Upon the walls of the bright hallway are melting and muddled-together vistas—the esk plods over fields of dunes, through the rocky desert, through canyons, up cliffs, towards peaks where the ground becomes icy and slick. They simply move, slowly scanning the landscapes they move through. Are they looking for something, somewhere, or someone…? Patterns in the sand and snow betray previous journeys at their feet. They are well acquainted with the reclusive and elusive habits of what they seek, but as the esk studies the footprint-glyphs laid out before them, leading to deep mountain passes or dusty valleys, they come to a cruel realization. They’re not just hiding or roaming. They’re hiding and roaming from her.
You feel that you must move on.
You feel that you must move on.
Something Avoided
As the darkness of the memory-laden hallway lifts and opens up into the next chamber of the great Temple, you’re hit with a sudden wave of emotion. Perhaps you know this emotion well, or maybe it’s a whirlwind of feeling that’s brand new to an Esk such as yourself. Regardless, it's an all-encompassing feeling, one that tugs at the edges of your very being and knocks your spirit off-kilter.
At first, it might be easy to write this feeling off as being residual; an echo of the memories you’ve freshly experienced through these sprawling halls. But as you step forward and the room comes fully into focus, you realize:
You do not want to be here.
Gazing back towards the door, you watch it dissolve right before your very eyes, blending seamlessly with the walls that surround you and leaving you with no escape route. When you turn back towards the openness beyond, the reason for your hesitation is familiar right away; a ghostly projection of persistent memory, or the spectre of someone long lost to the sands of time stands before you. Or maybe it’s the place you’ve come from, trying to hold you back from who you’ve become. Either way, you have the overwhelming need to run, to hide, or to fight what’s confronting you at all cost.
Whether it be something, someone, or somewhere you’re avoiding…you’re being ushered towards it in this room, with no hope of turning back.
What will you do?
At first, it might be easy to write this feeling off as being residual; an echo of the memories you’ve freshly experienced through these sprawling halls. But as you step forward and the room comes fully into focus, you realize:
You do not want to be here.
Gazing back towards the door, you watch it dissolve right before your very eyes, blending seamlessly with the walls that surround you and leaving you with no escape route. When you turn back towards the openness beyond, the reason for your hesitation is familiar right away; a ghostly projection of persistent memory, or the spectre of someone long lost to the sands of time stands before you. Or maybe it’s the place you’ve come from, trying to hold you back from who you’ve become. Either way, you have the overwhelming need to run, to hide, or to fight what’s confronting you at all cost.
Whether it be something, someone, or somewhere you’re avoiding…you’re being ushered towards it in this room, with no hope of turning back.
What will you do?
To continue on this Quest, you must draw or write about your Esk participating in something inspired by the scene above. You may interpret this prompt in any way you wish, but obstacles and roadblocks meet you in this room. Depict clearly that your Esk is running towards, or away, from something, somewhere, or someone they don’t want to face.
How does this room manifest for your esk? What obstacles appear that push them towards what they’d most like to avoid? Are they stepping stones that crumble beneath your feet, keeping you from going back towards the promise of safety; a burning bridge held by few tenuous strands; thorny, curling briars that block their path in every direction? An unavoidable wall of water? A crushing silence that they feel the need to break? Or is it something more personal to them, something connected to their very form?
Why is your Esk avoiding this object, being, or memory? What does their fear that lies ahead look like?
How would your Esk react to this room and the obstacles that come with it? Would they be afraid, upset, angry or even relieved? Somewhere in between? Would they attempt to face their past, or would they fight tooth and nail to avoid the obstacles that lead them there?
If the Conservatory glass panes aren’t visible due to the Temple room’s walls, you must add some elements of the Temple’s architecture or other magical or fantasy related aspects in your piece in order to qualify for the Quest. This can be achieved by adding in elements that seem unnatural, odd, or set up in a way they would clearly not be on Earth. (ex. A building floating upside down, floating platforms, etc.) These obstacles can be personalized to your Esk, so feel free to explore their depictions in creative ways.
When you depict any secondary figures, objects, or places in your work, they must appear distorted, dream-like, or obviously out of place. (ex. If your Esk is avoiding another Esk, depict clearly that the other Esk is not truly in the same space as them; rather a manifestation of your Esk’s memory.) This goes for objects, places, humans, animals and Esk alike. If other Esk are depicted, they do not receive the other Esk bonus.
How does this room manifest for your esk? What obstacles appear that push them towards what they’d most like to avoid? Are they stepping stones that crumble beneath your feet, keeping you from going back towards the promise of safety; a burning bridge held by few tenuous strands; thorny, curling briars that block their path in every direction? An unavoidable wall of water? A crushing silence that they feel the need to break? Or is it something more personal to them, something connected to their very form?
Why is your Esk avoiding this object, being, or memory? What does their fear that lies ahead look like?
How would your Esk react to this room and the obstacles that come with it? Would they be afraid, upset, angry or even relieved? Somewhere in between? Would they attempt to face their past, or would they fight tooth and nail to avoid the obstacles that lead them there?
If the Conservatory glass panes aren’t visible due to the Temple room’s walls, you must add some elements of the Temple’s architecture or other magical or fantasy related aspects in your piece in order to qualify for the Quest. This can be achieved by adding in elements that seem unnatural, odd, or set up in a way they would clearly not be on Earth. (ex. A building floating upside down, floating platforms, etc.) These obstacles can be personalized to your Esk, so feel free to explore their depictions in creative ways.
When you depict any secondary figures, objects, or places in your work, they must appear distorted, dream-like, or obviously out of place. (ex. If your Esk is avoiding another Esk, depict clearly that the other Esk is not truly in the same space as them; rather a manifestation of your Esk’s memory.) This goes for objects, places, humans, animals and Esk alike. If other Esk are depicted, they do not receive the other Esk bonus.