JULY DUNGEON

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→ 7/8: Lockdown Begins

At the stroke of midnight, the world plunges into darkness. From the stars in the sky to the lamps on the streets, it’s as if all the light in the world gets sucked away, sight adjusting to the darkness courtesy of a single source left in the sky: the moon continues to hang overhead, though its brightness still depends on the phase.

Regardless of where the characters are that night, they find that along with light, all other creatures have disappeared as well— from the townspeople to the bear in the castle ruins to all the cats overpopulating the town and its surrounding forest— replaced with the howling of the wind that picks up and continues all night long. For those who venture outside, they may find a breeze blowing by from time to time, the temperature plummeting until they step out of the path— and returning when they step back into it. Strange. Standing on the spot, one would find that the wind does not die down no matter how long they wait, more akin to a river than intermittent gusts of wind.

Following the breeze brings one into town (a godsend to those still in the forest, whether because they had just woken up in the castle ruins or because they decided to camp out in the forest overnight) and towards the school to flow past the school gates. The gates are still locked, but the roaming lights of the security guards are missing, and door to the high school building has been left slightly ajar. Will you jump the gate and enter? The decision should be made quickly, as those who linger to remain outside- or perhaps are still lost in the forest- will find the occasional mass of darkness approaching. Those caught by these Shadows will pass out, to awake unharmed the next morning, so run while you can.

Or learn how to fight back.

In an hour, Lockdown ends, stars blinking back in the sky and the lights and sound returning to the town as the people reappear. Those who were still awake at midnight continue about their business without any notice of that missing hour, and those who were asleep remain none the wiser. Over the course of the month, the townspeople become more and more lethargic, productivity in the town crawling to a stop near the end of the month. Perhaps it's a flu that's going around, or the summer heat finally getting to everybody... or perhaps it's those Shadows that come out each night during Lockdown, escaped from the dungeon to sneak into house after house, never staying very long, but checking each one as if looking for something.

It's anybody's guess as to what that might be, but with the way they will attack anybody outside the dungeon and knock them unconscious, they can't be anything good.

→ 1st Floor

Entering the dungeon during Lockdown, the front door to the high school building swings open silently, halls in complete darkness until one steps past the threshold and find their foot drops, a staircase leading down rather than the usual hallway inside the building. At the bottom of the short set of stairs lies another door that opens out to... outside. Rather than a school building with classrooms and festival decorations, all one sees under the starless night sky are fields of rice and barley and other grains, bales stacked high and bound together to form the entrance to a maze. Will you enter? Walking around the perimeter of the maze reveals no exit on the other side, with the possibility of something to be found within.

The maze is vast, the true path circling around several times before revealing a little shack resting in the center, but is not too difficult to navigate so long as one has the patience to try different paths and backtrack as needed, or the luck to choose the right path to begin with. For the cheaters among us, the walls are not too high that one cannot climb over them, but be aware that doing so will draw Shadows in towards the area. Now would be a good time to learn how to summon your Persona or pick up a pitchfork or other farming tools scattered around the maze, and fight back. Upon summoning your Persona, the darkness lifts slightly, allowing you to see the Shadows for what they are.

Common Shadows that can be found here include: BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows.

BLACK RAVEN
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Electricity
At first glance, these Shadows may appear to be regular animals, but as they swoop down from the air and swing their lanterns at unsuspecting heads, it becomes quickly clear that they aren't friendly. Gripped in their talons, they carry a small lantern that they'd use to strike against characters, but they're not shy at using their becks as well. Flying in flocks, they prefer to stay high in the sky where they cannot be reached, diving only to make an attack before quickly retreating back into the air. They're difficult to corner with the large open space and although they're small, they are able to conjure up great gusts of wind with a few flaps of their wings. However, when you're finally able to land a hit on them, they are quickly defeated. Their defences, so it seems, aren't very strong. Feathers and lanterns can be collected as loot.

HYBRID
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Physical	Weak Fire
These large jittery creatures rarely stay still, jerking and twitching in seemingly unnatural movements. Their large bulgy eyes are constantly moving, hyper aware of their surroundings. The moment they spot an outsider, they unleash a high-pitched cry and begin to charge. They use their long legs to reach out and grab enemies with their long talons. Once they successfully take hold of someone, they will repeatedly slam them into the ground. Should they miss their lunge, they will instead resort to clawing or using their branch-like horns to inflict damage. Physical attacks will do very little to deter the creature, much less stop its rampage, but it will become terrified at the sight of fire. Fangs, talons, and feathers can be collected as loot.

Upon defeat, Shadows may drop items and/or a small gemstone. Those who have been to the forest shrine may recognize the gemstone as being similar to the ones left inside the offertory box, though these are brightly colored and well polished. Hold onto these for now, and press forward to the shack standing at the center of the maze, which opens up to another set of stairs leading down into the abyss.

→ 2nd Floor

The door opens up fields of rice and barley and other grains... bales stacked in full carts, houses in the distance glowing with the flames of iron furnaces that bring a little more light to the night, and large planks of wood bound together like shields set up throughout the field, broken arrows and the occasional intact bow scattered all around.

Better take a quick look around, because while there is no maze to obscure your path, there is also little preventing the enemies here from seeing you either, unless you use those shields to your advantage to approach the beginnings of a village, fires burning warm even though all the houses remain devoid of people. Bedding exists in some houses, old pots and pans and many sets of wooden chopsticks. A couple of iron sharpening tools may be found, if you need to sharpen your... pitchfork or something.

The BLACK RAVEN and HYBRID Shadows from the previous dungeon continue to be the most common Shadows on this floor, with the occasional ONMORAKI Shadow and the rare F.O.E. CHIMERA. F.O.E.s are at a much higher level than the characters, and it is advisable to avoid them, rather than engage.

ONMORAKI
Type Shadow	Resists Dark, Fire	Weak Light
You'd notice the smell before anything else. Reeking of rotting flesh, these Shadows can be found miles away before they can even be spotted. They come in packs, intensifying their stench and if that isn't enough to incapacitate characters, their loud shrill shrieks will. A plume of smoke follows them around and they use both the smog and darkness to conceal themselves from enemy eyes. In the shadows, they will breathe fire and engulf characters in flames. Dark attacks will be nearly ineffective against these creatures, but Light attacks will reveal their hiding spots and also be effective in defeating them. A scroll with an incomplete purification rite can be collected as loot.

CHIMERA
Type F.O.E.	Null Fire, Light	Weak None
Larger than any other Shadow, these F.O.E.s act as guards of the dungeon. While the Shadows are the disposable troops that wander the area and simply attack whomever they see, the F.O.E.s specifically seek out intruders and attack with the sole purpose of killing them. They lurk throughout the dungeons, using their many eyes and noses to track down Persona users and charge without hesitation when they spot one. Their physical strength is tremendous and a single swipe of their mighty paws or talons will surely knock anyone out. They are unaffected by fire or light-based attacks and they will shrug off most other attacks. Unless you have a death wish, it would be unwise to challenge them in your current level...

For whatever reason, the Shadows and F.O.E.s cannot enter the houses, so these would be good places to rest and recuperate... and hope the Shadows aren't waiting outside the front door for you to step out. Near the back of the village, however, stands a small nondescript building, a wooden gate barring the entrance. Through the windows, one may see desks and chairs and chalkboards, papers hung up on the walls that are too far away to be read clearly, outside of the gates.

You're all going to get really good at breaking and entering by the end of this month, guys.

The gate swings open, but rather than a straight path to the schoolhouse, it's another set of stairs that await. Down you go...

→ 3rd Floor

The acrid smell of smoke hits at the bottom of the stairs, thick and choking in the sweltering heat of this floor. The same houses stand as in the one prior, but this time on fire, painting the night sky dusty reds and browns, phantom cries of help audible beneath the crackle of the flames although nobody is to be found after the fire is put out and village searched through. The field has been cut down, small structures of metal erected in its place, walls still hot to the touch. Inside, basic swords, axes, and shields can be found, some rusted over with blood, all of them battered and well worn. It's just as well that there are weapons storages to be found here because regardless of how well or not they served the village, they will be more useful for the ones here and now.

On this floor, ONMORAKI Shadows and the F.O.E. CHIMERA are much more prevalent, though other Shadows from previous floors may still appear. This floor also introduces two new Shadows, which are much stronger than the ones previous: the KOPPA TENGU and the TOBI TENGU.

KOPPA TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Dark
Travelling in groups, these Tengu-based Shadows will flee once they see any sight of danger. They're less interested in fighting and more preoccupied with being safe, so capturing one may be difficult. They will fly high into the air and blow people away by conjuring large gusts of wind with their wings. They don't have a lot of attacks and their defense is low, so they are easy enough to defeat, assuming that they don't fly away first. Curiously enough, none of the other Shadows or F.O.E.s pay them much attention... A Tengu mask and a blank scroll can be collected as loot.

TOBI TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Light, Wind	Weak Ice
Although they are solidary creatures, this Shadow is accomplanied by smaller versions of itself. It strays away from the other packs of Shadows and spends its company with a minimum of one to a maximum of three mini-versions, flying around the lower depths of the dungeon. It doesn't attack characters directly. Instead, it uses its mini-versions to cast a wide range of status ailments that either causes team members to fight among themselves or hinders their progress, such as sleep, confusion, charm, or rage. After you are incapacitated, it will rush in with Dark-based attacks, but as soon you are able to snap out of your afflictions, it will retreat and send its minions to immobilize you and your team once more. A Tengu mask and magical healing leaves can be collected as loot.

On the other side of the area, tall iron gates prevent the characters from reaching the palace behind it. A large number of F.O.E.s patrol the area around the gate and on both sides of it, preventing characters from getting close or they will attack. Perhaps there's another way past them, if not by brute force? Those who picked up the masks dropped by the Tengu Shadows may realize that the F.O.E.s ignore the Tengu Shadows, and may reason that by putting the mask on to disguise themselves, the F.O.E.s will not attack them either.

F.O.E.s are keeping a close eye on anybody who passes through the gate, however, and nobody is allowed past, regardless of whether they're a Shadow, F.O.E., or trespasser.

→ 4th Floor

The gate remains locked and heavily guarded until the 22nd, upon which characters may notice a certain increase in agitation from all the enemies around the area, along with a certain amount of distraction. Every once in a while, a masked Tengu Shadow will approach the gate with a shining weapon or a barrel full of gold on hand, payment to be allowed entrance past the gate and into the palace beyond.

In order to pass, each character must obtain a mask in order to disguise themselves as Tengu Shadows, along with procuring an offering of some sort for the ruler of the palace. From the types of offerings seen going into the palace, it appears that the sharper and shinier, the better. Strangely, none of the Shadows seem to leave the palace after their delivery... It may be wise to get as many people together, and make the first shot count.

→ Mod Notes

⬥ A mod-posted toplevel for Floor 4 will OOCly go up on 7/22 for the boss encounter. ICly, characters will be able to fight the boss from the 22nd through the end of the month.
⬥ To determine the outcome of the boss battle, a minimum of 20 threads across the entire player base from this post is required, with a maximum of 2 threads turned in per player. Threads may involve battling, healing, exploring, discussing, etc as long as the characters interact with the dungeon in some way and must contain at least five comments from you. Please report your threads in the mod top level below. They are due by the end of the month.
⬥ The first time the characters come across a Shadow, their omamori grows warmer and warmer until it's impossible to ignore. All it takes is a touch of the omamori and an intention in mind— whether that's a call for help, something to for defence, or healing— and the character's shadow disappears from under their feet, gets sucked up into the omamori, and manifests as their Persona.
⬥ After this initial summoning, the characters will have the same strengths/weaknesses as their Persona regardless of whether it is actively summoned. Personas may be summoned during the day, but will not be not as strong as they would be during the Lockdown period.
⬥ The Lockdown period of darkness only exists for an hour, to return each night at midnight. There are no portals allowing characters to bypass cleared floors, so it would be advisable to work together to clear out the Shadows and allow for an easier time to reach the lower floors. The Lockdown may end while the characters are still inside the dungeon; one of two things may happen, up to player discretion: 1) they may remain in the dungeon, but for every hour they stay, an entire IC day passes by without their awareness; or 2) they will simply pass out and awaken somewhere randomly inside the high school building in the morning. The security guards are back, so don't get caught!! Or, play it safe and make sure to leave before Lockdown ends.
⬥ For those who choose to remain outside the dungeon during Lockdown, Shadows may be found outside of the dungeon as well.
⬥ Around 7/15-7/18 when the moon is at its fullest, Personas may behave strangely and disobey orders. Personas appear stronger the brighter and fuller the moon is, though becomes unstable once it's the full moon. This is an optional mechanic.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Combat tactical doll...

[ This doesn't sound too human. Does that deter him? Of course not. She reminds him of a friend, actually. ]

Will you accompany me next time? You won't have to carry me around, promise.

I would hope so, but I wouldn't mind doing it again. If you promise not to be too reckless, I'll accompany you.

[ Hibiki looks like he's fine from RO's perspective, but that only further deters her from letting him know of who died back there.

...

Yeah, let's just keep a smile on his face for a little longer. ]

Ugh, give me a second-- ow!

[ He feels like someone just punched his head--probably feeling what Vassago just suffered from the Daitengu. ]

I need time!

[ Back to stalling, Killua. ]

[ Killua is the furthest thing from normal--as dictated by Terrence Nowell, an innocent(?) bystander(???). Thankfully, Killua's quick action doesn't trigger Terry's usual Panic Response. He feels like he can relax a little with Killua pulling off all these things so quickly--so reliable. ]

Yeah. You're another teacher, right? I don't think she can carry that person all by herself... But since you're here and we let you know, we'll be leaving now.

[ Time to casually walk out like they did nothing wrong... no problem... ]

[Killua practically growls. Has he mentioned how much this sucks? Because it does. A lot.]

Fine! I'm gonna chase that thing down, so you better make it count!

[This time, Killua follows after Raijuu, trying to spot the Daitengu in the haze. It's probably a bad idea, but didn't Killua decide back in NGL that he had to learn how to take risks?]

[ This one takes a bit longer, though it's no longer than 15 seconds. ]

It's-- [ COUGH COUGH AAAAaaaaa now is not the time for a coughing fit ] --in the back! Go to where the healers are! It should be around there!!

[ The Daitengu is raising fire pillars at random locations now, with two of them aimed for both Terry and Killua. Terry manages to dodge the ones coming to him at least. ]

Yup! We promised we'd help with some festival decorations before class starts. If we don't head over now, we'll be in trouble.

[And with a casual wave, Killua falls into step with Terry as they finally escape, relatively unscathed. What a good team they make... if only it weren't for such dubious things.

Killua waits until they're out of earshot before he snickers.] Not bad, keeping up like that. I thought we'd be toast when that second teacher showed up.

Same... I didn't think you'd be so quick to change your demeanor like that.

[ It was pretty amazing to see it in action, tbh. ]

I probably need better improv training, but that's done and over with. I guess seeing you like that in the school, you're another one. [ A Persona user. ] I'm Terry.

[Finally, something he can do! Killua immediately breaks off from the chase, ignoring the scratches he's gotten along his arms and torso for his troubles, and puts on a burst of speed.

The back, the back--there! The closer he gets, the more he's certain that Terry was right about this one. There's smoke's pouring in from that direction, and once Killua looks around, he finds the boxes of incense.]

Bingo. Raijuu! [He calls out again, forgetting Terry's earlier advice in his haste. With a rush of static, the persona attacks the boxes with lightning, breaking the majority of the incense into little pieces. It's not completely put out, but at least this should be enough to help thin the smoke.]

Wasn't too hard. Sometimes you have to pretend you're someone else to make a quick escape.

[That sounds... so shady, not that Killua realizes it. #assassinlife]

If we're gonna be sneaking in and out of the school like this from now on, you'll probably get better at it. Killua. [Tilting his head.] If you mean I woke up in that castle a few days ago, you'd be right.

[ Honestly, Terry calls out his Persona's name all the time too, so it's fair... As long as they get the command across, he figures that's good enough. Terry feels a rush of momentary relief when he hears the sound of the incense breaking. Now that he thinks about it, his Persona is a dragon. His dragon has wings. Why couldn't he just use those wings to blow out the smoke?

...

Holy shit, he feels so dumb right now. In a moment of frustration with the realization, he orders Vassago to chomp the Daitengu's head off, in which, unfortunately, missed. ]

Yeah, something like that. You're not wearing a school uniform or anything, and seeing a student just lying down in the hall would be weird enough as it is.

[ Terry is also in the same boat, but he's too old for the three schools that are here... ]

Did you get knocked out? Was that why you were on the floor?

[TERRY... please.

Now that the smoke's clearing up, it's easy for Killua to spot Terry from the back and then zoom on back to his side. He lands beside him, nearly soundless in his movements.]

Great, now we can finally see where that thing is. Let's try to ambush it with the personas--you take one side, I'll take the other.

[Actually... yeah, now that they're not trying to weasel their way out of trouble, Killua has the chance to think about what actually happened the night before.]

No, that's not it. I wasn't even fighting anything at the time--unless something snuck up on me. [Killua frowns, still careful about where he's walking even while thinking like this.] I felt something weird, and then I passed out.

[ Perhaps it's the adrenaline from battle, but he doesn't look too startled when Killua lands beside him. He already acknowledged that Killua can do impressive things, what's not another feat? ]

Alright, let's go. He's already busy with mine, so yours can attack from his blind side.

I wonder if this is some kind of mechanism... That's pretty freaky, isn't it? Something having the power to suddenly knock you out and you wake up elsewhere.

[ It sounds like a chapter out of a kidnapping story, which, unfortunately, would fit with their situation pretty well anyway. ]

If something snuck up on you, maybe we should get a camera...? Latch it on our backs or something.

[ She's pretty attached, while knowing she probably shouldn't be, what with her still hanging onto the belief that staying here won't be for forever. ]

Alright. I'll keep the bakery in mind. It really would be convenient if everybody had a phone. We could set up group texts and keep track of people that way... But phones are pretty expensive, even here.

[ Maybe someday they'll all be able to afford phones after raiding the dungeon and gathering up enough money and we could have a network instead of individual inboxes, who knows. ]

[And so, with a thought from Killua, Raijuu appears again, joining Terry's persona in the fight. Even with the combined effort, though, it still looks like it isn't enough, its attacks barely grazing the thing.

The Daitengu's glares at them, furious, and Killua has a feeling it didn't really appreciate them ruining the incense--and smoke screen, as a result.]

Y̶̼̍ó̴̘u̵̫͆͂ ̴͍̒̊d̶̨̓ã̶̛͚r̸͍͚͋̚e̸͔͌͘ ̶̻̇̐t̵̗̒̚ő̸̪̕ ̷͍̝͂͒p̴͈̗̔͊u̷̹̝̍̈́t̶͕̓̕ ̶͉̓̒o̵͎̔̓u̸͚̽̅ṫ̶͈͚͂ ̸̡̺̏͂t̵̥̑̂h̶͎͙̚ḙ̸̋ͅ ̸͚͊̆ĭ̷̯̈́ṅ̶̮͚c̵̛̼̲e̴̞͚̐̉n̴̦̽s̵̢͝e̴͓̿͛?̸̳̓̎ ̵͚̎͌I̸͕͐n̸̫̎ ̶̆͜t̷̩͓̓ȟ̸̡̠͠i̷̘̙̍s̴͈͍̕ ̶̯̐p̴̰̖̔l̴̫̓͛ạ̶̓̒c̵̻̻̓ȩ̸̾͝ ̸̥̆o̸̠̣͘f̵̨̹̂ ̵̰͗s̸̘̼̃̉a̸͓͒ć̸̡̻̊r̴̬̚e̷͈̓͝d̵̤̓̆n̷̪̙̊̓e̴̼͛͜s̷̳̣̈́s̷͎̕?̵̢͊̄ͅ ̶̢̐̈́

Sorry. [He doesn't sound sorry at all.] Didn't really care for all the smoke.

[ Honestly, Terry doesn't really sound put off or frightened by the Daitengu's voice nor his tone. ]

Religion's not my thing either.

[ What's sacredness when you're a demigod clone that doesn't want to be worshipped like a deity--Terry thinks that the battle might be getting exciting from here on out, now that the smog is gone. ]

I think I can seal his fire magic for a bit so all we'll have to worry about are physical attacks. Got a plan with that?

That'd be easy to do...back home. I dunno about you, but I don't have much on me since the currency from home doesn't work here. Getting the right parts for a camera would take a while.

[He brings his hand to his chin, thinking.]

What about you--did you get out yesterday or did you wake up here like I did?

I left. It was still nighttime when I got out though. That must be some strong stuff to knock you out for an entire night...

[ Even if Terry isn't sure when it happened for Killua, he can only assume that he wasn't there for very long. Who would stay in a dungeon like that with smelly shadows all night?? ]

No kidding. [Killua huffs, exasperated.] Unless one of us got lucky, the money we had from home doesn't even work here.

[He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning.]

There has to be a better way. Instead of hunting everyone down whenever we want to pass information along.

[Normally it wouldn't bother him, working alone, but the situation's different. And he wants to be as efficient about this as possible.]

[Killua turns his head just slightly to show he's listening, though he doesn't take his eyes off of the Daitengu.]

Your persona can do something like that?

[a pause, and then, consideringly--] If I could attack it at the same time as my persona, it could give us an extra chance.

Yeah... but are you sure? These things tend to be more resistant to everything except Persona attacks.

[ Seeing as to how the Daitengu is pretty much shrugging things off that were done by Personas, Terry isn't so sure a knife stab would even work. ]

... If there isn't anything else, I can try to cover for you this time.

[Killua reaches up, touching first his neck and then the back of his head.]

It wasn't one of those monsters, not a physical attack anyway, or I'd be able to tell. An enhanced drug of some kind is more likely... [He narrows his eyes.] Or some kind of power. Something was going on with this school last night.

I'm going to come back again tonight to check it out.

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Page 62 of 69

JULY DUNGEON

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 7/8: Lockdown Begins

→ 1st Floor

→ 2nd Floor

→ 3rd Floor

→ 4th Floor

→ Mod Notes

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