MINI-EVENT: RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAINS

[sticksandbonesmods]

You are tired.

Without the truck to come get you — where did those people go? Were they even real? — you have to walk, hike up to the mountain peak, only to go back down. Did no one tell you that just the base of the mountains to the Grove itself is a seven-day walk? Perhaps someone would have, if they were here to tell you.

As all of you escape Roseroot, leaving behind the horrors slaughtered en masse, poor Astrid is suddenly blinded, his eyes turning completely black as something whispers in his mind. “Please. Please, you have to help them. You have to help them. Please, please, you have to—” As quick as it came, he regains his vision, his eyes clearing back up, and the message cuts off. Whether he shares this information or not with the rest of you… that’s up to him.

Either way, to get over the mountains, you have to hike. The winged, the flighted ones, those who can float, they might be able to take people up to the peak faster, but the blizzards rage atop it. Is flying really safe? You have only a few supplies between all of you — do you look for firewood and rest along the path? Do you traverse the mazelike caverns and hope one of you spits you out at a higher peak? Do you take shelter underneath the crystals growing on the mountainside?

If you look at those crystals for too long, they seem to reflect your nightmares back at you, but sleeping beneath them gives an incredible sense of calm.

At the mountain peak is the scene of something nightmarish itself — a group of people, some humanoid, one shadowy, a few monstrous, all collapsed. Each of them sleeps beneath the bulk of a golden dragon, tucked up underneath their bulk for warmth, while the unconscious dragon itself is mostly-buried under the snow. In the air float three charms, one of the sun, one of the moon, and one of half a sun. And just under those, maintaining some sort of magic — though even the magically-inclined may struggle to tell what exactly it is — is a leucistic deer-centaur holding a staff with a dreamcatcher head, wearing furs and leathers and braving the blizzard in his unconscious state solely to keep whatever this magic field around the peak is running.

As soon as you step further into this field, your memories come back en masse. These people are yours. They are your Guardians, your friends, your almost-family, and they disappeared one day, and you did not remember them. When you go to wake one of them up, your mind is pulled into theirs, a fragmented web of memories spanning before you.

Do you fix them? Or do you leave them here forever to suffer with a fragmented mind?

Spark Notes

out of character

Per the plotting, please remember that it is ONE character per player for the NPCs minus the Lord of the Mountains — meaning for example that Amity cannot have White Lily fix Ydalir, Sidney fix Callan, and Mafuyu fix Heimr. However, players are free to select what NPC they want to help, even if multiple players are currently helping that NPC. Guess comments will be screened and replied to as they come in to avoid cheating when someone gets one right, and all will be unscreened at the end of the event. :)

If everyone lumps into a few NPCs and others don't have interaction, I will lift the rule saying one character per player in the Discord and make an announcement.

Participation in an NPC thread will be good for Bonus AC regardless of length. Please do not use these for main AC. You can get main AC off your toplevels on this event if you choose to do so.

Please refrain from general threading with the NPCs on this post; bar Lord of the Mountains, other NPCs should be threaded with on NPC Contact if it's irrelevant to the event proper. In the case of LotM, he is the exception to every rule — everyone is free to try solving his memories regardless of if you have another character solving another NPC's memory puzzle, and general threading with him is allowed.

I maintain the right to cut a threading-thread short at any time; this is to avoid overwhelm and flooding the post with irrelevant details to the event. Guess threads will not be cut until all guesses are correct at minimum. (This is more in defense of my wordiness than a slight at you guys, I know how I get so this is a rule that exists to protect Me lmao.)

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Comments

[sticksandbonesmods]

The memories are sorted and lock into place, unable to be altered further. JOSHUA now knows that Aurora needs to go to therapy.

The massive bird begins to stir from her nest underneath Sehul, blinking sleepily at the scene.

[kingincognito]

[ Birdmom please go to therapy--

The movement makes Joshua exhale a quick but heavy sigh of relief, though. It's so cold here even while being sheltered by Sehul's body. How long have they been here? This whole time? Days, weeks? In Roseroot, he's lost track.

He moves closer, gently placing a hand on Aurora's feathers wherever can be easily reached beneath Sehul. ]

Thank the Founder you're safe...! Are you all right?

[sticksandbonesmods]

[They have been here for An Amount Of Time likely amounting to Normal People Weeks, yeah—]

Hello, dear. I suppose you might say I've been better, but I suppose I'm also no worse for wear. Are you cold out there?

[Come into the pile, Joshua.]

[kingincognito]

[ That's the best news he could have hoped for, honestly. But poor Sehul, blanketing them from all this, and the deer man... ]

I'm all right. My fire has kept me warm.

[ But he will come into the pile. Just a little, just enough to try to wrap his arms around her neck as much as he can in a firm, warm hug. ]

I... saw some of your memories while trying to wake you. I apologize for intruding.

[sticksandbonesmods]

[The absolute behemoth that is Aurora leans down for the hug, and immediately starts preening Joshua's hair.]

That's alright, dear one. As I was sleeping, I couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong. All of my dreams were broken up into fragments... I suppose I have you to thank for fixing them.

[Tucking him into the feathers... her son now, she hatched this Joshua personally—]

I hope you didn't see me when I was a naked little baby bird. I was embarrassing and small back then.

[AU timeline where I give you a naked baby bird Aurora memory instead and she's gangly and awkward]

[kingincognito]

[ NOT NAKED BABY BIRD MOM-- ]

I wanted to help you, as you once helped me.

[ Preening feels nice though, he is not going to stop her. He is slowly getting most in the feathers, isn't he. ]

Fear not. You were as radiant as ever. [ A pause. ] ... but the people did not seem to appreciate it as they should have. I am so very sorry you had to experience that.

[sticksandbonesmods]

...that is alright. I was always considered something of a terrifying thing to humans. I suppose it's the talons. But such is why I learnt to imbue life into my tailfeathers, even though it goes against the natural order of things.

I think Lady Death is quite cross with me!