The Velvet Room

On December 1st, residents of the Velvet Room wake up to find the world outside transformed for the holidays. Lights have been strung in trees and along awnings; Christmas music plays in shops and busy squares, or, if you're in the area, blares at every hour from the top of the Tokyo Skytree for all around to hear, whether they like it or not. Some of the bundled-up cognitions that hurry through the cold are now laden with festive shopping bags, and others linger thoughtfully outside shop windows.

Jack Frosts dart around, pressing mugs of hot chocolate into your hands or perhaps performing small acts of mischief. Occasionally you might see a King Frost, or even a Black Frost if you're lucky (or unlucky?). Ponds and rivers have frozen over in the night, and someone—maybe one of the Jack Frosts—has set out benches and sets of ice skates. If there are no such convenient bodies of water, man-made ice rinks have been installed in public places, surrounded by booths selling hot drinks and towering, beautifully decorated Christmas trees.

But none of that matters too much. Because on December 1st, you might wake up to more than just holiday decor.

Igor and his attendants have, in their wisdom, malevolence, generosity, madness, or whatever you believe about their motives, seen fit to meddle with the ages of some of the residents. Maybe they've transformed you back into a helpless child or gangly adolescent. You might have no idea where you are—after all, you're just a child! The last thing you remember might be playing in your parents' home. Or perhaps you wake up to find wrinkles and joint pain you didn't have when you went to sleep. As far as your memory goes, you left the Velvet Room on November 30th, went home, and lived your life for twenty years, only to return now.

Or maybe your memory remains unaltered, with only your physical form changing. Or you might be one of the lucky ones who wakes up the same as they were when they went to sleep. In the latter case, good luck! You have an interesting month ahead of you. Especially since waking up unchanged on December 1st is not a guarantee that you'll stay that way...


[[[That's right: Coming this holiday season to a VRDR near you, an Age Fuckery event! To reiterate, this is an optional event where you can age your character up or down, giving them memories appropriate to that age or allowing them to remain cognitively the same, just in a different-shaped body. This event kicks off now, December 1st, though you can also have your characters age up or down later in the month if this doesn't work for you. The event ends on New Year's Eve; at the turn of the new year, everyone will transform back into themselves.]]]