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

[arbitrage]

[There’s palpable amusement in his expression at Luca’s words, and Aventurine rolls his shoulders into a sort of casual half-shrug.]

We did indeed, though I wouldn’t fault you for the interest. It’s how a vice gets formed, after all.

[This time, he’s rather quick on the flip, clearly not wanting to draw out the suspense too much. The card reveals itself to be the two of hearts, and Aventurine can’t help but grin as if he had been the one to draw the winning hand.]

And with that, we’ve made a victor out of you, my friend. Quite the auspicious card to end on, too! Assuming you know the meaning behind the deck, of course.

[unheiring]

I suppose it would give me something to do with the wealth I have accumulated.

[As if he doesn't give right back to the Grove. And that's if he doesn't chase someone off if they try to pay. Despite it all, this place had made him softer. Or at least a worse businessman.

Luca gives the cards a glance and... lets himself crack a triumphant grin. It isn't much of an accomplishment, considering that probability was on his side. He'll let himself have the little victories though.

Aventurine's words do draw his attention though.]

I am afraid I am unfamiliar. Would you care to explain?

[arbitrage]

Well…

[He draws the word out in an almost sing-song manner, leaning forward to retrieve the drawn cards to shuffle them back into the deck. It gives him something to do with his hands, which is particularly useful when he’s trying out a gamble of his own.]

Chiefly? It means luck. There are opportunities heading your way, ones that open up many paths and possibilities for how your destiny plays out.

[Cut the deck. Shuffle again. The glance up at Luca from his work is tinged with a playful smirk.]

It also means that our… Partnership. Is heading towards being a fruitful one.

[unheiring]

Luck and a fruitful partnership.

[He turns it over in his head. He doesn't know if he puts much stock into such an evaluation, but at least it sounds pretty. He also doesn't think it's entirely off-base, vague though most prophecies tend to be. After all...]

As our bet was to determine whether or not you would join me at the bar, I think your cards may be onto something. [Luca's grin turns into something far more sly.] After all, what could be more fruitful than a new patron?

[arbitrage]

A regular patron, chiefly. Depending on whether or not the proprietor proves just as intriguing in future interactions. Or, at the very least, just as open to the concept of future wagers.

[The sleeve for his cards is retrieved from within his coat, and once they're securely back in their proper place he slides it back into the same inner pocket. From there, he adjusts the lay of his clothes, brushes his hands down his chest, and exhales a soft breath.]

Allow me to introduce myself properly, now that we two are rather well acquainted. [With the statement comes the offering of an outstretched gloved hand, adorned as it is with various golden rings that glint and glitter in the lowlight.] Aventurine, at your disposal. Should you choose to make use of me, I am sure our partnership will grow to be fruitful indeed.

[unheiring]

I can imagine that the proprietor has certainly had his interest piqued. Though whether or not you can maintain that interest depends on your actions. And your wagers, I suppose.

[Luca watches the man move. The flair of his outfit is noted, right down to the bright and bombastic colors. He certainly sticks out, though in Luca's book he knows not if that's a good thing. Wearing such an array of jewelry on his hand, for example, would surely make Aventurine a target in Luca's world, at least depending on where he wound up.

So. Either Aventurine was a fool, or a tactician. Luca isn't sure which yet. But he hadn't been lying when he'd said he was intrigued by the man's efforts. He holds out his hand with little hesitation, wrapping his fingers around Aventurine's own and giving it a shake.]

It remains to be seen how I might make use of you, though consider me interested in the prospect all the same.