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

[eternalmisery]

[Spencer doesn't need to be told twice, and the sound Stacia just compels her to move faster. She's very suddenly realizing that however A put them in this situation - if it was A at all - she isn't in the, for lack of a better term, genre that she thought she was in. Spencer thought her life was some kind of twisted thriller by way of Agatha Christie novel, but now she's realizing that she just might be a John Carpenter film.

Off she and Mona go, stumbling over their ridiculous prom dresses, moving north for lack of other options, Spencer watching at every step for a place to climb into and hide. She doesn't, however, stop to look back.]

[skinlotion]

[Is the wolf cackling behind them? It sure sounds like it, but like Spencer, Mona isn't wasting time to turn and and check. It's difficult enough navigating the uneven ground in these ridiculous prom dresses, the way lit sporadically by the bits of the not-as-far-away-as-she-would-like fire visible through the trees.

And then Mona slips. She's dressed for a nightmare prom, not running in the woods, and all it takes is one moment where she should have been looking at her feet instead of frantically scanning the woods for an escape. Her foot catches on an exposed root and she's sent sprawling to the ground. The only sound that leaves her mouth is a quick intake of breath-- she's had a lot of practice running when trying to remain undiscovered-- and she immediately scrambles onto her hands and knees, but she's very aware of what a target she makes: in a vulnerable position, easily spotted with her stupid pink dress contrasting so sharply with the dark dirt. There's a dull throbbing in her ankle, and she knows intuitively that she's not going to get very far on it; instead she fumbles into the hidden lining of her dress where she stored the broken-off arrow she and Spencer smuggled away so many hours ago. She doubts it will be at all effective in a fight, but she has to do something.

She doesn't know if Spencer will try to hang behind to help her. She thinks the odds point to yes; Spencer's had plenty of opportunity to ditch her before now. Mona knows it would just hobble the both of them, and then neither of them would get away. Well. Fine. Spencer has a job to do. Someone needs to go back for the others. Quickly, before Spencer starts to think about being all disgustingly noble, she grinds out] Save Hanna.

[eternalmisery]

[Spencer skids to a halt as she realizes Mona isn't right behind her, and then spins around to find that the wolf is closer to Mona than Spencer is. She freezes. Her eyes drift to the broken arrow, then to the wolf creature, then to Mona.

The look Spencer gives Mona is not one of gratitude or forgiveness. Mona's self-sacrifice isn't good enough for Spencer, not after everything Mona's done. If Mona's hoping that the last thing she sees is someone recognizing Mona's efforts, she'll be disappointed.

But as much as Spencer doesn't want to think charitably about Mona, she does know Mona's right: wherever Hanna is, she's probably doing something stupid, and Spencer will die before she leaves one of her friends out to dry like that. And it's practical. No one benefits if both Spencer and Mona get gobbled up by the big bad wolf.

Spencer gives Mona a tight nod and then keeps running.]

[credit_not_blame]

[Stacia's been plodding along behind them, hoping to go slow enough that no one would trip and fall, but impractical shoes and the woods are a bad combination at the best of times. She's still close enough to hear the exchange about Hanna, and to feel sad that these two other girls have been in situations that prepared them for something like this. She's been there! It sucks!

Best not to torture the poor blond though. Stacia pads forward and stops just out of arms' reach, crouching down and pressing her knuckles to the earth to hide her claws. Can't do much about the teeth though.]

Hurt?

[skinlotion]

[Spencer runs off, and Mona lets out a huff of breath as if that settles it. Did a part of her think Spencer would insist? Realistically, no. Mona's right, after all, that someone needs to help Hanna (and the others, but Mona's never hidden her biases before), and that someone can only be Spencer. Just. Maybe she did want that one last bit of recognition.

Oh well. Hanna will probably say something really badass at her funeral. Her second funeral.

She pushes the thought aside and grips the arrowhead tighter, ready to make her futile last stand. The wolf monster pads up behind her-- no need to spend the energy when she's already down, she guesses-- and Mona braces herself for her swing, and whatever pain is going to come from this. Just a little closer--

But before it can get that little bit closer, it... it talks? She whips her head towards it in alarm-- a new type of alarm. She miscalculated, misunderstood what this thing was. Maybe her first thought was right-- robot? Whatever it is, it definitely works for A, and now she's going to go back--]

Bite me, [she snarls back at it. Asshole teen to the end, whether it's the end of her life or the end of her brief day of being outside.]

[credit_not_blame]

[Stacia huffs another laugh.]

Do not bite me.

[She moves in to scoop the other girl up as gently as possible.]

[skinlotion]

[She's sorting through her potential snappy comebacks-- "no thanks, I don't want to catch something" was probably her best option, and she opens her mouth to deploy it. Then the monster goes to grab her.

It confuses her reflexes; she's expecting it to lunge, to pounce, to literally drag her back underground. She's tensed for that, prepared to use the monster's momentum to drive the broken arrow deeper into its body than she'd be able to do under her own power. Instead, it moves in almost gently. Much too slow for Mona to get a good stab in, but large enough and insistent enough that she's not able to escape. She tries to scramble out of its arms anyway, jabbing with her elbows and kicking her feet.

(Ow, fuck, her ankle, she should not be putting weight on that.)]

Let go! I'm not going back, bitch!

[credit_not_blame]

Going north, to safety. Not 'back'. Where is 'back'?

[Ugh, conversations are such a pain in the ass in Crinos. This shape is barely good for anything other than fighting. Stacia is takes the blows from the other girl's flailing limbs with as much grace as she can muster, given that she's more focused on not scratching the hell out of her with her claws. Last thing she wants to do is add injury to the insult of scaring the bejeezus out of her.]

[skinlotion]

[Mona is aware in some part of her mind that her flailing isn't doing anything; she's too stubborn to stop throwing her elbows around, though she does 'coincidentally' decide to stop kicking with her injured foot.]

How the hell should I know. North, probably.

[Since that's where everyone's insisted she go. It's only after she sneers out the answer that she wonders if that was a trick question-- if it was checking to see if she knew where the bunker was relative to her current location, trying to gauge how much she knew. She suddenly feels a rush of irritation that she didn't know. They're supposed to underestimate her intelligence, not overestimate it.

That's the thought that does get her to stop moving, though. She might as well hold onto some scrap of dignity.] So what's with the wolf monster thing?

[credit_not_blame]

[Finally. Stacia understands the importance of struggling against even overwhelming odds, but having this girl not squiggling around like an angry fish makes things easier. She hoists her into what should be a reasonably comfortable position and sets off north.]

Woods full of monsters. Claw beats rock.

[It's a true enough answer. Also, she doesn't want to grumble and growl her way through "it's hard to argue with a wolf monster, isn't it?"]