spacetogrow / Ilphyl Palace Run

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

spacetogrow

[It appears to be defined by the design of the floor; the puffball mushrooms have made it the farthest in.]

- Posted by

terribletwos

[Will check out the mushrooms then, to see what's special about them]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[The briefest touch of the puffballs causes them to explode into spores, crafting an image...
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. 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.

“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. The child, as soon as they are near the wall, starts moving as if holding something small and precious (that has large eyes and wings) to their chest, and ducks into the shadows. The woman turns as if finally noticing you. ]

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

- Posted by

terribletwos

[Is kind of confused by some of this but does understand that this woman hit someone who looks like Ilphyl]

What were you hitting them for?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

"He needed to learn his proper place. Anyone other than family would have done worse unless they feared me too much to touch him."

- Posted by

terribletwos

What does that even mean? Proper place?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

He is male. He cannot be my daughter, and it would be blasphemous of the first order if he tried to be a priestess. The Goddess would be merciful if she simply killed him for his presumption, and did not remove the entire House.

- Posted by

terribletwos

Your Goddess sounds like a horrible person if they want to kill someone just for wanting to be something important to them. What does it matter if they're a priestess?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[that sound you hear behind you is your guide trying to figure out if they should be applauding or diving for cover in abject terror of the collateral damage]

[meanwhile, it seems you have pissed the woman off]

Impudent fool!

[there are some very large spiders crawling out from the rafters]

[meanwhile, the child has returned, and is trying to stay out of sight, while making urgent 'get out of there' gestures]

- Posted by

terribletwos

[TIME TO SUMMON KEYBLADES]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[there is definitely a roll initiative joke here]

[one spider advances, mandibles aiming for a bite, and the other draws out some web from its spinnerets, tossing it at Nikkou in an attempt to restrain him]

- Posted by

terribletwos

[Dodge rolls from the web since that's the most immediate threat]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[thankfully, this also takes you out of biting range for now, causing the spiders to have to regroup]

[on the other hand, the woman is summoning a swarm of spiders to go with the two big ones]

- Posted by

terribletwos

What is with you and spiders?

[Going to point his weapon at them and unleash and Aero (wind) spell]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

"They are sacred creatures."

[Thankfully, area effetc magic are good against swarms of small bitey things, but the two big spiders aren't terribly impressed. They back off a bit to avoid the sword, but one starts to circle around]

[The guide seems to have come to some sort of equilibrium and calls out: "You're in a mindscape! You can't win by magic or sword alone!"]

- Posted by

terribletwos

If they're important, you shouldn't use them against people. They'll get hurt in a fight.

[Turns to the guide]

How else do you fight monsters?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

How do you fight someone else's fears when you can't literally stab them?

- Posted by

terribletwos

[THIS IS A THING???]

Uh, try to make them less scary?

[LOOK I USUALLY JUST HIT THINGS OKAY]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Oh, for fucks sake...

As long as we [gestures to self, and the child] believe that no one could overpower our mother, you won't be able to do it here. As long as we're afraid, you can either retreat, or you'll die.