INTO THE WOODS ※ GAME EVENT

[wildestmods]

INTO THE WOODS

The faerie faire goes on into the evening, the faire filled with the sounds of revelry. For those who've spent the day there, the cool evening air is welcome respite from the bright sun that's shined all day. Those who still have some faerie gold might even want to invest in a cloak if they haven't gotten one yet, because it may get chillier as night falls.

As evening descends and various floating flowers start to glow to provide light, the spring faeries start to bring out night-time merchandise and amusements, like brightly-colored phosphorescent flower jewelry. Fireflies are charmed to blink in different colors and magical fireworks paint the sky in vibrant light. They're quieter than normal fireworks, but there are still satisfying snaps and hisses.

It seems like it'll be a pleasant night at the fair and those only just arriving in the evening will find a charming scene opening up before them.

But one thing that isn't noticed as evening begins to fall is the way the winter faeries suddenly slink away into the rising dark. Or at least it isn't noticed until it's too late. Some of the summer faeries start to react to it with alarm.

"Where did they go? The winter faeries are supposed to provide security, they signed an agreement. Go tell Ponto and get some faeries with warding magic to shore up the wards." Faeries start flying with purpose to speak to others that need to be put on security. "We can handle it ourselves but we need to get enough people out to the borders."

"Should we disperse the faire?"

"No, there's no sign of any threats and if we re-ward it, they'll be safer here than people scattering in the woods at night. Even if we had the bad luck to be attacked before the wards are re-done we can defend them with our magic - and we're contracted to."

Unfortunately that bad luck hits too soon. While the faeries scramble to re-do the defense wards, an unearthly fog rolls in. Terrible screeches start to rend the air, sounding similar to the screams of foxes. Warning bells ring from warning wards placed in certain areas of the woods.

"Nightrenders!" someone calls out and people in the crowd start screaming, gathering their loved ones closer. Horrifying beings start to pour into the faire and the hand stamps of all the people who bought tickets ahead of time start to glow. Faeries rally around those people, casting powerful defensive spells. Due to the panic, several stalls start to go up in flames due to knocked over cooking fires. Fortunately the stalls are small enough for people to escape them easily and spread far enough apart that they can be avoided, but smoke joins the fog in the air.

If a faerie sees one of the squad of otherworlders, and their lack of glowing hand stamp they're quick to offer a warning. "You have to run! The people who bought tickets ahead of time entered into a magical agreement of protection. The warding takes time to charge. We can do nothing for you, without slow-charge wards we're not powerful enough to protect you. The Nightrenders will devour your brain, or your soul."

Apparently that little disclaimer about not being fully protected that some of them read while coming in (for those that had arrived earlier in the day) was more important than it seemed.

The faeries always point the same way, still trying to help the people without tickets. "To the north! There's a place in a canyon with a large, glowing crystal. It looks like an abandoned market and dwellings. You'll be safe there, the magic of the Heartstone will protect you."

USEFUL LINKS

Setting Background/FAQ | Major NPCs


NIGHTRENDERS

The beings known as Nightrenders start amassing on the faire. Their movements are quick but clumsy, as if every one of their movements is made up of a hundred janky, smaller fits and starts, like they're made of clockwork. The faerie magic summer faeries use seems to do no more than stagger them back or temporarily knock them over, but at least makes it clear to the squad that they at least can be knocked over and slowed down. At the very least it seems to take them some time to get off the ground and back to their feet.

Attacks

They attack anyone they see in different ways. Some they wound with massive claws. Or they squeeze someone's torso and nearly suffocate them to give them a chance at possibly chomping into the heads of their victims to get at the brains. Most dangerously of all, they breathe in with a loud sucking noise, clawed hands guiding the magic that lets them drawn out someone's soul to devour it. It looks like a small delicate thing, sometimes in the form of a glittering star or a flower, as its drawn out of the victim's mouth.

This process can fortunately be interrupted if the Nightrender is attacked. As long as the soul hasn't been sucked into their mouths, it goes back into the victim.

Cursed Aura

But the whole thing is complicated by the magical aura caused by the Nightrenders. When they draw close, everyone around them is choked with fear, grief, and dread. Some succumb to visions of their worse memories playing out in their heads over and over. Some might be able to still stagger away in this state, trying to see through the visions, especially if someone helps them along, but others will find it nearly impossible to do anything other than curl on the ground. It is unknown why some don't have the flashbacks or can power through them more than others, though it's thought that those that repress their bad memories or negative emotions struggle more.

Anyone that helps someone who's having visions may get a glimpse of their memories - and empathically feel a flash of the pain, fear, rage, or grief they felt during the memory. If two people try to help each other move forward when both are having visions, they may transmit glimpses back and forth.

Weaknesses

The Nightrenders cannot be destroyed, only knocked down, or slowed down. However, those with "holy" weapons, spells, or powers, or those who have weapons, spells, or powers that can hurt "ethereal" beings or evil spirits will find they can cause them enough pain that sometimes they run away. Spells and abilities that create magical manifestations of good will and happiness, as well as spells of light, or purification can also harm them and drive them away.

THE SISTERS

The Nightrenders don't speak, but some have the misfortune of hearing two voices echo out of the fog. The come in stereo, only just slightly out of sync.

"Chosen Ones, you must be so confused. You've become lost in the forest, and the Dark Lord's nightmares already pursue you. Fortunately for you, our mistress desires your company. You'll adore obeying her will. Don't run, embrace a better destiny."

Two woman in white masks and straw hats, with cloaks made from the feathers of ravens, come out of the fog, body language almost identical. No eyes can be seen through the eyeholes of their masks, just darkness.

They start attacking, and when they beset their victims they stop speaking, refusing to talk or answer questions, instead filling the air with wild, mocking laughter. One wields twin katanas, the other a kusarigama with a painful claw at the end of the chain that closes down when it hits something.

Nets

While they're extremely willing to injure the squad they seem to be trying to capture them instead of killing (albeit capturing them after they're maimed), occasionally tossing out nets of glowing silver of moonlight. Being caught in the nets renders someone paralyzed and weak, a deep cold settling into the marrow of their bones. Some may even hear the shrieks of dying loved ones, whether they've actually died in reality or not. The Sisters apparently have the strength to carry even the largest of the squad in the air and will attempt to fly away when someone is ensnared.

The nets are difficult to destroy, but can be with great force of some kind. It has to be aimed at the part closest to the Sisters' hands, because the force required to break the nets would also injure those trapped inside them. The cold and paralysis fades when the victims are free, but some of the rescued may feel weak and need help staying on their feet. Unfortunately, even when they're broken, the nets of moonlight seem to be something they can recreate within several minutes.

Smoke Monsters

For some, they don't attack directly. Instead, one of the sisters pulls out a pipe and smoke monsters pour out of it. They try to drag their victims closer to the sisters so they can be caught in their nets. Fortunately, they can be destroyed with enough force.

While the Sisters seem impossible to injure, they can at least be caused pain with extreme enough attacks, something that makes them teleport away before risking any further injury.

PROMPTS

a) RENT
Uh oh, a Nightrender has you. Either it's squeezing you so hard you're suffocating and about to chomp into some juicy brains, or it's in the process of sucking your soul out through your mouth. In either case, you're likely broadcasting visions of your worst memories in small flashes to whoever is near. You're in desperate need of rescue and the summer faeries can't help - their magic is all but useless on the Nightrenders if it didn't have time to build by a covenant. Only others that fell into the Wilderlands like you did can save you.

(Feel free to provide multiple memory options ala a memshare, but keep in mind they'd only be flashes instead of a full memory!)

b) NABBED
The Sisters have got you, their smoke monsters are trying to drag you away, or you're still trying to fight them to avoid being caught. It'll be a lot easier if you have help - otherwise you're outnumbered and possibly outclassed. The only way to stop them is fight back hard enough that they feel you're not worth the effort and teleport off.

c) RESCUE
Perhaps you're not affected by the Nightrenders or are just good at powering through the haze of painful magic they're inflicting on the area. Either way, you're out to help the people around you. Perhaps you run into another member of the otherworlder squad that needs saving - or maybe they join you to protect a third otherworlder, or a denizen of the Wilderlands that also forewent a ticket and is therefore at risk. Unlike many of the people from other universes, many of the denizens of the Wilderlands are powerless and thought they were in for a day and night of safe fun.

There are also other hazards to rescue people from. Maybe a small child has been separated from their parents and is disoriented by smoke, in need of rescued from some flaming tents. Or maybe an elderly person has fallen and is at risk of being trampled. There are lots of reasons people might need help, due to fires, panicked horses, collapsing tents, and panicking crowds.

d) RUN
It's time to run! Perhaps, after some screaming and confusion - and teleportation - you finally grab a buddy and bolt through the woods. You better run fast because the Nightrenders and the Sisters may give up chase at some point but it may take time and moving through difficult terrain in the fog to lose them. Perhaps you and a partner have to help a third, injured otherworlder because they're having trouble walking.

Better head north like the faeries said. The faeries were right that this Heartstone to the north may be your only hope - and you'll have to reach it despite the fading evening light, skies overcast with dark clouds, and fog.

It may be easier navigating in the dark with a partner or two.

e) WILDCARD
Maybe you decide to do none of the above. Go nuts!

OOC DETAILS
❧ Quest magic: Players can handwave that the quest bond magic is tugging the group northward to the safe place, with the mysterious Heartstone. They can also use the quest magic as an excuse for many different threads. As the group tries to run, their scattering movements will affect the magic and cause people to teleport at random, allowing for many different encounters with many other characters. This can explain why two characters that might otherwise stay together through the whole thing might get separated.

❧ Network: The network can now be used. Mirrors can and do float if someone is trying to talk through one and running, and can follow someone as they move, allowing people to communicate on the go or during action. Feel free to start using the network in parallel with the log events.

❧ NPCing: The mods won't be npcing but players are free to npc the actions of bystanders, the Nightrenders, and the Sisters. The Sisters won't speak, just continue laughing, and players can npc their specific attacks, capture attempts, and teleportation. Please just don't have them talk or godmode them dying - they're currently a little too sturdy for that. If you have a question about whether/how something will affect them feel free to ask the mods in the first comment below.

❧ Environment: Feel free to manipulate the environment. There are things left over from the faire people can work with like bow and arrow sets from the competition, horses (which can be temporarily stolen, though we'd like to limit any that are permanently stolen to the (1) horse another player already requested), and even explosive faerie fireworks (they're quieter than the normal thing but still create a big bang). Abandoned stalls also have weapons and supplies to grab as people run for it. If they didn't think to steal or buy useful things during the day, please limit this to only grabbing one or two items as they run, like a cloak or sword. They won't have time to loot for more.

❧ Experimentation: We'd like to encourage people to experiment! Obviously ask other players if they're down first, but it could be fun to do something other than 2 person threads, like maybe 2 PCs banding to rescuing a 3rd. Players are also encouraged to set limitations if they think it'd be more interesting, like locking their final escape prompt from the faire grounds to a single thread partner and playing out the drama of a full escape.

[OOC: Plot is visible so people can see and start plotting together but not open until Nov. 1. The mods will enable comments then.]

Comments

Re: Dan Sagittarius

[just_ace]

Ace looks up at the man on the horse and contemplates for a brief moment how things managed to get this fucked this quickly... It had been such a lovely day.

He noticed right away when their fae hosts began to get nervous and bustle around. When he heard all the unseelie had cheesed it he knew things were about to get wild.

What he hadn't expected was a fight he couldn't handle. He still hasn't admitted that's what this is, but he has been in better tactical positions...

He had done pretty well at first. He got a few civilians to safety and teamed up with some others to help drive the weird fomori-looking things that moved like they had rabies away from the main evacuation routes.

But he got cocky and didn't see the creepy spirit-thing with the silver net and cool swords sneak up on him.

He had tried shifting to his breed form both for the added resistance to silver and to get smaller in hopes of wriggling out through a gap. All it had done was make him easier to drag.

He can feel the net shifting around him and it feels like he may be about to be scooped into the air losing any leverage and along with it the fight.

I dont think so.

He was just starting to like it here and these fuckers are beginning to piss him off.

With a wink to the dashing hero on his steed Ace begins to change.

The net briefly drops back to the ground before the creature he does not yet know is called a Sister can adjust to its new weight.

The silver net now contains a hulking silver-furred beast.

Ace lets out a piercing howl and buries foot-long claws deep into the earth.

Pain sears him where the net bites into his fur but the faint glow of moonlight seems to rise like mist from the contact points and the pain dulls enough for him to continue to resist.

Slowly, hand-over-hand, he begins to drag the Sister, net and all, across the common. He has no real destination or purpose beyond sheer stubborn resistance. Unaided he is unlikely to escape, but neither can the Sister properly leverage her clearly formidable strength and whisk him away into the bejeweled night sky.

[hallelujahjunction]

"Werewolf, huh?"

Dan's got a wild grin on his face as he watches Ace change, glad that the tide of the fight might be less uneven than Dan thought. It's been a hard battle so far, one that Dan's going to have to process with a lot of alcohol and a lot of rough nights, but he doesn't have to process it now.

Now, he can just feel the purity of focus, of knowing that there are people to help, adrenalin washing everything out from his mind except exactly one step ahead. He guides the horse around and, as he can see the Sister is being dragged, launches another arrow at her; for whatever reason, his quiver always seems to be full, and he isn't about to question why.

What he is questioning is how to help Ace get out of the net entirely. Dan takes a second to just assess the situation, the way the net is set up, the points of weakness in the Sister's weapons.

"Pull it taut!" he yells to Ace, even though Ace is already doing a pretty good job of that, yanking the Sister across the field, but before Dan gets to act on his plan the Sister decides to stop being pulled around by Ace and swing sideways, using Ace pulling her as a fulcrum so that she can whip at Dan at full speed, katanas bared.

[just_ace]

Ace lurches forward with the full force he had been using to resist and pull the Sister suddenly unopposed. Before he can regain his footing he is snapped upright and begins to cant backward perilously as the Sister's end of the rope pulls taught again and she uses their connection to slingshot rapidly and unexpectedly toward horse and rider.

Thinking fast Ace assesses his options. He is still tangled in white-hot silver weave, though it is much less effort to merely balance the weight of his opponent rather than battle their full strength.

If he tries to regain his balance and keeps pulling on the net it will only accelerate the Sister on her chosen path, but if he goes with the fall and can manage a quick leap, then plants and tugs, he may be able to send her off course.

No more time to think!

He lets the net pull him a few more degrees off of standing then launches off the ground in a backflip.

He failed to realize that, both freed from the ground, he and the sister would begin to orbit each other like the weights of a bolas.

This makes sticking the landing gracefully utterly impossible.

Oh well! Today hasn't been big on dignity, why start now.

He lands in a heap and hugs the dirt.

When all is said and done it works... somewhat.

He doesn't manage to send the Sister off at a wild tangent like he hoped to but she is pulled up short, swinging rapidly past with Dan just out of reach of her spinning blades.

[hallelujahjunction]

"Thanks for the assist," Dan croaks.

He would be a shish-kebab right now if Ace hadn't pulled that particular stunt, but instead he just takes a tumble off the horse, tucking and rolling and getting to his feet with his bow miraculously close and his quiver still completely stocked. He fires off a shot at the Sister. It seems to just bounce off.

"Son of a bitch," Dan mutters, keeping an eye on which direction his horse is running off towards. He preps another arrow, and the Sister cackles as monsters emerge from the smoke-

-and disappear entirely when they get within exactly fifteen feet of Dan.

That's interesting.

Not something to distract him, though, and he's still hoping to rid the Sister of her net and thus free Ace. He sends another arrow at the tightest, thinnest part of the net, figuring if he can't hurt her he can at least take away her favored weapon. The net snaps.

[just_ace]

Ace briefly registers relief that his gambit worked before the consequences crash down on him. As he tries again to free himself from the net his limbs stubbornly refuse to comply.

Ace is no stranger to physical pain, but no matter how intense it never lasts long. Yet another advantage he has slowly learned not to take for granted.

Despite the grace Luna has given him protecting him somewhat from her curse, the net hurts. So far he has been able to push that to the back of his mind and focus on the battle.

It seems he pushed it too far back because he missed the accompanying fatigue as it insidiously leeched its way into his bones.

He manages to lift his head a bit and he is seeing the world through a pane of leaded glass.

His thoughs are coming slower now too and he feels a calm numbness begin to spread inside him.

Dan isn't skewered. Maybe it is okay to rest. The lady these Sisters work for just wants to talk, right? Surely he'll be able charm her out of whatever servitude she has planned for him...

Yet he doesn't yield to unconsciousness. Instead, memories well up from the depths of his subconscious. Bad memories, yes, but it isn't pleasant dreams he needs to fight the numbness.

A gang of adolescents in prep school uniforms all competing to see who could sharpen their wit to deliver the deepest wound

The leader of his first pack casually tossing a man's lifeless body aside then handing Ace the dead man's knife. 'The first share of the kill, Herr Wyrmfoe.' Her voice is dripping with sarcasm.

Stacia, all four of her limbs severed, the stumps cauterized with silver, a letter on pristine stationary with a wax seal placed carefully next to her. Her mental screams barely registering next to the deafening silence in his mind where Lillys happy voice had been.

Stacia again, now whole somehow, looking on with cold satisfaction as her revenge comes to fruition. The pack of Silver Fangs begins to argue, quietly at first, then more heated. By the end there is nothing left but motionless heaps of fur and viscera coating the walls. She doesn't lift a finger. Her expression does not change.

These memories don't buoy him up. He is objectively a monster but not that kind. But they remind him that he is a child of Goat. That through all those dark times he had his stubborn dedication to the principal that it will all turn out okay as long as he commits unwaveringly to his duty and treats everyone with respect regardless of their station or circumstances.

Suddenly something shatters the glass separating him from the world. At first he thinks it is Goat but as he regains his senses he realizes Dan has severed the silver net with a magical arrow.

With more than enough precious seconds wasted on reverie he moves, scrambling free from the net and bolting toward Dan and Concrete Blonde, giving the Sister a wide berth.

[hallelujahjunction]

The flash of something in Ace's memories, something horrible, hits Dan as hard as if it were his own memories; a kid he feels somewhat responsible for, paternal towards, not just maimed but mutilated by cruelty. She's not just Stacia. She's Stacia, and she's also Tabitha, and she's also Jessica, and she's also all his other siblings who died in his arms by someone who wanted to make sure their death horrified and shocked and impressed as well as devastated.

For a moment, Dan's not on the fairgrounds anymore. He doesn't know where he is. He isn't even in his body; he's a paralyzed, formless set of senses, seeing and hearing and smelling and tasting the copper blood in the air. He begs his muscles to obey and after what feels like an hour, but is actually just seconds, he gets his hand up to his mouth and he bites down on his own finger so hard he draws blood.

It does the trick. Dan remembers where he is. And, blessedly, biting his hand that hard isn't going to slow him down, because he knows innately just how to position his hand on the bow, just how to push through pain.

He runs over to Ace to help rip away the rest of the netting, keep it from dragging with Ace. "Get on the horse, she can take us both but not far."

[just_ace]

Ace says something harsh and guttural that might be "Thanks, I owe you one," as he twists free of the last remaining strands of silver netting. He can feel his strength returning almost immediately.

He stands and takes a step toward the horse who shies away from the nine-foot monstrosity with once silver fur now caked in mud and other more suspicious fluids.

Ace shakes his head and chuckles... at least that is probably what he is doing. It sounds like a drowning boar.

Then he shrinks down, fur drawing inward and becoming jeans, an off-white knit hoodie and sneakers. He makes calming gestures and noises at Concrete Blond and strangely it seems to work, at least a little. The horse still doesn't seem thrilled at the idea of Ace getting on their back.

Ace turns to Dan.

"Don't think your friend here is too keen on that. Don't worry, I can keep up. Lets regroup somewhere out of the action and see if we can coordinate with any of the others that have been helping. There are still people in danger, but I don't think any of us were as ready for this as we thought we were. We need strategy if were are going to help without getting ourselves captured or... eaten. I have a few friends around here somewhere, you?"

[hallelujahjunction]

"Alright. I ain't leaving you behind, so if you don't keep up I'm going down with you." Dan doesn't say that as any sort of guilt trip or insult; he's got the warm smile of someone who takes great comfort in the idea that at least he can provide company if things go south.

He brings Concrete Blonde around, trying not to stress her out by getting her closer to Ace. He isn't surprised at all to see that Ace looks like just a normal human man now, dressed in practical casual wear.

"Yeah, my partner's around, in case you see a giant rabbit." Dan doesn't say husband, because he doesn't know Ace well and doesn't know if Ace has any homophobia that might complicate things. Partner can be interpreted as a business partner. "He goes by Bunny, so his name'll be real hard to remember. Heading north?"

[just_ace]

"Feels like that is probably the right way to head, though we should probably help anyone we can along the way. These things are no joke, but we know a little more about how to fight them now. I'd like to make sure a few of the people I met today get out okay.

I'll keep an eye out for a giant rabbit. You keep an eye out for any werewolves that look like I did, or a cat equivalent. If they aren't fighting they might be less easy to spot. Still, if you see a very organized young woman with perfect hair and makeup despite the fight asking a lot of pointed questions, holler. Her name is Stacia and she is... not blood but family. We've been separated for a while and I will be very upset if anything happened to her.

And don't worry about losing me. I run real fast and I don't tire out. Your horse will give out before I will... no offense."

Ace nods an apology to Concrete Blond then shifts down to a lithe silver-furred wolf.

[hallelujahjunction]

"Funny, that. I'd consider Stacia family too." He pretended to be her father for a while on a Rig mission. It was an extremely easy role to fall into; she's an extremely easy person to love.

"See you north, then." He nods, willing to look for all the people Ace just mentioned, then urges the horse into a gallop towards safety.