Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Summer Soiree: Dragontear Lake (CLOSED)

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Hello there! Welcome to my Summer Soiree topic! I hosted one last year and it was a huge success, so I'm back at it again this year!
Now, allow me to set the stage... and some ground rules...

This is a lakeside barbecue/swimming party! You can jump in the lake, tan in the sand, or sit in the shade and enjoy some freshly-cooked meals. There are even some magical trinkets and potions available for magical hijinks!

The setting is mid-high fantasy, but anyone is invited to stop by! The tear-shaped pendants have been scattered all over the multiverse. Whether you're from the modern day, the space age, or are also a fantasy-dweller, you're more than welcome to join us!

Your pendant is what keeps your character anchored at the lake! By putting it on, your character will be instantly teleported to the party. By removing it, your character will warp back to the location they found the pendant. With this in mind, feel free to back out of my event at any time! You are always welcome to come back.

No littering in the lake! Deep down, a bunch of sea serpents and dragons live at the bottom of the lake. They were so kind to let the Palmer family have a party in their lake, but please don't make them regret doing so.

Oh yeah, try not to disturb/agitate the dragons. In this world, a lot of conflict has been happening between two different factions, and thus they are more easily provoked than normal. Be nice to them, and they will be nice to you!

Remember to keep it civil! IC drama is okay, but keep it IC. We're here to have fun!

And lastly, don't be afraid to PM me if you have any questions or concerns! I promise, I don't bite. I wanna make sure this event is fun for everyone involved!

When Nagisa found the mysterious wooden box, lying half-buried in the sand near the ocean as if it had been dropped there by mistake, she was quick to retrieve it from the beach and open it up. And then, when she saw the beautiful tear-shaped pendant and read the note that was with it, she didn't hesitate to put it on (though only after preparing herself for the party that was advertised.) A party by a lake sounded fun, and Nagisa would happily attend. First, though, she took a few moments to get ready, changing into a brightly-coloured floral sundress (with a swimsuit beneath it in case she wanted to jump in the lake, which would be likely), brushing her hair and putting it up in a ponytail. She adorned the simplistic yet pretty style with her favourite pink hibiscus hairpin, making funny faces at herself in the mirror as she took in her own appearance. After picking up her bag and packing a few items into it, she decided she was now ready. With that, she put on the necklace and was transported.
Upon arriving at the party, Nagisa found herself standing in a very shallow part of the lake. She grinned as the cool water lapped at her calves (the water was not nearly deep enough in this spot to force a transformation into her aquatic form) and just barely dampened the hem of her dress. Taking some time to admire the beautiful scenery - she was usually more of an ocean girl, but lakes were just as amazing in her opinion - she marvelled at the view of trees and mountains around her, and hoped to catch a glimpse of the people in the photo, who she figured were probably the hosts of this event.

Micaria was walking on a dirt path, just outside the town. She had just completed a Guild Quest, and was now seeking a place to relax. It was when she accidentally stumbled in the box half-buried in to the pathway.

"ACK!" she grunted as she hit the ground. "Man, who leaves boxes left around the road, its dangerous!"

She then stood up, grabbing the box with her uppermost pair of arms, while using the other four to dust her dress. Examining it, she found it was open, containing the pendant and the photo, alongside the note. So it was an invitation of some kid? Micaria grinned widely as she read the note. Hopping onto her broom, she immediately flew home to change clothes. Changing into her purple-colored bikini (she would heep her witch hat which was god against the Sun), she got ready. Micaria put the pendant on and was instantly teleported to the lake..

"Wow.." the Spider Witch smiled as she gazed on the beautiful scenery with her six brown eyes. "This is so pretty."

Somehow, the scenery was even more beautiful and lively than anything anyone could have imagined.

The sun was beaming down intensely on the landscape, making everything in its wake bright and warm. The smell of freshly-cooked skewers and the sizzling crackle of an open bonfire acted as a beacon to draw in the newcomers- not just one, but two.

"Hey there, kiddo!" The old woman depicted in the photo- wearing a flowered blouse and your typical witch's hat- called out near the water. "We've got company!"

Scrambling out from the sand, the white-haired kid in the photo ran towards the center of the party area so she could see both visitors more clearly. "Ohh, yes yes! It worked, Mother! It worked!"

The old woman nodded approvingly as Bailey went to greet them. The first emerged right out of the water- she was just glad the girl wasn't warped too far into the lake! (Even if she was unaware of Nagisa's mermaid nature.) "Helloooo! Over here! Sorry, I didn't think people would get teleported into the water! Are you okay out there?"

As she waited for Nagisa to reach dry land, Bailey turned to the second arrival. Although she flinched out of instinct at the girl's extra arms and eyes, Bailey was not at all judgmental, and greeted Micaria just as warmly as she did with Nagisa. "Why, hi there, stranger! Glad to see you made it in okay! Welcome to the party!"

"Ohohohoho! We've already got two new faces and we've only just finished setting up!" The old woman cackled heartily. "I can only imagine where the rest of them pendants have wound up... I was all willy-nilly with sendin' them out..."

"Either way, I'm excited to find out!" After briefly acknowledging her mother once more, Bailey turned to the guests, respectfully. "So, hello! My name's Bailey! And this is my mother, Winifred! Who might you all be?"

Standing on the shore of the lake, Micaria let the wind to catch into her side ponytail, with her glossy black hair shining in the sunlight, causing the flashing colors of green, blue, purple and orange. From the corner of her eyes, Spider Witch noticed the white-haired kid from the photo, who might have been one of the hosts. She turned to her and smiled, with a pair of smaller fangs flashing:

"Hello there. My name is Micaria, nice to meet you." she even offered one of her hands to shake.

So the girl was named Bailey, while her mother was Winifred. Micaria was excite about the fact that the other host was a witch, who even might have been the one making these pendants.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine." Nagisa said, not only genuinely unbothered, but downright pleased, that she had ended up right in the lake. "It's shallow here, and besides, I'm... a pretty good swimmer." She grinned as she said it, as if sharing some inside joke, though of course the average person would not pick up on her being a mermaid while she remained in her humanoid form. She certainly looked... unusual... compared to real humans, maybe even a bit aquatic, but the exact details weren't necessarily obvious.
Still smiling, Nagisa slowly exited the lake, her bare, webbed feet leaving marks in the sand as she stepped ashore. She gave a quick wave to the other guest who had just arrived, then returned her focus to Bailey. "My name is Nagisa. Its great to meet you, and your mother as well. I have to say, this lake is beautiful... even moreso in person." She extended a hand for Bailey to shake (certainly not feeling the need to hide her webbed fingers), and gave a respectful nod in the direction of the kid's mother.

It was another day where Ren had accidentally been transported to another place. Last time he had been transported was finding the doorway to the interdimensional Trixie's Bar via an abandoned building.

After realizing where he had been, he looked around frantically to find his familiar, Azumi. He knew about the risks of her being too far away from him. What if she did not get transported? What if this was another dimension and he was stranded without any way back.

All this worrying was for nothing fortunately, as Azumi was behind him. The familiar wagged her tails as she hugged her summoner. Though her demeanor changed from a docile to a stern one when she realized what Ren had done.

"Did I not tell you to ask me about randomly placed magical objects before using them?", She crossed her arms, "You could have been injured or worse!"

"Hey", Ren sighed, "At least the place isn't inhospitable. It's not like I knew anyway"

"That is no excuse to- Oh! This place is pretty"

The pair viewed the lake together silently, admiring every second of their visit to Dragontear Lake.

Apparently, the Fleshmold had decided to work overhours to grow towards her den that night. As the Dragon emerged from her humble crack between the rocks, helmet tightened against her skull, she watched as the softly throbbing, rotted brown matter inched closer and closer towards her presumed safe spot, its veiny mycelium anchoring itself into the parched clay ground. Man, what a shame. She'd really enjoyed living here! With a sigh full of husky morning breath, the Dragon turned around to fetch her things from den so she could make a run for it while the Spore-Spirals were still being brewed into existence beneath the Fleshmold.. except when she stepped inside, her bags weren't there. Instead, there was an unexplained ray on sunlight coming from straight above her comfy sand bed, with in the middle of this heavenly beam.. a necklace. That was new. The Dragon frowned and picked it up, squinting to get a better look. It was quite heavy in her paw, and the pendant itself appeared to be see-through, with a very realistic image of two maned, bipedal creatures standing in a lush and alien enviroment. There was also a piece of paper inside, containing a message in a language she couldn't read- yet somehow, all felt clear to her. Maybe she had to try this thing on, just for the fun of it! And, there, easy as that. The shift was so abrupt that the Dragon felt dizzy and instantly smacked to the ground when it'd occurred. Soft, slightly moist ground, with a pleasant, rain-like scent. It wasn't nearly as hot anymore, and the sky was a vibrant, cooling blue. What in the higgity huggity hell had just happened?! Gasping to catch her breath, she looked around, her prickly golden mane rising with surprise. What was.. this was actually rather pleasant, surprisingly. Regaining her composure, the Dragon puffed out a steadying breath, and got back on all four of her sturdy legs. The soft hum of voices in the distance caressed her ears. Speaking her tongue, no less! How often did it happen that she came across more than two living peers?! Too overcome with excitement to doubt her surroundings, the Dragon bounced off towards the noise, but once the source of the voices came into sight, she screeched to a standstill. What were.. those? She recognized the strange bipedal creatures from the image in the pendant; one old, and one with lucious white mane. They looked uncannily fleshy in real life, though, but they didn't smell like Parasites. Aside from them, there was also a darker toned bipedal creature with many eyes, and one wearing a hood that covered their face. Then, there was the blue creature. She could've mistaken them for a dragon from the distance, but now that she was getting a closer look, they looked similar to the flesh-things, but just.. blue. Had it been a mistake to hang out here? Despite the overwhelming amount of strange bipedals present, though, the Dragon could swear that she smelled something familiar. Dragonic, like her, hidden away under the water. What was the deal with that? What could a healthy dragon possibly want with so much water? Then it dawned on her. These creatures, they had to be.. monsters! Predators, luring dragons in with a promise of a nice escape from Here, only to drown them and keep them entombed in that lake over there! Her hackles now fully raised, the Dragon huffed out a nervous puff of smoke before dashing towards the nearest shrub. She wasn't gonna flee, not yet.. she had to watch these beasts, and see what their next move would be. They outnumbered her, sure, but the Dragon was used dealing with all sorts of unsightful cretins. She'd outsmart them, just they wait!

Vigorously, Bailey went around and shook all the open hands being presented to her. First starting with Micaria, as the spider-witch was closest, followed by Nagisa as she exited the water. Bailey loved to meet new people and new creatures, and both guests were exciting her greatly. Neither were human, which only increased Bailey's interest in learning more about them. "Well! Micaria, Nagisa, it's a pleasure to meet the both of you!"

Winifred tipped her hat to the two guests, not quite as eager to shake hands (but certainly not against it). Her gaze was warm and welcoming- clearly, happy to see them all.

Bailey suddenly perked up as she heard talking a few ways away from where the crowd was gathering. Hiking up the skirt of her robe, Bailey ran towards the noise, only to be met with a young man and a kitsune by his side. "Oh! Hello there, strangers! Welcome to Dragontear Lake! Are you here for the party-"

Bailey trailed off as she caught a glimpse of a blurry, beastly silhouette dashing into the underbrush. "What the heck was that?" She turned her attention back to Ren and Azumi. "Are- Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Stay close, Vanille." said the woman whom has olive skin and wavy dark hair with a braid behind her left ear. Fang has green eyes, a beauty mark beneath her right eye, and wears purple claw-shaped earrings. She went with her sister, Vanille, whom has bright red hair tied in curled pigtails, green eyes, and pierced ears with silver hoop earrings. The red hair sister jumped around and hum because of the outing mood. "This place is gorgeous! I want to look around!." Vanille uttered happily. She dashed to front and scanned the environtment. "You can't stay still, can you?" Fang sighed upon her sister behavior. She wasn't mad about it, but her sister tends to catch some danger with her because of her urge to strolled around.

With the abilities to cause trouble, Vanille stumbled upon the wooden box and landed on her knees. "Ouch!" she whimpered. Vanille was sure to be careful on her step but yet she got another scratch marked on her body. "I told you to stay still." Fang grunted after she ran over worriedly to her sister. Vanille stretched her hand and found a small, wooden box, which apparently the cause of her fall. "Fang, look what I've found." Vanille shrieked. The wooden box seems mysterious. But something itchy made Vanille curious to open the thing. "I know what you're thinking of. Just don't."Fang warned her.

But, prohibition was like a command for Vanille. She ignored what her sister worries and open the box as a beautiful tear-shaped pendant lied beneath. She pulled out the pendant and stared at its shimmer. The piece of jewelry seems to be quivering in her hand, as if vibrating with excitement. Without a second thought, Vanille put the pendant on her neck and felt the abrupt sensation when she was suddenly teleported out of the scene. A glimpse of Fang screamed to call her name was gone at another second Vanille opened her eyes.

"Fang? Fang! Fang! Vanille shrieked after she was arrived at the unknown place without her sister. She gasped, it felt like some of her consciousness torn with the sudden teleport. What is this? Where am I? her blurry vision become clear when she found out a young girl with scruffy white hair and an old woman by her side- and they appear to be waving at her happily. She realized her surroundings that now she was on somewhat a shore, with another people already gathered and looks like they experience the same thing as her. She looked nervous, but curious as always, she bravely approach them to get any explanation from it.



"Uh... Hello?" she grunted, as if she was in pain.

"My pleasure to meet with fellow spellcasters. I cant wait for the party." Micaria said. Her attention then went for the mermaid, followed by the hooded boy with the kitsune.

"Lets enjoy ourselves now that we are are. I hope we could get along."

She was oblivious of the presence of the Dragon who went into the underbrush, however she noticed the freshest newcomer, a young woman with orange hair.

"Hello." she greeted her.

After shaking hands with Bailey, Nagisa stepped aside to make room for the other guests; the party was certainly filling up quite quickly. She briefly caught a glimpse of something or someone moving into the bushes, but couldn't identify what she was seeing, and thought little of it. Maybe just some local wildlife? More pressing was the girl who had most recently teleported in. She looked a bit distressed, which was... fair. Teleportation could be a jarring experience, especially because most people weren't used to it. She gave a little wave in the girl's direction, and a reassuring smile, but said nothing at first, opting to give her space and time to get acquainted with the situation.
Nagisa set her bag in the sand and plunked herself down beside it, content to observe quietly for the time being. She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her folded arms, staring serenely into the brilliant blue water... it was so beautiful, and she couldn't get enough of just looking at it. She would definitely be diving in later on. It didn't seem overly likely that anyone would react negatively to seeing her splashing around in mermaid form, so she wasn't at all hesitant to swim in the lake. For now, though, she was content to sit in the warm sand and enjoy the sunshine.

Just as Bailey was approaching the Dragon's hiding spot, ready to pull away the leaves and twigs to give away her presence, Bailey's attention was ripped away the moment a newcomer teleported into the fray. The shapeshifter turned to go greet Vanille, leaving the Dragon be... for now.

"Oh! Oh! Hi! Hello there!" Bailey scrambled forward, dusting off her robe with sleeve-covered hands. She offered one of said hands to shake. "Nice to meetcha! Welcome to Dragontear Lake!"

Winifred chuckled as she observed all of the newcomers. She gestured for her kid to come closer, throwing an arm around Bailey's shoulder for a comfortable side-hug. "Now take it easy, sweetie, I know there's a lotta people showin' up. How about y'all go play for a bit while I greet the new guests? Don't forget, I'm hostin' this party as much as you are!"

Bailey's eyes lit up, as she nodded happily. "Great idea! Can I be in charge of the potion table, too?"

"No, you can't. I'm in charge of the potion table. I brewed 'em, not you."

"Aww..." It was at that point that Bailey wriggled away from Winifred's embrace and went to face all of the arrivals (minus the hiding Dragon). "Well, you heard her! C'mon! Let's go, let's go!"

Bailey was already making a break for the water.

Seeing in their world it lunchtime had just started, Ren's stomach started to grumble. Azumi, being a spirit, did not need to eat and only noticed Ren's hunger. She held her summoner's hand and tilted her head out of concern. It seemed she could read his mind.

"I could go for some food right now", Ren commented

"How about we fish?", She said as she materialized two old fishing rods out of thin air.

"You can seriously just pull convenient things out of nowhere, can't you?"

The kitsune simply giggled and proceeded to approach Winifred, who seemed to also be the host of this party.

"Excuse me, miss", Azumi said, smiling all the while, "Would you perhaps have a boat lying around somewhere? It is my summoner's fervent desire to fish right at this very moment!"

"I don't want to fish that much!", Ren blushed in embarrasment, "And can't you be less verbose?"

Vanille was astonished about her surroundings. It was beautiful, with the mild breeze, cloudless sunshine. The air was cool but the sun was out. It was great to have some BBQ for the mood, or maybe some swimming around the lake.


“Uhm… Cool. Well, hello.” Vanille muttered, trying to grasp everything with some unique people welcome her. She stretched out her hand to have her handshake with Micaria, lift the edge of her mouth to flash a warm smile back for Nagisa. She caught a glimpse of the dragon which seems to hide its own appearance between the bushes. She also had a happy handshake with Bailey whom cherished her and being excited with more people appeared. “Nice to meet you too! This place is gorgeous, by the way.” Vanille beamed. She also gave a polite bow to Ren and Azumi. “Wow, we can go fishing here?” Vanille clap her hand once excitedly when Azumi mentioned about it, and having the rods ready on her hands. “Can I go with you? I want to see how would you catch the fish!” The girl said excitedly.

Watching from the shadowy safety of the shrubbery, the Dragon could almost argue that these bipedals looked.. peaceful. Despite knowing that one wouldn't get anywhere in the world without being cautious, a strong sense of happiness and calmness hung in the air, smothering her with good vibes. She wanted to relax and introduce herself, shed her worries in the sun. But.. how could she? She'd never seen these creatures before, and the fact that she smelled dragons in the lake and not anywhere else still had her on edge. Then another biped appeared, one with feisty red mane. They all seemed so friendly to each other; one of them had a furry friend with them that wasn't regarded with fear, and even the 'anomalous' bipeds, the ones with blue skin and many arms and eyes, weren't treated as if they were Infected. Strange. Did that mean they weren't dangerous, then? Then, the small white-maned biped approached, and the Dragon tensed up again. She was saved just in time by a distracting drawing the bipedal hatchling - it was a young'un, wasn't it? - away, and she relaxed again. Dammit, why was this so hard? Her curiosity overpowered her fear at this point. All this happiness, she had never seen that before. Not at the Rebuilders, and certainly not during the years that she'd spent roaming the wastelands on her lonesome. She had to have.. a taste. It looked so deliciously wholesome to hang out with these weird creatures.. "Umm.. heya, there!" the Dragon blurted all of a sudden, and she poked her big helmeted gourd out of the undergrowth. "Do you guys have room for one more? For me, I mean? To go with you and uhh, do whatever fun thing you are gonna do." She didn't want to draw all attention to herself, but the Dragon knew, even after years of social isolation, that this was not a very practical way to introduce oneself. To avoid multiple eyes burning on her - the dark-skinned biped had far too many for her comfort.. - she decided to direct her golden gaze to the white-maned hatchling and their presumed elder, who had just let their little one escape from their really comfortable-looking side-hug. Phew, when was the last time she'd touched wings with another dragon? Probably the Den Mother, back with the Rebuilders. And she had been all about tough love.. Regardless of the reaction towards her sudden appearance, the Dragon shyly crept out of the bushes and decided to follow the group from a small distance, trying to avoid as much overwhelming new interactions as she could, while still savoring the heartwarming feeling of being around folks being happy together.

Micaria was thrilled by the thought she has now the chance of spending time with potential new friends. After greeting the red-hared female, she turned her attention to Winifred and went to her.

"Its a pleasure to meet a fellow witch. I am so excited." she said with a grin.

And then, she saw the Dragon arriving in the underbrush. So it was indeed someone there. The Spider Witch was curious, why such a large and impressive beast would hide from the smaller humanoids. In her world, dragons would fight adventurers for treasures and such. Maybe the world this one came from works differently?

"Hello." she stepped closer do the Dragon, eager to meet her.

Azumi became excited at the sight of the dragon. At first, she was understandably scared, but when the dragon's tone had suggested otherwise, the fox spirit proceeded to run towards the dragon in order to greet her.

"Azumi!", Ren called, "What about the fishing rods?"

"You two can fish, dear. Make sure not to litter as I do not respect those who harm the environment!", She replied.

"We won't anyway, something tells me something'll go wrong anyways if we do..."

Azumi scanned the dragon, circling her excitedly from head to tail. What the dragon may or may not expect, however was the flurry of questions Azumi had instantaneously prepared for her. She was always like this, an inquisitive fluffball of optimism and positivity wherever she went. A trait her ever so shy Ren would inherit, albeit to a lesser extent.

"Where'd you get that helmet? Are you older than me? I'm 500 years old, you know! Oh, oh! Are you a yokai like me? Do you like being pet? My summoner loves to pet me! Can I pet you? Oh my, I apologize, you have rather amazed me!"

Meanwhile, Ren waited for Winifred to respond to Azumi's question regarding a boat that they could use. He also handed Vanille Azumi's fishing rod.

"Never know when you'll need a spare", He smiled, but looked away shyly.

With her eyes half-closed against the very pleasant but also very bright sun, it took Nagisa a moment to realize that the previously mentioned something or someone had reemerged from the undergrowth. She had been half-listening to the chatter around her, deciding it was best to keep quiet about her reservations regarding fishing. She was planning to sit here just a little longer before following Bailey to partake in fun activities.
It was only when she heard a greeting uttered by an unfamiliar voice, and the onslaught of questions coming from the kitsune, that she actually looked up and caught sight of the dragon. Her first thought was "Oh right, Dragontear Lake, of course there would be a dragon." But then... this one seemed a bit awkward and hesitant, and also had one of those teardrop necklaces, so... maybe this dragon came from elsewhere. Now rather curious, Nagisa got to her feet. She decided her bag would probably be just fine if she left it here, so that was what she did. After brushing some sand from her dress, she followed after Bailey and those who had decided to join her. Every part of Nagisa wanted to ask questions of the dragon, but she also didn't want to overwhelm them... And besides, the kitsune seemed to have the... interview... handled, so she just made an effort to listen in on that.

Bailey was drawn back into the fray, gently approaching the Dragon and trying not to crowd her- since she had been hiding previously, she assumed it would be polite to maintain some distance. "Whoooaaa! A land dragon! W-Why yes, of course you can join! By all means!"


"Alright, settle down, you little devils," Winifred chuckled, stepping foot towards the group in an attempt to mellow things out a pinch. She turned to Azumi upon being questioned. "Eh? You wanna go fishin' out in the lake?"

The old woman nodded with a crooked smile. "Heheh, well, if it's because you're hungry, there's no need to catch yer own meal. I've already got plenty of food to go around," Winifred pointed a skinny finger at a picnic table located near the bonfire. There were baskets of ingredients a few ways away, and freshly-cooked food already laid out on the tabletop. "Go help yourself!"

Taking a moment to think, this gave her an idea for a potential activity. "But, if you're still in the mood to go fishin', I suppose we could arrange a catch-and-release, just for fun? That sounds like a mighty fine idea!"

Winifred removed her hat. Reaching a hand in, she suddenly pulled out an absurd amount of fishing items from within- rods, nets, bait, barbless hooks, the whole shebang. They all hovered effortlessly in midair as she put her own hat back on, allowing anyone to take their pick. "Now, I dunno if we have any boats lyin' around... but-"

"I got this!" Bailey suddenly hollered. Winifred craned her head over just in time to watch Bailey dive into the water with a loud SPLASH! A few moments later, the girl resurfaced.... but not in her usual form.

Slowly, a gigantic sea serpent rose from out of the water, with smooth white scales, fins and horns crowning her head, limbs replaced with flippers and accompanied by a long tail to help propel her through the water. With a youthful smile forever present, Bailey lowered her massive head towards the crowd, her tail slithering across the sand like a makeshift ramp.

"Climb aboard my back!" Bailey offered, for anyone interested in swimming or fishing. "Let's go out into the water!"