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

ii (belatedly...)

[shineprism]

( he'd followed along feeling somehow out of his depths in the face of clive's anger- but chung has long since vowed to help where he can, to be the guardian of his domain. this is not his kingdom. but it is still his, and he cannot soothe a justified heartbroken fury, but he can make sure clive comes home- )

The lavender and the chamomile, do you recognize them? If we had more time I'd say take them by the roots-

[wolfetracks]

That's right.

( despite the fact that there is zero shift in his expression- uncannily so, actually- there's a bit of warmth to his tone, like he's trying to not be too intimidating to the kid. )

D'you work here?

[wolfetracks]

That's the point of the flare- stuns them long enough to get away. ... How do you even poison rock, what the hell.

( i'd say someday he'll stop asking questions, but that is a lie. sidney watches carefully though before snapping his head another direction.

it's quiet, but something is in the shadows of the woods. )

There's two of them.

me like: ok PV can come in me also: NO LET THEM FIGHT MORE

[nitrotempered]

[ Good - upon the attempt to be stopped and seeing Izuku activate the blast of air towards his feet. Bakugo takes the rush of movement in stride, giving Izuku time to float while he shifts and moves. Bakugo doesn't hesitate thereafter, taking on a knelt stance now through his current movements. Turning sharply around and aiming his Apshot up towards Izuku once more, while the other is in mid-air - ]

[poaceae]

[ He nods, face still in his hands. That makes sense. It's reasonable. It's nothing for him to be crying about like a little baby. ]

I'm sorry. I don't know, really, exactly what the curse did to my head, but... I'm not... gonna hurt anyone. I don't feel all wrong and out of control anymore. Honest.

XDDD

[herolytical]

[ As usual, Bakugo has predicted what he was going to do.

So while he'd been ready to act again, that AP Shot turned up towards him came too fast and he only had time to bring his arms up to brace against it. The blow knocked him back, but when he hit a tree?

It creaked as his feet pressed against it, counting to three and then shooting forwards with the help of full cowling. His movement a blur, grabbing onto Bakugo's arm and intending to knock him to the ground a bit roughly. ]

[purevanillacookie]

Enough.

[ With them in close proximity by Izuku grabbing onto Bakugo's arm, Vanilla can cast a shield now. A reverse one, meant to keep the two in, instead of separating them. Because while Vanilla understands them needing to blow off steam however much they may like, he won't suffer them damaging the forest and bringing the Black Suns wrath onto them.

So, surprise, gentlemen. You are suddenly very smashed together, a light golden aura around the two of them, holding them in. And Vanilla lowers his staff, the key shaped end resting in the dirt as he gives the two of them a disappointed frown.

Which doesn't carry so much weight, perhaps, when you're a fluffy sheep Minotaur with soft floppy ears that are currently pointed upwards. ]

[jesterlies]

[Guess who is also here, that's right, this asshole. He was hanging out in Vanilla's robes in snake form because it's ...you know convinient or whatever. Not cozy and warm or anything.]

[Anyway, that commotion woke him up so he slithers out to see what's going on.]

Ha! Wait, Vanilly, I can make it better.

[The little blue snake becomes a not-so-little blue person and ...snaps his fingers.]

[Enjoy your Get Along Sweater, kids. Shadow Milk starts howling with laughter, while holding onto Vanilla's shoulders and floating behind him like an obnoxious kite.]

[theuniverseleads]

[Will leads, and they follow. Catching their mark turns out to be the easy part. As for getting back out of here...

They give the rabbit a wide berth, using their turn to Craft a healing skill—they let the glittering light scatter out from their cupped hand, providing a small bit of passive healing to the whole group. You know, just in case it's needed later.

... they consider trying to spread it to the injured stars, but it wouldn't do much good if they just keep attacking like that. Instead they focus in on that tone of Vanilla's.]

Palmier can make them slow, and I can make us fast. We all leave together, right? [they see you eyeing the shrine PV don't make them do something stupid]

[nitrotempered]

[ YOU KNOW THAT MOMENT IN THE ANIME WERE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT HIM AND BAKUGO IS JUST CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON - yeah, Bakug is like that right now. He just stiffens up the moment Deku comes barreling toward him. His shoulder slammed against Deku's chest while he tried to meander and run through his mind a bunch of ways to get out of the situation they were presented in. Bakugo was still under the impression that this was some new whacko power of Izuku's until he heard a few voices chattering in the distance. ]

...

[ AND THEN, he's in a fucking sweater. One that says: I'm with Dumberand two arrows pointing at either of their heads.

Bakugo needs a moment to process this ridiculousness after running headfirst into a heated battle with his sworn rival- ]

What? [ Okay, the moments passed, and he is sharing his personal space with Izuku, which already gets him immediately pissed. Bakugo squirms, intentionally trying to turn around within the sweater to hide the scar on his face. Not wanting Izuku to ask the stupid, inevitable question of where it came from - ]

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!!?!

[lilyberation]

I'm not sure on the specifics. Last summer, a similar attack occured but on a smaller scale, and we knew it was one of us turned traitor but since returning to our side. It struck several in our house- myself and Clotted Cream Cookie, and then Mizuki, who was bitten three times.

It was... to spite Vanilla, after he'd freed our captor's most beloved toy from corruption.

But this is not one of us- it looks like several small golems, and the poison seems weaker than what was experienced back then...

[herolytical]

[ As soon as he made contact with Bakugo, he'd expected things to go the way he'd been intending.. and instead?

Izuku found himself trapped inside something golden and kind of glowy, alongside Bakugo and not even aware of what had done it initially. That's when he looked up and saw the minotaur-man there, but before he could even ask what was going on? Another showed up and he abruptly had found himself pulled closer, trapped within the constraints of some kind of sweater.

With Bakugo.

Something that had him blinking a couple times in confusion because everything had happened entirely too quickly. ]

Kacchan, stop moving--!

[ Especially since he was almost being knocked off balance with his childhood friend/rival squirming around like that, causing him to pull back against him instinctively. ]

...Oh. I'm sorry if we ended up causing trouble.

[ Needless to say he's much less angry about this than Bakugo was. ]

[purevanillacookie]

[ .... Well. He'll let Shadow Milk have his fun, and try not to show he's amused to the sweater. Because that just encourages him. Nevermind it's obvious by the way he covers his mouth with his fingers to try and hide his smile. Damnit.

He ignores Spicy Kittens roaring to focus on the Quieter Kitten, smiling softly to him. ]

Mm, do forgive me for such measures, my friend. I understand fighting- [ A little narrowing of his eyes as he studies them.... hehe! tail goes blblbl! ] -with friends, but you two were getting quite destructive. I'm afraid I must ask you two to settle before I release you.

[ And he will stand there peacefully, watching and waiting. ]

[jesterlies]

I just did it for the bit, but you should proooobably listen to Silly Vanilly.

[He tilts his head like 90 degrees like a deranged owl.]

There's something out there in the forest that wouldn't like it if you made too big of a mess. It might just swallow you up whole, and no one will ever know you were missing, hehehe.

[nitrotempered]

[ Bakugo ignores Izuku, acting as if he isn't literally butting shoulders with him. He is still moving, by the way, trying to push Izuku away from him. ]

WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU TELL US ALL THAT STUPID SHIT WHEN WE FIRST SHOW UP HUH!? YOU IDIOTS!?! [ Spewing his anger out at whatever he can. At this point... ] YOU WANT US TO END UP FUCKING SHIT UP WITHOUT KNOWING?

[goldenambition]

[ meanwhile back at the bell, Will watches Razlo run off with dull surprise.]

Huh. Didn' expect that-

[ only to get hollered at by Clive. Uh oh. His tail amd ears droop, hunching slightly and looking at him with the wettest brownest eyes]

Oh come now, pally. I didn' know he'd go trottin' with it!

[ will what did you think WAS going to happen??]

[jesterlies]

[...That incident. His hair riles up a little, the eyes looking displeased. Though, that's about all it can do, he's still too weak from the bite so it all just fizzles out.]

I took the liberty of back-reading that little notebook when I got here. So, that incident, hm?

[Its strange they came back now? He's very curious about all this.]

Tragic that I lost your sample.

[outofsynth]

Was the curse making you hurt people?

[It's not intended to be confrontational even if it potentially sounds that way. It's more that Min's hoping for some kind of explanation. Something to help him understand why Fern would have done something so awful.]

[rabbithearted]

Your options are: you take half the pot, or you have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you could have stopped me.

[if only min-gi was okay with violence. val deserves to have the smug-ass look on his face punched right off. he is aware that this is just a way more complicated version of val shooting himself in the foot and then asking min-gi why he did that.]

[lilyberation]

There's plenty out there, focus on recovering. ... It will linger, and for that I am sorry.

( it's sincere, soft-spoken and gentler than she allows herself with him. )

Heimr has alluded to the fact that the captor's repeated some of it's games before.

[poaceae]

I think... maybe?

[ He doesn't want to admit it, but he still wants to reassure Min-Gi. He's afraid that the moment he starts blaming it on the curse, it won't seem like such a big deal anymore. It might even happen again, if he's wrong. Most of all, he doesn't want to be someone who's okay with having killed someone.

He lifts his head enough to stare at his hands, but hopefully Min-Gi can't see that his face is wet. ]

I used to be all about helping people and fighting evil. But that was years ago now. I don't know... But I don't want to hurt anyone.

[outofsynth]

[Min huffs, revealing his lack of enthusiasm at that suggestion if Valentine hadn't clearly cottoned on already.]

Fine. Then I'll take half.

[It's not like anyone can force him to finish it.]

[outofsynth]

[It still seems like a big deal, and Min isn't completely certain how comfortable he is being this close to him, but it's more reassuring than if he still had the urge to do anything like that. He thinks. It's not as though he has much option for now.]

Did being grass stop you from aging?

[Are these important questions? Not really, but he'll take a distraction over probing any deeper than he has already and Fern does seem young to have been fighting evil years ago.]

[poaceae]

...What?

[ That question is so totally random to Fern that he looks up and over at Min-Gi on the other bed. Then he realizes that he's been crying, flushes, turns, and rubs furiously at his face to dry it. ]

I don't know. I don't think so? I look the same now as Finn did the last time I saw him, and that was just before I came here.

[outofsynth]

Really?

[It might seem random to Fern, but Min seems genuinely surprised by his answer.]

You look so young. You weren't actually fighting evil, right?