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

[ Mephisto just stares at the fog for a very, very long time in silence. He's definitely thinking, though with those dead eyes of his, it's hard to tell what's really on his mind. It's sort of reeling with a lot of information, but the main things seem to be, one, that there's definitely Rhodes operators, considering the first person he'd met here was Flamebringer, two, that they're trapped here, and three, this is not his world and he's stuck with people he doesn't know and likely will hate him because of... well, just how he is. ]

........Ehe...

[ Mephisto's hand drops from Till to cover half of his face, a deranged sort of smile on his face. It's not... great! That's for sure. ]

Ehehehahahahahaha!!!

[ He wants to cry. He doesn't. He thinks that he might have forgotten how to a long time ago. Instead, he makes very dramatic gestures with his hand. ]

Of course! What's a bird useful for except to be caged?! [ This isn't towards Till, but rather, the Forest. He'd heard there's something out there that's keeping them here, after all. ] If you truly wished for this to be Hell, though, I'm afraid you've missed the mark~! I've already been there~! I very politely refuse to play in your boring games okay~?

[ He laughs again, but eventually just drops his head down, his tone falling flat. ]

...Я так устал.

It's deathly quiet.

And then a single chess piece- a pawn that's carved to look like a small bird tucked into itself- drops onto his head.

Someone laughs, in the air.

[The way Mephisto just...starts laughing hysterically like that honestly isn't even that alarming to Till, because it's the kind of manic psychosis he's seen grip others in the past. Some just...fall into that kind of despair, when things get to their lowest. Till turned to anger, Ivan to obedience, Mizi rebellion. Others...

Snap.

Till looks over at Mephisto out of the corner of his eye as this happens, stonily silent. He listens to what he has to say to the Forest and feels it, on a deep level that he doesn't think Mephisto would care to hear about right now, nor is Till in a position where he wants to tell it.

He just waits until he falls silent again before he says anything else.]

We should get back.

[ Mephisto gasps a bit, snapping him out of it when he's hit with the chess piece. He just frowns at the bird carved into it, not fully grasping how monumentally fucked it is, but certainly getting its meaning. He grips it in his hand tightly for a moment, then shoves it in his pocket. ]

Tch... [ Mephisto has long since stopped having love in his heart. But he's certainly got so much more to hate. And boy, does he hate the Forest. ] ...Alright.

[ He reaches his hand out again to hold onto Till's shirt and turn himself around so they can start heading the other way. He doesn't really want to be here, anyway. ]

[The chess piece suddenly falling out of the sky onto Mephisto out of nowhere is more than a little alarming. Not just for it's sudden nature, but because- beyond the snakes- it's Till's first time seeing direct response from the Forest itself (himself?) to their actions. He has no idea what it means, but clearly it means something to Mephisto, and that's enough to make him not want to stay here much longer.

They're being listened to. Watched.

So he'll turn and start to head straight back the way they came with the boy at his side, again keeping his silence as they go.]

[ Mephisto's eyes are back on the ground for the constructs, and... again, he appreciates Till's silence and willingness to lead him along. It's not too much unlike what he's used to back home. He's not roughly grabbing his hands and practically dragging him along like Patriot would do, or harshly telling him to quiet down like FrostNova would. This is more the treatment he'd gotten from Talulah and... from Faust. Silent understanding.

He does break the silence here, however. ]

I'm from Terra, by the way. старик Flamebringer said there's others here from worlds that aren't our own? I figure I should include that in my introductions.

[Though Till is typically- understandably- known for being loud and aggressive, he actually spends a lot more of his time silent. Silent, brooding...but silent nonetheless. He doesn't know that means anything to Mephisto, of course, but the fact that Mephisto is tolerating his presence is a win in his book, at least until they can get out of here.

The silence is eventually broken, though, prompting Till to lift his head a little. No idea who Flamebringer is, but...]

Dunno where that is.

[He answers just as flatly, looking straight ahead.]

Unless you have aliens there, it ain't where I'm from.

Hm... Sort of, but I know it's not where you're from. [ Mephisto at least has a vague knowledge about the Teekaz and how the Ancients came to be. So he can confidently say aliens exist, but... Only a bit, though - based solely on the records he'd sole from Rhodes, no less. He might read a bit too much into everything. It's why he feels so out of his element here. He doesn't know what's going on at all, besides what Flamebringer was willing to fill him in on, and what he'd been able to glean from the Archives... which, all in all, isn't much. ]

I was only telling you so you weren't completely blindsided. [ And because Till seems about as lost as Mephisto feels. Even if all the people Mephisto has here from Terra might hate everything there is to be about him, he at least has some sort of familiarity. He doesn't wish for Till to fall into the same despair he's in. He doesn't wish that on anyone. He tugs on Till a bit to thwak yet another snake away from the both of them. ] I don't expect you to stick by, but from the sounds and... looks of it, we're going to be stuck here a while. And seeing you so tense this whole time is... kinda pathetic. So...

[ Translation: He needs a friend as much as you do, Till. ]

[What must that be like? Having friends. Or at least, ones that are still alive, and present. Till, at least at this point from what he remembers, has lost damn near everyone. The only reason he knows he has to keep going if and when he gets back on that stage is because if he were to throw his match against Luka, he'd be spitting in the face of the sacrifice Ivan had made for him.

Surely Mephisto wouldn't know what that's like. Living on...being better, for someone else's sake.

Every day Till wakes up here, he still feels like he's back there. The disassociation from the world is something he just can't shake, because all of this feels so unreal that it's like he's in a waking dream. He can't say he wants to go back, but...can't say he wants to be here, either.

We're going to be stuck here a while. It's the same sentiment from everyone, and he even brought Mephisto to show him. You are stuck here.

Though, maybe it was really Till having to prove it to himself.]

I...

[...]

I keep wanting to try to run past the wall. [He finally says, his voice a bit distant. He's not sure...why he's telling Mephisto this, but. It's been on his mind, and he can't think of anything else to say. Feeling like keeping silent wouldn't be the right move, here.] Just to see where I'd end up. Maybe I'd die. But the chance I'd get out of here, and maybe be somewhere else...kindof feels worth it. Maybe.

[......]

I've just stayed in one of the rooms. It feels safer that way, than being around anybody here. I don't feel like I can trust anybody.

[Including you goes unsaid. It really is like speaking to a skittish animal.]

[ :) (ominous)

Mephisto is no mind reader, of course, but he can absolutely understand Till's words. He isn't so sure he wants to confide in Till, or anyone, but he gets that feeling more than anything. If the last words from Faust were not "I want you to smile", Mephisto would be throwing himself to the metaphorical wolves. He doesn't want to keep going without Faust... without his Sasha. They were supposed to survive together. What's the point if the only person in the countless universes that exist is not here with him...?

He's sorry, Sasha. He can't smile. Not without you here. It hurts. Mephisto's hand clenches against Till's shirt, not letting his thoughts keep going down that path, lest Till wants to have to carry him through his breakdown. ]

That's because... you can't trust anyone. [ Mephisto- ] Certainly not in an environment like this. Desperation changes people. They'll become manipulative and selfish - especially the ones who are "kind".

Being wary is smart, Mister Till. Not talking to anyone is stupid, but an arm's length is good. Always be on alert.

[An arm's length...

It's hard to do that here. He thinks Mephisto will realize that more and more the longer he's been here, because people will do whatever they can to try to get him to open up, whether he himself realizes it or not. Till, on the other hand, feels like he's constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Urak to explode out of the forest and slap a gag on him. Or, better yet, just fucking have him shot dead for leaving in the first place. You know that works too.

He really doesn't know how to think or feel, most of the time. Especially when he's been treated kinder here than he has by almost everyone else in his life. Mephisto is telling him that this kindness, too, is the path to manipulation, and he feels it worm its way into the back of his mind.

Maybe he will internalize it. Maybe he won't. It all depends on how things go from here.]

The people here are...too kind. I still don't really get it.

[Why does he feel so much like he's talking to a kindred spirit, even though Mephisto is so much younger than he is? He doesn't even have to think about it, he can just sense it from the way he talks.]

As I said, it's because they want something. Here, let me put this into perspective... You're a stranger they don't know, in a town they know they're trapped in, where things could go to shit at any minute. You're just a little standoffish, or anything that might be perceived as "negative", how do you think they're going to respond? They can't kick you out. They probably won't kill you, either. The only thing they can do is be nice. Make you more willing to do the things they want you to do, rather than doing the things you want to do. Trust me, I've seen it before... haha...

[ He's the one who put people into that situation to begin with, of course! But... well... it's fine. ]

I a~bsolutely cannot stand people like that~. If you're going to be someone who hurts people, at least do them the favor of not making them believe you care about them.

[The thing is? Mephisto isn't wrong. Till has seen the way people can get when they're cornered and desperate, and he knows that humans are capable of some pretty underhanded things when they feel they have no other choice. He himself is a prime example of that, having specifically planned to storm the stage during his first round, sing a different song, and overwhelm his opponent by not giving him the chance to sing at all. Killing the alien in his guitar on stage wasn't planned, but that was just the icing on the cake to make sure the other guy didn't proceed.

If he hadn't done all of those things, he wouldn't have survived. It's about survival, and taking care of yourself. If it weren't just him in this world, then maybe...things would be different.

Though it's certainly not complete regression (and it's not like Till has come OUT of his shell yet by any means), there's the smallest tick of him backsliding, feeling more resolute and affirmed in his willingness to be wary. Mephisto makes him feel less alone, in that regard.]

You know, you're pretty smart...for a kid.

[ Mephisto sighs at that, giving Till another tug. Not because there's a snake or anything. ]

Careful with those words, Mister Pathetic~ I'm the one keeping an eye out for these pests. I'm smart, period. My age is not a factor there.

I'm not going to say you can trust me at all, but... I, at least, have no reason to lie to you. I promise to be very upfront about the things I want from you~

[Listen man if it weren't for Mephisto, Till probably would be dead right now. Not that he's inattentive, but he's never seen a snake before, much less ones as deadly as these. He's also a normal human with human reflexes, he's not guaranteed to be able to dodge every attack at his ankles.

That comment, though, gets Till to click his tongue audibly against the roof of his mouth.]

I ain't pathetic. I led us this far, didn't I?

[...but okay, maybe he did deserve that. He sighs, after a moment, looking sidelong at Mephisto as they continue to walk back towards the Grove.]

...I appreciate that, at least. I'll be upfront, too.

[Till won't lie, though he definitely isn't going to give up things about himself very easily.]

[ Maybe he wouldn't call you pathetic if you didn't seem pathetic! Not that he has a lot of room to talk - he is just as lost and alone as Till is right about now. The only difference is, Mephisto isn't sure he knows how to make friends anymore. Till at least still has that chance. ] That doesn't make you seem less like a whimpering dog. If you were on Terra with me, you'd definitely be a Perro.

[ This doesn't mean anything to Till, and Mephisto knows that much, but he isn't going to elaborate. ]

I can't say I'm going to be as much help as anyone else in the Grove. I'm quite slow, as you've noticed. Just don't expect a lot of me~

[It's funny because both "Perro" AND "dog" don't mean anything to him. Well, no, that's a lie. He's seen Rusty, and Loop told him he was a dog...and Rusty seemed nice. Are dogs considered pathetic creatures?

Weird.

Till opens his mouth to say something, but just before he can, he hears the low shhfff of something moving in the underbrush...prompting him to lift his left foot and stomp it down on an approaching snake just seconds before it can strike at either of them. He hisses back at it, then kicks it away with the toe of his shoe.

Weeee]

Yeah, but you're like...I dunno. You're not a human, right? You've made it sound like you probably ain't.

Anything is better than being just human, even if you're slow.

[That's definitely what the aliens have beaten into him, anyway.]

[ Mephisto lulls his head from side to side a moment. ]

It's complicated. I'm not the same human as you, but I'm "human" where I'm from. My race is Liberi, which means I have similar traits to that of a fowlbeast - the things with feathers and wings that fly around.

[ If Till wants to really squint, he'll see white feathers in Mephisto's hair, but they're really hard to distinguish from the actual strands. ]

There's nothing bad about being 'just' human, though. Better that than a God. [ He doesn't care if Suri is still listening. Fuck that guy. ]

[It does take a bit of looking to pick up, but yeah...he can see the feathers. Not that he really knows what a "fowlbeast" is, but as Mephisto describes, birdlike.

Till...makes a face.]

Why would anyone wanna be a God? Gods ain't real anyway.

[Till maybe don't say that out loud--]

[ Mephisto laughs. ]

Don't know~! You're right, though! They aren't~! At least, not as we know it. There's nothing that can match the definition of "God" people seem so fond of, though.

Yeah, well. If Gods were real, we wouldn't be in this shithole, would we?

[...]

Or maybe we would. I can't imagine a God would care about somethin' as insignificant as us.

Pfft— Hahahahaha!!!! Right, right~? What a joke!

[ He doesn’t entirely agree, of course. He knows gods are real, especially here. But… he doesn’t think the sort of “God” people expect them to be like actually… yknow… exists. ]

If “insignificant” things like us didn’t exist, neither would the gods, that’s just fact.

[Mephisto suddenly laughing is a little surprising, but not unwanted. Till smirks, his expression wry and humorless.]

Why, you think? Cause they'd be bored without little dolls to play with?

[At this point he's just talking out of his ass, given the fact that- at least where he's from- he's never once had proof of a God being a real thing. The closest thing to those they have are the aliens themselves and lol lmao yeah no fucking way.]

That too, but mostly... What makes a "god"? If a powerful entity exists, but it has no one to worship it, no one to believe in it, it's just a powerful entity. That is not a god.

Belief makes a god. That's that.

[ And Mephisto only knows this because of the files he's stolen from Rhodes. If The Law can be a god, then it's obvious what makes that true... ]

Huh...guess I never thought of it that way.

[A God is only a God if there are beings to acknowledge them as BEING a God...]

I've heard people say that to believe in Gods is human. But nobody I've ever known has believed in them for a long time.

[Including himself, for obvious reasons.]

Which explains why the concept...kindof doesn't really follow anymore, where I'm from.

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cw: suicidal ideation

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