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

[kingincognito]

[ ... oh. That was not the response he anticipated. Beneath Luca's fingers, Joshua's skin feels incredibly warm, and not just because of his fire. A pink flush takes his cheeks, and he briefly feels his heart flutter and his throat tighten.

But just as quickly as it came, Luca is pulling his hands back, and Joshua finds himself moving before the last word can even echo against the crystals over them. His hands find Luca's face in a similar way, cupping his cheeks gently as he leans in.

To press a gentle kiss against Luca's forehead. ]

Of course.

[ He doesn't pull back much, hovering in warm proximity. In the cold, it's comfortable. ]

I trust you completely. And I will not forget.

[unheiring]

[At even such a fleeting touch, Luca seems to freeze up. Before he can even will himself to dash the thought against the rocks, his mind seems to whisper sinisterly don't stop and come back. He closes his eyes, swallowing down the wash of simultaneous guilt and grief, before opening them once more.]

Thank you. [He swallows, voice sounding the slightest bit thick. ] Not just for this, but for staying safe out there. If anything were to have happened to you...

[They've both lost so much over the past few months. The thought is almost enough to chill Luca once more, so he finds himself shifting, leaning up enough to lay their foreheads together.]

But that is irrelevant, isn't it? We are both still here.

[kingincognito]

[ It's comfortable, leaning against each other like this. Joshua sighs softly, closing his eyes and just soaking in the closeness and warmth. He has always been fond of touch, even when he went so long without even casually affectionate gestures. Perhaps that only made it worse. ]

I try. I do not wish to empower him by dying, and I do not wish to make you lose another. Especially after what has already happened.

[ If he's echoing Luca's thoughts, he doesn't know it. It's the truth, plain and simple. ]

We are both still here, and we are both alive. That is all that matters. And together, we can get through anything.

[unheiring]

[Comfortable as they both are, it only makes sense for Luca to reach out, gently holding Joshua's forearms between his own, just in case. It's like he said — together they could get through anything. Luca just has to hold on tight enough, right?]

So long as I do not freeze to death, I will remain here. [Luca's smile is just a touch wry. At least he can find it in himself to be a little silly.] Well, preferably not here. Do try to pick somewhere warmer for us to settle next time.

[kingincognito]

[ However Luca is comfortable resting, Joshua will allow it. If this is how he ends up sleeping tonight, so be it. There are far worse ways to fall asleep than with a loved one in his arms.

In fact, he will tug Luca a little closer, his wings wrapping around them like a blanket. It's more comfortable than trying to lean back against the wall without squishing them, anyway. ]

You will not freeze to death on my watch. On that, you have my word. And in lieu if a warmer place, I do hope that for now, this will suffice...?

[unheiring]

[Sitting up as they are doesn't make for the most pleasant of positioning, but compared to the alternative — teeth chattering in the open air, all by himself — like hell he's going to complain. And that was before Joshua decided to do what was arguably the most romantic thing possible.

Something that may well kill Luca, by the way.]

It's - perfect. [This time, when his words stumble, it's not from the cold. In fact, it's very clear that Luca's face, at the very least, is warming up just fine. He tucks his head downward before Joshua can get a good look at that, nestling beneath his chin.]

I owe you, you know.

[kingincognito]

[ That's all he needed to hear. With a smile, Joshua lets Luca settle in however he likes, ensuring that he is warm and covered once he has found a place.

And those words make him laugh, albeit softly and not much more than a breath. ]

Do you? For what, pray tell? I am only doing what I would have done regardless.

[unheiring]

Mm, is that so? [Tucked into Joshua's neck, hidden away from his face, maybe Luca feels a little emboldened. Or perhaps it's just how well things have been going, how comfortable he feels with Joshua. The guilt does still eat at the back of his mind but..

It's one question, right? A question that Joshua even opened the door for.]

So, if I were not - half-frozen and trembling, you would still be holding me like this?

[He keeps his tone light, near teasing. With his face hidden, there's no way Joshua can tell just how serious the question happens to be.]

[kingincognito]

[ Ah. He had opened the door for it, indeed. He couldn't attempt to cover his tracks even if he wanted to, though. No, the truth of the matter is, he truly would keep Luca warm regardless of circumstances, and he would gladly hold his friend like this even if warmth wasn't needed. There's no denying it in the slightest.

The question makes him flush, though, and he's glad that neither of them can see each other's face. ]

... yes. I would. If you would be amenable, of course.

[ Way to make it sound like you're asking to court him, Joshua. What if that isn't why he's asking at all? The cold is addling his brain, clearly. ]

[unheiring]

[A low hum leaves Luca, thoughtful, and perhaps a touch delighted. His face feels hotter than ever, and he can't help but wonder if Joshua can feel as much, given their current proximity. If he dwells on that thought, though, he's never going to get out what he needs to.

Which is to say, looping back to what he meant to say before.]

We... should talk more then. When we return to the Grove.

[Not here on a mountain. Not just because it's completely unromantic, but because they both need time to think, of that he is certain. There is a path that they could choose to walk together here, but he won't rush onto it when there is so much else that could complicate matters.

Never mind the stress of the last several weeks. Who's to say it isn't their endorphins running high from finally breaking free, or the cold well and truly making them delirious. He has to be sure.

He has to do this right.]

[kingincognito]

[ Likewise, Joshua has his own reservations, and not because he doesn't feel this way for Luca. Ultimately, the last time he'd grown close to someone, the Forest had used it as a weapon against him, a means of punishing him for digging a little too far. He doesn't want that to happen again. He doesn't want Luca to suffer for his quest for knowledge.

But that is something that they can discuss later, once they are safely back in the Grove. ]

Indeed. When we return to the Grove.

[ But rather than dwell further on it, he pulls Luca closer, more snug against him. To share the warmth he's giving off, and all that .]

For right now, we shall keep each other warm.

[unheiring]

[It's a relief that Joshua doesn't spurn him for his hesitation. It makes it far easier to relax, body going almost limp against his friend's side. Weeks of tension begins to melt from his body, leaving him feeling almost boneless. If he needed to, he could probably lift up his sword and fight but beasts, let it not come to that.]

That's all I need.

[No matter what came of... all of this, really, at least he could rely on Joshua being there. Maybe they would decide that friendship was better for them, but the idea of Joshua actually casting Luca out...? That one seemed incredibly far-fetched.]

Thank you.