sticksandbones | EVENT & TDM 022

EVENT & TDM 022

WAKE UP

Being out in the woods is, for some people, an ordinary day. You may or may not be one of those people — you almost certainly don’t remember going camping, do you? — and yet you emerge from a tent and think to yourself, hm, that’s quite odd! Where is the nearest civilization anyhow? If you’re brave enough, perhaps you set out to seek it, walking toward where you think you hear noise in the far distance. It sounds a bit like cheering. A party? A bonfire? You can’t be certain, not at first.

As you step onto the worn trail, something nearly clocks you right in the head. A nimble dodge to the left and a quick glance at the ground tells you that it’s some kind of tree branch made of… flesh? It’s certainly flesh-textured, though the colour is a deep blue that glows white. It seems to be rapidly rotting into the ground, and as you look up… a giant, several hundred foot tree of a similar eldritch makeup is falling apart before your eyes. Your walk back to civilization will be full of dodging probably-dead flesh tree bits.

Should you make it in one piece, the source of the noise becomes obvious: the people making up this small town are cheering and yelling about something else of eldritch makeup. It seems that some of the creatures who have lived in this civilization’s river for the last year, the Seaborn, have decided to evolve to be capable of flight. Some residents of this town seem extremely enthusiastic with this. Some are wary. Some simply don’t care.

You? Well, that’s for you to decide.

Welcome to the eldritch horror fae woods, dear friend. Enjoy your stay.

A SNAKE IN THE GRASS

While the black fog returns, some paths are left clear, or at least not as impacted as other areas of the woods. Mist fades in and out, and even if you aren’t one for nature, surely exploration can sing its siren song when the size of the town is too small and all the faces look the same. Paths line themselves with daffodils and chamomile flowers, with arctic poppies and clearings of wildflowers- foxglove and lavender especially prominent. They’re lovely, all of them, and bloom far more rapidly than anything else should be this early into spring, this late into winter, but they do.

But something creeps beneath the flowers, and something large digs through the earth, leaving upturned grooves in the dirt and grass, trails of flattened mud and roots with only bushes of camelia on the outskirts left behind. It’s quiet in the forest, not even birds singing. It makes the hiss of tongues all the more noticeable.

If you’re lucky, you might see a purple and grey stone shift in the distance, gone just as quickly as it was there. If you aren’t, you don’t see its much smaller, flower-patterned counterpart strike from the shadows. Snakes are working their way into the Grove, hiding in bushes and under steps, anywhere they can lurk and strike the unsuspecting, and their bite is venomous.

One bite brings excruciating pain, bone-deep cold, an increased frailty of the body and hallucinations. A second bite brings a deep, nightmare-filled sleep. A third bite brings death. All of them scar with a black sun over the bites, a mark of divine wrath — the Fallen Sun sends his regards, and his hate.

Those who perish to the snake bite will awaken in their bed in a few days, feeling nauseous and weakened, but…

'NEATH SERPENT'S GAZE

… This simply isn’t tenable. Between the paranoia and the snake’s stealth, it’s hard to feel safe outside of your home, and maybe inside, despite the fact that once again your homes offer refuge from the forest’s attacks—they hadn’t once upon a red, hot summer, after all. How did they face this last time? It was a flower, wasn’t it? And the new flowers in the forest seem special, if only because of their strong growth compared to the rest of the forest.

But if you go into the woods, two large stone snakes wait, ready to protect the natural gardens. Breaking them does little but slow them down for a time, and their bite is both larger and their venom stronger—the true version, the one that crippled a household in seconds. The severity of the symptoms are worse, murderously so, but survivable if it’s not the third bite.

They block the way, ambush would-be travelers, coil around the flower patches, and will not be stopped. Does this confirm that the flowers could help? Or are they simply protective of their master’s property? Is it play?

Regardless, they wait and watch.

CITIES & BONES

When all the violence of the month ends, and thank goodness for that, you decide to head to bed. For once, you might sleep well — there are no threats of snakes making you wonder if you or your friends might die tomorrow, and the Grove as a whole feels much safer. It’s as if someone or something is guarding over it — different from the Guardian Deities and the Goddesses as a whole.

For the next several days after the snakes disappear, your dreams are strange, as if you’re receiving a vision from another world. A modern city, so different from Aldric’s Grove that you’re not entirely convinced it lies in this dimension, blinks in neon lights behind your eyelids. Between the cacophonous sounds of motorized vehicles rushing by, the din of people talking in a language you don’t understand, and the distant electrical humming from the street lights, perceptive dreamers might hear something else:

The soft clacking of dry bones.

Spark Notes

summary

Wake up: You were apparently camping. You don't recall this. As you head out toward the sound of civilization, bits of giant blue flesh-tree nearly hit you in the head. You'll have to dodge the remaining flesh tree bits as it crumbles while you walk back to town.

A Snake In The Grass: Flowers spring up far too early in the season, and the fog wall returns. Purple and grey-coloured stone snakes begin to attack from the bushes and flowers where they're hidden. One bite brings cold and frailty, a second bite brings nightmares, and a third bite brings death. All bites scar with a mark of the Black Sun.

'Neath Serpent's Gaze: You've heard of a flower that can cure the poison, but to get there, you have to face two far larger stone snakes who are guarding over nature here. Whether they want to play or simply kill isn't clear. You're in danger of death either way.

Cities & Bones: While you sleep after the snakes disappear, you'll have strange dreams that feel like visions and feel watched by something safe and kindly. While your dreams are absorbed in that of a cityscape that feels almost too real, you can sometimes hear the clattering of bones.

out of character

Welcome to March's TDM and Event! Spring is springing and we've got a lot of really cool events coming up in the next few months. The magic system should debut this month as well, which we're very excited about. It is a slow process but the rewards should be well worth it.

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ March Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

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[ As the spoon is extended to him, Joshua moves to reach for it. And then hesitates, as the spoon is then used to gesture for him to come closer.

He does, of course, tipping his head aside curiously. ]

Your...?

[ ... oh. Oh, what he'd said the night they were all reunited here. He lets out a soft, surprised laugh, shaking his head slightly. Dion doesn't have to do this, but he can tell that this is in jest. As their conversation had gone the night they walked home from the bar.

It's... nice. He enjoys it. It's charming, to see Dion so relaxed, and particularly so after being so ill. He sets his mug on the tray, nodding. ]

Of course. Please, feel free.

Edited 2025-03-09 07:11 (UTC)

...you're not fine.

[Sigh... Ain stands up properly, stretches his arms overhead, and hoists Add up into a bridal carry. Hi, hello! Thank you dragon blessings for his strength boon, now he can pick up this metal-filled jock and carry him outta here. Dachie is in-tow barking the entire time.]

I'm taking you to where I currently live. Just don't ooze out of my arms, okay?

[And assuming that Add tolerates this, or at least is too dead to the world to protest, Ain will cart him aaaaaaall the way to the other side of the Grove, past the inn, to the bakery proper. It's a bit of a chore opening the front door, then getting past the bunnies and opening the "residents only" door in the back that leads to the upstairs, but once that's all done...

He will be walked upstairs, past a row of rooms that comprise the living space, and to a small living room with a single couch.

Get plopped on the couch, idiot.]

[He is still sort of conscious. He's holding on, even though he feels terrible and doesn't entirely know where he is right now.]

Mabel, you know Mabel. [He tiredly insists.] My sister.

[It should be pretty apparent to Josh at least, that he's hallucinating, since he made it pretty clear in Mizukiquest his sister isn't here, so that's fun.]

[To Josh, who he is a little bit aware of, he tries to shake his head.]

M'Fine, I can walk [He can't.] Grunkle Stan'll ground me for ending up at the clinic again.

[This is probably not true, but Stan IS going to be hella worried probably.]

...huh? No, I'm Ain.

[Okay, that is not remotely what he asked babe.]

Haha, I'm from Elrios~. And I'm kind of a priest. [He is Lying Through His Teeth.] I do healing magic, and here I run the tailor shop. I've never heard of...

...

That. [he's genuinely not sure how to say those words sorry]

Hm? Yeah, I do!

[ The confidence in Ala's claim may or may not be reassuring, but at least she peers up at the snakes in curiosity rather than fear, a warm look in her eyes like one might give a trundling puppy or a particularly round bird. ]

Are you gonna kill it?

Stop stop stop stop stop!

[ The fleshy trees are downright freaky, but Ala could've handled that. It's the explosions that put her on edge; any other day she would have found them beautiful, gravitating to bright lights and loud noises, but not here, not now.

She runs up to Bakugo in a bid to make him stop for a sec, will grab onto his arm if that's what it takes, at the risk of being blown to bits herself ]

[He's fighting through a considerable amount of delay, still trying to process What Is Happening by the time Ain is already out the door... oh. oh fuck no, he is being carried through the streets, in public, where everyone will see him

He manages to grab Ain by his stupid little cravat, but it's a bit too late to stop him. So he's just gonna yank it and scowl and hiss through his teeth and assure himself that it's the poison that's making his face red right now, and definitely not anything else. Yeah.]

Drop me and I'll break your knees. [please appreciate how hard he is trying to sound intimidating while being carried by Ain's twink ass

Anyway... he still yelps when he's dropped onto the couch. The world is spinning, he's falling, this whole trip has been a blur... it takes another minute to be certain that he has stopped moving, and to figure out where Ain went. It's disorienting, frustrating, he hates feeling so weak...]

... sure this shithole isn't an Abyss? [At least he's given up on trying to move. It's already taking too much effort to stay focused. He blocks out the light with a hand, dynamos settling into the gaps around his body as he resigns himself to his fate.] Ugh, don't tell me... if this takes another week to pass, just kill me now...

[ Ala's not typically an early riser, but the moment there's even a hint of the smell of breakfast in the air, she makes her way into the kitchen, leaning on the counter and watching closely like a cat just waiting for the chance to stick their paw into something the moment your back is turned. she'll keep her paws to herself for now, though. for now. ]

Umm. Crunchy?

[Add has less to worry about than Ain does with regard to reputation. It's fine, he's not thinking of it. Add gets plopped down, and Ain is debating what to do now, since his healing magic is useless against God-venom. He supposes, like with any poison, this will have to pass.

Sigh.

Maybe he'll steal away into Flamebringer's room. Steal his cats. That'll make Add chill, right? This is the ongoing debate, but honestly Add is too sick to hang out with cats probably, so he instead nudges his friend's legs aside and sits at the far end of the couch.]

Pretty sure. Haha, but I've gotten the flu twice while being here, so maybe it is~.

[Helpful as ever.]

Unfortunately, I can't fix that venom, so you're gonna have to ride it out. In exchange for a few "thank yous", I'm willing to wait on you hand and foot until you're better! This is a one-time offer, and you're never getting another one.

Whoa there, [ He's on edge, just a bit, but this is a civilian, and he's a bit grateful at the sudden face showing up in between the disgusting trees that make him feel lost. ] lay off the stuff.

[ Bakugo means his arm; there's a bit of movement between them. As he was just attempting to blast pieces out of his way, but with her arms trying to stop him. He's at least stopped himself from doing anything more than that for now. ]

You live here? [ His voice is loud, not a scream - but loud. Angry, annoyed, overwhelmed - ] Are you the one who dragged me into this? [ Bakugo attempts to snap his arm away out of her grasp. ]

[He takes a rattling breath. There is still ice under his skin, and a warmth in his mind. He feels pain from so many directions, and though the medicine Lily has given him has settled him considerably, he can feel it further- like a feedback loop.]

[But for now, he seems to be caught up in a memory. Pained though he is, his tone is strikingly different than the theatrics of the Jester normally.]

Truth... so easily discarded... can I give them nothing else...? I'm so ...so weary...

[It seems like maybe he's drifted off, before he stirs again.]

He's in pain-

[Does he have a better ability? Yes. Is he willing to use it? That's difficult to say. He knows that calling Bahamut's power forth in such a limited capacity will do little to harm him. He also doubts that such a small attempt will put much strain on his control over the Eikon. Still, he cannot help but worry.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. The good news is that they are decently outside of town. If he did lose control, someone was likely to notice before the damage got too great. And if nothing else, he's relatively certain the boy will be able to defend himself long enough to escape.

He inhales once before giving a nod.]

I do have this.

[He draws his hand to his chest, searching within himself for the resplendent aether that was Bahamut's light. He draws only a little forth, little more than two orbs settled above either shoulder. At first, they seem effectively useless, at least until Dion opens his eyes and points his spear at one of the snakes.]

Move, now.

[Dion also steps forward, prodding one of the snakes to get its attention. Where his lance skirts off the stone, two separately fired lasers from said orbs manage to at least begin to chip away at the stone. Right now, it's little more than an annoyance, but it does seem to draw the attention of the snake. He shifts his target to the second, before glancing to the young man. He better damn well be moving.]

[Dion's reasoning is two-fold. One, it's a relatively effortless way to give back to Joshua after all he's done. Moreover, it's a distraction from the horrors they've both experienced over the last few days. A touch of humor would go a long way to alleviate the tension within both of their minds.

So... he sets to diligently scooping away each carrot, setting it upon his own plate. Joshua will have more than one reason to be pleased about it. Not only will he be free of the pesky vegetable, but Dion will have yet more sustenance to enjoy.

As the last carrot is scooped up, Dion shoots a glance through his lashes up toward Joshua. The smile he offers should be teasing, but it feels softer and more tender at the edges than it rightly should.]

You are saved. [He turns away, spooning one of the carrots into his mouth.] And I am all the richer for it.

Well, in that case.

[He toes the ground in faux sheepishness. His expression shifts to something pleading, though it's clear he's fighting hard to keep an actual smile from his lips. In short, he's being an idiot, just like Wolfwood likes.]

How do you feel about going on a snake hunting date with me? We can make it a romantic walk through the flowers and everything!

I don't know. It was snowy out, so maybe they were hibernating. No one warned us about them though.

[And there are people who've been here since before winter set in.]

[The look of utter bewilderment Min gives Bakugo has nothing to do with the effects of the bite. Even with the immediate pain the poison isn't that quick. But the the unexpected attack from and on the snake is already a lot even without Bakugo's extremely blunt words.

He finds himself feeling kind of offended. He'd had a reason. He'd been careful, or at least he'd thought he had been.]

I'm...

[What is he going to do? He can't just stand here. The inn is his first idea, but then what? Hide out in his room and hope he doesn't die? Forced to think more clearly on it, that's obviously a bad idea.

There is an obvious answer, and a better one. He turns, wincing as he puts weight on his injured leg.]

The clinic.

[It's easy to judge when you haven't been bitten (yet...), so the look Min is giving Shadow Milk is definitely more withering than he'll have any right to give him soon enough.]

Maybe you should try sitting down.

[Will that help him find things more easily? Probably not, but at least if he passes out he's less likely to injure himself.]

[Still recovering from his own single bite, Min is cautious but strong enough now to return to the Archive. He's sat quietly when the fog suddenly shrouds him, thinking for a moment the hallucinations are back. He cries, jumping onto his still kind of unsteady feet to attempt to run into an area he can see again.

Unfortunately there's another chair right there. He stumbles off to the side, directly into Eno himself.]

[With the snow melting, Min doesn't actually mind going out to help gather supplies for the clinic. Lily's lent him a sketch to make his hunt for cleavers easier, and with the sun out it's not a bad way to see in the better weather. The flowers are pretty, even if most of them aren't exactly what he's looking for. All in all it's a welcome change from the cold.

Or it is until his search is interrupted by a spear that for a moment looks like it's going to hit him. All he can do is hold up his arms defensively, stumbling back and hoping it's enough. He can scarcely believe when it lands at his feet, but that doesn't make him any less furious.]

Dude, what--

[Except as the spear lands there's an audible hiss, and when Min-Gi looks down it becomes apparent the stranger hadn't missed after all.]

Edited (Sleeby brain forgot a better reason for him to be out) 2025-03-09 20:00 (UTC)

[Luca does such an admirable job of masking the pain that Min-Gi doesn't actually realize he's been bit. He looks around for any signs of snakes, but doesn't see any. Even so, he steps away from the patch of flowers he's currently next to. It's better to be safe.]

Did you see one?

[ Joshua watches carefully as Dion spoons the carrots from his mug - and into his own meal, which brightens his smile a bit, because it means they won't go to waste. But it also serves to give him an idea of whether or not Dion's hand-eye coordination is off. And it seems like he's doing well enough, which is a big relief.

But the smile he's offered as the effort is completed is so gentle that it makes his heart flutter anew. He can't help but return it, and he reaches out to take his mug and the half piece of bread. ]

Well, thank the Founder for that. Thank you, Dion.

[ He lifts the mug to his lips, settling back in the chair while making sure his wings are situated over the back of it, rather than being squashed by it. It's a good soup, all told. The broth is richly flavored and just a touch salty, good for warming the bones in the cold. It serve Dion well. ]

Are you still experiencing aches and pains? Your sleep was incredibly fitful. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you felt worn out at the very least.

[Boy if you keep calling him old-]

How long you been here, again? Everythin' here is like this. If you're from modern Earth or whatever, don't expect to have a workin' cellphone.

The only reason we have the coffee machine is 'cause squirt bought that for the Inn a long time ago. Long before I got here.

[ Thank goodness, someone's here. Oscar gives Joshua—some sort of bird Faunus, he supposes—a nod and follows after him without further comment. He does frown at Dipper's insistence that he should know who Mabel is, but right now he's still more concerned than suspicious. This time he gives Josh a little shake of his head, hopefully conveying that he has no idea who Mabel is or where to find her. ]

He was only bitten once that I saw, but the effects were immediate. He said something about 'god venom'.

[ The bite should be easy to identify, at least. The bright orange glove and scrap of bandage around Dipper's leg make for a pathetic but highly visible compress.

Oscar eases Dipper down onto the bed Joshua brings them to. He manages to do it without dropping him or setting him down too heavily, but he immediately sags with relief once the weight is off his shoulders. ]

Wherever Mabel is, she supposedly has a journal with the antivenom recipe. And— [ His tone gets sharper here, disapproving and reproachful. ] —he can't walk, and shouldn't be exerting himself even if he could.

A snake huntin' date, huh? This any different from a bug huntin' date?

[Wolfwood asks with a sneer as he holsters the Fangs for the time being, mostly so he can turn to face Vash properly with his arms folded over his chest.]

I think I got some room in my schedule, yeah.

Crunchy, huh...so pretty fried, pretty done.

[He'll flip the egg he's already working on then, since this isn't a sunny-side-up situation. Then he goes silent for a moment or two, like he isn't going to say anything else, until:]

Don't recognize your voice. [He hasn't turned around yet] You new?

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EVENT & TDM 022

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Serpents Gaze

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