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

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. I Thought I Wanted Legacy — Edge of the Forest

[With the advent of spring and it’s sudden explosion of wildflowers, Dion feels curious. He knows that logically, he won’t find the specific flower he has in mind within the fields.He also knows that he shold be relieved by that fact. Nevertheless, he finds himself wandering along the edge of each cluster of flowers, peering down at each blossom before moving onto the next.

He knows he isn’t alone, there are plenty of others that are curious about the new blooms. Which is why when he sees something dart through the underbrush, he is immediately on edge. He watches the way the flowers ever so slightly shift beneath the path of whatever moves about, noting how it swiftly b-lines for someone nearby.

Whatever is out there, he won’t let it get near anyone. Removing his lance from his back, Dion carefully takes aim and chucks it. To an innocent bystander, it might look as if they’re being targeted. Instead, the lance falls just short, and with its impact comes a pained hiss, as the stony snake finds its head severed from its very neck.]

ii. I Thought I Wanted Fame — Natural Gardens

[One way or another, Dion finds his way to the garden. More than likely, he’s compelled by the plight of the healers, though he’s partial to one in particular. He searches desperately for any sign of a cure. Several flowers and plants have already been collected in hopes of even just alleviating the symptoms, but he has his doubts as to their potency.

The flowers guarded by a twin set of snakes, however? That might just be a good sign.

He approaches the snakes without fear, lance held in an outstretched hand. He pauses for a long moment, searching large, stony faces for signs of sentience. When they instead leap at him, he takes to the air, leaping up almost unnaturally high, before plummeting back down in a vertical plunge, spear first. The attack misses, the snakes too quick, but it’s clear that he means business.

Not that he intends to fight them alone. He shoots his gaze toward anyone who might be near, motioning with his head to the snake closest to them.]

Would you mind keeping this one busy for me?

iii. I Didn't Know I'd Lose — Natural Gardens: Closed to Joshua

[Unfortunately for Dion, the battle does not go is way. Perhaps it’s the wounds still plaguing him. Perhaps it’s the fact that he no longer has Bahamut’s abilities to rely upon. Either way, while he holds his own well enough, these are not your average beasts. There’s an intelligence there, and while one holds Dion at bay with a distraction, another creeps behind him.

He doesn’t realize he’s been bitten at first, merely feels something like an electrical shock on his good arm before he whips around to face the other snake. When he realizes he’s surrounded, he swiftly retreats, leaping into the air and arcing his body in a backward flip. He lands on the ground easily enough, ready to go again.

It’s only then that the pain hits. It sends him to his knees immediately, while his vision quickly begins to blur. He desperately tries to blink it away, only to find that when it does clear, the field he’s in has shifted. The flowers before him are different, now a stunning, lily-esque bloom. Some are pure white, while nearby some bloom purple. Others still seem almost crystalline.

For Dion, who had only just been seeking the very same flower, it feels like an immediate nightmare. He feels dizzy as he clutches his arm, trying to apply pressure to the wound. In the meanwhile, his teeth dig desperately into his lip, trying to keep from crying out as the snakes draw ever closer.]

iv. All My Loved Ones in Exchange — Wildcard

[You know what to do. Throw something random my way, hit me up on Discord or send me a PM here!]

[ If Joshua had known that Dion had been going out after the flowers, he would have insisted upon coming along. With these serpents around, simply being anywhere outside is incredibly dangerous, and two pairs of eyes are better than one. But, unknowing, he had failed to ask or even tag along.

A knock on Dion's door reveals he isn't in, which means that he has a better chance of finding him by asking around. It is difficult to miss a man wielding a lance, and before long he gets a clue that directs him where to go next: the forest.

It's difficult to avoid the snakes. The thick leather of his boots shield his lower legs from errant bites, and his sword makes swift work of any that try to strike. But the deeper in he goes, the more anxious he gets. What if Dion is in trouble? What if he--

--was currently hobbling toward him, injured, with snakes closing in behind him? ]

Dion!

[ Joshua breaks into a run, the serpents behind him an immediate threat that needs to be dealt with. Dion clearly cannot. Something is wrong.

He darts in behind Dion, throwing out a shield that bubbles around them, keeping the snakes at bay. For now. ]

Dion, are you all right?!

[Dion's head lifts at the sound of his name. Before him are two men, both wearing the face of Joshua. One is the man as he is, unmarred by Ultima's mark and bearing the strange, feathery plumage Dion had begun to get used to. The other is as the man once was — sickly, blackened by Ultima's prison, and mouth stained with blood.

It's a ruse, he quickly realizes. The shield goes up, immediately trapping him in with the impossible twins. This must be the magic he had been warned of, the workings of the dark god within the forest.

Better to end it quickly. His eyes lock on the first illusion, the more draconic iteration of Joshua. He pulls his lance arm back, aiming for Joshua's back as he tries to maintain the shield. He'll make it quick.]

Stay back, you cur -

[The spear is loosed.]

[ Dion attacking him was not even on the list of things he expected. In fact, the only thing that makes him notice are the words that Dion speaks, and even then he briefly believes they are aimed at the snakes.

But he does glance back, if only to check on Dion. And the spear is already loosening upon him.

It's easy for Joshua to dart back, quicker than a blink, the Phoenix's tail feathers briefly flickering to life at his back as he does so. But this also causes his focus to break, the shield fizzling as the spell is interrupted. The spear goes sailing past where he'd been standing, though not... quite exactly where he'd been standing, he notices.

Flames, Dion has been bitten. That has to be it. He's seeing things. It's one of the symptoms he recalls from the bite. ]

Dion, stop! It's me!

[ He glances to the snakes. They certainly aren't halting. His breath catches in his throat.

The Phoenix's flames rise to his bidding easier than breathing. Within seconds, he's blasting the group of snakes with a plume of fire. He has to stop them from reaching Dion again, so that he can pull the dragoon to safety. ]

[The words do not seem to reach Dion's ears. He is already taking to the air once more, leaping forward to land lithely beside his lance and pick it up again. He turns, only to stumble as his vision blurs. He turns to face the snakes, knowing that they draw ever closer, but it's far too late.

A second bite claims in, this one puncturing the shoulder. Something desperate and wildly pained escapes his mouth, before he finds his senses just enough to plunge his lance into the creature. Unlike the smaller ones, the force of his blow is not enough to truly break through its stony hide. The weapon skirts along the span of its neck instead, producing sparks as it does. Nevertheless the snake releases, if only to draw back and lunge again.

There's no time. He cannot fight these creatures, nor can he hope to outmatch whatever had replaced Joshua. Worse still, the strength is rapidly leaving his body, replaced by a bone deep chill. As he tries to stumble away, he finds his legs weakening, and then collapsing outright.

Damn. Damn it all.]

Edited 2025-03-08 19:00 (UTC)

[ The world moves in slow motion for a moment. Joshua watches as the snake bites Dion, the sound of pain chilling him to the bone, calling up memories. Of Clive, beneath his beak and talons, himself trapped and unable to do anything but watch as his brother is torn apart right in front of him. A death so soon after arriving, a death that he could have prevented.

... that he could have prevented.

Joshua finds his breath again, lurching forward. ]

No!

[ He failed Clive. He can't fail Dion, too.

Dion hits the ground, and Joshua leaps between him and the stone snake, throwing out a shield just in time for the creature to slam its face against it. He's not certain that it really does anything, but it buys him precious seconds to let the shield drop, turn around, and grab up the dragoon. Adrenaline is spurring on his strength along with the dragon boon, giving him the ability to lift the other man and his lance from the ground and take flight, the snake snapping at the air behind his heels.

He has to get him back to town. Back to safety. And that's exactly where he heads. ]

Dion! Dion, stay with me!

[The world begins to dim around Dion. Whatever happens following his collapse, he isn't certain. There's the sensation of being lifted, noise that he can't quite parse out. He opens his eyes and sees Joshua. It fills him, briefly, with fear. Had he fallen into the beast's clutches?

A quick glance toward his chest tells him that he hasn't. This is his Joshua. Abruptly something tells him he should be worried, and he finds his eyes searching for something he doesn't quite understand.

Flames, some part of his mind supplies, but he isn't sure why. Regardless, he doesn't see what it is that he's looking for. It's almost enough for him, save for the faint traces of guilt that pull at the edges of his now exhausted mind.

His hand lifts, streaked with blood running from his wounded arm. Nevertheless, he allows his fingers to stroke over his cheek. It feels right in this moment where his tongue feels too heavy to make words. He has to hope Joshua understands. It's an apology and an assurance all in one. He will pull through, please don't worry.

Even if he knows he can't promise it. Whatever pulls at his mind isn't safe by any means. He doesn't know if he can resist its call. Even now, it drags him under, and whatever strength he'd willed into being to lift his arm fades just as quickly.

His body grows limp. His hold on consciousness slips.]

[ Joshua is so focused on keeping the both of them airborne and getting back to town that he doesn't even realize Dion is fading until those fingers so gently touch his cheek. The touch makes him glance down, and his heart nearly lodges in his throat. Not because of the touch, but because Dion's eyes are so glassy, distant.

And though he doesn't stop flying - he refuses, not until they are safe - he can't tear his eyes off the man. Which means he watches as Dion's eyes roll back in his head, and the body in his arms goes fully limp. ]

Dion--

[ No. No, no, no. His fingers grip tighter into the fabric at Dion's back. ]

No, Dion--

[ How many bites did he take? He saw the one, he assumes one before, but what if there were more? How would he know?

His breath trembles as he pulls it in, and he holds Dion tight to his chest, working his wings overtime. Time is of the essence. He has to get him back. Back to-- to where? The clinic? No, not the clinic, the clinic is likely already taxed, he can't take up a bed there. To the Inn. To his room, because he doesn't dare intrude on Dion's. He has supplies there. He can treat him.

Because he promised Dion that he wouldn't use his magic. Even though it's killing him.

Founder help anyone standing in the way, because Joshua is not kind in storming through the doors of the Inn and to his and Clive's room. The door doesn't even close behind him as he pushes it open, bouncing off the hinges at roughly the same time as Joshua sets Dion on the bed, a sharp contrast to how gentle that motion is. Thanks to the blood, it's easy to see where the bites are, but he still strips Dion as much as he is comfortable just to be sure.

Two bites. Just two. Dion still breathes, Dion only sleeps. Dion isn't dead.

A sob of relief explodes from his chest, but he swallows the rest of the reaction down. For right now, he will dress the wounds, taking expert care with them. Cleaning them, wrapping them. Feeling of Dion's head for fever. Ensuring that he is comfortable.

And once he's finished, he... doesn't know what to do. The adrenaline is wearing off, leaving him shaking, chilled. But he should go back to the clinic, gather supplies, see what progress has been made on a cure for the venom.

Aside from that, all that's left to do is wait. ]

[If only it could be a restful sleep. Netted within the snare of unconsciousness, Dion still feels pain. It feels like magma pounding through his veins, a fact made all the worse by his rabbiting pulse. There is no escape, there is no distraction. At first, can only remain paralyzed within this inescapable labyrinth, pinned down by an agony he's never known before.

If only that could have been all.

Where at first his slumber is dark and impenetrable, it begins to give way to something more. Nightmares assault him next, far worse than the one that had wakened him a few days prior. They bleed into one another almost literally, melting away as if evaporated by acid into something far more sinister than the last. In one, he sees his father's corpse, half-rotted and seated upon his throne. In another, he watches Anabella take a knife to the man herself. Another still sees Joshua as thrall to Ultima, and finds the man's hands gripped tight around his neck.

And all the while, Dion burns. His skin is pale, and more often than not, feverish. Sometimes, attempts to care for or comfort him are disrupted by thrashing as Dion's nightmares take even worse turns. There are sobs. There is muttering. More than once, Joshua might hear his own name, along with Clive's, and his own mother's. He cries out for his father, a pitiful sight that Dion would surely be ashamed of.

But he is not entirely without salvation. Here and there, the pain diminishes. The venom is far too potent for it to diminish entirely, but coursing magma becomes embers for a time. Never long enough, but a comfort nonetheless.

For Joshua, waiting, as it turns out, winds up being three days. As the sun rises on that third day, the fever seems to break. By noon, Dion's rest finally shifts from troubled into peaceful. And as the sun begins to set once more, Dion's breath finally comes slow and steady, his expression finally smooths into something easy.

It's late in the night when Dion finally finds himself able to truly break free of the binds holding him within slumber. He opens his eyes to a somewhat familiar room, and finds himself sitting up. His body still aches, though more from his restless sleep than any lingering effects of the venom. His head feels heavy from the hours slept.

But he's awake, and looking around as he tries to figure out just where he is.]

Dion Lesage | Final Fantasy 16 | Current Player

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ii. I Thought I Wanted Fame — Natural Gardens

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