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

[itisa]

[ I ]

[...Is it wise, to be hiking up the mountain? Sure, they can't stay in the city of horrors, but most everyone is worse for wear, and there's a blizzard raging at the summit... and that's, supposedly, not even the halfway point.

He could teleport, but what good would that do? Then he'd just be alone. At the peak. In a blizzard. Could he take others? Maybe - but was it worth trying? Were there limitations?

For now, he hikes with the bulk of the group... somewhat. He does seem to be walking on top of the snow, and isn't leaving behind any footprints or making the tell-tale crunching noise of steps, so there's something afoot... but he's not exactly dressed for the weather, either, so surely no one can blame him for not tromping through the snow and mud.]

[ II ]

[Walking isn't even the worst of it. Setting up camp in the snow, the cold, the wind... that's what could prove dangerous, at least for anyone who's somewhat close to normal, anyway - and he certainly hasn't gotten a good read on that, yet. Sure, a weak soul leaving its mortal coil from exposure to the elements would be a meal... it wouldn't exactly be a satisfying one, and he's not at home, so he could be forgiven for not performing his Jeoseung Saja duties right now. Even if he's dressed like one (apologies to anyone who 1) knows what they are and/or 2) met his monsters in Roseroot...) at the moment. It's warmer and more sensible than any human-fashion guise.

So if he's not reaping souls... apparently, he's busy saving them. Imagine that. At least at one of the many little camps set up he can put his skills to good use retrieving firewood for warmth and hunting small woodland creatures for food when supplies run thin.]

II

[love_swan]

[ Aira has always been someone described as fragile by others, both in body and in emotions. It's not surprising that he had to be carried up the mountain, and its less surprising that he did not leave that horror show unscathed. His clothes still have dried blood coating them since he simply hadn't had anything to exchange it with.

But despite having been sat at a fire and expected to stay there while the others in his group dealt with the harsh conditions, Aira struggled up to his feet at seeing Mystery. ]

Mystery-san!

[ Oh, get ready for a hug. Lil guy incoming. ]

Are you alright? I didn't see you at all in there--

[ Even if Mystery looks a little different, that clearly hasn't deterred him. ]

[itisa]

[Oh- lil guy incoming.

Mystery had been bringing more fuel for the fire, regardless of who'd been sitting by it, but when Aira crashes into him, that all drops to the ground as he, somewhat automatically, puts his arms around him. It's almost second nature to return affection at this point, and Aira still does tug at the part of him that says he needs to put on a kind face For The Fans.

(Never mind he's always had a bit of a soft spot for Lil Guys(tm) anyway.)]

Aira...

[He'll... gently dodge the question, because he's honestly been better, but scooping Aira up and returning him to the fireside should, hopefully, be enough of a distraction.

At least he'll sit with him for a bit, make sure that fire stays lit, instead of just skittering away.]

What happened?

[love_swan]

[ Oop. He hadn't been expecting him to just drop his stuff. He was going to hug him around it but hopefully its fine. Guilt. ]

Ah... well, It's a little complicated, but one of the monsters attacked me.

[ He assumes he means the very obvious blood and wounds. If that's not what he means he will be embarrassed. ]

One of the ones after me was a hellhound from the place I was before I came here.

[ Mystery is staying so Aira is happy to snuggle against him. Scary how much he implicitly trusts other idols. ]

[itisa]

[Eh, it's just firewood. From the ground it came, and to the ground it shall return, no harm done.]

Mm... what kind of idol has to deal with hellhounds?

[Mystery what kind of question is that???

Out of pocket questions (from a demon...) aside, he does let Aira snuggle up to him, only really moving him so he can drape that side of his hanbok around him for some extra warmth. Humans need that.]

[love_swan]

Unlucky ones, I guess...

[ the way he laughs is a touch weary. Like he wishes it were something he could laugh about, but it's not. ]

There was no such thing in the world I'm from- I'm one of the unlucky few that got displaced once before getting here. We did what we could to survive in that place.

[itisa]

Unlucky ones...

[He thinks on that for a moment, and... yeah, Aira is right, he decides, sorry to the local hellhounds back home.

But multiple displacements is interesting. He hadn't thought once was possible, and now?]

Is this world better than the last, or...

[Or do subsequent shifts just get worse?]

[love_swan]

Maginally better. The cruelty is more predictable and not as constant. I would list specific stuff, but honestly I don't want to give the forest ideas.

[ And he's not especially inclined to talk about it either ]

I do miss those from the Nest though. Everyone there was pretty closeknit given how awful it was there. I'm glad they were on their way home...

[itisa]

[He hums in consideration. Predictable cruelty, with an ever-listening oppressive force. Yeah, he can handle that. No need for Aira to go into further detail.]

Still... that's not something a typical idol is equipped to handle.

[love_swan]

... I know.

[ And He wasn't. Still isn't considering how he's ended up. ]

There were a lot of us in the Nest regardless, though. We did what we had to