monsterdata | THE CUBE

WELCOME TO THE CUBE

In Northern Bavan, smack-dab in the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets, there is an enormous building shaped like a cube. It has a single door and only a few windows, which emit an eerie orange light. On first glance, the building seems to be made of a light gray metal with an odd sheen; however, closer inspection will reveal that it is no more than concrete with a fancy paint job. Be careful when approaching, as busy roads wind all around it. Please use the designated crosswalks! The building looks so very out of place here, that it almost appears to have been dropped here from another world.

Indeed, it has been.

Welcome to the Cube, visitor! This building was originally a part of Felfri, the technologically-advanced alternate universe version of Ryslig. However, in March 2019, it was transported through the dimensional rift to Ryslig. Universally considered a part of the Fourth God's domain, it has since seen some upgrades. Its main function is entertainment, along with a bit of exercise.

Within the Cube, the Fourth's powers are so strong that he can resurrect characters instantly. Anyone who meets an unfortunate end will be revived in a haze of static through a radio in the lobby, completely penalty free! This means that a character is free to die in any section of the Cube without it counting towards their usual death tally. However, there are some limitations to this. The resurrection system works by 'resetting' a character to the state they were in when they entered the Cube. This means that if a character entered the Cube with wounds and then dies, they will still have those wounds when they resurrect from a Cube death, rather than coming back fully healed.

The Cube's main entrance leads to the main lobby, a large empty space with a high ceiling, illuminated with colorful neon lights along the walls and floor. There are a few benches to sit on, a vending machine with snacks (no human ingredients!), and a single unmanned reception desk. Registration for rooms is done digitally, and staff can only be found in the form of angry security guards, who will come flooding in if anyone someone starts stirring up trouble. Where did they come from? Is there an employee area hidden somewhere? Those who returned from Felfri in 2022 will be aware of the Cube's underground section. However, the door which led there appears to have vanished without a trace, and accessing through other means, such as teleportation, is not possible either.

The lobby exits out through two large doors opposite the entrance. A neon sign over one doorway has two crossed fists and action-lines showing impact. This leads to the Battle Zone, the Cube's original purpose. A second sign marks the other passageway with a reset button. This is for the simulation rooms.

THE BATTLE ZONE

The Battle Zone, sometimes referred to as the 'arena', is the oldest area of the Cube. In Felfri, where violence is forbidden, this was the place citizens would go to work through their arguments. While the name may invoke images of a coliseum, the Battle Zone is actually more like a mixture between a laser tag area, a maze, and a jungle gym. Dozens of smaller rooms connect in various, occasionally nonsensical ways. There are all sorts of structures scattered throughout. Some are footholds for climbing, some are watchtowers for surveillance, some are tunnels that connect rooms, and some are low to the ground, seemingly only existing to trip you up as you wander around.

Characters may choose to take the elevator up from the lobby, and handle a personal dispute in one of the smaller arenas on a higher floor. Otherwise, they may join in on the fray in the main hub on the ground floor. If they choose the latter, walking through the door leads them straight into the chaos, and those not used to such stimuli may find themselves overwhelmed. The walls glow with a humming neon light, and the low drone of synth music may be heard. There's no time to stand idly by, though! Those who enter the Battle Zone play to win!

Have we mentioned yet that there are weapons for rent? That's right, there's a weapons locker on each floor! Here, you can get anything from slingshots to laser guns to swords. Simple armor, such as chest plates and knee guards, is also available. Please do not attempt to leave the property with these things, as the security guards will apprehend any thieves! Removing anything from the premises will result in a lifetime ban from the Cube.

The battle zone also holds many defunct healing chambers. Now that the Cube's been separated from Felfri, the chambers are without a suitable power source until further notice. Any injuries taken in the Battle Zone must heal naturally (or with the Fog's helping hand). The only alternative is to die, and resurrect in the lobby, which will reset any character to their physical state when they first entered the building.

THE SIMULATION ROOMS

In November 2021, the Cube was nearly destroyed. When it was renovated, the Fourth God added a whole new section to the building, which is found by entering the lobby door with the reset button above it.

On the other side lies a neon-lit hallway, like a cyberpunk karaoke bar, with doors leading off it. Each door leads to a room, between 100 square feet and 900 square feet, which can generate a simulation of whatever setting you ask for. You can simulate landscapes, objects, creatures, and even people. If you'd like to change your wardrobe, you can do that too! Characters don't need to be very tech-savvy in order to set something up; it's all very intuitive and up to player discretion whether your character will struggle with it. Another elevator leads to more of these rooms on the floors above.

In these rooms, monsters may change their own appearance, and may even look as they remember appearing before they came to Ryslig, without any hunger for humans. Even Fog forms are suppressed! Monster powers cannot be used here, but any canon abilities someone had can be used to their full effect on simulated creatures. When used on other monsters, though, they'll simply pass through that person. Similarly, healing powers may appear to work, only for their effects to be undone once a character leaves the room. Nothing in there is real. This also means that you can only create things within each room's confines, and the walls don't disappear: only the illusion of movement can be created. Take too many steps and you're liable to crack your nose on metal plating, so try to avoid that.

Another thing to avoid is staying inside too long. The longer a monster goes without feeding, the harder their hunger will hit them when they leave. Even the Fourth God can't influence that. Once a monster steps back outside, their hunger reverts to what it would have been if they had never gone in. Attempts to avoid it by staying in the Cube more than a week – assuming no one throws you out so they can have a turn – will result in madness regardless of how far along the hunger is, with the monster's sanity only restored once they've left and fed on humans.

In order to ensure characters don't get too carried away and lose track of time, each simulation room is outfitted with a timer, which keeps track of how long it's been since a character entered the room. It blends into the simulated surroundings well enough, but after about two days of uninterrupted counting, it will emit a brief, loud buzzing sound. And again on the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth, six and a half... The closer a character gets to a week of being inside the simulation room, the more frequent the buzzer will be. Furthermore, characters operating on their own deadlines are free to simulate a personal timer.

If you have any questions regarding the Cube, please ask us on the FAQ!