DREAM ONE:
A small creature is dragged by one hand up the steps of a giant pyramid by a pale thin woman painted in white, covered in purposely scarred markings as a homage to their god. In the other hand the woman carries a dagger dripping in blood. The pyramid itself is dotted by hundreds of figures who had lost their life clamoring to the top, some seem to have been tossed down from the top itself with stab wounds in their hearts. Lava flow slowly down the pyramids sides and cools, it’s entire structure seems to have been carved out of layers of cooled rock and bone, growing taller from it’s glowing peak. Above it’s peak a thin trail of heat and magical essence snakes into the sky to an all consuming hole in the cosmos. In the sky, other planets of barren cold rock drift slowly towards the consuming darkness, their cold lifeless matter the only thing left to offer up to this entity.
Reaching the top of the pyramid, a long table made of obsidian stands in front of a bubbling pool of lava from which the heat and magic emanates. With her weakening strength, the woman drags the malnourished creature to the foot of the table who struggles to stand. Taking her dagger, the woman whispers incantations to the blade and slices it against her palm which is already covered in barely healed wounds. The blood drips on to the table and causes the pyramid to shudder. From the lava, glowing red chains of cooling rock crawl out and grab the creature by it’s limbs, the sound of searing and smell of burning flesh fill the air as the chains pull the creature on top the table with it’s hands above it’s head. Broken pieces of obsidian rake across their back on the table that has been chipping pieces of obsidian off.
Throwing her hands up towards the void in the sky, their god. The woman begins chanting in tongue and lifts the dagger above her head. In a swift motion she brings the dagger down into the chest of the creature.
The bellowing horn of the citadel vibrates across the landscape.
- Scout wakes under a fruit tree, it’s that recurring dream again…
- Panic sets in as the scout realizes they’ve been away too long
- The citadel is a mile out, the sound of the horn signals to all parties that they must immediately return home.
- Scout collects the spare fruit into a sack and starts quickly traversing back using their now glowing navigation pendant to point the way.
- Ducking under gnarled branches and stumbling into small plants the shoot small mildly neurotoxic needles into their leg (in small doses the needles have a similar effect to a bee sting) but the scout is no stranger to the harsh environment.
- Leaping from large root to large root, the acrobatic scout has become quite skilled in navigating this terrain. Grabbing a fruit from their bag at one point and leaping up to low branch containing a nesting creature, in a skilled swift jump gently placing the fruit into the nest.
- Rushing to the edge of the forest, the scout spots the top of the citadel peaking over the top of a hill.
- As they approach the full floating citadel, held up by large organic balloons, has stopped at the edge of a clearing. The citadel currently hangs low and will need to be replenished with new balloons soon. In the middle of the clearing sits a large star shaped structure that had planted itself into the earth with diamond shaped objects placed in the ground around it. Shadows of humanoid figures are burned into the ground and all organic matter has been cleared within a neat radius.
- Underneath the citadel the clerics look toward the clearing still, their ropes to the citadel they pull slowly waving in the wind.
- Other scouts and hunters have started to return, only one hunter is carrying a balloon bag. The small figure of the high priestess is seen walking to the ledge of the floating citadel to look on to the clearing.
- The High Priestess is never an easy one to read but their look on to the scene and back up at the deflating balloons makes it clear that they are unsettled. The entity has been here. It had been a year since any trace of it has been discovered, let alone carnage of this magnitude. But who had brought these new structures? The structures and humanoid shapes burned into the soil are alien to this land.
- From behind an initiate approaches the high priestess and bends over so they can meet their ear to their small stature. The high priestess whispers into their ear and the initiate nods, retreating back into the core of the citadel.
- Three horns bellow from the citadel, signaling that it is time for a new hunt.
NARRATIVE ISSUES / SOLUTIONS
This would be the scouts first hunt. (How do I make this clear without dialog? They also seem rather adept for not having participated before. Is there more lead up needed? ARG)Introduce a friend who gets to go on the hunt but the scout is left behind? The scout is cursed and the society see’s them as unlucky?- Introducing the hierarchy of this society, the main point to address is that hunters work to become initiates who live on the citadel. The clerics were deemed unworthy of ascension and drag along the citadel and care for the young and repopulate. Scouts are hunters in training, those who fail to ascend also become clerics.
- Our hero scout and several others fill a dropped basket from the citadel with food items they have collected, our hero scout saves one piece in secret.
- To their disappointment, the scout is denied the opportunity to hunt and is directed to map uncharted area alone by the lead hunter. (other scouts struggling to lift on heavy weights on to the hunters)
- A short distance away, a malnourished scout who arrived back with a broken limb from the hunt is seen getting put into one of the cleric boxes, they have failed to prove themselves.
- Before the scout sets off, they see as the lead hunter who carried the balloon is hoisted up to the citadel. An ascension for their effort (how do i make this more ritual celebration, really need to ham up the thankfulness. Cloud Atlas, Soylent Green sacrifice vibes, clerics reach up towards the citadel in hopes of being rewarded with sustenance).
- As they reach the tree line, they here a scream from the citadel and two horn blasts, a new initiate has been claimed. (Later when the food is lowered down, the hunters gear will be with it and a severed left hand with ceremonial markings will be hung off the side of the citadel along with others that have decayed, a ward against evil. When this new initiate reappears their stump will be freshly bandaged)
- Our hero scout exits into the forest.