Visions of Home

Some of the Spiritual Travelers have loved ones or homes that they miss dearly while traveling in a dangerous and otherworldly place like The Spirit World. Hoping to at least get a glimpse of what is happening back home, they asked around about how to do so, and some of the helpful folks of this realm have provided a bit of information to help them.

Current Event - Nurend 17, 308

The Spiritual Travelers made it to the Tattoo Parlor and spoke with Snàthad. Before they made it inside the shop though, a third arm suddenly sprouted from Frode and prevented Namina from opening the door. The group quickly and decisively removed as much of the arm as they could, cleaned up their mess, and began their interraction with Snàthad, a Yellow Banded Poison Dart Frog person. Namina eagerly went through with the tattoo and answered Snàthad's questions honestly while going by the rules suggested by both the book and the other Eadarling that were encountered. She was able to see visions of her hometown, her family and more. Snàthad also informed her that she'll be able to do so once a day, feeling as though she's home every now and then. Frode, however, rejected the offer having somehow come to understand there would have been a portal or some other method involved. Snàthad attempted to persuade Frode to go through with it, though was not entirely enthusiastic or manipulative, just telling it like it is that most adventurers find that they both regret the decision and would never trade the ability to see their home for the world. Despite this, Frode still did not want to see his family or his home and instead received a tattoo depicting some symbolism of Ilmater so that he could have a reminder of them rather than a strange vision.

Plot points/Scenes

The Citizens of Greed

On Nurend 06, 308, Namina asked the Citizens of Greed for a way to see her home with the hopes of making sure everyone is still safe. The merchants didn't have any items that would help with this, but they did have information: A city that must be visited only at night with a tattoo parlor that could help her see her home.

Traveler's Guide to Dorchar

On Nurend 14, 308, Frode had a lovely conversation with the innkeep within The Hidden Village of Mothlights. This fellow, Dayae, was eager to hear of Ilmater and to talk about suffering for a bit. Lamenting on the loss of Tympi and being able to hear other people's suffering was very therapeutic for the mothling. In the end he provided Forde with a gift: A Traveler's Guide to Dorchar. He gave Frode this book with the hopes that he would be able to find the tattoo parlor mentioned inside and to see his family again someday, maybe to help ease some of the suffering involved. The book had lots of helpful information about the city, and Frode began to feel a bit of hope to visit it someday though the group still had other tasks that came first.

On the way there, Nurend 16-17, 308

This group of outsiders found themselves traveling through Pluarsh ec Relovut with hopes of making it to The Night City of Dorchar. Many challenges have been presenting themselves along the way, but the desire to see what they can of their home is greater than the swamp's desire to consume them. They finally found their way to the western border, made it past Lemostodrensa, and found the area where the City of Stars would eventually present itself.

Namina's Visions

Kyofunoka - “You’re handed the requested stone. It fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and some intricate carvings run from the front to the back in a spiderweb type design. The “Front” of the stone matches the tattoo you were given, and as you hold this stone your tattoo begins to glow gently. You feel your eyes drifting closed as you focus on this stone and think about what you wanted to see. The familiar warmth of being surrounded by and filled with water washes over and through you, and the next time you open your eyes you are a lot shorter, but your tail helps you swim through the water and correct the height discrepancy easily enough. Looking around you you recognize Kyofunoka, the gorgeous underwater architecture illuminated by the glowing scales and hair of all the merfolk you used to see everyday for so long. Everything looks peaceful, everything seems fine. What a relief! The city is starting to shift around you though, whoever this is seems to suddenly focussed on the area just outside of town… A low, deep, muffled rumble is heard in the distance. Very far away, you feel yourself getting excited. A piece of Namina knows that this was probably just some surface person doing a surface person thing, nothing to really worry about, but the person you are inhabiting is panicking, growing worried, heart racing, something is wrong and whatever it is isn’t entirely visible. Something within this person escalates to a point that you are worried they’ll pass out from a panic attack or something, but it is almost instantly relaxed. A voice, one you’ve heard before but not like this in a really long time, whispers in its level-headed and wave-like way. “You will be fine, child, come to the depths. I have something for you there.” This voice, the one heard as this merfolk child, seemd to be speaking to Namina and not to the person she was inhabiting."

Family - "Your eyes close again, the city noises around you fading and being replaced with some muffled though excited shouting. You aren’t sure who you are, but whoever it is has a great deal of care for you and seems worried about your safety. Their thoughts aren’t of themselves, so it makes it difficult to pinpoint who it is, but as their situation becomes more clear you also begin to feel a bit of anger at what is happening both from yourself and from this person. A fin slaps against some glass, ouch, banging from outside the partition, noise…so annoying and loud in here, wish they’d stop. A voice is heard more clearly, high pitched, it says "Look mommy, its waking up! What is it?” A very muffled response, a bit lower but still at least an alto, “Oh, Ferik, stop banging on that, you’re upsetting it." Vision becomes clearer as the sleep becomes further and further behind you and it is obvious what is happening: You’re imprisoned, in a glass box, submerged in water, and the many happy faces of Elven families surround you. A question, "Is this a circus?” is prevalent on your mind but is answered by your other thoughts, “So sick of this circus…" Another voice, it’s clearer but rough and low, "Hey, grab the trident and swim around a bit! We don’t keep you around to look unhappy and boring.” This is met with the meat camera you reside in swimming and picking up a trident in the corner, it is clearly just a prop, wouldn’t do any damage, but determination is at the front of your minds. Escape is essential, Namina needs you.”

The High Priestess - "You try to focus again, for a moment your eyes are opening and you feel yourself in a familiar place. A feeling of regret is very heavy on your mind, but it is being masked by responsibility and outward appearances that need to look a certain way. Covering up your own feelings and any worries or concerns are being pushed aside in favor of the crowd that is standing infront of you as your eyes open for just a moment before all you see is the tattoo parlor as the little stone in your hand has gone cold before the tattoo flickers and goes out."

Structure

Exposition

Everyone gets a little homesick. Maybe it's a love for where you're from: an appreciation for the climate, landscape, or whatever other aesthetic your hometown might have. Maybe it's a love for the people you used to know: the memories of time spent with the ones you love that you haven't seen in a long time. It's only been a couple of weeks for the Spiritual Travelers since they arrived in the Spirit World, and for some of them they may have come here straight from their hometown. However, for some of them they have been traveling for a long time before entering this realm, and the possibility of disaster is fresh in their minds. Such things are to be expected when you're off trying to save something like The Life Cycle. Other members might be worried more about the health of their family as a dreadful plague could claim them at any moment. Whatever the reason, they're on their way to Dorchar to see a particular Tattoo Artist named Snàthad.

From "A Traveler's Guide to Dorchar"

"Somewhere behind the busy streets, behind the lights and the action of the city scene, beyond the warehouse and the casino... there's another area that's not quite a landmark but worthy of mention just the same. A small building, just part of another strip mall next to some inconsequential diner, a beauty parlor and a Local Game Store. This building has a neon sign displaying the word "TATTOOS" along with a flashing needle design. Just past the glass door a bell rings as it swings open and an eadarling with the appearance of a humanoid Yellow Banded Poison Dart Frog greets you with nothing but a slight head movement and a rough "hm". If all that lines up you're in the right place. Do not ask him if he's the "magical tattoo guy" or what his name is... He's very particular, but if you go about it right you'll be able to get what you need. You need a smooth rock, like a river pebble or a lakeshore pebble of some kind. Something smooth, and it helps if it's pretty too. If you don't have one then he says he'll provide something "For a price". The phrase you're supposed to say, if you want to see your family or people that were close to you in a far off land, is the following: "My rock is broken, and in need of mending
Draw the lines that may become my thread
so that it connects us, sews us back together
and bridges the gap between us." One painful tattoo later and I was able to see my family...they couldn't hear or see me, but I was able to feel them, see them, hear them. They were miserable... Their sadness tore at my mind and soul, feeling what they felt was something I both regret and would never give up for anything in the world. I'm just glad they're okay...but I wish they could know that I am too."

Completion Date
Nurend 17, 308

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