JANUARY DUNGEON

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JANUARY DUNGEON

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→ 1/12 Lockdown: The Final Dungeon

When preparations are complete and the team is ready to tackle the dungeons, both Attendants can be found at the castle, with Minato sitting on the armrest of the throne with a plain short sword balanced on his knees, and Souji standing to the side with several backpacks full of food, water, and blankets at his feet. "Last chance to change your mind and join the Champions of the Just," Minato pipes up from where he's sitting. "They've got trail mix." The team he's heading, incidentally, he named the Legion of the Dead and there is no trail mix or any other supplies provided by Minato, because Souji is a responsible leader who comes prepared, and Minato just doesn't care.

A several day hiking trip up the mountains for the sake of team bonding was considered but ultimately vetoed, so Souji simply opens a portal up from the forest shrine's torii to the mountain shrine's, and from there, it's only a short trek through the drifting snow to reach the honden. At the stroke of midnight, each Attendant places their hand flat on their door, the surface glowing bright blue and turning translucent: a one-way barrier swallowing each person whole as they pass through the portals.



Legion of the Dead It's a straight ten-foot drop once you step through the ofuda door in the castle, with nothing to break your fall but hard stone— or Minato if you happen to be the next person after him. It's a large stone chamber, with two large indentations on the far wall the size and appearance of doors, but neither open when touched or attacked. The only other thing of note in the room is a pedestal at the center with three omamoris slowing burning in a weak flame, one with Rio's name and arcana, another with Kido's, and the last with Yamato's, the same ones that were thrown away at the forest shrine on New Years as a statement of rejection of the Kotengu and his lent powers. Really, it's just Rio and Yamato's, though, because Kido had two omamoris to start with and doesn't need this second one. But with nothing else in the room, the first choice is a time-limited one: will you save the omamoris from the fire so Rio and Yamato can have it to summon their Personas, or will you respect their decision and allow the omamoris to burn to ashes? Depending on your choice, one of two doors will open.

Champions of the Just Entering the honden brings the group to a large stone chamber reminiscent of the forest shrine dungeon: a circular hub with a dozen arches along the perimeter, clearly meant to entice the impatient to spread themselves thin. Instead of multiple Shadow ghosts appearing from the ether to ambush the group, however, there is only one: a semitransparent ghostly form of a young boy huddled against the archway on the opposite side of where everybody had entered. He looks to be around seven, with very little distinguishing features other than pale eyes staring at the group. The moment anybody takes a step closer to him, calls out to him, or tries to attack, he starts in fear and turns to run through the archway— anybody who gives chase is met with a barrier; in fact, every other archway is blocked by the same invisible barrier, cutting their potential routes in half. The rest of the room is empty. There should be a way to get the barriers to drop in one of the five available passageways... Will you proceed all together, or divide and conquer?

There is no Velvet Room within the dungeons, and using a traesto gem or goho-m will only bring you to the beginning of the dungeon in either main hub, not outside. Falling unconscious within the dungeons doesn't bring you anywhere to be revived either; all it means is that your unconscious body lies there to rot or get eaten by Shadows until somebody hopefully saves you. So look after one another in the dungeons, and don't be afraid to rely on your Attendants. Souji will keep everybody safe.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ Both dungeons are team-based and require some coordination with other members of their team, with some decisions involving the entire team (e.g. Legion of the Dead's first decision regarding the omamoris). The teams will make their way through several rooms to find the exit, either split up or all together, with each room containing a battle, puzzle, decision, or another obstacle. The team as a whole will bear the consequences of the actions taken, so please give each choice careful consideration. As actions may affect subsequent rooms, new rooms will become available after the previous are cleared, rather than all the information given at one time.
⬥ A toplevel for the boss will go up once a team ICly reaches the boss' chamber, and overall, this deadline is the end of the month to avoid IC consequences.

Comments

[yokeye]

[Toki isn't too prepared for this. He was planning to be, but ended up in the police station surrounded by bears for days. He had less time to train and think about strategies. He's brought no food, assuming that would be Rei's priority and leaving that sort of thing to her. What he has brought is the small plush Rilakkuma bag he arrived in Hirajiro with, mostly empty in case he finds important things that need to be taken out of the dungeon, or to hold gem stones. Inside the bag is simply his collapsible cane and two small silver keys he'd been given by crows. He has no idea what to do with them, but maybe something will come up.

He's not wearing any particularly warm, nor combat-ready, clothing; just a pastel hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Though, he has thought it a good idea to utilize his old helmet dropped by the crows. In place of his cane at this point, Toki has a rusty pike from the castle weapons cache. It's not much, but any projectile weapons are a bad idea, and he gave his close-range electrified claw gloves to Red. Before they start, he has one question for Minato.]

Can we change the name!?

[Legion of the Dead makes him think that Minato's dead, and Rei's dead, and who else is dead? Are they all dead!?]

[flowerclips]

[ Toki is correct in assuming that Rei has packed all the food. She didn't go overboard because Terry warned her that she shouldn't drag too many things along, so she just packed things that are filling. She also has lots of water bottles. ]

"Legion of the dead" does sound scary...

[ Yeah, everyone's just dead. Welcome to purgatory. ]

[compendiem]

The name stays.

[ Minato's dead, Rei's dead, nobody else matters. There's a certain resolution behind the name's meaning, that he's not bothering to explain, because it doesn't matter. ]

Whoever doesn't like it can always join Souji's team if they want.

[ He likes a smaller group, and it didn't turn out that way, but oh well. He's not playing field leader. ]

[flowerclips]

[ :( ]

Okay... but why did you pick that name?

[yokeye]

Yeah! A-are we all dead, is that why!? Did I die during brain surgery and nobody told me I'm a ghost!?

[There are so many questions.]

[compendiem]

[ Minato just laughs. Maybe we're all dead! Nobody tell Toki. ]

[compendiem]

'cause it sounds cool.

[ Minato didn't live long enough to experience DA:I, but the same thought process exists in giving the name. ]

Remember how I used to summon, with the Evoker? Same concept. If you accept your mortality, it no longer holds you back. If you're too scared to die, you'll always be hesitating and losing opportunities.

[ The Legion of the Dead go into every battle as if it were their last, fighting day by day to see tomorrow. That's the sort of commitment they need to survive. ]

[flowerclips]

Oh...

[ That makes a lot of sense when Minato explains it like that way. Rei can understand that and now she feels a little bad for questioning Minato's name. Vice Leader is never wrong. She should have just trusted him. ]

Okay, Legions of the dead! That's our name! No one is allowed to change it!

[devilshocker]

You guys can't come up with something better? Really?

I feel dead inside after hearing that. [So he is officially part of the legion. DEAD TEAM MATES.]

Let's just get this over with before I'm traumatized forever.

[flowerclips]

Make sure that you stick close, Nero! I can't heal you if you run off by yourself!

[ ... which seems like a thing that he might do. ]

[devilshocker]

[Honestly, yeah. He does that all the time so it's a fair thing to say.]

I can't expect you to chase after me. I'll just walk slower.

Will that work out? I'm trying to not be a pain in the ass.

[yokeye]

[Since Toki's still like right here... This is a new voice, or at least one he doesn't recognize right away. Nero isn't someone he's spoken to much (or at all).]

Slow is good! I'm slow too.

[He has superspeed, really, but he will never use it.]

[devilshocker]

Who are you???

[He looks into Toki's direction with a stern expression followed by perplexed stare.]

Have we met before? I don't know what your deal is buddy. My name's Nero.

[There's this 6"2 tall guy wearing a dirty coat and a metal arm. On top of that there's something off about the way he walks in general. Nero's not really a human. ]

[yokeye]

I'm Toki~! Rei's my wife!

[Toki nods to himself, because that confirms he's never met Nero. Toki's only a couple inches shorter, but thin and lanky, and decidedly less imposing in a pastel sweatshirt. However, Nero's gait and metal arm are ignored completely.]

We haven't met! I knew there were a couple of people I didn't know! Nice to meet you, Nero~!

[He is just as cheerful and upbeat as Rei for the most part.]

[devilshocker]

Holy shit, I crashed your wedding. I think it's too late to apologize for that.

[He got kicked out too. It was fantastic.]

Now it's coming back to me. I saw you down the aisle wearing a fancy outfit.

[OH NO.]

[yokeye]

I missed you there somehow!

[Because 45 got rid of him quick, apparently.]

It was great, wasn't it!? Do you still have your flower crown?

[Everyone had to have one to get through the door. No one likely kept them because they'd rot or something.]

[devilshocker]

You missed me and my outdoor bonfires. Maybe it's better you didn't see it.

[He pauses for a while and thinks. ]

Oh yeah those things? I think I left mine at home. It'll just get crushed in my pocket.

[Which is a shame because it was a cute crown too. ]

[yokeye]

Well, I'm glad you came! Everyone needed a break!

[Then an idea comes to him.]

Maybe after this dungeon, we can have another wedding~! Is there anyone you like~?

[flowerclips]

Mmhm, that'll work. Don't be shy to ask for healing. That's what I'm good at!

[ She's The Healer so please keep her safe or else you're all left on your own. ]

[devilshocker]

Alright, I'll hold you up to it. Just don't tire yourself out or anything.

Even I can't help you all that much.

[They're doomed if Rei topples over. ]

[flowerclips]

You're big and strong! I know that you'll be able to protect me.

[ Even if Nero's Persona isn't very strong, he's still huge and Rei is only 4'9" so she can just hide behind him. ]

[devilshocker]

[ICHI time.]

You have a lot of faith in someone you met recently. I don't get it.

[He doesn't understand where this trust is coming from.]

[flowerclips]

That's because we're friends! Friends have faith in one another.

[ Is this the f-word that you wanted her to use? ]

[devilshocker]

I don't have a lot of those to go around. My coworkers are jerks. Not sure if I'd call them friends.

[Many of his friendships are very ??? what???]

Do you have allies like that?

[flowerclips]

Mmhm, I was really lucky to meet a lot of people and become friends with them.

[ Before that, she was completely friendless so she was extremely lucky to meet so many great people post-death. Not everyone has opportunities like that. ]

You should be friends with everyone here. They're all nice.