wildestlogs | HOME SWEET HOME

HOME SWEET HOME

Elrond let the gang decide when to leave, providing hospitality and medical care until they're ready. When the quest calls to them and they know it'll tug them along soon, he makes sure each is fully supplied and armed with weapons of their choosing, some custom made. They each have a pack, food supplies, and extra clothing. All of them get offered sturdy boots, even those who have stranger body types like Filbo.

He gives the group four copies of a book transcribed with the prophecies that had been brought to Rivendell, to be studied and interpreted on their journey.

Those who mentioned knowledge of the One Ring are briefly pulled aside away from the guests at Elrond's Council. They're implored to keep it secret, for the knowledge of Frodo's task could lead to people trying to steal the Ring when he's on a journey to destroy it.

Crowley is also released from the dungeon, with Elrond apologizing for the Elves' caution. It's at least clear he's been shown some of the same hospitality. He's healed up, well fed, and clothed in replacement clothes just like they all are.

Elrond's final goodbye to the whole group is warm and genuine.

"Namárië. It is a word we use for greetings and goodbyes. It means 'be well.' Whether you seek to help this world or try to find a way home, it is our hope that whatever paths you tread fly beneath your feet, and whatever obstacles you face are quickly overcome."

A pause.

"It would be easy to try to make you feel that the hopes of those in this new world go with you; but such burdens should only be carried by those who choose it. The Green will not admit it, but they have done you a great wrong. If you try to only find your way home, it's justified, and I hope you do find it."

Yes, there are prophecies, but making people do something by force is wrong, and all weary travelers deserve to find their way home. After a brief time of saying any goodbyes, they get to make their way to the other side of the valley. On the other side of the pass is the castle the Green spoke about.

The castle is a Frankenstein monstrosity that seems cobbled together from many buildings and machines. The second the last of the gang piles inside, it starts moving, massive legs clanking along. But where it's going is unknown. At least that means they have time to explore, rest, and get settled.

There are many mystical objects and mysteries within. One half of the castle seems to be a strange frozen realm of faerie, with strange sights to explore. But even the warmer side of the castle has its oddities. Magic waterfalls that show memories, and a scrying pool that shows frozen images of home, locked to the times each member of the squad left theirs. There are magical doors that lead to sights beyond the imagination, strange collections and even entire small realms, some beautiful, some dangerous.

The three magical creatures, Jonald, Ronald, and Rolkien constantly get underfoot trying to get the group settled, but refuse to talk about their former master, seemingly hurt at his leaving the castle.

The castle also seems to like assigning roommates for some of the group, making it so doors only open to their assigned room anytime they try to go to a place to sleep, even teleporting to them to the room if they fall asleep elsewhere.

It's a strange place, sometimes dangerous, sometimes annoying, but at least they have even more time to rest, train, plan, and prepare. They will have a few weeks to adjust to their new normal.

Then...who knows where the road will take them.
OOC DETAILS
❧ Prompts. The mods aren't doing prompts, but players can check out the page on the Moving castle for inspiration. The castle has many mysteries and oddities and absolutely anything can be behind the magical doors.

❧ Food and water. The castle seems to have an internal pressurized water supply and food is plentiful...for now. The food supply will not last forever but some food was left behind by the castle's previous occupants. There there's enough for a long break without hunting. There is some fresh food that's rotten and needs to be thrown away but whoever lived here clearly knew how to keep food prepared. There are cooking oils, flour, and sugar for bread and baked goods. There is jerky of various types of meats, dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, stores of nuts, jars of preserved fruit and jams (and empty jars to make more), and hard cheeses that need only a little mold cut off them to still be edible. Some of the jars have confit, meat cooked and preserved in lard, or garlic preserved in oil. A small root cellar has a few barrels of potatoes, parsnips, and onions.

It also has some barrels of beer and bottles of wine.

There are also dried herbs hanging in bundles from the kitchen ceiling, jarred pickled vegetables, and vinegar for pickling more. There are also fresh veggies the group can harvest together. The gardens will not be infinite in supplying the group but luck has it that many vegetables are ripe for harvest right now. The squad can pick juicy tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, radishes, blackberries from a small thicket, squash, and plenty of zucchini. The garden does need tending to stay healthy. Aside from harvesting from it, weeds need to be pulled, beans and tomatoes need to be trellised, spoiled veggies on the ground need to be tossed away.

❧ Bathing. There is no soap other than what the Elves may have given them but there are hot baths. The water has to be heated on a fire down the hall and carried to the tubs.

❧ Weather/Atmosphere: The air outside and inside is on the warmer side. Even though the stone is cool, the cooking fires warm the air to something comfortable. The air outside in the gardens is warm and sunny, with the occasional cool breeze due to the altitude.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Prompt(s) down below.

Homesick is not the right word to describe Henry in his situation - imagine being homesick when you live in a portal that leads to Silent Hill - but he feels the need to check.

Ah yes, the windows banging, blood coming out of the sink, the cat in the otherwise empty fridge (curse you, Jasper Gein, that choccy milk bottle was all Henry had left!), the usual chained up door with Walter's writing and an almost tasteful addition of blood coming out of the peephole: outside he can see a maimed ghost version of himself, with the victims' handprints in the background. Home sweet home indeed.

As for Eileen, well, she's still in the other dimension, in the room downstairs of the hospital building. She's in front of the hole that brings Henry back home, maybe she was just about to get in before he was pulled from his own universe?

He turns to whoever has just walked in.

"So time stops in our home universes until we're done here, huh?"

Apparently so. It better stop -- most of us would be in trouble if time doesn't stop while we're absent.

[So many bad ends would happen in so many canons, haha]

"I'm glad, it means one less thing to worry about...Though it also means we gotta be careful not to die here."

Says the guy who stepped into a magic well with no second thought.

"Didn't you dive headfirst into a well in the middle of a forest in a magical land, just because you could?"

Ange definitely points that out, not even bothering to conceal she thinks that was a terrible decision.

"..."

Yes. Henry definitely did do that.

"...Oh, yeah."

"'Oh yeah', he says..."

Ange sighs.

"Are you like that back where you came from or did you just stop thinking at all for a moment here?"

"Like that?" Henry looks confused as always "What do you mean?"

"Reckless"

Ange shakes her head.

"Although that may not be the best word to describe someone who would dive in headfirst into a well, it's the kindest I could think of right now. Be glad about that"

If she truly meant to be kind, she wouldn't have mentioned that last part, that's for sure.

"Fair enough." Henry shrugs "I'll be more careful from now on."

"Please do so. We're in an extremely dangerous world and..."

Ange sighs.

"...and it's very easy to stumble into something dangerous while being none the wiser. Even this castle has its traps"

She has to admit she herself has fallen prey to things like magic mirrors' illusions. Sometimes being cautious isn't enough to save you from being in danger, but at least it'll help.

Ange really hates she can't seem to not get into trouble with stuff, no matter how kind of paranoid she is about magic.

"Yeah...But honestly, it's great news to see that time is frozen at home. Makes me feel lighter. We should tell everyone, the group could use some reassurance."

By 'we' he means 'you', Henry is not a fan of talking to others.

"I'll consider it"

She says that, but probably won't because, admittedly, the network makes her a little bit wary. It gets overwhelming to be talking to so many people at once! And listening to their conversations, too.

"I do wonder if perhaps, since this allows us to see our homes, communicating with it could be possible too. Frozen in time or not, sending a message or two could be good"

She doesn't rule out that perhaps things aren't frozen, and time still is passing. This could be a way to lull them into some complacency.

"Uh."

Henry can't help but think about the superintendant slipping a piece of paper under his door only for it to be completely covered in blood when Henry retrieved it. Not to mention the windows that won't open, his screams going unheard, lots of stuff.

"I...I don't think I can, that place I was stuck in consciously prevented external influence. But you can try it."

"...you have a quite difficult life."

External influences messing with you is definitely a bad sign. Perhaps the Green did you a favor here, Henry, she thinks. Lucky you.

"I mean, I've got my own place. Rent's low."

Henry shrugs. Yes, the apartment is haunted, but it's affordable.

HOME SWEET HOME

Henry Townshend

Scrying glass

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject