MINI EVENT: SORE LOSER

[sticksandbonesmods]

YOU WIN

Content Warning: Lightning strikes, electrocution. In the first half of the mini event, characters will be under siege by targeted lightning strikes until they attain shelter within the store or inn. Lightning strikes are nonlethal, but painful.

!

VICTORY!

... But not without cost. As the handful of you scatter through the arena, tagging out prisoners or holding your ground against the jailer, some may notice the increasing pain inflicted by an unknown source the better the group does. Eventually, as time runs out, there's a frustrated screech echoing through the air and reverberating in your mind:

YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOSE.

Needless to say, trouble's coming. (Though, what had the Woods expected when the game was so easy? Perhaps it didn't realize how many proficient fighters it had captured.) The air is electric, crackling, before the night sky darkens considerably. There's lightning flashing- and then lightning coming down. All throughout the way home and even into the Grove, lightning strikes with loud cracks and sparks, almost like spears hurtling down with a vengeance.

The strikes, should they land, are nonlethal. But it hurts a lot- and leaves a terribly numbing sensation behind. There's enough time between strikes that you can flee, and both the general store and the inn offer salvation. Rusty stands within the doorway of the inn itself, snarling angrily at the sky, while the shopkeeper... is actually among you, carrying Caoimhe so she can avoid the forest's embrace. Now's not a great time to chat though, honestly.

Better run.

!

AFTERMATH

Hey, you got home safe! Good for you. As the last of you claims shelter, the lightning storm outside devolves into a pure thunderstorm. Rusty has joined you for shelter. Though your body is heavy and numb, there's a feeling that you still have something to do. Thankfully, a few in your number are medics, and another few can cook. Any punishments for playing too well as an individual also linger, much to your dismay. But the first night is over.

Despite the tantrum, the Woods is making do on it's promise, at least: Within every inhabited inn room is a charm made from animal bone or antler. Those who can detect magic will be able to tell: these are lucky charms, and powerful ones at that. But they can only be used once. These charms will allow one instance of changing an undesirable outcome in an event. They can only be used once, and only one character can use one per thread or mission.

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Comments

QUESTIONS

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No investigation prompt this time. But any possible questions can be answered here!

NPC CONTACT

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SHOPKEEPER.

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Though he won't take much talking during the escape, he'll slowly lumber between the store and the inn throughout the night, checking on whatever needs checking.

[lostpsalm]

_{[ from a dark corner that he blends into and does not at all realize is that dark, ]}


...Thank you for saving her.

[sticksandbonesmods]

( great googly moogly i missed this i am so sorry.

the shopkeeper pauses, before nodding once. )

Weren't nothin' I wouldn't do for any of you.

RUSTY

[sticksandbonesmods]

Rusty can be found in the inn, curled up in the lounge. If there was a fire going, it'd be perfect...

[amethystic]

i. temper tantrum

OH FUCK-

( probably the words on everyone's minds right now. narrowly dodging one lightning strike, felicity lands on her feet from where she jumped- now a smoldering patch of black. y i k e s. )

Uh- shit. C'mon, let's go!

( and so a tiny blur of pink darts past, even though with the burns on her legs this fucking hurts- and when another crack of lightning breaks the sky again, she doesn't hesitate to stop and throw her hands out, casting a pink bubble shield over the would-be target. it looks like it's covered in celestial-themed lace. )

ii. finish line

( did rusty's barking make her flinch? maybe so. but now they're inside and felicity has practically collapsed- she's not even sitting on the couch she's leaning on, just. on the floor right beside it. movement will come soon.

probably. )

... That fucking sucked.

iii. respite

( eventually, felicity pulls herself up. not to collapse onto the couch properly or go to bed, but after tonight? a little treat goes a long way. in the kitchen she can be found, tiredly standing over a mixing bowl or sliding something into the oven while a kettle rests on the stove. or later, she can be found around the inn, handing out a mug of soothing chamomile and a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie. )

ii

[lostpsalm]

_{[ right nearby, on top of the couch. keeps shifting around trying to find the best way to sit. permanently cushioned upholstery rather than piling blankets and furs? still novel, even after two years. ]}

Aheh-heh-heh... I think that's... the best way it could be put, really.

Re: ii

[amethystic]

Mm. That's as polite as I can get about it, anyways.

( ... does the inn have running water? she could use a hot bath after the clusterfuck of the evening. )

... You doin' ok?

[lostpsalm]

_{[ ...his leg's paining him from the run back, and he couldn't cheat and use his powers to make it easier, with how strong the storm was. ]}

I've been worse? Usually at home, though, which... you know, it's much easier to not be well when you also happen to be at home.


Roof doesn't leak, though. That's nice.

iii. respite

[amhran]

[ A sudden squeak escapes her lips. ] O-Oh hello! [ She had been caught off guard by the person turning around the corner, and suddenly meeting her in the Kitchen. ] Y-You startled me, I did not even hear you there.

[ The sound of a goat behind her makes a baaa noise. ]

Re: iii. respite

[amethystic]

Sorry, I'm kinda on the quiet side.

( she's only a little sorry. her stealth is a point of pride, given her past as a thief and mercenary of sorts- )

Thought a hot drink and something sweet might help.

... Is-- where'd the goat come from...?

[simplicitas]

I. clever title goes here
a)
cw: i strike a man with lightning for fun, profit, & sadistic pleasure

[Elsword is out here ignoring the voice from the forest because he's heard it too many times today. Yeah, he was supposed to lose, but you were also supposed to not hurt people sooooo get fucked. Anyway, he's out flying (like. twenty feet off the ground, the max limit for flying) when the rain starts up. No problem, he'll just keep flying around—

Except a bolt of lightning streaks through the sky and zaps him. For a brief moment, short enough to blink and miss, he seizes in the air, wings retracting from the magical ring floating behind him... and then he quite literally falls out of the sky and into the mud below.

He's fine. If you saw that, he's totally fine, already rolling onto his side with a pained expression. Even if the lightning hasn't damaged him, the fall has, but ya boy's a shounen protag so he'll live. Even if he's very much bleeding from his nose right now due to how he landed. All good. Thumbs up.

Please help him off the ground.]

b)

[After discovering that lightning storms are bad to fly in (who'da thunk), Elsword can be found inside, Not Flying, though he'll go out of his way to pull anyone who lingers in the storm inside with only light chiding.]

It's too dangerous to be out there. Come on.

[Regardless of if it's a "yeah" or "no", he's going to step out into the storm to tug you inside by the wrist... luckily narrowly avoiding lightning, which strikes the spot you were just in.

So.

Cool.]

II. this is the prompt where you can play with a lion

[Hey so there's a lion...? And unless you are Add, you probably have yet to have seen Elsword with his lion. In fact, Elsword isn't with said lion now... he's just a huge, white-and-red, horned cat who's laying out on a sofa indoors. Did you want to sit there? Too bad this seat is occupied by a lion.

He'll respond to pspspspsing like a normal housecat, though, and if you're lucky he might let you squish his toe beans. If he really likes you, he might just stand up from where he's sitting and try to lay on you... and if this results in you being pushed to the ground so that he can, well, so be it. You wouldn't say no to a cat, right?

By the way, his name is Leon, not that he's wearing a nametag. What might clue you in more to who owns this guy is that his colour scheme exactly matches Elsword's, but who has time to think when there's a big cat? No one. Enjoy being a pillow.]

III. card (wild)

[throw something here i'm flexible, also add wolfchan for to plot! or reach out to me on the discord, again I'm flexible.]

i.a

[amethystic]

( you ever be running from actively targetted lightning strikes from an eldritch forest that's throwing a tantrum only for a dude to just drop from the fucking sky because his ass got electrocuted?

no?

too bad, that's her life now. felicity skids to a halt, eyes wide before she doubles back to try and pull him up. she may be stronger than her twig arms make her look, but elsword's also like. pure muscle and armor. help- )

Hey- you good?

( stupid question, stupid question- )

[simplicitas]

[man is 100% pure elrian beef.]

I'm fine.

[If the lightning caused damage at all, he might be at half-health or something, you know how those protagonists get. Actually, logically, he would be dead. But no, he's only fucked up because he crash-landed, and a bit jittery besides since there's electricity still actively coursing through him.

Something something don't wear metal and fly.]

I just landed roughly, that's all.

ii. KIBBY

[amethystic]

( at some point, between resting a little, getting healed up by a goth weirdo, and also baking, felicity has let elsword out of her sight. and now she is looking for him again, a mug of hot chamomile and a cookie on a plate in hand. where is he though...

... ah. well.

that sure is a familiar if she's ever seen one. staring at the lion, felicity just blinks slowly, before setting the things down on a side table beside him. )

These are for your master, okay? They won't get cold, either, I made sure of that.

[simplicitas]

[Leon like :3c oh good I am a recognized catte.

He's well-behaved and very polite, you see, so he doesn't immediately gun it for the treats. It's... not like he has to eat, even, but food is good.

Leon chuffs, yawns, and them reaches for Felicity with a big paw and sort of just. politely baps at her hand with it. If she speaks cat, she might realise that he is asking to be petted.

He's a simple creature you see.]

ii

[lostpsalm]

<sub>[ groggily drifting around downstairs trying to figure out what combination of salt, heat, protein, tea, or water is going to solve the pressure behind his eyes rn... when rennuid stops dead in his tracks with a teabag still clutched by the string in his teeth.


hey, hey, hey, HE KNOWS WHAT THOSE ARE--! ]</sub>

A real lion... My word, it's bigger than the statues were. H-how did it even get here? Was it... is this another one of the people invited to come 'play' with that horned one...?

<sub>[ his encounter with rusty has emboldened him, despite knowing full well animals usually do not like him.

rennuid creeps closer to the couch, headache currently a backburner concern.. ...yes he forgot he's still got the teabag in his teeth, ]

Hello.

[ checking to see if this is a talking lion situation. ]</sub>

[simplicitas]

[Rennuid may not get along with animals historically, but Leon is a very magical lion — synced up with Elsword's, erm, "emotions" if one wants to call them that — and as a result there's this omnipotent sense of Knowing. Aka: Rennuid is shaped like a friend, so Leon makes a chuffing noise at the approach.

He sits up a little bit, putting his head on his big ol' paws, ears flicking. Hello :3c
]

laby vc: lee-on lee-on lee-on

[harmacy]

[Add is in his room with about a dozen holoscreens up, coatless, hatless, most-of-his-clothes-less, because he has been cursed with Uncomfortably Warm by the forest, which means he has to study himself for science until he figures out how to make it stop doing that. Alas, he hasn't been able to identify the cause aside from some unusually high mana readings, so he's probably been at this for... awhile?

the oversized cat crawling onto his lap and shoving all his screens out of the way definitely isn't helping, though it's too late to escape by the time Leon is upon him]

Leon— Leon, no! Get off! Leon— [leon is not listening] Elsword! Elsword, where are you?! You need to control your artifact! Elsword!

[struggling uselessly under the big cat....... this is only making him hotter, help, he's dying (he's not dying)]

i heard this soundbyte so clearly

[simplicitas]

[But Leon loves you :(

Leon is convinced he's a housecat, so obviously he can sit here. No one has tried to move him off their lap before (because there's hardly a single person strong enough to move A Fucking Lion). No, he's not listening to Add's pleas, Add is clearly stressed and needs to listen to the gentle chuffs of a magical creature to calm down. Therapy or something.

Luckily... Elsword is not very far off, only in his own room next door and absolutely Not monitoring his artifact thanks. Add's calls are heard, and a half-minute later, Elsword comes into the room without any sense of urgency at All, beholding this scene with what he Thinks is actual emotion on his face but is really just his usual blank features.

Meanwhile, Leon is licking Add's face.]

I was just in my room. He only wants to cuddle. [Regardless, Elsword whistles and Leon comes over, abandoning Add to his fate of overheating.] ...what are you doing anyway? It's cold outside.

[where are your Clothes]

[amhran]

ｉ. Mantle of Inspiration ( INN:VICTORY! )

[ Caoimhe is placed promptly placed on the floor, her heels click against the wooden surface of the Inn's worn flooring. She is now safe away from harm, thanks to the kindness and pursuit of the Shopkeeper. Caoimhe shows her gratefulness to him, but her eyes move swiftly to the world around her. Alarmed by the frantic movement, of everyone as they filed into the Inn for safety.

As chaos and panic reign around them, Caoimhe springs into action. Knowing her skill at this moment could serve to help individuals who were attempting to run or flee - her viol comes out. An instrument that she uses when notes are need to be heard over long distances. Her Lyre, soft beautiful, and majestic - would not help any of the people she had the means to reach with her song if she used it. Not with the frantic actions and loud rumbling roars of thunder.

Caoimhe stands tall beneath the safety of the Inn's front porch, her instrument held high in the air. There is a sense of determination and focus in her movements as she begins to play, her fingers moving swiftly across the strings to create a powerful and intense melody. The music that emanates from her instrument is one that only her people know, and yet it resonates throughout the area with a haunting quality that reaches unto deaf ears.

From here her notes of magic will reach several individuals (Nine in total), those of who this song reaches. Will feel as if a second wind has overcome them. This spell is called Mantel of Inspiration. A spell that will grant an individual some form of protection like a shield, and also grant them the ability to quickly move immediately.

She does not speak; she merely plays, intensely.... ]

ｉｉ. Magic hands of healing ( INN:AFTERMATH! )

[ Are you hurt, or perhaps you just look a bit lonely? Either or, you might have Caoimhe approach even if you look kinda scary... ]

H-hello.. Are you - did you get hurt? Did you need... Anything?

ｉｉb. Identify:Small Charms ( INN:AFTERMATH! )

[ Caoimhe decided to explore the inn once again, eager to find any small charms that might be hidden away. After some searching, she finally came across one - a charm made from a piece of antler that resembled a wishbone. What you see is a woman nestled in the ground with a goat in the background gnawing on something he probably should not be...

It takes her about 10 minutes with the charm, and immediately with a gladden sigh, she allows the charm to settle onto her hand. Unfortunately, she cannot know that this item is not cursed - and with her luck. For all she knows, it is, but the usage of the item may out weight whether the curse upon it could ruin her or not.

After a moment she finds someone with a similarly looking charm, ]

Um... I.. M-Managed to understand what that charm does - if .. You wish to know?

ｉｉc. A Lyre's Song ( INN:AFTERMATH! )

[ Caoimhe takes a moment... Settled somewhere with an open space, that would perhaps welcome her singing. The woman does not mean to disturb others, but only to perhaps distract the mind from whatever ill thoughts that may come to it. She settles on a song, a song sung to her once by the boy she had failed to save. He sang it to her sometime during their first meeting and as someone of the Tautha de. It took only once for someone to sing a song, and for her to memorize it completely. ]

` I once met a man
With a horrible tan
And he told his story to me

Of excitement and woes
As he fled from his foes
And he made his way to the sea

I knew not why he traveled
Or what was at the end,
But he sure seemed determined
And I'll tell you my friend - - - `

[ There is more to the song of course, it was a comedic sort of song. With a sense of ridiculousness to it. The song is of a Sailor who tells another of stories that they had gone through. Making the listener wonder, if the Sailor that is telling tales, had done so out of truth, or if the tales being told were really just that... Silly stories made up by a strange man who the listener would never see again. ]

ｉｉc

[lostpsalm]

_{[ Rennuid settles in like a bird coming to roost during the song, a spot that's a bit out of the way... by the time the fourth stanza's starting up, he's humming quietly along, not noticing he's doing it. It's a fun tune! He doesn't know a lot of jaunty ones. She's right here out in the open, so she wouldn't mind an audience, right...? ]}

[amhran]

[ She does not! In fact, she continues her song and a genuine smile dawns along her cheeks. A sense of peace overcomes her, knowing that Rennuid could enjoy the sound of her voice and even join along in humming. The song continues and picks up here and there. She pauses in moments that it calls for but continues the song in a playful manner. Eventually, she comes to a stop, but the cords continue to play gently. Filling the air around them with music. ]

Are you well...? [ Her voice eventually comes through, a gentle question prosed to the other. ]

[lostpsalm]

1/ how charming

<sub>[ The tiny touch of fate inside the charm is probably something he should stay five million feet away from,


so obviously he's carrying it everywhere with him nowadays, in the same pocket as the mirror, occasionally taking it out (like right now) to puzzle over it contemplatively. There's something wrapped around the spiraling bit of antler that forms the main body of the charm; it almost looks like bedraggled tufts of fur, wrapped close with thin cord...

But when he runs his fingertips upon it this time, he realizes what it actually is. A dense mat of tiny little... ]</sub>

..eel bones..?

2/ phantom feeling

<sub>[ the wind was too strong to stay safe in his mist form, and rennuid hadn't exactly completely avoided harm while he was out there. thanks to a lightning strike there's a current of numb in his right arm, which at least isn't the Scary Arm for that to happen. being left-handed wins for once!


only problem is, uh.
numb feeling and his own general everything means occasionally...

he keeps having to focus to keep it from dissipating into mist. why this. he's currently, uh. grabbing at fistfuls of "smoky" air to try to stuff them back into his semi-empty sleeve. ]</sub>