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

[bajamutblast]

[Ah, that sobers Dion. He knows that feeling fairly well.]

There are good souls. Any would be willing to lend you their aid. [Give him just a second as he squares his shoulders.] Including myself. So, if there is more you would handle here, please be about it. I will keep an eye on our surroundings.

[outofsynth]

[He doesn't like putting on strangers, and he'd prefer to be self-sufficient. Min can't ignore how close he came to getting hurt though. Not with the shattered snake still so close. After a moment he nods, holding up the basket with the cleavers he's gathered so far. He's collected quite a few, but there's clearly some way to go.]

Thank you. I'm Min-Gi. I'm trying to get enough of these for White Lily's clinic.

[bajamutblast]

[He glances swiftly toward the flowers and gives a nod. He's familiar enough with how the clinic so desires its curatives. It's good to see so many taking the effort seriously, and keeping the strain off those already working so hard.]

A worthy cause. One I am happy to assist in. [He gives a quick bow, before letting his gaze swoop across their surroundings. Nothing to be concerned of yet.] It is a pleasure to meet you, Min-Gi. I am Dion Lesage.

[outofsynth]

[He's on the lookout for more snakes himself, but it doesn't hurt to have extra eyes. Especially since Dion's already shown himself to have quick reactions.]

Yeah, you too. Thanks for helping me out.

[bajamutblast]

Think nothing of it. It is a duty I am deeply familiar with. And, in a matter of speaking, you are helping someone I care for anyway.

[Not going to elaborate on that, though. Especially since he's currently plunging his lance into the head of another snake.]

[outofsynth]

[Woah. They really are out today, aren't they? He hadn't spotted this one either. Min's not sure how he feels about continuing on with his mission with so many snakes seemingly about, but he'd said he'd help. It's better to stay out a little longer while he has help than come back when he might not.

He sets about looking for the cleavers, being careful not to step too close while he's still trying to identify them.]

You mean Lily?

[bajamutblast]

Ah, no. Though I have heard much of her prowess.

[Should he talk about it? It's bad enough he waxes so poetic to himself. To rope a stranger into it all would be ridiculous.

And yet... here he goes.]

Joshua also assists at the clinic. He has been tending to some of my wounds from prior to my arrival. His talent knows no bounds, but he often tends to push himself. Thus, the more we can supply to him directly, the less likely he is to rely on the abilities that might harm himself.

[outofsynth]

[He nods to show he's listening, but after Dion had needed to kill two snakes in quick succession he's reluctant to look up except to compare plants to the drawing White Lily had given him.]

I don't think I've met anyone else who works there yet, but there was an explosion not so long ago so they've been really short on supplies.

[bajamutblast]

An explosion? [The fear is evident within his eyes for just the briefest of moments, before ebbing once more. If it had happened in Dion's time, he would have heard the noise itself. Something so calamitous would not be lost on him.]

That much I can understand. That makes it all the more important to ensure you finish your task.

[Which... speaking of. He nods to a patch of flowers.]

This looks to be like what you are after, and it seems to be safe.

[outofsynth]

Yeah. I don't think anyone was hurt.

[Even without looking he can hear the moment of panic. Considering he's helping out, the least Min can do is reassure him.]

It... fixed itself? But they still need more supplies to get everything running properly.

[Don't ask him how it fixed itself. He's still not sure exactly how these things work.

He's glad that Dion's sharp eyes have found the cleavers though. He's careful in case there are snakes, but he seems to be right and there are none.]

[bajamutblast]

[He nods, a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. He makes a note in the back of his mind to inquire with the healers further. Perhaps there was more he could do than simply marching about and looking for something to fight against.]

How much were you intending to grab? And is there aught else you are in search of?

[outofsynth]

[Min looks at what he's gathered once the newly picked cleavers are in the basket. He's doing pretty well, but the clinic might benefit from him finding maybe one more cluster.]

Only this. Lily split it between volunteers. I think just a little more ought to do it. She said it was better not to get too much of anything.

[bajamutblast]

Many hands makes light work, after all.

[He gets the logic. And it does seem that Min-Gi's own efforts have gone quick enough.]

I'll see if I can't spot aught else, then.

[Whether it be snakes to fend off or flowers to collect, it doesn't matter. He heads thicker into the flowers, eyes scanning the ground diligently.]

[outofsynth]

[He's been lucky in finding them so far, though it's admittedly in no small part thanks to Lily's diagram and the fact when he has found them they've been clustered together.]

Thanks. I appreciate it. The sooner we can get out of here the better.

[Min's not sure if this is some kind of Grove weirdness, or if the snakes are just coming out of hibernation now it's warmer. Either way, he'd rather avoid getting himself bitten. He sticks close by to Dion, searching around the area that he'd pointed out the cleavers they'd just picked. It pays off. It's not exactly the biggest cluster, but it might be just enough to make White Lily happy when they go back.]

That might be enough? She said it was better not to overharvest.

[And. You know. It's probably better not to accidentally deplete the clinic of resources when you're trying to help them restock.]

[bajamutblast]

[As Min-Gi moves toward the cluster of flowers, so to does Dion. Functionally, he acts as the man's shadow, peering over his shoulder to ensure that there is nothing approaching them. A distant hint of movement does draw his attention, but before he can act, Min-Gi seems to be done.]

It looks to be a substantial amount.

[He speaks without looking at the other man, instead motioning with his head back toward town.]

We should begin moving.

[outofsynth]

[That sounds ominous. Min-Gi is quick to nod, straightening up so they can head back.]

Right. Don't want to wait around for more snakes.