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: II

[credit_not_blame]

There's a familiar face (and lack of self-preservation instinct)! Stacia doesn't have time to celebrate though, instead scrabbling backward between the carts she'd been cornered against. While the memory flashes are keeping her good and pissed off, she's out of Rage that she can use, which means that shifting is going to take a few moments that Dan just bought her.

Note to self, she thinks as she expands into fur and fang, do not scare Dan's horse.

[hallelujahjunction]

Dan knows that Stacia is well capable of taking care of herself in a fight, and the fact that she isn't shifting immediately tells him that she currently needs the assist. Thankfully, riding horseback makes him a good distraction for the nightrenders, who move quickly but just not quickly enough to catch Dan as he weaves around upturned carts and burning tents, grateful beyond measure for how his father made him run horse-jumping drills as a child, starting when he was so young he couldn't even get on the horse by himself. He doesn't get far enough away from Stacia to make it worth the nightrenders' while to abandon him and go back to her. He soon has all three of them following him like a train, wearing

As he swings around Stacia again, he shouts to her as he fires another arrow to his four o'clock at a nightrender's face, as loud as his quiet, scratchy voice gets. "Do you need time or an escape?"

[credit_not_blame]

Stacia shoves her way out of the carts, seizing...some part of the cart anatomy and snapping it free to make a club.

"Time," she rasps, forcing the word into something comprehensible in spite of her muzzle. Though given how fucking sturdy these things are, they're all going to need an escape soon. "Others?"

She catches up to Dan's little Nightrender parade and jams her cart part into it's glowing face hole. If it's not bigger from the inside, maybe they can cram it full of stuff so that it has to stop and extract everything before it can do anymore sucking.

[hallelujahjunction]

"Bunny, Price, a few folks I don't know- I think I saw Rowena and Cammie running around." Dan hopes Stacia's hearing is better than a normal human's in this form, because there's only so far he can raise his bruise of a voice and he's trying to keep some space between them as he plays roadrunner to the nightrenders' coyotes. "No word on how many folks we got to evacuate."

Dan has that wild, desperate look of someone who hopes he's the last one out, if at all. Having a nightrender spill open all your worst memories like they're upturning a bucket of Halloween candy will do that.

He sees what Stacia is doing and feels so proud of her, even though she isn't his, even though he can't take any credit for her smarts and moxie. He draws his bow and fires arrow after arrow behind him, into the nightrender's mouth, keeping an eye on the second one following him around.

[credit_not_blame]

"Kenzie, Cammie, new people," Stacia agrees. Her hearing is a lot better in Crinos than it is in Homid, so she can still pick out Dan's voice among the chaos. Her sense of smell is better too, so she takes a deep breath while she steers her currently-captive Nightrender around by the stick in his face; but that only earns her an explosive sneeze as smoke and what's probably fae magic fills her nasal passages.

Most people will have run, she's sure. Those who don't have their own ways of telling which way is north would be able to follow the crowd, so the only people who are still here are the people who have frozen or hid in their terror and the people like her and Dan who run toward the sounds of screaming.

She shoves her captive Nightrender into the shattered remains of a booth, hoping the winding cloth will slow it down, and takes off after Dan and his matched set. She goes in low, knocking the feet out from under the one he's not shooting.

"Look," she growls, gesturing around the faire grounds, because she knows that Dan isn't going to retreat until he's satisfied he's gotten everyone out he can. Stupid lack of self-preservation. "I fight, you look!"

[hallelujahjunction]

"Got it," he says, making a mental note of the folks he's seen running in outfits that didn't seem to fit the setting. Probably people either in need of help or very, very capable of providing it. "Saw a few folks that looked like they were teleporting too, but didn't get a good eyeful of them through the fog."

The nightrender Stacia swept to the ground must have broken its neck or brained itself, because for the moment it doesn't get up. They might have a few minutes before it comes back to come after them, a few minutes to take care of the other one. Dan unloads another arrow into its neck and peels the horse around, ready to charge.

"I got a kid on my three." Dan catches sight of the little girl, still clutching the burlap dragon toy her parents bought her, huddled under a cart that was selling some sort of kebab. She's weeping through her terror, and Dan realizes that it's not because of the danger around her; it's because she's gotten flashes of Stacia and Dan's memories, flickers of things she's been too sheltered to be exposed to, the worst of cruelty that the world can offer.

He charges the remaining nightrender and then feints around it. "Keep that one occupied. Wouldn't rather have no one tackling that thing."

[credit_not_blame]

"Got it," Stacia growls back. It's good that Dan doesn't have any problems with being the nice one or the one to provide comfort, because the kid is young enough that she'd absolutely be put off by Stacia's Rage and that would only make the whole thing worse.

Now that she's stopped trying to really damage the nightrenders, it's a lot easier to keep them distracted. Whack 'em in the joints and they fall down like any other bipedal creature. They don't stay down and they can still overwhelm her with numbers, but that just means she needs to keep moving and, eventually, that they'll have to get out of here before she exhausts herself -- even Rage and Garou healing can't turn a girl into a perpetual motion machine.

[hallelujahjunction]

As soon as Dan has enough distance between him and the nightrenders, thanks to Stacia, he pulls around and jumps off the horse, running to the kid and grabbing her in his arms. She thrashes against him at first, and he wishes he had a chance to be comforting instead of just gentle, but a scared kid who's getting tugged around is better than a dead kid, and right now Dan has to choose between the two. He squeezes her in a bear hug as he runs back to the horse, doing his best to keep her stuffed dragon in his arms too.

"Stacia, how fast can you run?" Because this is a retreat mission now. This is escorting a scared civilian to safety and hopefully not taking any more damage in the meantime.

[credit_not_blame]

Fast enough to really upset your horse, Stacia doesn't say, because now is not the time for comedy commentary and that's also way too much work to push through her muzzle.

"Fast enough," she says instead, breaking off from the fight and trying to give Dan's horse a wide enough berth that it doesn't freak out and try to run any way that's away from this particular scary monster.

/end?

[hallelujahjunction]

"Good." Dan gives Stacia a quick nod and helps the kid onto the horse, trying to be as soothing as possible despite his parched and mauled voice as he tells her that she's just going to take a ride on this pony, and this pony's going to help her find her parents, and she better hold onto her stuffed dragon real tight because they're going to go a little fast. The kid's dubious, but the kid's also in shock, so Dan doesn't blame her for mostly just staring at him blankly and clinging.

Once on the horse, he gives Stacia another nod and positions the girl so she's not about to fall off. "Clear the way, I got my hands full."

And with that, he urges the horse into a bolt.

end!

[credit_not_blame]

Stacia nods in acknowledgment and takes off, making sure that Dan and the horse and their terrified cargo can car-get to safety.

...Might be a good time to make a retreat anyway, if her brain is tossing up punch-drunk puns.