Chapter 1 - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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When: 03.13.2024 A.C.E. - 1755 hours CST
Where: somewhere in rural Oklahoma
Who: our protagonist Joshua Magnus, an aging dreamer reveling in his plans to rain fortune down on his family and friends

I laid out the last few gummy bears on a plate in front of me. And then the murders began.

As the day's warmth lingered, I sat on my front porch, the quiet expanse of my yard ringed in a small forest stretching out before me. I lit a preroll joint I'd picked up earlier today from my local medical dispensary for medical marijuana. A deep drag from the spicy tasting flower in the joint filling my lungs, I thought about all the things I'd ordered and plans I set in motion today as I felt the effects begin to calm the nerve irritation I felt in my back and legs. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. This afternoon was meant for simple pleasures, a drive to family dinner, yet the sky had other plans. Within moments, the calm was shattered by an unnatural storm, its lightning painting the sky in surreal shades of purple and green. As I stood, transfixed by the spectacle, a blinding flash consumed everything. Silence, then darkness. Then a voice echoes in my mind, almost familiar but I can't quite place it.

"You have been chosen to have the chance to live a new life. You were about to die from a tornado, as such you were a prime candidate for our needs. You will have a new body, a new life, with new memories, in an entirely new world. A copy of your belongings have been transported to this new world with you. Your new body will be another who was about to die and instead joined the program as well, freeing up their body to be your new home. You have been placed in a magical panic room that has been added to your home. Few things on this world can breach the material this room is made from. You will find more information about this new world and how it works in the books on the table by your Orb of Class, and a map of the nearby area in this panic room. You will remember your last life as well as what you need to from your new life's history. This is your gift for participating. You selected the person you would be transmigrating into and then your memory of it was removed. You agreed to do this. Thank you for your assistance."

When: 03.13.993 A.C. - 1655 hours F.C.T.
Where: inside a magical stone panic room under Joshua's house that has been transported to somewhere on the west coast of The Elderwild Lake, outside of the village of Morinrayne, in the country of Tyrnolique
Who: our protagonist Joshua Magnus, an aging dreamer thrust into an unfamiliar body, world, and situation

I awoke not to the familiar comforts of home, not on the front porch I'd been on before, but to an enclosing darkness that felt both protective and alien, even as the softness of the material I was laying on screamed into my sense of touch of a luxury I've never experienced before. A sense of displacement washed over me, a knowledge deep in my bones that I was no longer where I belonged. The realization dawned slowly, a clarity emerging from the shadows: I was in a world not my own, hidden within what that strange voice said to be a magical panic room beneath my property—a concept as foreign as the land it now occupied. I wouldn't believe it except upon opening my eyes, and seeing nothing in the pitch black room I seemed to be, I felt around me for the edge of the bed I was laying on. Sliding my legs over the edge I sit up and almost on instinct I raise my hand in a strange gesture as I whisper, "Aer Alam" and a small ball of flame appears in my hand.The light illuminating my immediate area. I see it and somehow know the door out of this room is around the corner and across a larger room. I make my way out the door and find a stone stairwell on the other side. Shrugging at the oddity of this situation, I wonder if I've nodded off on the porch while waiting on my ride. "Strangely detailed dream if that's the case," I think aloud to myself as I make my way up the stairs and find a wooden door at the top. On the other side of it is the hallway of my home, with the bathroom opposite this door as well as my daughter's room at the end of the hall and my office to the left from here. "Strange, that used to be the hall closet." I mused to myself as I go right out of the stairwell/closet, making my way towards the living room and through it to the front door as I pull my phone from my pocket.

No signal. 'Of course,' I think to myself. And that's when I notice the screaming coming from outside. Alarmed, I rush to open the door and scan the area.

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When: 03.13.993 A.C. - 1655 hours F.C.T.
Where: on the southeast coast of The Elderwild Lake, outside of the village of Morinrayne, in the country of Tyrnolique
Who: A group of three couples sharing an afternoon lakeside picnic date together.

Roscoe spread a thick blanket over the soft grass by the lake's edge, the serene waters of the lake mirroring the clear blue sky. "Perfect spot, wouldn't you say?" he grinned, looking over at Lia and Tomas, who were unloading baskets of food.

"Couldn't agree more," Lia replied, her tone light, a playful spark in her eyes. "Though, Tomas here promised his vegan cooking would be the highlight of the day, not just the view."

Tomas chuckled, setting down a basket with a flourish. "Wait until you try my spiced eggplants. You'll want me on every outing."

Sirin, Roscoe's date, pulled a small, intricately carved ivory flute from her bag. "Every good picnic needs music. Let's hope the setting inspires some new tunes." Her gaze met Roscoe's, shared excitement for their day together so clear to everyone else they grinned as the two moon-eyed each other.

Mirelle, laying out an array of preserves jars and wine bottles near the food, added, "Just as long as one of Tomas's experiments doesn't require me to whip up a quick antidote." Her laugh was warm, inviting Jasper to join in the jest.

Jasper, ever the eager apprentice, was quick to retort, "I'll have you know, I've been practicing some non-explosive spells for today. Strictly atmospheric enhancements, I promise." His eyes gleamed with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

As the group settled into comfortable camaraderie, Roscoe raised his cup in a toast. "To friends, new and old, and to a day free from guard duties and magical mishaps!"

The group echoed his sentiment, their laughter mingling with the gentle lapping of the lake's waters. But as they began to dig into Tomas's much-vaunted dishes, the sky unexpectedly darkened. Roscoe's eyes were the first to narrow at the horizon. "That's odd; wasn't a storm forecasted for today," he murmured, more to himself than the group.

Roscoe's day off was a picture of tranquility, surrounded by the laughter of companions by the lake's edge, the gentle lull of water against the shore providing a serene soundtrack. The gathering, meant as a respite, quickly turned surreal as the sky darkened ominously. 

Lia, ever vigilant, followed his gaze. "Looks like trouble. We might want to pack up soon." Her tone was calm, a contrast to the sudden unease that flickered in her eyes.

Sirin put down her flute, her expression serious. "Storms can be quick this time of year. Let's not take chances."

As the winds picked up, Jasper's curiosity overcame his concern. "You think it's natural? This feels... different."

Mirelle, standing to gather her things, nodded. "Best to be cautious. Magic is unpredictable during storms."

Their light-hearted banter turned to hurried preparations as the first unusual streaks of purple and green lightning tore through the sky, their picnic under the looming threat of an unnatural storm.

Without warning, a tornado, small yet fierce, touched down on the other side of the lake. It wasn't the wind or the debris that captured Roscoe's attention, but the sight of an entire house, complete with its surrounding land and outbuildings, an entire property, materializing as if the storm itself had carried it across realms. The ground reshaped where the twister touched it opening space and accommodating this new intrusion into their world.

As the reality of what had happened settled in, the storm's fury seemed to concentrate on the lake, those strange colored bolts of lightning strike the lake four times back to back, transforming the docile koi into monstrous beings that took to the air with voracious intent. Panic ensued, a primal fear taking hold as the picnic turned into a battlefield.

The whole party watched in wide-eyed fascination at the colors of light flickering and pulsing within the lake. The waters began to ripple as little golden koi began to jump out of the water and fly a few few before pulsing in arcane energies and dropping back into the waters. As seconds pass, the small fish begin growing, some faster than others. Half a minute into watching this strange lightshow, the fish begin flying around for a few seconds, changing direction in the air or doing full loops before returning to the water. By this point some of the larger fish have grown as large as a medium size dog, and have these long pointed teeth in their mouths. They begin to swim through the air towards the picnic goers. The group screams as they realize the fish are aiming for them. They scatter.

Roscoe, ever the guardsman even off duty, felt a surge of responsibility. Amidst the confusion, his training took over. He stood, assessing the situation with a clarity that belied the chaos. The transformed koi descended, and Roscoe knew he had to act. His world had changed in an instant, and there was no choice but to adapt, to protect those who had come to enjoy a simple day by the lake.

As he prepared to face this unexpected threat, a resolve hardened within him. This was no longer a day off; it was a call to arms, a test of his courage and his will to defend his newfound companions against the fantastical dangers that the storm had unleashed. He glanced around at everyone running in odd directions, "Run for cover at that house," he yells to them as he puts himself between the group that is now fleeing and the lead flying monster koi. Waiting for it to close the range he readies himself, and just as it gets close enough to begin closing its mouth for an attack aimed for his head, Roscoe sidesteps the attack as his sword appears in his hand with a blue shimmer of magic. The rune-sharpened blade slicing through the mutating fish and gutting it end to end thanks to its forward momentum and the magically sharp blade. Roscoe smiles at his sword, "Good job Leeroy," he says to it before turning towards his friends in time to see them diving for cover. More fish had taken off than that one, some apparently went on ballistic arcs flying right over him and the first one he'd dispatched. 

Mirelle ducked under a strange wooden archway in the front yard of the strange house that had just appeared just as a large fish crashed through it overhead. She screams as a smaller fish bites her shoulder from behind and begins chewing madly into the muscles there, blood spraying from the wound as it does so vigorously.

Lia and Tomas are under some sort of covered area filled with boxes of strange things, near a few strange carriages. They both see Mirelle get pinned to the ground by one of the fish, and this makes Lia unleash an esoteric incantation as her hands curl into an arcane form, and suddenly three blue orbs materialize in front of her fingers and rocket towards the fish chewing on Mirelle's shoulder. All three hit the mark without error, knocking the fish free from her best friend and killing it in the process.

Roscoe scans around for Sirin and Jasper, spotting the former climbing onto the porch of the house as a fish latches onto her lower leg and causes her to fall onto her back in the yard. Jasper is on the ground as well, just short of where Mirelle is with another fish chewing on his arm. Another two fish dive bomb Roscoe as his mind registers the danger to his companions. One of them just grazes his arm, but the other latches onto his stomach from the side. Any other day he'd be wearing armor there, but today it was just a cotton tunic, his nice one. And now that was ruined, just like the muscles on that side of his gut. The pain flared through his senses and expressed itself as a rage filled scream as he fought to get its lockjaw like grip free of his side.

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When: 03.13.993 A.C. - 1657 hours F.C.T.
Where: on the west coast of The Elderwild Lake, outside of the village of Morinrayne, in the country of Tyrnolique
Who: our clueless protagonist, Joshua

Barely moments after stepping into the fading daylight, the surreal chaos that greeted me forced a hard swallow. The front yard had become a warzone, with flying, mutated fish—arcane koi, my mind helpfully supplied—assaulting a group of people who were clearly unprepared for such an attack. My first instinct was to turn back, to hide in the safety of the strange room that had welcomed me into this world. "I can just nope out of this right?" I ask myself. But something within me, a blend of newfound courage and a sense of responsibility for my accidental neighbors, propelled me forward.

"Aer Alam," I whispered, more out of reflex than any conscious decision, as a small ball of flame danced in my palm. It was a trick, a spell from this new life that I somehow knew as well as my own name. I used it first to light my way in the dark panic room, but now, it served a more defensive purpose. The flame leapt from my hand, deterring one of the flying koi as it dove towards a woman screaming in terror. The fish, startled by the sudden fire, veered off its attack path, buying her precious seconds.

I had no plan, no grand strategy to save us. My mind raced, grappling with the reality of magic and monsters. It was a far cry from the mundane life I remembered moments before being transported here. If this were people attacking them, I would know what to do. Yet, as I watched the group fight desperately against the relentless assault, an idea sparked to life. "Lead them back to the lake!" I shouted, hoping my voice carried enough authority to be heeded. "I have an idea, but I need time!"

The man who seemed to be their leader—a thick bubba gump type of guy, a soldier of some sort if I had to guess—caught my eye and nodded. "To the lake! Rally to the stranger!" he bellowed, slicing through another koi with a sword that shimmered with magic. His command, fueled by desperation and trust in my uncertain plan, spurred the group into motion.

As they fought their way towards the lake, I concentrated on the magic within me. It was a bizarre sensation, like tapping into a part of myself that had always been there, yet was wholly unfamiliar. "If I can just alter the storm's magic," I murmured, cobbling together a spell from fragments of knowledge that felt both borrowed and innate. Flashes of lessons from different wizards and druids, working as an apprentice for them to learn their spells. My hands moved of their own accord, tracing patterns in the air, weaving a tapestry of arcane energy aimed at the heart of the chaos—the lake. I released a bellowing tone from deep in my gut, "Counter Chaos!" I poured what hope I could muster, with a good measure of hope I hadn't gone insane at this point and was hallucinating all of this going on.

The spell's release was a physical blow, draining me of energy as it surged towards its target. The lake responded, glowing softly, a beacon of calm in the storm. The koi's frenzy increased, their movements growing more erratic, aggression rising as their needle like teeth begin foaming like a rabies case from hell. It wasn't the reversal I had hoped for, but it seems to have confused them long enough to have granted us a reprieve, a chance to breathe. That is until we looked up and saw how many were circling in the storm around us still.

"We need to regroup, find shelter," I gasped, the exhaustion from the spellcasting settling in like a weight. The big guy, nodded in agreement. "Your home, it's the only defensible position we have, as long as it won't fly away."

"Yeah, we'll have to see about that. It is only made of wood and plaster for the most part, those big ones are easily the size of a bear my new friend." I say to the man. "Lets get inside though before anyone else gets hurt worse or before you bleed out." I say loud enough to get everyone's attention as me and the man moved towards my front porch with a purpose and he directs the rest to follow. I stand at the top of the stairs with another little orb of flame ready to throw at any of these nightmare fuel fish that try to dive bomb the last few still running to make it inside my front door.