Bodyswap at the House on the Hill: Liminal Space

[hot_mess_express]

Wherever you are in the house, whatever you may have been doing right in that moment

You hear a chime, like a clock sounding the hour. Has it only been that long? No, it can't have been, it must've been longer ... right? Oh well. You're out of time, and now you're here.

Here is a liminal space. It's like a washed out version of the Entrance Hall, so big and fancy, with its high vaulted ceilings and polished oakwood floors, intricate detailing, and the ornate front door. Everything else is shrouded by fog. You can try to find the other doors, you can try to find the foyer, but ... they're not there? Walk more than a minute into the fog and you'll find yourself right back where you started.

Comments

[gingerdiligence]

Well. That is one way to escape the monster.

[Looking around the room.]

I presume the teleportation was not your doing?

[magicalgirladjacent]

....no, I don't think so. I switched to a more versatile element.

[gingerdiligence]

And there are other who are not part of our group here as well. It is likely that whoever brought us to this place is also responsible for... rescuing us from the monster. [Said like she's expecting something worse to show up at any moment.]

[magicalgirladjacent]

Probably took too long for the trial runner.

[Sitting up and ugh, all wet now.]

[And glowing from a pocket.]

[gingerdiligence]

But what is he impatient for...? Our escape or our completing the warlocks' ritual? [More cheery thoughts!]

[And noticing the pocket glow.]

We do seem to have found something of importance. Can you see what it is?

[magicalgirladjacent]

A lot of trials seem to have time limits.

Huh? Oh... [Shifting through his pocket, pulling out a few things until the key.]

[There's a pause, looking at the key, then looking around and then focusing on the door.] My body isn't here yet and there's three doors.

I'm guessing everyone had to find one key.

[gingerdiligence]

[Frownnnn]

If our goal was only to find the key, why were we not brought here as soon as we found it?

[magicalgirladjacent]

It might have been we cleared things for others. Or have things of importance.

I still have everything we found, not just the key.

[gingerdiligence]

Another group encountered the room with the mirror and the crates and found the same items. Though the mirror stole one of them.

[magicalgirladjacent]

So very good we didn't touch the mirror itself. About what I thought.

[gingerdiligence]

He thinks Dusk may have annoyed the mirror and that is why it stole him. He also says it dropped items on them.

[magicalgirladjacent]

Well, it did drop a spider on you.

At least Dusk is a brickhouse. They're probably okay.

[gingerdiligence]

I was uncertain whether that was due to the mirror or merely a coincidence. Such creatures are hardly out of place in abandoned buildings such as this.

If this mirror is like the one you encountered in a previous trial, that preys on dark thoughts, would their physical strength be of any use?

[magicalgirladjacent]

Yeah, but you were hardly standing next to a wall. Spiders doing a straight drop down from the ceiling would have been a weird coincidence.

Doesn't hurt.

[Pocketing other stuff, keeping the key out.]

[gingerdiligence]

Perhaps I should find out what other things the mirror dropped on them.

They did find salve in the fridge as well. I should like to see if it is identical to yours.

[magicalgirladjacent]

Now that is interesting.

...the question how to test the salve.

[gingerdiligence]

If I had time and magic I could attempt to create a spell that might identify whether they are the same object. As I am now...

We also do not know if the salve is truly beneficial. [Thinking everything is a trap? Of course!]

[magicalgirladjacent]

There is also that.

....I am...water, I think. Which could be potentially healing stuff.

[Will hold out the key to her because someone should always be holding the Very Important Key.]

[Still one arm.]

Seriously, gonna hunt this boy down and get him something.

[gingerdiligence]

[She takes it with a smile. Don't mind that, she's just enjoying being entrusted with something important to do.]

Do you have any offensive capabilities with water? Or can you switch quickly between elements?

[magicalgirladjacent]

[You could ask him for more responsibility, gosh, he'd give it willingly.]

[Just doesn't always think about it.]

Switching wouldn't be easy. I was forcing it pretty hard back there. So I don't think mixing would happen very well either.

But let's see what I have to work either. [Closing his eyes and leaning into the magic again. What does it want, what does it need, what can he push.]

[The water that had splashed to the floor starts to float up, gathering in front of him.] Still need the conduit, but can make it....sot here is more versatility...

[gingerdiligence]

[She's not used to the idea of being given what she asks for, particularly when it comes to responsibility. She's got centuries of thinking she needs to trick her way into importance to unlearn.]

[And a sigh. That could have gone better.]

This may be a good time to practice. I can continue to gather information on what the others experienced.

[magicalgirladjacent]

[He meanwhile just assumes he should do things alone, surely nothing can go wrong.]

[He nods.] Sounds like a good idea. Things might not end with the keys and if this is more versatile than the fire, it'd be good to know how to use it.

[Water shifting, moving in the air before finally settling into what looks like a fencing foil.]