{ dream notes: #10 - june 1, 2022 }

[dreamkeepers]

DREAM NOTES #10: JUNE 1, 2022

IT'S SUMMER TIME~~~ But no summer fun until next month oops. It's event month and moon's haunted.

CALENDAR

Here is our current schedule for the month:

6/01: Plot With Me

6/03: ATP/EMP

6/11: Event: Moon's Haunted

6/17: Test Drive

6/24: Reserves Open

6/28-30: Activity Check

7/01: Dream Notes #11, Apps Open

7/03: Apps close at 11:59PM US Central

7/04~05: Apps processed; Cr Meme; Open Log posted

7/29-31: Activity Check

DREAM TREND: This month's dream trends may involve any of the following themes: moons

WEATHER: Seasons are starting to change, but the prolonged absence of the moon is starting to have more obvious effects, starting with stormy weather that rolls through more often. However, Songerein being the place it is, it's not always going to be normal "rain." Details further in.

Not much else to note except that we are going back to our usual schedule with the Test Drive and that it will be like the usual with its own separate log that is forward dated to the very end of the month/beginning of July.

ACTIVITY CHECK RESULTS

Congratulations to everyone who commented on our Activity Check! The following characters were removed from the game:

Gorou sangopearls
Hat Kid hattersgonnahat
Luca Balsa allegedprisoner
Shionne Imeris dethorne
Six maskedwonder
Tenn Kujo perfectenn
The Knight voidbug

If anyone was swept because they missed AC, you can reapply in the next cycle. Just fair warning, we will notice if this happens more than once and we may not allow immediate reapplication the next time.

This puts our player population to 58/75, which means our new player reserve/apps slots are at a maximum 17.

WORLD UPDATES

Be it new NPCs, creatures, places, or some other discovery or creation, the world of Songerein continues to grow! So here are a few things as a result of the Dream Board and other submissions:

Beastiary:

• Capybaras. Big (2 feet tall) light brown furred rodents with barrel bodies, sharp teeth, webbed feet, and short heads that are native to Central & South America, especially in Colombia. These rodents primarily live in savannas, dense forests, and nearby bodies of water. Semiaquatic in nature as they are very good swimmers and can hold their breath for 5 minutes max. They eat grass, reeds, aquatic plants, fruits, and tree bark, though they are very selective with what they eat (preferring leaves of one species over another for example). Capybaras are also very social creatures and they could live in groups that go as many as 100 or as small as 10 to 20. Normally live for 8-10 years if not eaten by predators.
  

Places:

• Field of Mandragora. Trahearne and Eustace made a mandragora field that will happily allow anyone to pluck their leaves so long as they do it nicely or they will scream a lot; pick their leaves in a KIND and SUSTAINABLE manner
  
  
• The Songerein Wikki Archives, located near the river on the way to the Tree of Stories. This serves as a place of nonfiction and factual information on Songerein, where people can submit their own articles and also browse/borrow articles already submitted. The small stone building has large windows and skylights, fitted with bookshelves and furnished with tables and other comfy chairs where people can read, write, and study all they like. Trahearne has recruited some native Tyrian NPCs to run the place while he's not around.
  
  
• Phantom was overtaken by nightmare energy and created Dreammare Castle. It's disappeared after he's been cured, but a large amount of nightmare energy still remains in the area. It's advised to avoid the area until it clears by the end of the month.
  
  
• The Wild Harvest serves various western and eastern style earth-based street food dishes. A special menu is rotated every month.
  
  

  Wild Harvest's specials for the month are:

  
  
  • Dream Mochi - Rice-like cake with a sweet bean center.
    
  • BBQ Sandwiches - From sandwiches, sliders to burgers. Protein will be whatever is available for the day.
    
  • Yakisoba - Stir-fried noodles with veggies, brown sauce and whatever protein is available for the day.
    
  • Milkshakes - Different kinds of milkshakes based on what's available for the day. Can be achoholic or non.
    
  • Pride Choco Chip Cookies and Owl Ginger Cookies

  
  Small ponds in the garden are now filled with water, but nothing is occupying them yet.

Other:

• Alphen has adopted seven owls. There's also seven times more owl poop.
  
  
• Satan has been experimenting with the local flora (and maybe some poisonous/venomous fauna) and dreamotion magic to create poisons of different potency levels and their antidotes. Once he finishes testing, he'll probably provide what he's learned to the clinic.
  
  
• Emet-Selch has put out an inquiry over the dream crystal network regarding the nature and capabilities of the fabled Story Eater as well as any information related to the moon's disappearance.
  
  
• Madhuri's collection of moon stories has been growing nicely.
  
  
• Mammon received some alcohol from home because of the baubles this month and because of his conversation with Ferran here, will be getting more to possibly share or barter with.
  
  
• Hunter has attempted to leave his Flower Festival costume at a second hand shop near Madame Blackbird's. Who knows what will happen with it.
  
  
• Dr. Otto Octavius and his mechanical tentacle buddies finished his faulty nuclear reactor and switched it on. Thanks to the efforts of some valiant vigilante volunteers (and despite the efforts of two people who actually attempted to protect Otto from the vigilantes), the reactor was disarmed before too much damage could be caused. A good portion of the riverside warehouse that Octavius made his home has now collapsed and if anyone wants to raid it, feel free. There's not much left to be found there apart from some scraps of metal and spare machine parts that might still serve another purpose some day. Octavius himself is trapped in the Prison Tree, but as he's in a sleep coma throughout the first half of June, he's unavailable for comment. (Feel free to poke him with a long stick though.)
  
  
  • Rob learned a valuable lesson that it was a bad idea to set up traps to prevent people from stopping a crazy scientist.
    
  • Reaper was naughty and assisted Doc Octavius with his artificial sun project.
  
  
• In regards to the nest room above the Tree of Stories, many helpers have helped provide for the hatchlings and their room. Here are some things that were done:
  
  (click for the list)

  
  
  • Susato put together a baby mobile made of origami cranes in varying sizes and color, with the help of Herlock Sholmes. It's meant as a protection charm for the eggs; the cranes are burnt and used up if the charm is activated. Together she and Herlock also plastered stars, suns, moons made of glowy paper all over the walls.
    
  • Kisara spent some time with the eggies and tucked them in with some nice fuzzy blankets, like a good mama bear.
    
  • Eustace used his cloak to help cover the eggs until he returned with blankets, and he helped with defense and determined lightning is very effective if they were weakened by Glowing Dawn formula.
    
  • Sholmes was very busy with egg care: defending against lizards, storytime, making plushies, hide and seek, decorations, etc. In the process of fighting lizards, he tested two different defensive applications of Glowing Dawn: using a spray mechanism via his gun (mind spoilers further in the video) and an improvised jar grenade. The spray was difficult to use, gooped up his gun and required targets to move in range. The grenade was more successful both for keeping a safe distance, potential coverage on the target, and easily made. Contact with the Glowing Dawn solution left the lizards stunned/groggy.
    
  • Anya and Herlock (and Pooka too) defended the eggs from the three-headed lizards while she chased after and looked after the eggs with Mei.
    
  • Trahearne and Herlock read some improvised children's literature to the eggs! Includes vampires and werewolves.
    
  • Kazuma made a pillow fort/canopy as a sort of nest for the eggs and also a place for the babies to rest when they hatch.
    
  • Nene decorated the room with colorful star-shaped bunting, as well as made them plushies (from blobby little frogs to teddy bears)! She also dealt with an eraser getting in with Gorou. After they hatched, she helped with the moon rabbit nightmare with Eustace, and made them donuts.
    
  • Alastor eggsat with Sholmes, basically being the fun eggsitter by encouraging chaos. Also painting protective symbols on one of the eggs' shell. They don't have the power they would've had in Alastor's world but potentially protected the egg from minor issues.
    
  • Isabela and Alastor went to help the moon rabbit find its mooncakes from the dreamshift fox’s log inside one of Elimei’s nightmares.
    
  • Mei used her Panda arms to keep the eggs warm, played the flute to help keep them calm, and defeated their nightmare (which was NOT easy, oof.)
    
  
  
• G'raha managed to sneak into a hidden section of the Tree of Stories, but found no info on the Story Eater. Madhuri bumped into him there. Despite her attempt to provide a distraction when a pair of owls spotted them, they were caught and put in time out while the guardians moved to seal the section. The two dreamers managed a little jailbreak and have been laying low from the tree since.

Everyone was pretty busy last month, phew.

STORMY WEATHER

As hinted, it's going to be strange weather for the month of June. Temperatures are heating up and it's also humid, making everything feel worse and stickier than it should. Sometimes one might actually find themselves stuck on something or have small items stick to them. There will be frequent rain showers, but there will be plenty of sunny days as well—which will also be the hottest and muggiest days.

The occasional storms that pass through the town is what will cause the most problems. Most of them will just be heavy rains with strong winds and thunder and will last no longer than fifteen minutes to pass over the entire town, sometimes sooner. But on occasion, something else will fall with the rain: starfish. They range from cute, small harmless starfish to large ones that will stick onto anything and be difficult to remove. And it would be wise to do so because once the rain is over and the sun is out, they will dry out and become more difficult to pry off. At least they aren't actually living?

The river will also be experiencing some odd changes. Even when there isn't a lot of wind or any rain, the waters churn and rise and fall at strange intervals. When it is storming, the waters will rise up high up on the riverbanks, and while there won't be any drastic flooding, the water will seep out onto the roads and buildings. Grab some sandbags or use dreamotion to help keep the water out.

MOON'S HAUNTED: EVENT PREVIEW

So as you can probably guess, the next event will involve the moon!! OoOoOoooOooh. Will we get the moon back for the next month!? Maybe so, and there's a lot of things going into it so let's get started!

The event will be forward dated to the last week of June. As with our usual timey wimey shenanigans, everything is basically lasting a full day.

THE SETUP
Madhuri's Moon Story Collection and the Moon Mirror Shards. Madhuri was already determined to try and make a new moon, and last month there was a quest on the board regarding a pixie trying to make a moon mirror…which unsurprisingly is quite small because it was made by a pixie. We will be combining the results of these two and will be using them both in executing the event and to be used post event as two big keys in creating a new moon. The last key will be obtained within the event.

Elimei is kidnapped! A few days before the event starts, Elimei, the female winged kirin twin from the Tree of Stories, will be suddenly taken. Those who were still attending the twins witnessed a large, gruesome figure wielding a butcher's knife with a bear at its side appear from a black portal that formed out of nowhere. The witnesses were unable to move due to a sudden increase in gravity and heavy weight of nightmare energy. The figures disappeared into the black portal leaving behind no trace—except Elimei's feathers tinged with nightmare energy. This has left Perlios, the twin brother, bereaved and his despair is starting to rot out the tree. They have to act fast!

Observatory. Instead of the usual sudden dreamscape, the Observatory will be used to create a gateway that will send everyone to the target destination. Unfortunately there will be some malfunctions that will yeet everyone into the new place.


THE SETTING
The moonscape. For those who helped Elimei's nightmares and entered the one involving the fox chasing the rabbit, the surface will feel very similar. It's barren with goopy, black patches that make it difficult to move in if stepped into. But it's not completely empty—there are strange forests and swamps that are scattered all over.

Wolves. Fortunately, the characters won't be alone. There are special guardian moon wolves that inhabit this particular moon and the reason it's all messed up is because of the Story Eater's attempts to invade it. Turns out, they have been protecting fragments of corrupted moons in hopes of restoring them in the future. The wolves will provide support and will help aid any who succumb to nightmare energy. But they will also need help in protecting their home and retrieving stolen moon fragments.

Moon Phases & Nightmare Energy Power Up(??). Within the setting, the moonscape will go through two different moon phases: full and new. It will be at random intervals, lasting from ten minutes to half an hour, and basically everything becomes ghostly white or pitch black. During these phases, the power of dreamotion and nightmare energy will also fluctuate.

In a full phase, dreamotion energy will be stronger and nightmare energy will be weaker. Since the environment will be more brightly lit up, it'll be easier to see and move around. The noctaere and other foes that inhabit the area will be weaker and will retreat if the phase occurs during the middle of the night. Anyone that has started to succumb to nightmare energy will also start to break out of it and will provide a good opportunity to help anyone.

In a new phase, nightmare energy will be stronger and dreamotion will be weaker. As can be guessed, the inverse of the full moon phase occurs where noctaere will be stronger and things will be far more difficult and dangerous. Those who are susceptible to nightmare energy are more likely to be affected, and while no one can be immediately corrupted, prolonged exposure without aid will ensure someone turning into a noctaere. However, an interesting twist is being introduced here: characters can try to harness and control nightmare energy and use it as they would dreamotion energy. Upon entering the moonscape they will have a special blessing that will allow them more protection and thus the ability to try and use nightmare energy in a "positive" way to help deal with the enemies that exist in the moonscape. There will also be times when nightmare energy is the only way to clear certain objectives. Of course, there is still the risk that excessive use of nightmare energy will affect the character and increase the chance of becoming a noctaere, so caution is still advised.

For sake of ease, characters will be informed of what's happening regarding both the moon phases and how it effects their dreamotion and nightmare energy. They will also be informed and cautioned on using nightmare energy.

Noctasers. Classification name pending, they are Erasers consumed with nightmare energy, turning them into a unique breed of noctaere. They have the unique characteristics of both Erasers and noctaere, meaning dreamotion alone won't be enough. Fortunately, the potions that have proven effective against Erasers will still be potent and will be made available in the moonscape. This potion combined with dreamotion and other items made available will be key in dealing with the Noctasers. Those who are able to wield nightmare energy may also have a chance at subduing the Noctasers and controlling them to an extent, at least enough to allow others to land attacks to destroy them.

Transformations and twisted personalities. Similar to Elimei's nightmare where heroes and villains were reversed, characters will be more prone to transforming into nightmarish creatures and eventually noctaere due to the abundant nightmare energy. However, the use of nightmare energy will be stronger and more proficient in this form. As mentioned, it will be worse during the new moon phases. Players can be as creative and intense as they want.


THE MISSIONS AND PROMPTS
Mission Groups. There will be two big mission objectives that will be focused by two teams of 2 each. Each team will have shared objectives and while they will be able to thread independently, coordination will be needed so they know what will have occurred.

Mission #1: Save Elimei. The first mission is to find and save Elimei and is the most straightforward of the two. It involves trekking through a dark portion of the swamps and getting through a lot of enemies with big boss fights at the end, so it's better suited for action oriented characters. In addition, it follows the story of the The Buried Moon where they must try to find Elimei whose reflection will appear in the waters. White lights will help guide the way, but they must avoid the red ones as they will lead them to danger. Each of Mission #1's two teams will face one boss opponent and must defeat both: The Mutton Man and the Bear. To help them through all this, they will need crystals, honey, and moonflies.

Mission #2: Retrieve Moon Fragment. Hidden in this moonscape is a fragment of Songerein's original moon, and getting this fragment will help in the efforts to create a new one. This mission is more "puzzle" oriented with the characters needing to get through a maze of bamboo. The "puzzles" aren't too complicated, they're more like games that require teamwork (standing on certain panels, synchronized triggers, etc.). At the end they must defeat the maze guardian, Rabbit Kaguya. Kaguya from the Bamboo Cutter has been corrupted and turned into a rabbit monster, and has Songerein's moon fragment. However, she shouldn't be killed but purified instead through the aid of the moon mirror infused with the stories collected by Madhuri—and some special "holy hand grenades" that need to be collected from the moonscape beforehand. Each of Mission #2's two teams will face Rabbit Kaguya once, and upon weakening her she will drop a jade fragment. The second team will be the one to completely or at least significantly purify her. When combined, the jade fragments will become Songerein's moon fragment.

Because we want to see actual traction in these threads, only players who can be committed to tag in a timely manner and reach near thread completion by the end of the month should sign up. If more than four players sign up for each Mission group, we will select the ones we think will best accomplish the goal. Those who sign up can still participate in the main event as the teams will go out near the end of the event timeline. If you're interested, please comment here for Mission #1, here for Mission #2.

General Prompts. Most of what's written above will be condensed into prompts, so transformations, fighting Noctasers, dealing with the environment, wolves, etc. It'll have a good mix of personal effects, handling the environment, and accomplishing objectives. In addition, as mentioned in the Mission section, before the groups can head out to do their thing some item collecting and path clearing will need to be done. Anyone can fulfill the other objectives that will be available, but to help the mission teams' planning we ask players to comment and "sign-up" for particular items so that we can have a tally for them to work off of. Support for Mission 1 can comment here and support for Mission 2 can comment here. You do not have to actually thread it out, handwaving is allowed!

Deadline for all sign-ups (mission teams and support contributions) is Tuesday, June 7th 11:59PM US Central Time. This is so there is enough time for teams and support contributions to be finalized! We'll throw a reminder before sign-ups close.

DREAM BOARD

How the Dream Board works:

• This is all optional, the quests are just extra content for players and while they can sometimes relate to upcoming or current events, they're just kind of "filler" stuff. Some will be set out in Songerein proper while others may involve dreams.
  
• The Dream Board can be found at the Plaza and quests will automatically appear on it like a bulletin board. Some will also appear in the journals. Anyone can accept them and rewards automatically generated upon completion of the task. It's a dream world, it's full of magic, it just knows.
  
• Quests can be done as many times as a character would do them and rewards will be delivered to the character upon completion.
  
• If you have any questions, comment to the designated subthread.

ID	QUEST	REWARD
601	Digging through the Rubble. Due to a series of events that may or may not have involved some villainous activity and a nuclear reactor, there is now a mostly-collapsed warehouse on the riverfront. Nearby residents and business owners would like that eyesore cleaned up - the sooner, the better! It’s probably safe to start digging through the mess. Surely the boobytraps have all been deactivated by now.	Whatever you find in the remains of the warehouse is yours to keep. (contact Meowzy if have questions)
602	Summer Foraging. June is a month with many herbs and flowers in full bloom, so it’s a perfect time to go out into the Wildlands to go foraging. Several businesses around town - including apothecaries, a perfume shop, a tea shop, and a winery - have posted requests for specific items. Elder flowers, honeysuckle, and roses are especially in high demand. Some can only be found when it rains. Just make sure you keep an eye on your surroundings as you forage, as there’s no shortage of wildlife out there and may be affected by the weather. You may run into something harmless like a cat-bee, or you may run into something that’s a bit less friendly.	Each of the businesses handing out commissions will provide small samples of their wares as thanks.
603	Capybaras. A new animal has moved into the large lake in the Wildlands, and with it has come the curiosity of several people around town. Are they magical in some way? Some residents insist that they must be, given how quickly other animals in the ecosystem seem to have accepted them. Other animals in the area have even been seen napping with these new animals. Surely, they must have some mystical ability that endears others to them for such a thing to happen. Others just assume that this new species is a social animal that gets along well with other creatures - humans and fae included. Either way, it might be fun to go check them out! Reward: New capybara friends.	New capybara friends.
604	The Free Encyclopedia. Trahearne has established the Songerein Wikki Archives not far from the Tree of Stories, designed to be a resource that helps everyone better understand Songerein and its happenings. Dreamers are encouraged to stop by and contribute to the archives at their convenience, particularly those who have been in Songerein for quite some time.	A more robust collection at the Songerein Wikki Archives and a very grateful staff.
605	Wishing on a Star(fish). The strange storms have starfish falling from the sky, but there are special ones that need to be collected. The starfish themselves are very small, barely the size of an eraser on the edge of a pencil. Some of them have hardened over to look like star-shaped rocks, but many more are still alive after their fall to earth. The living ones are easy to distinguish, as they glitter and glow in a variety of colors. In response, a “Sand Enthusiast” has posted a commission: keep the starfish alive until the end of the month by collecting them into jars with salt water (instructions on the correct salt-to-water ratio is included). The request also emphasizes DO NOT PUT THEM INTO THE LAKE, as the fresh water will most certainly kill them.	Tiny glowing starfish in a jar! It’s like a pretty lamp! And possibly something else later down the line…
606	Starfish Cleanup. The rest of the starfish can be gotten rid of and the sooner the better before they dry out and cement themselves onto whatever surface they landed on. While most residents might destroy the hardened remains, some craftsmen, jewelers, and even apothecaries request the hardened starfish remains for use.	No starfish mess; one free starfish based item if turned in

END NOTES

There is quite a bit going on aha ha ha ha BUT HEY WE'RE GETTING THE MOON BACK FINALLY??? If you have any questions, be sure to comment to the designated thread here!

Comments

[sermom]

Player: Akai
Character: Kisara
Notes: Kisara's skills are primarily combat, she's a shield guard and has some great offensive and defensive capabilities. Very limited healing in a pinch, but mostly she's good at taking a hit for someone else or preventing hits from happening at all. She's not so much a puzzle solver, but she has a good head on her shoulders and is great at getting people to focus and look at the big picture. A sensible adult head on one's shoulders is always good for group efforts, surely.

Weaknesses are primarily a low sense of her own usefulness outside of combat, so she might be more hesitant to get in the way of the real puzzle solvers. Her abilities are close range, so fighting from a distance is difficult for her. For the mission specifically, she's not well-educated or read enough to find the answer to especially advanced puzzles, and she's still learning the basics of dreamotion because of limited magic experience.

[dreamkeepers]

Gina and Kisara will be teaming up for Jade Fragment #2! Be sure to coordinate with one another!