idolpro | Zhongli's Ideal World Session Out of Time

Objectives:
Zhongli is suffering from erosion - a disease that affects his memories and distorts his concept of reality. To pull him out of his ideal world, you will have to restore the world to its accurate perception. There are multiple paths to achieve this:

Find the erosion and restore each area of Liyue to what it should be rather than Zhongli's idealized version. Then the Rite of Descension will continue as normal.
Defeat the Geo Archon after the false Rite of Descension has started.
Defeat [ REDACTED ] after [ REDACTED ] event occurs.

Options 1 and 2 are ICly known to your character.

Glossary for Zhongli's Ideal World:

Teyvat - the world Zhongli is from
Liyue - the country/home city Zhongli is from. It is ruled by the Geo Archon
Archon - god of one of the seven elements (pyro/fire, electro, hydro, cryo/ice, geo, anemo/wind, dendro/nature) and ruler of one of the seven nations of Teyvat
Vision - eye of god; grants a human the ability to use one of the seven elements

Link to stats sheet

Your character has the following stats and 2 HP. Unless otherwise stated, successful damage to your character will be 1 HP:

STR (strength): For physical attacks
SPD (speed): For dodging and acts of dexterity
ELM (elemental mastery): For using elemental skills
INT (intelligence): For getting additional context clues (historical or cultural)
CHA (charisma): For getting extra dialogue out of NPCs

   HP: ♥ ♥

All stats start at 0, but you can adjust any stat as long as it is between the range of -2 and +2. You also have an additional 3 points to distribute.

We will use Zhongli as an example:

Base Stats:
   STR: 0
   SPD: 0
   ELM: 0
   INT: 0
   CHA: 0

Adjusted Stats (the numbers added up here should equal 0. You can adjust as much or as little as you want):
   STR: 1
   SPD: -2
   ELM: 2
   INT: -1
   CHA: 0

+3 Points to Distribute:
   STR: 2
   SPD: -2
   ELM: 2
   INT: 0
   CHA: 1

When using a stat, roll a 1d6 die plus your stat. 1-3 fails. 4-6 is a success. Natural 1 and natural 6 are considered critical failure and critical success even with modifiers. If the situation calls for it, additional flavor text will be added.

You wake up floating, feeling lightweight and free. There is nothing but beautiful golden-purple sunset sky above you and stars twinkling in the distance. Nothing below your feet but clouds too thick to see through. But you imagine the ground is somewhere down there, very very far below.

A flash of gold shimmers, and a rolled up parchment unfurls in the air in front of you. A small black inkwell and calligraphy brush appears off to the side. The script is neat and tidy.

"Erosion.

It is a terrible disease of the mind known to affect the long lived individuals of Teyvat; those affiliated with the element of geo being much more susceptible. It is a slow and gradual process - forgetting the name of a friend who has long since passed here or the exact date of an important event there. Steadily do memories and tethers to the realm crumble until nothing is left but a husk of the individual completely separated from reality.

Zhongli has been battling the onset of this malady for years untold. And even careful as he was, he too has succumbed to its grip. Fortunately, he is not yet completely lost to us, but without immediate intervention, I'm afraid that he will be.

Traveler, I do not know how close you are to Zhongli, but I can sense that you are at least acquainted. Enough perhaps to know that he would not want one of his power left alone to ravage the land. I offer you a boon, the power of the elements and a tool to help differentiate fantasy from reality to use as you see fit. In exchange, I request your promise that you will return Zhongli to his senses or render him incapable of further harming others.

Will you accept this contract?"

[[ OOC: For the contract signing, you are alone, but once you have landed in Liyue Harbor, you are free to interact with the other Ideal World runners as you see fit.

I don't think is qualifies for the out of time run, but I left it in there.]]

Edited 2021-12-30 21:17 (UTC)

[erosion, that sounds...bad.]

...I, ah, will...

[something about that term, 'erosion', sounds...familiar...but he cannot place it.]

...yes.

Congratulations, Traveler. You have been bequeathed with a [ Cryo Vision ] under the constellation [ Flos Labyrinthus ].

Your signature flashes golden as the parchment rolls itself back up, a gold ribbon tightly securing it before it disappears like so much stardust. A contract forged and sealed. Then you hear it - you feel it - the earth calling you pulling you down down down to the ground and welcoming you home. You can just make it out through the thinning clouds during your descent - a harbor city protected on all sides by tall, jagged mountains. The city of Liyue - Zhongli's heart and home.

If you do happen to glance back up toward the sky, you'll see a woman garbed in white and black armor, golden eyes piercing as she holds the contract in her hand.

"May the blessing of Celestia guide your path."

And thus, your journey begins.

Where would you like to land:

The docks
The marketplace
The mountains overlooking the city
The central pavilion where it looks like preparations for a ceremony are beginning

(For reasons, you cannot explain the mountains call to you.)

[[ OOC: If you have accepted the contract and the vision:

You will get a +1 to Elemental Mastery. If you are already at +2, please put +1 in any other stat of your choice.
Your vision will glow if you are near the source of the idiosyncrasies in Zhongli's ideal world. Roll ELM if you'd like to investigate.
Consider yourself a master of your element and you may use it in any offensive, defensive or utility capability. You want a sword? A shield? Hydro surfing? It's yours!

If you have not accepted the contract, your stats remain unchanged.]]

Congratulations, Traveler. You have been bequeathed with a [ Anemo Vision ] under the constellation [ Alatus Nemeseos ].

Your signature flashes golden as the parchment rolls itself back up, a gold ribbon tightly securing it before it disappears like so much stardust. A contract forged and sealed. Then you hear it - you feel it - the earth calling you pulling you down down down to the ground and welcoming you home. You can just make it out through the thinning clouds during your descent - a harbor city protected on all sides by tall, jagged mountains. The city of Liyue - Zhongli's heart and home.

If you do happen to glance back up toward the sky, you'll see a woman garbed in white and black armor, golden eyes piercing as she holds the contract in her hand.

"May the blessing of Celestia guide your path."

And thus, your journey begins.

Where would you like to land:

The docks
The marketplace
The mountains overlooking the city
The central pavilion where it looks like preparations for a ceremony are beginning

(For reasons, you cannot explain the mountains call to you.)

[[ OOC: If you have accepted the contract and the vision:

You will get a +1 to Elemental Mastery. If you are already at +2, please put +1 in any other stat of your choice.
Your vision will glow if you are near the source of the idiosyncrasies in Zhongli's ideal world. Roll ELM if you'd like to investigate.
Consider yourself a master of your element and you may use it in any offensive, defensive or utility capability. You want a sword? A shield? Hydro surfing? It's yours!

If you have not accepted the contract, your stats remain unchanged.]]

[ ...Nice way to wake up, and — something about the description of Erosion kind of nettles him, but he shelves it for the moment. ]

—Yeah. I'm down.

[ Ordinarily he would want to study a Mysterious Floating Golden contract, but he remembers the game tower and the sleeping bodies and the gas and the threat, so. ]

Let's get this party started.

[guess he's going to the mountains, then.]

[if you thought that he wasn't going to go IMMEDIATELY to the mountains...well...]

Congratulations, Traveler. You have been bequeathed with a [ Pyro Vision ] under the constellation [ Intrepidus Eques ].

Your signature flashes golden as the parchment rolls itself back up, a gold ribbon tightly securing it before it disappears like so much stardust. A contract forged and sealed. Then you hear it - you feel it - the earth calling you pulling you down down down to the ground and welcoming you home. You can just make it out through the thinning clouds during your descent - a harbor city protected on all sides by tall, jagged mountains. The city of Liyue - Zhongli's heart and home.

If you do happen to glance back up toward the sky, you'll see a woman garbed in white and black armor, golden eyes piercing as she holds the contract in her hand.

"May the blessing of Celestia guide your path."

And thus, your journey begins.

Where would you like to land:

The docks
The marketplace
The mountains overlooking the city
The central pavilion where it looks like preparations for a ceremony are beginning

( For some reason, you feel yourself drawn to the pavilion. )

[[ OOC: If you have accepted the contract and the vision:

You will get a +1 to Elemental Mastery. If you are already at +2, please put +1 in any other stat of your choice.
Your vision will glow if you are near the source of the idiosyncrasies in Zhongli's ideal world. Roll ELM if you'd like to investigate.
Consider yourself a master of your element and you may use it in any offensive, defensive or utility capability. You want a sword? A shield? Hydro surfing? It's yours!

If you have not accepted the contract, your stats remain unchanged.]]

Curling around Liyue Harbor is a mountain range that protects the city on all three sides not bordered by water. It is the perfect place for gods and immortals to overlook the daily lives of those they live to serve. It is also the perfect place for them to find rest and refuge to reflect on the past.

Within Mt. Aocang, there are three places to go:

The Table of the Archons: In the center of the mountains lies a lake, where an island fitted with a stone table, seven stone chairs and seven gold goblets preside. One seat is vacant, but it looks like Zhongli is saving a seat for a special person.

The Guardian Yaksha: High above the treetops and within the shadows of the mountain, you might spot a splash of vibrant color among the scenery. Use caution before preceding.

The Tree of Azhdaha: In the distance, you can see a beautiful tree, towering even over some of the nearby mountains. And it's not just its size that makes it peculiar.

You may also travel to: the docks, the marketplace, or the central pavilion.

[ To the mountains ]

[ To the mountains: take 2 ]

[of course he's going to go to the beautiful tree. where else is he going to go?]

[predictably enough, is going to go to the highest place he can. which is to say, high above the treetops]

Five yakshas does the Lord of Geo have - one of electro, hydro, pyro and geo. Uninterested in the daily affairs of mortals, they do not approach first. And sometimes they disappear from view all together. But they are here. And they are watching.

Sakura (the anemo Yaksha) sits at the highest vantage point, one hand rested on a raised knee as he watches over Liyue Harbor from afar.

[[ OOC: Xiao, do not reply to this comment just yet. Reply to the comment below. ]]

The edges of the world fade around you as you suddenly come face to face with yourself. The sound of the other Travelers and Liyue harbor become indistinct. Your doppleganger bows in a standard Liyue greeting, posture too perfect and movements too precise, making it seem uncanny for a moment.

[ "Hn. Meeting you here makes things much more complicated. … Shall we get straight to why I'm here?"
]

A gaming menu also flickers to life in front of your eyes:

Please choose one upgrade:

Details: You may ask your doppleganger questions until you get one answer that will assist you in repairing Zhongli's erosion.
Ascend: You may add +1 to any stat (following the rule that it does not exceed +2).
Refine: You will be healed to full health or can choose to be revived to 1 HP should you fall to 0 health.

[[ Disclaimer: You may get an upgrade from your doppleganger only once. Should the area your doppleganger exists in be cleansed of erosion, you will still be able to interact with them. ]]

The tree is as mesmerizing as it is massive - crowned in full bloom with gingko leaves and imbedded with Dragonfall crystal that pulses with the energy of geo. At the top of the tree, one large branch pulses brighter than the others. It shifts if one is to look away - changing from the cold ice of cryo to crackling electro energy.

Two figures are resting underneath the tree, one napping (Alexander) and the other (Persephone) enjoying a moment of quiet.

[[ ooc: Persephone, please do not comment to this, and comment on the one below. ]]

The edges of the world fade around you as you suddenly come face to face with yourself. The sound of the other Travelers and Liyue harbor become indistinct. Your doppleganger bows in a standard Liyue greeting, posture too perfect and movements too precise, making it seem uncanny for a moment.

[ "You're here. I see." ]

A gaming menu also flickers to life in front of your eyes:

Please choose one upgrade:

Details: You may ask your doppleganger questions until you get one answer that will assist you in repairing Zhongli's erosion.
Ascend: You may add +1 to any stat (following the rule that it does not exceed +2).
Refine: You will be healed to full health or can choose to be revived to 1 HP should you fall to 0 health.

[[ Disclaimer: You may get an upgrade from your doppleganger only once. Should the area your doppleganger exists in be cleansed of erosion, you will still be able to interact with them. ]]

[>Sakura will remember this. he has so many questions.

but he'll pick...details?.]

...Yes.

[returns the greeting, gracefully.

>details.]

I, ah, am, yes....

[ Dopple!Sakura looks back at him. ]

"It's simple. If you have questions, I will answer them as best I can."

[ Dopple!Persephone smooths his skirts and folds his hands in their lap. ]

"What do you wish to, ah, know?"

[ ...Cool, cool, cool.

Let's go for docks. ]

Zhongli's Ideal World Session Out of Time

OOC Objectives and Glossary

Stats and Rolling

Introduction - Start

Re: Introduction - Start

Re: Introduction - Start

Persephone

Xiao

Re: Introduction - Start

Re: Persephone

Re: Xiao

Lupine

Mt. Aocang

Re: Persephone

Re: Xiao

Re: Mt. Aocang

Re: Mt. Aocang

Mt. Aocang (The Five Yaksha)

Doppleganger: Xiao

Mt. Aocang: Nantianmen (Azhdaha's tree)

Doppleganger: Persephone

Re: Doppleganger: Xiao

Re: Doppleganger: Persephone

Re: Doppleganger: Xiao

Re: Doppleganger: Persephone

Re: Lupine