sticksandbones | EVENT & TDM 020

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EVENT & TDM 020

WAKES AND AWAKENINGS

Are you one to find yourself plagued with nightmares? Do you dream at all? Well, worry not, because tonight you find yourself in a somewhat alarming peace. You’re asleep. You’re aware of this. Yet, you feel incredibly lucid, all the same.

You hear the sound of water, like you’re under the ocean waves. You don’t see anything, but it’s almost as if you can feel others around you, despite not touching anything at all. They’re your… family? No. Friends? No. You don’t seem to be able to find a word to describe them. They’re important to you! …You think. Who are they, again?

You think they’re trying to speak to you, but all you can hear is the sound of gentle currents and air bubbles. Or maybe this is what they’re saying to you? You don’t know. Dreams are weird, aren’t they? But then they sing. It’s the prettiest sound you’ve heard. It’s the most haunting sound you’ve heard. It encourages you to move, at last. You didn’t realize you could. There’s a light that filters through the surface of the water…

…and you wake up. You feel strangely refreshed, like that’s the best sleep you’ve gotten in ages! You also feel… distantly sad, like you’ve just remembered something horrible that happened a long time ago.

It’s probably nothing.

For the rest of the month, you find sleep comes easy, and dreams are soothing. How uncharacteristically nice! Maybe don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

A BITTER ARRIVAL

You wake up to bitter cold. It's dark, the winds howling and whipping through the air, snow battering anything not sturdy enough to stand tall against it... and even the trees seem like one more push could knock them over. This isn't a forest you know, yet it seems like home. If you're not prepared for the cold, the warm lights of a small town will guide you, call to you, and your heart yearns for warmth. As you stumble through the heavy snow and harsh winds, something heavy hangs from your neck and the winds begin to form words with your own voice- SACRIFICE... END THIS WINTER WITH SACRIFICE.

As more voices join the wretched wails, your eyes feel heavier. You're almost to the town, though. Is it one of the houses that you wind up knocking on? Or do you manage to get to the inn, big and tall and radiating more warmth than anything you've ever felt? Regardless, you are no longer alone, but the cold still aches and clings, and something with your voice still calls it's omens outside. Only when you melt the heavy snowflake-shaped amulet hanging around your neck in the fires does the cold abate and the foreign copy of your voice fall silent.

A COLD RECEPTION

In the forest of the lost, the worst winter you've ever seen has finally set in full. The lake and river are both frozen over completely, and even the most hardy of beasts have hidden away from the cruel blizzard. The sky is dark, the winds are sharp and the freezing temperatures permeate most buildings, creeping in like a thief ready to steal the breath from your lungs if you aren't careful. Even fires seem to bend to this cold, save for the ever-burning, ever-blinding light of the fireplace in the inn- though she's long since gone, it seems one woman's faith still protects those in the Grove. Shadows haunt the clearing and amongst the winds and even the deafest ears can hear the voices howling alongside the storm, always demanding the same thing: a sacrifice.

When shadows flicker across the window, that is when you know you aren't alone. Ghastly wraiths of frost and ragged sleet fly through the air, and it's hard to tell if they are commanding the winter winds or if they are working in tandem. Regardless, the cold seems to be enhanced by their presence and if they catch you alone outside, they curse you with a frost so deep it pierces the heart and spreads. To some, it may be familiar, like turning to ice from within. To others it may be entirely new. But it spreads slowly and with agony while the wraiths make their demand once more and then vanish. Thankfully, a bit of kindness can melt the ice, but the winter wraiths are always willing to inflict the curse again...

... But you are not powerless. So long as you don't go alone, so long as you have a weapon, you can fend these things off, for a time. But they will be back.

They must have their sacrifice, after all.

BEACONS

Not everyone can fight though. Not everyone should. The only peace that can be found is in the sleep that follows that odd dream... but eventually the large shadow woman known as the Trader, Ydalir, makes her way through the snow to find you. With a warm furry blanket and a cup of tea, she gives you a small kit.

"Build these lanterns and hang them in the window. Be a light in the dark, loves." Is what she says.

The lanterns consist of wood, paper and a little cup for a candle. They can be in any shape and color, and when you hang them in the window the candle sparks into light. As frost clings on the other side of the window and the snow shrouds the outside world and veils what lies beyond, you can see other lights. Other lanterns, shining brightly. It may not be much, but it is still a sign. A reminder. You are not alone in this blizzard.

Spark Notes

summary

wakes and awakenings will bring you into a strange dream of being with many being, important ones, and a haunting song. Despite the melancholy feeling, it also brings a month of restful sleep no matter what.

a bitter arrival is how our new arrivals find themselves: lost in the woods in the middle of a terrible blizzard with only the faint lights of the Grove to guide you to safety. While you wear the snowflake amulet, the winter wraiths can use a mimicry of your voice to make their demands and curse you with a lingering freeze- only melting the amulets in a fire will set you free and silence the copy of your voice in the cacophony.

a cold reception shows just how bad the winter's gotten, with impenetrable ice freezing both the lake and the river solid. the wraiths curse whoever they see with turning to ice from within, but a genuine act of kindness or love will save their victims. the wraiths can be fought, but only with a companion or two, and definitely not with your bare hands. ... they will return though, again and again.

beacons grants perhaps a bit of hope in this dark winter- ydalir brings people supplies as best she can since the cold doesn't affect her shadowy body and there is nothing for the wraith to freeze, and she also brings a gift- a lantern to craft and hang in the window to show the others in town that you're all still here, cutting through the darkness.

out of character

Welcome to the first TDM of 2025! Regular AC resumes this month and as you can see, we're changing things up a little. TDMers are welcome and encouraged to reach out on our plotting post linked below. We're so excited to start the new year with everyone, and may the horrors stay in writing... because they are resuming now.

updates

❖ AFFOGATO COOKIE has used a magical artifact as a sacrifice. This has resulted in the blizzard lessening but still being present and the wraiths being banished from the grove, but still haunting the forest. There are further effects but they will come in to play during a player plot. ... Get your sacrifices in still though.
❖ MAYOI'S prayer to Ourania the day of the fight with Suri invoked a blessing: an aurora shines through the sky, and anyone in it's lights will be gradually healed and soothed.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ January Plotting (Open to TDMers)
❖ Sacrifices (Plot relevant, open to all)
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Clive is alright. The rime gathering on him was concerning, but so long as they're here together, they can get through this. They have, after all, faced worse. ]

Right. Together!

[ Joshua pulls his rapier into his hand, summoning a flame to its blade. In his other hand, he summons a stronger fire, unleashing it toward the Wraiths in a plume of heat and flame. ]

[ And working in tandem, Clive follows that flung fire by dashing forward, sword raised high as he brings it down against the wraith, his speed and strength enhanced with Ifrits fire. The Wraith stands no chance against the combined might, but it's only one. The others make noise like creaking ice and separate to take them both on, several veering towards Joshua as Clive focuses on a few beside him. ]

Watch your fire, this frost is unnatural! It saps at your strength!

[ His priming is already beginning to gutter, drained faster than it should be, and he growls a little as he swings his sword in an arc against another Wraith, dodging to the side to avoid the rake of icy talons. ]

Edited 2025-01-04 04:42 (UTC)

[ One down! But, unfortunately, more to go. Joshua rotates his wrist, taking the sword for a gentle spin with it. The incoming Wraiths are deflected with a shield, but he can already feel his flames beginning to slowly die out, as Clive helpfully points out a moment later. ]

Then, we will just have to make sure it doesn't get the better of us!

[ They aren't the type to just lay down and die. Even if the frost drains them the more they're out here, they'll keep going until they can't go any further.

The shield is dropped, and Joshua immediately darts backwards in a flash of flame, flinging a barrage of fireballs at the bunch as he gets closer to his brother for defensive purposes. But even these fireballs feel weakened, and he growls softly to himself. If their fire ends up not being able to cut it... ]

[ Joshua closing the distance makes Clive do the same, until they're at each other's back, protecting the other. Enough space between them so they can move and dodge, and still swing their weapons, but not enough for any Wraith to sneak in between them without the other noticing. ]

To your left!

[ Clive darts his sword between talons and Joshua, the sound like metal on metal, a horrible screeching noise. He jams his other hand forward, fire lighting the creature up as Clive growls a little, then curses as his flames flicker and die. Something is wrong with him, and he doesn't know if it's merely the cold or something else. ]

Summon your flames, Joshua!

[ As he calls upon Garuda, the winds whipping up around them as he summons a small whirlwind. ]

[ The sound of claws on sword so close to his ear makes Joshua flinch, but not enough to be a detriment to his fighting ability. He simply leans out of the way a bit, allowing Clive all the room that he needs.

He can see how Clive's flames gutter out, though. This isn't good. Something about this cold... They don't need to be out in this any longer than they have to be. ]

Right!

[ Because with Clive summoning a whirlwind, he knows what he's aiming for. He can feel the drain on his own fire, but they need to finish this quickly. He puts every ounce of himself into the flames that he summons around himself, gripping the hilt of his rapier with one hand while clenching the other into a fist. His flames surge around them, catching in the wind that tears through the air and turning it into a fiery tornado, but even with the wind's assistance it's taking all that he can manage to keep the flames from sputtering out entirely. ]

[ The burst of heat as the whirlwind catches is momentarily a balm against cold chapped cheeks, and with a rough growl he sends the whirlwind around them, Wraiths screeching noises that snap and crack as they're caught in the fiery vortex. The wind seems stronger, violent far more than normal, and faster as he directs it around until the last icy phantom shatters and fades with a hiss in the flames.

Then the winds drop and Clive exhales hard, panting softly as his breath catches up with him, fingers cramped from their tight hold on the hilt of his sword. He shifts it back into it's sheath - the cold seems to be easing somewhat around them - and turns on his heel.

And before Joshua can probably think, Clive is pulling the other into a tight hug that threatens to break the other in two. ]

[ As the fiery winds whip around them, Joshua remains still, pumping as much energy into it as he can to make up for the cold around them sapping their power. He doesn't realize just how much he's straining himself until the winds die down and he can hear Clive winded behind him, which makes him relax himself, shifting from his semi-primed state, arms and legs aching in that gentle way that indicates there will be far more of it later. But that's the least of his concerns right now - this cold, while it seems to be waning, is too dangerous to stay out in, and they both need to get inside.

Except he never even gets the opportunity to say as much, because before he can act, Clive is pulling him into a nearly rib-cracking hug. Joshua lets out a breath that fogs in the cold air, stunned briefly into inaction before lifting his arms to return the embrace. ]

Are you alright?

I am now.

[ His voice cracks and tears track from his eyes, freezing instantly on his face but he pays them no heed. The last time he held Joshua, after all... The last time he heard his voice-! ]

I knew you would make it.

[ Knew. Hoped. Wished upon Ultima's magic flowing through him. He pulls back a bit but raises a hand as he does to cup the back of Joshua's head, so he can rest their foreheads together. The rime on his side seems to be melting away, leaving behind just cold soaked clothes. He can't keep the roughness out of his voice, as he tries to control his emotions. ]

Do me a favor, and stop trying to die on me.

[ Oh, Clive... He can hear the roughness long before he's given the chance to see those tear tracks, and Joshua swallows hard, only just barely holding back his own. The last thing he remembers, there wasn't exactly cause for this sort of reaction...

He lifts his hands, placing them on Clive's upper arms, and closes his eyes. ]

Believe me, I'm far from trying. But I'm here. I'm alright.

[ Whatever it was that happened. Ultima had burst from his body, and that's the last thing that he can recall before finding himself here. Had he...? ]

Edited 2025-01-04 16:11 (UTC)

[ He had. Right in Clive's arms, while his older brother wailed and begged him to open his eyes. So forgive him for - not wailing now - but crying so obviously. For holding his brother's head tightly like if he lets go maybe Joshua will fade away like an Akashic.

His inhale is rough and he reaches his other hand up to wipe away his tears hastily so they stop freezing to his cheeks and lashes. Then steps back just a bit to undo his cloak. Joshua is not dressed for this weather and ... and he doesn't know if the Phoenix's fire had healed everything.

So that cape goes around Joshua, clasped tight, to keep the worst of the wind out. And up goes the hood too. ]

Come, there's an Inn nearby. Can you walk?

[ Wh-- Clive you aren't dressed for this weather. Joshua starts, almost moving to halt his brother's hands in the process of fixing the cloak to him, but he holds off because there's... there's really no stopping Clive, especially not when he's overcome by emotion like this. ]

I'm fine, Clive, really. [ Somehow. ] You've been out here longer than I, and surely your clothes are soaked and freezing--?

[ But they need to get to the inn regardless, or both of them will freeze. Joshua summons a ball of fire to act as their lantern, but even it threatens to gutter out. They'll need to be quick. ]

[ Joshua he is your shield and he has, somehow, perfected the puppy eye look. You cannot stop him. The cold biting into him is nothing compared to the idea of his brother's illness getting worse. ]

I'm fine. I'll be better once we begin to move.

[ Standing still is dangerous, it leeches the will to move, makes the body tired. Lulls it to simply lay down, close his eyes, sleep. Thank the Founder Joshua is there, it lets him focus. ]

Come. Quickly. Don't stop.

[ He grips his brother's hand with his own and begins to pull him in the direction of the Inn. The winds have calmed and the cold isn't as biting, but the Weather is still bad. Also: ]

Do you have an amulet in the shape of a snowflake around your neck?

Edited 2025-01-04 17:43 (UTC)

[ He knows. He knows, and he can't do anything about it. So, with a sigh, Joshua follows his brother's lead. Whatever gets Clive in out of the cold sooner. If the ball of flame hangs closer to Clive, he's just imagining things, clearly.

But he'd forgotten about the amulet in the rush to aid Clive. As Clive mentions it, he lifts his hand to where it lays beneath his shirt. It still hangs heavy around his neck. The voice that sounded so much like his own, and the cold seeping into his bones, had also been forgotten in the flurry of activity forced by adrenaline, but now that it's over...

No. He can't. The lights of the town are ahead through the snow, and they have to make it. ]

Yes. But I'll be fine. We have to go.

[ For Clive's sake. ]

[ He thought so. Origins final curse on them? Or, considering the circumstances, this lands curse? He won't respond again, pushing through the thick snow with as much haste as he can, hauling his brother after him. Joshua is far more susceptible to the call of it, and he needs to get his brother into the warmth of the Inn... without bodily throwing him over his shoulder.

Thankfully neither of them were too far out, and the lights of buildings bloom suddenly through the snow when they stumble into the Grove proper. Clive instantly bee-lines towards the Inn, forcing the door open with one hand to let Joshua step in. The Inn's fire is blazing away, offering a warmth that seeps in instantly despite the clutching cold. ]

Toss the amulet into the fire.

[ Before he rips the damn thing from Joshua's neck. Angry, protective brother. ]

[ By the time they've made it to the inn doors, Joshua is tightly clutching the cloak around his shoulders. Nothing he seems to do can cut through the bitter cold, and every footstep is a struggle. But no matter how much the voices - his voice - call for a sacrifice, he has to keep going. For Clive.

The ball of flame lasts until they reach the doors, where it fully gutters out and disappears. But even in the inn's warm embrace, he can't get warm. The heat may be melting the snow in his hair, but the cold in his body won't abate.

Clive tells him to burn the amulet, and he lifts his hand to grasp it out of his shirt, but his fingers feel so numb that it takes a couple of attempts. Prying it off is a whole other matter, and he has to yank hard to break it away.

He tosses it in the fire, and it fizzles and spits. But the more it burns away, the more the cold seeps from his bones. ]

[ There. He would have done it for Joshua, but he didn't know if the curse would be lifted that way. He works to pull the gloves off his brother's hands, shedding his own after, to begin briskly rubbing them between his to warm them. And move to sit Joshua down into a chair he kicks towards the fire, his brows furrowed as he frets and works to get the last of that cursed chill out of him.

But he pauses as his eyes lift to land on the spot on Joshua's chest where the wound was, his hand coming up to lightly shift aside some cloth to look. It's not there, Ultima ripped from him, and on top of that it's healed. As he had thought but seeing the spot up close whisks away the last of his tension and his shoulders slump a little with a heavy sigh.

Now he can tease, relief flowing over him like water. ]

No rest for the wicked.

[ Normally, Joshua would balk at being coddled so, but it's his brother, and he's also so cold that he really has no energy to do it anyway. He allows Clive to maneuver him, sitting in the chair and closing his eyes as he tries to will the warmth to settle into his bones faster.

He barely even notices Clive inspecting his chest for the numbness that the cold has brought and the near burning warmth of his skin attempting to regulate. It's only as the cloth is moved that he opens his eyes, looking down. There is indeed a mark there, but it's nothing like the blatant blue that had been there before. Perhaps the Phoenix had healed it... He really doesn't know the extent of the damage, other than it felt as though he'd been pulled apart from the inside.

Clive's comment makes him huff out a soft laugh, and he tips his head back, eyes locking on the ceiling. ]

No rest indeed. Though, I daresay we've earned a little regardless.

And you will get it.

[ His tone brooks no arguments. There's too many unknowns in Clives mind to do anything but rest and plot their next move, shifting his brother's hands over more towards the fire to let the magic heat from it flow into him. Standing he moves to remove the cloak too, hanging it up so more heat can reach Joshua, then summons his fire. Just to test, the flame flickering in his hand before he quenches it. Still dampened. ]

We're not in Valisthea.

[ The only place he can think of is the lands beyond the oceans, but Ultima said they were blighted beyond repair... ]

[ More warmth is good. The longer he sits before the fire, the more he feels as though he can move. Soon enough, he doesn't even need Clive's help in angling himself, and the warmer he gets, the more he sinks into his chair.

Not in Valisthea... What happened to them? ]

I wondered as much. I don't know of anywhere this plagued by frost, outside of the northern lands.

[ And while Clive doesn't sit, he does stand by the fire as much as Joshua, arms folding over his chest as he ponders the flames. ]

It doesn't match anything from Father's stories.

[ The small Grove does seem very... tribalistic, yes, but there's something else to it as well. The Beastman he met. The large man running the Shop that called himself Heimr.

And Magic is still working, so either he failed - brother, forgive him - or something is quickening their abilities beyond the lands lifeblood. His head bows, his brow vee'ing down aggressively as he frowns. ]

It doesn't?

[ Not that he's had a good look at it yet, not with the snow whipping around in the wind out there, but he'll take Clive's word for it. He brings his hands closer to him, rubbing them together slowly as if spreading the warmth around.

And then, softer: ]

What do you think is happening, Clive?

No, unless it's severely isolated village. Father spoke of mountains and a lack of trees. We're surrounded by a forest, from what I hear tell and what I have experienced.

[ The question makes his expression soften and he turns to look at Joshua again. The hands rubbing together makes him cast about. There was a blanket... ah. Here. Snagging the blanket he had been given when he first arrived up, he moves to wrap it around his brother.

When he replies, his voice is just as soft. ]

I don't know. I have been told our souls have been called to a world that claims it is the origin of the birth of them, but... I cannot-

[ Believe that. Not after all they've experienced and everything told of them. ]

Hmm. Interesting...

[ Valisthea only has a small handful of places that one could consider a forest, and if Clive isn't familiar with it from what he's seen, then it's an odd situation indeed. Doubly so once Clive relays what he's learned. Joshua furrows his brow, taking the blanket and pulling it tightly around him. ]

I can't say that I understand... But once I've warmed myself and this snow storm dies down, I would like to do some research. There must be answers somewhere.

[ That gets both a fond sigh out of him and a soft huff of a laugh. ]

I figured you would say as much. You're going to be waiting a while. It seems this Winter is not keen on letting up until we offer it a sacrifice.

[ The distaste in Clives voice is obvious, as he moves to sit himself on the floor by the fire, curling one leg under and the other up so he can rest his arm on it. ]

Yet we know those Wraiths can be fought, and their death eases the hold, so I say let their death be the sacrifice they wish to see.

[ Ugh, he thought as much. Briefly, his nose wrinkles, but otherwise Joshua just turns back to look at the fire. ]

If only we knew how many we need to defeat... But I have a feeling you're willing to defeat as many as it takes.

[ Which means, he'll be going as well. He turns, tossing a smile at his brother. ]

So we'll do it together.

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