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

[namuthing]

[It takes only a few seconds for Genya to at least recuperate enough to be on the alert. There might not be any monsters yet, but it's only a matter of time, especially with the guy breathing like he is. Not that he holds it against him.]

Yeah. Been... through worse.

[He does give his companion a once over, just to be sure. He doesn't smell blood or anything, but it can't hurt to make sure.]

That was... really cool what you did back there. Thanks.

[outofsynth]

You think so?

[He sounds surprised. The only reason he got the shield is because he knows he can't hold its own. He thinks it's pretty cool he can do that with a synth, but he's well aware it's not the most impressive power out there.

Although... now he realizes he's not all that sure how he came across the power. He should remember something like that, shouldn't he?]

It's new. It used to just play music.

[namuthing]

Huh.

[Genya doesn't know the first thing about a synth, or magic for that matter. As far as he's concerned they just kind of do that, so the fact that Min-Gi clarifies... just makes him all the cooler to the kid.]

Guess you must be a real badass, pulling that off.

[Aaand just to make sure he keeps the attention off of himself even longer....]

We should probably find a place to shelter. Don't trust that something worse won't try and find us.

[outofsynth]

[A badass? Him? Min-Gi has to give him a long look before deciding he isn't making fun of him. He doesn't know quite what to make of it, face reddening in a way that's decidedly not badass.

Thankfully Genya changes the subject, giving him the chance to move things along.]

Y-yeah. Definitely. There's got to be a building safe enough to hide out in.

[Most of the ones surrounding them now are not fit for sheltering in, but maybe if they go a little further...

He still isn't meeting his eyes as he sets off to try and find them a safer building.]

[namuthing]

[It's not the weirdest thing, having someone not meet his eyes. Genya is naturally pretty shy, so it's par for the course for him. No judgement here. Rather, he keeps his own gaze on the task at hand, gingerly stepping further into the labyrinth of buildings. His fingers trace along the edges of buildings where he can, as if by touch alone he might be able to determine what place was best to rest in.

He can't, just for the record.]

Shinazugawa Genya, by the way. Just in case we get separated and you need to shout my name, or somethin'.

[outofsynth]

I don't think it's a good idea to shout when there are monsters out there.

[But that's not really the main takeaway, is it?]

I'm Min-Gi. Park. We'll try not to get separated.

[They don't seem to be a bad team, and even they were it's not like Min would intentionally abandon him. He can help more than he used to, and skilled as Genya is he is still just a kid.

Besides, the buildings are starting to look a little more intact. With luck they'll find one that's safe to shelter in before they run into any other threats.]

[namuthing]

[Okay, that does manage to net an exasperated eye roll from Genya. Thankfully, Min-Gi has earned enough good will for the year to keep anything more volatile from spilling out. Great job, buddy! This will not last, as we know.]

Y'know, I'd say it's nice to meet you, but... [He wobbles his free hand. The circumstances are kind of ass.]

How many times can you do that shield thingy, anyway? Are you going to run out of strength if you try again, or...?

[outofsynth]

Yeah.

[He gets it. It's not nice to meet anyone when you're in a life or death situation.]

It doesn't matter how many times I do it. As long as I play the right tune, the shield will hold.

[There is a limit in terms of how long he can keep it up, but he's a musician. He's used to playing for long periods of time. The mini-synth is less comfortable, but even so. The real problem is having to listen to the same short loop of music over and over again.]

[namuthing]

Shit. Way better than I could manage, that's for sure.

[Not that he understands how it works, but that's alright. He doesn't need to know the ins and outs to be totally impressed by the guy.]

Hopefully you won't need it for awhile, though. 'specially if we can keep out of trouble.

[Genya cranes his neck to peek into a building, but the sight of too many broken windows dissuades him.]

[outofsynth]

Well, you can use a gun...

[Which he doesn't sound entirely approving of, but Min can't deny that it helped get them out of trouble just now. Non-violently, too, which he's not sure he would have been able to handle if he had suggested it.

The next building along looks fairly intact, but enough of the brickwork is loose he isn't sure how long it will stay that way. The next one, however...

It's definitely in bad shape, on the surface even worse than the one he's just passed up, but what's left looks solid. He nudges the wall tentatively, trying again when nothing budges. It might be okay?]

How about this one?

[namuthing]

It was really the only option I had.

[Unfortunately, in Genya's eyes his use of a gun is more of a failing in his mind, than any sort of success. He's not about to try and explain all of that right now, though. It won't make sense to most people, this much he knows.

Naturally Genya is a little skeptical of the proposed shelter at first glance. Like Min-Gi, though, he quickly spots the potential, and gives a nod. He takes the first step toward the building, before glancing back at his companion.]

Watch my back while I take a look around?

[outofsynth]

[That's an unsettling response, even without context. Min doesn't know what circumstances have led someone so young to need to learn how to use a weapon like that, but he's clearly the better candidate to actually search the building. He nods, trying not to think too hard about the fact he could be walking into danger. It's not as though looking out for him is without risk either.]

I can do that.

[namuthing]

[Genya isn't exactly good at working with other people. The nature of his own technique makes it a risk, and that's to stay nothing of his own unsociable personality. Tanjiro, and by extension, his friends, had been the exception, and that had been a special case given the other boy's vibrant and unfaltering personality.

All that is to say, it's strange to have someone so willing to work with him. It's also nice to know that someone has his back. He feels less like he has to look over his shoulder or impossibly on guard as he works his way through the building.

He isn't sure how long he's gone for. He makes sure to be thorough as he goes, but nothing reveals itself to him. Content with that, he returns to the front door and motions with his head.]

We're safe. Get in here.

[outofsynth]

[Min-Gi is admittedly starting to have his doubts by the time Genya returns. His absence makes him feel negligent. Should he really have let him go in there on his own? What happens if he runs into trouble? What if he's hurt already.

It's a huge relief by the time he does reappear, and Min is more than happy to join him inside, closing what's left of the door behind them.]

I'm not sure how long we have before something finds this place.

[It will do for now, but they shouldn't let their guards down too much.]

[namuthing]

You're probably right.

[Which is why, as soon as Min-Gi is through the door, Genya slides down the frame of it. He lays his gun against his thigh, but doesn't bother holstering it.]

We'll take turns keeping watch. An hour or two a piece. We might not have much time, but you have to keep up on your rest.

[Genya knows they both have precious little stamina. Maintaining it was the only way they were going to manage to survive.]

[outofsynth]

[That's sensible. Min-Gi nods, taking in the room from within the middle of it. It does look safe. Unpleasant, but maybe the best they can hope for for now.]

Do you want me to go first?

[He's younger, and he did already search the building first. It only seems fair he gets to rest first.]

[namuthing]

[Genya is quick to wave his hand.]

I've survived on less sleep before. I can handle this. Besides, you've earned it.

[Min-Gi saved his ass, therefore Genya is now eternally indebted to him. That's basically how it works, right?]

I won't let anything happen to you.

[outofsynth]

[He's not super comfortable with this scenario, but arguing with him only seems likely to waste energy that neither of them can afford to spare. He nods uncertainly, retreating to one of the corners of the room to slide back down to the ground himself. He's not sure he'll even be able to get any rest, but he should at least try so he can keep protecting Genya when it's his turn.]

Let me know when you get too tired.

[He tries not to think about the alternative reason he might need him. He just hopes they'll stay undetected for at least long enough for them to both get enough rest.]