spacetogrow / Ilphyl Palace Run

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Content Warning

Parts of Ilphyl’s past deal with religiously motivated child abuse, sexism (albeit fantasy sexism as it is against male drow), transphobia and fantasy racism. If you want to engage with Ilphyl’s Palace, but not this content, let me know and I can make sure you stay on an alternate route. I’ll also put warnings on particular rooms if it seems likely to come up, and use the subject lines of threads to add in warnings if it comes up unexpectedly.

Goal
Find and return Ilphyl's consciousness to prominence. You know it will take the form of a small bat, but aren't sure how you know this.

Flat / Top-Level Comments Only

- Posted by

beexceptional

[She pauses a moment.]

[Hmmm.]

[This also screams boss battle potential, huh.]

Pollen, buzz on.

[And once changed, WILL CONTINUE HER APPROACH.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[The Shadow, lurking by the door, moves forward, and some of the puffball mushrooms explode in more of the glowing spores, creating the ghost of two figures.]

[– The spores resolve into a dark elf woman, wearing silk robes with a spider motif that matches her surroundings. She stands over a child sprawled on the floor, looking down coldly at them. The child appears to be a young boy, and well-dressed. The child slowly rises to hands and knees, moving gingerly, as if they are in pain. They are facing away from you.

“Do you understand your error?” the woman said.

“Yes, Mother,” the child answers. The voice has a distressing amount of self-control for someone not yet entering puberty, and still sounds hoarse and whispered from pain.

“My son, your loyalty to me and your House does you credit. That and your discretion is what has saved your life today. Focus on the ambitions of males, as the Goddess intended for you. I will have a daughter soon enough as my heir. Rise.”

The child rises and turns. It could be a younger Ilphyl, but even in the outline of mushroom spores, it is clear they are badly bruised. The woman frowns and mutters something about ‘his face’. She reaches out and the child makes a visible effort not to flinch, but she casts a healing spell instead, clearing the visible bruises.

“Go find Belantar for lessons.”

The child bowed, still moving gingerly, even as their face is healed, and steps away. As the memory ends, both the child and the woman solidify, rather than remaining as glowing outlines. The child, as soon as they are near the wall, starts moving as if holding something small and precious to their chest, and ducks into the shadows. Chloe might see a glimpse of a bat wing.
The woman turns as if finally noticing you. ]

“What are you doing here? This space is not for you.”

- Posted by

beexceptional

[And Chloe is]

[Frozen.]

[Upon seeing all that. Its that uncomfortable familiarity, except instead of it just being discomforting...]

[Its suffocating.]

[It shouldn't be, it shouldn't be, it shouldn't be]

[Because her mother never struck her.]

[And yet]

[Everything else was painfully familiar.]

[She looks up at the woman as she talks to her, body snapping ramrod straight, and she feels her heart pounding in her chest as she tries to think of what to do, how does she please her so-]

[Except this isn't her mother, so why-]

[Her breathing is getting short and fast.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

"Well?" the woman said.

Off to the side, the child (Ilphyl?) beckons with their free hand. They seem to have found a door that hadn't been there before.

- Posted by

beexceptional

I-I-

[She should be powerful. She should be untouchable like this, or close enough.]

[She could stand in front of a train and not get hurt, she could flip a car, jump up buildings. She is powerful, she is strong.]

[But in front of eyes that cold, she feels like a small, weak little girl again.]

[There is movement from the corner of her eye-]

[She turns and runs for him because that]

[That she can do.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[Thankfully, you are now being ignored by the woman.]

[The child stares at you.]

You shouldn't be here. You could have been hurt.

- Posted by

beexceptional

[There is a buzzing in her head and it has nothing to do with being a bee.]

I...

I needed to find. You. I needed to find you.

[She has to remember, there was a point she was here.]