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

[skinlotion]

I try. [For a very minimum definition of 'try,' anyway, but she figures she deserves to be derivative in the middle of a burning campground. After the briefest hesitation, she holds out a hand to help Ange up. Mona knows this could be a trap-- she still isn't sure how she managed to find herself in an apparently unmonitored Renaissance fair in the middle of who-knows-where, but it's obviously just another entry in the very long list of things people have done for no reason beyond fucking with her. She truly wouldn't put it past her mysterious enemy to purposefully get trapped in a fire only to backstab Mona when she least expects it. But she remembers what it was like, stuck with the doors locked shut as the lodge filled with smoke, and she remembers that her enemy pulled her out, so.

If her conscience ends up getting her screwed, she's going to be so pissed.]

Do you know how to ride? You can get pillion. [At least the risk of getting stabbed while literally riding a horse together is... probably lower than the risk of smoke inhalation.]

[unsealthecatbox]

Never rode a horse before, but this is a good time to figure that out. Don't worry about it.

[Pillion it is! At least Ange doesn't waste any time. Taking some impulse, she tries to get on the horse]

Let's go!

[She hasn't even gotten onto the right position and she's already asking to get going! Time is of the essence! But despite everything, she's really glad Mona appeared. Being grateful comes hard to Ange but she figures out the best way to show she's glad is to comply and listen to her as much as she can!]

[skinlotion]

[Never rode a horse before. Fantastic. Mona steadies the horse as best she can, which, considering that everything is on fire and under attack by strange monsters, she's not too shabby at. It's still a tense moment of unease as Ange clambers up to a totally unsuitable position behind her.]

Okay, first things first? If anything happens to me while I'm riding in front, you're going to fall off and get kicked in the head by the horse. [It's the best thing she can think of saying to reduce her chances of getting stabbed or otherwise attacked by the girl behind her. With that warning out of the way:] Sit right behind me. You should be able to see if my roots are showing.

[Which they aren't, though her blonde hair is very obviously dyed. If this girl turns out to be working for A, Mona assumes she'll get punished for that reference later, but again, if she turns out to be rescuing an A minion from burning to death at a Renaissance fair, she should get some slack.]

[unsealthecatbox]

[Ange is pretty cynical and distrusting. When Mona says that, her immediate thought is that the warning is meant to get her prepared for the possibility if things look dire Mona is going to push her away and let the horse kick her, even though her savior specifically said such a thing would happen if anything happened to her, being in front]

Ah, thanks for the warning.

[Only after saying that she realizes what Mona truly meant. She's not certain that was it, but the thought sure crosses her mind.

...

You know what, props to Mona, she thinks. She'll have to remember saying that, if she ever finds herself in the same situation as Mona right now.

Obeying, Ange makes sure she's sitting right behind Mona. She's ready!]

[skinlotion]

[Well, based on the fact that Mona just feels Ange's weight against her back instead of a knife, maybe her warning worked. Or maybe Ange is just waiting for them to escape the forest before she stabs Mona literally in the back. Only time will tell, she guesses. She thinks she can probably force Ange's hand early.

The horse doesn't need urging to go; it's clearly startled enough by the fire that it sets off on its own accord, as soon as Mona lets it. It's not like she's bad at horses-- growing up in the sort of upper-middle-class suburb where she's from, it's just the sort of thing one does-- but there's a pretty big difference between horse riding lessons at a stable and riding double through a burning forest. She's just barely keeping it from breaking out into a full-out panicked dash, and doesn't have much attention to spare for the chaos around them. Maybe having an extra set of eyes isn't the worst thing.]

Watch out for those... whatever things. The nightmare monsters. I need to focus on this.

[unsealthecatbox]

Got it.

[Simple enough! Ange looks around, keeping her eyes open for any dangers. It's such a shock these grounds have turned into such a dangerous place in such a short span of time. Nightrenders, the Sisters...the latter are nowhere to be seen, but the former are swarming the place, several of them advancing towards them]

Three behind us, one moving to the right towards the forest!

[They're some distance away -- thankfully the horse gives them some room for mistake, and with some luck -- if you can call it luck, she thinks, feeling horrible about it -- they could find easier targets and pursue those instead. She's more concerned for the one moving to the right. Is it looking for a way to surround them? To reach from another direction, perhaps try to corner the moving horse? Is it even fast enough to do that?

Ange doesn't know, but that it is moving in a different direction really bothers her. Now bad this can get depends on how intelligent the Nightrenders are]

[skinlotion]

[The one going off into the forest bothers Mona too. She spares a glance to the right just long enough to see the creature jerking its way towards the trees, worrying her bottom lip. Is it going off towards easier prey? Is it smart enough to try some sort of maneuver? She wished she knew the grounds better-- no excuses, she had a whole day that she could have used to map out the woods instead of mingling with people-- to know what was in that direction. Some part of her, the contrary part that has seen her through four months of captivity, thinks: if there's a monster going that way, it doesn't want people over there. And generally, anywhere that the people in charge don't want her going (because there has to be people in charge; there always are) is somewhere Mona wants to go.

But navigating the woods on horseback in the dark is harder than an open field, even one that's full of obstacles. The horse could easily break a leg, come up short against a tree and throw them. At best it would slow them down. At worst it could get them killed.

Then again, the Nightrenders behind them could kill them just as easily.]

Will the trees slow them down? [she calls back abruptly, tightening her grip on the horse's rein as she weighs their options.]

[unsealthecatbox]

It should! They move strange, like...like their limbs aren't working properly!

[It's not a completely accurate description, but she's not wrong! These are shambling creatures. Deceptively quick, but it's like they're not flexible enough for passing over the sort of obstacles a forest would have. That's mostly how Ange has been outrunning them -- by choosing the most inconvenient, hard to traverse paths she could find.

Success was...mixed.

Ange looks at the Nightrenders behind them, trying to see if they show any signs of exhaustion. There's none of that!]

Tiring them out isn't an option. Either we fight or we make it harder for them to follow -- and you don't want me fighting.

[Because she has no offensive capabilities for the time being. Perhaps later in Wilderlands she will, thanks to her newfound alchemist powers, but right now at the start? She's got nothing!]

[skinlotion]

[That's all Mona needs to hear-- the all-clear from someone else.] Hold on.

[She squeezes tight at the knees and steers the horse off to the side towards the forest. The horse seems slightly less panicked turning away from the fire and the mayhem, so that's a start. That said, their speed immediately drops by necessity, which gets her feeling antsy.]

So no fighting, huh. [Not that Mona has much to fight with either, but it's good to know her options.] Tell me if they get too close.

[She doesn't even know how she defines "too close" right now; she's just trying to think of what their evasive actions could be. Maybe bailing out onto a tree branch if it comes to that? Would the Nightrender follow them or the horse?]