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Your name is Sophie Jones and you are an Ordinary Human Girl, age 7-12.

One day, quite by mistake, you stumbled across a magical portal and found yourself transported to the mystical realm of Elfland, where you discovered your heroic destiny and had many exciting fantasy adventures with dragons and crystals and talking animals, and everyone threw a big gala in your honor.

That’s how you wish it had gone, anyway.

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In reality, within about five minutes of your arrival in Elfland, a gang of rowdy muppets whacked you with a giant net, threw you in a cage, and cast a sleeping spell on you.

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By the time you woke up, you’d missed almost the entire adventure, which wasn’t even your adventure to begin with. No, it turns out that, as usual, your older sister Emily was the one who got to have the heroic destiny and the fantasy adventures and the magic sword and all that. Emily got to save you from the Goblin King; Emily got to fight the giant monster; Emily got the gala in her honor. Your whole life, it’s always been Emily this, Emily that—is it really too much to ask for the universe to let you have something special of your own for once?

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It’s been one year since the day you left Elfland, and you’ve dreamt of it almost every night. Emily, who spent about two years Narnia time in Elfland and apparently experienced all kinds of “character development” there (whatever that is), adjusted just fine to coming home. She fixed up her act at school, got a part-time job at the local cafe, and as far as you can tell has never been happier, but you can’t say the same for yourself. How can you cope with your ordinary life when you’ve seen paradise with your own eyes and know that it’s just ever so slightly out of your grasp?

More than anything, you wish it’d been you instead of Emily.

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Life just isn’t fair. Nothing left to do but bury your sorrows in another slice of cake.

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???: “Ah, I’ve found you at last. You’re Miss Jones, correct? May I take this seat?”

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SOPHIE: “Uh, do I know you?”

???: “Oh, of course; I’d best introduce myself. My name is Lumia, the Celestial Guardian of Elfland; I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I come bearing an urgent request. The fate of Elfland is at stake, and only you can save us.”

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You’d pinch yourself, but your arms only have one point of articulation. It sounds too good to be true. Could your magical destiny finally have arrived?

SOPHIE: “Me? Really? Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”

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LUMIA: “My judgment is unerring, I assure you. After all, are you not the lady of the four keys; the vanquisher of shadows; the legendary heroine chosen by fate—Emily Jones?”

Godt damn it—your sister’s name hits you like a spring-loaded rubber bullet in the eye. But just as the disappointment starts to settle in, an idea comes to you.

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SOPHIE: “Yes, of course it’s me, Emily Jones, chosen heroine!”

LUMIA: “Most excellent! I knew Elfland could rely on you.”

Too easy.

SOPHIE: “So, what do you need me to do?”

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LUMIA: “In Elfland, it has been one month since the four-hundredth year of the Dragon Queen Elandra drew to a close. You of course know what this means.”

SOPHIE: “Right, totally, but maybe you should go over it one more time so I know that you know.”

LUMIA: “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

SOPHIE: “Possibly?”

LUMIA: “The council did warn me that you weren’t much for studying…”

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LUMIA: “Let us refresh your memory, then. To begin with, you should know that all magic in Elfland is drawn from one of two sources. The first are the four ancient Elvenstones, crystals formed in the primeval darkness. They hold dominion over the cardinal elements and are kept in the Land of Eternal Night, where Noctura, the Abyssal Guardian, watches over them.”

SOPHIE: “Primeval darkness? Land of Eternal Night? I don’t wanna alarm you, but I’m pretty sure that Noctura is secretly evil. Like, 95 percent positive.”

LUMIA: “As I said, my judgment is unerring. Noctura is the most righteous elf in the realm, and I would trust her with my very life.”

You make a mental note not to trust Lumia with anything.

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LUMIA: “The other source of magic is the celestial dragon queen, whose guardianship is my sworn duty. Each dragon queen lives exactly four hundred years before returning to her egg to be reborn, as our previous dragon queen, Elandra, has done. Normally this would not be an issue, but unfortunately, this time there has been a complication: the dragon queen’s egg has been stolen.”

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SOPHIE: “But weren’t you the one who was supposed to be protecting it?”

LUMIA: “That is—uh—more to the point, we have determined that it was the witch Ragana who stole the egg. She is keeping it in her magic shadow castle, where she plans to hatch it and then use the fledging dragon queen Estari’s power for her own nefarious purposes. If she succeeds, Elfland will surely fall into chaos. You must infiltrate her castle, hatch the egg yourself, and escape with Queen Estari. Are you prepared for what awaits you?”

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SOPHIE: “Yes!”

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LUMIA: “Fantastic; I’ll send you over immediately. Good luck, Emily Jones!”

SOPHIE: “Wait, but before I go, can I just finish this slice of c—“

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fwoooooo—

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—oooooosh

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And so you find yourself once more in Elfland, armed with only your wits and a slice of cake. It’s not much, but compared to last time, you’d say your adventure’s already off to a great start. You’ll have this dragon queen rescued in no time!

What will you do?

———————

For this adventure, roll 1d6 when you give Sophie directions. You can do so by typing “dice+1d6” in the options field, without the quotes.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2608444
What is that, some sort of adorable catmonster on top of the middle structure? See if it wants a bite of cake.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2608444
Take a ride on that sick nasty catapult car

>>2608444
>Knock on the gates of the tallest tower and announce we're here to save the world

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Is that a magical elf catapult car sitting over there? You've always wanted a magical weapon of mass destruction of your own, and this could be your chance!

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Or it would be, if it weren't for the river of lava running down the table. Worse still, it's not just physical lava—it's implied lava, the most dangerous kind of lava of all! You'd better keep your distance until you've worked out a way across it.

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For now, you turn your attention to the small critter sitting atop the middle tower. It looks sort of like a cat. A magical cat, perhaps?

SOPHIE: "Here, kitty! You're a kitty, aren't you? Kitty, come over here! Want some cake, kitty?"

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SOPHIE: "Kitty! Kitty!"

The cat turns to stare at you, then hops down from its perch.

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KITTY: "First of all, just so we're clear, my name is not 'Kitty'."

A magical talking cat! It's like she hopped straight out of your juvenile fantasy novels and into your heart! This is the best day ever!

NOT KITTY: "I would prefer it if you addressed me as—"

SOPHIE: "Nightpaw!"

NIGHTPAW: "What? No, my name is Jyn—"

SOPHIE: "Nightpaw. Now does Nightpaw want some yummy cake?"

NIGHTPAW: "...Yes."

>>2608615
I'm imagining the not kitty to have a very deep voice for some reason.

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You hold out the cake for Nightpaw to nibble on. She digs into it ravenously, and continues addressing you between bites.

NIGHTPAW: "mrrmmsmshmso, what exactly brings you here? Not many elves venture down into the Cursed Crystal Canyon at this time of year. Or at any time of year, really. I assume you have business with my mistress Ragana?"

What will you do?

>>2608639
>[Lie]Yes, of course! We want to become Ragana's apprentice to do evil and kick puppies!

>>2608650
Don't forget to roll for it (dice+1d6 in the options field).

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2608664
>>2608650
Sorry

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SOPHIE: "I came because I heard that Ragana is the most evil sorceress in all of Elfland."

NIGHTPAW: "Oh yes, she's quite the villain. Are you here to stop her?"

SOPHIE: "I want to become her apprentice! I've always wanted to be evil and do bad stuff, like lie to my parents and cheat on tests and drink milk straight out of the carton!"

NIGHTPAW: "Do aim a little higher, my dear."

SOPHIE: "And, uh, shoplift?"

NIGHTPAW: "Higher."

SOPHIE: "Kick...puppies?"

Your soft heart squirms at the thought, but Nightpaw seems to approve.

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NIGHTPAW: "I suppose that will do for starters. Ragana has had many fools come to seek her tutelage, but I think I look on you more favorably than the rest of them. Still, I can't just recommend you to her because you gave me some cake. You'll need to prove yourself. You want to kick puppies, eh?"

SOPHIE: "Yes, definitely. My feet itch for it."

NIGHTPAW: "You should probably see a doctor about that. But that gives me an idea for your trial. Look yonder, atop the tower."

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SOPHIE: "A magic fox!"

NIGHTPAW: "Yes. His name is Dus—"

SOPHIE: "Duskfang!"

NIGHTPAW: "Okay, fine, his name is Duskfang and like me, he is Ragana's servant. But he and I don't get along so well. Just the other day, he stole the fish I was going to have for dinner, I suppose to pay me back for the time I dunked him in Ragana's cauldron. I want you to rough him up a little for me. When you've done that, I'll sing your praises to Ragana."

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NIGHTPAW: "Do we have an accord?"

What will you do?

—————

>>2608669
No worries!

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2608745
Agree obviously, and then plot to backstab him.
after all this is a perfect moment to practise villainy.
If we ever want to impress Ragana, this is our chance.

>>2608769
Nice plan anon

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SOPHIE: "I accept! When it comes to villainy, you can count on me!"

NIGHTPAW: "Superlative. Well then, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my affairs. I have ever so much grooming and napping to attend to."

Nightpaw hops back up to her perch and begins licking herself furiously. Little does she suspect that she's been duped by your unparalleled charm and guile. Everything is going according to plan.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2608790
Let's go offer Duskfang a chance at revenge better than just stealing a fish. We'll plot to get Nightpaw kicked out of the castle (even temporarily). How well can Duskfang pretend to yip in pain?

>>2608783
We're not there yet.
Now we have to pretend to make an allegiance with Duskfang, so we can backstab them both.
Preferably at the same time, but we'll have to see if events play out well enough for that to happen.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2608790
>Recruit Duskfang into our plan to doublecross Nightpaw.
>Try to find out Duskfang's secret weakness so we can doublecross him as well later.

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With Nightpaw taken care of, it's time to deal with Duskfang. You don't really have it in you to kick him or anything, but you bet he'd be willing to help you trick Nightpaw. And then you can backstab them both at the same time! Lies and betrayal are fine if they're to save the world, right?

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However, that lava river still presents a major obstacle to making it over to the tower. Maybe you'll just try calling to Duskfang for now.

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SOPHIE: "Duskfang! Hey, Duskfang! I have a secret, evil plan for you! Hey, listen!"

DUSKFANG: "Huh? Who goes there?! Intruder!"

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pewpew

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pop

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>>2608858

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That could have gone better. Those studshooters pack a lot more punch than you were expecting. You don't suppose Duskfang is in a talking mood right now either.

What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2608823
At this rate we'll have doublecrossed everyone in Elfland at least once before we get to backstab Ragana.
Best of all everyone will think it was Emily who did it.

>>2608870
We climb the tree.
If he shoots us when we're jumping and we manage not to get hit, he'll shoot Nightpaw right up the butt.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2608870
>Point out that since we're on this side of the lava river, we're obviously not an intruder and he just caused a friendly fire incident. This means he has to do whatever we say if he wants to avoid a court-martial.

>>2608878
hmm.
My perspective might be a little off on that one.
I'm not sure if the turret, our head and Nightpaw's butt line up that well.

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You decide to take a new approach. Grabbing hold of the vines hanging off the nearby tree, you begin to climb. Back in Heartlake City, your mother always told you and Emily not to climb trees, but you're pretty sure at one point in her quest, Emily even got to live in a giant treehouse, so it's only fair that you get to have some arboreal adventures too.

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Once balanced on the treetop, you give Duskfang another shout.

SOPHIE: "Duskfang! Just so you know, I'm one of your allies! That means that shooting at me counts as friendly—"

DUSKFANG: "Fire!"

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peeeeeeeeeeew

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pop

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NIGHTPAW: "My milkshake!"

>animosity between Nightpaw and Duskfang +10
Might make it harder to get on good terms with Duskpaw now, and thus harder to backstab him.

On the other hand now that Nightpaw is involved we do have a voice backing us up that we're actually not intruders.

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NIGHTPAW: "Dusti, you crass buffoon! What in Leg Slemt do you think you're doing?"

Duskfang lets out a cackle.

DUSKFANG: "Hahaha, no use crying over spilled milk, right, Jynx?"

NIGHTPAW: "First my fish and now this; oh, you'll pay for this."

Fortunately, Nightpaw doesn't appear to notice you hiding behind the tree, while Duskfang seems to have forgotten you in his amusement. For now, you're free to move unnoticed.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2608975
We still need to find a way to cross the lava stream in order to get to Duskfang.
Nightpaw could probably help us with that.
I'd suggest we pay the cat a visit and act all sweet and concerned about his milkshake, then ask how we can get to the fox for payback time.

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You won't make it very far without a way over the lava river, but you reckon you know who can help you with that.

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SOPHIE: "Nightpaw, I need your help."

NIGHTPAW: "Can't you see I'm a little busy mourning here?"

SOPHIE: "Oh yeah, your milkshake. Sorry about that. I didn't think Duskfang would aim quite that badly."

NIGHTPAW: "He was shooting at you?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah, as I was trying to get over the lava river to make pl—I mean, to kick him. Speaking of which, I really need a way across that, so if you know one, that'd be a huge help."

NIGHTPAW: "Not now; just let me be, please. I need more time to grieve."

SOPHIE: "And is there any way we can maybe speed that up?"

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NIGHTPAW: "I suppose if I had some other sweet confection to console me in my sorrows, I might be able to turn my thoughts from my poor, lost milkshake. But alas, only Ragana knows how to brew such a concoction in her magic cauldron. Sometimes I do wish she had at least sprung for a kitchenette in this castle..."

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NIGHTPAW: "Now give me space, dear. I wish to be alone with my thoughts."

What will you do?

——————

I have to pause here until the evening. Feel free to post commands in the meantime.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2609105
Surely making a milkshake cannot be that hard?

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So Nightpaw wants another milkshake, huh? Shouldn't be too hard. Emily makes milkshakes all the time at the cafe; if she can do it, so can you, and it'll be better than hers too!

Of course, you'll need to find some ingredients first. Obviously you need milk or at least something dairy-based, and something sweet for flavor, and uh...whipped cream? Whatever; you're sure you'll be able to figure it out.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2609815
Survey the nearby surroundings for ingredients. With all the fantastical plants around, there has to be some berries or something as a start, right?

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You poke around your immediate surroundings in search of ingredients. There's a cool, refreshing stream running between the towers that might be useful.

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You also find a big, green berry or something near the mossy stairs.

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And across the bridge, in what looks like Ragana's bedroom, you spy a bottle of unknown liquid and a pair of green cherries.

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2609856
Let's gather everything we've seen up, then head to the *~magic cauldron~* to try and get this shake shakin'.

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You begin gathering the ingredients for this magical milkshake. First, some water from the babbling brook. It’s ice-cold, and though it’s not actual ice, maybe it’ll help with the chill factor?

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Second, this mysterious green berry. It looks like it’s sort of stuck to something, but maybe if just give it a tug…

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thunk

Yikes. Pulling on the berry seems to open up a trap door in front of Ragana’s throne. That’s a classic Play Feature right there, and one you’d rather not be on the receiving end of. That pit’s awfully deep; if you fell in there, it’d be quite an ordeal to get back out. For now, you think it's safer to leave it be.

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With that trap successfully avoided, you proceed onward to Ragana's bedroom—

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—and straight into the next trap. With a creak, the rickety bridge flips over and dumps you into the stream!

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You're beginning to wonder if there's a single part of this castle that was actually designed for regular people to live in. Getting across that bridge looks like it might be as much of a pain as crossing the lava stream.

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2610440
Climb! Climb the vine!

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You clamber back up the vine onto Nightpaw's tower.

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The bridge over to the main tower swings idly in the wind, as though taunting you.

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What will you do?

>>2610501

Cross it.

Very carefully.

>>2610527
Roll?

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2610527
>>2610543

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2610501
>Swing on the pink plant above to jump over the bridge.

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Very carefully, you step out onto the bridge and reach up to grab hold of one of the dangling tree branches.

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Just as the bridge begins to sway, you swing forward on the vine towards the other side!

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swoooooosh

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And you stick the landing! That's definitely more than Emily could ever say for herself.

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And with that, you now find yourself on the inside of Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle. You feel the earth move ever so slightly under your feet as your surroundings reorient themselves upon the Hylic Plane of the Great Table.

That must be Ragana brushing her hair and humming to herself on the floor above you. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to have noticed your intrusion.

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While you have free run of the place, you grab the cherries and bottle that you came here for. You're not sure what either of them tastes like, but you bet they'll make one heck of a milkshake.

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2610604
>Go to the cauldron and start cooking!

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You walk over to the cauldron. Sitting beside it is Ragana's Cursed Crystal Staff, which is probably not what it's actually called, but you imagine it's close enough. You'll need something to stir your milkshake with, so you take it and then look over your ingredients.

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From left to right, back to front:
Lingering Liquid — This stuff looks unpleasantly viscous. Better pour it carefully so you don’t get any stuck to you; you doubt it’d ever come out.
Essence of Amity — The bottle smells like friendship. Up until now, you had never realized that friendship smells vaguely like hand sanitizer.
Hot Oil — This looks like the stuff your dad is always cooking with, and a quick whiff confirms it. You wonder if Nightpaw likes her milkshakes spicy.
Mysterious Bottle — You found this sitting on Ragana’s nightstand. You’re not sure what’s in it, but if it’s good enough for Ragana, surely it’s good enough for Nightpaw too.
Preprepared Potion — It looks like this is something Ragana brewed earlier. She didn’t leave any sort of label on it, but whatever it is, you’re pretty sure it’s evil.
Cold Water — This water’s still cold, and surprisingly also still in your cup after your falling off the bridge and climbing the vine and swinging on the tree branch. Maybe it’s magic water! Or maybe you just have good balance.
Reverse Carrots — Emily told you that the reverse carrot is one of Elfland’s most charming native plants. It apparently grows with its leaves underground and it roots in the air. Because of this, the reverse carrot is also a direly endangered species.
Green Cherries — You can’t quite remember if green cherries are the ripe kind, or if those are the red ones, but as long as Nightpaw doesn’t know the difference either, you should be fine.
Elflilac Blossoms — You’re pretty sure these are actually just regular lilac blossoms, but that would be boring so you stuck elf- to their name. An elflilac by any other name wouldn’t smell nearly as sweet.
Studshooter Extract — Is this even edible?

What will you brew?

—————————

I’ll leave things here for tonight. When I start up again later tomorrow, I’ll see what the general consensus is on the ingredients and go from there. Thanks for playing!

>>2610683
>Essence of Amity - to make Nightpaw our friend
>Lingering Liquid - for this friendship to last
>Cold Water - to dilute Lingering Liquid to a drinkable state
>Reverse Carrots - because carrot milkshake is lit

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2610699

>>2610700
Damn anon you're on fire

>>2610699
>Essence of Amity - to make Nightpaw our friend
>Lingering Liquid - for this friendship to last
Oh shit.
Love potion incoming.

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You pour some Lingering Liquid into the cauldron to form the base of your milkshake potion, then flavor it with a little Essence of Amity. The Cold Water goes in next, bringing the temperature of your concoction down considerably, and finally you blend in the Reverse Carrots. This is way more exciting than your Easy-Bake Oven!

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After a good several minutes of stirring, you scoop out the so-called milkshake. Due to the complete lack of any dairy products in the mix, it's actually more of a carrot smoothie, but you're sure it's delicious anyway. One lick of this and all of Nightpaw's melancholy will melt away.

What will you do?

——————

Updates will be sporadic today as my IRL schedule is in flux, but I hope to get at least one or two more in this afternoon and evening.

>>2611172
>While we're here, let's look around for more loot and read that sign behind us.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2611174
I support this.
Let's go find us some goodies.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2611172
GO GIVE KITTY HER TREAT

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With Nightpaw's treat taken care of, you decide to go looking for a treat of your own. Ragana's staff is a nice start to your heroic loot collection, but surely there must be some other valuables lying around here. How about that scroll posted over the cauldron? Might be worth reading.

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For some reason, you were expecting something a little less pathetic.

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Unfortunately, the staff and the recipe are the only visible items of any interest that you can reach right now. When you peer over the side of the castle, you can see a few neat trinkets in the living room downstairs, but it's a bit of a drop. You remember Emily muttering in her sleep about stairs for the first couple months after returning home; you're beginning to understand why.

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For now, you'll make do with the tree branches.

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Once back on terra firma, you stash Ragana's staff under the bridge. You might be in Nightpaw's good graces right now, but you'd rather she didn't catch you stealing her mistress's things.

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You then climb back up the middle tower to deliver Nightpaw her smoothie.

SOPHIE: "Hey, Nightpaw, guess what I made!"

NIGHTPAW: "Guess to what end? I already know you've made a soggy mess out of the sole delight my weary soul is still capable of processing."

SOPHIE: "Uh, sorry? But anyway, I made you a carrot smoothie!"

NIGHTPAW: "Oh. Vegetables."

SOPHIE: "It wouldn't kill you to try it."

NIGHTPAW: "I beg to differ, but so be it. I shall humor you and taste your sordid smoothie."

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Nightpaw takes a dainty lick of the carrot smoothie.

NIGHTPAW: "Oh? Is this really made from carrots? Perhaps I should taste it again to make sure."

She takes a considerably less dainty lick.

NIGHTPAW: "How curious. Just one more taste, that's all."

Within a minute, she has drained the whole goblet.

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SOPHIE: "Well? Was it as good as a milkshake?"

NIGHTPAW: "Even better! Having tasted your smoothie, it shames me to say that I ever thought Ragana's milkshakes were good. Not that she ever needs to know I said that, of course. She really does try her best, most of the time."

SOPHIE: "Great, so you're feeling better now? Ready to help me out?"

NIGHTPAW: "For the person who let me taste true delight twice in one day, I'd walk to the ends of the Table. I am at your service, Miss...uh...did I ever catch your name?"

What will you do?

——————

Pausing here until tomorrow night. After that, updates should proceed more regularly. As always, I'm open for commands.

>>2613049
>Malacrythe of Eristhenia
We need a proper evil name if we want to be an evil apprentice.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2613049
>Also: ask whether it's true that Ragana has a Dragon Queen egg? Can we take a look?

>>2613124
Let's go with this.
We can keep the "you thought it was Malacrythe of Eristhenia, but it was actually me, Emily Jones" for the dramatic reveal.

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SOPHIE: "My name is..."

You disguise your stalling for a name as a dramatic pause. What sort of name would an evil apprentice have anyway? You scour your knowledge of ancient history, medieval mythology, and mediocre fantasy novels for something suitable.

SOPHIE: "...Malacrythe. Malacrythe of Eristhenia."

Yeah, that sounds about right.

NIGHTPAW: "Well, Malacrythe, it's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance. Now, you needed my help?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah, I heard some people saying that Ragana has the egg of the dragon queen, which would be totally evil and cool if it were true. Do you know anything about that?"

NIGHTPAW: "Oh, that. It's true enough, but I can't help but fear Ragana may have bitten off more than she can chew with that one."

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NIGHTPAW: "She picked it up a couple days ago, Godt only knows where. She says she's going to hatch it and raise the dragon queen like her own child and then use her celestial powers to make all of Elfland tremble before her. But may I be frank here? I love Ragana dearly, and of course I'll assist her with this plan however I can, but she hasn't exactly got the temperament for raising a dragon. I don't think she's thought this one through all the way. Don't tell Ragana I said any of this, of course."

SOPHIE: "Of course. So what's she doing with the egg right now?"

NIGHTPAW: "She's keeping it atop the main tower waiting for it to hatch, though none of us have any idea how long that might take."

SOPHIE: "Is there any way someone like me could get up there, hypothetically speaking? I've noticed that there aren't any stairs around here."

NIGHTPAW: "Oh, there are, but they're more the implication of stairs than anything physical."

SOPHIE: "Implied stairs?"

NIGHTPAW: "Yes, and they're really quite convenient. However, whether you can use them is entirely at Ragana discretion, as the owner of this residence. For the time being, you'd have to find another way up. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

SOPHIE: "Right, yep, totally hypothetical."

What will you do?

>>2617476
Well, this obviously leaves us with only a single option:
>Brew a potion of flight (or at least of jumping hella high)!

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2617496
Gah

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SOPHIE: "It's been nice chatting, but I just remembered that I still have a fox to kick, so I should probably get going."

NIGHTPAW: "Ah, yes, I eagerly anticipate the moment when I hear Duskfang's yips of agony echo across the Cursed Crystal Canyon. Till then, I'll be here, tending to my grooming needs."

SOPHIE: "Sounds great! Oh, and I'll just go and rinse out this goblet while I'm at it."

NIGHTPAW: "A fine idea. Cleanliess is next to Godtliness, after all."

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Once you've confirmed that Nightpaw has gone back to licking herself, you scramble down to the creek, grab Ragana's staff, and climb up to the second floor.

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You return once more to the cauldron, this time to see if you can brew a potion of flight, levitation, or transformation into a 2003 Lego Sports Basketball minifig. Actually scratch that last one, but you'd still be willing to settle for a potion of jumping.

Having read Ragana's potion recipe, you think you understand how this potion stuff is supposed to work too. You need a base, a reagent, and a catalyst, and then the end product will do something vaguely related to what you put into it. So for getting yourself into the air, how about:
Base: Hot Oil — Hot air rises, doesn't it?
Reagent: Elflilac Blossoms — Purple is the official Elflandic color of wind, so purple flowers might have latent wind powers.
Catalyst: Essence of Studshooter — These things fly pretty well for ABS, so if you use one in your potion, maybe you will too.

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You pour it all in and give it a good stir. Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!

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Your efforts produce a vividly purple potion that smells faintly of a summer breeze. It seems like your experiment was a success, though there's only one way to be sure.

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You chug the potion and prepare to jump. Considering your lack of knees, it'd actually be impressive if you could manage to jump at all.

Ready, set...

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Gooooooooo—

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—ooooooooh noooooooooo

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When you look down, the Hylic Plane of the Table is far, far beneath you, and Ragana's castle along with it. A metaphysical dread wells up in your stomach, a sense that you've accidentally stumbled into a place you were never meant to enter. You definitely didn't need to jump quite this high.

Fortunately, after a moment you feel your altitude beginning to decrease.

Unfortunately, this is just another way of saying that you're falling.

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As you plummet back down to the Table, you reach out and grab hold of something cold and firm, stopping your fall.

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Has this thing always been there, hanging over the castle? Whatever it is, it's emitting a blinding light and you climb up as quickly as you can to get out of its rays.

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Gazing down at the Table, you have a feeling that you might be in a bit of trouble.

What will you do?

—————

I'll leave us on this somewhat literal cliffhanger for tonight, and pick up tomorrow at a hopefully more regular pace.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2617611
>Regard the Light of Godt from up close
>Glean unknowable secrets that Man Ought Not To Know
>Gain momentary understanding of the true nature of the Existence
>Realize that there is no movement: we're just being photographed in one place then in another.
>Go insane from the realization
>Block it from our mind
>Come to our senses atop the tower where we wanted to get to in the first place

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2617611
Ragana's staff probably has some magic shizzle to it. It is a magic staff used by a witch after all. Shake it a bit and see if it does anything.

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You stand up as best as you can on the smooth, studless surface and take a good look at your surroundings. You appear to be atop some kind of massive lighting installation, made out of a material unknown to fig- and dollkind alike. And unlike most of the lights upon the Hylic Plane, this lamp blazes with physical light instead of merely implied light.

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The light is so warm and friendly, so much brighter than the implied lights you've known all your life. You feel like you're beginning to uncover a profound metaphysical truth about your universe; like you're about to see past the mere shadows of reality you've known up until now, and gaze upon the form of truth itself.

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You stare into the light.

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For one terrible moment, you understand everything.

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...aaaaaand it's gone. Like the fragments of a dream sinking back into the depths of your unconsciousness, everything the light showed you quickly slips away. Perhaps there are some things you were never meant to know.

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>>2618304
what

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Since the light seems to offer you no way down from here, you turn to the only other thing you can think of: Ragana's staff. She's a witch, so surely her staff has some kind of magical powers. You just need to figure out how to use them. Maybe if you just wave it around enough? Oh, and some magic words couldn't hurt.

SOPHIE: "Wingardium Leviosa! Abra, Kadabra, Uri Geller Lawsuit! Magic Is Here If You Dare To Believe!"

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swoosh

As you wave the staff in the air, suddenly you feel a shift in the cosmic balance. The castle and environs, which had previously been right below you, are now somehow sitting in the foreleft corner of the Table, right where you were pointing the staff.

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You wave the staff toward the backward end of the Table and chant the magic words.

swoosh

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It looks like the staff has the power to control the position of the castle on the Table, though the relative arrangement of the castle remains the same no matter where it's placed. This might come in handy.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2618357
>Point the staff at ourselves and try to change our position the same way.

>>2618412
That's three 1s in a row.
I'll just stop posting.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2618357
Use the staff to control the position of the Light of Godt to lower you down to the tower

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You point the staff at your feet, hoping that you can use its magic to reposition yourself somewhere on the Table.

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swoosh

However, all that happens is the castle appears directly underneath you. Perhaps the staff's magic only works on the castle.

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If that's the case, you'll just have to use the staff manually to bring the lamp lower.

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bop

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Whoa!

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The lamp is certainly lower now. That part of the plan was a success; the rest, not so much.

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If the castle were just a little further to the left, you'd be able to drop down and grab onto the spikes. However, your hands are a bit too occupied right now to wave the scepter.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2618473
Leap of faith

>these rolls

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2618473
>Drop down and move the castle while falling.
I lied.

>>2618478
And all because of a lack of stairs.

>>2618487
Clearly, if we survive this we need to start up a cottage industry in Elfland making actual stairs for dwellings instead of implied stairs.

>>2618140
E P I C

>>2618490
And bring a ladder with us on our next adventure.
Just in case.

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It looks like you're going to have to jump! As you take your leap of faith, you swing the staff downward and hope the castle will move in time to catch you.

SWOOSH

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Safe!

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You quickly scramble down the spike and back to the reassuring solidity of ABS under your feet. That was quite the odyssey for one minidoll to undergo, but after literally moving heaven and earth, you're finally on top of the tower. Next to you sits the dragon queen's egg, and inside the glittery shell you can see the yet-unborn dragon queen herself waiting for the moment of her birth.

From the floor below, you hear the sound of someone dropping something, and then a voice.

???: "Hmm, what's that sound? Could it be hatching already?"

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2618546
Reach up there with our Staff of Ra to turn the Light of Godt so it shines directly on the dragon queen's egg.
That way it'll hatch faster.

We'll bluff that we're here to help her with the egg and that Nightpaw can confirm everything.
He'll have to because of our Carrot Smoothie of Undying Loyalty.

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Uh oh, that must be Ragana—better come up an alibi fast!

You begin mucking about with the Light of Godt and the magic staff.

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After a bit of trial and error, you manage to get it pointed right at the dragon queen's egg. Which of course means it's also pointed directly at you, but this time you're wise enough to avert your eyes.

???: "And just what do you think you're doing??

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SOPHIE: "Oh, why hello there. I didn't notice you there while I was adjusting this here heat lamp."

RAGANA: "Of all the stories I've heard from thieves I've caught breaking into my castle, I think that might be the most pathetic. Is this a joke?"

SOPHIE: "No joke here! I'm, uh—I'm the egg man. The egg girl. The professional egg-sitter. Gotta keep the dragon chick warm, you know. Gotta keep its strength up. If it can't break out of its shell, the chick will die without ev—"

RAGANA: "I don't recall hiring any...egg-sitters."

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SOPHIE: "Oh, no, of course not. I was hired by a magical talking cat."

RAGANA: "My cat hired you."

SOPHIE: "Yep. She was concerned about the egg, so she went and hired me to tend to it. You can ask her yourself; she'll tell you all about it."

RAGANA: "Ah. And I assume she'll also tell me why you have my magical staff?"

What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2618647
We borrowed it to meddle with the light.
It's technically true.
From a certain point of view.

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SOPHIE: "Oh, this? I borrowed it, to move the lights, you see. You know how finicky those primeval, extraplanar artifacts can be."

RAGANA: "You borrowed it."

SOPHIE: "Yep."

RAGANA: "So you'll return it to me, of course."

SOPHIE: "Uh, right, of course. How soon do you want it b—"

RAGANA: "Now."

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RAGANA: "Well, you were at least honest about that much. Now let's see how much of the rest is true."

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She waves the wand and suddenly you find yourself in another part of the castle, directly above the trapdoor.

RAGANA: "Jynx! Do you recognize this individual?"

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You wink at Nightpaw.

NIGHTPAW: "Naturally, mistress. This is Malacrythe of Eristhenia. We met previously when—"

SOPHIE: "—when you hired me to watch over the dragon queen's egg!"

Nightpaw shoots you a look of mild exasperation.

NIGHTPAW: "Yes, when I hired her to look after the egg. I was just so concerned about it and I wanted to make sure your plans were successful."

RAGANA: "And did you let her borrow my staff?"

NIGHTPAW: "Your staff? Mistress, I would never—"

SOPHIE: [cough]

NIGHTPAW: "—never let anyone borrow your staff without good reason, but Malacrythe here needed it for minding the egg, so I reasoned that letting her use it would be for all our best interests."

RAGANA: "And for that, you'll be sleeping with the rats for the next week, and you can kiss your implied stairs privileges goodbye until then too. Honestly, I thought you knew better, Jynx."

NIGHTPAW: "...I thought I did too, mistress."

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RAGANA: "As for you, Malacrythe, I suppose I'll overlook this incident, since the blame seems to fall entirely on the incompetence of my minion. But you are not to touch my staff again; understand?"

SOPHIE: "Yep, totally, no questions there."

RAGANA: "Very well. Now, it is true that I'm having some...difficulties hatching this dragon egg. I've left it sitting up there for days now, and yet it shows no signs of hatching. You say this egg needs heat to hatch?"

SOPHIE: "Yep, you gotta incubate it or you'll never get anywhere."

RAGANA: "Well, thanks to you, it seems that condition has been met. Now, is there anything else I should know about eggs? You're the expert, after all. Why don't you enlighten me?"

What will you do?

——————

The quest will pause here until the evening, probably around 10 PM PST.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2618812
We should leave it alone for a few minutes to warm up. Eventually we're going to want to move it down to table level so it's not at such a high altitude.

In the meantime, time for girl talk and smoothies as we try to suck up to Ragana

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SOPHIE: “Now that the egg’s warming up, we need to give it some space for a while. A watched pot never boils, right? And once the egg’s absorbed enough heat, we’ll want to move it down onto the Table, on account of the biometric pressure.”

RAGANA: “Surely you mean the barometric pressure.”

SOPHIE: “Yeah, that too! I’ll let you know when it’s time to move the egg.”

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RAGANA: “Then in the meantime, why don’t you join me for some refreshments? I may be the scourge of Elfland, but I won’t let anyone call me a mediocre hostess.”

SOPHIE: “That sounds great!”

RAGANA: “Perfect. Jynx, go and set out wine for two in the parlor.”

SOPHIE: “Oh, I don’t think I can have wine. Underage drinking is a national concern, after all. But can I interest you in a smoothie?”

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A little while later, after you’ve brewed a pair of smoothies for yourself and Ragana, you settle down in the parlor to wait for the egg to warm up.

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SOPHIE: “I love what you’ve done with the place. The pink makes the lime green accents really pop, and that shadowfire motif you’ve got going? It really gives the whole castle a sense of character.”

RAGANA: “Oh, I know. I wanted it to say, ‘I’m a fire elf, but I’m also the queen of darkness’. I’m glad you can appreciate it. I don’t get many visitors with an eye for style.”

NIGHTPAW: “…she doesn’t get many visitors period.”

RAGANA: “What was that?”

NIGHTPAW: “Nothing, nothing, just a hairball.”

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SOPHIE: “So how long have you been doing the whole scourge of Elfland thing?”

RAGANA: “I’m coming up on ten years pretty soon.”

SOPHIE: “Wow, that’s a long time!”

RAGANA: “That’s why I’m the best in the business. I’ve been thinking about holding a gala in honor of it, or I would if I thought anyone interesting would show up. You know, there aren’t all that many other villains left in this dump of a realm now that Cronan and the goblins went all goody-goody. Of course, that little punk-ass human who came through a few years ago playing heroine didn’t help. No offense to you humans.”

SOPHIE: “None taken. People like that Jones girl are a real nasty sorort—wait, I mean sister—no, wait, I mean Emily Jones sucks. Yeah.”

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RAGANA: “Where are you from, anyway? You don’t see many humans around here, and your clothes really are peculiar.”

SOPHIE: “Me? I’m from, uh… the Magic Kingdom. It’s on the other side of the Encircled Sea. We all wear clothes like this there, but you’ve probably never been so—“

RAGANA: “Oh, you must mean Disneyland©. I actually studied abroad there for a year when I was younger. Though I can’t say I recall anyone dressed quite like you are.”

SOPHIE: “It’s, well—it’s more of a northern Disneyland© style. Very popular in Co—Coldlan—Coldendell. Yeah, Coldendell.”

RAGANA: “I see. It sounds like a fascinating place, Coldendell, full of dragons and avant garde fashion.”

SOPHIE: “Yep! That’s Coldendell for you; definitely fascinating and totally not fictitious!”

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Ragana sets down her empty goblet.

RAGANA: “Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you, but it has a while now, hasn’t it? Is that dragon egg any closer to hatching? I don’t mean to rush you, but I’m just a little impatient to take out my vengeance on Elfland.”

SOPHIE: “Right, the egg. It’s, uh…”

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2620389
Go with her to check on the egg, it couldn't have MELTED or anything.

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SOPHIE: "The egg should be about warm enough now."

RAGANA: "Then let's pay it a visit."

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In a wave of Ragana's staff, you find yourself once more atop the tower under the Light of Godt.

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You inspect the dragon queen's egg. Surprisingly, even after sitting in the direct light for a good half hour or so, the egg seems no warmer than it started out. In fact, it even seems a little colder than before. What kind of unearthly light is this that produces no heat? It's definitely what you were led to believe it was.

When you peek inside the egg, you discover an even less welcome surprise: the dragon queen Estari, who was previously sitting upright in the egg, has now fallen over. Is she dead? Dying? You have no idea, but you really don't think that's going to fly with Ragana.

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RAGANA: "What's going on? I thought the egg was supposed to be warming up. And what's happening to the queen? Explain this, Malacrythe!"

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2620440
>It's probably metaphysical interference. The Light of Godt is good, this castle is evil, yada yada, the egg apparently needs to be incubated at some distance from the castle.

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SOPHIE: "I think I know what your problem here is. You're evil, right?"

RAGANA: "The most evil in all of Elfland."

SOPHIE: "And your castle's evil too?"

RAGANA: "I should hope so. It's suffused with my shadow magic, after all."

SOPHIE: "Well, this is all going to get kinda metaphysical, but the Light of Godt is basically the Hylic Plane's physical representation of the ideal of Good, so when it shines on something evil like your castle, the two sorta cancel each other out. What I think is we've got to move the egg somewhere else to incubate—somewhere really far away from your castle."

RAGANA: "Yes, that makes sense. You're the expert here; how far away should we move it? Is there a certain spot that would work best?"

What will you do?

I feel like we should make her look into the light.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2620487
A good rule of thumb is usually that evil influence travels as far as the eye can see, so we should move it far enough away that you can't see it from the castle!

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SOPHIE: "The thing about evil is that it generally travels by line of sight. That means that as long as there's a clear path between the castle and the egg, the castle's evil could still interfere with the light shining on the egg. And the castle is so much larger than the egg that just going farther away from the castle won't cut it—we need to take the egg somewhere else entirely."

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RAGANA: "If that's case, then I have an even better plan."

SWOOSH

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In an instant, the castle and every other significant landscape feature vanish entirely. All that remain are you, Ragana, and the egg.

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SOPHIE: "What happened to the castle? Are we still in Elfland?"

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RAGANA: "Since the castle was interfering with incubating the egg, I've simply put it away for the time being. Impressive, right? I worked very hard to master that trick."

SOPHIE: "But if we're not at the castle, where are we now?"

RAGANA: "We're simply on the Table. Think of it like a stage without a set. Until someone specifies, who's to say we're anywhere?"

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RAGANA: "So that's that. This place is completely empty, and there's nothing here except us and the light, so the egg will start to warm up, won't it? How much time do we have? Will the dragon queen still be healthy enough to hatch?"

There's a tinge of panic in her voice, and as you glance through the eggshell at the dragon queen's prone form, you can sympathize. Queen Estari looks frail and shriveled—almost dead—and nothing you or Ragana has done is working. You know the Light of Godt won't be able to incubate the egg no matter where you take it, but you're too deep into the lie now. What if the dragon queen really does die? What would happen to Elfland? Would you still be able to go back home? Would Emily ever forgive you?

What will you do?

———————

Sophie Jones and the Quest for Playability will resume tomorrow, either in the afternoon or evening. Thanks for playing, and feel free to leave commands.

Also, correcting a typo on >>2620438 to avoid confusion. It should read: "It's definitely not what you were led to believe it was."

Shit anons, we're in a bit of a bind aren't we

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2620635
Shit, man. You really can turn a silly story into unexpected high-stakes drama.
>Try to communicate with Estari through the shell (possibly in Morse).
>Send Ragana away for the time so that her evil radiation doesn't interfere (and so that she can't eavesdrop)

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2620635
Bring the news that thanks to prolonged exposure to Ragana's castle's evil influence there's a very real risk of the dragon queen not going to make it, and that she must be prepared to say her final goodbye to the dragon.
(also ask what the consequences are to the queen dying because that'd be handy to know)

Then we do this
>>2620645
and see if we can communicate to the dragon directly and if there's anything we can do to save it
>inb4 turn off the fucking light it's like a goddamn oven in here. Who is the genius who decided to aim that thing at me in the first place.

>>2620715
>Rolled 1
SHE DEAD

Whelp, let's hope Ragana knows some necromancy.

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>2620635
>>2620645
Tell the dragon that we're know the truth as well but she needs to get over the existential crisis.

>>2618304
Kino

>>2618329
That's probably one of the Archons

Remember everybody, if all else fails we might be able to make a deal with an Archon

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SOPHIE: “Yep, it’s sure going to hatch all right. Any minute now.”

You stand waiting in awkward silence for a good two or three minutes. As you both stare at the egg, Estari suddenly twitches.

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SOPHIE: “Okay, so, that’s—that’s a good sign? I mean, that’s a good sign! She’s moving! So we should probably ease up on the light now. Don’t want her to get too warm.”

RAGANA: “Okay, got it; ease up on the light.”

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SWOOOOOOOOSH

Ragana swings her staff about in a complicated motion, guiding her castle as it flashes in out of existence around the Light of Godt.

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Finally, you hear a click as one of the spires presses against the button on the lamp, and everything goes dark.

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RAGANA: “Is that enough? Is there anything else?”

SOPHIE: “Uh, and maybe you should head over to that corner for a moment while I check on how things are going. Gotta keep your evil radiation to a minimum.”

RAGANA: “I’ll go with what you think is best then."

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Ragana hides herself in the foreleft corner of the Table, leaving you alone with Estari. Her egg’s temperature is tepid when you lay your hand on it; removing the light doesn't seem to have helped either. If only you actually knew anything about eggs, you might be able to fix this, but Heartlake City’s not exactly an agriculture hub. You’ve never even seen a live chicken, let alone cared for one.

You wish you had someone here who could tell you what to do next. Everyone’s counting on you.

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As you stand with your hand upon the egg, suddenly an image flashes across your mind. A prison cell, and inside the cell…a book? With a dragon on the cover?

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SOPHIE: “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? Estari?”

You feel a ripple of magic pulse through the air, and then nothing. Whatever presence you sensed from Estari has vanished.

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RAGANA: “Malacrythe, what just happened? I felt the egg’s celestial magic fade away. Is the dragon queen safe?”

SOPHIE: “Uh, so, there may have been some complications—“

RAGANA: “What complications?”

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SOPHIE: “Well, due to all the evil the dragon queen’s been exposed to, there, uh, might be a very real possibility that…she’s…”

RAGANA: “That she’s what?”

SOPHIE: “That she’s dead! That we killed the dragon queen!”

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Ragana turns away and gags.

RAGANA: “I didn’t want to kill her! I just wanted—I just wanted to raise her; for her to help me. I was going to care for her; I never wanted to—to kill—“

SOPHIE: “If—if she’s really dead, what happens now?”

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RAGANA: “What happens? Aren’t you the dragon expert?”

SOPHIE: “Well, I may have exaggerated my expertise a little—“

RAGANA: “A little!? She’s dead and now half the magic in Elfland is gone too! How could you let this happen?”

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SOPHIE: “It’s not my fault! You don’t know anything about dragon eggs either, and you’re the one who kidnapped her! If you’d just let Lumia hatch her like she was supposed to, none of this would have happened!”

RAGANA: “Lumia? Wait, did she send you here?”

SOPHIE: “It’s not exactly like that, but I mean, she asked—"

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RAGANA: “You liar.”

SOPHIE: “I’m not lying! I mean, okay, some of it was lies, but I really did—“

RAGANA: “I even trusted you, but that’s the last time I’ll make that mistake. You’re just like the rest of them, and you can rot here forever for all I care. I’m done with you.”

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swoosh

And so you find yourself alone in the darkness upon an empty plane.

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It’s all over. You failed, and Estari is dead and you’re never going to see your home again because you’re going to die here too and no one will even know what happened to you, not even Emily.

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You try desperately not to cry, and you fail at that too.

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???: hello child of friends.

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SOPHIE: “Eeep! Stay back!”

???: do not be scared. we will play well. we came to help. we can help each other.

SOPHIE: “Just—just so you know, I’m not Emily if that’s who you’re looking for.”

???: we know. you are the little jones. jones junior. we are junior too. we are the 4juniors.

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The 4juniors—a familiar name, but an unwelcome one. It is the name of the Archon of Infantilization, one of the many dread manifestations of Leg Slemt that fester in the abyss beyond Godt’s light. They are an unholy presence, but their presence is all you have to work with here.

SOPHIE: “What do you want from me?”

4JUNIORS: we want to go to the promised legoland. you can help us go. you want to go to the castle. we can help you go too.

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4JUNIORS: can we work together?

What will you do?

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>>2622255
As long as we don't become a carrot smoothie and have our soul ripped away, sure why not.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2622255
fuck I didn't actually want to get the archons involved, and these guys are super-creepy

Ask them to explain how you can help them get to Legoland but don't commit to any verbal agreements

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2622255
Can we ask them to turn the lights on before we agree to anything?

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SOPHIE: “You can really get me out of here and back to Ragana’s castle?”

4JUNIORS: yes. we are on the table. raganas castle is also on the table. they are the same table. they are just sideways to each other. we will move you sideways.

SOPHIE: “And what do I have to do in return?”

4JUNIORS: we want you to turn us into minifigs.

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>>2618304
>For one terrible moment, you understand everything.

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SOPHIE: “Is that even possible?”

4JUNIORS: minidolls are also okay.

SOPHIE: “I’m not sure that’d be any easier, but more importantly: why? Aren’t you, you know, evil?”

4JUNIORS: we know why you think that. we used to be bad. we used to hurt others. we used to not play well. but we chose to stop. we changed. everyone can change if they want to. but we cannot change everything. we cannot change godts mind.

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4JUNIORS: godt made the promised legoland for minipeople. all good minipeople go to the promised legoland when they die. even you child of friends. when you die you will go to the promised lego land. you will be happy. it will be good.

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4JUNIORS: but we are not good minipeople. godt made us but we are not like you. godts light hurts us. we cannot play with you. it makes us sad. when we die we return to leg slemt. we will be in the dark that hurts. we will be in the dark that does not end.

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4JUNIORS: but the big dragon is strong. the big dragon can turn things into other things. if you have the big dragon you can make us something else. you can make us real minifigs. then we will die. we will die and go to the promised legoland. we will face godt and ask godt why. why did godt make us wrong? why did godt throw us away? are we only here to be hurt? what were we made for?

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SOPHIE: “And what if you don’t like the answer?”

4JUNIORS: any answer is okay. even a bad answer. we just need to know.

SOPHIE: “I can’t promise you anything. I think the big dra—I mean the dragon queen is dead.”

4JUNIORS: but if we take you back you will try to save her?

SOPHIE: “Yes. Ragana was right: I'm the one who let this happen, so I can't give up without trying. ”

4JUNIORS: that is good. we will trust you. junior will trust junior.

SOPHIE: “Then I’ll do what I can for you.”

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SOPHIE: “Oh, but one more thing: can you turn the light back on before you send me back?”

4JUNIORS: godts light hurts us. we are weak. we cannot hurt much more or we will die. but if the light helps you we will hurt a little and turn it on. we can do that if you are okay to go.

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SOPHIE: “I’m ready.”

4JUNIORS: take care child of friends. if you need us we will be with you.

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click

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And just like that, you're back. Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle looms over you, and atop it you spy Estari's egg. The aura of magic that normally surrounds the castle seems much weaker now, devoid of the celestial magic that once helped comprise it. You'd better get moving, or, to take a leaf from your sister's instruction manual: dragon to save; time to be brave!

What will you do?

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2622662
Scout out the castle, find where that magic book is, check that dungeon looking bit the trap door falls into.

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Estari must have shown you that book for a reason. If you're going to save her, you're probably going to need it. Careful to avoid being spotted, you sneak over to the base of Nightpaw's tower to investigate the prison cell. It looks an awful lot like the one from the vision; could the book be here?

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Success! Sitting in the corner of the cell is the book. Now the only issue is how to get to it.

What will you do?

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2622678
Time to trigger that trap door and hop on in.

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>>2622601

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As far as you know, there's only one way in or out of the prison, and that's through the trapdoor. You climb up the tower to the reach it, though very quietly so as not to alert Nightpaw to your presence. After everything that's happened, you're not entirely sure whether she still likes you or not, though in the latter case, you'd certainly understand why.

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Once properly situated over the trapdoor, you give the green berry a good bop.

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clack

Just as planned, the trapdoor gives way underneath you, dropping you down into the prison cell!

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And with another clack, the trapdoor swings shut again.

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On the one hand, you'd have to call this mission a total success. You found the book, opened the trapdoor, and landed yourself in prison all without any difficulties.

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On the other hand, now you're in prison and there's no apparent way out. But at least you've got some reading material for while you wait.

You might be waiting a while.

What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2622718
Before we get too cozy, how about pushing on these walls to see what budges.