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

[menophesto]

Pfft— Hahahahaha!!!! Right, right~? What a joke!

[ He doesn’t entirely agree, of course. He knows gods are real, especially here. But… he doesn’t think the sort of “God” people expect them to be like actually… yknow… exists. ]

If “insignificant” things like us didn’t exist, neither would the gods, that’s just fact.

[rabbithearted]

[on the FLOOR? like an ANIMAL? couldn't be val.]

Huh. Seafolk are rare, where I'm from. It's unusual for them to be able to breathe air. [... it explains the water, though.] Are you holding your breath between splashes?

[ozmosis]

I'm afraid I don't know the area well enough to know anything specific to ask about.

[ For all he knows a short walk down the road will lead him right into a lake of fire, or over the edge of the world. ]

I think just getting a feel for the lay of the land will be fine for now.

[ozmosis]

Um—

[ And that's as far as Oscar gets before Vash also notices that the snakes aren't completely KOed. So yeah, it's time to go, an Oscar doesn't need to be told so twice. He lets Vash grab him and drag him away, though Oscar is quick to pick up the pace. He doesn't want to risk making a detour for the flowers he tossed aside earlier, but they did land a reasonable distance from the main flower patch. Maybe he can come back for the later.

But for now the ones he has in his pocket will do, which lets him focus on what really matters: running. Vash is a lot taller than him and Oscar's stamina is starting to flag, but he does an admirable job keeping up as they leave the snakes' immediate vicinity. ]

[lupusxylem]

[It's fine they're just making Lots of Eggs.

Wolfwood, meanwhile, does not get the luxury of me rolling for him. Why? Because his eggs were always just going to be Fine. They're technically sound and taste like Egg. But there's really nothing fancy about them. No fancy plating, no garnishes, no special spices other than salt and pepper. It is not offensive, but it would get you kicked out of culinary school for being boring as hell.

But yep, his are done. All cooked sunny-side with fully cooked whites and soft yolk in the middle.]

Tch. Yeah, sure. We'll see what they say.

[lupusxylem]

[Oh my god Ain you really are morosexual. Wolfwood is just not going to think too hard about what that says about him.]

The real one, huh. Well if you wanna kick your own ass, you might be waitin' a while.

[Cause as far as he remembers, Add (mad scientist flavor) is still in the Garden. Though, it does make Wolfwood wonder what might happen if two versions of the same person were here at the same time.

Hm.]

How long have you been here?

[Can't be too long, because he's certain as soon as he sees Ain next he's going to be like NIKOLAUS HOLY FUCK]

[reydelostests]

Haha, is that right? Que gracioso.

[The Liberi shakes his head a little, leaning against the railing of the ship for a moment as he waits for Thorns to toss him another box.]

Never a dull moment in this place, at the very least. Given the strange things at work here, maybe forgetting a month isn't so uncommon.

[foreversembrace]

[Mephisto suddenly laughing is a little surprising, but not unwanted. Till smirks, his expression wry and humorless.]

Why, you think? Cause they'd be bored without little dolls to play with?

[At this point he's just talking out of his ass, given the fact that- at least where he's from- he's never once had proof of a God being a real thing. The closest thing to those they have are the aliens themselves and lol lmao yeah no fucking way.]

[foreversembrace]

[It is relieving at least to see that it was just another one of the snakes and not, you know, something more horrifying or big that Till wouldn't have been able to deal with on his own. Though, huh...for a weird little robot alien, it did take care of that snake pretty handily.

Till carefully walks back over once he's sure the snake has stopped moving, watching the way Karte plays with it's corpse. Lovely.]

Damn, you're ruthless. Glad that's not my face.

[outofsynth]

She's a trader. She can sell you magic, but also things you wouldn't normally find here.

[If he sounds a little tentative in his explanation it's because he's still finding his feet himself, but he at least has a slight edge on Val.]

[outofsynth]

I'm still learning too, but I can show you a little. We'll just have to be careful.

[He's still not sure how he'll protect this kid if they do find any snakes.]

[rabbithearted]

[oh. that's actually really fucking helpful to know. he's feeling generous, now.]

How do you take yours?

[he nods to the coffeemaker -- it seems just about done.]

[poaceae]

Oh...

[ He stops and considers that. He remembers getting bitten by a snake while grabbing those flowers. Then... did he get bit by another snake? He thinks he remembers that. And then... ]

...I hope the flowers made it back, after all that.

[wolfetracks]

Wh-

( imagine being just some dude from new orleans (prohibition era) and then witnessing this shit. just imagine. he can understand the kingpin, the estate's weird magic, even this bullshit forest- but this is going to haunt him in a completely different way, probably.

sidney watches, stunned for a moment. and then he frowns every so slightly. )C'mon-

cw: ????? dead snakes ??????

[psychokinesia]

[It's hard to tell since all the shocks are making the body writhe and snap at random, but it's probably dead? Hopefully?? It's dead enough that Karte seems to get bored of it eventually, untangling itself from the corpse. It looks up at Till proudly, tail swaying excitedly, snakehead still twitching and hanging off the side of its mouth.

... and then! It flies back up! To give him the cool thing it found (the snake)!!! And also climb onto his shoulder, so he can take the cool thing!!!! It is Gift!!!!!]

[nitrotempered]

[ Bakugo's are prettier even if they just taste like eggs - it looks like what they both have here is just EGGS. EGG 1 AND EGG 2. ]

Give me two seconds... [ And so Bakugo takes a whole 12 plates of Eggs to go find people to torment with. ] Gramps...

im SOBBING

[foreversembrace]

[Screaming

As Karte scrambles up onto his shoulder again like a dragon-shaped cat, Till- what else- scruffs it again and holds it up in front of his face.]

No! No. Spit that out-!

[He gives Karte a little jiggle. Spit it out!! If that snake wakes up and bites him in the face he is going to kick whoever's ass this thing belongs to he swears to GOD-]

[psychokinesia]

[Scruffed AGAIN... they struggle for a moment before going limp, head hung low. Their gift!!!! :(

They hang there looking sad for awhile longer... maybe he will change his mind... but no, Till doesn't like their very cool and thoughtful gift. Rejected. They drop it on the ground where it spasms some more in its death throes, please try to keep your grippers out of the danger zone.]

[beathollow]

Huh...?

( her movements are slow, sluggish- but she does spot him, don't worry. three things...? )

... I- um...

The railing, the grass, and... a lot of puddles...?

[lupusxylem]

[Don't mind him he's just going to eat breakfast finally while he waits.]

[lilyberation]

...

I'll spare you both the lecture, promise. But please, both of you, be more careful. Okay?

( lily speaks gently as she dabs the wound, wiping away blood and then the residue. )

[foreversembrace]

[Till shoots Bakugo a glare, and it looks for a moment like he's going to say something back. Bakugo and Till are...very much cut from the same cloth, so it's no wonder they got into it.

But...somehow, he's more reluctant to start another argument in front of Lily, especially since she's trying to clean him up. He huffs, his shoulders slumping.]

...yeah.

[livlaughlove]

[good, she's responsive. that's a good sign. raz is no therapist, but he knows what trouble liv has landing after a switch. maybe he'd never admit he has empathy, but this is also a kid.]

'n a couple things y'can touch?

[foreversembrace]

[Sorry Karte...Till is still quite new and skittish, so his tolerance for silly bullshit is pretty low, especially when he knows these snakes can, like. Kill you. He's appreciative that Karte got rid of it, but bringing it back to him...one step forward, five back.

Anyway, he's quickly going to step back away from the snake and move in a different direction, huffing as he readjusts his grip on Karte.

...

He does fee a little bad, given the way its just hanging from his hand like a sad, wet bug. After a moment of consideration, he'll plop Karte on his shoulder.]

Stay. I'm gonna find your owner. Don't fly off, got it?

[lilyberation]

Thank you, Bakugo.

( you aren't her first spicy baby. you won't be the last.

lily cleans the wound first, before disinfecting it- it might sting a bit, but it's likely not even noticeable compared to the other effects of the venom.

bakugo will find that the tea is a lavender and chamomile blend. it smells very nice, actually! )