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

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper actually manages to laugh at that, groggy as it is. God, he is in a lot of pain, and while the initial sting has died down to a steady throb, it still really sucks. He tries to gesture a little, because he is the kind of guy to talk with his hands, but he gives up on it pretty fast.]

Pure Vanilla Cookie, Dark Cacao Cookie, Affogato Cookie, White Lily Cookie ...don't ask me how a lily is a cookie ingredient. Timekeeper Cookie? Time is also not edible. Probably.

[Oh. Wait he finally seems really intent and he points.]

Shadow Milk Cookie. Stay away from him, he sucks. I haven't hated someone like that since Ozpin-

[...Wait. Oh. Oh fuck he wasn't supposed to-]

[ozmosis]

[ While Joshua is out, Oscar starts gathering his things back up. He picks up his glove and tucks it into his pocket, then starts to fix the bandages around his throat as best he can. He'll have to ask Joshua where he can find some more. He angles himself slightly away from Dipper as he works, more out of habit than any desire to avoid him.

In the meantime he listens as Dipper babbles, letting the words wash over him and filing the names away for later. Despite being 'on the nose', the names quickly dissolve into being just... really unusual. Shadow Milk is actually almost normal, though still nothing like anything he recognizes.

But then Oscar hears a name he does recognize. Oscar freezes, hands hovering over his bandages. He thinks for a second that he must be hearing things. But then why would Dipper also fall silent?

Oscar turns, eyes wide and shoulders stiff. ]

How do you—?

[kingincognito]

[ Before Dipper has a chance to field that question, though, Joshua is moving back into the room with a tray containing a cup of steaming liquid, as well as some crackers. You know, just in case. ]

Well, I have excellent news. Someone was already boiling water for tea, so all we need to do is wait--

[ But he interrupts his words as he turns to look up, noting the... odd expression on Oscar's face. He pauses, standing in the entryway, eyebrows lifting. ]

Ah... My apologies. Am I interrupting something?

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper meanwhile looks very deer-in-the-headlights, trying to grapple with his muggy his head feels with the creeping horror he just fucking outted himself as knowing both him and Ozpin.]

[He does not want to deal with this while he's suffering from satan's snakebite holy shit.]

--athan. Ozpinathan, man I hate that guy. Wowwee... I think the room is still spinning, I'm gonna just-

[Dipper rolls over in the bed slightly so he can have a panic attack while facing the wall thanks.]

[ozmosis]

[ Right now, Oscar's expression is best described as aghast. He's not really here to roast Dipper's ability to lie but... Ozpinathan? It would actually be more believable to insist that he just happens to know another Ozpin. Oscar continues to stare at Dipper as he rolls over and only belatedly manages to swing his gaze around to Joshua. ]

No, sorry, I'm just... still getting used to this place, I think.

[ That's not a very good lie, either, but it'll have to do. Oscar steps back so that Joshua can get to work. But he doesn't think just stepping aside will be enough. He does not want to be in this room right now. But he also doesn't want to just bail when Joshua has been so helpful, so... ]

I think I should probably let him rest, but is there anything I can do to help around the clinic?

[ He tries for a smile and only manages a flicker of one. Despite that, his tone is steady. ]

I get pretty antsy without anything to do.

[kingincognito]

[ Oh. Interesting. There is... most definitely something going on between the two, but it isn't really his business to pry.]

Well, all right.

[ His business is to treat Dipper, and that is precisely what he'll do. Setting the tray down, he lifts a spoon, gently stirring the steaming cup. The lavender tea sits in a tea ball, steeping away. ]

Dipper, I'm afraid you will need to sit up to drink this. But it should help, if your journal is any indication.

[ And then, he turns to Oscar. Despite his flicker of a smile, Joshua regards him with a warm one in return. ]

Any help is appreciated. If you would like, I'm sure it would be helpful to gather gauze, bandages, and salve. If these snakes are going to continue to be a nuisance, we will need as much as we can.

slight emeto mention

[ghostharasser]

[He's done it. He's freaked him out and now he's going to leave and probably avoid him for the rest of forever! That's cool! Awesome! He wants to throw up.]

[He tries to make it look like he is particularly out of it until Oscar actually leave the room. Once he does ...he rolls back over and manages to force himself to sit up. He's still ...dreadfully in pain, and it shows in the way he has to suck in a breath to even move, but he's far more lucid than maybe he might have given the impression for before.]

[He also looks like he is on the verge of crying, but please try not to call attention to that.]

Okay. I'm ready.

[kingincognito]

[ Well, Joshua does notice it, but... Hm. A product of whatever just happened there, or part of the effects of the venom? He doesn't know for sure. Concern flickers on his face for a moment, but he doesn't want to pry.

Instead, he lifts the cup, holding it out to Dipper. ]

Be careful. It's still very hot.

[ But it should help, once he's able to ingest some of it. ]

How are you feeling? You seem a bit more lucid.

[ghostharasser]

[He's a stubborn kid who is gonna at least try to spitefully power through all this. It'll knock him out in a little bit, though.]

[He will carefully take the cup and just focus on that for a minute. Sip it gently and let it take some of the edge off of this pain. Once he's had about a third of it, he'll sigh and offer it back to him.]

[He runs his hands through his hair.]

Better ...the venom from these things really is no joke. I should have been paying better attention.

[But uh. He was definitely distracted.]

Nothing quite sobers you up like outting yourself to your boyfriend who doesn't remember who you are.

[kingincognito]

[ As Dipper drinks, Joshua stands by - or sits, really, there's a chair right here by the bed after all - and watches for any signs of... well. He's really not sure what to look for, but if there is anything, he will surely see it.

Once Dipper has drank all that he can, he takes the cup back, setting it down on the tray. ]

Do not be so hard on yourself. It can happen to any of us. It happened to a dear friend of mine, in fact. He is an incredibly skilled dragoon, and even he was caught unawares.

[ ... but ah, that single sentence clears up a bevy of questions all at once. Joshua frowns, reaching out to touch the back of Dipper's hand in sympathy. ]

I'm sorry, Dipper... This must be hard for you. If it would help, you are welcome to talk about it? I promise, I will keep it between us.

[ghostharasser]

[He nods, but Dipper is notorious for being way too hard on himself for stuff like this. He definitely still thinks he could have done something differently. Done anything differently to not end up in this situation somehow.]

[One day they'll address that in therapy.]

I don't remember the one from last time looking like a rock. I guess it was months ago, but I kind of hate that the snakes are back.

[But he pauses, lets out a breath when Josh touches his hand and a lot of that steeliness pours out of him.]

...I. It's not the first time this has happened, you know? I've ...I've been to other worlds kind of like this one. So ...there are people here that I used to know from those other places that have no idea who I am. Either they're ...a different version of them, or from a different point in the timeline, there's a thousand explanations for how that could happen. I thought I could handle it- it's just a fact of what it's like to live in the multiverse, but...

[He swallows, trying to hold it together.]

It hurts a whole lot worse when it's someone like that, though. Someone you were that close to. And now I've probably scared him off for good.

[kingincognito]

[ Ah. That explains the notes, then. If this isn't the first time this has happened, of course Pure Vanilla would have found a way to soothe the symptoms. He's glad for it, honestly - even if it is concerning that the snakes weren't like this before.

But he can ask about that later. Right now, Dipper needs his support. As Dipper speaks, Joshua listens, taking note of everything that's said to him in confidence. ]

I cannot imagine how difficult that must be. It was difficult enough for my brother and I - he remembers a death I do not. But to have so many that don't remember things the way you remember them certainly makes things... complicated, at best.

[ Hopefully Dipper doesn't mind his hand being taken, held firmly for just a second, in an attempt to ground him. ]

You don't know that for certain, though. If I met someone here that I didn't know, who claimed to know me to that extent, I would certainly be interested in speaking to that person again. There is a very real chance that he could come right back to you.

[ghostharasser]

[No, that's actually fine. Dipper's a pretty tactile kid and he's not shy about touch. It's hard to be when you have a twin? Especially an affectionate force of nature like Mabel.]

[It helps and Dipper appreciates it. He's trying really hard not to cry in front of this grown ass adult, especially one of the ones he went on Mizukiquest with. Who saw him tackle a lot of the more gnarly stuff without too much issue. He feels weirdly ashamed that it's the boyfriend thing that threatens to be the straw that broke the camels back.]

Yeah, and I'm sure it'll happen again. It seems like the Grove really likes bringing in people I've met in Trench. I- I dunno, maybe there's something about it that feels like fate. Maybe we were meant to meet? It's kind of nice to think about, I guess.

[But okay. That's logical enough that it does help ground him. He takes a deep breath, steels himself.]

I hope so. I don't want ...the last thing I ever say to him to be that, at least. I owe him an explanation after trying to act like I didn't know him.

[kingincognito]

[ If it helps, Joshua knows that certain things hit harder than others. He has his own things that would be a nightmare for him to try to face. It's the same for anyone, and he doesn't fault Dipper for handling the issues of Mizukiquest startlingly well, but crumbling at something like this. ]

Perhaps you are the linchpin holding those close to you together. Fate certainly works in mysterious ways, and I do not profess to understanding the way that it works in this place especially. There certainly seem to be a good number of people that come from the same world, and in multiple cases at that.

[ Clive had been here when he'd arrived, but only just. And now Dion is here, too. He wonders, idly, if one person being here attracts others from the same world, somehow.

But, with Dipper successfully grounded, Joshua removes his hand and gives him a reassuring smile. ]

You know him best. Does he seem like the kind of person that would avoid you after something like this?