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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Well, yeah. I was 13 when I fought the Lich the first time. That guy's, like, the incarnation of evil.

[ If he wasn't old enough to be fighting evil, Jake wouldn't have let him go. Right? ...Right? ]

But not really, right?

[There's got to be some level of exaggeration if nothing else.]

No, literally. I think he's immortal.

[ The unending embodiment of all evil in the universe. ]

They just do that, haha. Bunnies like to hop, it's how they move around. They can walk, but bouncing is kinda their default.

[SPRING SPROING HELLO HI SNEEF SNEEF]

Haha, they can't have that food I gave you, though. That's very bad for bunnies. They eat lettuce and hay, primarily, and carrots sometimes as treats. Carrots are very sugary for them. That's what Ezell says.

[They have a sequestered area where they live and eat, and Ain whistles to them to get them to hop after him before he digs around in the bin where they keep the food. Buns will get put away to eat for now, although Till will still be able to see them. It's just a gigantic caged area.]

...I know the cage will be upsetting to you. But this is how we make sure that they don't get food scraps under the counters, and keep any mess to this little area. They're allowed to hop around otherwise. Little animals like this are fragile, too, and we don't want anything to happen to them when people aren't watching over them.

[The cage is...less upsetting that there are animals going into it, and not human beings. If he walked in here and Ain had a person in that cage, THEN Till would have had a problem. But even so...it's still not super comfortable to see, even if it's not that different from the animals being kept in the barn.

He doesn't say anything at first, watching as Ain ushers the bunnies into the cage before taking a bite of the pastry he was handed. And, well.

It will be gone by the time Ain turns back around. Till eats it like he's never had food before in his life, equal parts like somebody who doesn't know how to handle this new flavor (its SWEET) and someone who is food aggressive because they aren't really supposed to have stuff like this.

Oops.]

[ Mephisto has pretty good upper body strength, all things considered. It's probably all the tantrums he's thrown breaking tables-

Regardless, he moves his crutch to properly sit on the ground, and he just glances over at Till. ] I told you I'd be on the lookout, didn't I? Don't thank me for that, idiot. Besides that, you should've heard it. This thing wasn't quiet at all.

[ Translation: I'm glad you're okay. ]

You're kinda scrawny... about how much weight do you think you can carry? I'm aware I'm slowing us down.

[ Izuku's features softened, edged with a touch of guilt when the other man stated they were being a bit destructive. When the two of them got into any kind of fight, it unintentionally did end up getting that way some way or another. This time being especially bad because he hadn't even wanted to fight Bakugou to begin with.

He did blink a bit at the way the one guy's head tilted like that, but tried to focus more on the words themselves overall.

Nearly about to ask about it, but distracted by how Bakugou kept trying to push him away and practically yelling in his ear. Ow. He winced a little, but gave the blond a withering, almost tired glare afterwards while trying to get him to stop moving for five seconds. ]

Kacchan! You don't have to yell like that.. really..

[ He gazed back at the other two men after that, smile a little strained but he was truly making an effort here. ]

I'll be okay, I promise. I don't have intentions of getting back into a fight here if it's dangerous.

...oh, haha, did you like that?

[Ain shuts the cage and strays back over to Till. He remembers at the last second that the ring on his finger is a bone ring... hm.

Passes it over to him.]

Put that on. It's one of Mr. Shopkeeper's enchanted rings. It lets you talk to animals. You should talk to the bunnies while they eat~.

[He will also get Till another snack too. Let's see... um... oh, a custard danish! He'll like that, Ain thinks.]

[Well the thing is he DID hear it, he just...you know. Couldn't kick it off his foot before it was about to bite him, whoops. His brow quirks, expression tightening as he scowls.]

Who're you calling scrawny, pipsqueak?

[But he gets what Mephisto is implying. If they just walk the rest of the way it'll take them another several hours (days, actually, but who's counting)...and as much as Till isn't really in a hurry to get back to the Grove, he also doesn't want to be thrown into agonizing misery via snake bite, so.

He'll roll his shoulders before crouching down near to where Mephisto is sitting, his back facing the boy.]

C'mon, get on. I'll get us back.

[ Bakugo, goodness. Pure Vanilla watches him in amusement for a moment, huffing a soft laugh, then turning his attention back to Izuku. He has a feeling he knows which one of the two started this, even without peeking. ]

Oh, my friend, it's not you I'm particularly worried about.

[ He gives him a sympathetic smile before darting his eyes to Bakugo, then back to Izuku. ]

I sense something unresolved between the two of you. Would you two not take a moment to talk it out?

[ Before he lets you go, Bakugo, to blow something up. You are not going anywhere until you calm down. ]

[alright, alright. with a smirk and a roll of the eye, val relents, if only because min did so first.]

I'm not gonna make you drink it. And don't worry about me. This is way less than I'm used to. I mean, come on, it's dark roast.

It... [...] It was really sweet.

[Eloquent, but he really doesn't know how else to describe it. He's realizing he doesn't have any words for the flavor he tastes because he's never...had anything like a strawberry, or a cherry. Just "sweet". Just "plain".

He'll take the custard danish without thinking though, his brain immediately pinged by more food...and then Ain hands him the ring, which he'll take a little more cautiously. He's already wearing like fifty rings on both hands, so you'll have to wait as he finds a finger he can actually slip it onto.

It's a sign that he maybe at least trusts that this ring isn't going to affix itself permanently to his finger and kill him immediately, or something.]

[ Mephisto realizes this, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to berate Till regardless. If nothing else, it's changed the mood from that previous dour one. Mephisto picks his cane up and folds in the sharper bits at the bottom before he reaches around and attaches it to his own back. Without his crutch, he's still able to walk, but it's a lot... slower. He doesn't seem very well balanced on his legs. Granted, he doesn't have far to walk. He just settles his arms on Till's shoulders.

There's something in the back of his mind that wants to berate Till. Even if Mephisto said he could trust him, that doesn't meant he should. He should be leery of the boy. He shouldn't be helping him. But... then again... it's not like Mephisto will do anything. Till knows he's too slow to be out in the woods on his own, and Mephisto believes Till to be less observant than him. So... it's just mutually beneficial.

That's all.

He doesn't have to think too much about it. He just holds onto Till so they can head back. ]

Ugh, it rankles me to be held prisoner by such an uncreative wash-up.

[To her apology he waves a hand dismissively.]

If this body and the seal our warden put on my magic hadn't given up the ghost it simply wouldn't have been a problem. You needn't apologize.

[As Mephisto climbs onto his back and Till carefully positions his arms under his legs to make sure he's secure before standing, he thinks to himself that the boy is very light. He could tell he was frail from the way he looked and walked, but...

Mm.

He doesn't say anything about it, of course. He'll just turn and start to walk back at a slightly faster pace now that Mephisto isn't commanding how fast they go. Maybe he shouldn't trust that Mephisto isn't going to strangle him to death as they walk, but the thing is...it would simply be impractical for him to do that.

Theirs is merely a mutually beneficial relationship, after all.]

...You're not doing it right.

[ That's not true. We all know that's not true. ]

Do you really think you know how to handle it?

[ He appreciates the books being brought to him, at least. These archives are pretty big, and he moves uh... slow.

Not when it comes to reading, though. In fact, he thumbs through the books rather fast, skimming the pages for anything interesting or relevant. It takes a couple minutes, but ]

Mmh... There's something here about flowers that might help. It looks like any other mentions of weird sicknesses doesn't seem to have anything useful. There are a bunch of listings of people's wills in here though after being bitten by a snake, so I'm not so sure how useful accounts of people who don't know what antivenom is.

[Once Till has that ring on, he is going to hear So Many little bnuuy voices.]

Food! Food! Food!!! Yay! Food!!!

Hi! Food? Hi!! Food???

And you fought him? At thirteen?

[No wonder this kid's so messed up.]

Of course. That's what being a hero is all about.

[ It's kind of nice, actually, to get recognition for the things he's done without Finn taking all the credit as 'the real Finn'. He was every bit as brave and strong back then. ]

My brother helped too.

Does it make that much difference if you're going to drink so much of it?

[It may be dark roast, but he sure loaded up that pot.]

You shouldn't have to be a hero at thirteen! Nobody should. You're just a kid when you're that young.

[It doesn't seem any better that his brother was helping, whether he was a similar age or a much older sibling. Both those options are different kinds of messed up.]

[ His frown deepens. His head is pounding, if not from the venom or frowning so hard for so long, then from the sheer distress of it all. Still, this conversation is... confusing, and he doesn't think it's because of the headache. ]

Nobody made me do it. It's what I wanted to do.

By his perspective, I'm sure it's like telling an old joke to a new audience. We just happen to also be the punchline.

...

I just know how it hurts, is all. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[It's definitely a weird time to be having this conversation. Fern's still being hit hard by the venom, and while Min's on the road to recovery the revelation that Fern's killed is reeling in his mind.]

That shouldn't matter, Fern. You were too young. You shouldn't have even had the option.

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EVENT & TDM 022

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