EVENT & TDM 029

[sticksandbonesmods]

WAKE UP

A house springs up in Aldric’s Grove one day. That comes with the usual tidings of autumn — the leaves change colour, the air gets colder, pumpkins and squash start growing out of the sides of buildings and damaging rooftops, and people emerge out of caskets in square graves that have yet to be covered.

…

Yeah, all of that is normal. You may find that people here before you are willing to help pull you out of your grave, if you ask nicely enough. Maybe they’ll even tell you that you aren’t dead! Yet.

But don’t worry about that. Let’s worry about the house, which is inhabited by the dead — specifically a family of skeletons, who wave everyone, new arrival and old citizen, within their walls. A cloth sign hanging on the awning outside reads “BONE-JANGLES HAUZ! COM IN GET FUD”. The Bone-Jangles are a family of eight — Mr. Bone-Jangles himself wearing a sheet ghost costume for Halloween, Ms. Bone-Jangles wearing a pumpkin hat and an apron as she sets food from your homeworld on the table, and their six skeleton children (“children” may be generous, as these are full-sized adult skeletons, but is your baby not your baby no matter how old they may be?) are wearing various animal costumes. Bees, wolves, cats, the sort.

If you just crawled out of a grave, they permit you to use their shower before dinner. The water pressure is a touch too low, and the soap is several hundred years old, but it’ll get the dirt off.

You return to dinner with the skeleton family and several other Grove residents who came for the party, and despite the oddness of the situation, it’s a lovely time. At the end of the night, before everyone plans to head off to Roseroot — a city to the north, just over the mountains, which you are hopefully informed of by your peers before they all ditch you here to go on vacation — Mr. Bone-Jangles hands you a bag of microwave popcorn and an oversized chocolate bar. Trick-or-Treat!

A note attached to the inside of the chocolate bar wrapper reads in Ms. Bone-Jangles’ curly handwriting: “Be cautious on your journey tomorrow morning.”

You go to sleep holding the well-wishes close to your chest.

…WAKE UP?

What do you last remember?

You were somewhere. Not here. Not within this city. Were you at home? With your friends? At the bar, the cafe, one of the churches, the General Store? The Bone-Jangles’ house? …How did you get here?

…that’s right. The truck. A truck had barrelled through the woods a week ago, with two people stumbling out of it and telling you they could get you out of here. The truck was small, though — at most, it could fit six of you, and that was assuming all six of you packed light for the journey. You talked with who you were journeying alongside as you rode in the bed of the truck, while two others in the vehicle proper got to talk to the drivers. The ride had been bumpy, the car travelling at a medium clip through rough terrain. At one point, the car’s driver had shouted that those of you in the back should “hold on tight” and floored it, nearly jiggling someone next to you out of the back seat as you approached the mountains.

You did not remember the mountains being so close to the Grove. Weren’t they much farther away? You remember the—

The…

…

You’re in Roseroot! The truck comes and goes throughout the day, dropping people off before it turns around and heads out again. Some of your peers who were particularly fast or could fly might have opted to simply follow alongside the truck. Maybe if you can find one of them, they can help you bring your stuff further into the city? Where are you going to live from here, speaking of? In a house? A mansion? A hole-in-the-wall restaurant? You feel like you’re missing something as you wander the beautifully-paved streets on foot. You remembered to pack your toothbrush, right? A change of clothes?

The thought of “someone” comes to your mind, but the silhouette is blurry. A person nearby you asks if you remember two gargoyles with purple skin, and a shadowy woman with her turtle, and a kindly shopkeeper with salt-and-pepper hair, that they think they might’ve left behind in the Grove. You shake your head.

You would remember people like that.

THE CITY OF ROSES

Roseroot is a beautiful city, truly. Every building is beautifully designed, roses of all colors and sizes growing from the ground floor to window boxes to special trellises and even on the rooftops. It's almost overwhelming. A river flows through it, framed with stone sidewalks and curved wooden bridges. Warm streetlights line every few yards, illuminating it even in the dark. Museums and theaters can be found all over, and there's even an aquarium! … It's only got water and plants, but it's there. Truly, this is what one might expect from an affluent city dedicated to flowers and scholarly pursuits!

… It's just… empty. Not a single soul aside from the lot of you can be found. Businesses still provide services, but by who, and how? The answer eludes even the most curious of folk. If you choose to steal, dine and dash, break in to something, well. You can, and nothing is going to stop you. But the emptiness of it all is jarring, isn't it?

Of course it's not. This is how it's supposed to be!

As the days pass, however, the beauty begins to fade. Flowers wilt. A strange substance seems to grow out of cracks, creep up windows, grow. The beautiful sky gets darker, cloudier, drearier. A fog creeps in. And when you sleep- and you will sleep- you dream. Maybe it's the sweetest dream of your life, and maybe its a nightmare. Maybe it's something incredibly silly! What a pity that the dream doesn't stay in your head. Or stay as pleasant as your dream might have been.

Soon the fog is so thick, you can barely see the next streetlight. And you are no longer alone. But the trucks are gone, and the city borders seem to have vanished.

A PLACE YOU CANNOT LEAVE

The fog does not fade. But sometimes, you can hear something- just out of sight. The giggles of childish, cruel whispering. The sound of glass breaking, footsteps dragging across the pavement. Twisted beings born of your worst traumas shamble through the fog, lashing out, hunting, seeking, wanting. Every day the remains of Roseroot grow more dilapidated, some buildings even crumbling and collapsing while others cease existing all together. Roads vanish or twist to loop around into giant circles. Safety is growing limited, but how does one escape?

That may be on the forefront of your mind, but it's not something you can focus on- not while you're fighting off these monsters.

How does one get supplies when grocery stores are claimed by sudden bursts of an all-consuming rot? How does one sleep when those monsters could be anywhere, when one has to keep moving?

Fight on. Protect yourself. The way will show itself soon. You just have to outlast your pains made manifest.

MONSTERS ENCOUNTERED

This list will be updated as the event goes on, but feel free to pull from any monsters from our toplevel below as well in case updates are delayed!

An unholy, angel-like being found stationary in a warehouse. The top half of her body hangs down from a portal in the ceiling, and no matter which way you face, she can twist around to track you. Her wails and sobs cause hallucinations, panic attacks, dissociations, and crippling self-doubt; when characters are distracted, she will attempt to sever them with two oversized swords.

A shambling, undead, fully-armoured knight with seven swords stabbed into it, most of which through the back and one of which through the head. Each sword is engraved with words; five of them say “sacrifice”, one says “the one you loved most”, and the last says “hubris”. The knight wanders the city streets and attacks indiscriminately.

Seven assassins wrapped entirely in black robes and bandages to hide their identities. When they are being looked at, they become stationary, therefore they try to spread apart within their pack to keep most of them able to move. They move like glitchy robots with jerking and seizing limbs, yet are fast enough to slit throats in an instant, and largely stick to alleyways and tight corners to get a drop on someone.

A hand-monster called the Docent, who hides in the shadows and exacerbates negative emotions and insecurities. Even if you can't see it yet, if it's nearby, you will feel cold and miserable. Its physical form is made up of hands and if it catches you, it will add yours to the collection.

Mannequin-like people who look similar to Firefly, wearing plug suits and acting as mannequins in storefronts primarily. They will not "activate" until you come close to them, where they will be like dolls that creak and crackle and either start moving or pull themselves up off the ground to slowly chase you. They are dangerous in numbers, not as much as a single unit. They only speak if Firefly is around, saying things like "you let us die", "you didn't protect us", etc. By the end of the time in Roseroot, most will default be splayed on the ground all over looking dead, but they aren't.

The Swarm, a mass horde of diverse insectoid creatures with the sole drive to propagate and spread. They're big, and can hide invisible if they choose. They will start in small numbers, but slowly spread throughout the town during the end of their stay. They will swarm you and attack if they see you.

A young man with cat ears who has been burnt to a crisp and is still smouldering, who will wander the city and attempt to set people on fire.

A pack of small robotic bears with various weapons who run around indiscriminately and try to kill anyone they see. Despite how armed they are, they are easily defeated, but they roam in extremely large packs.

A phantom that specifically stalks Till, covered in blood and with several bullet wounds through various parts of his body. Characters who spend a lot of time around Till may have to watch out…

Shadows shaped like people on the walls, always watching, whispering, giggling, pointing. If one gets too close to them, they can reach out and attack like a particularly brutal child bully might- and like children, they do not know when they are going too far.

Shambling skeletons or rotting bodies dressed in strange village clothes, waiting to drag whoever they seek out into the earth.

An almost giant skeletal bird caught ablaze, trapped humans within its ribcage forming a grotesque heart. It does not fly, and molten poison drips from it.

Young men and women in a black uniform, half-gripping swords. Their footsteps sounds like bottles breaking. Soon enough they are accompanied by their killers as well.

A very tall priest in holy regalia... except his face is a mass of writhing blue tentacles of varying lengths, singing the song of the Seaborn. He shambles like he no longer remembers how legs work, swaying like a drunk almost, always wandering and reaching for his target. He sings a song of an unknown language, haunting and mesmerizing. If somehow you anger him, he will throw rocks at you... and if he gets his hands on you he will absolutely try to eat and/or assimilate you.

A monster that changes shape whenever you blink. It is normally faceless, and usually appears to look like some abomination-adjacent version of people you know.

A monster that wears clothing of a holy priest, with far, far too many arms. It "attacks" by trying to grab onto you and try to hug you almost comfortingly, while two hands strangle with rosary beads.

A creature that takes the form of something in the water- you'll never truly see what it looks like. But if you get too close to the river, something will reach out and try to drag you under.

A headless mannequin dressed in kingly finery, wielding a heavy sword. It wanders in search of one person, but will stop to kill anyone else it finds too.

An Ifrit, bleeding from a wound not unlike the ones Joshua inflicted upon Clive. It's furious. It's terrified. It will see your death done.

Shadows that, while not the most harmful things, will whisper, gossip and grab and pinch and punch and tear! They say things to characters reflecting their deepest insecurities. In short, the shadows are school bullies.

Two figures, a man and a woman, sewn together by the half. They bicker in a ghoulish language at each other, but are largely uncaring of others. When they find Zoey, they all but descend upon her, both wanting her for themselves and uncaring if they pull too hard in one direction or another. Their grip is like iron, and they're capable of tearing others in half.

A man-shaped monster whose head is a black skull. He wears a suit, tie, and gloves, and carries a rotating number of weapons- pliers, knife, scalpel, hacksaw, hammer, anything that might be used for torture, smeared with blood. Sometimes he just has a gun. He moves in an uncanny, inhuman jerk, and prefers his victims trapped and isolated. He will passively darken the area around him, turning working lights dim, and is accompanied by the sound of a power drill and his own creepy laughter.

Something dark, mostly shapeless, but the size of a large man, with bat-shaped spikes coming out of its head. Or maybe they're bat ears? He is able to shoot projectiles with deadly speed, sharp enough to gouge a hole in metal. They disappear like smoke once they've hit their mark. When faced more or less head-on, shoots a grapling hook at its victim with enough force to seriously maim, uses it to pull them close and break their bones. May appear suddenly from behind and break bones before you have a chance to react. He moves sometimes as a literal shadow, but when outside of shadow form, moves with grace and speed. Sometimes his presence is accompanied by flashbangs, smoke, and the sound of radio static or ringing in your ears. Otherwise, it is completely silent and doesn't even breathe.

A monster wearing armour and carrying tomahawk axes, with crablike appendages protruding from her abdomen that have pincer-claws. The semi-congealed gore that drips from them can be sprayed at enemies. As she talks, she claims to know "what you really are" and can absolutely back that claim up.

A brutish monster that is constantly on fire. He moves quickly enough to "blaze past" you, and likely set you on fire by proximity. Otherwise, he boasts impressive and inhuman strength.

A doll with swords through it that leaks toxic ooze as it moves around. Slow and moves around pathetically, looking as if in pain, and moving as if crying. Gives hugs instead of attacking, but the swords through it will hurt you if you let it, and the toxic ooze feels akin to acid.

A shambling amalgam of corpses and heads much akin to the Cramped Casket that pulls itself with its many arms across the ground. It easily spans around 12 feet tall. At the very front of it of it is the upper half of a young boy. It attacks by slamming itself into the ground where you stand, and is otherwise silent... unless you are Elsword, in which case it asks, "why didn't you save me?"

A monster that looks like a pirate that's on fire. Permanently. To most, it only appears to be leaving scorched earth in its wake. To Mizuki, it looks like everything around it is burning. It attacks with a cutlass, and otherwise looks mostly humanoid.

An ambling monstrosity that easily towers any house and building. It moves slowly, and seems as if it's "sliced" down the middle, with two "heads" and a mangled body. One arm carries a harpoon, one arm carries a kitchen cleaver. They mutter conflicting questions that, if you answer, you'll be contradicting the other. "Should we go left?" "Should we go right?" asked simultaneously, so answering "yes" would be answering both. Things like that. To kill it, you have to pick a head to cut off, and if you choose wrong, it instantly grows back and you'll have to try again.

A small, cute puppet with a circle of knifes protruding from its neck. It constantly cries and attacks by trashing around like a child. It doesn't even seem to be aiming for anything specifically, but its thrashing is so wild and erratic the knives in its neck are bound to hit you anyway if you don't put distance between the two of you.

An angel with wings and a halo of light that towers around 10-12 feet tall. It's head is replaced with a bouquet of flowers and it's hands are fused together in a constant prayer.Everywhere it walks, it leaves flowers behind, but they wilt and decay and rot within seconds and stay as a stain upon the land. It attacks by summoning blades of light from the ground under your feet. If you listen closely, you can hear soft singing.

A cloaked being with black crystals growing out of it who floats along the ground. It freezes anything it touches solid in blackened ice, and a trail of said ice follows after it. The air becomes frigid when it is close by.

A loud, ravenous monster that is majority mouth with waaay too many teeth. More dog-like than human shaped. Does not have eyes and thus cannot see, but can hear a pen drop. While it will bite to kill, it plays with its food. Lashes with claws and attempts to do anything it can to hurt you as much as possible before you break.

A mass of black crystals, the shape appears to be in that of Faust. Its arm is replaced with that of a crossbow. Its bolts are enough to shatter concrete. Despite being made of stone, it is very fast.

A monster that takes the shape of prey animals, starting off as smaller ones, then becoming larger ones as it stalks you. It does not necessarily attack, keeping a distance. But the more it watches, the more starved for food you feel. You haven't eaten in a while, have you? Are you hungry? Are you going to die because you can't eat? Aren't you just a waste of space if can't kill something to feed yourself? Killing it won't be easy, as it is fast, but if you do manage to, it will fall to the ground immediately as rotten, disgusting mass of meat that is not safely edible. The monster will spawn in again as it's smaller form all over again if not eaten.

A small army of husk-like creatures. They're just so hungry. Won't you help them? Won't you feed them? They appear like demons, with the stronger ones looking like some of Mystery's old friends...

A large, train-sized worm patterned in purple stripes. They have four eyes above their gator-like mouths which are full of sharp teeth. Their backs are ridged with green shark fins. Sandworms burrow through the ground at alarming speeds and feast on the dead along anything else they can catch. They aren't picky.

Spark Notes

summary

WAKE UP: Good morning! It's autumn! New arrivals are crawling out of graves, Mr. Bone-Jangles has invited everyone to his house, and everyone is having a nice little family Halloween get-together.
…WAKE UP?: Do you remember your old life? The people you left behind? ...of course not! You barely remember the truck ride over here! Welcome to Roseroot! Enjoy your vacation!
THE CITY OF ROSES: Roseroot is a beautiful, empty city. It's clearly a wealthy place, connected with nature, but you lot are the only ones there. ... That's how it's supposed to be, of course. But something forces you into sleep, and when you dream something awakens. ... Now that it's awake, something is making the city rot.
A PLACE YOU CANNOT LEAVE: The city is falling apart, rotting, vanishing and looping into itself and you are not alone. Monsters born from your trauma are out to hunt you down. Thankfully, they can be killed. You just have to keep fighting, even as places of rest and food dwindle rapidly.

out of character

Hello everyone! Welcome to our October TDM. This is a reminder that TDMs are considered game canon. This is our last TDM of 2025! November-December will be check-in AC and we will be back to our regular schedule with a TDM in January 2026. If there are questions, please hit up the toplevels below.

updates

None yet! Important updates about how characters interact with the log and change the course of events will be placed here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ October Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

[ichoosefight]

"Just think of them like wild animals," she offers helpfully, with an optimism she definitely doesn't feel. "But, you know... grosser and creepier." And much, much deadlier. She's well aware how lucky she's gotten so far. Even now she's got a bad feeling.

Wait. No. That's an actual chill in the air.

"Hold on," she says quietly, putting an arm out to stop Min-Gi.

[outofsynth]

Even with her tone, it's hard to feel especially reassured by that. If he were surrounded by just as many wild animals with this much aggression he'd still be terrified. On edge as he is, Min comes to a stop before bumping into the arm she's using to block him.

He shudders, tensing up behind her.

"Maybe we should go the other way..." he suggests, edging backwards.

[ichoosefight]

It's no big deal! They're just... surrounded by especially vicious bears. Yep. No big deal. That's why her heart is pounding so hard right now.

"Don't move," she whispers, listening hard. Most of the monsters make some noise when they move. If it starts to get colder they'll know it's on the move. Spotting it first is the key.

[outofsynth]

It is getting colder, but Min-Gi sees no sign of anything even when his eyes dart around anxiously to spot the threat. It feels like a familiar one, and one that even the possibility of fills him with dread.

"Why don't you want me to move?" he asks warily, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Does she want to leave him to fend for himself? He's dimly aware that doesn't make sense after getting him this far, that if it's what he thinks it could be he can't trust his own thoughts, but it's hard to brush off the thought completely once it's formed.

[ichoosefight]

She hears... something. It's bouncing off the walls of the alley, so it's hard to pin down. Is it coming from behind them? Did she miss something while they were talking? Stupid, she mentally berates herself. That's the kind of mistake that gets people killed. She turns around to face the opposite direction, scanning their surroundings from the rooftops to the ground at their feet.

"It might be behind us," she answers quietly, a hand on the collapsible staff at the back of her belt. She's still straining to hear, to see something, to discern the shift in temperature. The quiet sound is getting louder, the air getting colder, little by little. What's real, and what's imagined? Have they already been spotted? There's nowhere to hide in this stretch of alley. Did she make a mistake? Doubt, doubt, doubt.

[outofsynth]

His breathing is far too loud. It's all he can hear. Steph's probably wishing she'd ditched him back when she'd come across him. One thing he can tell is that it's getting closer. It's the only way to explain how quickly the cold has set in. He shudders, moving away from the wall.

Min's not sure if it's his imagination, or whether it's getting darker too. Could it already be here, hiding in the shadows?

"It's after me," he admits. Which is stupid. She'll leave him for sure now, and honestly? It would be better if she did. Other people shouldn't be involved in his mess. "It almost got to me before. That must be why it's here."

[ichoosefight]

She glances back at him. She's not sure about his logic, but if he's the target then it won't do any good to have him hide.

"Stay close," she tells him instead. It's the only way she can keep him safe, if she can keep him safe. Was it stupid of her to try to do this? To try to help? If he gets hurt here it'll be her fault. She can't tell where the sound is coming from over the sound of her own heart pounding. If she messed up, if it's behind them...

"Forward. We have to go forward," she decides. She pulls her staff from her belt and holds it tight in her hand as she starts to move. She doesn't go far, just in case she has to grab him and pull him to get him moving.

[outofsynth]

Min-Gi doesn't move, though from the annoyed look he gives her this is intentional rather than having anything to do with fear.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

He's aware he should be relieved, but instead it only frustrates him. She's putting herself in danger when she should be keeping herself safe. All because she doesn't think he can take care of himself.

[ichoosefight]

She frowns, mostly in confusion, but tense as she is it's probably easy to misinterpret.

"Why aren't you following?" She can't leave him here to face that thing by himself. Does he not trust her, is that it? He thinks she'll screw things up, so he's better off on his own? Well, too bad. She may be a screw-up, but if all else fails she at least knows how to fall on a grenade for someone.

"I said I'd protect you. I'm not going to leave you behind."

[outofsynth]

Well, now he's annoyed her. Min finds himself torn between obeying and the deep, underlying wish to be left alone. The latter he knows is dangerous, but even realizing what is more than likely making him feel that way he can't seem to shake it.

"Why not?" he asks, though the annoyance now seems to be self-directed. "It's not like there aren't plenty of other people you could be protecting right now."

The temperature is undeniably colder by now, the shadow on the wall behind Min seeming to be darker than it had been before.

[ichoosefight]

He wants to get rid of her that badly? She's hurt, but more than anything she's pissed. Who does he think he is? He has no right to judge her or her abilities. He definitely doesn't have any right to make her feel this bad. She grits her teeth, looks anywhere other than his face to quell the urge to punch it. Her eyes fall on the shadows.

"It's too late for that. You need to tell me what we're dealing with. Now."

[outofsynth]

That gets through to him. Min's never been good at going against authority, and with a tone like that...

Yeah. He's going to do as he's told.

"It's like this hand monster..." he's reluctant, but at least some of it comes down to not fully knowing how to explain it. Even now it's hard to say how much the things he and Ryan said to each other were brought out by it, and what might have come out anyway. They hadn't exactly been hard to drive a wedge back between them at the time. "It makes you feel bad. About yourself. Other people?"

Definitely about other people. He'd been irritated by Ryan pretty much as soon as they'd set foot in the gallery.

[ichoosefight]

She calms down a little when she sees he's answering immediately. Enough that she flinches slightly at the mention of feeling bad about other people. Feeling bad about herself is perfectly normal, but yeah, she's being pretty harsh about Min.

"How do I stop it?" It's so cold now, she's sure they're out of time. But what can she do against a mind monster? She beats stuff up! Just set it in front of her and she'll be fine! Probably!

[outofsynth]

"I don't know!"

He should. He really should. Min knows that. Unfortunately they never had so much figured out how to beat any of the denizens they'd faced so much as run away.

"There was a door. I don't think it knew how to get through. I don't know how to fight it."

Running would probably be their best bet, but his feet still don't want to move.

[ichoosefight]

Finding a door is almost definitely not going to work here. She needs to see the monster to fight it, but it's already affecting her judgment. Running away feels like losing, but what will happen if she stays put? And why isn't Min-Gi doing something, anything? He's supposed to be the one with experience here!

She decides to stop thinking and listen to her instincts: move. Never be a stationary target. She grabs Min-Gi's wrist and turns to run.

"Then we're getting out of here."

[outofsynth]

Min-Gi tenses, instinctively jerking his arm back as though to pull free. He doesn't want to go with her. He doesn't want to be dragged along without any say.

Except... this is how the monster works, isn't it? He squeezes his eyes shut, fighting against his feet that seem to want to stay planted on the ground. He almost trips as he forces himself to run along with Steph, forcing himself to push aside the feelings of resentment and negativity.

Steph is his friend. She wants to help him. She's sticking with him no matter how difficult he's making it to save him.

"Okay... I'm coming."

Sensing that it's losing its prey, the Docent makes an unusual choice. If Steph looks back she may see the shadows on the wall starting to form a figure.

[ichoosefight]

She grips his arm tight, fully prepared to drag him along if necessary, but running slowly enough to avoid pulling him off his feet. She doesn't actually have the strength to carry him the whole way, so she's grateful he doesn't fight too hard.

Glancing back, she stumbles for a moment as she sees the figure start to form. Her mind starts racing again. What is this? An opening created by a desparate attack? The result of it gathering its strength? Is it a hallucination? She's full of doubt again, but her body keeps moving. She's already built up the momentum to escape.