FujiwaraPhoenix

Paths Unwound — A Crossover RP (Interest Check)

I think that this number's probably sufficient to move this over, then, given my intended cast size.

@Raineh Daze@TruthHurts@Rune_Alchemist: Here's a link to the OoC.

Paths Unwound — A Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Prologue

Ping. Ping. Ping.

The blue-white glow of the panoramic screens situated around a single room were the sole features brightening up what would otherwise be a dark, featureless room. The visuals situated upon them seemed few and far between: scenes of dragons soaring through the night skies, of machines assembled piece by piece, of martial prowess well beyond the realm of mere mortals all came and went in mere seconds. In the center of this room, surrounded by sights that would leave others hard-pressed to follow even a few seconds of the chaos, sat a man who looked to be no older than thirty. With practiced gestures and motions, his eyes and arms moved around, pointing and gesturing towards each screen with the utmost efficiency.

A glance, and the scene was gone. A thrust, and one was paused. A sweep, and a cluster of images moved with them.

Such had been his duty since he had been his duty since he had taken the "throne". He was the only one left who could fulfill this duty now; the proverbial chains that bound him here provided him no comfort.

Or so he would have said, had there not been one other anchored to this eternal vigil with him.

"Brother, I'm back," a voice, light but firm, called out to the man from behind him. "I've stabilized those worlds as you requested."

"Mmm. Good work, Wynn," was the man's response as he spared but a second to glance at the white-haired woman behind him. "Any luck with reversal?"

"...None to be had. The best I could do was place them in stasis; the distortions were too great for me to do any more," was her reply. The briefest hint of a frown seemed to cross the man's face as he processed those words—whether it was disapproval, frustration, or disappointment was knowledge only he was privy to.

"Unfortunate, but that's within expectations. What about recovery?" he asked back.

"There were a few people I thought well-suited to the task who I managed to tether to the city's reality," Wynn replied with a nod. "Would you like me to call them here?"

"At once, please," was his response. "Neither of us can intervene in the phenomenon in our current state, but it might be possible if you think them capable."

A terse "of course" was all that the man registered as Wynn left the room, leaving him to continue working as he had been. Across myriad worlds and myriad timelines, there was only so much he could do—an eternal spectator, who only after time immemorial could finally dream of doing more than watching realms fade from existence.

---

---

Overview

The intent of this RP is to be more of an episodic crossover than overarching plot, wherein characters (having been spirited away to a "hub" world) are tasked with "resolving" the issues in others, for better or worse. The overarching story proper will be revealed more as the narrative progresses, so think of the progression as something of a cross between Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts. Clearing scenarios might or might not get you closer to the "golden ending", but that's more on the cast than anything else.

I'd also state that characters from all forms of media are fine, but I reserve the right to reject characters based on how well (or poorly) they might mesh with those present. Naturally, if an IP you're pulling from isn't one that I'm familiar with, I might ask if you could give me research materials to work off in the future... Or ask you directly, because sometimes laziness beats diligence.

With that preamble out of the way, here's a form for those who might be interested. I'd like a core cast of 5-6 players at most, and ideally keep to one character per player.

Also, I suppose I'll doing the usual and flag my co-GM @VitaVitaAR here because obvious obligations.

Form

• Name:
• Gender:
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Brief History:
• Universe of Origin:
• Equipment:
• Abilities:
• Other:

Paths Unwound — A Crossover RP (Interest Check)

Prologue

Ping. Ping. Ping.

The blue-white glow of the panoramic screens situated around a single room were the sole features brightening up what would otherwise be a dark, featureless room. The visuals situated upon them seemed few and far between: scenes of dragons soaring through the night skies, of machines assembled piece by piece, of martial prowess well beyond the realm of mere mortals all came and went in mere seconds. In the center of this room, surrounded by sights that would leave others hard-pressed to follow even a few seconds of the chaos, sat a man who looked to be no older than thirty. With practiced gestures and motions, his eyes and arms moved around, pointing and gesturing towards each screen with the utmost efficiency.

A glance, and the scene was gone. A thrust, and one was paused. A sweep, and a cluster of images moved with them.

Such had been his duty since he had been his duty since he had taken the "throne". He was the only one left who could fulfill this duty now; the proverbial chains that bound him here provided him no comfort.

Or so he would have said, had there not been one other anchored to this eternal vigil with him.

"Brother, I'm back," a voice, light but firm, called out to the man from behind him. "I've stabilized those worlds as you requested."

"Mmm. Good work, Wynn," was the man's response as he spared but a second to glance at the white-haired woman behind him. "Any luck with reversal?"

"...None to be had. The best I could do was place them in stasis; the distortions were too great for me to do any more," was her reply. The briefest hint of a frown seemed to cross the man's face as he processed those words—whether it was disapproval, frustration, or disappointment was knowledge only he was privy to.

"Unfortunate, but that's within expectations. What about recovery?" he asked back.

"There were a few people I thought well-suited to the task who I managed to tether to the city's reality," Wynn replied with a nod. "Would you like me to call them here?"

"At once, please," was his response. "Neither of us can intervene in the phenomenon in our current state, but it might be possible if you think them capable."

A terse "of course" was all that the man registered as Wynn left the room, leaving him to continue working as he had been. Across myriad worlds and myriad timelines, there was only so much he could do—an eternal spectator, who only after time immemorial could finally dream of doing more than watching realms fade from existence.

---

---

Overview

The intent of this RP is to be more of an episodic crossover than overarching plot, wherein characters (having been spirited away to a "hub" world) are tasked with "resolving" the issues in others, for better or worse. The overarching story proper will be revealed more as the narrative progresses, so think of the progression as something of a cross between Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts. Clearing scenarios might or might not get you closer to the "golden ending", but that's more on the cast than anything else.

I'd also state that characters from all forms of media are fine, but I reserve the right to reject characters based on how well (or poorly) they might mesh with those present. Naturally, if an IP you're pulling from isn't one that I'm familiar with, I might ask if you could give me research materials to work off in the future... Or ask you directly, because sometimes laziness beats diligence.

With that preamble out of the way, here's a form for those who might want to start prep work before this things goes up proper. This is an interest check right now, obviously, but ideally I'd like a core cast of 5-6 players tops.

Also, I suppose I'll doing the usual and flag my co-GM @VitaVitaAR here because obvious obligations.

Form

• Name:
• Gender:
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Brief History:
• Universe of Origin:
• Equipment:
• Abilities:
• Other:

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Nicolas Li

??? — Witch's House

With the food completed and those present happily digging in (or, well, one less than happily at a glance), Nicolas regarded the scene with a brief smile before taking some food for himself. Dodging Ilsa's pointed questions about their origins would mean that it would probably come up in the future, supposing they ever met again once she had seen them off, but for the moment it looked like they were in the clear.

Of course, that meant that small talk was probably the best way to proceed for the moment, and as luck would have it, the fairies provided the perfect topic to do so with.

"Well, you saw the ingredients yourself, didn't you?" the chef asked as he gestured back towards them. "The only thing that might be a bit less common is the ice, but everything else I assume you should have on hand. It's just a matter of how you mix them; I just have a special tool that turned the ice into super-tiny pieces that let them mix with everything else."

The topic of magic brought to mind Ilsa's own parting comment about high-level magic—more specifically, the extent to which magic could be performed and it's limits. Obviously, with no knowledge of the systems at play or how to manipulate them, it wasn't exactly something to be explored now...

But it'd be criminally ignorant to not ask more about this in the future—just as it would be to ignore what the pink-haired fairy had just said.

"Is the fae realm a place where people don't experiment much with their food? Personally, I don't think that milkshake was anything revolutionary, but..."

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99

??? — Church

With the combined efforts of both Javal and Lena, the stone altar slowly slid across the ground, leaving skid marks as it scraped across the floor and revealed a ladder leading down into what seemed to be complete darkness—or, at least, that was how it seemed to be at a glance. After a brief pause, a dim glow from something built into the wall opposite said ladder slowly came to life, and one after the other the path down seemed to be left illuminated, if only slightly. The deeper the path went, the slower the lights were to turn on; with that said, it was nothing if not inevitable that they would all be alight with enough time.

Supposing that one of the trio was brave enough to delve into the depths first, though, what they would find at the end of that ladder would be a narrow passageway that, after a bit more walking, would give way to a hidden room. This one, however, was still dark.

Dark, save the pair of glowing red eyes staring back at them.

Eventually, the lights would make their way down here, too, and the being who was staring back at them—a white=haired woman who seemed to be resting against the back wall—simply stared in silence.

A keen eye might recognize the subtle shift in her body's position as they grew closer, but whether or not that would mean anything to them was another matter entirely.

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Nicolas Li

??? — Witch's House (Atelier)

"I don't know what you expect me to say here; if I lied through my teeth you'd be mad, and I'm pretty sure the truth might as well be a lie to you," Nicolas responded with a half-hearted shrug. "Unless you're going to tell me that transmigration of the soul is normal here?"

Though his answer could have been interpreted, the young man could not fathom any other excuse for the scene he had set in the last few minutes that would give Ilsa any sort of adequate explanation. If 'I was killed and reincarnated from another world with technology that is likely to be a few centuries' worth of time into the future' was normal here, then that would honestly be more cause for alarm. Who knew if there were people who had come before them that had caused more problems than they solved with whatever God-given powers they were provided?

...Maybe it was a good thing that she seemed so incredulous at the moment; he would hate to end up dead in a ditch just because he hit the proverbial jackpot and was given a second chance.

Regardless of any of those possibilities, though, Nicolas would opt to focus on the task at hand—cooking their meal—instead of worrying about any possibility of getting killed over such a thing.

After handing the pair of fairies the milkshake that he had blended up (after hassling the witch for some ice), Nick poured another off to the side for Ilsa to taste if she so desired before retuning to work. For what it was worth, Hikari's knifework was well beyond that of an amateur home cook's, which meant that he had the room to go a bit fancier on... Well, everything else.

Thus passed the next few hours; regardless of if the others chose to stay or leave, Nicolas would soon exist his magical pocket dimension with a pair of trays in hand. The scent of cooked pastry and meat would quickly fill the kitchen as he moved to the dining room, though he had to take care to not trip over himself en route.

"While it might be better to focus on one dish a time, I believe that a more casual, family-style presentation works better in this situation," he said before revealing the completed dishes hidden underneath the cloches. "Pickled vegtables, beef wellington, and some fruit tarts once everyone's had their fill—or maybe before, if meat isn't much your style."

Of course, he would leave the honors of cutting into the main course to Hikari or Ilsa, whoever chose to act first. The former had prepared most of the dish, decals and all, while the latter was the one who had set the stage for the meal to begin with by supplying everything they needed.

Either way, hopefully culinary diplomacy would leave them enough leeway to push any questions of their origin off in lieu of stuffing faces—for the moment, at least.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

??? — Side Street

Having made their decision to retreat towards the church, the trio would waste no time in fleeing through the gates, placing what felt like a shallow barrier between themselves and the lumbering zombie that had been pursuing them through the back alleys until then.

Where one might have expected a prompt pursuit past the wrought-iron fence, however, the trio would see that the undead would soon come to a halt right as it exited the alleyway. It turned around, seemingly in search of the group it had been pursuing, before opting to stray off down the street in a different direction.

The threat bearing down upon them had passed, at least for the moment.

Supposing that the group chose to explore the church that had been the cause of their apparent escape, though, the group would find nothing particularly unique at a glance. There was still damage to the pews that lined the center of the main room; some were shattered, while others simply chipped or splintered. Regardless, it was clear that there was some sort of altercation here in the past—though the lack of bloodstains might seem a bit strange unto itself, given the state of the corpse they had found back the inn earlier.

Regardless, though, a closer inspection of the church's altar would reveal that it had been moved ever so slightly ajar. There was what seemed to be a passage into the darkness underneath it, but with the altar itself being made of stone...

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

??? — Back Alley

With the trio fully cognizant of the danger that was the zombie moving steadily in pursuit of them, it was only natural that their next course of action would be to run in the opposite direction of it. The alley stretched on a decent way, long enough that there was no clear exit in sight for a while.

But for what it was worth, that lack of vision could only last for so long. The walls forcing them forward soon gave way to a side street that, luckily enough, seemed to be absent of any other undead for the moment.

A quick glance around would allow the trio to note a multitude of buildings, though one that would stand out more than the rest would be the sole church situated just off to the side of where they had exited from. Despite the state of the rest of the buildings, this one, small though it was, seemed to be in notably better condition than the rest. If one was particularly adept at noticing details, the slight shine in the air around in that seemed to cut off past a certain distance would probably be noteworthy on it's own.

Glancing back would show that the hulking monstrosity that had scared them into fleeing was still gaining on them—and making steady headway in closing the distance between them besides despite it's prodigious size.

As for how to proceed... Well, that would be their call to make.

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Nicolas Li

??? — Witch's House (Atelier)

While something a bit rougher and more expected of a beginner home chef would have been well and fine, Nick had most certainly not expected that Hikari would be able to so easily match his skill in the kitchen. It had left him with some rather complex feelings, of course, but given how she seemed to have appeared as a maid and how he had access to this place to begin with...

Well, writing it off as her cheat meant that he wouldn't feel that bad about it in comparison.

"Better than expected, huh? All right, I'll leave that to you for now," he remarked as he finished forming and kneading the dough just enough to let it rest. The obvious lack of saran wrap or even parchment paper was a bit unfortunate at the moment, but the amount that he had made would probably be sufficient for their meal tonight... In due time.

As he set the pastry dough aside to rest, however, the young man would promptly find himself accosted by a none-too-pleased Ilsa, who wasted no time in breaking down how unfathomable his story had been when paired up with the new pocket dimension that he had found himself the proud new owner of.

"Uh... I mean, I'm just as surprised as you, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth," the young man replied as he, in glancing at the fairies messing with the nearby blender, ran over towards them and took a hold of the device. "Hey, no, that's dangerous, all right? If you want to watch us cook, that's fine, but I don't want anyone getting hurt on my watch."

There was a brief pause as he glanced at the other ingredients that he had initially planned to use for a dessert before deciding that keeping this pair out of everyone else's hair was probably a better use of his time while waiting for the pastry to set.

"How about this: I'll make you a sweet drink with this if you promise not to play with anything here, okay?"

Surely a strawberry milkshake would be enough to keep the pair satisfied until things were ready; with the fruit, milk, and honey on hand already, all he needed was a bit of ice to blend down with it...

And maybe that'd keep Ilsa from blowing her lid at him over this, too? Hopefully that would be the case.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99

??? — Back Alley

Having eschewed any exploration of the shop in lieu of a search for escape, the group would steadily make their way forward through the side path that, by the looks of things, drew them further away from the main roads. Bereft of any signs of life, the trio could well assume that it was clear of zombies.

In a sense, they weren't wrong... But they weren't quite right either.

The back alleys, clear as they were, brought with them an uncanny silence. Naught but the sounds of footsteps and breathing were their companions as the trio pressed ahead, but after half a minute of walking one of the doorways behind them would burst open, blowing rotten wood and stone all over the path behind them.

From the dust would emerge a behemoth of a man—or what had once been one—lugging behind it a massive rusted sword that cried out against the pavement as it scraped along. Parts of it's body were barely visible beneath the dull armor that it wore, but that might have only served to make it all the more menacing.

Unfortunately, the undead's grand entrance meant that returning the way they had come was all but impossible—not unless they wanted to take the zombie on in what little space they had. It wasn't impossible, but the option to run might have seemed more enticing in the moment.

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Nicolas Li

??? — Witch's House

"Steps?" Nick parroted as he placed the first batch of ingredients he had taken from the witch's pantry down onto one of the countertops inside the kitchen. "Your guess would be as good as mine, but let me take a look around."

With the question as to whether or not Hikari would enter being a rather definitive "yes", though, the young man took a mental note to maybe experiment with this newfound pocket dimension at a later time. Regardless of how useful (or not) it might be in combat, having a little place to duck into wouldn't be as great if people could just bust the door down and loot the place anyways.

It didn't take too long to find something that filled Hikari's request, at the very least; the room with the massive pot that he had mostly glossed over had also come with a small stepstool with which to make reaching (and seeing) the top of it easier. Grabbing that and bringing it over for the foxgirl maid to use in her own efforts, therefore, was a no-brainer.

"I think that should be sufficient," he remarked before walking over to the nearby sink and turning the water on. The fact that it functioned was... To be expected, in a sense, but Nick was still left to wonder about why exactly that was the case.

For the moment, though, justifying everything with 'it's magic' would have to do. Regardless, the fox hadn't exactly given him any frame of reference for her confidence as to cooking, but it didn't hurt to try and request what he needed done before anything else.

"You can probably get away with kicking that to move around, so after you've cleaned up, could I ask if you could prep the mushrooms and beef?" the young man asked as he approximated the size of what he needed with his hands. "If you know what a beef wellington is, that's our goal for the main. Something about... That big will do for the meat. Mushrooms, fine dice and cook them off with some shallots. I'll handle the puff pastry, but otherwise we should have more or less everything we need for that... I think. Appetizer, probably going for something with cucumbers, dessert would probably be fine reusing any spare puff pastry for some fruit tarts? Yeah, that sounds about right for now."

If anyone else chose to hop in to watch or explore, though, Nick wasn't exactly in any position to stop them. As long as they didn't mess with anything or put them in danger, he had no reason to kick them out.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99

??? — Back Alley

Despite the shakiness of the stability of some of the footholds that Javal had taken to scale the rubble, in the end he managed to successfully climb to the top without causing any incident to alert the undead nearby. Whether or not that was by sheer luck of something naturally intuitive was something the man himself would have to find the answer to himself, but at the very least he would be provided with a vantage point from which to view the area past it.

Luckily enough, there were no undead to be seen on the other side of the roadblock here; only a massive hole in the side of the opposite building, the wall from which one would assume must have been what made up the blockade in the first place. Peering inside would reveal a shop that had most certainly seen better days; even from here, the half-destroyed countertops and displays were rather evident, though it was another question entirely if there were even any goods left inside—and even then one would have to wonder if the elements hadn't rendered them unusable by now.

If there was a basement here, then maybe the goods would have found similar reprieve as the store of preserved goods in the inn; who could say?

Supposing that exploring the building was deemed too dangerous to proceed with, though, the alleyway did seem to lead out towards an empty side path. Whether or not it was just as dangerous as walking out the other way was a risk that the group would naturally have to take, but it was still an option to pursue if they were so inclined.

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Nicolas Li

??? — Witch's House

Though there were a few other ways he could've tried to justify everything that Ilsa was needling him about, Nick ultimately chose to stay quiet and only chose to nod his head slightly at Relki's comments. Plausible deniability would let him escape the worst of the consequences of "returning fire", as it were, but what was most important about the situation at hand was getting access to the kitchen (and the pantry by extension). Being reincarnated into a world of fantasy was well and good, but if he was alive now then food would be necessary one way or another.

Making something fancy would also be a decent way to repay the girl for saving them from a second death so soon after reviving, at least in his eyes. Hikari's offer to help was also appreciated, though the assertion that the primary means of survival had been on instant noodles up until then was less than ideal with the plans he had in mind.

It probably wouldn't hurt to see just how good (or bad) she was, though; with Jor's quip about making clothing in mind as she demonstrated her current inability to help in the kitchen, Nick made a mental note to not try and pull her for help for the moment.

Maybe she could make him a proper chef's coat, though; as cool as his new outfit was, it wasn't exactly something fit for a kitchen. As he stepped into the room, though, the young man felt a slight tingle run through his body; a brief once-over showed that any of the dirt or debris his clothes had picked up were missing. Whether that was because of some magic cast by the girl or upon the room mattered little more than the fact that it had been done, which meant far less worry about any threat of cross-contamination.

Rustic though the kitchen was, Nick found himself perusing it's wares with a keen eye. Slowly, the man took mental stock of the ingredients that he saw as he passed through. Vegetables, meats, herbs, seasonings, fruits... The list went on and on. It was surprisingly well-stocked, all things considered; a curious fact, but not one he was really concerned with. More unfortunate, though, were the facilities at hand. While there was nothing wrong with what was present here, as the young man's mind began to wander as to where to take things for the night the loss of modern amenities at hand.

"Man, what I wouldn't do for a stand mixer..." he mused to himself before turning around and seeing a door that was most certainly not there before in front of him. The young man blinked in mild shock as he stared at it for a few seconds before glancing at those around him; their looks betrayed no hint of know what exactly this was, but instinct pushed the young man to simply open it and see what lay past it anyways.

Obviously, another building past the archway that had established itself was far from what he had expected. Curiosity naturally overtook him as he poked around to see what lay within. One room was filled to the bring with beakers and burners; another, a massive pot and a few scrolls of something piled off to the side. And in the last...

"Oh. Now this is what I'm talking about."

While the other rooms could have conceivably have been made for Ilsa's sake, the kitchen in front of him was far too modern in nature to think of as anything but... Well, his. This explained his lack of a cheat up until now, at least; it wasn't anything super flashy up front, but if there was something that would make his craft easier it had to be this.

With the new atelier's main rooms more or less explored, Nick finally popped back out of the doorway from which he had disappeared into—though it wasn't as if he hadn't been in full view from said doorway for most of it—and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Hikari, you said you wanted to help, right?" he asked as he began to gather various ingredients from Ilsa's kitchen. "How confident are you at prep work? I want to go for a three-course menu tonight, and an extra pair of hands getting everything ready to go would speed things up exponentially."

Hopefully this cheat-apparent would let her inside as well; it would be far more efficient than having to ferry goods back and forth through the awkward arch in the middle of the kitchen.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99

??? — Abandoned Inn

With the only threat present dispatched and some rudimentary survival supplies now in hand, it would only be a matter of time before the trio would finally deem it time to leave the inn in which they had awoken. Leaving through the back door nearest the kitchen—after some struggle getting the door to open, of course—would lead to a dark alleyway kept in the shade by the building across from them. Any trash had long since been taken care of by the passing of the seasons, and the cramped space was empty...

For the most part.

A quick glance towards one end of the alleyway would reveal the presence of a few humanoid figures in the way—some standing, others slumped over against the wall. The other way, unfortunately, seemed to be blocked off by broken debris from the other house. It didn't seem impossible to navigate, though how well the three of them could do so was yet another factor to contend with.

The options here were fairly straightforward, at least; take a path or retreat and try the front entrance, and in so doing pray that there were less enemies waiting there.

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist