Soul had been in a few together - so Crysdal turned her attention back to the others, and was immediately drawn to the fear shaking someone's voice.

'Ss-something's not right,' the young woman stammered - Crysdal couldn't place her, but something was familiar about her uniform. She seemed to recognize Chalybs, so Crysdal left her to her companion.

She took a deep breath, as though pushing away her fear and gathering herself for pulling everyone together. "Does anyone have any idea what's going on?" she asked, projecting her voice to be heard by everyone gathered but to travel no farther than that; the way things were, it sounded like they had all been caught unaware, but she'd prefer to make sure before trying to figure out a solution.

DM wrote:: Soul summons her sceptre without incident.

The more she thought about it, the more sure Andromeda would become: these woods were like those of the planet Zenar.

Lotus Crystal

Sailor Xibalba grunted in frustration when she found neither a bottle of alcohol nor any of her Lords of Death amongst the crowd. Not only did she not know where she was nor where her brothers-in-arms were, she was stranded with a group of senshi she never really had any intention of getting close to. She had intended to leave their relationship at 'that woman I saw at the bar throughout the conference. I don't think I ever saw her without a drink.' But, now, this situation would obviously mean she would be required to take her relationship with the other senshi beyond that level.

It was obvious to her that the majority of the sailor senshi knew each other, because some even offered comfort and reassurance to each other. At least a few, Sailor Bellatricsh and that other one, had the wit to summon their weapons. One senshi, Sailor Tartarus, looked at Sailor Xibalba a little longer than necessary. The Lord of Death bared her teeth at the younger senshi, and then laughed heartily when Sailor Tartarus looked away. Oh, this could prove fun. A few of these women were likely scared of her, and that was just how Xibalba liked it. Too bad her Lords weren't with her. They would have a heck of a time with this group.

Sailor Aegle, oh wait, she had asked to be called Crysdal. Crysdal asked the larger group if anyone had any idea what was going on. But, Sailor Xibalba knew no one was likely to know why they were in this forest instead of the hotel. As she reached to her waist to see if she had her chert blade, she strode forward with purpose. The chert blade would be useful for clearing a path in the forest, particularly for those not used to traveling through this sort of environment. "I doubt we'll find that answer here. We should find shelter." Her memory trailed backwards to the sound they had all heard a few moments earlier. "We aren't alone."

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She awoke to see a blur of blonde hair and pink uniform, the older teenager steadying herself just in time to avoid knocking over Nocturnus. Dark eyes scanned the area, confused—too many thoughts whirled together in her mind. She remembered being at the conference with Achelois and Andromeda, but this was not that place. This place was foreign and strange; dark and obscured but lacking the comfort of her mother's sacred night. How had she gotten here? Who were all of these sailor soldiers? Sailor Nocturnus vaguely remembered some of them from the sessions, but she wasn't familiar with all of them.

The howl that echoed almost turned her blood to ice. She felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck, and that sense of dread settled deep in the hollow of her stomach. Without truly understanding how, she knew that was not just a distant animal. She had felt this way before, in so many other battles:

That echo heralded danger.

She felt shy in this group of unfamiliar faces. Not too long ago she had finally been reunited with those most dear to her, and once again they were now parted. The dark eyes looked away from those who were talking, staring deep into the thick tangle of trees. She was alone again, wasn't she? Nocturnus could only pray that wherever they were, the others were alright.

When she heard a familiar voice, her head whipped up, the golden charms jingling softly from the sudden motion.

"Andromeda?" she replied, her voice high and tight, but not overly loud. She didn't want to be the one to attract whatever howled out there, but she had to reply.

The hand on her shoulder made her jump. Panicked, the child in the dark uniform looked up at the blonde woman attempting to lead the conversation, but Sailor Nocturnus realized that the intent was not to restrain her. She was not being kept from her companion or held hostage—she could feel and see no malice. She didn't pull free, but she turned her attention outward once again, seeking that familiar form decked in turquoise and seafoam.

Lotus Crystal

Vulkan opened her eyes to darkness, her senses taking in the not quite right smell of the apparent forest they were in. Strange considering they were just in a hotel and not, well here. She looked around as the others began to instantly call for and comfort one another. She was a little amazed at how fast they had responded in this way. She noticed that there were only some of the people who had been at the event present here. Where were the others? Were they safe? Why were they separated?

As one woman bared her teeth, Vulkan looked in interest, there seemed to be so much variety among the soft ones, she quite enjoyed it. The howl replayed in her mind, reminding her of their situation, not that she had forgotten or been distracted.

"Teeth over there is correct, it would appear that no one knows what's happening, standing in the place we were summoned to, probably not a good idea." While she didn't really know anyone, that shouldn't stop them from being able to work together.

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She frowned as she looked around her surroundings, the familiarity she'd felt no longer just an impression or memory from a dream. It felt more... real and grounded in truth. Could it be...? Had they really come back to...?

Someone's voice rang out above the others, and Andromeda turned to look at the blonde senshi. They'd shared a leadership panel earlier, if she recalled correctly.

"This place seems like a planet I've visited and saved before," she offered. "It was called Zenar. Fairies lived there."

She decided not to mention what it was like when it was infested by Chaos. That still haunted her nightmares sometimes.

She heard Nocturnus' call then, and her gaze lowered to the figure beside the blonde senshi, almost blending in with the darkness of the planet. "Nocturnus, thank goodness," she rushed toward her and grasped her hand gratefully. "Have you seen Achelois?" she said in a voice meant only for her.

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She held fast to the hand that reached out for hers, immediate comfort settling over her. She still felt afraid and she knew that they were in danger, but at least Andromeda was here. They had been through things like this before, so hopefully they would survive once more. This place was new to her, and so were so many of these other sailor soldiers, but the ocean-haired young woman had been by her side so many times before. Nocturnus tucked herself close, a brief memory of the terrible time when Andromeda had forgotten her flitting to the surface. She did her best to push that fear back down.

In response to Andromeda's quiet inquiry, Nocturnus shook her head. She shared her companion's desire to avoid attracting too much attention.

If only Achelois were here...

Lotus Crystal

Tartarus's cheeks flushed with embarrassment when Xibalba laughed at her aversion. What kind of sailor soldier would take delight in her discomfort while simultaneously bemoaning the present scarcity of ethyl alcohol? And how would diving into a bottle solve their present problem?

Though Tartarus stood about half of a head over Xibalba, the grim senshi's demeanor had such a tangible presence that it could cast its own shade - one large enough to swallow Tartarus whole. Even so, the scary lady with the bone headdress pointed out that all of their lives were at risk. She would need to contact Dorothea, but first it would be more prudent if the senshi were prepared to fight.

Spotting the gestures of Bellatrix and Soul with their own respective armaments, Tartarus began searching for her weapon. Now that the logical center of her brain was free to act, it would stand to reason that the senshi weren't exactly kidnapped if she was still in possession of her energy rifle.

OOC:

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The howl was what woke Ari with a start. The sound reverberating in her ears and heart pounding hard, she was up on her feet in seconds, summoning her quarterstaff, scanning her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of wherever she was. Which appeared to be a forest of sorts, however the feeling she got from it didn't sit well with her and the previous howl...and where was Hadley?

She froze, not seeing the girl in sight. Wherever they had been brought to from the hotel, Hadley was not here. Separated? Captured? The howl kept her from screaming out for her partner, afraid to attract it to her or perhaps from harming Hadley if she were indeed captured. The panic began to rise and it was all Ari could do to take in a few deep breathes in an attempt to calm herself.

In the brief moment of calm, she realized a short distance away a group of other Sailor Guardians had accumulated and she recognized a few of them too. Sam, Crysdal and the tall girl from the panels...Bellatrix? Ari quickly approached the group, over hearing one Guardian mentioning the planet reminded her of one called "Zenar". Certainly a place she had never heard of in her past two months of travels. She found her way to Crysdal and Sam, noticing a smaller girl.

"Have you seen Hadley? I was with her just moments ago and..." she trailed off, realizing her panic was setting in again just at the thought of being separated from her. She gulped back the lump that had started forming in her throat. Between the howl and her partner's disappearance, she knew there was one thing that was certain: they were all in danger.

Lotus Crystal

SAM turned her head when someone called for her, but it took her longer than it should have to recognize the senshi she was looking at. The outfit was the same as the girl she had talked to over the comm link and seen at the hotel, but what happened to her eyes and hair? Even her skin was different looking now. Was that an ability of hers?

"...Tartarus?" she asked, frowning slightly under her visor. "You look different now." There wasn't much time to get an answer about it, as some members of the group seemed to want to get moving. The name Zenar was introduced by one senshi in blue and white, and SAM wondered if they'd been selectively teleported somehow. How far away from the meeting were they?

"I'm not sure Valdis is here, Ari..." she said, looking down at her as she appeared. Some of that awkwardness from a few minutes (or was it hours?) ago at the dinner table was still there, but SAM wasn't retreating from the girl anymore. "But I do agree that we should at least leave this area. We're very easy targets out here..."

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Bellatrix agreed with Xibalba in that seeking shelter would be in the group's best interest, though another spoke up before Bellatrix could voice her own agreement.

Andromeda's mention of Zenar broke through all other thoughts, and Bellatrix frowned at the memories. Defeat. Guilt. Anger at herself.

She vaguely knew that the others had gone back to Zenar at some point, but she had opted to go find ways to make herself a stronger and overall better senshi after that bruising defeat. She was thankful for that time alone, as it had been the catalyst for her to learn the meditation and calming techniques she now used to her advantage. But a large part of her regretted it at the same time.

She felt that she had let her comrades down by disappearing, no matter the good it did for herself as a warrior. And she hadn't been able to ever help those fairies and their planet, no matter how much she wanted to.

Was it truly possible they were back? She wanted to reject the idea, feeling that being back on this planet would revert her back to that girl who had no control, but she trusted Andromeda's instincts. Andromeda had mentioned 'saved', which was somewhat comforting, but Bellatrix could only remember her own experiences on Zenar.

With this new information in mind, Bellatrix looked around at their surroundings once more, grip tight on her spear. "We should get moving," she agreed, adding her opinion after Chalybs voiced her own. She didn't know where they should go, exactly, but surely just standing here was doing no one any good.

Mostly, she just didn't like staying still for very long. "There's nothing for us here."

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Danger.

That word finally rang in Nocturnus' head in a way that was more than merely a warning. They were here, something bad was out there, and they couldn't just wait for it to find them. They needed to move—this had been echoed by many—but possibly the lack of clear path was one of the reasons no one had taken the first step.

Perhaps there was a way she could help.

A dark-gloved hand fished in the hidden pocket of her skirt until her fingers closed around that precious item, retrieving the gold Asturlab that had guided her so many times before. Maybe it would help this new group. Already she could see the motion of the many rings and discs within it as the pointers sought to align in the direction of negative energy, indicating a threat.

Sailor Nocturnus held the Asturlab on her open palm and concentrated on it, hoping it would suggest the location of whatever darkness lurked nearest to the group.

Lotus Crystal

Teeth? Sailor Xibalba laughed heartily at the nickname Sailor Vulkan gave the Lord of Death. "I like it," she chuckled, grinning wide as she proudly showed off her teeth. And, several others voiced their agreenent that staying where they were was not a good idea, but no one moved. Well, one pulled out a small device and held it in her palm, but she didn't say why.

"Okay...," Sailor Xibalba drawled. She was clearly impatient and wasn't willing to wait for a plan. "You can wait for a miracle, but I'm leaving." She smiled sarcastically and waved exaggeratedly at the group. "Come if you like. Sounds like Sailor Andromeda might be familiar with this place. You should stick to the front," she said, pointing at the blue-haired senshi.

And then, she turned around and walked away from the group with confidence as she treated this like the forests of Xibalba. The terrain wasn't home, but it felt close enough. Sailor Xibalba felt confident she could nimbly navigate the forest and could find a suitable shelter. Heck, maybe she'd find the other Lords. She was beginning to worry about them. Usually she wasn't separated from them without warning. Heck, usually they did everything together.

Why weren't they with her?

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DM wrote:: Anything attempted to be summoned has been summoned successfully. Things supposed to be on persons are found where they are supposed to be.

Nothing is out of the ordinary.

... beyond their current location.

Nocturnus' Asturlab, seeking darkness and chaos, pointed towards where they had heard the harrowing howl

Lotus Crystal

Thank goodness, it was still there! Finding her weapon to be precisely where she thought it would be, Tartarus readied the phase rifle and performed a quick check to ensure everything was proper. The barrel was free of debris, the power cell magazine was firmly seated, and the power feed was clear.

Well, at least that much was working properly.

Taking care to keep her firearm pointed towards the ground, Tartarus shot a quick glance back to Chalybs and blinked briefly. "Different? How do you mean?" She began to look further at herself, wondering if she had woken up in a puddle of mud.. or worse. To the young senshi's credit, her right hand held the high-tech weapon with no loose fingers near the trigger guard.

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The woman with the bones and stained teeth pulled out a blade and walked, stating that the answer to her question would not be found where they were; Aegle immediately disagreed but did not say anything yet, keeping quiet and trying to track different conversations for anything useful in case someone had anything useful to offer; she understood something was near, she knew they probably couldn't stay put, but figuring out if anyone knew what was going on was vital to making plans. The child-senshi with her responded to the call of another and she gently let her go, tracing another comment made by a dark senshi in red, who agreed with - Xibalba? the name popped into her head the moment she tried not to remember it - but she, too, assumed no one knew anything without waiting to see if that were true, which was starting to be a little frustrating. Her lips formed a tight line -- until, thankfully, someone else broke in with something useful - something the others might have missed if they had insisted on going ahead.

Andromeda - that name she remembered from the conference - offered up a planet name and species that had called it home, then rushed forward to meet the child-senshi; she was glad the younger girl had Andromeda looking after her. Zenar... fairies... If this were Zenar, aiming to find the fairies could be a good starting point -

Bastet's tense voice was like a jolt to her system, the worry in her tone crystal clear. Reaching out, she side-hugged the shorter girl, instinctively attempting to soothe her, looking down at her as Chalybs answered and reinforced the idea that they should move; when she finished answering Bastet and returned her attention to the brunette senshi, Crysdal added comfortingly, "Alshain isn't here either, or Hemera or Nyx or any of the others - if Hadley is out there, maybe they're together. We'll find our way back to them."

Everyone seemed ready to move, but beyond leaving no one was giving a good idea of where to start - she cleared her throat and prepared to project her voice and offer her fairy idea when the small senshi held out a little device and stared at it, distracting her into wondering what the device did as the little discs spun and suddenly stopped.

"We shouldn't head out just at random," Crysdal projected, blue-eyes leaving the small senshi's device. "Away from danger is obvious, but that's not working towards something. Let's find the fairies Andromeda mentioned - they might know why we are here."

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No Achelois then. In a way, that was a relief, because Achelois was with baby Enya, and if they were in danger... well, it was better for the baby if she were far away from it. But the loneliness pulled at her still. At least she still had Nocturnus...

Andromeda watched the others as some suggested moving, already feeling like she'd been thrust in the middle of a new team where she knew very little about most of them. Sure, she'd shared some panels with a couple, but for the most part they'd only met each other that day.

Nocturnus pulled out her Asturlab then, which seemed to be pointing toward the source of the howl. One of the strange looking senshi she'd only met earlier today announced that she was leaving and suggested that Andromeda lead the way. The unease of having to lead a completely new team briefly rolled through her, but then again, she'd learned about this the past few months and earlier today alone. She felt much less uncomfortable and less lost than the first time the position had been thrust upon her. Straightening herself, she looked around, peering at the woods that now slowly became more and more familiar to her. She remembered these pathways.

Sailor Aegle, the blonde one in pink, suggested they look for the fairies of Zenar, and Andromeda turned toward the west path.

"Their settlement is over here, if I recall correctly and they haven't moved," she said to the group, indicating the path and slowly beginning to pull Nocturnus that way.

"Last time we were here, there were a lot of unpleasant surprises, though. So, just... keep an eye out, everyone."

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"Um, excuse me," she started, the voice halting and slightly unsure. She felt very out of place to be among so many she didn't know as well as she had come to form a team with in previous missions. Once again, she was just a kid... even if she might be slightly taller than the one with the ornate headdress carrying a knife. Of course, the headdress added some height, anyway...

Even so, she was still pretty sure that Nocturnus looked younger. She had temporarily been promoted to a more "big sister"-like role with the rebirth of Enyalius, but that was no longer the case here.

Well, she might as well say something, even if no one listened. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind one ear, taking a deep breath.

"I can't guarantee it's working, but it says some type of darkness is that way," she continued, pointing in the same direction the Asturlab indicated, towards the source of that bone-chilling noise from before.

Sailor Nocturnus wasn't sure if the group would choose to head away from it (her preferred choice) or towards it.

Lotus Crystal

Crysdal's voice projected loud enough for the leaving senshi to hear. The silence from the direction Sailor Xibalba headed toward was broken by a low-pitched, agitated scream of frustration, and then was pierced by a loud and colorful curse. The Lord of Death and Disease emerged from the bramble of the forest with a crash as she not-so-silently made her frustration with the group and the situation apparent.

Why did she come back? Because her pack of Lords was gone and she was alone. Sailor Xibalba had not been alone in years. Ever since she was assigned leadership of the Lords of Death and Disease, which was since birth, she had been by their side. Sure, she had been separated from them for the occasional mission, but even then she usually had at least Seven-Death, her right-hand man, with her. So, yes, she came back to the group of senshi, but she was not happy about it.

But, at least Sailor Andromeda had taken her suggestion and would be leading the group toward her best guess at the right direction.

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Andromeda knew the way. Crysdal nearly smiled - tense and confusing situation, multiple people she didn't know in a less-than-pleasant atmosphere with something out there that didn't sound too friendly, and yet so far, so good. They had a plan. She nodded, accepting the teal-senshi's warning, and stepped forward to follow her, her attention turning to the soft-spoken younger girl when she spoke up, following the girl's southward-pointing finger, glad that it wasn't in the direction Andromeda was taking them. The device could point to darkness? She was about to thank her and encourage her to continue using the little device when a low, frustrated scream emanated from the direction Xibalba had disappeared towards, the call raising in pitch until it turned into a loud curse. Crysdal froze, less in fear than in complete disbelief, and took a deep breath before marching forward to meet the loud incoming stomping of feet that was undoubtedly heralding Xibalba's return.

She crossed her arms, grey-blue eyes glaring into the crashing foliage in an attempt to pin the errant senshi in place, her own frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Are you hurt?" she asked, verbally giving her the benefit of the doubt while her body language, arms tight, feet spread, weight cocked on one hip, betrayed that she knew the scream had nothing to do with physical pain.

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