#Down You Go isola event

[heclingmuzik]

@schleckermaul

Keep calm. You're okay. You're okay. You guys are going to be okay. We respawn...it's fine. It's fine. You're okay. We'll make it out of here. We're going to be okay.

Listen...if you freak out right now, things are only going to get worse. Pull yourself together and form a plan. You and this...guy....you're going to figure it out. Together. You have to Issy. You have to.

Deep breath in....deep breath out.

"ALRIGHT." Ismael says, voice almost a stern whisper. She's keeping her voice down for many reasons and the one big reason is the alien that lurked down the hallways.

"There's rules here that you can't just....look. We know we come back, but clearly whatever you're doing isn't working. You're only getting yourself killed. You can't keep doing whatever you want without a solid plan." Breathe in....Breathe out.

"That monster...It's an alien and aliens are strong, they're quick, they're smart. They're fast learners. We have to outsmart it if it's anything like the movies I've heard of or like took a glimpse and couldn't watch the whole thing---THAT'S besides the point. Anyway...the windows plays as a barrier for us in here and out there. You crack the window or break it and we're doomed."

[daxned]

@bimeval

Dam-bi had managed to escape, hiding in one of the many strange rooms in this strange building. She wasn't sure where she was or what this place exactly was supposed to be. What she did know was that her monster was here somewhere. The moment she landed in this dimly lit long metallic hallway of a building, Dam-bi had been attacked by some strange monster.

She's in hiding right now because, to her dismay and surprise she was unable to do anything. A monster she couldn't control was unheard of. She controlled all the monsters in her world. When she resorted to attacking the creature, it was only enough to stun it, but only for just a mere seconds before it attacked.

She watches as black tendrils creeps up her arm and her entire body, healing any injuries she's sustained from such a beast.

When she feels the coast is clear, she exhales and approaches the door. She's learned quickly that she doesn't need to touch it. That the door slides right on open by itself. She peeks left and right, and slowly takes a step forward and out of her temporary sanctuary. She...hasn't felt this fearful of her life since when her monsters FIRST terrorized her village. She had been petrified back then and she was petrified now. She had been so frightened that she couldn't move an inch. If the monster had attacked her and snapped her right out of her state, she wouldn't be alive right now.

"Sukuna..." Her voice just barely travels down the hall when she spots and SENSES that familiar presence. He's a little too far away to see clearly, but she KNOWS that's him.

What was he doing here?

Never mind, she makes haste toward him, almost running to close in the gap faster. Dam-bi doesn't get to make it by Sukuna's side when that same alien comes right in between the two, blocking their way. It snaps its teeth together, acid like saliva trails down from its hungry maw. Its eyes at the moment is on the child as it saunters toward her like a predator to a prey. For now, ignoring Sukuna behind it.

Dam-bi once again is unable to move. Her feet are planted on the cold metal flooring beneath her.

cold...

She must have lost both her sandals in the run.

[isolaradiale]

"If you do not descend into the depths you will never find the truth. Nor will you find the treasures within..." (Some explorer maybe idk Ofiuco made it up)

"Rise and shine. A new day of adventure awaits." Every piece of technology in the city that could broadcast sound and / or images whirred to life at exactly midnight, surely awakening any "early to bed, early to risers" long before they wanted to wake up. The voice was familiar in its monotone, but it didn't carry the robotic hollowness that it once had. That was because it was the voice of Ofiuco, who had recently undergone some changes to become one of the Stars herself.

She waited a minute before proceeding, giving the watchers and listeners ample time to wake up first. "I apologize for waking you, but as it seems to be the standard of the Stars to make these announcements at this unpleasant hour, I am expected to do the same. I take no joy from having to do so..."

For those watching on a screen, the android holding her hand out to the side with her palm flat could be seen, upon which a screenshot seemed to rest. A screenshot that was undeniably of the hole in the city's centre, but something was different. It was lit up! "As you can see, an anomaly has opened in the city's centre. I have deployed my remote version to investigate, but to no avail. A lift has been set up to take you down to the bottom."

The images that floated above her hand changes as she described different things. It lingered on an image of the older version of Ofiuco hastily putting a lift together though, before the image changed to one of a large, glowing gate at the bottom of a huge pit. The bottom of the hole that no one was allowed to see.

"I am unable to send my remote body through that gate. And as my scans have confirmed, the world on the other side of that gate is unstable. Uncharted. Every time someone enters it, its design and layout are different. We need you to do the charting for us. I understand that we're... I'm asking a lot, but you will be rewarded for your efforts. Please." The broadcast ended, but something didn't feel quite right.

Why did Ofiuco seem so concerned?

OVERVIEW

Welcome to our newest event, DOWN YOU GO! Inspired by dungeon crawler and roguelike games, it will have your character (either by themselves or with a party) exploring a variety of environment in pursuit of answers and treasures. But mostly treasures. Here are all of the features of this event:

four unique biomes to explore

each biome has its own mechanics and circumstances

a random buff / debuff system

a grand prize to be received at random once you've reached a certain word count with your event threads

abilities unlocked while within a biome, though difficulty scales accordingly

BIOMES

Each biome is unique and features different gimmicks, enemies, and a different challenge to overcome. Outside of the descriptions provided below, you have complete control over how the biome's size and how it looks, as well what is inside of it (such as things like poisonous swamps or lava pools). The challenged you encounter and how you overcome them are also up to you!

FANTASY A biome inspired by fantasy. A series of caverns and open forest clearings that are rife for exploring. You are liable to find standard fantasy fare here in terms of monsters, so everything from goblins to dragons is on the table. This is also the biome most populated with monsters in general, and will be the most combat focused. The stronger the characters that enter this biome are, the more dangerous and ravenous the monsters will be, and they will not be so easily killed even by overpowered abilities.

SPACE A biome inspired by space horror. The setting is an abandoned space station deep in the depths of the void. You must navigate the halls of the space station while being pursued by a murderous alien creature that will not stop until your whole party is dead, while navigating the risks of using abilities in a place where destroying one window could kill everyone. Feel free to customize the alien however you'd like provided it isn't just a licensed alien from an existing property! Just make sure it's a suitable challenge, because the alien cannot be killed. It will pursue you until you reach the control room where the treasure can be found.

SEA A biome inspired by pirates and ocean-related myths. Completely submerged within the depths of the ocean, this biome's gimmick is that your character has been adapted into a new form to thrive. They have become a merfolk, obtaining fish traits to help them move about the dark, underwater caves. They are rife with undersea monsters that can take advantage of their speed and experience vs your character who is still adjusting to their new underwater abilities. You're free to customize your character however so that they can function underwater!

JUNGLE A biome inspired by old adventure movies. While monsters are scarce, the caves and open jungle are plagued with numerous traps that seek to immobilize your character, if not kill them outright. It's also extremely hot and humid. For the sake of fairness, any mobility related abilities will be disabled in this biome, as well as any that provide invulnerability. Be as inventive as you want with the traps! Now is your chance to be chased by a giant boulder!

COMBAT SPECIFICS

Every character will be returned their abilities and weapons for the event while within a biome, but remember difficulty should be scaled according to how powerful the characters exploring are so that characters cannot steamroll it. While most of them are caves and tunnels, they're still extremely spacious for fights, barring the space station considering its unique threat. The corridors there are much tighter.

For characters that have no powers, the Fantasia system will be active and they can access their Fantasia forms while within the biomes. For those of you who weren't around during the Fantasia War event, you can still make a form for your character! You just need to pick one of the races from this post, and your character can then use any of these spells!

BUFF / DEBUFF SYSTEM

Within each biome a series of chests can be found (aesthetically reflecting the biome's theme). When opened, this chest provides a buff or debuff to the entire party. We've put together a wheel here where you can roll for what that buff or debuff might affect them. Of course this isn't something we can control, so if you just want to pick one for narrative purposes that's also fine! We just wanted to include the option. The list of buffs / debuffs you can receive can be found below:

ATK + / ATK- An increase or decrease to the strength of all of the characters.

SPD+ / SPD- An increase or decrease to the speed of all of the characters.

INVINCIBILITY All characters are invincible to damage and knockback for five minutes.

HEAL ALL All characters in the party have their health restored to full.

POISONOUS FOG A poisonous fog amasses within the biome that slowly drains the health of all party members and obscures the surroundings. Can be cleansed with the right abilities.

GRAVITY+ / GRAVITY- Gravity increases or decreases slightly, altering the ease of movement. (If in the sea biome, reroll)

FORTITUDE Every party member is shrouded with a barrier that can negate all damage from the next attack received.

DIVINE INTERVENTION Revives a fallen party member with the group. (If no one is fallen, reroll)

WELL RESTED Everyone's energy levels are restored. It's easier to forge ahead!

OFIUCLONE SWARM Summons a swarm of ten Ofiuclones during your next enemy encounter to aid in battle.

TRANSMOGRIFICATION Everyone in the party is changed into a random animal for ten minutes.

GOOD VIBES During the next enemy encounter, everyone's overall stats are increased. You feel like you can take on anything!

GRAND PRIZE

You're only required to make a single event post or drabble to be eligible for event participation, but we are also offering a grand prize to everyone who reaches 1000 words* across all of their event threads. This prize is random, and for each person that reaches this point we will be spinning a prize wheel to determine what you receive! Every character can only receive this prize once, but if you do not like your initial prize you get one reroll. You can also exchange your prize in for a Star amount equivalent to its retail price and put the money towards an item or items you do want!

The included prizes are as follows, all taken from our Galaxy marketplace:

shielden ring

companion star

polymorph star

cosmogills

starcycle

mysterious blueprints

1000 stars

*You do not need 1000 words before the event ends. So long as the threads are started before the event period concludes, you can cash in for this prize whenever you hit that milestone. In the case that a thread partner drops in the meantime, you can continue the thread in a new thread or drabble with that person separated provided you link back to the original in the first post. We will not be awarding prizes until the event period has ended.

EVENT FAQ

WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHARACTER DIES WITHIN THE BIOME? Accidents happen! Your character will simply respawn at the beginning and will be able to catch up with the others by trekking through the explored areas already. This may be more difficult in some biomes than others.

HOW ARE ENEMIES BALANCED WHEN CHARACTERS OF VARYING POWERS ARE IN THE SAME PARTY? Every group of enemies will have at least one foe that is equivalent in strength to your strongest member and will aggro to them. Unless your weaker members aggro the monster themselves, in which case? Good luck! If your strongest character has abilities that are considered "gamebreaking" like the ability to alter reality and so forth, this enemy will be immune to those abilities.

WHAT ABOUT THE ALIEN MONSTER IN THE SPACE BIOME? It cannot be hurt or killed even by your strongest party member. Run!

CAN WE USE A FANTASIA FORM IF OUR CHARACTER HAS ABILITIES OF THEIR OWN? In the case that those abilities would not help them in a combat situation, then yes!

ARE OUR CHARACTERS ALLOWED TO CHANGE THEIR FANTASIA FORMS? Sure thing! That information is stored in the Intraverse, so they could go in and change in whenever they like so long as it remains within the limitations of the Fantasia System.

CAN WE USE ABILITIES THAT WOULD "CHEAT" THE SYSTEM? LIKE BEING ABLE TO JUST TELEPORT TO THE END? Abilities that would otherwise break the spirit of the event are disabled even if your character has everything unlocked otherwise for the sake of fairness.

DO WE NEED TO RANDOMIZE THE BUFFS / DEBUFFS FROM THE CHESTS? As mentioned, you don't need to, but we hope you will as a fun mechanic! It isn't like there's a way for us to check if you actually did it randomly, and your threads are your own.

DO WE NEED TO CLAIM THE PRIZE TO GET PARTICIPATION? Nope! That prize is just a little something extra if you choose to shoot for it. Participation requirements are normal. And remember, you don't need to claim the prize by the event's end. You can finish it whenever so long as the thread is started before the event concludes at the end of the day on February 10th.

[amoirsetpacis]

@wldrose

★ --;; It's quiet, though Vash is hardly paying attention to his surroundings at the moment. Instead, he's far more captivated by the view on the other side of the massive window he's found.

Space.

The stars feel endless through the thick glass, and although for a moment there's the brief thought of just how this place could exist at the bottom of the city's gaping maw it's gone just as quickly as it had come, enraptured by the sheer enormity of it all. He hasn't been this close to the great expanse since his childhood, seemingly endless days spent staring out into the void and wondering where their new home would be coming to an abrupt and violent end.

Sometimes, at night, out in the desert, staring up at the sky, he could still picture the fire raining down from the heavens all around them.

This place doesn't feel like home, though-- feels nothing like those old SEEDS ships that had ferried humanity through the cosmos. This place feels colder, somehow, though he supposes that's on purpose.

A loud bang! definitely does get his attention though, and he whirls around with his hand hovering above the holster at his thigh.

"Who's there?"

[purewhitedevil]

random starter - @caliburn​ 

Perhaps one of these hole-things did not end on where it should be than being outside of the fields, in a village but something worse. They were ended up inside a goblin-nested elven fortress, surrounded by several corpses which were all female. One who was like, shoved up entrails like a pig, other was burned alive and another were a pincushion which explains the arrow landings and the other one recently via suicide.

What an ironic setback. Either these must be the locals from a ward that got here or merely villagers, nobody knows.

“Talk about bad landing.” Albedo waggled her head off to see that it was only lit up because of the corpse-filled torch around their east. She wakes up the female white-gowned servant next to her.

“Wake up. We need to get out of this place before...” What do you know, goblins just got back and they seemed not to be friendly but vicious with those grins on their faces.

3F was drawn, she’s ready to behead goblins and out of this place.

[infiernogarde]

closed starter - @blackmagi​

Somewhere in an empty capital, at the center of it as there are no people around here. Just empty houses, buildings other than the city statue standing there and a fountain. Hikaru had ventured enough on her own as she needed a rest on one of those stone chairs that surrounds the fountain.

She only scratches her head behind as she drew off Escudo just to be cautious on hidden danger. Felt like there is someone else around but it was only Judar. That guy she had met long ago.

“It’s just you. You ventured yourself alone as well?” It was merely a greeting but Hikaru haven’t noticed that she was followed by a winged dragon up in the skies.

[wldrose]

@capnskullkid

Run and don't stop. Keep running.

You'll be my eyes and ears. Make it to the control room, but you won't be fighting that thing.

Go. I'm right behind you. I promise.

Hey...hey, Kugisaki....Kugisaki! KUGISAKI NOBARA, WAKE UP!

The loud siren noise fades. During the time at the spaceship, she hadn't realized how loud the sirens were. She supposed amidst all the chaos that ensued and the adrenaline that ran through her body to keep her moving, it was easy to miss it. She had heard it at the beginning. The first initial blare of it and then...

Kugisaki opens her eyes, greeted by the bright fluorescent lights and she groans. Panic DOES rise in her chest when she's only able to see from the one eye, but she remembers almost instantly as to what happened. The alien back then. Ah, she messed up. It's blades and its whatever else it protruded out of it really did mess the side of her face, didn't it? With a weak hand, she places it over on the right side of her face. Bandaged up pretty good.

Where's Vash? Where's Itadori and Fushiguro? Vash.....was he able to get help? Did he....did he make it?

And a sense of dread, because what if he didn't? What if she was the cause of his death? She could have left her partners. You know you couldn't. They would've been in the same situation as you were. Vash and you couldn't do anything to them. What makes you think Fushiguro and Itadori could?

They were strong, they had the tools, but so did Vash. So did she.

Lifting her weak body up to situate her back against the headboard of the hospital bed, she reaches for her phone and fingertips glides against it, pushing the phone closer to the edge and plop, it's fallen on the cushioned rug.

"Shit..."

[aurelsabre]

random starter - @pashieon

Homesickness is not a thing for Narberal as it doesn't exactly looked like her world where the Tomb of Nazarick should be existing. They were lucky that they're on the plains but one thing that felt like they're in full power is because temporary for this event caused by the 'stars'.

Luckily, there is Anakin so things won't be complicated.

"We meet again. So, do you wish to explore and find something worthwhile in this place?" It may look peaceful but there is a looming threat awaits them.

[en4cer]

@reversedpsync​

                          lights flickered and danced to eerie effect : on , off , on , off . cut wires hung from a torn hole in the ceiling , mimicking a chandelier’s elegance and firework’s awe . it was a beast’s formal ball , only they lost track of the guest of honor .

                                            “ at this rate we’ll be cornered . “

the enemy had severed the internal. wiring , sending the station into an electrical tizzy . at this rate , it was going to be hard to track movement with human eye ; how fortuitous to have tama on their side . with rifle held to her chest , caitlyn squatted in the corner of the war-torn mess hall, whispering to her partners beside her : “ ryuki , tama : can you two run a thermal scan around the perimeter of the hall ?? i can’t see a thing like this . “

[doublemasked]

The jungle was densely packed, and the humidity certainly didn't go unnoticed, but much like every other biome, there were unique challenges presented, and he certainly wasn't one to say no.

But what really caught his eye was the cave entrance, hidden by vines, which were cut through. The doorway almost shone in an odd way as he grinned, lifting a boot and giving a harsh kick to it, bursting the latch open.

"Oh, wait, was that a puzzle - shoot." A frown as he looked at the mechanism, not looking up but not entirely ignoring the footsteps approaching.

"Good news and bad news, adventurer!"

"The good news is, I found an entrance to a place with probable treasure! The bad news is, I definitely activated a trap!" Rumbling started from the cave entrance, jingling the door on its hinges.

"Oops!"

@princevirtue

[ryuujin]

down you go plotted starter with @heclingmuzik!

"I think we lost them..." With his legs wobbly with fear and terror nearly sealing his throat, Ryuujin slides down the wall of stone behind him and heaves out a heavy, exhausted breath. Although his body isn't worn from all the running, the dread coursing through his veins has certainly rendered him almost completely feeble.

Monsters of varying sizes and strength have been trying to hunt them down for who knows how long and the two have only recently managed to seek sanctuary in the unyielding shadows of a cavern. It reeks of dried blood, animal waste, and decaying vegetation but it is still a much better option to spend the night in than out there.

"Ismael!" Wielding what's left of his energy, Ryuujin grabs his friend's face to check every angle possible. "Are you hurt?! Did they damage your perfect face?!" Thankfully, she seems unscathed apart from a few shallow scrapes. He immediately pulls her in a tight embrace. "Oh, sweet Ismael! Not unlike an autumn leaf, I would have withered and fallen should I witness your last breath! Life is truly a fragile affair!"

[heclingmuzik]

@blankslateprotagonist

Bright icey blue eyes scans her area. She can't see where she's going, but she uses what she KNOWS she has to help her navigate. Electricity courses through her bod, sending out short waves around her as she ventures deep within the ocean. The electric eel mercreature sighs softly and with her mind occupied somewhere else, she nearly bumps into another. Thankfully, she's stopped right on time.

"Whoa---uh, hey. Didn't see you there." Did she just kind of make a pun?

[daxned]

@baddestdangerboy

Is she setting off the traps around the area with the use of some rocks? ABSOLUTELY. The small creature stands next to her, spitting out, what looks like spit balls in different directions, causing a few areas to explode. While she wouldn't be able to locate all of them, at least it seemed the area around them was relatively cleared.

She had set one off earlier by accident, nearly injuring her leg in the process. THAT will not happen again.

So, turning her attention, she looks at Badou who approaches, "I can't pinpoint the rest, but we should be okay for now."

[isolaradiale]

At the stroke of midnight, everyone was ejected not only from the biomes but from the hole itself, placed around the gap's outskirts. The elevator was gone, and at the first sight of someone talking about jumping down a woman's voice boomed over the speakers. "I wouldn't do that. Point Zero's functionality has returned to normal, so doing that would lead to certain death." It was Ofiuco's voice, and she had just casually dropped the official name of the hole without much fanfare.

"You're now free to return to your daily lives, thank you for partaking in our experiment and we hope you get some use out of the treasures you found. Until next time." Based on her phrasing this was where the transmission was about to cut out, but it went on a short while longer with muffled conversation between the Stars incoherent in the background. But there was one sentence that was clearer than the rest, and it undercut the implication that the Biomes had been their doing.

"How did NULL create something within the city? They shouldn't have the ability to do so. Could it be that soon... KSST!"

CONCLUSION NOTES

Thanks for participating in Down You Go, everyone!

Going forward you will be able to send your message to the Galaxy blog about event prizes if you are eligible according to the event post.

Keep in mind you can claim these whenever you reach the word count provided the thread was started before the event period ended.

Remember if you don't like the prize you get, you can either ask for a single reroll or trade it in for stars of the items value. You can still trade in the reroll, but there's the risk you might reroll and get something worth less, so keep that in mind!

Going forward the hole in the city's centre will be referred to by its official name, Point Zero.

We've updated the previous events page with the last two events! We've also renumbered all of the events to remove the concept of "mini-events" so it isn't as confusing.

[amoirsetpacis]

@light-imperfected

★ --;; Vash is keenly aware of the weight of the extra bullets he has on him as well as the weight of the colt in his hand and how many rounds are still inside as he ducks for cover beneath an outcropping of rock. He knows for a fact that he doesn't have a lot of time to stay hiding here, knows for a fact that the fucking dragon that had spotted him and had refused to let up on his trail had definitely seen him scramble inside from above.

Memories of the last time he had been in such a situation flare up brightly in the back of his mind but are gone just as quickly as they appear-- it had been different, then, having chosen to help those in need and having made a plan of action, and he had had help. Now, this thing seems to be hunting him as if he's a toy to play with, and it makes the situation that much worse.

A line of fire scorches the grass just outside his hideaway and the seconds feel as though they're only capable of ticking by faster and faster as Vash desperately tries to think of a plan. There are no buildings to hide behind out here, no alleys to slink through. He's completely out of his element.

He can hear the great beating wings of the beast circling above him, of it slowly lowering itself to the ground, and knows that if he doesn't get out of here quick he'll be turned into some rather tough barbeque.

[sxnburst]

@eusyram

"It's so pretty high up here." It's almost like Cotes Ward's forest. ENDLESS trees, except here in his eyes, it's so much more beautiful. It makes him want to stay up here for as long as he can, but he knows they have things that they have to get done. Looking over his shoulder to where Mary Sue is latched onto his back, he smiles, "Yolanda, which way should we go?"

Sun's climbing up higher until he's at the very top! Both his arms are latched onto the thick tree as he continues to look around. Though, from where he is, he spots a treasure box and so with a excited gasp, Sun points

"Look!" aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there he goes. Without another warning, he's FREE falling down and grabbing onto a vine to launch himself to the next tree. Damn. All this for the treasure box because he's curious!