sticksandbones | EVENT & TDM 024

WAKE UP

Where were you last? Do you remember falling asleep, thinking you’d wake up in your own home, your own bed?

When you open your eyes, the room you’re in doesn’t feel like your own. In fact, you’re almost certain you didn’t fall asleep here. You’re given only a short few moments to get your bearings before the door to that room opens, the doorknob jiggling as whoever is on the other side is unlocking it. Is it a library study room you’ve found yourself in, or an inn room that doesn’t belong to you? A home that isn’t yours? A business after-hours?

An unfortunate few of you may find yourself face-to-face with the real owners of these rooms, homes, and businesses — and surely they’re just as confused as you are. The lucky ones might instead find themselves being “rescued” from their sleeping states by a heavily scarred man with dreadlocks and an impossibly sunny demeanour.

“Mornin’, sunshine! Up and at ‘em!” he’ll say, hands on his hips and the door held open in a way that says he expects you to simply come follow him, whoever he is. “You ain’t where you’re supposed to be, but I’ll bail you out before the person who owns this place knocks your teeth out for trespassin’. It’ll be our little secret, ‘kay?”

TRANSPOREMATION

cw: body horror, monster transformations, fungal parasitism

As usual, Aldric’s Grove is something of a hot mess, and that’s especially true lately. Aside from random people popping into existence in various buildings, there’s a bit of a fungus problem lately. A wee little problem with cute little mushrooms. …a major, unignorable, horrendous problem with some very large, purplish-coloured mushrooms, fruiting on still-living trees and the forest floor. They look quite similar to meadow mushrooms, but far, far less harmless. While eating one won’t poison anybody too badly — aside from an episode of horrible stomach pain — stepping on them or touching them at all will cause them to shower you in a spray of spores, all of which suddenly curve around and cling onto you as if they have a mind of their own. Any attempt to remove them, to wash them off, to brush them away from your skin and clothes, only makes the spores cling more stubbornly. Soon, they’ve started to root under your skin, unable to be pulled out.

The resulting transformation is, for what little it’s worth, extremely swift. Perhaps you feel it, perhaps you don’t, but the spores leave you fundamentally changed no matter what.

Your bones lengthen and rearrange, grinding together underneath your muscle tissue. Snapping, creaking, where new joints form over the breaks. Wings rip through your back in a spray of blood and torn flesh, the wounds healing themselves over a short second later. You drop to the ground as your back legs become something foreign and new, toes bursting free of your shoes, claws digging into the soil as you writhe on the ground. Your spine elongates, the muscles in your neck tense and relax as it gets too long. The spores are deciding what to do with you, it seems, as extra eyes rapidly appear and disappear over your body alongside feathers and scales. Within the span of sixty seconds, it seems the mushrooms have come to a decision on what you should be, and the transformations it inflicts on you rapidfire begin evening out.

Whether that leaves you something wolflike, catlike, ghostly, chimeric, or otherwise… that seems to be up to the spores. Regardless, you’re no longer in your own skin. At least you’re still “you”, and at least you haven’t lost much more than your old form… right?

…

Well, not to worry. Try your luck stepping on the mushrooms again! This time, they might be kind enough to revert you back to normal… assuming they don’t turn you into a different type of creature instead.

TIME TREKS ON

For the foreseeable future, many people are “stuck” outside their normal bodies. It doesn’t mean that life in the Grove stops, however, as people flit from building to building — assuming their monster forms didn’t bar them off from entering most of them anyhow — and their daily routines continue. From the Church of the Golden Sun in the north of Aldric’s Grove emanates a lovely, warm light, inviting all who are loyal to the Goddesses within its halls and barring the Corrupted or those loyal to the Fallen Sun from entry. Describing it as a “church” may not entirely be accurate; instead of an altar, there sits a throne that automatically prevents anyone who isn’t the Goddess of the Sun from sitting on it (despite the fact she isn’t currently there). Instead of pews, the first room is a large combat arena, golden weapons hung up on the walls that are free to use if you need to spar. Thankfully, the doors are large enough to accommodate most monsters, though the halls in the back may not be sizeable enough for anyone over eight feet tall.

Within that church, the kilns in the back are fired up, pottery baking while animal spirits resembling lions and dogs mix paint with their paws. It’s difficult, being a little guy — help a critter out? You can paint a selection of finished pottery when you’re done, which they’d tell you if they could speak to you. If they bring you a flower-shaped plate or a vase in the shape of a tulip and a paintbrush, will you figure out what they mean? If you don’t, that’s not a problem, as they’ll nudge you toward the pottery wheels and get you clay to work with. When you make your own thing, they think you’ll be more willing to paint with them. Hope you brought your art hands, assuming you have any at all after those mushrooms got you.

In the opposite wing from the pottery room, the kitchen is going strong, the smells of freshly baked bread wafting down the hall. Here is where Ydalir is, the shadowy woman wearing silks who normally casts magic and sells items, who turns to you and extends a flour-covered palm. Come here! Let’s bake something together — it’s the least she feels she can do, since she can’t exactly eliminate the fungus problem. There’s a host of food sitting in the dining room nearby already, with Heimr and Renard setting the table, Heimr nitpicking the setup while Renard focuses too hard on decorating with garlands and candelabras.

If you can’t fit into the dining room for any reason, one of the three will bring you food. They’d hate to see you go hungry, after all.

IT NEVER ENDS

While the Guardians themselves are immune to the transformations — Moder is, in fact, eating the mushrooms when no one is nearby to get spore’d — it doesn’t mean they’re not enjoying the fact that some of you can now spend more time with them in ways you couldn’t before.

Those of you with wings or flight abilities are invited by Aurora and the newly-resurrected bone dragon Sehul to come flying. Though Sehul won’t land in the Grove (too many buildings too close together for a hundred-foot dragon to feel comfortable, you see), they’ll land on the seaside, and even invite you to race them there. They do have something of a body mass advantage, but when they eventually win, they’ll fairly concede that it doesn’t really count. Aurora, meanwhile, wants desperately to teach you to do a midair flip.

Those of you who find yourselves suddenly aquatic will be literally accosted by Callan, who swims up into the river for once only to wrap his tentacles around you and drag you off toward the lake with a watery laugh. He expects you to do the same to him in return, but the Guardian’s extreme strength might make it difficult. Worry not, because if no one comes to your rescue, Sinann will chide him until he lets go, and show you the nest the baby Seaborn have built at the deepest point in the river. You’re welcome to live with them for a while, if you want. Their pastime is singing, and they’d love to sing with you.

And to the folks with a sudden craving for plants, Moder will gladly show you where the best snacks are — her favourite trees to reach into, the best flowers to eat, a fragrant patch of wild herbs. She’s happy to stroll through the forest with you, calmer than her peers are. If you need a ride on her mossy back, she’ll accommodate, so long as you don’t mind her telling old tales of a world long gone.

The final Guardian, Zahliya, doesn’t seem too keen on playtime, and will simply perch in various locations throughout the Grove to keep watch, as he normally does. Gifts of food given his way are rejected for the time being. He has a job to do; why don’t you go play with everyone?

It’s a beautiful, sunny day. This world isn’t often peaceful and playful. You should take advantage of it before something horrible happens… you and everyone else here know the good mood can’t last too long.

Spark Notes

summary

WAKE UP: Welcome to the Grove! You've found yourself in someone else's home/business/room it seems. Good luck explaining this one, but maybe Renard will be in time to bail you out?
TRANSPOREMATION: The mushrooms in the woods will spray you with spore clouds if you're not careful, and then transform you into something else. After a potentially-painful transformation, you'll find yourself in a new, more monsterlike body for a while.
TIME TREKS ON: Despite the monster mash, Beiwe's church is going strong, providing an opportunity to get creative or cook some dinner. Ydalir, Heimr, and Renard are all happy to see you and invite you to a home-cooked meal. They'd probably appreciate help with the dining room decor, too.
IT NEVER ENDS: Despite the transformations, it seems like the Guardians are all super pumped to spend time with you guys in their own domains. Many of them will invite you and your friends to hang out, some more politely than others. It's peaceful for once, so why not take them up on that?

out of character

Happy May! Here is your usual reminder that TDM threads are game canon. Per our plotting post (linked below) please keep in mind our rules for the monster transformations, and have fun!

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ NPCs List
❖ Questions
❖ May Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations
❖ TDM NPC Contact

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tex stumbles out of the backrooms and Heimr, sitting by the counter just by the doors, jolts with a half-muttered 'bwuh?' before staring. That... is a familiar face. And if she's anything like the woman he knew? He's gonna keep that to himself and not annoy her too much.

Heimr watches her for a moment- there are indeed knives in his case, and when she wanders back he clears his throat.

"Afternoon, ma'am. Anythin' I can get for you?" He asks, standing from his stool.

She glances up at him, then back down at the knife she covets most. She doesn't want to check her pockets and make it obvious she doesn't know what she has for currency in front of him. Her eyes go back to his face and she juts a hip, crossing her arms.

"What's the price range like here?" she asks.

Oh, good, time to explain that capitalism is a sham here.

"I'll be honest, we don't take money here. Not that it means anythin's free, but we tend to barter or... in the river, unusual things wash up. Shells and bones and coins, scales the size of grapes... I'm willin' to take them, since they make a friend a' mine happy."

He doesn't seem judgemental, at least- if anything, he's more than understanding, calm and easy-going, if not for the sharpness in his gold eyes. But that's more a survival ting, really.

Tex has encountered anti-capitalists before, but she has never completely trusted they're not off their rockers. She happens to enjoy money and earning rewards for her hard work in the form of money. She gives him a shrewd look and tilts her head a little.

"Sure," she says. "So what do you barter for? Good deeds?"

It comes out just a touch sarcastic, despite herself.

In the most deadpan voice possible: "Occasionally." ... But he is being truthful! "But if you've other things to offer, I'm listenin'."

She glances down at the knife, not moving her head, only her eyes.

"I guess I don't know what to offer without knowing more about what kind of thing you'd be looking for."

She's still not willing to admit she doesn't know what's going on, or how she's in a human body.

Heimr hums thoughtfully.

"Depends on what you want, really. If it's the knife... you can bring me two tokens from the river, to start you out with. Or I can give you a task, if that's what you want. We're an easy lot here- just tryin' to stay alive. No one's out to throw anyone to the wolves."

She shifts position, jutting her other hip. He does seem wise to the fact she doesn't really know the entire situation. And he seems to be offering answers, if she'll only humble herself enough to ask.

"Who are you, anyway?" she asks. "Just a shopkeep?"

"Name's Heimr. And... yes and no. This place is... complicated. And simple, at the same time. How much do you believe in fairy tales?" He asks, leaning back a bit. He knows it's a weird question, and he's sorry, Allison.

She continues to eye him, her gaze becoming rather skeptical and wary.

"Are you saying I'm in one?" she asks. "That's hard to swallow."

But what else could it be? She knows Church had been placed in a human body, but that had been done by the Director himself and the man whose body he'd been placed in had had to die for it.

"It's a good reference point, at least. ... You're not in your home universe. I'm sorry. This world is... different, most likely, from anything you know. I'm native, as are a few others, but most of the people here are from different worlds."

Heimr doesn't expect her to believe him. Not right away at least. But with the Terrans around, she might not have a choice.

"The forest that surrounds this li'l town... it's dangerous, it's smart and it wants us dead. I don't expect you to believe me about everything, but... at least trust me about that."

For a moment that sounds ridiculous, but with the evidence all around her, she almost has no choice but to at least give his words the time of day. She pauses, then nods.

"What kind of things...happen...here?" she asks. "How do you know it wants us dead?"

"A whole lotta bullshit. Ranging from monsters attacking to being spirited away to arenas to 'play' dangerous games... or sometimes it just fucks with us, like cursing us with extreme emotional dis-regulation, among other things. As for how I know..." Heimr falls silent, and something in that silence weighs down hard. "... I watched it massacre everyone once before. An entire town, dead in a night. Spared me 'cause I couldn't be killed at the time. And because it thought it was funny."

Her eyes widen slightly. She straightens her posture, though she keeps her arms crossed. She was at first assuming there must be a mad scientist here, if not the Director himself, to put her in this body, but with this news?

"If I told you something weird, would you believe me?" she asks.

Heimr chuckles a little, a crack of a smile breaking beneath his mustache.

"Any weirder than what I've told you? ... I've seen a lot in the past couple years. I'll believe you regardless."

"Yeah," she says, then pauses before continuing. This is the kind of thing she normally wouldn't just tell a stranger, but this guy seems to understand a lot about what this place is and does. "Last thing I knew I was in a robot. Not a body, like this."

A robot, huh. ... Interesting, then- perhaps it was a change for survival, like BB way back then, or the Cookies?

"I believe it. The world might have changed you so you could survive better- this ain't a place with a lot of tech, so if something happened to you, while we have a lot of mechanical oriented people there's a chance we wouldn't be able to help you.

Also our captor is, again, a fuckin' dick. You bein' able to feel pain is funny to it I'm sure. You gonn' be okay?"

EVENT & TDM 024

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