EVENT 001: BY LANTERN LIGHT

[sticksandbonesmods]

BY LIGHT

APRIL SHOWERS

...bring may flowers, as the rhymes go. None are so brutal as the tantrum the Woods threw upon it's defeat in the game, no lightning visibly striking the ground or targeting you when you have to step outside... in fact, most of the afflictions from the game all those nights ago have seemed to have faded, save for lingering plant friends who truly intend to overstay their welcome. And with the rain, new life springs forth: the small flowers that littered the ground sporadically grow in number, and some in size. It's a pleasant sight, even if... hm. You may not be an expert in flowers but some of these don't seem Forest-Native. And if you are an expert in flowers, then some of these definitely aren't. Alongside the wood anemone, wild geranium, and blue wood aster, there are sunflowers, poppies and jasmine flowers and more - keen eyes can also spot the sprouts of wild strawberries.

Oddly enough, Rusty seems to disapprove of some of these flowers. Because he is just digging them up when he finds them, huffing angrily when he's done. His choice almost seems random, but as time passes there are plenty of holes scattered throughout the grove. Watch your step.

Another oddity is that some of these flowers are larger than they should be. And some of those large flowers, when you reach out to touch them in your inspections, touch back - leaves or viney tendrils gently wrapping around your fingers. When you jerk your hand back, blood drips from your fingers from where the edge of the plant had turned razor sharp for just a moment as you withdrew, but the flower returns to normal. Notably, this doesn't happen with every normal or odd flower though...

SIGILS

Occasionally, one can hear heavy footsteps through the hallways of the inn at night, slow and steady, pausing just before a door. And then moving onto the next. Whatever the source is, it makes no effort to come in- but in the morning, every door to a room that houses someone is marked: a semi-hollow circle at the bottom with an outer barrier that holds back several diamonds, painted in red. ... It's not blood, at least, that is immediately obvious. Should you try to remove the mark, it reappears the next day, freshly painted. The magically inclined, however, can tell that this is a sigil to protect your room.

And of course no one is just going to let a heavy-footed stranger wander the halls at night after they had to fend off a wood-and-metal moosetaur. So those who step out at night to investigate will find... the Shopkeeper, carrying a bucket of rather foul-smelling paint. When questioned, he simply tells you to go back to sleep. And you do.

However, during the day, the Shopkeeper seems even more tired than usual. Why, you might even catch him dozing at his counter. Who knew shadowy whisps in the shape of men needed to sleep too? ... You might have to wake him up for your purchases, though. Unless you want to try something.

GUIDING LIGHT

On a dry day, the Shopkeeper can be seen hauling out a large wooden table- almost like a half of a felled tree. Once that's done and settled, stumpy chairs join the table, and then? Paper, reeds, twigs and wicker are laid out. Paints and little carving tools, too. Eventually, he sits down and starts to make something. When questioned, he gestures for you to have a seat.

"We're makin' lanterns," Is what he says eventually, as he guides you in what to do. "The Trader out in the woods has more things that can help, but she can't navigate the woods without a guide. So we're makin' them for her."

As you construct your lanterns, working together or playing around, he watches almost fondly before resuming his work. Gradually, as each lantern gets finished, he either takes them to hang, or instructs you to hang them up either outside or in a window- wherever they can be seen from the outside. Though he hadn't provided a light source, once the lantern is hung it begins to glow. Once the final light is strung up, the Shopkeeper steps into his store and then comes out with a strange horn, blowing into it. The sound is loud, deep and bellowing, but he only plays once. And then he waits...

And waits.

And waits.

Until finally, in the distance, the sound of a similar horn echoes back.

CARAVAN

It's a typical foggy morning when the clamor begins, with heavy steps and loud laughter and dozens of items rattling together. Through the fog, a dim light can be seen before a rather... large red and brown turtle slowly lumbers through. On it's back sits a shadowy woman cloaked in a vivid scarlet and gold, hood wrapped as if it's draped from a horned headpiece sits, and behind her a large pack of everything and anything sits tied down. As soon as the turtle settles in the center of the grove by the well, she slides off, already bringing the pack down with her to set up a stall. Her good mood flickers when she sees you.

"So you are the reasons he called me back! Here I thought he was just being sentimental. But! A new meeting is always something beauiful, no? Come, come, help an old woman out. Or better yet, tell that old stiff I'm here-" The Shopkeeper almost definitely knows already. "-He can do the heavy lifting."

The stall unfolds quickly, like a tent full of light and warmth. Her wares include metals and tools, candies and fruits- and behind her, a strange mirror. It isn't for sale but you can't help but think of home when you look at it, no matter how familiar or unfamiliar it is. The turtle settles onto the ground, eyes fluttering closed before he settles into a deep nap. The Trader seems to dance around as she flits from display to display, before she settles before you. You think if she had a face, she'd be smiling wildly.

Welcome to the Trader's stop.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

APRIL SHOWERS

With the rain, new life blooms... literally. More flowers have grown throughout the grove, but some of them definitely don't belong in a forest. Severla flowers, some larger than usual, will try and latch on when touched- but not all of them. The only cleer indicator of which is safe or not is Rusty, who is trying to dig up the unsafe ones with prejudice.

SIGILS

At night, the Shopkeeper has been drawing protective sigils on your doors. However, he won't take questions during the process, and during the day he seems to be incredibly tired.

GUIDING LIGHT

The Shopkeeper asks for assistance in making lanterns to guide his sister, the Trader, through the fog back to the Grove. He doesn't provide a light source but is happy to see people making lanterns together. Or playing around. That also makes him pretty happy, honestly.

CARAVAN

The trader arives, but seems to recognize you. She pretends not to. Her items seem almost fantastical compared to the Shopkeeper's, and the large mirror she has reminds you of home somehow. Also she has a giant turtle, very important.

OOC

Welcome to the first event! This month is a bit chiller in comparison. That said, changes could happen soon due to Elsword and 9S's actions, so watch out!

UPDATES

❖ None yet!

SUBMISSIONS

QUESTIONS & INVESTIGATIONS ⚘ NPC CONTACT

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Comments

QUESTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

Ask or investigate here! If you're doing an investigation, at least two player characters must be present. Please use the following form for investigations.

<b>Characters:</b> at least two! <b>Location:</b> <b>Time:</b> be it 'five minutes after arriving' or 'after x thread' <b>Action:</b> What are they looking for? What are they doing?

NPC CONTACT

[sticksandbonesmods]

Shopkeeper.

[sticksandbonesmods]

[amhran]

[ Caoimhe stepped into the shop, expecting to explore it, only to discover the sleeping shopkeeper. As her gaze wandered around the space, it landed on an unoccupied chair, beckoning her to take a seat. Without hesitation, the eleven woman does so. She retrieves her harp of illusions from her bag, and delicately plucked its strings. This coaxed forth a soft and soothing melody. The melody would help revitalize the shopkeeper, as this was a skill of any Bard. A song of rest. ]

[sticksandbonesmods]

( the shopkeeper hadn't meant to fall asleep. but even drawing sigils could take it out of him sometimes- he is an old, weary soul with almost no way of replenishing his power after usage, and there's so many who need protecting. he can't fail this time...

the spell is welcomed. soothing. observant eyes may note that the shadows holding the clothes up seem firmer, seem to grow a bit more. eventually, he rouses gently, eyes a soft... pink. )

... Ren?

A shrine.

[amhran]

[ At some point at another time. Caoimhe approaches the Shop Keeper, with a thought invoking look. She gently gathers her wits and attempts to collect his attention. ] H-Hello S-Shopkeeper... I... Have a question - if you do not mind me taking up a moment of your time.

Trader.

[sticksandbonesmods]

[simplicitas]

[Elsword heard "help me unpack" and he was THERE for this okay, so he's going to help her out. He can carry hundreds of pounds of stuff at once don't worry about it. You need something unboxed he's here.

So here's your amnesiac boy with his hands in boxes and bags and whatever else, helping set up stuff.]

Where did you travel from?

[He's roamed a lot so he would have found her, right.... theoretically...... probably not this place is weird.]

A MIRROR YOU SAY

[lostpsalm]

<sub>[ Rennuid's immediately caught by the mirror. He's staring at it a long damn time, as the Trader's busying about.

His hand, as it tends to, goes to the spot he carries his own mirror, always with him, folded away in fabric out of sight. ]</sub>

Excuse me. That mirror...

Does it. Have a name?

Rusty.

[sticksandbonesmods]

[simplicitas]

[hello rusty

how do you feel about a big lion—]

Re: Rusty.

[lostpsalm]

_{[ picking up flowers rusty has dug up and putting them up in a basket so they're not just sitting around rotting ]}

Re: Rusty.

[amhran]

[ The goat follows behind the dog and starts munching on some of the flowers... nomnomn.... His brain full of empty, only hunger, doge y do u dig flowers. ]

[amethystic]

i. flowers and blood
cw: injury near the wrist

( so the thing is. felicity is an herbalist. she's a professed herbalist at that. so naturally, the new blooms are pretty weird, since some make sense for living in a forest, and some don't.

like the fucking roses and sunflowers. and isn't jasmine a tropical flower?

but if they're good, they could be usable. unfortunately, however, she's having trouble pinging the vibes here... so all she can do is check by hand. so as she gently cups a flower and inspects it's petals and stem, something wraps around her hand. remembering elsword's arm, felicity jerks her arm back, and she can feel the sting of something cutting-

and blood drips from the leaves, but the poppies are still. )

... Hey. That's just not fair.

ii. the bend and flow of light

( among her many, many, MANY hobbies and skills, felicity is also an artist! she loves to create, to grow and paint and share. so, like. the lantern making? right up her alley. which is why you'll find her happily bending reeds and slotting them against each other and tying them in place with a string. beside her is sheets of paper. it's hard to tell what the shape is supposed to be at a glance though... )

--Oh, did you need something? I can help if you want!

iii. wildcard

( felicity is here! doin witch things. she can be approached for sigil things or other things, especially since we're down a cook... but otherwise she vibes. )

closed to elsword and rennuid

[amethystic]

( on one of the dry days, felicity takes the boys out for the morning. there's several unfinished or... barely started is more accurate, buildings around the grove. and with time being fake, maybe they're not in bad conditions? the manor and inn look alright, after all. even if the manor is like.

supremely cursed.

anyways. with a sketchpad tucked under her arm, felicity steps onto a wooden platform, and immediately hums. )

I'm not even sure if this was ever finished- the foundation, I mean. The building itself is clearly not.

[lostpsalm]

<sub>[ He has no idea what he's doooooiiiiiing 🎵


...but looking at it, actually...

one thing Rennuid does know is what ruined old buildings look like. Gorogor'nac was full of them, in isolated spots. His own hometown had lost half its population, in his father's time, and there simply weren't enough people to keep all of the village and nearby homes in use. It had shrunk in on itself like a drying sponge, the elements creeping in gladly to claim what was left to it...


He definitively expected the foundations to look worse than they do on a closer look, no matter what state they're actually in. ]</sub>

Where is the...
Gnawing?

There should be more gnawing, right...?

iii (wildcard / sigil )

[lostpsalm]

_{[ it's the morning after Rennuid had stirred in the night during the Shopkeeper's work out in the hall (Not Actually Even Asleep, because painsomnia + baseline discomfort in the room). He slips in to sit at another chair at the table, as she's eating breakfast -- he's got a piece of fruit from a whole basket that had turned out to be way too tart and too little sweet for anyone else, nabbed for his own. ]}

...Felicity. To morning for us. You saw the doors?

Re: iii (wildcard / sigil )

[amethystic]

Mmmhm.

( and she's got super mixed feelings on everything. but things are slowly coming to a settle, and she's just... tired. and hungry. lingering pain from being strangled and burnt and thrown into a tree remains, but her medicine mixed into her tea will help, hopefully. )

Thoughts?

[lostpsalm]

1/ lanterns -
<sub>[ it's easy to have caught Rennuid around, by this point, doing finer, fiddly things with his hands just like making these lanterns-- he sets to the task with the time-honed patience of someone who's lived over a century-point-five in the same small place, doing the same small things...

Actually, he might be getting a little too much into that repetition. Seeming completely distracted as he does it, he's painted the same symbol on the last three he's made; four near-perfect, empty circles, sharing a middle border with one another. The symbol resembles an 8 laid over another, sideways 8. ]</sub>

2/ lanterns, b -

<sub>[ ...when it comes time to hang them, he looks up at the inn, hmming-- then abruptly, he and the armful of lanterns twist together into a wisp of dark mist, a few small glitters of the lanterns' light still visible within it.

It races upwards on a twirling path that wavers with the wind, to a precarious outcropping high up on the building's facade. The cloud of mist bops about for a second for the best spot, a bit like a bumblebee, then resolves into Rennuid, lanterns in his lap. ]</sub>

Phew! Found a spot.

_{[ He caaarefully starts hanging one up, but can't help a glance below, making it more clear than ever-- ]}

All those flowers are such a strange mix...

_{[ He wonders if there's some kind of discernible pattern to the chaotic medley. This stroke the sunflowers, that, the poppies-- Rennuid, don't get so distracted again, you're gonna drop one! ]}

2

[simplicitas]

[Rennuid please don't drop the—

Whoops.

It's fine, though, because luckily Elsword happens to walk beneath the lanterns at that moment, and thanks to his patented Shounen Protagonist Instincts, he manages to catch it.]

...Rennuid? Do you want this back?

1/2

[lostpsalm]

Eh?

_{[ 'do you want this back' + tyr'oc = his hand (still holding a lantern) going to his head to bump reflexively against the hairpin to check on it. the jewels audibly clack against each other. ]}

2/2

[lostpsalm]

_{[ once he's recovered from that little scramble ]}

--yes, please! I wanted to get all four up here! The line together will look like a grove, far away!

[amhran]

i. APRIL SHOWERS
[ Her eyes wander to the large flowers that seem to hang far out of her reach. Caoimhe stares at them seemingly interested in them entirely. As if she were on the precipice of acting towards them - ]

Perhaps... Perhaps we can talk to them...?

[ She seemed to say out loud toward herself, easy to be heard by any nearby. ]

ii. OPEN
[ Hit me with a random starter, or idea you can reach me at witchcess ]

[amethystic]

What're you thinking?

( not an accusation, but a genuine prompt, because what could the flowers have to say? a lot, probably.

... except in the distance there's a flower dripping with blood, while felicity idly wraps her hand up with cloth bandages. )

[amhran]

Felicity!?!? Are you alright? [ Caoimhe's attention rears over towards the other girl. Noting of the blood immediately dripping from her own hand - Caoimhe steps forward. With such swiftness, her hand reaches for Felicity's. Clutching over the wound and holding it tightly whilst she spoke words in another tongue. Her harp of illusions glimmers slightly, and winds come from it to soothe the wound that was dripping with blood on Felicity's hand. The wound closes, and within moments becomes healed. ] I - I had hoped to reason with it, to see why it is doing these things to all of us.