dream ambergris

purification purification purification a half of a part of a whole purification [[we come with greed in our hearts->nicholas]] purification we beseech the nothingness and the beyond to make us worthy purification a tile in a mosaic of light and chaos and meaning a tile in a mosaic of light and chaos and meaning purification [[we are drowned and born anew->christine]] purification we beseech the nothingness and the beyond purification purification purification (set: $inv to (a:))

you are christine waters. you and your half-brother, nicholas, are performing a ritual whose name cannot be transcribed. your next ingredient in this ritual is something called dream ambergris. [[you've found a place to obtain it->chris1]] some shop called ms. roland's.

you are nicholas waters. you and your half-sister, christine, are performing a ritual whose name cannot be transcribed. your next ingredient in this ritual is something called dream ambergris. [[you've found a place to obtain it.->nick1]] some shop called ms. roland's.

the woman at the counter looks you two [up]<c1| and [down]<c2| (click: ?c1)[you couldn't get your luggage after payphone's rescue, so you're in your day-old clothes. you dyed your hair, traffic-light red. it kind of suits you.] (click: ?c2)[nick looks tired, which is the only thing stopping you from clowning on him more for the mustache thing. his hand tightens on the handle of dad's cane when he thinks you're not looking.] she asks who your [[father->chris2]] is.

the woman at the counter looks you two [up]<c1| and [down]<c2| (click: ?c1)[you couldn't get your luggage after payphone's rescue, so you're in your day-old clothes. your face is newly shaved and you somewhat resent this fact.] (click: ?c2)[chris, with her bright-red ariel hair and day-old clothes, looks like some kind of suffering punk. she keeps shooting glances at your leg when she thinks you aren't paying attention.] she asks who your [[father->nick2]] is.

that asshole. [[his name was michael waters.->nick3]]

that bastard. [[his name was michael waters.->chris3]]

she looks taken aback by the name, [[and ushers you into the backroom->chris4]]

she looks taken aback by the name, [[and ushers you into the backroom->nick4]]

the room is huge, beautiful. the floor is an entrancing mosaic that almost... shifts artifacts line the walls the picture is marred by hospital equipment: beeping machines, a bed, and a shape upon it. [[the eponymous ms. roland is struggling to sit up.->chris5]]

//you look just like them.// [like who?]<c1| (click: ?c1)[//oscar and alice.//]<c2| (click: ?c2)[who?]<c3| (click: ?c3)[[[//your grandparents.//->chris6]]]

//you look just like him.// [our father?]<c1| (click: ?c1)[[[//no. your grandfather.//->nick6]]]

you tell ms roland about your predicament, and offer to pay her for the dream ambergris. she tells you not to worry about it. she doesn't have any on hand, but she can help you get some. one of you will have to take the journey. you must go alone. [[i'll do it.->nick7]]

you look your brother in the eyes. he yields, puts the music player on as you dig a piece of candy out of the drawer. you sit criss-cross on the mosaic floor, and feel it warm under you [[you eat the candy.]]

your sister rebuffs you. she wants to do this. ms roland tells you to put the [[record player on->nick8]].

the music fades in as christine takes the hard candy. her eyelids lower, and she sinks to the ground. you watch over her as she slips into unconsiousness. wherever she is going, you can't follow her. [[try again?->invocation of the muse]]

the world fades out of focus. salt rises in your mouth. [[you wake up.->let's begin.]]

and you are [[drowning]]

//you know… if you never found that ambergris, you’d never have to go back.// lou's eyes cast over the water, not lingering on the brilliant sunrise- in purple and green glory, which had once been alien but now feel like the only reasonable colors- nor on the dolphin-birds, like flying fish, or chinese lanterns, skimming the sea, singing like wild things //you know i can't do that.// [[take his hand]] [[don't take his hand]]

the song of the dolphin-birds fades out of focus. you have never become tired of the wonders this world has to offer. you feel it in the warm crease of his hand. [[you watch the birds in silence]]

you spare him a long look, try to press //lou// into your mind, real as the scar on your knee from falling as a kid, real as the epipen still in your pocket, far away. you can't touch him. you won't be able to pull yourself away. [[you watch the birds in silence]]

To be continued. [[skip to the end->homecoming]]

you open one of the worn medical textbooks in your new room. they're tabbed with sticky notes and annotations are penned in a steady hand. [[flip to "humans"]] [[flip to "plantmets"]] [[flip to "inorganic sentients"]] [[flip to "organic nonsentients"]] [[close the book->your room, year 0]]

this chapter appears to be about humans on the continent. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner of the book. ^^//"humans are not native to the continent, but throughout history, they have found their way to it in various waves corresponding with the cultural rise and fall of ritual sorcery. humans appear to nicely assimilate into the continent, often living among its communities or in small enclaves that mirror the homeland of their founders. due to the difficulty of entering the continent, let alone in large groups, and its semi-mythic status among wider society on earth, the continent appears to be highly resistant to exploitation by humans. the continent protects that which it deems its own, and while some humans may be embraced by it in this way, those that seek to steal from the continent rarely succeed."//^^ this kind of feels out of place in a medical textbook. maybe unreliable access to like, books at sea means that information has to be pretty general? [[return->read vic's book]]

this chapter appears to be about plantmets, the kind of creature that xkryxx is. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner of the book. ^^//"logic-driven study of earth life history has been made possible by the key assumption that all life has come from other life, being (insofar as it is known) completely original to earth, confined to earth, and having a common heredity dating back to the beginning of life. the same may not be said with complete confidence of the continent: very little comprehensive study of life history has occurred, and results from existing studies are inconclusive, with native residents of the continent possessing highly variable anatomy on a biochemical level. in other words, biochemical study of the continent's life history by humans is currently not feasible because the native organisms of the continent are so alien that their very biochemistry is currently unparsable, despite current living organisms seeming to fall into niches and taxa analogous to earth flora and fauna. it is likely, although not yet confirmed, that natural selection is responsible for at least some change over time in the lifeforms of the continent.//^^ wh... what? is this book implying that they don't know for sure that natural selection exists in the dream world? are there anti-evolution people in dreamland?? //was there a dreamland charles darwin???// [[flip the page->plantmets ii]] [[return->read vic's book]]

this chapter appears to be about inorganic sentients, like teddy, that are sentient but not made of discernable organic matter. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner of the book. ^^//"inorganic sentients appear to reflect the emotional value placed on objects by occupants of other worlds. for example, anthropomorphic toys are relatively commonplace, as they are endowed with great emotional value by human children in the "real world". the known worlds appear to have a relationship somewhat reminiscient of the tenets of platonic philosophy where feelings, ideas, and objects of one world often have reflections in the other. however, the scientific community has not yet reached a consensus on whether the "dream world" or the "real world" is the source, bringing to mind the allegory of the cave."//^^ this passage doesn't seem especially relevant to keeping teddy healthy. nicholas would probably know what this paragraph was about. [[flip the page->nonorganics ii]] [[return to table of contents->read vic's book]]

this chapter appears to be about organic nonsentients, which seems to include your ship, the irons. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner of the book. ^^//"the difference between organic nonsentient and organic sentient is variable, often not only from case to case, but from individuals over time. while in many other worlds, change is considered cumulative over generations, on the continent, over the course of any nonsentient's existence, it may change this condition permanently, temporarily, or repeatedly. it is thus reccomended that the careful traveler maintains respectful conduct with any organic being they encounter, knowing that any secret you whisper may be remembered at a later juncture."//^^ [[flip the page->organics ii]] [[return->read vic's book]]

the room is small, but lived-in, and it feels like a place you could come to consider //yours//. vic's books sit on a worn desk, a hammock is hung in the corner, and empty shelves line the walls. [[examine the shelves]] [[read vic's book]] [[sit on the hammock]] [[exit your room->the irons]]

this page goes more into detail about the healthcare of inorganic sentients. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner. ^^//"inorganic sentients appear to be mortal, being capable of death and pain, but their bodily proceses seem to be regulated by "dream logic". they are able to survive physical degradation for longer than organic sentients, and one may replace component parts with similar materials, although removed components do not retain sentience. in all things, intention is key, and inorganic sentients are especially receptive to the wills and intentions of others."//^^ that makes.... slightly more sense? [[return to table of contents->read vic's book]]

the shelves are somewhat dusty, but spacious. you would put something down, but you have nothing to call your own yet. a first aid kit sits on the shelf. it has normal first aid things in it, bandages and antiseptic and a lone inhaler, but also.... plant fertilizer and stuffing? [[return->your room, year 0]]

the hammock is made of knotted white rope, and creaks in time with the irons' steady breaths when you settle into it. it's comfortable. [[get up->your room, year 0]]

you exit this world the same way you entered it, so long ago, with the taste of salt in your mouth, drowning [[and born anew]]

you wake up sprawled on the mosaic floor. your brother fusses over you when you stir, helps you up as you shake out the pins-and-needles of your arms and legs. you start when he points out [[your hair is white]].

it //is// white, isn't it. //[[when did that happen?]]//

you can't quite recall how you obtained the waxy lump you're still clutching. that salt taste in the back of your throat, that hasn't quite left since you started this whole ritual and drowned in a bucket, is somehow more habitual. like rather than just days, there's been years of brine in your throat. you aren't sure why. //[[you alright?]]//

[i don’t know...]<c2| (click: ?c2)[you ever felt like you just woke up from a dream, and you know in your heart it’s really important…]<c4| (click: ?c4) [but you just can’t remember any of it?]<c5| (click: ?c5)[//i suppose so.//]<c6| (click: ?c6)[yeah... it's weird.]

you struggle to the surface of [[an alien world]].

you examine your [forearm]<c1|. (click: ?c1)[there's a recorder attached to it. it doesn't peel off when you scratch at its base.] you see a ship in the distance, [[and wave it over]]

you pull yourself up the dock, and you are met with the [creature]<c1| that rescued you. (click: ?c1)[its tall, bipedal. beetle-black, with limbs poking out at will. its compound eyes peer down at you, something appraising or thoughtful in the alien shape of its carapace.] through a mimed conversation, it indicates to you that you need to [[row]].

[you row.]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[eventually you make it to a [[city]].]]

this page goes more into detail about the healthcare of organic nonsentients. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner. ^^//"much like the known living organisms of the "real world", organic nonsentients are largely governed by comprehensible living systems analogous to earth flora and fauna, albeit occasionally applied in nontraditional formes. medical procedures can be intuited from the practicioner's experience with similar lifeforms, adapting to the unique traits the patient has. willpower and intention are always at the heart of any effective treatment; the practicioner must believe what they are doing will help their charge. all valid medical practices seem to follow some form of logic, however nonsensical it may be, suggesting that the world of the continent conforms itself to meet the expectations of those that inhabit it."//^^ doing organized science in a magical land of wonder and whimsy must be pretty difficult. [[return to table of contents->read vic's book]]

this page goes more into detail about the known characteristics of plantmets. you read a passage underlined by the previous owner. ^^//"plantmets are a species of apparently clashing elements, possessing traits of both plants and animals, as well as the heavy incorportation of metal into their physiology for as-yet unknown purposes. plantmet evolutionary biology and life history is still not fully known to science, but their cultural history is extremely well-documented in the form of music, which is passed from generation to generation with almost no changes. it is estimated by some plantmet cultural scholars that the oldest of these songs predates the current geologic epoch by several thousand years.//^^ that's really cool, although not really medically relevant. maybe you'll hunt down that section later. [[return to table of contents->read vic's book]]

you can get searching now for the object of your quest. maybe the inhabitants here will even speak your language. but first, your bug captain/rescuer looks at you expectantly. [[it seems to be making you an offer.]]

it wants your... hair? //[[this better not be a creepy thing.]]//

fine. but you'll want to be paid a bit more than a few coins. when you nod, [[it takes your hand.]]

[you feel a curious draining feeling,]<c1| (click: ?c1)[like part of you is being pulled through the connection between your hand and the bug's feathery, segmented appendage.]<c2| (click: ?c2)[the length of your hair hasn't changed when it releases your hand, but your hair is now shock white.]<c3| (click: ?c3)[it hands you some money. [[you may now explore the city->city center]]]

the City sprawls out before you to explore. [look around]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[the sky is eye-melt blue. even in the daylight, two moons shine in the sky, their gravitas somewhat dimmed by the light. you appear to be at the base of a great cliff overlooking the sea; buildings cling to the hillside like creeper to a tree, stretching and reaching for the light.]] [[go to the wharf]] [[go to the markets]] [[go to the courtyard]] [[walk the streets]] Find your way to the bar to progress the story.

the wharf is planted where the hill meets the sand, all sea-soaked plank and barnacled posts. the wood creaks under your feet. beyond the boats and the gentle crash of waves onto the fine-sand beach, you see the briny blue sea meet with the sky at the horizon. [look around]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[you see boats docked at various posts, most small and lightweight wood. they look like sterotypical pirate ships to you.]] [[go to the pier->pier]] [[go to the city center->city center]]

the market is full of life and conversation. the sounds of haggling rise all around, and you see many stalls, in which items appear to be housed for perusing. (nth: visit, "[[examine a stall->stall 1]]", "[[examine a stall->stall 2]]", "[[examine a stall->stall 3]]", "[[examine a stall->stall 4]]") [[go to the oracle]] [[go to the bar]] [[go to the city center->city center]]

the courtyard is fenced in by a deliberate circle of enormous, free-standing ribs. within, you are encompassed by a stonehenge of whalebone. there are some benches along the edges of the courtyard, and in the center of it all, a roughly hewn wishing well. [[go to the wishing well]] [[go to the city center->city center]]

the streets are paved with limestone brick, chalky white roads studded with the imprints of long-dead sea life. your feet trace the bumpy vertebral column of something that looks like the loch ness monster, and you step between its massive ribs carefully, like you're playing hopscotch. [look around]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[you don't think modern vehicles are used here; the roads are too narrow. the buildings of the city, painted in earth tones and ochre, loom over you on both sides in a way you are not used to. above your head, a four-winged creature soars in lazy circles.]] [[go to the city center->city center]]

(if: $inv contains "fortune")[the well wants something from you. [[make a wish]]] (else:)[you stare into the depths of the well. it seems like it wants something from you. ] [[return->go to the courtyard]]

the entryway of this store is draped with a heavy velvet curtain. you shoulder your way through and find yourself in an unoccupied room lined with tapestries in jewel-toned thread. [look at the shelves]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[you see small bones artfully arranged amid feathers and precious stones. you don't recognize the animals the bones could belong to.]] [[examine oracle]] [[exit the oracle->go to the markets]]

the pier juts out from the coast like a broken tooth. people, not all of them human, fish off the sides. you watch a man with three arms slice open the belly of a small shark and toss the entrails to a waiting pelican. [look around]<c1| (click: ?c1)[(replace: ?c1)[at the edge of the pier, you look down into the deep water. the afternoon sun catches the faint silhoutte of something large moving under the water far below you. nobody seems to be alarmed.]] [[go to the wharf]]

the "oracle" of this place is contained in a gumball machine. it is stuffed with little plastic capsules, and you can see inside of them are slips of plain white paper. you may turn the dial multiple times. (nth: visit, "[[turn the dial->fortune 1]]", "[[turn the dial->fortune 2]]", "[[turn the dial->fortune 3]]", "[[turn the dial->fortune 4]]") [[return->go to the oracle]]

to be continued. [[explore the Irons (will not progress the story)->the irons]] [[continue the story->dolphin birds]]

you drop your fortune into the well and think of a wish. the well seems appeased. (set: $inv to $inv - (a: "fortune"))(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "blessing")) [[return->go to the courtyard]]

the machine drops a red capsule into your hand. you open it. the fortune inside says, //"invest in bitcoin"// (set: $inv to $inv + (a: "fortune")) [[return->examine oracle]]

the machine drops a blue capsule into your hand. you open it. the fortune inside says, "//the consequences of your bargain will be felt//" (set: $inv to $inv + (a: "fortune")) [[return->examine oracle]]

the machine drops a green capsule into your hand. you open it. the fortune inside says, "//there is a lovely cat in your future//" (set: $inv to $inv + (a: "fortune")) [[return->examine oracle]]

the machine drops a purple capsule into your hand. you open it. the fortune inside says, "//at the center of the universe is an idiot god//" (set: $inv to $inv + (a: "fortune")) [[return->examine oracle]]

you see a stall selling handmade soap. the shopkeep, a bipedal turtle, looks at you sternly as you eye her wares. [[return->go to the markets]]

you see a stall advertising gutter cleaning. you guess even residents of magical dream cities have to do home maintenance. [[return->go to the markets]]

hearing the sound of birdsong, you turn and see a stall lined with cages. you cannot recognize the animals inside of them. [[return->go to the markets]]

you see a stall selling cups of bright green juice of unknown origin. you are a little thirsty, but there's no way you're going to try that and risk radiation poisoning. [[return->go to the markets]]

[[go to your room->your room, year 0]] [[go to the kitchens]] [[go to the crow's nest]] [[go to the wheel]] [[go belowdecks]] [[Continue the story->dolphin birds]]

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[[go to the heart of the ship]] [[go to the hold]] [[return abovedeck->the irons]]

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the irons is not an ordinary ship. not even the kind of magic ship you see in movies. //the irons is alive//, and nowhere is that move obvious than here, at its heart. the ship's pulsing blue heart, massive compared to your small form, beats and beats in steady metronome, and a pink set of lungs rise and fall in time to the beat. veins branch off from it, winding their way into the walls of the ship. you feel like a small creature in the mouth of a whale. yet you do not feel terrified. [[return->go belowdecks]]

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