EVENT & TDM 022

[sticksandbonesmods]

THE SERPENT UNDERNEATH

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

code

Comments

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash stands between both snakes. He counts down, waits until the ground is vibrating beneath his feet and he swears he can smell the venom. Only then does he leap out of the way, avoiding being sandwiched between the two snakes. He skids across the ground on his chest, before forcing himself into a somersault and leaping back to his feet, not far from where Oscar lands.]

Not bad, huh?

[He turns to observe his handiwork, only to find that one of the snakes is still staring at him. While the other shakes its head and seems to struggle to find its bearings, the first moves toward them menacingly, albeit a hint slower.]

Time to go!

[He grabs Oscar by the elbow and starts to drag him away.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[After all they've been through, maybe they deserve to not be terrorized by the big snakes. Vash alone has been in enough trouble over the last few weeks to be firmly in the "I don't want to deal with any of that" territory.

He is also in "squint at my boyfriend like he's a liar territory.]

Since when do you wear socks?

[unheiring]

It's - difficult to explain.

[He tries to flick his wrist, forcing his flame forth. A small ember forms within his palm, only to sputter and die out. All of the Phoenix's power is being forced into keeping the venom at bay, and ultimately failing.]

Flame. Healing. Revival. You can imagine why it's troubling when the last two aren't working.

[unheiring]

[There's no way of knowing if the Phoenix might have been roused by Kiera's words. Whatever bond connected the two had long been obscured by the venom. Though Luca's skin is as warm as ever, it's from the fever, more than anything.]

'n here I thought you hated this me. [He tries to laugh, but it turns into a cough that rattles his entire body. He curls tighter against Kiera afterward, thoroughly exhausted from the effort. He doesn't even realize his eyes have slipped closed.]

forgive you... if you did. Always will. [His hand clutches against whatever part of them he can reach.] Always'll love you.

[bajamutblast]

[Dion doesn't seem particularly bothered by the new nickname. He's heard far worse on the field, and in any case, there are more pressing matters at hand. Dion swiftly makes his way to where Bakugo works, grabbing two handfuls before giving a brisk nod.]

I would rather not waste time waiting for these creatures to waken.

[He tilts his head back toward the village.]

Go. I will cover your retreat if need be.

[foreversembrace]

[What the fuck is happening he's starting to feel more and more like something is about to fly out of those bushes and kill him-

Anyway, yeah, Till will just release Karte at this point.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood lets the question hang between them for a moment before he swings his head back to look at Vash, sticking his tongue out at him between his teeth.]

Nah, I'm just fuckin' with ya.

[outofsynth]

[Oh. Min hadn't expected him to actually use it now. Or if he was going to, not for more coffee.

He refrains from questioning him on it for now.]

Yeah. I think some of that's because of people finding ways to bring stuff in from home, but it's still pretty wild.

[outofsynth]

[Oh. He hadn't expected him to hop up and open the curtain already. That has Min standing up himself, worried he's going to fall over from how shaky he looks.]

No. I think I was asleep when you got here. Should you be standing yet?

[He's been here longer and he's still feeling weaker than he usually does.]

[outofsynth]

Yeah. I can see why that's scary.

[Min would probably be pretty worried too if he were in Luca's shoes. The explanation does make the sparks less worrying at least.]

If we get you to the clinic quick I don't think you'll die.

[REASSURING.]

[menophesto]

[ Mephisto laughs. ]

Don't know~! You're right, though! They aren't~! At least, not as we know it. There's nothing that can match the definition of "God" people seem so fond of, though.

[rabbithearted]

[fiddling with the little machine for a moment, familiarizing himself with it -- but he snaps to attention when min-gi says that.]

You can do that? How?

[poaceae]

Oh. Weird.

[ He's a little loopy, distracted by the pain that he refuses to give any significant attention to. ]

It's fine. I'm standing anyway, right?

[ It would be easier if he was walking. If he was walking then he could convince himself the pain will stop when he sits down. He looks around the clinic, taking a few steps to adjust his view. It helps. ]

What happened to you, man?

[cryopathy]

[at his words, they shake their head immediately and firmly.]

Never, Luc. I've never hated you. I -- [he chokes on his own laughter, and she chokes past more tears. they pull him tighter to their body, subconsciously trying to keep him close.] I hate myself. Hate that you had to become this way. That you're not happy anymore. That I couldn't protect you, or Father...

[once more, she shakes her head, but it's softer this time. resigned, like he is.] Don't say that. You're not going anywhere.

Please.

[outofsynth]

Have you met Ydalir? She might be able to help if there's something you really want.

[He doesn't know if it works for everything, but he's seen people with some pretty out there stuff he at least assumes they didn't arrive with.]

[outofsynth]

Your funeral, man.

[Min doesn't love this, but if Fern's going to wake up and immediately start walking around then there's not much he can do to stop him. He sits pointedly back on the edge of his own bed, hoping Fern will see sense sooner rather than later.

He frowns when he's asked what happened, casting his eyes downward. He's still annoyed he let it happen. He hadn't even seen it coming.]

Same thing that's happening to everyone right now. One of those snakes got me.

[foreversembrace]

Yeah, well. If Gods were real, we wouldn't be in this shithole, would we?

[...]

Or maybe we would. I can't imagine a God would care about somethin' as insignificant as us.

[unheiring]

Hey -

[Luca glances up, eyes slowly opening. His vision is so blurry that he can't see specifics, but he can still make out the purple of her eye through the murk. He does his best to hold her gaze, even as his strength wanes.]

Who says 'm not happy, Ki? Got my sibling back, didn't I? Still - get to see father every day. Can't ever forget his face now, huh? 'n I finally... stole a man from you.

[He cracks a grin, only for it to shatter as he coughs. He tries to lift his hand fast enough to cover up the blood that puddles forth, but Kiera will surely know that it's there.]

But you're right. Not going anywhere. Still got my baby sibling to protect. [Despite his attempt at assurance, Luca's eyes close. His head lolls, coming to rest against her lap once more.]

Won't - leave you again - [With each word, his breath becomes more and more labored. Speaking is exhausting. He simply wants to sleep, but he can't. There's so much more to say, so little time to say it.]

Ki-Kiera A-aurelius.

[He smiles, faint but there all the same. It tries so hard to be reassuring despite the blood smeared on his lips, and the pain pinching his brow. He doesn't want her to be afraid for him, not right now.

It's why he has to hang on.

Just a little longer.

Just a few more breaths. One quivering inhale, a staggered exhale.

And then? Nothing.]

[eidxiety]

Haha...

[Magnolia sneefsnorfs and nomnomnoms the sugar cube out of Till's hand. Then she licks his palm like :)? more?]

Only one treat~. You can't get pudgy!

[She turns around and looks at Ain.

She snorts directly in his face.

Mean to her, how dare you want to keep her healthy!]

1/2

[cryopathy]

[this is too alike the memory she intruded upon recently. from taking a blow to protect, to poison in his system, to the coughed up blood... except kiera realizes she was right; she doesn't have luca's strength. she can't bring herself to take his cares away, much less to mercy kill him.

no, she allows him to fade in her arms, like a pathetic, weak coward. the moment his last breath shudders, her tears cease to fall.

she waits. waits for the phoenix to make good on its ability, as luca has long insisted it will. she waits.

and waits.]

[unheiring]

[Luca tries to think of something smart to say to that. When that fails, he tries to default to snark. Nothing.

Fine then. He just scoffs, then nods.]

Better hurry. My legs feel as if they might give out at any moment.

2/2

[cryopathy]

[her mind is blank, except for the nagging thought that the renovan dead must be properly honored. she can't just leave him here to rot.

if she does, it's only for a few moments, to slip inside her quarters and retrieve the aurelian reserve he gifted her months ago. her perception of time comes and goes, and before she half realizes what she's done, luca's lifeless body lays upon a stack of hay bales pulled from storage, drenched in the wine their father bottled with his own hands.

if the phoenix won't, or can't burn him, she will. she may not have magical flame, but she knows how to use a match.

traditional funerary rites dictate that cremations be observed, but kiera's mind is slipping further away from her. the red of the flames overtakes her vision and her thoughts like blood.

she only remains long enough to confirm that the pyre will take. then she turns and walks directly into the forest path.]

[outofsynth]

Right.

[They've made decent progress, but that does make Min nervous. He's not sure what he'll do if Luca collapses.]

Are you sure you don't need to lean on me?

[unheiring]

I should... be fine.

[His feet stumble just a touch. With an exasperated sigh, he shies a touch closer to Min-Gi.]

... Just a few moments, then.

[outofsynth]

[The stubbornness in accepting his help makes it easier than it might be otherwise to lean in and put his arm around a near stranger, rolling his eyes as he tucks his arm into the right position to offer maximum support. Luca is just short enough to make this slightly awkward, but it should work.]

Right. Just a few moments.