A year has passed since the fall of the Sphere.

The land of Locaa is, slowly but surely, recovering from the scars of that crisis.

But some issues remain unresolved, and some scars refuse to heal.





A project by Wareheir Studios.





After the old Chairheir’s disappearance, most Iti across Locaa began to turn grey.

Rather than pursuing a single-minded course of Chairian annihilation, they reverted back to the diverse instincts the Chairheir had implanted in them.

For most, of course, this meant behaving like bizarre wild animals.





An expansion to the award-winning DTG: Chaos: Project Thymium.





Some few Iti managed to integrate into Chairian society.

Others left for the distant lands of the Echo Collective.

The vast majority, however, were hunted down by vengeful and fearful Chairians whenever they ventured too close to settlements.

The species that had once come close to annihilating Chairkind entirely now found itself on the brink of annihilation, and Locaa prepared to close the book on the tale of the Iti.

Another crop of strange entities, created by a Descendant to die for a Descendant. Few would mourn them.





The end is never the end.





And then a message came out of the north.


PROJECT THYMIUM: CHILDREN OF THE THYME
> [S] PLAY.

Welcome to DTG Chaos: Project Thymium: Children of the Thyme! This expansion/sequel/DLC/Kingdom Hearts game/elaborate experiment in psychological horror is a continuation of the story of Sussui, the world of Project Thymium. It’s also a Chaoslike game, in which tactical Fire Emblem-style combat is fused with TTRPG-style roleplay, a play-by-post forum game structure, and the batshit insane lore of Destroy the Godmodder. If you don’t know what Project Thymium or DTG are… How did you get here? No, like, seriously, I’m genuinely curious. That sounds like a fascinating story.

To play the game, you’ll need to make a character, get any custom-made elements like traits and specials approved by me, and post your character sheet (along with an in-character introduction if you feel like it). The resources below are incredibly important to playing the game; the document is where all of the rules and character sheets are stored, while the Discord is what most players use to coordinate strategy.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask… and enjoy the game!

Document Link: Here!

Discord Link: Here!

One year. One year since the Sphere Crisis ended.

After WARE and Trinity’s defeats, many of the Spherebreakers left Sussui to return to their homeworlds. Those who stayed were hailed as heroes, although the Chairian fear of outsiders lingered. After all, hadn’t it been outsiders who had precipitated the Sphere’s rise in the first place?

The Echo Collective made sure to restrict other extrauniversal powers from meddling on Sussui too much, while striving to keep the tensions between the suddenly-leaderless Locaa and Tabletopia at a low simmer. Stella Omorika’s new Highchair, winning the subsequent election almost by default, welcomed those former Spherebreakers still in the country into new positions of leadership and assistance, looking to shape Locaa anew as a harmonious and metropolitan society.

---

Of course, such things never come easy. Despite the humanitarian protests of some outsiders insisting that Iti, having the (poorly-understood) potential for sapience, ought to be protected where possible, the new Locaa government has been unable to stop the killings of Grey Iti all over the country, and even sometimes encouraged it. Although Droplet was nominally given the title of representative for the Grey Iti community in Locaa, the creatures are still mostly bestial on average, and their disorganization have made them impossible to reliably track or count. Add that to the enduring resentment against the Iti among the populace, fears of their imbalancing effect on the Sussuian ecosystem, and the still-weakened Chairian bureaucracy and government, and it is no wonder that Iti are still hunted on sight in most parts of Locaa (although some rich Chairians have adopted tamer Iti as pets).

And while most Locaa citizens can agree that the new Highchair is an upgrade from Spark’s tyranny, nebulous scandals have begun to gather in the air. The sap-stained deaths of the rebel leader Hickory and several of Spark’s former Praetorians in a botched prison escape attempt left many shocked and dismayed, and reminded some that two of the Rebellion’s elusive Zabuton were never revealed or apprehended. Rumors swirl about a secret Tabletopian infiltrating the Highchair to subvert it from within, or perhaps even an Iti or an alien from beyond the stars. And while no Tabletopian incursions have occurred since the destruction of the Scrap Metal Gestalt, the details of its new leadership and goals remain unclear to all.

Yesterday, you were gathered, one and all, by an urgent message from Stella Chi, right hand to Cypress. The details of the mission were to remain secret until it began, but it was generally understood that were you to accept, you would be sent out on a dangerous journey to a remote location to investigate something of vital importance. Some of you are Chairians, recommended to Chi on the basis of your talents. Some are outsiders, those lucky enough to make it past Locaa’s strict immigration policies. Perhaps some of you are even Grey Iti, Tabletopians with links to Cypress, or former Spherebreakers.

Once you arrived at the Citadel this morning, you were informed of the basics. A scout returned recently from the remote Northern Reach, a sparsely populated area useful to Locaa only for its mining industry, reporting Iti gathering in unusual numbers and in never-before-seen subtypes. Echo Collective agents in the area also mentioned unusual power dampening effects across the region – ones alarmingly similar to those of the Thymefield. Poplar, the Reach’s governor, requested immediate Legion assistance…

CHI: But we deemed this approach the better option.
CHI: I haven’t been to the Northern Reach myself, but sending our weakened army into a mountainous region to fight an unknown enemy…
CHI: The casualties would likely be unbearable. Not to mention this new Thymefield, if that is what it is…
CHI: Hopefully, a small task force will be able to get to the heart of this matter more efficiently.
CHI: It was that way with the Spherebreakers, after all.

Boarded onto the lower deck of an airship, each one of you files in. A Chairian wearing a somewhat elaborate theater mask gives you all a nod from his seated position.

BASS: yo

---

Introduce your character! What do you look like? What would others have noticed about you as you boarded? How do you respond to Bass and any others?
(Also, give me your game statistics. :niaowo:)

There's a quiet skittering noise- like the sound of a cockroach crawling around as fast as it can. The airship creaks a little bit. Then there's a louder skittering noise, this one prolonged for a while, and a muffled hiss... a prolonged muffled hiss, one that stops and starts randomly. Like... two people arguing in whispered voices?

Then another, moderately loud skitter- this one's DEFINITELY coming from the ceiling- and a drip of goo splatters onto the floor. It's a toxic, bright blue spoonful of... is that macaroni and cheese?

???: WHOOPS
???: MY APOLOGIES

A HUGE bug thing skitters quickly down the side of the room, skidding to a stop in front of the mac n' cheese, which is already seeping into the airship's flooring. And possibly eating into it as well- yeah, that stuff looks... delicious in the way a Tide Pod looks delicious, if you catch my drift.

The glowing cooking-pot, full to the brim with glowing blue-grey pasta and standing on six buglike knife-legs, studies the glob intently. Its scorpion stinger crackles passively with electricity- waving the glowing screen of a charging cell phone absentmindedly back and forth like a hypnotist's pendulum.

???: AGAIN: SO SORRY
???: I DID NOT INTEND TO MAKE A MESS OF YOUR AIRSHIP
???: I DO HOPE THAT DOES NOT STAIN

A small sponge attachment unfolds from... somewhere in the little robot, and sets to scrubbing at the glop.

Meanwhile, a teenage Patche in a vaguely Thyme-colored "goth lolita" dress slouches in apathetically- before perking up at the sight of the sentient macaroni pot... and her phone on the end of its tail. She rushes over, grabbing the cell phone and staring intently at its screen. The pot thrashes its stinger violently.

???: PAIGE
???: PLEASE LET GO
PAIGE: Hold still, Skye-fry, I'm trying to see!
SKYLAR: YOUNG LADY
SKYLAR: HAVEN'T YOU HAD ENOUGH CELL PHONE TIME ALREADY THIS WEEK
SKYLAR: AND THIS MONTH
SKYLAR: AND THIS YEAR
PAIGE: Nope.
SKYLAR: IS YOUR PHONE AT LEAST CHARGED
PAIGE: It's only at 98 percent!
SKYLAR: THAT'S CHARGED ENOUGH

Skylar yanks its tail out of the charging port. Paige sighs overdramatically, before slouching over to a nearby chair and sitting down, phone in hand. No, literally, phone in hand- it slots perfectly into a rectangular divot in her palm. It's... a little gross!

Skylar and Paige have joined the party!

SKYLAR: SIBLINGS
SKYLAR: AM I RIGHT

A diffuse sense of presence begins to very slowly collect, like a star pulling together from a mix of gravitational force and chance- though the individual, immaterial 'pieces' of the presence are far more diffuse and far lower in power than a hypothetical star. Given the extreme weakness of the 'gravitational' portion, the odds of this happening were slim. but then, sometimes unusual things happen anyway.

It doesn't talk. Indeed, it probably can't. It's doubtful such a thing has a mind, at least so early into whatever process it is; and it has no body, either.

The concept here is that, since JOE (embodiment of The Farm) is dead (due to the Farm's nonexistence), but is still venerated as a God of Farming (with, implicitly, some degree of faith-based effect, since people swear there are illusory traps protecting their fields), the faith-power of the prayers is slowly collecting into a faith-entity matching the mythological nature of JOE; possibly sped up by current events conceptually mirroring the situation the previous JOE arrived during, or sped up for other reasons, or coincidental.
Accordingly...
Trait proposals:
A) Diffuse Presence - You may act and be attacked from any allies tile, and take up no spaces independent from this. (possibly reduces the power of all actions? reduces effective Stats?) apparently nonviable.

B) Formless Attention - you may target from any tile on the map, and people can stand on you. (presumably some substantial downside is attached, like all effects being reduced by 50% or something) apparently nonviable.

C) Distant Influence - When you enter a battle, you do not spawn a body. Instead, you may target and be targeted from any Spawn tile. (possibly reduces the power of all actions? reduces effective Stats?) (ambiguously viable?)

D) any other trait which could represent being a cloud of magic fog.

The general point is that at this time, the character is a cloud of magic fog that's following the party around, so no body and not very easy to punch. in the case of Diffuse, attacking the cloud is done by it protecting a party member from an attack; in the case of Formless, I'd just keep the cloud as far out of the way as possible so the distinction between cloud and person-with-long-eye-arms can be elided; Distant is kinda hard to make fit.

If no effect of this kind is possible I guess I'll just exist purely out of combat for a while until enough time passes for the character concept to have a body.

(Not sure which items to equip/stats to build for due in part to trait ambiguity, but the spells are, of course, Illusory Trap, alongside Thorn Patch and Nature Power(Shallow Water(range 3-5 splash 1), Forest(Laser)) as an approximation of Terraform, presuming 'Terraform again even though it was removed' is not a valid custom spell.)
also I propose this character should lack the 'you existed! that's worthy of an accomplishment' accomplishment until later, even if this leaves it with no accomplishments

A young Chairian woman was within the group summoned. Her foliage was a dark forest green, with purple edges where new growth had begun. Although she wasn't the type to get motion-sick, you couldn't tell it from her face. She looked nervous, and her bark was a little on the green side- again, not motion sickness; that's just how she looks- with two grey eyes peeking out from beneath that foliage.

That said, when Chi began to speak, she seemed to cheer up a bit. All this talk about Iti, thymefields, and Spherebreakers sparks a visible interest in this lady.

???: This is exciting!
???: I'm extremely grateful for choosing me for this mission.
???: I've had a bit of writers block lately on my thesis, so gathering some brand-new, never-before-seen research...?
???: ...It sounds incredible!

She remembers herself, lowering her voice and blushing a little.

???: Right, and of course, to investigate if there are any threats to Sussui...

With this, she nods dutifully.

???: Just so you know... I'm Basil.
BASIL: I've been maintaining the Codex Monstrum since the end of the Sphere Crisis.
BASIL: I haven't left the Citadel in a while but... I hope I can still be of some use!

From her lab coat, she would appear as some sort of scientist or researcher. Beneath it she seems to be wearing a vest, undershirt, and long pants. Most notable is a blue tie she wears in a square knot, making it look kind of like a super loose bowtie (while still being fashionable).

Basil Thyrsiflora is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_xo...75807&range=A44

An unexpected turn of events

Whether it be considered the perfect time for something like this new incident to happen, or complete ill fortune that it even happened to begin with, a noble queen from Neo Nedilia ended up taking up the task. She's... not sure if this is the best tactical decision on her part, but once she lands on the airship...

...her getup immediately stands out while not being too extravagant. Featuring a very simple silver crown, a black-blue feather behind her ear, a sleek yet pretty dress that also looks like a lab coat, a clipboard she's holding, and her high heels that seem very unwieldy to fight in, all contrasted with her dark skin and hair, which is again contrasted by her violet eyes, she's quite the sight. She begins to address those on the ship.

???: um *ahem* Greetings. I am Queen Debonair Ward, of Sapphire Skyline, from Neo Nedilia.
DEBBIE: But, um... I'm not a fan of that long, unwieldy title, so just call me Debbie!
DEBBIE: You may recall the likes of the engineer Adria, explorer child Sophia, medic-in-training Hannah, and artist Dorothy, back during the Sphere Crisis, yes? I'm from their home planet.
DEBBIE: It's a pleasure to meet you!

...Debbie joins the party! She bows to everyone around - luckily, she studied up on proper LOCAA greetings before coming. Though her smile conveys some slight anxiety.

She'll probably be fine, though, right?

Lepidodendron Araucaria Franklinia the 1st

Opposite Bass sits a Chairian in a heavy very very very dark red coat- well, a dark red coat theoretically. Theoretically, if you snapshotted this Chairian, opened the image of them, and used a color picker tool on their coat- what you would get would indeed be classified as red. Practically, however? This coat is black. The red is too dark.

Seated in the Chairian's lap is a massive Railgun- erm, Railfun, with a dusty book awkwardly attached to the top of it- cracked open and positioned in much the same way one might position a scope. Seated on the Chairian's head is a dusty dark red (more reasonably dark this time) cowboy hat, under which dark red hair-leaves emerge, spilling out over the coat.

The Chairian's olive eyes scan the ship, settling on Bass.
???: Hello. Heya? Hi?

They frown, glancing at the book propped up on the top of the rifle.

???: Greetings. Greetings works. I like the sound of that.
???: Sorry, I'm still not accustomed to talking.
???: You're.. Bass Americana, right?
???: I'm..

They furrow their eyes, and glance down at the book again, flipping a page and reading from it.

???: My name is Lepidodendron Araucaria Franklinia.
LEPIDODENDRON: It's a.. joy? Good thing? Experience? Pleasure! Pleasure to meet you. That's the one.

Lepidodendron smiles, adjusting their hat slightly upwards to look directly at Bass.

Space opens with a tearing sound and a dusty smell. Liquid rainbow light pours out, followed shortly by a Kalis. They land in an upside down heap on the floor. The rift closes, and several seconds pass, before they pull themselves to their feet and look around.

KALIS: Bass! I remember you.
KALIS: I must be in the right place.
KALIS: I think I ended up a little bit entangled with Sussui last time I was here.
KALIS: Last time I was doing chaos theory divination, I noticed this tension, an unreleased potential for something big to happen.
KALIS: It took me a while for me to figure out what it was, but cross-referencing revealed a spectroscopic similarity to party invites.
KALIS: And it was coming from outside the universe.
KALIS: That's when I realized it had to be Sussui, that there was a sequel and I was eligible to join it.
KALIS: So I accepted the invite! Kind of.
KALIS: That makes it sound much simpler than it was.
KALIS: Less "clicking on a join button" and more "opening an envelope," if envelopes required breaching spells to open and also only existed from the inside so you had to clip magic circle anchor points out of bounds to target it in the first place.
KALIS: Point is, I opened it, and now I'm here.
KALIS: Sorry if I tie-dyed your floor. If it doesn't wash out, try dealing it mana damage.
KALIS: Now, let me see about these game mechanics...
KALIS: Aww, only one bonus action? Annoying, but fair.

They sit down and start poring over the new and improved ruleset of Children of the Thyme: A Project Thymium DLC, and by the time the airship reaches its destination, they've picked out a build they're happy with. Not quite as many crits as their old favourite, but a lot of spell per spell.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rTL...#gid=1078413678 - You want to scroll down to Kalis (CoTT).

---

A gang of misfits stood before the princess Sakura, much like those "Spherebreakers" she met almost a year ago. Some odd bug thing, a cute science chick, another woman that seemed like royalty, someone she thinks she vaguely recognizes... oh god. Was this the second coming of the Spherebreakers?

She took a deep breath. Was she presentable, at least? She barely had time to bathe before coming here. Her tattered dress- now a makeshift suit of armor, was probably stylish to a certain crowd, but certainly not her aesthetic. The Rebellion would certainly love her, that's for sure. At least her black eyepatch was cool, right? It complemented her long pink foilage well enough, though the dirt and mud caking her braids certainly wasn't a sight to behold. And, this weapon she was holding... god, she wished she had found anything more intimidating than a popsicle. Still, though... they were commoners, at least compared to her.

SAKURA: Greetings, peasantry.
SAKURA: I am...
SAKURA: ...a-a passing mercenary! Yes.
SAKURA: They call me... Cherry.
"CHERRY": Yes.

Sakura palms her own face. There was no way anyone would fall for that. She really should've brought a disguise or something of the sort. Were they to recognize her as the princess (which let's be honest, they surely would), who knows what they'd do to her? The citizenship of just about everywhere did as well- she wouldn't be surprised if she was the most hated woman on Sussui at the moment. Plus, Bass and Chi would surely recognize her, right? This was truly the worst plan.

But there was no backing out now, was there?

Sakura Yedonesis's Character Sheet

Eroa and a man beside her stand up after Chi finishes.

Her most striking feature is that she is beauty incarnate. It is fitting, after all, as someone who is worshipped by those who value such things.
Her height matches that of the goddess that came before her, Steyia, that is to say, quite tall indeed, though not quite as imposing as the towering Chairians, at least relative to humans. Her long, brown, nearly black hair matches with her tan complexion, and to complement her appearance she wears a shawl, a deep pink, same as her eyes, with golden stripes every so often. This shawl goes over her bodysuit, one that contrasts her shawl by being a navy blue with brighter blue accents.
Alongside her is a much less remarkable man. A young one, at that, barely in their 20s from the looks of it. His hair, a much brighter brown than Eroa’s, reaches to the base of his head, with glossy amber eyes. Once again, unlike Eroa, he wears something much more plain, a simple brown coat over his shirt and pants. The greatest things of note are the sketchbook and pencil in his hands, both seeming to have had a great deal of history already. The sketchbook in particular, having some sort of logo on it, “RAA” in a roman-esque font.

EROA: Ah, hello, everyone. It is a pleasure to meet you all.
EROA: I am Eroa. Although I am a goddess from the Autech Pantheon, I would prefer for you all to not treat me with too much reverence. It is not what I seek.
EROA: I was the one who was most eager to come to Sussui once the message was sent out. The others were either busy or conceded to my greater enthusiasm.
EROA: After all, sending two of us was an emergency decision, for multiple reasons. It is quite the investment in manpower, to say the least.
EROA: I have instead elected to bring along with me an assistant.

The man awkwardly bows a bit.

VENT: A-ah yes. My name is Vent! It is with great honor that Lady Eroa herself offered me to go on a journey with her.
VENT: I had heard much about Sussui from the few artists who had the chance to participate in the cultural exchange, so getting to see it with my own eyes is an opportunity I couldn’t turn down!
VENT: O-of course, I understand the severity of the situation. I can still fight, I have a blade and all. I promise to be of utmost help!

Eroa and Vent wait a moment before sitting back down.

Meanwhile, leaning on a wall in the background, a green lizardman wrapped in nondescript attire of a jacket, a crown of flowers, a bigger flower attached to the hood of his jacket, some sweatpants and twirling a strange flute, decides it would be a good time for him to speak up now.

???: Greetings. I am…Pardon Dreason.
Pardon: Yes, that is my name.
Pardon: Although this place is new to me, I’ll likely be of assistance on issues of medical importance.
Pardon:…apologies if I seem curt, I’m still familiarising myself to this locale.

With that short introduction out of the way, he leans back on the wall and brings up his Character Sheet to consider what he is bringing to the table.

She sits still, smiling despite the subtle societal taboo at showing positive emotion during a grave situation. She is not underestimating what is before her-she is just a naturally positive person like that.

Brown curly hair reaching down to her waistline, brown eyes behind a pair of spectacles, and a cheery face that would be called 'cute' but not 'beautiful.' A tiny golden crown was clipped to her hair. Her clothes were practical for a wilderness excursion, but not a fight, and from their slightly odd yet definitively fresh scent to their pristine appearance, they were brand new and untested, and herself unarmed.

But she radiated energy. Her posture was pristine, ready, and aggressive, as if prepared for a fight already, or at least to commit every ounce of energy to the task ahead. But something else was there too-a tangible sensation that she was almost too ready. Too eager. The implicit threat is not misunderstood nor forgotten-it is dismissed as irrelevant, trivial, easily overcome. And, for those truly looking, one could notice just the faintest quiver on the skin of her arm-subtle bulges and depressions, as if something was moving underneath.

She takes a deep breath and soaks in the words. The last time she was here she was six-and yet Sussui advanced a year where she had advanced ten. She vaugely recognized a few people around her-she doubtless would have been able to recognize them on sight and likely guess what happened in between. She was like that. But she wasn't her.

"Hi! I'm Maria-you may recognize that name if you were with the original Spherebreakers. I was with them during the last crisis, but I wasn't exactly able to fight directly back then, or much at all, so aside from controlling a drone during the big final battle I didn't really do much. I have changed quite a bit since that time, so if you don't recognize me, that's OK! I don't really remember anyone other than a handful of people myself anyways, so I'm really happy to get to know you!" Maria says.

Maria blinks-then remembers something. Footage-ask before it becomes relevant this time! She turns to Chi. "... Oh yes, Ms. Chi, I take it that any video footage filmed in the area of operations will have to be put under review for security reasons before any use, if any is taken? I am intending to film the whole affair myself and edit it for public use. Assuming this new Thymefield-like effect doesn't instantly fry the cameras, I would of course be willing to give you an unedited copy of my film for your purposes. And if it's alright with you-to the best extant you can, I'd really rather not be publicly advertised as being here, if that's relevant."

She held off on fraternizing with her fellows for now, though she did take stock of them. Some Chairians-one of whom was trying to hide her identity very poorly. Someone who looked vaugely familiar. Two Iti. A lizardman. A 'goddess' and her apostle-not 'Destiny' though. And one other member of the royalty, and this one isn't even disposed. A real smorgasboard, like any traditional adventuring party ought to be.

She couldn't wait to befriend all of them! And their wallets too!

Maria, Heiress of Chaos

Somewhere Else On Sussui - Prior Location

Blacklight paused mid-routine as he heard a knock on the door, followed by several more knocks of increasing intensity. On the one hand, he hasn't yet finished his breakfast, and interrupting now would somewhat ruin the quality of the sapsqueal bacon he's been cooking. On the other hand... well, whoever's knocking that much is probably important, especially if they're looking for him specifically. Mulling over the importance of the conundrum in his head, he decides that the bacon will be fine even if less than ideal, and so goes to the door.

Calibri just stands there with a smirk when he catches sight of the elusive and intimidating aberrant wearing a fluffy pink apron. Meanwhile, Blacklight is significantly less amused. Calibri decides to break the tension first.

"Hey. Got something you might be interested in knowing about."

Blacklight glances back where his bacon pan rests, then to Calibri again. He's a little curious now...

"...Alright then, out with it."

"It's, uh... a little bit complicated, you mind if I hang out inside?"

Blacklight was about to say no, but realized that wouldn't actually make any difference just before a flicker of darkness heralds Calibri teleporting himself into one of the ramshackle cottage's chairs. While this understandably annoys the aberrant being, he doesn't bother objecting, simply returning to the kitchen to hang up his apron, then sitting at the table across from Cal.

"Okay, so... I'll just skip to the part that's relevant to you. There's something weird happening up somewhere we never went during our adventures, and from what my sources know, it could be another Thymefield."

"Hm..."

That certainly got Blacklight's attention, even if he did his best to act aloof at first. He leans over the table a little, tilting his head.

"And you said this was relevant to me... Why?"

Calibri chuckles. That habit gets on Blacklight's nerves, but he'll put that side for now.

"Well, it was relevant to me and bro and sis, but we're set to leave the planet soon. Got duties back home to handle, yanno. And even if we didn't... While we'd normally be well equipped to the task, the fact that it's a new thymefield means all our fancy top-tier gear isn't gonna work. We'd be back at square not quite one, more like square three, but still a pretty bad setback. And you... Well, you haven't fought in the thymefield, not yet, so you'd be better adjusted."

"That's... an interesting theory. And if the people who came up with it are the ones I think they are, they're suitable credible... Very well. What do I need to do?"

Calibri pauses momentarily, then pulls out a note and reads it.

"Uh... Well, the local government is organizing something. According to my notes, the people at the top wanna keep the specific details on the lowdown, but you should head to the citadel tomorrow, seek out Stella Chi, and she'll give you the rundown from there."

How annoying. No answers right away. Still, there must be good ca use for that. Blacklight nods in understanding.

"I'll handle it."

Calibri cracks an approving grin, then flickers out of existence again, taking the note with him. Blacklight frowns, a bit annoyed at the other person's antics, then goes back to his breakfast. He has preparations to do. A lot of them. First things first, he'd better find some of that older gear, a few bits and pieces that nobody would particularly care about if it went missing...


ONE DAY LATER

Citadel - Airship

A dark cloud drifts through the sky, which is weird because the weather forecast didn't predict that today. Then the dark cloud abruptly flies down to the ground and disperses, revealing a strange person standing there.

About six feet tall, he has dark gray hair, dark red eyes, pale skin, and an outfit that fits the rest of his colour pallette. He's kitted out with quite a bit of fancy gear - the rifle slung across his back is very identifiably an Ink Charger, the shadowy wrappings of a Midnight Cloak are tied around him like a cape, and a pair of pointy stabby things rest at his hips, one of which is a knife and the other a spike of crystallized darkness.

The most unusual detail of this arrival is that, just by looking at him, one call tell that something is just inherently off. His body just doesn't respond correctly to the breeze, but besides that there's some sort of effect he has, where if one looks at him wrong a sense of primal dread begins to build up within oneself...

Blacklight dusts himself off, doing his best to put on a rather unnecessary sense of coolness, then wanders his way into the airship and finds a free place to sit. Or stand if seating isn't available. He takes the rifle off his back for some last-minute inspections, making sure it isn't loaded and adjusting the sights and other things, then puts it back once satisfied and turns his attention to the local gathering.

...He recognizes some of the people involved. Quite a few new arrivals, but he can pick out... Maria but older, which is a bit weird but nothing too out there. Kalis, who he personally hasn't interacted too much with but at least can identify. And... he can't help but spare a quizzical glance at Sakura, though if he has commentary, he decides not to share it just yet.

"So, this is the new party. Quite the... colourful cast of people gathered here, certainly. Some of you already know me, but for those who don't... Just call me Blacklight."

sheet link
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RPN...t#gid=625187504

In a world where creatures and objects appear and disappear without warning and the very land shifts seamlessly between natural and unnatural, a woman sits beneath the leaves of an ever-changing tree and reads from a book without end. A rather quiet day in Nidra's dreamscape.

She turns to her ever-present companion - a rather unremarkable stuffed koala at first glance, but blessed with the spark of life and greater intellect than many mortals - who's tugging on her sleeve.

"What is it, Leaf?" she asks.

An image appears in her mind. A nervous looking Chairian approaching Nidra's sleeping form, and awkwardly repeating a message.

"An invitation?" She frowns slightly. "I've done my part for the next two or three decades."

An image of Leaf joining them.

"You want to go on an adventure of your own?" Nidra considers it for a moment, then nods. She tears a strip from the bottom of her nightgown, and gently ties it around Leaf's neck. "Be safe."

Leaf nods somberly, or as somberly as a stuffed koala can nod, and vanishes from the dreamscape.

---

In the waking world, Leaf wiggles free of Nidra's arms and gets to his feet. With a thought, his wizard hat shifts into the form of a ninja hood and a somewhat oversized four-leaf clover pin appears on his torso. He then jumps into the air, and before he can land, a familiar spidersilk pillow appears beneath him, floating a few inches above the ground. Using the pillow, he floats over to give Nidra a pat on the head, and with a soft pop, arrives at the Citadel with not a moment to spare. After Chi's introduction, he settles down on one of the chairs and waves to his future adventuring companions.

---

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iJq...dit?usp=sharing

???: Pardon me, coming through.

A hulking mass of a man lumbers through the entrance, cloaked in black and wearing a plague doctor mask - complete with porkpie hat. Over one shoulder, he carries a massive syringe, with ominously green fluid contained within. As he steps to one side, a potted plant near him begins to wither.

???: ...Oh, my sincere apologies. You may want to hold your nose.
???: It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, although it may not be a pleasure for you to make mine...
Doc: I gave up my name in pursuit of the sciences long ago. You may call me Doctor, or Doc for short.

Doc lowers himself gently into a chair. His voice carries across the room, and yet despite being deep and seemingly imposing, it is strangely restrained, and quiet despite its seemingly great volume.

Doc: I came as soon as I could. The miasma was being aggressive... Hopefully my tincture will quell it enough to prevent another outbreak.
Doc: If you called upon me for help, knowing of my symbiosis with the miasma, the situation must be grave indeed.
Doc: Rest assured that I will offer as much assistance as I am able.

Doc joins the party!

A small jingling on the shelf, almost like the ringing of tiny bells, on a luggage shelf informs people that the small flickering light that entered the airship ahead of them was not in fact magic weirdness from someone else, but another party member entirely.

Standing at just under six inches tall is a girl in a brown and black dress that flutters outwards around the base, almost like a shelf of mushrooms. Her brown hair is short cropped, and a pair of glowing blue wings with some kind of small mechanical apparatus around their base shift in the air as she fidgets nervously on her perch.

???: Ah, hi everyone!
Lentinula: I'm Lentinula! I uh. Sorry, I'm here for the Echo Collective.
Lentinula: There's, uh, there's a few people from home up where we're going already, but I'm assigned specifically to help try and like.
Lentinula: Make sure we don't kill people too much.
Lentinula: I'll do my best to be helpful!

Character sheet is... in progress! I'm still very sick so I gotta take things slowly.

Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely...

A monochromatic vessel enters a side path, looking forwards to a fight and being able to finally try their hand at being useful on the front lines. As they draw their wooden blade, they come to a realization - there are no enemies here, there's no path here, there's not even the familiar people that he'd grown to know over the past few moments of play.

Instead, they're... somewhere else. A void of black surrounds them and a simple path of purplish material leads to an out-of-place gray door and scarlet tree. Unknowing what else to do, or what else they can do in this space, they approach. The grey door opens, revealing a path to a void beyond dark, and the tree sways in a non-existent wind. The vessel feels a sense of worry, attempting to back away, but they find themselves unable.

Turning around, they see a man, not offering an egg but offering purpose once again. And they cannot refuse the offer.



Nobody's quite sure how the monochromatic soldier got on the boarding deck of this airship. Even those that were paying attention to the entries didn't notice them board, and the grey figure looked simply... passive upon their discovery. Though they were originally slumped and laying face down on the floor, they eventually stirred after some guidance, and unsure what else to do, they followed the remainder of the group toward the entry.

Though seemingly mute, or at least a person of few words, the soldier holds themselves with a fairly neutral posture. Their inherited armor, a grey jacket-ish vest and strange helmet, is worn over a pitch-black shirt, contrasted deeply with their pale grey skin and neutrally shaded pants and shoes. In stark contrast, their sword has a certain air about it and the wooden buckler strapped over it is a desaturated orange and magenta, seemingly haven taken form from something entirely different. In addition to their weaponry, a strange amber card hangs by their waist, seemingly a lucky charm of some sort.

They continue entering, listening closely to Chi's announcement before nodding and taking a seat near Skylar and Paige for an unexplained reason. Glancing curiously over at the two siblings, the vessel seems to want to strike up some sort of conversation but hesitates, unsure if now would be the time.

Regardless, though - Warryn, the misplaced vessel, joins the party.
The power of a new adventure shines within them.

Yesterday, Somewhere on Sussui

A young, rough-looking Chairian man sits hunched over a lab counter, tinkering away at... some sort of strange, complex contraption. He mutters to himself as he works, occasionally breaking to take a sip from one of the various coffee cups spread across the room. At some point, seemingly satisfied with his progress, he reattaches a small access plate and clutches the device in his right hand. He is about to start fiddling with it when the door behind him squeaks open, sending a wave of blinding light into the poorly-lit chamber. He turns around, scowling at the Chairian woman who enters.

???: Well? I suppose you've come to ridicule me for continuing my work in secret.
???: Normally, I would be obligated to do so. However, I have been given a special... exception... this time.
???: You have my attention.
???: A mutual friend of ours reached out to me recently, with a request to answer a call to action on his behalf.
???: Unfortunately, I am a bit... preoccupied... at the moment. But I have a feeling that you would be more than happy for an opportunity to conduct field research.
???: And what does this have to do with me in particular?
??? I presume you are familiar with Cypress?

The man, who was previously fiddling with the machine in his hand, slows his constant fidgeting and perks up considerably.

???: The name certainly rings a bell.
???: I have reason to believe that this mission is of chief... concern... to him. Certainly earning the favor of both a high-ranking scientist and a member of the council would benefit your standing greatly.
???: Besides, if it is a matter of... significance... to our friend, then it is most certainly something which concerns Sussui at large. I am certain you will find the opportunity to show what you believe that invention of yours is truly capable of.
???: Alright, alright. You've convinced me. When and where am I needed?
???: The initial briefing is tomorrow morning. As for where, I should be able to arrange a form of transport for you to the destination.

The woman turns to leave, but pauses, thinks for a moment, and turns back around.

???: Oh, and one more thing.
???: Yes?
???: I understand your drive for success, and admire your willingness to give everything in pursuit of what you wish to accomplish.
???: But try to keep your emotions in check this time.
???: I'm certain you'll find the success you desire in time. Just because you can't see the progress right away doesn't mean it isn't working.
???: The last thing any of us need is a repeat of that... incident.

With that she exits, leaving the man alone to ponder her words, and prepare for the days that were to come.

The Citadel, Present Time

A young chairian man walks into the room, sipping aggressively from a large coffee cup as he enters. His dark green foliage is tied back into a very messy ponytail, and held in place with a hairpin resembling a cluster of holly leaves. He sits down at the first available seat, props his legs up on the table, reaches into the left pocket of his blue-gray parka, and begins toying with a strange mechanical device before acknowledging everyone else in the room.

???: Sup. Name's Ilex.
Ilex: Unfortunately Woodthorne wasn't able to make it, so he entrusted me as a last-minute replacement.
Ilex: I am - er... I suppose technically was - a pretty big name in the fields of robotics and physics. I'm sure my services will be of use to you in whatever is to come.

Ilex has joined the party!

Damned across fated paths
The time to fold had come to pass...

When the Raindrop faded after the Sphere Crisis, it left behind a card. When the call for help went out, the card found its way into a fire. A lithe, white-haired human appeared soon after with a snap.

DES: I'm just a natural gambler, but I try to do my share.
DES: Call me a magician, of sorts. Des, at your service.

Sheet