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 Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:05 am
Quote: Destiny City is a large place, with a large population. It’s not uncommon to find a lost item here or there. Maybe a keychain, an earring, a book. But, a six sided die? That’s different. While traveling through Destiny City, you find a strange little object. It looks like old, stained wood, but something shiny in it catches your eye. How could you resist picking it up? But then, maybe you've found one of these dice before. Maybe you remember the Gameboard, already. That's okay. Even if you know better than to pick it up, all you have to do is look at it, and it's ensnared you. Again. It looks like a normal die in terms of shape, and each side has a gilded number, one through six, carved into it. The most interesting part of it all is that the dice seems to be made of old, stained wood with fossilized opal throughout the whole piece. Something about it called to you, and now that it has your attention, a harsh wind slams into you. Darkness falls all around you–and then, slowly, a path illuminates. It’s black all around you; there’s no light, but you can see clearly marked spaces. A line of squares unwind in front of you, each clearly marked. You can’t see anything around you, can’t feel anything else–just the gameboard. And the die. Whether its in your hand or on the ground where you left it, it's there with you. Even if you don’t recognize the game, you don’t really need instructions to know how to play–you have a die, and you have a path. In the distance, you can barely make out a dark wooden platform at the end of the path, but it seems to have the same fossilized opal inlay as the die–and pretty golden symbols along the rim. You can’t step out of your square. Trying to leave the gameboard results in you walking to an invisible barrier and it feels like slamming into a glass wall. You cannot leave your space–unless the die says you can. If you want to get out of here, you’re going to have to roll your way there–but it isn’t so easy. Strange gold markings differ from one square to the next. There’s no telling what they mean–you’re going to have to land on them to find out. Though, judging by the tension in the air, it’s probably not going to be anything good.
He hadn’t even been planning to be out that long tonight, had been planning to pick up some pizza on the way home after powering down - but then his sandal had nudged something small and managed to dislodge it, sending it bouncing and skittering down the sidewalk.
It had looked like old, stained wood and was something that normally he probably wouldn’t have even noticed - but a faint glimmer from within, caught by a nearby streetlight, stirred a quiet sense of unease in his mind.
Oort hadn’t meant to pick it up though, he was sure of that - so it was with no small amount of confusion when he glanced down and found himself holding an old, wooden six-sided die with each face etched with a gilded number from one to six in his left hand–
And the moment that the thing was in his hand, a fierce wind had sprung up from absolutely nowhere and surged around him before whisking him away.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:06 am
Quote: Space 0:You have arrived here; nothing happens until you roll your die.
"…Oh, no. Not this again."
Memories of a similar darkness came back in fragments.
Of having to roll a very similar die and being dumped from place to place whilst having to survive whatever was in there.
There’d been a crazy bouncy web in there. Dogs too–
And there had also been a swamp in there somewhere.
Oort rubbed a hand over his face, reddish eyes narrowing as they spotted what appeared to be another platform rimmed in gold at the furthest end.
He, (or rather Briar) should have been eating pizza round about now.
He’d been planning on getting pepperoni, his favourite–
Instead it looked like he’d pulled into playing some sort of twisted sequel-like thing to that game three years ago whilst hoping that he didn’t die, or get swallowed up by swamp mire or something.
Oort sighed and curled his fingers around the die that sat heavy in his palm as muttered "Alright, guess I’d better get this over with."
And then he rolled.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:06 am
Quote: Space 2:Something pale and ghostly slams into your back; you don’t see it, but it feels like it’s trying to push you forward–or to the side, or off the path. Thankfully, the magical glass walls stop you from going too far, but this is jarring–and might hurt.
Hard.
He staggered forward with a startled grunt, arms flailing as he fought a battle with gravity that by some miracle he managed to win. Barely.
He turned, reddish eyes glancing around the darkness warily.
Nothing.
Or at least not that he could see, but after he took a few cautious steps forward something slammed into him again, sending him slamming up against some sort of invisible and unyielding barrier that felt smooth and glasslike–
And from the ache blooming in his side Oort just knew it was going to leave bruises.
Oort gritted his teeth silently and rolled the die again–
And did his best to hide a wince as the strange force shoved him forwards once again.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:08 am
Quote: Space 4:Something smells rotten. You can’t see very far into the darkness, but if you squint closely a dark form seems to be dragging itself along the ground. Sometimes you see a pale hand almost close enough to grab you–or, maybe something does grab you. It’s cold, and frightening, and it’s trying to drag you out of bounds.
"Fantastic" he muttered under his breath, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the stench clung to the back of his throat, although it was very much anything but fantastic.
His reddish eyes narrowed behind the frames of his glasses that had somehow managed to miraculously remain perched on his face even after being body-checked into an invisible wall by an invisible force in the other place.
Reddish eyes squinted into the gloom from beneath the frames of his glasses that had somehow managed to stay on his face after the invisible force in the other place had body-checked him into an invisible wall.
He thought he saw something move in the gloom, and squinted harder.
At first there was nothing, making him think that he had been mistaken, that it had been a trick of the dark–
And then he saw it, something dragging itself slowly and deliberately across the ground until a pale hand pierced the gloom and scraped its way forwards in the dim light.
Oort jerked back instinctively at the sight of the twitching fingers and almost took a couple of steps backwards–
Until he remembered the invisible glass-like barrier from the previous place.
"Nope. Not doing this. Not today." he muttered, his voice sharp as he raised the die.
The fingers twitched again as he rolled it, and for a moment Oort could have sworn that he felt the sensation of icy digits brush against his ankle.
He lifted his leg and tried to kick out violently–
And then the strange force rose up and yanked him forwards and away.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:10 am
Quote: Space 6:You hear a shrill, humming noise; it sounds almost like something is firing past you–and sometimes, you even feel a sharp burst of air, like something has just missed you. Maybe, even, it does get a slice out of you. Sharp, bladelike threads seem to string up around you; you’d best be careful not to get cut on any of them between now and your next dice roll.
The shrill, humming noise was new though–
And, given his experiences so far, deeply ominous.
The high pitched sound needled at his ears and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as his reddish eyes tried to peer into the gloom–
Then a sharp ‘fwip’ pierced the air as something sliced past, passing so close that Oort felt the rush of air against his skin.
He swore quietly under his breath as there was another ‘fwip’, his pulse spiking as it passed dangerously close to his ear, every nerve on edge–
But it was only after the humming sound grew louder, that Oort realised with a sinking feeling that it wasn’t just noise, but rather thin, gleaming threads that were in the process of stringing themselves up around him and stretching out tautly across the path.
He tried to shift carefully, as he gingerly tested the space and then hissed as one of the threads nicked his arm.
Fortunately it was only a shallow cut.
Fortunately - but it was still enough to sting.
Oort clapped a hand over it, as irritation flashed in his eyes, because he (or rather Briar) was supposed to be enjoying his pizza and not playing ‘a hundred ways of trying not to die.’
And a part of him, that he wasn’t going to acknowledge out loud, dreaded what would happen if he rolled the die, because Oort had no desire to end up shredded by invisible wires–
But with the sounds of ‘fwips’ still whispering through the dark, he also knew that he didn’t have much of a choice - because if he stayed then it was only a matter of time before one hit him directly - and there wouldn’t be any walking away from that.
So he cautiously crouched low and rolled the die with deliberate care–
And as the strange force came welling up, Oort closed his eyes and silently started praying.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:12 am
Quote: Space 8:Something slithers across your foot, so fast that you might have thought you imagined it. Except, a few seconds later, it happens again. And then, again. Snakes keep moving across your space. If you move, they see you–and they might bite. Some of them hiss, some are capable of spraying a poisonous liquid that can cause itchiness or burning.
Which was very much a relief, because while he loved pepperoni pizza, he’d never once had any hidden fantasies of starring as the topping.
He let out a slow breath, still crouched low, and then frowned in confusion as something chose that exact moment to slither across his foot.
It was quick - so quick that for a heartbeat Oort thought he’d imagined it.
Until it happened again–
And then again.
Oort cracked his eyes open, and then immediately wished that he hadn’t.
Because the source of the slithering was snakes - because of course it was snakes–
And whilst he wasn’t surprised, exactly, that didn’t mean that Oort had wanted it to be true.
He shifted slightly, only for one of the snakes to lift its head and turn it in his direction, its eyes glinting faintly in the darkness as it hissed with the kind of eager malice that suggested that it had been waiting all day for someone to screw up.
Oort froze as some of the others seemed to take the cue, their bodies uncoiling, as they slithered towards him with deliberate intent.
His hand fumbled for the die and he managed to roll it as one of the snakes spat a stream of liquid in his direction–
And then the strange force rose up and yanked him forwards just in time to dodge the spray of purple liquid that hit the ground where he’d been standing with a sizzle.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:14 am
Quote: Space 13:At first, the square is quiet. Nothing seems amiss. It’s unnerving in how safe it seems. But then, it only takes a few seconds before you understand why. It’s just taken a moment for them to get to you. The patter of tiny feet is rapidly approaching. There’s no light to see them, but there’s a reflection in their beady eyes. Rats. Thousands of them. Chittering, frothing in the mouth. These are strangely grotesque, mutated abominations. They’re running at you like they haven’t got a fear in the world–only, hungry. And rage. If they get to you, they’ll eat you alive. The ground is trembling with their weight. You’d better roll quickly if you don’t wind up a meal.
Which given his recent track record of what he’d had to deal with so far which had included being body-checked into invisible walls, dumped into putrid rot and being stalked by grabby hands (or hand, singular, but still gross), being nearly diced into salami strips, and chased by malevolent snakes - meant something was almost definitely about to go wrong.
Especially as about the only thing that he hadn’t encountered yet was rats and that was probably because they seemed to be busy overrunning Destiny City, if the news reports and images splashed across Socials were to be believed.
Oort took a few cautious steps forwards, waiting for the other shoe to drop–
And it did. Hard.
It came in the form of the pitter-patter of tiny feet.
Hundreds of them.
No thousands - and all seeming to be charging rapidly in his direction.
Rats. Because of course it was rats. Almost like the universe had heard his thoughts and said, ‘Great idea!’
Their beady eyes glimmered in what little light there was as their grotesque, mutated bodies chittered and frothed as they surged forwards and the ground trembled beneath the weight of thousands of tiny feet.
Oort stared at the incoming frothing mass for a beat. Then another.
"Oh no," he muttered flatly, as he reached to roll the die. "Nope. Not today. I am not getting eaten by a swarm of rage rodents."
The strange force responded almost instantly, yanking him forwards and onwards.
Oort didn’t bother to look back.
He didn’t need to.
Because by now his night was well and truly ruined.
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litian rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 1:43 pm
Quote: Space 17:Something howls in the distance. It’s loud and echoes with such ferocity it seems to shake you. On the other side of you–another howl. Closer. This one is loud enough to hurt your ears. The ground trembles with the force of something charging at you. A growl, a snarl. Yellow eyes staring you down. There’s not just one monster out there–there’s several, and they’re all coming for you.
Which was just as well, because the space he’d been dumped in was decidedly not edged in gold.
Instead he had been ‘greeted’ by the sound of something howling in the distance, the sound washing through him with such ferocity that Oort had instinctively taken a few steps backwards–
Right into the invisible glass-like wall behind him.
He’d barely had time to catch his breath before a second howl ripped through the air.
Closer.
Much closer, the ground trembling and shuddering beneath his feet, as something seemed to hurtle in his direction.
Something massive.
Growls followed, then more howls, and in the dim light Oort caught the gleam of not one, not two, but several pairs of yellow eyes staring out at him from the darkness.
Oort stared at them for a moment, hand already reaching to roll the die as he muttered deadpan "Because of course there’s a pack."
Because why would the universe bother to settle for one or two of whatever the hell these things were when it could have an entire pack.
The force chose that moment to surge up and shove him forward just as something lunged.
Oort felt the rush of air as a heavy body sailed past, missing him by inches.
He didn’t look back. A part of him already dreading where he was going to be dumped next, because he vaguely remembered being dumped in a swamp last round–
And so far, he hadn’t been dumped in a swamp.
Yet.
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litian rolled 2 6-sided dice:
4, 4
Total: 8 (2-12)
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 3:27 pm
Quote: Space 20:The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best. However...if you have already acquired a die from last year, or if you are unlucky enough to encounter the gameboard twice this year, you may notice that the opalescent fissures of the dice glow when close to each other. There's no telling what this might mean, but you'd best be safe about it.
Or, given the way that his luck had gone so far, a surprise ambush by carnivorous pigeons.
Because at this point it felt like nothing was off the table.
But there were no wasps.
Or swamp.
Or murderous pigeons with a vendetta.
Neither was there any howls or any slithering sounds or ominous growls.
Instead there was silence–
And light.
Soft, opalescent light that shimmered peacefully across the space like someone had spilled moonlight–
That is if moonlight was warm, gentle, and weirdly comforting.
The glow swelled growing brighter and brighter until, for a moment, all Oort could see was white–
And then, just as suddenly, it vanished, leaving behind the familiar evening sounds and streets of Destiny City.
Oort blinked at the shift in light levels and then froze–
Because there, sitting innocently on the ground, was the die.
He nudged at it cautiously with a sandal-clad foot, but nothing happened and it seemed that any strangeness was over–
At least for tonight.
After a moment’s hesitation, Oort bent down and scooped it up, figuring that he’d probably tell Oberon about it eventually.
Eventually, but not tonight.
Tonight, he was going to find a quiet place to drop henshin–
And then he was going home.[Fin]
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