You woke up early and set off at first light to go hunting and foraging with your pack. Not long after you all set out, the leader of the group suggested exploring one of Loria's many caves to look for mushrooms. You got separated from the others and found yourself in a strange chamber covered in glowing runes. It looked like a place of old, unknown, and possibly dangerous magic. Maybe you wanted to explore the chamber, or maybe you just wanted to turn around and leave. Either way, a strange heaviness came over you, and you fell asleep.

The events of this story are the experiences that your wolf has in the 'dream' they had while they slept. While 'dreaming,' they will encounter other wolves who have also ended up here in the exact same way. The setting of the 'dream' starts out as a pastel, monochromatic blue forest landscape enduring a downpour of heavy rain. It isn't obvious at first, but once that rain stops, all of the wolves will wake up and return home; solving that puzzle is their key to escaping. The wolves will be able to find ways to influence the weather through discovering and completing tasks (solving puzzles, collecting items, etc.) as the story progresses. Completing six total tasks will stop the rain. The weather will change from: Downpour -> pouring rain -> heavy rain -> steady rain -> light rain -> drizzle -> clear sky.

When you wake up, you will wake up, not lost in the cave, but safe in your den. As you describe your adventures and express how grateful you are to be safe, your packmates will be confused by your story. According to what they remember, you never joined the hunters and foragers in the first place. According to what they remember, you have been asleep this whole time!

This rp is inspired by liminal space media (such as the Backrooms) and also the Legend of Zelda (for that puzzle element). I'm looking forward to getting started!

Character guidelines:

• Let's each write about a specific Lorwolf we have on the site and take the opportunity to develop that wolf's personality. Link to your wolf in your first post and go from there. Writing your wolf as if they reflect future plans you don't have the MS for right now (a breed change for example), or a wolf you don't have yet but plan to get, is fine. A character sheet is not necessary, but try to put at least a few lines in your wolf's profile to introduce them.
  
• Use the roleplay to develop whatever storyline you are already creating for your den. If you follow Lorwolf lore or if you don't really have anything thought out, it's a great idea to use Lorwolf lore. If you've decided that the Lorwolves in your den are actually, for example, steampunk Victorian furries who live on sky islands, adapt the premise of the rp to fit and use that lore!
  
• The rp is accepting one character per writer and is accepting 5 new characters, maximum (for a total of 6 including mine). Writers are free to invent NPCs that live in the dreamscape.
  

RP guidelines:

• Each writer gets to design one of the tasks required to stop the rain. A task could be something like: light twelve torches, catch seven dreamscape mice for an NPC, discover a hidden cave through a series of hints, and so on. We'll go through a few posts of our wolves getting to know each other before tasks come into play. We'll start writing right away and see who turns up to join us as we go.
  
• This is an open-ended creative makerspace! Everyone can contribute to the worldbuilding/'rules' of the dreamscape and the direction of the story! For wolrldbuilding ideas that have a huge impact on the setting and the direction of the story ("What if eating a dreamscape bird lets you fly?" etc.), you may want to make the suggestion OOC and get some feedback before setting things in stone in a thread reply. If you do post a weighty new possibility in a thread reply, please be open to feedback afterwards.
  
• Where possible, try and use the idea of "yes/and" to build constructively off of what other people write. If you dislike a turn of events, or if you feel that the rest of the group got caught up and ran away with an idea you really don't like, start a respectful conversation about it OOC instead of trying to use a reply to change course.
• Don't worry too much about stuff like perfect grammar, reply length, and so on.
  
• Please come prepared to talk and discuss OOC! And please come prepared to be supportive and friendly towards those who may be shy about talking OOC and are doing their best!
• As always, please follow general rp etiquette and sitewide expectations. Please try to use the preferred pronouns of other writers and their characters.
  

// My character is Moonwatch: https://www.lorwolf.com/Play/WolfDetails?id=51144

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As a junior member of Russet's pack, Moonwatch feels pressure to prove their worth. Volunteering for a hunt seemed like a good idea. Getting lost in a cave was not the plan. Falling asleep in a cave they got lost in was definitely not the plan. But then everything changes, and they are more confused than worried.

The ethereal blue forest is probably a dream. They feel a certain heavy, grounded contentedness that is probably sleep. But the scene before them is also sharper in focus than a dream has any right to be. They came here in the middle of a downpour, and somehow the rain is battering them just fine without threatening to wake them up. Reaching around and biting their leg doesn't wake them up either. It's all very strange.

@CactusChowder

Hello! I’m new to rp-ing, so I may make some mistakes. But this sounds really fun!

My wolf is Sergei, one of the five guards of the town of Morrowmoon, located on the isolated Mount Lycaon. His pack of wolves worships the Dreamkeeper, a goddess of ice, dreams, and the moon.

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Sergei blinked awake, and immediately noticed he wasn’t in his bedroom, or even the cave he had taken shelter in during the blizzard he was foolishly attempting to hunt in. He tried to shake off the heaviness of sleep as he leapt ungracefully to his feet.

The first thing he did was assess the situation. He was wet. But not from the slow and gentle melting of beautiful snow dusted upon his pelt… It was from rain. Ungodly, unpleasant, infuriating rain. A downpour, even.

The next thing he noticed was that everything was an unnaturally saturated blue. The pine trees around him, which wouldn’t be unusual for his Icerun home, had needles and bark of various dark blue shades, with pinecones that glowed with an unearthly light.

This didn’t make sense. There was no place in Loria that could possibly look like this- Oh.

He understood then. Of course. The Dreamkeeper was known to communicate through dreams. He never thought he was worthy enough to get a message from Her, but clearly She thought differently. His confusion quickly gave way to calm as the strange situation was rearranged to fit nearly inside his mental boxes. Obviously, the Dreamkeeper would visit him to give him some important information. He would wake up, and would make good use of it. All he had to do was wait for Her to show up.

Preferably out of the rain.

Walking at a swift pace, he eventually stumbled upon a cliff that possessed an overhang. He cautiously entered the dry area, sniffing for any sign of danger. He didn’t smell anything dangerous (he didn’t smell anything other than rain, to be exact) so he cautiously sat down on the ground, eyes watching the trees outside, waiting for his Goddess to appear.

His ears twitched at the sound of paws stepping on the leaf litter. He stood up, eager to make an excellent impression, only to realize quickly that the creature stepping out of the tree line wasn’t his Goddess. It was a Jocol, walking loudly and clumsily, with obviously zero military training. It didn’t seem like it would be too difficult to deal with if things went violent.

The Jocol approached the edge of the overhang, and began to make a series of strange movements. Sergei stood perfectly still, a neutral expression on his face, ready to lunge at a moments notice if the Jocol seemed threatening. After a while of staring at the Jocol’s odd behavior and struggling to make any sense of it, Sergei spoke.

”Who are you? What are you doing in my dream?”

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OOC: The Dreamkeeper most likely won’t appear in this RP, at least not without the permission of everyone else. She also definitely isn’t the reason Sergei or any of the others is here. That’s just what Sergei believes is happening!

ooc: Hope you don't mind if I hop in? I'll be using Sylva, if that's alright!
She is a (new) Priestess of the Willow; a guardian of a Celestial Tree believed to be blessed by Mika; and the equivalent of a pack leader for my Den's Theme. This seems like a lot of fun! It's nice to meet you. o7

When the steady rushing of moving water fades, replaced by the thrumming of rain, Sylva slowly awakens. She lifts her head slowly, blinking with the exhaustion and heaviness of sleep as the smell of wet oak, damp moss, and heavy rain overwhelms her senses.

Inside the fallen log that she rests in, the wood’s natural sepias are replaced with hues of blue; and outside, long blue grass sways from the entrance. Sylva furrows her brows; as the daze of sleep keeps hold, she can just barely recognize that she is not where she once was. She shuffles her small paws as she rises into a crouch; and duck-waddles with little elegance of a priestess to squirm out from the fallen log.

The small head of a Zelda pops out from the entrance of the log; her big ears tilt awkwardly to pick up the sounds of the forest; and rain drops from the navy pines above, quickly dampening her fur.

It is just the rain; it's loud, and heavy, and hard to hear through.

Sylva looks to the left, then the right, before she climbs out of the hollow log she had— apparently— been resting in. It is not her burrow beneath the Celestial Tree, and this is not the Darkspine’s forests, and this is not the cave where she sheltered with her hunting party; she knows them well, and knows them well enough to understand that this is simply not it. This is not her home.

In fact…

There is only silence in a place that she doesn’t recognize.

Discomfort washes over her, an edge of fear taking hold of her quickening heartbeat.

“Mare?” She calls, her voice softer than the downpour of the rain; she tucks her tail between her legs, each paw step cautious as she wanders forwards, “Laurea?” No response comes from familiar faces she would call upon for assistance. “Oriens? Vesperam?”

Her small voice falls on deaf ears.

She falls silent after moments of attempted calls, and listens anxiously to the rapid drumming of the rain. It’s during that moment, however, that she makes out the most distant of voices; they’re unfamiliar, and she does not know them, but she does not… know this place.

How has she come to be here?

She stands at the edge of the clearing she’d awoken in for a few moments longer, debating the consequences of approaching unfamiliar voices in an unfamiliar land; and eventually, she decides it is better than turning away, and getting herself more lost. Her paw-steps are small and quiet; each exercising caution as she slips into the navy brambles, illuminated by glowing pinecones above; and eventually emerges, hesitantly, into a space where a Jocol and Lupin have already occupied.

“Hello?”

ooc - I hope it’s okay, if I join. I’ll be using Aislin. She is the spirit-raiser of the Forsaken, a place for outlaws and misfits to belong. A spirit-raiser is able to contact the beyond and perform small rituals. She was blinded in an incident when she was young and wears a blindfold to hide the scars.

The loud humming of rain awakened the small Jocol. She wondered how long she was asleep, since it didn’t rain, then she entered the cave. At the thought of the cave she realized she wasn’t in one anymore, instead lied on wet grass. She stood carefully up and sniffed the air. The smell of rain mixed with the smell of an unfamiliar place. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, freaking out was the last thing she needed now. Maybe the others are here too., she thought. “Finian, Sincere, Insomnia! Are you here?”, she shouted, but no answer. She sniffed the air again, no hint of her packmates scents, but she picked up the scent of strangers.

She decided it would be the best to approach them, though she would be careful, as she didn’t knew them and had a clear disadvantage in a fight. She followed the scent, which got stronger upon her getting closer. Then she could hear voices, she knew she was almost there. It didn’t take her long from here to reach the source of the voices. She shortly assed the situation, with her were another Jocol, a Zerda and a Lupin here, before saying: “Hello.”

Just as the Jocol before him opened its mouth to speak, Sergei’s head snapped to the tree line as he heard the sounds of shouting. Though he couldn’t make out what the words were, the two voices were filled with desperation. A few moments later, a Zerda hesitantly emerged from the trees and spoke. “Hello?” it asked nervously.

Soon after, another Jocol approached the group and spoke, this time with more confidence than the Zerda. “Hello.”

Sergei stayed still and silent as the additional wolves appeared. Hackles raised, he was prepared for a fight.

This was obviously some sort of test. A test he had to pass in order to prove himself worthy to hear The Dreamkeeper’s message. But was this a test of strength in battle (something he was exceptionally gifted at), or a test of diplomacy and kindness? He was less certain that he could pass the latter kind of test.

He faced the two newcomers.

“Who or what are you? Why are you here?”

He paused for a moment.

“And… do you want to discuss this underneath the overhang? I believe there is enough room under here for us to stay dry and give each other ample space until we know who is friend and who is foe.”

//hello hello hello, welcome everybody!! thank you for coming along, it's nice to meet you and your wolves!!

//I found out that I can't change the title after posting. I put in a support ticket for help, but we're stuck with it for now. Looks like we have 3/5 members so far. Great to meet you!!

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Moonwatch has lived in Goldsea all their life, but they've heard stories of wolves who seek skill in combat over the treasures of the mind. Sergei does not carry himself like any Goldsea wolf Moon has ever met. He has an air of tense readiness about him, like a taut bowstring, ready to address any threat with swift competence. Goldsea wolves are not ignorant of the strength of tooth and claw, nor are they hesitant to make use of it when called for. But Sergei is on an entirely different level. Moonwatch shifts from tail-wagging curiosity to tail-tucked backwards retreat. Not entirely out of the overhang, but definitely backwards a few steps.

"I'm sorry, I -"

They have to pause, though, because Sergei's question reflects a rather narrow and limited interpretation of the events in front of them. A Goldsea wolf would have likely considered more angles and realized that there isn't enough information to tell whose dream this is, or if it belongs any more to Moonwatch than it does to Sergei. Would it be rude to point this out? It's frustrating; it should have been obvious enough that wolves who train as warriors will probably not also speak like scholars. But where will they find common ground, then?

Moon is saved from having to figure it all out just then. A Zerda and another Jocol have found the overhang. Moon's tail starts waving slightly, almost automatically, at the sight of new faces, the promise of more companionship. Oh... but Sergei's manner has taken a shift in the opposite direction. The warrior wolf seems to register them as two additional threats. Even his greeting comes with suspicion. Who is friend and who is foe?

"Thank you," Moonwatch says, cautiously accepting Sergei's offer of shelter. They keep their tail low to the ground as they enter the shelter, sure that raising it too high would signal being challenging or flippant. Goldsea wolves engaged in rigorous intellectual debate love to be challenging and flippant. This warrior does not seem like he's in the right mood.

"I have no reason to be your enemy, so I would certainly like to be friend rather than foe," Moon says diplomatically. They look around the gathered wolves, encouragingly, to see if the sentiment is shared.

OOC: I absolutely LOVE how you wrote Sergei, Cactus! You got him down perfectly! In case you’re worried, you won’t have to worry about his suspicion for long. Once we get down to explaining who we are and what the situation may be, Sergei will calm down a lot (at least towards the other wolves in our group. The forest in general… not so much). It’s unfortunately part of his job to be ready for any possible danger, and Morrowmoon wolves tend to be very suspicious of outsiders in general due to their isolation. I can’t wait to see him open up! Maybe he’ll make some friends for once lol

More OOC: Hello everyone who’s joined so far! I’m very excited to be here, and I can’t wait to learn more about your wolves! I’m not going to rp in this post since I want to give other users a chance to respond, I just wanted to say hi and give my compliments to Cactus.

OOC: aaaa thank you!! I've been playing the different story modes & getting a feel for how the different packs work, and it's really fun to see the different styles come together. Sergei really matches the energy of the Icerun story, you write him well! I actually haven't played the Darkspine story yet & I'm really looking forward to checking it out, and getting to know the two others better!

OOC: And also if any lurkers want to join...! come on it will be fun!!!

OOC: Also, staff fixed the title, yay! Thank you staff!

Sylva tucks herself low when the Lupin faces her with his hackles raised; his body language reminds her of Vesperam— her bodyguard, and her lead mercenary whom she is without in this strange place. A cautionary aggression extended as a courtesy of warning— one which she has never been the target of alone; but has seen first-hand from the warriors and mercenaries of her home— to trespassers, adventurers, or loners who could always be hiding themselves or their true purpose.

Another voice rings out over the sound of pouring rain, and Sylva uneasily switches her attention between each of the three wolves before her without fully leaving the cover of the undergrowth. “My apologies,” she states. She will most certainly not push the warning; she is not in the business of skirmishing with what she can only assume is a skilled warrior. “I do not wish for any trouble.”

She looks between the two that she can clearly see, and acknowledges a third— another Jocol— with a somewhat nervous glance. Upon the warrior’s invitation to discuss beneath the overhang, Sylva hesitates; she looks towards him, then to the Jocol who takes him up on his offer. After a moment, the Zerda slowly wriggles from beneath the brambles; once she has freed herself, she shakes mud from her underbelly and chest as a courtesy before padding with cautious steps towards the overhang.

She settles down towards one of its edges, closer to the Jocol than the Lupin. “Thank you...” She dips her head and shoulders respectfully, bowing to the other wolves beneath the overhang. She keeps her tail close to her paws, and keeps her ears lowered slightly; she wishes to maintain her composition as a priestess, but such a task is difficult when she is drenched and covered in mud.

“I apologize for alarming you; my name is Sylva. I am of the Araghym Ilmara of the Full Moon Falls.” She lifts her head, blue eyes switching between the three who have arrived in this same clearing. “I… seem to have gotten lost. I was hoping to trouble you for directions when I heard your voice— nothing else. I do not…” she trails off, looking out towards the glowing pinecones, before looking back at them. Her nerves, or perhaps the chill of the rain, seem to cause her small frame to tremble just slightly. “… Understand where I am, or how to get home from here.”

Water sloughs off the wet fur on her cheeks; and Sylva blinks. The haziness of a dream still overtakes her, and she is unable to put together what she is standing in. "In fact, I do not... remember traveling here to begin with..."

( ooc: Hi, hi! Most definitely looking forwards to getting to know y'all and your wolves! <3 They already seem so engaging & interesting in just the first few posts! )

Aislin thought about the offer of the wolf, who she believes is the Lupin. The other two seemed to have agreed and keeping this situation peaceful is in her best interest, so she accepted with a nod. Though she hesitated a moment, meeting the three wolves with same caution she meets every stranger and she didn’t knew where the overhang exactly was nor wanted she to accidentally bump into one of the others. In situations like this she wished she would still be able to see, it would make it so much easier.

She moved in the general direction of the Lupin’s voice until she couldn’t feel the heavy rain on her back anymore and assumed she was now under the overhang. “My name is Aislin Moonfall and I too seen to have gotten los. I pose no threat for anywolf here.”, she said, her voice calm. She decided to leave out the information where she is from out for now. Maybe she would be a bit opener, when she gets to know the other wolves and their intentions better. Water dripped from her fur on the ground and she had the urge to shake it out. Although she decided it would be better for now if she didn’t. “May I ask if anyone of you know, how you got here?”, she asked.