Living Life in Latehaven

You awaken to a pale, green sky. 

You roll over—sorely—to sit up on an unfamiliar ground of blue-gray dirt. You struggle to focus your vision—a bleariness to your eyes you struggle to rub out. As your hands touch your face, something feels…off about them. Why are they so cold?

You manage to see a wooden post before you, nearly your waist in height. A scroll hangs nailed to it, facing you. You stumble towards it.

You touch the scroll, and you hear a voice in your mind. Feminine. Friendly.

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Hey! Hiiiii!

First thing’s first. Don’t panic! You are about to learn a lot that you might not be ~expecting~, but that’s okay! That’s what we’re here for!

I’ll go ahead and rip off the bandage, okay? Breathe in, and 3…2…you died. Congratulations!

I’m gonna pause for a second so you can pull it together if you’re surprised.

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In the absence of talking, you hear…chewing? 

The voice returns, muffled, as if its mouth is full.

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Ftill wiff me? (Gulp.) Ahh, where was I? Oh—congratulations! You have awakened in the afterlife with your psyche intact enough to understand what I’m saying. And not just any afterlife, newly dead… this is Latehaven! Where life doesn’t start until it ends!

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You hear a single set of hands clapping excitedly.

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Woohoo! We have a small group of armed adventurers on their way to YOU right now to help escort you to our perfect little city! Now, I’m gonna describe them to you in detail, so that you don’t run from them on sight, okay?

So, you’ll probably see Muka first, because the bottom half of her body is a giant centipede, but I ~promise~ she’s the friendliest of the bunch! She is just a hoot and she is in great shape for an undead! Always swingin’ that scythe around, wowee! Ahem. She came here looking for someone when she was still alive, and then she died! You should ask her about it! She’s stuck here now but got her friend out. It's really a tragic story!

Before you see her, you’ll probably hear Sakai. “Ooh, look at me, I’m Mister Sakai, and I died single-handedly defending my home village from two dozen bandits, oooh, and now I have four arms. Hiya. HIYA!” Okay, he doesn't actually say that, but he might as well! He is sooooo serious, and always announces himself when seeing people. I do think he’s really a big softy on the inside. Heads up, that he does have the face of a tengu and four arms, but, as soon as he realizes you’re not a threat, he will sheathe the extra two and be so quick to help you out! So sweet.

And then there's Volpiko, who you'll probably only see if she wants you to! She might actually be with you now whether you know it or not! Piko is actually one of our local spirits, soooo—she was technically never ~lived~ in the conventional sense! She's been around Latehaven for about...ohh, 260 years, I think? According to her, she manifests in different realms of the afterlife "in the wake of exceptional chaos and trickery," and disappears after the problem is solved! I'm not sure why she's still here. Latehaven is perfect!

Lorenzo will probably be last! Enzo's—I call him Enzo—that kind old dragon spirit! He's just too slow sometimes. He means well, he really does, he's just a little too...deliberate. Muka told me that one time, he took three and a half days to decide what to drink at Skulliwog's—which is so good, you definitely should go sometime—and ended up ordering a water. He did tip the waitress two hundred platinum, so he was aware, but still. He's been in no rush since he transcended to dragon form through his worship to Miyatatsu, which I totally respect...buuuuuut we all have stuff to do, even if we're not getting any older. Okay, okay, you're right, I get it, he never died, so he's still figuring some stuff out. Not everyone gets this little orientation like you, y'know! 

Aaaaaanyways, be on the lookout for that lovely little bunch! They’ll be there in probably 12 hours or so, I’m sure of it! And if you see anyone or anything else before they get to you, run.

Byyyyyyye!

-
Silence returns. You hear the wind blow.

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Come back later this afternoon when we unveil the first of this undying band of adventurers that reside in the spiritual paradise of Latehaven! Incredible realm and character art coming to us this month from LLOPX.

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See below for download links tied to your subscription tier level!

Latehaven

Latehaven - VTT

Click here to visit the Wonderfullest Archive, or download any of the files above! 

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Looking for a little preview of Latehaven? Check out the Hyoutan of Plenty, sent along with every Treasured Realm in September, and Breath of Undeath, featured in every Fabled Foliage. Click the file below to download!