The Skyward Tower

3kul · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:10 am Post subject: The Skyward Tower

The Skyward Tower was a new and unfamiliar sight to those who frequented the Training Dojo, having apparently sprouted up out of nowhere overnight, and yet it's sheer size and magnitude would suggest that it's construction should had taken thousands of labourers and hundreds of years.

Nobody claimed the tower as their own, and it only earned it's name because it appeared to continue upwards endlessly, further than just about any Dojodian could see. Those who could fly would find that the tower continued up out of Blackstar's breathable atmosphere, and those is space could only confirm that the tower continued out of Blackstar and off into the starry yonder. It was certainly an unusual structure, and some even considered it's existence to be paradoxical, but most were satisfied to consider it as nothing more than yet another oddity in the weird world of Blackstar.

However the tower had more secrets to be discovered, it seemed. People soon noticed that at certain times a large door would appear on the tower, but only at midday or midnight. The denizens of the Dojo could now enter the tower if they wished to do so, although many were understandably hesitant. The tower seemed to go upwards forever after all, and with a door that only appeared once every twelve hours exploring it seemed like an intimidating task to some.

But as always with these sorts of things several individuals decided that they would attempt to brave the mysterious tower, and one-by-one they entered the elusive 12-hour door...

((The idea behind this thread is to give people a chance to run an RP of their own, something that not many of us get an opportunity to really practice doing.

First of all, please don't get the wrong idea - I'm not going to try and teach anybody the 'right' way to do things (I'm pretty sure I couldn't even if I tried Razz

). This thread exists so that anybody can experiment with controlling an RP for a short time without having to worry about anything long-term. For those of you who've never tried controlling an RP for this should (hopefully) give you a taste of what it's like and build up your confidence a bit, and for those of you who have experience in being in-charge of an RP, well, you can just do something little here for the rest of us to enjoy or you can try something you've never tried before Smile

Of course, anybody participating in this RP is welcome (and encouraged) to offer feedback and comments on how they feel things are being handled. You can use whatever character/s you like, whether it be one of your current characters or a new one, though it would be best for the sake of creating a smooth RPing experience if you were to pick a character that plays nicely with others and isn't inclined to go crazy and slaughter us all Wink

Rules are as follows:
1. One person controls each floor. For the sake of starting this thread off I will control the first floor, but for future floors just let me know that you're interested and it's all yours. Note that the floors are controlled by you, the RPer, and not your character.
2. Every floor must have an entrance to the next floor and an exit, and there must be something for the adventurers to overcome in order to proceed. What this 'something' is is entirely up to the person in control of the floor, it could be a maze or a riddle or a monster or something else entirely, and can be as simple or as complex as they like.
3. All challenges must be able to be solved by anybody. Challenges that can only be solved by a specific person/a person with a specific skill (e.g.: having the door to the next floor locked and requiring somebody who can pick locks to open it) or challenges that are impossible to solve (e.g.: placing the door to the next floor under a lake of lava) are not allowed.
4. The tower is a very mysterious structure, and as such defies certain laws of reality. Please note the following:
a. Only one person needs to find the entrance to the next floor and overcome the challenge for all to proceed, meaning that all adventurers will always be kept on the same floor.
b. Any adventurers entering the tower will find that they appear on the highest floor currently explored, though they will have no knowledge of the floors that they missed exploring. This is one of the few RPs where it's okay to skip over pages of material (so long as it's from previous floors, that is). Simply refer to the floormaster list to see where we are currently up to and what page you need to start reading from.
c. Adventurers may exit and re-enter the tower at any time, but you cannot travel to floors previously visited. Note that when your character leaves the tower they must wait for at least 12 hours before they can re-enter it, which simply means that you cannot leave the tower and return in the same post.
5. You may bring items into the tower and you may take any items that you find on the floors, but understand that there is a chance that you may also lose these items, and that adventurers can die in the tower.
6. You do not have to have a character in this RP to control a floor, and you do not have to control a floor just because you have a character in this RP.
7. You ask for control of more than one floor, but as it's so early into the RP I'd ask people to not go reserving too many or too far ahead. For now the highest floor that you can ask to control is the 10th floor, but as the adventurers progress through it this will obviously change.

That's all the rules for now, but if you've got any questions or feel that something needs to be added be sure to let me know.))

THE SKYWARD TOWER FLOORMASTER LIST:
(Previous floors in grey, current floor underlined)
Floor 1: 3kul (pages 1 - 3)
Floor 2: Taxim (pages 3 - ???)
Floor 3: Zerrer
Floor 4: Cirrial
Floor 5: Laur Doyle
Floor 6: ???
Floor 7: ???
Floor 8: ???
Floor 9: ???
Floor 10: ???
...

((Standby for a double-post by me to introduce my character and kick things off...))

3kul · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:55 am Post subject:

((Okay, new character for this thread, here goes...

LordPsycho · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:12 am Post subject:

((I'll bite for a few rounds...God help if LP dreams up a floor))

Shaon · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject:

((Man, I haven't roleplayed in ages. I dunno how active I'll end up being but I'll bite as well.

People are gonna hate me for this character. :V))

3kul · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject:

((Great to see you both RPing again, LP and Shaon Very Happy

Just a quick note to those wondering: anybody and everybody is welcome to join this thread and whoever wants to control a floor is welcome to claim one as their own (though you can't pick a floor that's already been claimed, I'm afraid it's just going to have to be first come, first served). You also don't need to post your profiles in your opening post if you would prefer to post a link to your profile, but if you want to post your profile here then that's fine too.))

"Wah!" Rogan cried out and nearly fell over in shock, as he was greatly surprised by the sudden voice of Blackfoot questioning why he was out so late. "I, er... It's for study, Mr. Blackfoot." He quickly responded once he realized who it was. For most people, this would probably be a lie, but for Rogan this had honestly been his initial intentions. He'd felt quite sure that the tower must have had some magical properties and had wanted to see the interior for himself.

"Well, it was, but this place isn't quite what I thought it would be. Have a look at this." He pointed to the message written on the wall in Blackstar Common for Blackfoot to read. Rogan felt that if he could tell anybody about this, he could tell the man rumoured to have been trained by the lord of this realm. If Blackfoot was here Rogan was sure that it was for a very good reason, but why had he chosen to come through the midnight door like himself? Was his exploring the tower meant to be kept a secret?

Rogan's thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming open as Not-a-K entered the tower. He jumped slightly at the loud noise, but managed to avoid crying out in surprise. "Who's there?" Rogan asked the angry-looking youngster as he wondered why the door was so busy when it was so late out.

((EDIT: I've added a couple more rules to my first post just to clear up a few things that I hadn't properly explored just yet. You don't have to control a floor just because you've got a character in this RP, and you don't have to have a character in this RP in order to control a floor. Also, you are allowed to ask for control over more than one floor (if I didn't allow that much I imagine this would be a very short RP

), but at this early stage you can't go reserving too many or too far ahead.

Also, for those of you thinking about controlling a floor of your own, remember that this tower is very mysterious and doesn't obey a lot of laws of reality. Floors can look however you want them to - you could have a wide open field with no sign of any walls, a seedy bar (complete with surly bartender) that looks like it's seen better days, the interior of a fabulous palace covered in gold and jewels... or you could even make it a plain stone room like the first floor if you really want to, it's all up to you Smile

))

GBE · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:20 am Post subject:

Ok 3kul, I'll bite. I think that this will be interesting. So here goes nothing - complete with a new character too: Ballari
_________

Ballari approached this new tower with some distrust. She still wasn't quite sure why she was here. She'd conversed with her spirit guides who had told her she'd learn more about herself if she came here. Normally if when conversing with her guides meant definately. Her companion, Daijiro was eagerly interested in exploring something new. Consistently purring as she got closer to the building, she became more and more excited.

Both of them kept their wits about them however, combining all of their senses in order to make sure there was nothing dangerous nearby, they eventually reached the door and paused as Daijiro sniffed the air. Three people had entered before. All of them had something different about them. Unconciously Ballari put her hand on her staff before she reached with her free hand pushed open the door.

Daijiro silently glides in through the gap and finds the nearest shadow and as her eyes adjust to the surroundings, so does Ballari's. Ballari herself steps into a lighter part of the room and seeing some people up ahead she annouces her presence by allowing the door to slam shut behind her.

Swix · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:15 am Post subject:

((Go to the link in my sig and near the bottom of the page for this character))

There was a small bump in the earth as something made it's way out from under it, and soon a green plant person showed himself to the night lights. The Krkrln called Endorphine had heard about this strange tower and come to see for himself. The vibrations in the ground before he'd arrived told the sentient plant that others were here before him, but the door slammed shut as he appeared.

'How rude' the banished alien thought to himself before approaching and pushing the door open using some of his hundreds of vine like tendrils and entered, blinking his large, insect like black eyes as he took in the view and the others before him. "Greetings" the plant said to the others, by way of a two way radio translator attached to his neck, as his language consisted of clicks and rustles "I am called Endorphine. This is a strange place even for this world"

LordPsycho · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:21 pm Post subject:

Blackfoot ignored the newcomers as he took in the message. A thousand questions burst forth in his mind has he finished. This place could read dreams? How could that be? Who could have such an ability? Why would they make this place? Why offer such a prize?

At the end of the day it didn't really matter. He would see this thing as far as he could...who knows, maybe he could be free of his condition if he managed through it.

After finishing his thoughts, he turned to see the new comers. Three others had entered after him - all shining examples of how - unique - the inhabitants of this realm could be.

"So, should I start patrolling the halls more often for students out of bed?"

Cirrial · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject:

(( Given the general trend to using new/infrequently used characters, I'm gonna bring in one of my unused characters. Serakree, in particular.

EDIT: Oh schnatz, I misspelled someone else's character's name again :X Sorry 'bout that, Swix! That'll teach me to rely on a spell-checker ever again. ))

---
Serakree had taken to gathering fallen branches and cuttings of the trees of the Black Forest to pass the time. It felt an increasingly boring and arduous task. The trees of the forest held such little variance, and it had become less an act of curious research and more a case of feeding the Nest enough biomass to ensure it'd have enough raw materials to grow any emergency equipment.

Once in a while, if she was lucky, some hapless animal would wander a little too close. In the stillness and eerie quiet of the forest, she relished the opportunity to hunt down something that could actually try to run.

One day, however, she saw the tower off in the distance. Looming high and foreboding across the horizon, stretching infinitely towards the skies. Something new and mysterious. Something worth leaving the forest and the warmth of what felt increasingly more like a prison cell than an actual home.

Now she is here, in the Training Dojo, covered in a thin film of chameleonic fluid, her standard means of approaching anything resembling civilisation on this world. The last time she remembered coming this close to a populated area, she entered a local inn. Mistakes were made, and weren't to be repeated through such carelessness again.

She was originally hoping to investigate under the cover of darkness. Her tongue flicks out in irked contention at the presence of the full moon, its brightness seeming to taunt her otherwise sound plan.

She walks up to the door. It is surprisingly already open, only because it has not yet closed from the previous visitor's entrance. A variety of beings seem to have already passed by. A shimmering, almost imperceptible outline, she pays no attention to this and wanders straight through the door. As she makes the transition from outdoors to indoors, the chameleonic fluid's projected image ripples to accommodate for the sudden change in background sceneries.

As the limited intelligence of the film struggles to cope, Serakree's elaborate camouflage does less to hide her than it does to make her more obvious, a distorted figure in the dim light of the first floor of the tower.

She stops in her tracks when she notices the others who have arrived. Four humans, none of them appearing to be particularly old. Something feline and quadruped. And something else entirely...

The one closest to the door, clearly the most recent arrival, holds a shape that evokes a very cold dread in every fibre of her being. It's green where she would have expected red, but it matched the descriptions in the stories she'd heard pretty closely otherwise. She makes sure to stay the furthest away from Endorphine. She doesn't want to take any chances. Not with what she'd heard.*

Breathing quietly but shakily, she treads lightly, a slight rise in adrenaline levels causing her to overlook the fact the claws on her feet clacked gently against the stone with every other step. She looks up to the wall.

One wish? Perhaps this journey was worth it. Perhaps the risk of staying would be far outweighed by the reward. But to betray her presence so early would not be wise. She slowly folds her arms, the chamelonic film around her struggling to keep up with her motion, snippets of image feedback causing her to appear as a silhouette of a silhouette of a silhouette more than a few times.

Like Rogan before her, she notices the giant number 1. If not for her efforts to remain undetected, she would likely groan, slap a hand to her forehead, or something else to convey her irritation.

However, her tongue flicks out instead. For the briefest of moments, an anteater-esque tongue flicks out of empty air before retreating back into nothing. For all of the care taken, Serakree is not a master of the art of stealth.
---

(( *I should perhaps mention Serakree's never heard of the Krkrln before, and that this is a case of grossly mistaken identity relating to an entirely different species. Aren't first impressions fun? Very Happy

))

Shaon · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject:

Not-a-K looked around in frustration. Though he wasn't there, he could just be a few floors up.

Some of them were non-humans, but she had dealings with non-humans on an almost daily basis. Most of these dealings didn't end very well.

"I am." She responded to Rogan's question as if her voice would immediately cause her to be recognized.

drlupinmario · Guest

((Im using a uh, Barrowed character from the CNC Red alert universe, A Comunist Cyborg named Volkov (And his dog, Chizovzki). What you need to know is that he is an extreem patriot for the USSR, And a rough image of him (Minus Ushanka) can be seen here ))
____
Volkov looks upwards and scans the tower. According to his readings, The tower is infidently long. This must be investigated.

"Move aside, Capatalist Pigs!" He yells as he goes over towards the door. A sniper rifle can be seen on his back, and a pistol holsterd on his hip along with some type of knife.

He looks upward at the tower again. "What are you all gatherd up here? Are you trying to protest one of your petty ideals against such a stupidity large structure?"

Volkov checks his watch. His companion should arive any minute with the rest of his weapondry. Until then, He waits for his answer...

((Ahm, Everyone is outside the tower, or in it?))

Coolpikaaa · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:18 pm Post subject:

Coolpikaaa was finding it hard to sleep once again. Something was compelling him to wake up much earlier than usual, and lately he had even been taking naps in the day. Perhaps time was finally taking it's toll on the old electric mouse.

Rolling out of his tree branch, he bounced onto the grassy floor slick with dew. Perhaps a walk would settle him down a bit.

---

It wasn't long before he found the tower reaching high into the sky. After all, it wasn't something easily missed.

"Hey Jack? What do you have on this tower?" Coolpikaaa said into a little box patched with Duct tape. After a few seconds, the AI on board the space station replied.

"I was just looking into that myself...It seems to actually continue on into space itself...I will get back to you later."

Coolpikaaa thanked the construct and flipped off the communication box. This was starting to look like another whirlwind adventure already. Soon enough, he got to the door and opened it to find a whole parade of Dojoians inside.

"What's this? A party?"

-coolpikaaa

Swix · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:43 am Post subject:

((DLM, it might be worth reading what other people have put before you post, considering everyone's walked through the door in some fashion Rolling Eyes

Also what is it with people and calling Endorphine 'endocrine'

))

The Krkrln blinked both large black eyes again at the group, in that one sentence Blackfoot had identified himself as an instructor at this Training Dojo, and that there was more than one student out of bed, though which they were he didn't know. The sentient plant also noticed that another creature had entered due to his natural ability to feel vibrations, and Serakrees feet were easily distinguished from the others. The Krkrlns eyes then finally fell on the message on the wall, though what he found most fascinating was the fact that he could read it. It was written in Krkrln, what looked like messy scratches under Blackstar Common was his home language. The plant creature moved over to the area where the message had been written to get a closer look, whilst he waited for the strangers to at least introduce themselves, (Krkrln tend to be sticklers for formality) not quite able to believe his insectoid eyes.

GBE · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:33 am Post subject:

Ballari noticed a few more people, things, whatever enter after her into this strange structure. A lot of people seemed to be looking at a particular wall. Turning away from the new comers and looking at all the strange scribblings, she gasped as she recognized her own language in amongst it all. How on earth did anyone know of her people's writings. They kept their influence to an absolute minimum. Annoyingly, she realised that she was going to have to stay for the duration of this little trip or adventure or whatever these others would consider it.

But a wish, what wish could she make. What wish might be worth staying. Well, judging by the size of the tower, she was going to have a fair amount of time to think about it. Not giving it a second thought, she spots a corridor and begins walking towards it taking her time to check to see if there's any traps or loose walls or floors...

((Hope this is ok 3kul... Wink

))

Laur Doyle · Red Belt (Mod) Old Friend Blackstar Native Posts: 337

((May I request control of the fifth floor?))