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

terribletwos

That's great to hear. Hopefully, it will be enough to help bring you back.

Oh, I was wondering something. What's up with all the mushrooms here?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

They're memories. They match the expression of each place.

- Posted by

terribletwos

Oh.

So I probably shouldn't try to taste them like we talked about.

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Not these ones, no.

[it does get a laugh]

- Posted by

terribletwos

Which one would you recommend I check out?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[considers] I only know what's in the ones in this room. You'll have to ask another part of us about the others.

- Posted by

terribletwos

Well, for the ones in here with you?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

The one on the bookshelf is just me talking to Tolovir about where he's from. The one the priestess held is my arrival at the village this place represents.

You probably will understand why that one is important now, if you've seen the other room. It's not bad, but...

[but only makes sense in context of Ilphyl's past.]

- Posted by

terribletwos

Oh, I'll go check out that one then.

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[The potted mushroom is near the crowd of other elves, who are only loosely sketched in, more of an idea of a crowd than an actual crowd. It releases spores are you draw near, which smell of incense and sawdust.

[-- You and a gnome woman are being shown around what could be part of the same settlement by an older dark elf woman. Most of the residents are dark elves, though there are one or two half-elves or others. It's nighttime, but most of the residents seem to be acting like it's the day -- people doing chores and children playing.

A young girl grabs a toy out of a young boy's arms. An older woman steps in, reminding the girl to ask permission before taking something another person is using. You stop walking, to watch the scene play out, as the young girl apologizes and returns the toy.

"Ilphyl? You all right, kid?" The gnome asked, noticing that they had left you behind.

You don't answer. This seems to concern the gnome even more. Your guide glances at you, and then at what you are looking at. "Ah. Well, if I needed any proof that you were fresh up from the Underdark, it would be that. I'd wager your student, Madame Yebe, has memories of a sister who would not now be getting the lecture Jana is getting from her mother."

"Cousins, actually," you say, still having trouble forming words, and still watching the family as the woman reminds the two children about sharing.--

- Posted by

terribletwos

I guess this place must've come as quite a shock...

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[the Ilphyl in the room walked over]

Yeah. Sometimes you need to know a better place exists, even if you don't decide to stay there.

- Posted by

terribletwos

You didn't stick around?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

It was better, but I still didn't fit.

[shifts uncomfortably]

Being in a place where I could be male without feeling like I was lesser for it, helped me figured out that maybe I don't always want to be male. Or female, either. But that was really hard to explain, even if people tried to understand. It's a thing surface elves do; some can even change their bodies to match. It's not common in dark elves. Or maybe it is, but not here.

- Posted by

terribletwos

Did you go to the surface then?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Technically this was on the surface, just hidden. But I did spend more time with non-elves.

- Posted by

terribletwos

That was something you couldn't do before?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

I did it before, just...

[awkward]

I was living with my teacher. She's a gnome -- you saw her in the memory. I could barely fit through doors.

[Ilphyl is about a foot taller than a gnome]

I wanted a place where I'd just... fit.

- Posted by

terribletwos

Does that mean you feel more comfortable in the prison?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[another startled laugh]

In as much as I feel like everyone is out of place, so I'm not more out of place than others. But I also don't like being trapped; if I stay in one place, it's because I choose to be.