A Strange Place
In a strange universe, at a particular meridian on an equally strange, patchwork planet, the world's healthy, yellow sun began to rise over the horizon, and the golden light of dawn gradually illuminated a large hill. On the side of this hill, beneath the green-leaved branches of a massive, centenarian oak tree, dozed a woman of heavenly beauty and long, white hair pulled into a ponytail with a vermilion band, garbed in white and red robes reminiscent of a Japanese miko, her arms folded comfortably across her middle. The strangest things about her, however, were the two snow-white, canid ears atop her head and the large white tail extending from her backside, the fur on its its tip black as if it had been dipped in ink dark as midnight.
To the East, across a stone bridge over a wide, rushing river that flowed into the ocean in the Southeast, lay the ruins of what may have at one time have been a great modern, walled city, now crumbling, overgrown with vegetation, and harboring no sign of any intelligent life whatsoever. Beyond the wall, in the northwest corner of the ruins or thereabouts, an even more massive tree towered. To the South, West, and North of the hill spread a great, untamed forest, though from atop the hill, one could hardly penetrate its thick canopy with the naked eye. In each cardinal direction, a series of step-like indentations led down the hill's slope, as if they had been intentionally carved there by the hands of civilized people or the whim of faeries. However, only the northern face of the hill had a road at the base, crude and made of dirt though it was.
Even if one could not see into the forest, however, one could see past it. To the South, the trees grew bigger and bigger until they towered nearly as tall as the buildings to the East, but within those enormous monuments to nature, one could spot the highest part of a weathered stone tower, and further beyond could barely glimpse the tops of a similar set of ruins to the Eastern ones. To the West, a distant city skyline that looked like it might belong to the 21st century could be beheld, this one gleaming and seemingly without the wear of the ages.
To the North, the foliage again grew larger and thicker after a particular distance, though in the North-Northeast, one could see a far-away, towering mountain of stone with a ring of clouds around its peak. In the North-Northwest, however, before the forest changed, a large stone formation could be seen over the tops of the trees, a rocky outcropping jutting forth out of a smaller mountain into the open air. If one had particularly good eyesight, it might even be possible to make out a series of waterfalls flowing down the smaller mountain's side.
To the Northwest of the hill, however, conjoining the edge of the denser section of the Northern forest and another forest extending from the Northern edge of the intact modern city to the West, a massive, raised castle could be seen, though it was unclear from the current vantage point whether there were any smaller buildings below the treeline. Immediately East of this castle was a mountainside with another large, distant building embedded in its side. This particular mountain was merely the Southernmost point of a much larger mountain range that seemed to extend into the North-Northwestern horizon as well as along the North side of the castle. Perhaps most noticeable, however, was the fact that lighting in the area of the castle seemed... wrong. More careful consideration would reveal that rather than the light of dawn, that particular area's buildings and sky were bathed in what seemed to be sunlight coming from exactly the opposite direction as the actual Sun - in order words, it seemed to be experiencing sunset while the rest of the surrounding regions were experiencing sunrise.
One by one, in the light of dawn, more people appeared from out of the aether upon the oak-crowned hilltop, each of them with their eyes closed as if asleep.
A woman in a black catsuit who looked like she could be the missing link between apekind and hom*o sapiens. Two orangutans. A short, toned man whose getup very clearly marked him as a policeman to anyone who could read English. A diminutive, cat-like girl clad in bright yellow. A red-haired woman in an even more eye-catching red outfit. A bare-chested man with wild, dark hair, whose modesty was only preserved by a gold-buckled belt and a loincloth. A middle-aged, one-armed man with little spectacles perched on his nose and a beard, who looked something like a druid. A fierce, bearded redhead, his armor adorned all around with genuine skulls. A rather bestial-seeming man(?) with a tattooed chest and vibrantly-colored clothing. A man in a red kimono and black pants with a discoloration on the side of his face that resembled a flame.
One by one, surrounded by strangers, their eyes opened and beheld the strange sight of the strange land upon the strange planet within the strange, strange universe - except the woman in the miko-like clothes, who continued to slumber with a positively beatific smile on her face. Perhaps some who had just arrived would think they were dreaming. But at least for one in particular among their number, the scene was both a waking nightmare and horribly familiar...
The Last Outpost
You awake at dawn, just as the light of the sun peeks through the window and falls upon your hammock. Moko is right where you left him, the dirty dishes are still sitting there and waiting to be cleaned, and in general, it looks like a completely ordinary early morning in your cozy, familiar abode. However, there is something unusual and somewhat alarming going on outside.
There is the sound of at least a couple large somethings moving around out there, close by, and when you turn to look out the window, the source immediately becomes obvious: along with an assortment of little, chirping chicks of a variety you've never seen before are two equally unfamiliar sort of large yellow birds that look vaguely reminiscent of chickens, each about a head taller than an adult man, with their long necks lowered to the ground and their beaks grasping at something...
Suddenly, you realize through your drowsiness: those damn birds are eating your vegetable patch!
Castelia City, Prime Minister's Residence
As the first rays of dawn peek through the South-facing windows of your bedroom at an angle, you awake. You went to bed at your regular hour last night, but in spite of waking so early in the morning, you feel well-rested. You spend your days trying to keep things in your dominion running smoothly and iron out disagreements among the parties in Poke Parliament, and for the most part, you succeed, but being Pokemon Prime Minister is a demanding job, and stressful. Maybe you were just so wiped after last night that you slept like a baby?
As you try to remember what about last night would have made you tired enough to sleep like a rock, you are filled with a sense of unease. Something is wrong, but you can't immediately identify what... As you look around, trying to identify the source of your disquiet, eventually your eyes land on the world outside your windows.
Oh. That's what it was.
Since when has there been a desert across the waves from your waterfront building?
You suddenly get the feeling that you're going to get a lot of calls and are going to need to do a lot of damage control and public reassurances very soon.
Anor Londo, Palace
Your consciousness gradually swims into focus as you open your eyes. It feels like your mind is emerging step by step from a heavy fog. The world before your eyes seems odd and dreamlike for several long moments as you take in the usual sight of your throne room, faux sunset streaming in through the window while you sake off the dregs of... sleep?
Impossible. You do not sleep, because you do not need to. Then, did you choose to sleep for some reason? Why? Could some outside force have compelled you to sleep? If something was capable of such a feat, what else could it have done to you, or to your realm?
This certainly bears investigating...
Ivalice, Orbonne Monastery
As the sun rises, you stir under your blanket and open your eyes to the sound of early morning birdsong. You feel well-rested after a night of good sleep. The light of dawn is streaming in through your South-facing window, but nothing seems out of place until you actually take a look outside and notice that over the treetops a massive, worn stone wall towers that wasn't there yesterday. Even stranger than that, above the wall, overgrown husks of buildings are visible that are oddly blocky and unlike any you have seen before. Obviously, it should be impossible for an old stone wall and what by all accounts appears to be an entire city beyond it to have appeared out of nowhere, and yet, there it is.
You've fought armies, political intrigue, wild creatures, and genuine demons, but you suddenly feel as if your life is about to get even more complicated than it's ever been before.
Edited by darksidevoid on Aug 20th 2022 at 10:52:28 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
