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

Mm. It might be my fault... I've never thought of any other expressions and always draws his face like this, so I guess because of that it's stuck in that state?

[ ?????? ]

Sometimes it changes juuuust slightly. Like the eyes become a little bit bigger, or the mouth at a different position... but that's very rare.

[ ?????????????????? ]

Right... Okay, but if it looks too dangerous, I'm gonna help you out if I can. It's not a good idea to get in close range if you don't know what you're doing.

[ Terry's fighting basics 101 ]

[ Yeah, RO is just all kinds of question marks right now. What??? What the hell is this?! WHAT DOES IT EVEN MEAN... ]

Are you saying... that your drawing... came to life? And it became a Persona??

[ WHAT? ]

Edited 2019-08-04 13:23 (UTC)

Ooh! I see. I'll remember that!

[ That makes sense! He can definitely do long distance attacks, that's essentially what his thunder booms are for. But he knows that it doesn't actually work for every monster. It's strange how hard it is for him to remember math formulas or history lessons, but remembering what works and what doesn't for the monster is easy as a pie for him. Maybe because he's doing it hands on, and he's having fun.

Just before they get to the door that leads them to the stairs, a group of Hybrids are getting in their way. Leon hates them the most simply because they like to scream and ears are the lifeline of a singer. It makes Leon pretty unhappy when they do, and when he's emotional, his attacks go up even if they are more reckless. ]

Meer-tan, you know what to do!

[ With that, Leon launches Zio at every one of them with the least gap time as much as he can manage. It's not extremely effective, but Leon knows that scratching them is even worse. There's no other choice because he doesn't think making them dizzy is what he wants to do now, he wants to shut them up, not make them more noisy. So he launches another Zio, and it misses his aim, hitting a pile of hay on the side instead, causing fire, albeit not a big one. ]

Ah, crap!

[ But that actually makes the Hybrids panic. The moment they spot the fire, they scatter away, immediately jerking out of there. One of them actually runs their direction, though, scratching Leon in the process, but also dashes away ahead, leaving the two behind.

That's another scratch to his shirt, and again, he's more upset about the shirt than the wound on his chest. It's not that deep, but it does cause him to bleed and that ruins his shirt even more. His fist shakes and he grits his teeth ー even he himself is surprised at his own reaction. ]

...I didn't know that I also have a rebellious side in me.

[ He laughs it off, but his eyes don't seem to be amused. ]

Once, my groupmate said that I don't have that, and I agreed. But I guess I do, after all.

That's right!

[ Eh? Why does she look so surprised? ]

Isn't it the same for everyone...?

[ Terry watches Leon's battle with the Hybrids and he feels something inside him snap when he sees Leon get injured. In order to cope, he smiles, but the more he does, the more he feels like he wants to laugh off the ridiculous emotion that he's feeling right now, but he keeps that inside. He extends his arm to the side with the omamori in hand, summoning Vassago despite the lack of energy. They say people have two ways to express their anger: in a completely deafening roar or in complete silence. Terry does both.

Kill them all.

The smile stays plastered onto his face as Vassago makes use of his speed and massacres the Hybrids that ran away. If shadows were like humans, it'd be a festival of gore in the distance. Thankfully, they're not. ]

[ The smile drops quickly as soon as the shadows are gone, causing Vassago to disappear from lack of purpose in mind. Terry gets out a roll of bandages and a single gauze from his pocket. These are usually reserved for himself since he tends to get injured frequently, but in a serious tone, he tells Leon: ]

Take off your shirt.

[ It's almost scary for Leon himself, that he barely feels a thing when he sees Hybrids being annihilated so easily by the smiling Terry. There's no such thing as fear, let alone pity. He only has anger towards the Hybrids, satisfaction that they're gone, and a little bit of unhappiness that Terry's pushing himself. ]

Mou!! You've been working hard, Terry-senpai! You should've just let them off!

[ Even if it does feel good to get his vengeance... still! He still has more to say, but Terry's dropped smile and suddenly serious tone shuts him up. But only for a moment because he's now protesting instead. ]

...It's just a scratch, I'm fine.

... Hey, did you know?

[ The tone of his voice is already suggesting that he's not taking "no" for an answer. ]

There was someone who got infected by a mere papercut. The bacteria seeped in and it started growing rapidly inside their body, destroying tissues upon contact. It weakened their immune system. When they got hit by a cold not long after, they died.

I'm not gonna say it again. Take off your shirt.

[ Like a child being reprimanded by his parent, Leon pouts, but does as told anyway. That's not a tone that Terry usually uses on him, and he usually isn't this rebellious himself. He doesn't know why he's so emotional, when usually he can just waves things off lightly. Sure, he didn't like the Hybrids at all, but it doesn't feel like that's all there is to it. There's something within him that feels unsettled, making him on edge.

He takes off his shirt, letting Terry examine the wound somewhere under his clavicle. ]

[ Unfortunately, he doesn't have anything like an ointment on him, so in order to block off the access to the wound from open air bacteria, Terry puts a gauze over it and immediately starts wrapping the bandages around Leon's chest. It's wrapped pretty well too. Wow, it's like he does this often? (He does) ]

There.

[ He breathes out a sigh of relief. Though, honestly, he can only say things like that, even though it's immensely hypocritical of him, since he thinks that he still can't die. Humans still die and that's all the difference he needs to know in order to scold Leon the way he did. ]

You can scrub out the bloodstain with baking soda. There's a cheap alteration service somewhere in town where they can patch your shirt back up too.

[ He doesn't say this because of Leon's attachment to the shirt, but rather money is hard to come by for outsiders like them and money should be saved when it's possible, so having to buy new clothes only feels like a luxury. ]

So I'm not your first...

[ That's the conclusion he comes up with. She can pierce his heart with as many arrows she wants, he'll survive. Probably. ]

Your what?

[ It's a relief that they can simply chat after getting rid of the shadows; it looks like they've knocked down all of them. On this floor, at least. Or unless new ones respawn... ]

These monsters were anywhere and we needed demons to fight them off.

No.

[ It's a very quick answer. ]

I do not have an artistic style, yet my Persona is a woman I've never met before.

[ All she can draw are diagrams and boring maps... ]

So I believe I fall outside of that "everyone".

[ This is where Leon should brighten up the mood by saying something silly, but he really can't seem to do that right now. He remains in a foul mood that he can't shake off, nor really explain why... is he finally having his rebellious phase after never having one towards his own parents? It sounds stupid, and that's probably not it, but... he doesn't know. He only can sense that it might have something to do with the way Terry wiped the Hybrids. Something deep in his subconscious.

He's hearing what Terry said, but not quite listening. He responds to it with an empty hum as he walks towards the stairway, but he does turn to Terry and say: ]

Thank you.

[ But in that face, there's no trace of the usual happy Leon. ]

Being the first or not is completely irrelevant.

[ She's been doing a lot of running and she doesn't look tired at all when they finally reach the exit of the dungeon. They're at the bottom of the stairs that lead back out to the school, but she doesn't go in any further than that. ]

I'm RO635. [ Pronounced as are-oh-six-three-five. ] If you need to find me, that is my name. I trust that you will be able to go home safely to rest and that you will not return to this place until the next phase.

[ She's not going to let him go until she gets a satisfactory answer. ]

Is that clear?

[ It's a little weird to Terry that he's seeing Leon like this, but he's just another person like everyone else who has feelings. It shouldn't be all that surprising. Terry is blissfully unaware that Leon's mood is because of him and now, they only need to get through the first floor. ]

Since there's a maze, we can just go over it. It'll be quickest that way.

Heeeh! I wonder if it's different for everyone... I just assumed that's the case, and that everyone's super good at drawing! Because all of your Personas are so cool!!

[ And his Meer-tan is so cute! Though he doesn't say it aloud, because he already says it all the time. ]

I wonder how they link back to us. Hmm... Do you know anything about Persona, Aru-tan?

But--

[ This is also where Leon should've protested, but only sigh comes out of him. He nods, even if he doesn't feel really good about it. It's not like he has any better suggestion. ]

I'm fine, I've had worse! [Killua grits out, shaking the pain off and climbing back to his feet. There's a pretty deep slash across his arm that's bleeding, but Killua barely glances at it.]

Let's keep going. Whatever this thing is, it looks like bad news.

[This whole place technically is, but the Daitengu in particular. With a thought, he sends Raijuu in to help Vassago.]

I didn't either. [Killua's at least willing to admit that much, though he clicks his tongue with irritation at himself--he's been slacking on the investigation front, clearly.] Not at night, anyway. The place is as normal as you can get during the day.

Well, know that we know there's something going on, we should take a closer look. I need to see what else those "persona" things are capable of anyway.

[Mondo gets a considering look, just a flick of a gaze. It's minuscule, but he does relax a little. If Mondo's bothering to check in on him like this, it's a good sign, isn't it?]

Why wouldn't I be?

[But as soon as they're out of the school grounds, Killua adds, with a sigh:]

What do you want to know? You look like you're dying to ask about something.

[ :) ]

Thanks. I'll leave it to you.

[ Kido smiles and lifts a hand as she turns away to leave. It's gang leader expectations, or something, giving missions to others instead of doing it herself unless necessary. Killua volunteered, so it works out. ]

[ Mondo doesn't say anything else after what Killua says while they're trying to get out of the school, not until Killua speaks up again when they're finally outside.

The boy's sharp and Mondo can't help but rub his hand against the back of his own head. How does he even start... ]

...I wanna know what you've been through. [ A beat. ] But ya don't gotta tell me what ya don't wanna share. [ Welp, that's probably too straight-forward. If only he knows how to word better... had he been in Killua's shoes, he wouldn't have wanted to share anything. ] I just... don't think that's somethin' that just about anyone your age can do normally.

But what?

[ Terry is open to ideas though, so he waits for Leon to say his piece. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 65 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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