From 8840e66826a564966a7b804620a99f6147952384 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: ratface Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2025 21:23:52 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Update The Fallen Meridian --- The-Fallen-Meridian.md | 78 +++++++++++++++++++----------------------- 1 file changed, 36 insertions(+), 42 deletions(-) diff --git a/The-Fallen-Meridian.md b/The-Fallen-Meridian.md index 32a6f30..c13accb 100644 --- a/The-Fallen-Meridian.md +++ b/The-Fallen-Meridian.md @@ -1,5 +1,7 @@ ## A Unique Encounter Between Cosmic Forces +![Meridian Stasis Concept](https://git.ratface.club/ratface-games/vale-public/src/branch/main/Assets/Concepts/meridian-stasis.png) + The Fallen Meridian represents a singular moment where two of Vale's most mysterious forces have collided—a Meridian scholar caught at the precise instant The Quiet claimed them, creating a paradox that preserves both the entity and the cosmic horror that would have consumed reality through their broken mask. --- @@ -10,44 +12,24 @@ The Fallen Meridian represents a singular moment where two of Vale's most myster The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental details: - **Crystalline Crater**: A perfect circular depression where reality has been warped by competing forces - **Frozen Catastrophe**: Debris, dust, and atmospheric particles suspended mid-fall around the Meridian -- **Distorted Boundaries**: The Quiet's crystalline spread appears jagged and unnatural, as if halted mid-expansion -- **Gravitational Anomalies**: Objects hover at impossible angles, caught between dimensional forces +- **Reality Warping**: The environment shimmers with otherworldly energy where forces collided ### The Meridian's State -- **Preserved Collapse**: The Meridian is frozen mid-fall, one hand reaching toward their cracked mask -- **Mask Damage**: A single hairline fracture runs from temple to jaw, bending light around its edges -- **Dimensional Distortion**: The crack appears to extend into space that shouldn't exist -- **Scholarly Remnants**: Scattered notes and instruments frozen in the moment of disaster - -### Visual Indicators -- **Reality Warping**: The environment shimmers with otherworldly energy where forces collided -- **Temporal Distortion**: Subtle visual effects suggest time flows differently in the immediate area -- **Cosmic Scarring**: The ground bears patterns that don't match any natural phenomenon -- **Intersection Points**: Where The Quiet meets dimensional void, reality takes on dreamlike qualities +- **Preserved Collapse**: The Meridian is frozen mid-fall, one hand reaching toward their damaged mask +- **Missing Wedge**: A clean triangular section is absent from the mask, revealing the void-aperture beneath +- **Active Consumption**: Reality visibly warps and stretches toward the exposed void +- **Dimensional Chaos**: The opening creates intense reality distortion as the void attempts to consume the environment +- **Scholarly Remnants**: Notes and instruments frozen mid-scatter around the collision site +- **Incomplete Puzzle**: The missing wedge is nowhere to be found at the site --- ## Interaction & Entry ### Triggering the Encounter -**Player Action Required** -- **Direct Touch**: Players must deliberately interact with the fallen Meridian -- **No Accidental Triggering**: Proximity alone will not activate the encounter -- **Visual Cues**: Subtle particle effects and environmental distortions hint at interactivity -- **Atmospheric Buildup**: Sound design and visual effects intensify as players approach - -### Transition Sequence -**Dimensional Breach** -- **Reality Fracture**: The world cracks like glass around the player character -- **Consciousness Transfer**: Player awareness shifts from physical form to mental projection -- **Environmental Shift**: Vale's landscape dissolves into the abstract architecture of thought -- **Disorientation Effect**: Brief moment of spatial confusion as the mind palace materializes - -### Entry Conditions -- **Solo Instance**: Only the interacting player enters the mind palace -- **Equipment Retention**: Players maintain their current gear and abilities -- **No External Communication**: Party members cannot assist or communicate during the encounter -- **Temporary Isolation**: The experience is entirely self-contained +**Required Inventory Item** +- **Meridian Mask Wedge**: Players must possess the Mask Fragment before interaction with the dead Meridian is possible +- **Item Recognition**: The wedge's description hints at its purpose without explicit instruction --- @@ -155,18 +137,20 @@ The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental detai - **Resolution**: Touch the core to trigger the restoration sequence ### Restoration Sequence -**Entropy Cascade** -- **Visual**: Crystalline structures begin to crack and flow like liquid -- **Audio**: The sound of reality reasserting itself over perfect silence -- **Mechanical**: All stasis effects reverse, enemies dissolve, architecture stabilizes -- **Narrative**: Brief glimpses of the Meridian's true memories and purpose +**Kintsugi Healing** +- **Visual**: Crystalline structures crack and flow while golden veins spread across the mask +- **Audio**: Reality reasserts itself with harmonic resonance rather than violent collision +- **Mechanical**: All stasis effects reverse, enemies dissolve, architecture stabilizes with golden accents +- **Narrative**: The mask repairs itself with golden veins in traditional kintsugi style +- **Transformation**: The repair makes the mask more beautiful, marked by its trauma ### Ejection Process **Return to Vale** - **Transition**: Reality reassembles around the player like pieces fitting together -- **Environment**: The crystalline crater begins to normalize -- **Meridian State**: The mask crack seals, and the Meridian slowly stands -- **Atmospheric**: The collision site stabilizes, no longer warping reality +- **Environment**: The crystalline crater begins to normalize, reality distortion subsiding +- **Meridian State**: The mask wedge integrates seamlessly with golden kintsugi veins +- **Atmospheric**: The collision site stabilizes, the void no longer threatening consumption +- **Visual Legacy**: The golden-veined mask becomes a permanent marker of the cosmic collision --- @@ -174,10 +158,12 @@ The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental detai ### Meridian Behavior **Unprecedented Acknowledgment** -- **Direct Recognition**: The Meridian turns to briefly observe the player -- **Subtle Gratitude**: A slight nod or gesture before returning to their studies -- **Changed Focus**: Their scholarly activities show subtle urgency -- **Environmental Interaction**: They begin studying The Quiet's boundaries with new intensity +- **Direct Recognition**: The Meridian turns to observe the player with their newly repaired mask +- **Subtle Gratitude**: A deliberate nod of acknowledgment before returning to studies +- **Changed Focus**: Their scholarly activities show new urgency and different priorities +- **Environmental Interaction**: They begin studying The Quiet's boundaries with intense focus +- **Visual Marker**: The golden kintsugi veins occasionally pulse with otherworldly energy +- **Behavioral Shift**: Other NPCs may react subtly to this visibly changed Meridian ### Player Rewards **Knowledge Fragments** @@ -185,6 +171,8 @@ The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental detai - **Scholarly Understanding**: Temporary resistance to The Quiet's effects - **Cosmic Perspective**: Subtle hints about the true nature of the threat - **Multiversal Awareness**: Expanded understanding of Vale's place in the larger cosmos +- **Item Integration**: The consumed wedge becomes part of the player's cosmic understanding +- **Unique Achievement**: Recognition for completing this rare and specific encounter ### World State Changes **Reality Stabilization** @@ -210,6 +198,8 @@ The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental detai - **Preservation Through Opposition**: How competing absolutes can create stability - **Mind as Battlefield**: The psyche as a space where cosmic forces wage war - **Knowledge as Vulnerability**: How understanding can become a weakness +- **Beauty Through Trauma**: The kintsugi philosophy applied to cosmic horror +- **Healing vs Restoration**: Growth through damage rather than simple repair ### Player Experience Goals **Unique Encounter Design** @@ -217,6 +207,10 @@ The encounter site tells a story of cosmic collision through environmental detai - **Cosmic Horror**: Direct confrontation with forces beyond comprehension - **Narrative Revelation**: Hints at deeper truths about the world's nature - **Mechanical Innovation**: Gameplay that reflects the encounter's cosmic significance +- **Ritualistic Healing**: The encounter becomes a deliberate act of restoration +- **Meaningful Choice**: Player agency in choosing to heal rather than avoid +- **Discovery Satisfaction**: Reward for finding and connecting disparate elements +- **Anticipation Building**: Initial discovery creates intrigue before resolution is possible ### Atmospheric Priorities **Existential Unease**