Best Of
Seal of Nature 2020
| 1. A dank,
torch-lit passage centred around a channeled flow of water. The walls are
burnished orange and gold, the stone rippling and flowing like liquid as it
progresses deeper among the foul refuse. Walls of flowstone - 25699 - Waste storage Facility |
| 2. A stretch of golden sand broken by swirls of palest white. The warmth of the flats comes from above, rather than the dark and abandoned torches thrust into the ground. |
Amid abandoned torches in the sand - 9257 - Toronada tidal flats 3. A spongy carpet of green underfoot, supporting tall, gnarled trees of unsettling origin that form a canopy overhead. The throne lies vacant, though its surroundings thrive with predatory intent. |
A living alcove of fungus - 13555 - Hifarae Hills 4. A resplendent spray of lilies, roses, and floral trumpets strung across unkempt trellises. Graven cherubs cavort atop a fountain central to the flowers, a spray of water misting the environs. |
At the centre of the gardens - 21255 - St. Gathlyn's Orphanage for the Dispossessed 5. A spacious closet, replete floor-to-ceiling with trinkets and fine dresses. Embellished robes mingle with the more daringly-cut clothing, the insignia of the Blessed Golden Bells visible upon each hem. |
Inside an expansive closet - 9921 - Shallamurine Cathedral 6. A welcoming hall dotted with mis-matched furniture, ranging from antiqued, dusty upholstery to glistening crystal constructions. A sapphire tint briefly bleeds through the gem, colouring the hall itself variegated shades of blue. |
A reception hall to an art gallery - 50254 - Northern mountains 7. A spartan chamber, furnished with only the basest of necessities. A low bench bears silhouette after silhouette of understated elegance and propriety, ready for the day's work, and the next, and the next. |
The butler's residence - 24895 - Feyranti Estate 8. The dying embers of a faded fire, its sole audience shivering, indistinct, in the distance. A small outcrop forms a natural shelter nearby, though the chill wind at such an altitude pervades even this small respite. |
A small site outside Avechna's Teeth - 50756 - Southern mountains 9. A wending river through the subterranean darkness. The water is more earth than liquid, the tepid slurry oozing along its chosen path at a cloying, sedate clip. |
A large river of mud - 10687 - Muhanlesh Caverns 10. A stand of proud, venerable trees gilded in finery. Beneath the resplendent foliage, thieves move in silence, features inscrutable behind dark masks. |
Amidst towering golden trees - 20208 - Mornhai 11. A sandstone library, books dominating every inch of the visible space. The vision is dim, the cleverly-positioned mirrors only able to provide so much light to the enclosure in lieu of true flame. |
Within the Administrator's office - 31289 - Xeeth Labs 12. A claustrophobic room hazed in sweetly-scented smoke. Overstuffed armchairs crowd about a small table laid with a crystal ball, creating reflections within the reflections as visions collide. |
A cramped sitting room - 20284 - Meliashmora of Imperial Secrets 13. A stretch of blackened earth, untouched by the wild growth of nature. The monoliths, towering and impassive, observe as life flourishes without their vigil. |
A circle of standing stone - 9166 - Verasavir Valley 14. A derelict stone structure, alive with the movement of countless insects. The nearby bulrushes offer no respite, rising still in the gloom and concealing the remainder of the wilderness from view. |
Within a crumbling stone building - 7481 - Arysian Isles (Vesucia) 15. A dark chamber shot through with veins of rusted metal. The water beneath flows steadily beneath an iron lattice, rivulets of crimson tainting the crystalline runoff. |
A series of showering facilities - 15727 - i'Xiia Asylum 16. A curtain of delicate ice. The branches of an enormous tree arch gracefully overhead, bowed by the weight of innumerable icicles creating a glistening array of frozen water barring all forward progress. |
Trapped beneath an icy veil - 44039 - Mount Krog 17. Shattered crystal, unmarred crystal, and shattered crystal once more. The emerald flares with sudden heat, and for an unsettling instant appears to be observing you every bit as intently as you are observing it. |
The unstable Cave of Time - 22660 - Avechna's Peak 18. A stretch of sand, atop which a cluster of young gulls congregates. Briny seawater encroaches upon the would-be sandbar against the fence, though no motion whatsoever disturbs its surface. |
A seaside nursery - 21819 - Kiakodan Nature Reserve 19. A colony of plankton, clinging fitfully to the rising slab of coral, tenaciously determined to live despite the boiling temperature of their environs. |
Beside a boiling buttress - 9777 - Carai Caroo 20. A place where Nature lies sundered, and only the perspective of wildlife from an outsider may hope to mend it. the Cave of Nature - 7334 - Avechna's Peak They were great clues. It took us ages to get the shattered crystal, unmarred crystal one, and the dark chamber shot through with veins of rusted metal. Lots of fun, thank you! |
Dys
Re: Lack of Raves VI: Rave Today, Tweet Tomorrow
Dys said:Raves for the Trial of Nature, I had a lot of fun!
Thank you to the Divine puzzle setters and everyone that joined in.
I was stressing out even though I wasn't in the running. Plenty to keep us all on our toes with this one.
Jolanthe
Paintings for Lord Stinky
A Glittering Painting of Twilight
An elegant painting of twilight over the southern Razine mountains has been painted across this exceptionally long horizontal painting. The soft blues, purples, and silvers would be elegant if it weren't for the addition of a garishly pink faeling. She is flying above the mountains, shedding glitter all over the mountains, each speck a different colour, but all at odds with the soothing shades behind them. A stack of papers also trails behind her, tiny lettering on it claiming to “Homework” although some of it seems to be misspelled or otherwise wrong, bearing lots of little red marks on it. Off at the very edge of the painting is a stylised portrayal of Lord Raezon's temple, which seems to be where the faeling is flying to. A resolute rondure stands at the entrance of the temple, seemingly resigned to its fate of becoming covered in glitter, however a perfectly sphere being can appear to be resigned to anything. Written on the back of the painting is - “Dear Lord Raezon, I love Coraline! And she loves You? So I wanted to paint this of her and Yours! I'm sorry You're stinky. I think things could have been really cool if things went differently. Like most things could be! Sometimes this timeline is nice though! Please be nice to Coraline, she's very nice herself. Amen!” Several of the lines are crossed out and rewritten, notably it seems the artist has started with “Dear Lord Stinky” before realizing and crossing it out with a dark purple ink. Everything is covered with extra flourishes and hearts.
Then mailed it to Him in some glittering rainbow stationery. I've...forgotten what the letter said. Something like, "Hi Lord Scary! Here is a painting because Coraline is cool!"
A response then happened!
But...the Shofet *hates* Raezon. So what if Mysrai sees the mark! Well, then Shulamit...just prays to Mysrai and lets Them know right away so They won't think she's hiding it from Them!
The prayer!
Dear Greatest Shofet! Oh Arbitrator...wait is that how...right! Dear of Justice! I sent a painting to Lord Raezon. Wait! I know what You're thinking! Well, actually I don't. You're like...like a mountain, and I am a pebble, and pebbles can't know. Can we? We can guess and be wrong. But I suspect it is, “Lord Raezon is stinky and bad, and Shulamit's must be cleansed! Because now He's made her stinky! For a bit!” And that's true! But the painting was like, because paintings are good, so sending paintings to scary people is good, because maybe they will mellow out and be less stinky? I'm not sure how it works? I have to hope it works! Cause I care about Coraline and want her to be happy, and while she picked a scary god, I thought maybe buttering up scary god will make Them less scary! Things! I love You the mostest! I promise more cup cakes! What if You don't like cup cakes anymore. I promise more shinies in general! I love You! Amen! Amen!
Shulamit
Re: What are you listening to at the moment?
Looking for something else, but this caught my attention.
Luce
Re: Lack of Raves VI: Rave Today, Tweet Tomorrow
Octavia
Re: Lack of Raves VI: Rave Today, Tweet Tomorrow
Octavia