beautifuldreamermods | Excursions & Torment Hunts

Excursions & Torment Hunts

EXPLORING DREAMS

formalized investigation and exploration

Excursions and Torment Hunts

EXCURSIONS

Excursions

finding and investigating new locations

disperse and become inaccessible

Stablize a location

Outlying Locations

Risk

multiple characters

three

use the results

you'll receive points

two per month

Excursion twice per month

EXCURSION FORM:

Character(s): (List the characters taking part in the Excursion) Archetype(s): (Note the Archetypes of all the characters taking part) Maximum Risk: (Note if you would like the potential Risk to cap out at Low, Medium, High or Very High) Keywords: (The fun part! Let us know what sort of thing your character is looking for – but more importantly, what sort of feelings and thoughts are on their mind as they explore. This will affect the Excursion Result!)

TORMENT HUNTS

Torment Hunts

known locations

hunting down any Torments

much more difficult

fail out

you'll receive points

TORMENT HUNT FORM:

Character(s): (List the characters taking part in the Excursion) Archetype(s): (Note the Archetypes of all the characters taking part) Outlying Location: (Where is this Torment Hunt taking place?) Strategy: (How exactly are the characters managing this Hunt? Are they being very precise or a little haphazard? Are they attacking on sight or taking their time? Go into detail here, as it'll affect the results!)

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Character(s): Dreamer Ghost and Dreamer Maihime
Archetype(s): Two Novices
Maximum Risk: Low
Keywords: "Meetings" is the big keyword here, as Kenko is looking to find a certain someone, and Ghost and Maihime bumped into one another accidentally rather than intentionally going on an excursion together.

During their Excursion, the group comes across... a new location!

During their accidental hangout, the dream the girls find themselves in is an eerie but peaceful ancient temple almost big enough to be its own town. Towering stone lanterns line the way through, with winding stone paths leading to various smaller shrines within the temple and gloriously lush meditation gardens. Going by the golden light illuminating the temple, it's always sunset here and the dusky air is cool and still, filled with the scent of pine and incense. There don't seem to be any Figments or Torments here but sometimes in the distance, the faint echoes of a temple bell ring out.

Following it will introduce the two of them to the actual residents of this dream - the temple’s formidable komainu guardians, lion-dog statues carved from ancient stone. As they venture deeper into the temple grounds, the statues will occasionally turn their heads to watch them pass and become less and less subtle about it the longer they spend in the dream, though the vibe is definitely curious rather than hostile. In fact, at one point, the two of them find themselves turned around and lost within a maze-like zen garden only for one of the statues to casually make its way over and show them the way out before assuming its post.

Ultimately nothing wildly of note happens while the two of them explore, but... when the vibes are so good, can you really call it a waste of time?

To claim your rewards for this Excursion, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this result as the basis!

Character(s): Zeke, Lisa, Keiwa, Kozakura
Archetype(s): Sentry, Striker x2, Saver?? (Is Kozakura a Saver?)
Maximum Risk: High
Keywords: With a Disturbance seeming to be in the offing, since we're gratuitously backdating this, Chaosbringer and Co. set out into the Dream Sphere, looking for any sign of an external source or influence on Disturbances! Zeke in particular is as determined as ever and annoyed over all of this, while the rest are mostly just along for the ride!

During their Excursion, the group comes across... a familiar location! Well. To Keiwa, at least.

Though they weren't at all aiming for the Necropolis, the gang nevertheless finds themselves manifesting right into that eerie chamber in its depths. On the plus side, this saves them trekking the whole way down - but why are they even here in the first place...?

One of the first things of note is that the strange inscription at the base of the statue seems to have changed:

Shifting grains of sand,
Molten light forms fragile glass,
All is calm in sleep.

... cool! Whatever that means!

It also quickly becomes apparent that the lower chamber is still accessible and traveling down into it yields some more new information. That stake piercing the ground is easier to decipher now it's not just Hanako's orby bois scoping it out - rather than a stake, it looks to be the kind of wand a Dreamer might wield, topped with a sphere of glass that's emitting a sickly orange glow. In that light, you can see the carvings on the back of the wall and see that those, too, have changed. Now, Dreamer Crimson and the unfamiliar Dreamer stand at opposite ends of the wall, with their backs to... something. You don't know what it is because even though it's there, just trying to perceive it makes your head hurt.

The gang are in the middle of trying anyway when Chaosbringer sees something move out of the corner of his eye. When he turns to face it, he'll see that the carving of the unfamiliar Dreamer in the wall has turned to look at them and for a good few seconds, the two of them hold each others gaze. It's hard to tell for sure but... now that he's getting a good look, doesn't she look like the Dreamer whose statue was crumbling in the upper chamber?

Before that thought can really percolate, an inky-black, ice cold liquid begins to seep up and out of the floor of the chamber, quickly covering their feet and ankles and threatening to rise higher.

Stay or run?

Character(s): Zeke, Ai, Kenko
Archetype(s): Striker, Saver, Novice
Outlying Location: The Reverie Necropolis
Strategy: Some actual coordination here, since the Necropolis is a craphole at the moment! This merits a rather sensible advance in, seeking any sign of dangerous Torments either contributing to the unusual gloom or developing because of it.

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

Back at it again at the Necropolis... though it's traditionally a higher Risk location than other parts of the Dream Sphere, a duo who knows each other as well as Ai-Doll and Chaosbringer do can easily manage it, even with a newbie like Ghost added to the mix! Weirdly, something about the spooky atmosphere seems to have given Ghost's powers a tiny, temporary boost which means she's more effective at drawing in enemies and letting them get blasted right back! Combined with Ai-Doll's music helping them along, the trio easily make short work of anything that rocks up to start a fight with them.

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

Character(s): Hibiki Tachibana (Gungnir), Nikki (Sonic), Karen Kohiruimaki (LLENN), Zeke Genbu (Chaosbringer)
Archetype(s): NOTHING BUT STRIKERS BABY—
Outlying Location: Vale of Sorrow
Strategy: A bounty is a good enough reason for Hibiki to vent out the rest of her emotions via her fists (though this time with company rather than in isolation). In that sense, maybe it's fitting that the team this time around consists entirely of Strikers? In any case, the plan is simple... get in there and destroy as many Torments as possible, with Hibiki's song hopefully counteracting the sound-based attacks that these sea creatures specialize in. They've got Zeke to look out for the kids and tank for them, but 3/4's of this team specializes in Moving Fast and hitting just as quickly.

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

Things do look kind of dicey at first, though! Maybe it's the lingering remains of the magic that made up Hibiki's Disturbance, but if she's holding back at all then it somehow seems like the Torments are even more powerful than usual...! It's only when she really lets loose, pouring out all her frustration without restraint, that they start carving out some real progress. Gungnir punches a Torment like 20 feet into the air! Goddamn girl, get that catharsis. In the mean time, LLEN is pulling off some cool trick shots with her gun and Sonic and Chaosbringer pull off a cool combo move with a chuuni sounding name! All's well that ends well!

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

(no subject)

determinationtofist - 2024-11-11 03:14 (UTC) - Expand

APPROVED but I ain't logging out as usual lol

liedol - 2024-11-11 07:07 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Nikki (Sonic), Amane (Hanako), Junna (Sage), Nene (Koi)
Archetype(s): 3 Strikers and a Novice, surely this will end well!
Maximum Risk: High Risk, because Nikki is like that
Keywords: Sonic's just looking around for fun. The Spirit of Exploration* between Sonic and Hanako! The girls are there to... Well, Nene's doing Her Best and Junna's the group's designated braincell bearer (she and Lisa can commiserate over this later, maybe...).

*While they're technically going into this excursion with no goal in mind, Sonic may or may not be secretly hoping for a round 2 against Perfect Chaos.

During their Excursion, Sonic's group comes across a familiar loca- god damn it, sonic

Susceptible as it is to the thoughts of people traveling through it, the Dream Sphere apparently zeroes in on Sonic's desire to throw hands and promptly deposits the group back in that creepy decaying city infested with Torments. Things are surprisingly quiet this time around, though - there's only a few of those nasty eels hanging around and most of the danger just comes from the difficulty of navigating the city's structure while it crumbles around them. Sonic has to save Koi from a sheer drop at some point while Hanako gets his ghosty ass rescued by Sage from plunging debris from above.

So while things aren't exactly easy, they do seem to be more... uh... any of y'all hearing that boss music?

Just as someone comments on how quiet things seem, a familiar Nightmare comes exploding out of the water - its arrival causes the lower levels of the ruins to flood and the group has to make a mad dash to higher ground to not get swept away! Thankfully, now they're a bigger group and with the real superpower of Three DPS Fighters on their side... the fight manages to go in their favor!

Hanako and Sage work well together as usual with their hard-earned synergy and Koi's Sealing Barrier comes in handy when the group discovers that the electric shock it administers does a real whopper in the Nightmare if it makes contact! With a bit of courage and support from her fellow Dreamers, Koi's able to weaponize her barrier and weaken the Nightmare enough that when Sonic busts out his Signature move, he's able to deal a finishing blow and pulverize that thing!

Congratulations on your revenge quest! To claim your rewards for this Excursion, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Excursion result as the basis! In addition, as this was targeting a specific Nightmare, everyone also receives a Torment Hunt Bounty bonus of one additional point once approved!

Character(s): Keiwa (Tycoon), Zeke (Chaosbringer), Karen (LLEN), Ruby (Soleil)
Archetype(s): 3 Strikers and a Novice (...)
Maximum Risk: Medium to High
Keywords: Keiwa's hopping back into the Necropolis (fourth time's the charm?!?) to see if he can't find out more about the Disturbances, or why the mural/plaque keeps changing. Is it different every time they go down there? Does it remain the same except for when a plot trigger happens? He doesn't know! Either way, it seems like it would be a good thing to go investigate.

Maybe he ought to have actually thought about their group composition a bit more, but unlike a different Dreamer, he's actually quite upfront about what's on the itinerary and the potential danger involved.

ngl I was thinking about doing this before the monthly post dropped with the mention of the Necropolis' increased Torment activity, so if the excursion fails because it becomes a Hunt instead I'll laugh as I shed a single tear.

Back at it again at the Necropolis!!! The gang have a pretty hard time making their way into the lower levels to start with thanks to the increased Torment activity, but with all of them working together, they manage to cut enough of a path through to start their descent in earnest. There's never quite a point that Torments stop popping up to jumpscare them but once Soleil gets spooked badly enough that she just straight up punches one of them in the face on instinct, they kind of get the message and start keeping their distance a bit.

Eventually, the group finds their way down to the spooky cavern that Tycoon should be very familiar with by now - familiar enough for him to notice immediately that the usual inscription below the statue has changed again;

Stars fade into black,
where silent fears lie hidden,
bound in endless night.

... reassuring, as usual!

With nothing else standing in their way, the gang heads down to the lower chamber and finds it largely unchanged from last time. The staff... stake...? Whatever was pierced into the ground last time is still here, emitting that same strange glow. In the light, it's possible to see that the mural has changed again - now it depicts a single image of a Dreamer with impossibly long hair, gazing out across an unfamiliar landscape.

Even as they enter the room, she's staring directly at them.

...

Approach?

(no subject)

i_peace - 2024-11-14 01:09 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2024-11-16 15:45 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

i_peace - 2024-11-18 08:00 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2024-11-23 16:58 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Amane (Hanako), Ruby (Soleil), Hibiki (Gungnir), and Keiwa (Tycoon)
Archetype(s): Three Strikers and.... a Novice..... (Seems like a trend this month huh--)
Outlying Location: Whispering Grotto (To tackle the Torment problem this month!!)
Strategy: Hibiki and Ruby are going to take advantage of the musical atmosphere of the Grotto (along with their own vocal talents) to get a leg up on the Torments there, while Hanako ~~is regulated to cow-bell duty~~ helps take care of the harder to reach creatures there via his floating + orby bois, alongside Tycoon with his shuriken and teleportation skills! ~~along with being the Emotional Support Tanuki because that is important too~~ They're all fairly seasoned Dreamers at this point so the chances of any of them acting rashly or going at this sloppily on their own are low (though Hanako probably WILL get a bit spooked at Hibiki's new power-up, should she use it), and since they're aiming to clear out the infestation, they'll be pretty straightforward about attacking whatever enemies they see too! (But I am also all for any silly Trick or Treat effects that come into play too, please troll this little bastard lmao)

During their Torment Hunt, the group does not achieve their objectives...

Listen; things start off pretty well. Everyone here works together well one on one and their synergy as a big group turns out to be pretty good too! Soleil and Gungnir are correct in expecting their powers to vibe well with the Grotto's musical energy and they manage to get a pretty nice duet going! The problems unfortunately start when Hanako decides he's going to join in and almost immediately... Trick Or Treat takes effect and the gang have been Tricked!

Almost immediately, Gungnir finds her voice coming out in a frog's croak. Eek! And Soleil finds that she's been Assigned Halloween Catgirl and all her attempts at singing come out as unbearable caterwauling instead...! Then Hanako opens his mouth to contribute which can surely only end badly and...

... he comes out with a butter smooth baritone instead?! Seriously, is this some kind of sick, twisted joke?!

Unfortunately, with the effects of Trick or Treat also empowering the Torments and their synergy in shambles, the group finds themselves struggling to regain their ground. Tycoon is ejected first while protecting the other three, while Soleil and Gungnir get taken out simultaneously while trying one last desperate combo move...! Hanako lasts the longest when it becomes apparent that the Torments really vibe with his her voice, but as soon as it becomes clear he doesn't know any of the songs they want to hear... there goes Hanako as well!

Our condolences on your Hunt failure! Every member of the group will be unable to return to the Dream Sphere for three days to one week following this Excursion. In addition, our singers will find they all have a bit of a sore throat that lasts for this duration and Keiwa has some nasty pins and needles that go away after a day or two. As this was a Hunt failure, you are not eligible for any additional rewards but may still use this as the basis for a log/thread if you please and any threads that meet bonus criteria there are still eligible for submission.

Character(s): Cinnabar (Shinsha) & Yorishiro (Tsukasa)
Archetype(s): Sentry & Novice
Outlying Location: Stardust Sanctuary
Strategy: The goal is for Tsukasa to get some Torment-hunting experience in an open environment where Shinsha can use their mercury powers to maximum (splashy and smashy) effectiveness. If they stick to one of the smaller islands, they probably won't have to face too many Torments at once. Shinsha will deal with aerial threats and more powerful Torments, while Tsukasa practices evasive moves to improve his levitation skills... no Tsukasa don't just run in and stab them ffs!

A two-person medium-risk hunt with unpredictable holiday Torments might be a little spicy for a novice, but Shinsha suspects that Amane will be too overprotective and stunt Tsukasa's development as a Dreamer. So obviously, they're not telling Amane about this. It's not like Shinsha is officially mentoring or anything! They're just supervising while Tsukasa does the dumb, dangerous thing he was going to do anyway!

Of course, the plan is to immediately retreat if the situation becomes too intense... Tsukasa, you're listening to the plan, right? Tsukasa!

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives! Yes, we're just as shocked as you are.

As expected, things do get a little spicy more or less immediately. Trick or Treat comes into effect and the luck of the draw is that Cinnabar ends up Tricked while the Torments get to enjoy a power boost. But in a bit of a plot twist, the Trick effect warps Cinnabar's powers and turns their usual mercury into... just plain old water?! While this definitely takes away some of their combat utility, it also means they're not having to worry about Yorishiro getting blorbpoisoned.

Yorishiro's also holding his own surprisingly well! His levitation powers lend themselves well to the low-grav atmosphere of the Sanctuary which means he can pull off some truly anime cool guy dodges around the Torments. And the less said about how effective his quill is against them, the better.

It's certainly not an easy fight, but with the two of them working together... they do manage to come out on top! Success!!!

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

Character(s): Amane (Hanako), Keiwa (Tycoon), Junna (Sage)
Archetype(s): ALL STRIKERS BABYYYYY
Maximum Risk: Medium to High, probably??
Keywords: So Amane and Keiwa were discussing the Vale of Sorrow back in October (and the weirdness involved with it's detaching), and they've decided to finally give it some further investigation! (They would have earlier, when Ai brought it up, but... 2024 was a wild ride for everyone, ok--)

The temple ruins seem like a good spot for them to poke around in, given Reverie's (?) statue and mausoleum elsewhere, but no doubt they'll keep their eyes out for anything else suspicious floating around the location as well. Their team is admittedly very offensive-heavy, especially for a place that isn't as noxious as Necropolis, but given the way these investigations can go... it doesn't hurt to be careful! Granted, Junna's head won't be entirely in the game thanks to her current family friction, and Amane's going to be low-key sulky thanks to the Tsukasa stuff, so that may or may not have an impact on things! ~~Maybe they can negate it with their designated Emotional Support Tynuki~~

During their Excursion, Hanako's group... well, something sure happens, at least.

Things start off pretty lighthearted as the group acclimatizes to the sudden cold that's frozen the Vale over. Hanako, in particular, goes full Bambi on the ice once or twice before deciding that just floating is probably the smart move here. There's a few icy Torments around who make it their business to try and ruin the group's day but between the three of them, they manage to handle things.

It's once they get to the temple ruins that things start to feel a little... weird? Off? It's hard to tell what the vibes are, but they're similar to that unpleasant energy that pervaded the Dream Sphere when everyone was trapped earlier this year, though nowhere near as overpowering. All of them get the very distinct sense that something was here once upon a time, rather than the Vale coming into existence with the ruins as they were, as sometimes happens in the Dream Sphere. What they were before, though... it's hard to say. Maybe if you had a better vantage point? Like say... from the top of the cliffs?

(no subject)

hanamane - 2024-12-10 02:13 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2024-12-12 17:46 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Amane (Hanako), Ruby (Soleil), Nikki (Sonic), Hibiki (Gungnir)
Archetype(s): Strikers (x3) and a ~~baby Striker~~ Novice!
Outlying Location: Stardust Sanctuary
Strategy: Okay, so on paper this is mostly Hanako, Ruby, and Hibiki getting some sort of retribution on the seasonal Torments after they got thwomped by them last month (and figuring they'd have better luck when the Torments haven't completely taken over a place), but

lbr, I just want them to fight the Biolizard, ok

THE SPOTIFY WRAPPED CR MEME TOLD ME TO

As far as strategy and teamwork goes, Hanako's gonna remember to keep his mouth shut this time and not fuck up anyone's singing ability with his own, and while he doesn't fully trust Sonic after that whole Perfect Chaos thing... at least they can pull off some pretty good moves together when they try, so?? HOPEFULLY THIS GOES BETTER THAN LAST TIME

Edited 2024-12-06 02:40 (UTC)

Unbelievably, the group successfully completes their objectives! It looks like Nikki will not be forced to live and learn from his mistakes this time.

Things aren't too bad to start with, honestly. Since the Torments haven't fully taken over yet, the Trick Or Treat effect seems to favor the Dreamers and everyone's powers are temporarily kicked up a rank for this encounter! The result is an extremely one-sided encounter that honestly starts to feel a little bit like bullying once the fight gets down to a few Torments. What an anticlimactic ending.

... At least until Sonic notices something streaking down from the sky towards their island. It looks like a regular shooting star Torment at first but then it gets bigger... and bigger... and... uh, hold on, is it aiming at you?!

The Nightmare smashes into the island, just narrowly avoiding crushing Sonic and Hanako under itself - Soleil is nearly knocked clean into the void by the impact but Gungnir manages to save the day! With everyone safely back on the island, the gang realizes they really don't have a choice but to try and take this thing down, no matter how scary it looks...!

Soleil and Gungnir empower the group with some kickass music and with their hyped-up powers, everyone gets to work! Sonic's speed helps him dodge around some weird bullet hell attack the Nightmare spits out and Hanako finds that his levitation helps him to get a good vantage point on the Nightmare's weak spot! Eventually, it's a combination of Hanako, Sonic and Gungnir's Signature Attacks that take the Nightmare down, all scored to a killer riff provided by Soleil!

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

(no subject)

hanamane - 2024-12-29 22:58 (UTC) - Expand

[SICK GUITAR LICKS]

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-01-01 22:13 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Tycoon, LLEN, Rhodonite, Hibiki
Archetype(s): It's okay we brought a tank! (3 Strikers and a Sentry)
Outlying Location: Slumbering ~~tower~~ City defense
Strategy: 3 girls and an emotional support Tanuki just hanging out- No (but yes), Tycoon volunteered to help do some tower defense missions to defend the City from invasions. They'll be doing their usual Striker/Sentry stuff! Whether they end up splitting up or staying together to blitz the enemy I leave in the hands of RNG.

Actually, looking at this group, these were some of the people who were involved in the Anniversary fight too, huh? How fitting!

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

It feels a little weird at first to be doing any fighting in the Slumbering City with how rare it is for even Torments to spawn here, but with the steady uptick of activity since that horrible fight earlier in the year, it's becoming necessary! It takes a bit of experimenting to work out best practices for this but eventually the group figures that the best way to handle things is to take point on and around the Slumbering City's DU office and take on any comers from there! Tycoon, Rhodonite and Gungnir handle hand-to-hand melee down on the street while LLEN is able to situate herself up on the roof and snipe Torments pretty effectively from her vantage point.

Something is a little strange about the Torments, though, as those of you who were present for the anniversary fight will notice - remember those freaky ass flowers that thing was covered in? A few of the Torments have those in place of heads and when they bloom, cause a similar if much less pronounced fear effect. A few other Torments have stringy, whip-like tendrils in place of arms much like that terrifying enemy. What's going on here...?

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

(no subject)

i_peace - 2025-01-19 05:01 (UTC) - Expand

APPROVED

liedol - 2025-01-20 06:41 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Sonic and Chaosbringer
Archetype(s): Striker only no items, Final Destination
Maximum Risk: High+, because it's Sonic and Chaosbringer...
Keywords: Sonic has no idea about Crimson or Reverie or anything like that. He's just here to explore man. And with Chaosbringer tagging along, it's gotta be pretty funny, right? Who just dies from comedic falling debris in the middle of a boss fight anyway? (famous last thoughts before someone drops their ring and just perishes)

Basically, no thoughts, head empty, WE'RE LIVING LIFE ON THE EDGE, BABY!!

During their Excursion, Sonic's group come across... a new location!

When the dream stabilizes, the two of them find themselves at the foot of a jagged, crystalline monolith split into floating fragments, each shard tethered to the next by shimmering bridges of light which pulse faintly to the rhythm of an otherworldly hum. The only way to proceed up the spire seems to be with some sick parkour moves, which most Dreamers should be at least reasonably proficient with at this point. However, gravity becomes unstable at higher altitudes, forcing them to leap between floating shards that twist and rotate unpredictably. The air grows thinner and vibrates with the resonance of the crystals, which intensifies as they near the spire's apex. Even stranger still are the translucent images they see playing across the crystal surfaces - fragments of not just their memories but some of their friends and family who've also been to the Dream Sphere. And occasionally, a suspicious flash of pale blue and a familiar flicker of crimson... though to investigate that a little further, you'd probably need more time that you don't have this trip!

The Torments that occupy this place are pretty nasty, towering constructs formed of jagged crystal shards, with a pulsing core that lights their massive frames - their primary method of attack is slamming the ground to create shockwaves that shattering nearby platforms and launch the razor-sharp crystals as projectiles. Sonic gets taken out this way when a platform crumbles out from under him and he drops~~, hits the killplane~~ and is promptly booted back to reality.

Chaosbringer manages to hold out for a bit longer, though! Thanks to his mobility and durability, he's able to do some platforming better than our actual platform mascot and makes his way a good two thirds up the spire before he, too, gets shwapped by a Torment determined to paste him. But there's a good ten seconds of falling before he's booted from the Dream Sphere and as Chaosbringer watches his form tumbling in the reflections of the spire, his image abruptly shifts - a memory flashes across the crystal. An image of Dreamer Crimson in much the same situation as him, tumbling helplessly through the air... while fending off something that makes his head hurt just trying to take it in. But if he squints, he sees tendrils formed from pure blackness, way too many eyes in all the wrong places and look at me look at me look at me look at me PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LOOK AT ME WHY WON'T YOU

And then, of course, he wakes up.

Our condolences on your Excursion failure! Every member of the group will be unable to return to the Dream Sphere for three days to one week following this Excursion and will suffer some minor moment-to-moment vertigo in the Waking World for up to a week afterwards. As this was an Excursion failure, you are not eligible for any additional rewards but may still use this as the basis for a log/thread if you please and any threads that meet bonus criteria there are still eligible for submission. And you can always come back for a revenge trip if you think there's more investigating to do...

Character(s): Amane (Hanako), Zeke (Chaosbringer), Nikki (Sonic) and "Turo" (Miraidon)
Archetype(s): Three Strikers and a Novice, sort of!
Maximum Risk: Highx3 by default due to metaplot but also because Sonic and Chaosbringer are involved
Keywords: Hell has actually frozen over and the gang is investigating why it may have happened! After the weird illusion Hanako saw in the Vale of Sorrow and the platforming nightmare Sonic and Chaosbringer just went through, they're more keen on checking into the weirdness going on in the Dream Sphere as of late (meanwhile, "Turo" actually has to live here so he probably has a more vested interest than most over what may or may not be going on--) Given the team is Striker heavy as always (along with the new and fun wrinkle of one of them being not quite human), they may or may not be the most balanced group to send into the pit, but! They're going to do their best to check out what's going on, anyway!!

Nothing's ever easy at Fury Peak...! As it turns out, just getting to the volcano is one hell of an ask now that everything's frozen over. The once-searing earth is now encased in jagged ice, with every surface slippery with rime. Snow and ash swirl together in an oppressive blizzard, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead and frostbite-inducing winds cut through the air. The ground underfoot is extremely unstable, with frequent earthquakes rattling the ice sheets and opening deadly fissures through which blasts of superheated steam erupt with little warning - Sonic has to whisk Miraidon out the way of one that opens right under his feet!

To make matters worse, the Torments here have adapted frighteningly well to their newly frozen hellscape, having adopted the superheated steam as their preferred form of attack. Hanako narrowly avoids getting scalded by one, but Miraidon manages to pull a bit of a comeback and knock the Torment into next week at the last second!

Eventually, the group reaches the outer rim of the volcano, where the surface is coated in frost and silent save for the faint creaks of shifting ice. Thankfully, rather than a sheer drop into nothingness, it looks like there's a spiraling path naturally formed into the frozen rock... but the descent looks even more treacherous than their journey here.

Descend anyway?

(no subject)

hanamane - 2025-01-08 01:00 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-01-10 14:44 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

hanamane - 2025-01-11 02:40 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-01-12 15:30 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

hanamane - 2025-01-13 01:36 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-01-15 15:26 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

hanamane - 2025-01-17 23:36 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-01-18 19:03 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Amane (Hanako) and Nene (Koi)!
Archetype(s): Striker and a Novice
Maximum Risk: Higher end of Medium because this may also be metaplot related lmao
Keywords: Hanako and Nene are going to try to explore what's within the water surrounding Slumbering City! With Chaosbringer's group getting Deep Submerged during the Dreamerversary event and Reverie's powers being related to water, Hanako thinks there might be some sort of a thread involved here! And after witnessing Nene wreck ~~Perfect Chaos~~ the sea monster Nightmare not too long ago in her fish form, he's come up with an idea to navigate it's depths!!

Said idea involves him possessing Nene and utilizing Feesh Mode to look around, while using his own abilities to keep her body safe while exploring (since, lbr, he would absolutely NOT want her to do this on her own), although depending on what they may find down there... it might be a futile effort regardless OTL;; But!! It'll be fine, probably???

Fish mode, engaged!!!

I will say up front that while Hanako and Koi don't find anything on this little exploration... that's mostly because there isn't anything to find! Swimmin' right along around the Slumbering City will net them some pretty views of underwater corals and sparkly underwater shoals made of multicolored sand but in terms of anything strange or threatening, nothing seems to be amiss!

Given that the Deep Submergening last year seems to have been a one-off occurrence, the two of them can probably piece together that it has more to do with whatever was going on during the anniversary - and maybe the interference of a certain Dreamer Reverie - than it is a natural feature of the waters surrounding the City.

At least they got a nice date out of it! what do you mean this doesn't count as a d

Character(s): Jeanne, Hibiki, Karen
Archetype(s): Saver, Striker x2
Outlying Location: Reverie Necropolis
Strategy: Team SwordFistGun is out specifically searching for the Hatsuyume Nightmares - looking for places with a large concentration of Torments and making a beeline for them in hopes of landing the big fish, so to speak. They will be Extremely Aggro about this. WE WILL PROTECC EVERYONE'S PRECIOUS FIRST DREAMS or something.

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

For all the things that change in the Dream Sphere, you can rely on the Necropolis to be a spooky time! While Team SwordFistGun do bring some good aggro with their respective sword, fist and gun, the Torments are fighting back just as hard by slipping in and out of the shadows to dodge around lethal attacks and jumpscare the group when they let their guards down!

Eventually, they do manage to whittle down the Torment numbers... but their victory lap is interrupted by a huge SHRIEK and the group finds themselves divebombed by one of the new year Nightmares - the eagle! Now they're going to have to contend with this thing, too!

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis! If your Hunt thread continues to the point of dealing with the event Nightmare, resubmit it to get your bonus points!

(no subject)

darcangel - 2025-02-19 14:38 (UTC) - Expand

APPROVED

beautifuldreamermods - 2025-02-19 17:06 (UTC) - Expand

Character(s): Amane, Keiwa, Junna, and Jeanne!
Archetype(s): Three Strikers and... a Saver! WE CHANGIN IT UP FOR ONCE
Outlying Location: Twinkle Keep
Strategy: Another Hatsuyume-specific hunt!! Hanako, Tycoon and Sage have been on Hunts together before so they know how to strategize and work with each other's powers at this point-- La Pucelle is a wildcard among them, but given she's a sword wielder in a team of other Pointy Object Users, she'll fit in just fine! They'll probably be treating this hunt with a liiiiittle less caution/precision considering that Twinkle Keep is a relatively chill spot, but any Torments spotted will be dealt with ASAP so the numbers don't become overwhelming! (And so none of them can use those annoying gravity attacks on them either--)

During their Torment Hunt, the group does not achieve their objectives...

Twinkle Keep isn't usually a particularly dangerous place and the gang do hold their own pretty well for a while! La Pucelle is an excellent fit for the usual trio and as a quartet, they've got some surprisingly good synergy with their powers! But as the fight goes on, larger and larger Torments rain down with the starts until eventually...

Duck and cover! Barrelling down from the sky like a comet is one of the new year nightmares - the Mountain! It takes the form of a massive humanoid shape assembled from gigantic bolders and since it has the drop on them, it manages a nasty sweep of the Dreamers taking it on! Sage manages to get a few shots out from a distance and Hanako catches sight of a weak point with his orby bois... but it's too late! The whole gang gets smacked right back into the Waking World.

Our condolences on your Hunt failure! Every member of the group will be unable to return to the Dream Sphere for three days to one week following this Excursion. In addition, our singers will find they all have a bit of a headache that lasts for this duration. As this was a Hunt failure, you are not eligible for any additional rewards but if the group seeks out this Nightmare again, they will be eligible for a Torment Hunt Bounty bonus. Additionally, you may still use this as the basis for a log/thread if you please and any threads that meet bonus criteria there are still eligible for submission.

Character(s): Nikki (Sonic), Amane (Hanako) and Tsukasa (Yorishiro)
Archetype(s): Two Strikers and a Novice!
Outlying Location: Vale of Sorrow
Strategy: Okay, so the overt goal isn't Hatsuyume Nightmare encounters but on the downlow, it's Nikki and Tsukasa and the two of them have no sense of caution. Unfortunately, Hanako has been saddled with being the 'responsible' one here. But that just means that things can't possibly go that terribly wrong, right? :D We're letting RNG-sus take the wheel on this,

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

(Un)fortunately for Team Cain & Abel and A Third Guy is Also Here, no Hatsuyume Nightmares assail them - but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of other Torments to deal with while they're here! With the big freeze keeping the Vale chilled out, there's no rain to affect their visibility... but a heavy fog rolls through the area that makes it hard to see anyway, because nobody's allowed to have a good time in the Vale. As expected, Hanako and Yorishiro do get into some Bro Squabbles that necessitate Sonic being the voice of reason (yes, I'm just as horrified as you are), but the three of them eventually get their shit together and see things through without any major disasters!

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

Character(s): Lisa, Amane, Keiwa | Rhodonite, Hanako, Tycoon
Archetype(s): Sentry, Striker, Striker
Maximum Risk: Yes
Keywords: A small team is responding to the Dreamer Union's belief that Dreamer Sage is the cause of this month's Disturbance, by going into the Dream Sphere and searching for the nascent Disturbance forming, with Junna as the actual search target. Lisa, who is absolutely going whether anyone wants her there or not, is not in the mood for subtlety, although she'll be convinced by Amane and Keiwa not to make too much of a ruckus to prevent Junna from hearing them coming and slamming her walls up. The only objective is to ~~steal the Treasure~~ locate the Disturbance and begin making plans with anything they can scout from the outside. Lisa and Keiwa were present when they did this searching for Amane's Disturbance and are more or less trying whatever worked last time. That does not mean any of them expect an easy trip.

Edited 2025-02-09 15:57 (UTC)

As Rhodonite and Tycoon both know, finding a Disturbance that's in the process of emerging is not exactly an easy task. The group rip through any number of half-formed dreams that prove to be dangerous in all sorts of ways - in one particularly unstable dream, the whole thing just collapses out from under them and after a frightening moment where it seems like all of them are stuck, everyone manages to return themselves to the waking world no worse for wear. The smart thing to do after that would be to maybe withdraw and to regroup and discuss their strategy... but I'm pretty sure we all know that the gang are not going to do the smart thing.

Even so, it really seems horribly as if they're going to have no success. The group spends days looking to no avail until Lisa, at the end of her patience, finally cries out in frustration for Junna to at least show them where she is-

And then all of a sudden... it's right in front of them.

The dream they find themselves in is... messy. It almost feels like the unfinished backstage of a play, cramped and cluttered and small with barely enough room for all of them to stand in. None of the structures are fully formed enough for anyone to look too closely but there is a sense of heat and churning tension that makes the whole thing feel deeply claustrophobic.

You've located Junna's Disturbance.

The group will be able to peacefully withdraw if they do want to try, but any attempts to linger or travel any further inside while the Disturbance is still forming will see them kicked back to the waking world like they've just had a trapdoor opened up under them.

Character(s): Chaosbringer, DropD-Tune, Tycoon, Cosmos
Archetype(s): Striker x2, Saver, Novice
Maximum Risk: High
Keywords: Zeke has a Concern, and that concern is that Disturbances don't die when they are killed. This group will be seeking out any remnants of the Disturbances, in whole or in part, in case they are being used for nefarious ends. Or not nefarious, but what are the odds of that?

Edited 2025-03-17 19:02 (UTC)

During their Excursion, the group completes their objectives!

Admittedly, it's a bit of a devil's proof conundrum - it's a whole lot harder to prove something doesn't exist than it is to prove that it does, so at first it just seems like the group might be getting unlucky and missing out on finding any leftover Disturbances. But the more time passes, the clearer it becomes that they really do seem to have dissipated and vanished once the person at the heart of the dream returned to reality. While scouting other dreams, they come across some occasionally familiar Torments or bits of landscape, but that doesn't seem to be anything sinister and is just the result of dreams bleeding into each other, which is known to happen in the Dream Sphere sometimes.

To claim your rewards for this Excursion, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this result as the basis!

Character(s):

(La Pucelle, Sage, Rhodonite, Gungnir)
Archetype(s): One of each with a bonus Striker
Outlying Location: Abandoned Dojo!
Strategy: The girls are here half to hunt Torments and half to try and figure out where this heat wave is coming from! So they will be checking every room and paying special attention to the environment in addition to the usual Leeroy Joankins that occurs when you put Jeannette and Hibiki too close together.

Edited 2025-04-03 01:05 (UTC)

During their Torment Hunt, the group successfully completes their objectives!

Thankfully for everyone's nerves, it doesn't seem like there's anything nefarious afoot at the Dojo! Or at least, nothing more nefarious than the usual nonsense Torments get up to when left unattended, but that's exactly what the TSDS (it really doesn't roll off the tongue as well.....) are here to deal with! There's the usual amount of Torment boppin' as they make their way up the mountain and once they arrive at the Dojo itself, La Pucelle finds herself drawn into a clash of ideals and swords with one of the Torments there...! ... or at least, that's best as you can guess given that the Torment can't talk. While La Pucelle is happy to honor a one-person duel, the Torment tries to fight dirty but Sage, Rhodonite and Gungnir have her back!

As for the heat wave, it seems to be the natural result of everyone's feelings about the warmer weather bleeding into the Dream Sphere. Nothing to worry about... at the Abandoned Dojo, anyway.

To claim your rewards for this Hunt, reply to this comment with a thread of four comments from each character involved using this Hunt result as the basis!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 3 of 3

Excursion

EXCURSION RESULT

Excursion!

EXCURSION... RESULT?

Torment Hunt

HUNT RESULTS

Torment Hunt!

HUNT RESULTS

Excursion

RESULT

Excursion(?)

. . .

Torment Hunt!

HUNT RESULT

Torment Hunt!

HUNT RESULT

Excursion...ish??

EXCURSION RESULT...?

Torment Hunt!!

HUNT RESULT

Torment Hunt

HUNT RESULT

EXCURSION

EXCURSION FAILURE

Event Excursion

EXCURSION RESULT...?

Excursion-esque

EXCURSION... SORT OF RESULT

Torment Hunt!

HUNT RESULT

Torment Hunt!!

HUNT RESULT

Torment Hunt

HUNT RESULT

Excursion...?

EXCURSION ███████

Excursion!

EXCURSION... SORT OF RESULT

hunt! (this is way too huge but you know what, don't let your dreams be memes, i'm so sorry)

HUNT RESULT