EVENT 30

[sticksandbonesmods]

I CALL MYSELF A SHELL

A USED UP BULLET CASING

The air is cold, the sky dreary. Ever since your return to Aldric’s Grove, the chill in the air is as bitter and sharp as a knife. The scent of stew from the General Store’s windows is comforting, almost as much as the teas Ydalir is handing out if you pass by her tent. Nene puts baskets of her fresh produce on every doorstep or before the doors of people’s rooms in the inn, and Evan and Rillian join her sometimes, the two also handing out sweaters or cloaks. It’s not going to be as bad as last year, but a bitter winter is coming. It’s best to be prepared, isn’t it?

As the winter approaches, plantimals busy themselves to prepare as best they can, too. Pinecone squirrels harvest away nuts while one by one birds move as close to warmth as they can — and that may well just be Sehul and Aurora’s domains. The river water is clear as ever and even colder, with only the blessed trees and bushes still flowering and bearing fruit.

Yet nothing prepares anyone for the green mist, knee-high at the lowest, waist-high at the highest. It smells earthy and grassy, almost floral like a garden,and it pours out of the research hall.

There’s a chill in the air. Something… strange is happening, yet again.

THE AFTERMATH OF SOMETHING LETHAL

The mist is not the only thing that follows. In your homes, walking around the slowly rebuilding town, resting in the inn — all over, there are ghosts, and they all look painfully familiar. After all… it's not every day you get to see your face without a mirror.

Ghosts of the former residents of the Grove have followed where the mist flows, fragments of history that are part of you given form. Some look pristine, like they’d simply gotten up and got dressed like any normal day. Others look bloodied and wounded, clearly killed and still persisting. None seem bothered by their state — if anything, the lot are curious about the changes that have been made to the Grove, or about you.

Of course they know you. They know your pains, the life you’ve lived, they’re part of you after all… though some ghosts know the full extent better than others. You must have something you want to say, don’t you? Or… maybe you’re approached by the ghost of another soul, with something else in mind.

AN ECHO OF INFLICTED EVIL

cw: a brief instance of animal death

Within the heart of it all stands a woman almost eight feet tall, maybe more. There is an unearthly glow to her green eyes, and she wears a black gown that looks like it’s meant for a funeral and a garden party in the same day. Draped in her arm is a basket as she talks to various blooms, and occasionally she may… pluck at a passing by animal, placing a silvery light within the basket as the animal comes to a stop and finds its final rest.

She looks at each resident of the Grove as she walks, poking and pulling at things that cannot be seen — from the air, from the buildings, from you-

And then she keeps on walking, pausing only at the fog barrier.

“... What a troubling scene this sets. And the rot in the roots… beastly, isn’t it? What a shame that I cannot be here in full to set this straight.” She hums thoughtfully, before finally she stops and sits down.

“Come along now, then. I’m sure you all have questions.”

So, will you talk to Morrigan the Lady Death?

... SO COMES SNOW AFTER FIRE ...

With talking to Morrigan comes a task: close the door once more. Once this is done, the Grove settles again, a blanket of quiet settling over the little village finally. Time passes, and once the first snow starts to fall, Heimr calls everyone to the inn. White snowdrops are painted along the banisters, the door frames and windows, and warm spices and savory smells waft through the air.

Renard is dishing up different plates as you come in, and he smiles radiantly with a wave. Later on he might show off some of his creations, or hand you an instrument.

Music flows through the dining room as Ydalir feeds the fire, and some of Callisto’s meads and wines — flavored or simple honey — eventually turn up on the table. It’s nice not to be alone, right?

Unfortunately it might be ruined when Heimr sets out what looks to be a deck for UNO. And a stack of other board games. But UNO is the killer, here. UNO may just ruin your carefully-crafted friendships with everyone here. …please don’t let it do that. You’ve already been through so much together, and there’s so much more to come.

Spark Notes

summary

A USED UP BULLET CASING Fall is here and winter is fast approaching. The residents of the Grove are trying to help take care of player characters after the past two months of hardships... but one night, a green mist spills out of the Research Hall.
THE AFTERMATH OF SOMETHING LETHAL All throughout the Grove, the ghosts of your past lives linger waiting to speak to you- or to the ones you love. They know your life, though the intimate details may vary, and can be touched. And linger they will! They're very curious, you know.
THE ECHO OF INFLICTED EVIL Morrigan the Death wanders the town, poking and prodding at the magics in play. Whatever she's found, however, they have decided can wait. After all, you probably have questions, don't you?
... SO COMES SNOW AFTER FIRE ... After the Door to the Afterlife has been closed- presumably by you, someone's got to do it- and Morrigan has presumably also left, Heimr decides it's time for another community meal. And this time, he brought board games! Please do not kill each other over Monopoly.

out of character

Welcome to November! Thank you very much to Jami for allowing us to use their past life plotting and location for this event, and to Aspen for helping facilitate it ICly!. This has been a long time coming, and now you get to meet another force of nature: Death!

AC will be check-in for November and December before resuming regularly. September and October are the last TDM of the year, and we encourage you to reuse them as desired if current players wish to test new characters, or if new players want to break the ice! We check the TDMs regularly.

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

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

code

Comments

[namuthing]

Trust me, so do I.

[Maybe not for himself. He has a rough idea of the bitter end coming for him, and thinks it'll be good for him to be here, with people he knows. Still, he also knows that there are others, Like Min-Gi, that have had pleasant enough lives up until this point.]

Maybe we'll figure out a way for you to choose. I know it's probably a little too late but... Thought that counts, right?

[outofsynth]

I don't know if that applies in this case.

[He sighs, trying not to look too frustrated with someone he knows had no say in them turning up here.]

I know it's not your fault. We were just starting to take off back home, so the timing is... not great.

[namuthing]

With uh... The whole music thing, right?

[He can only draw guesses from what he knows about his version of Ryan and Min-Gi. Being able to peep in on others' lives is strictly reserved for those he has direct ties to. Or at least, he thinks that's how it works. Maybe he's just never tried.]

[outofsynth]

Right.

[Min's assumed until this moment that being able to see their lives only occurs to their own past selves, but now he's left with some hesitancy.]

Taking off is probably overstating it, but we're playing shows. Smaller ones anyway.

[namuthing]

It's important to you. Doesn't matter how big you were making it, it was still something you wanted to be doing. And not, y'know, this.

[He may not understand the idea of having a career in music, but he can at least empathize when it comes to being torn away from the things that mattered.]

You'll figure out a way back to it. I'm sure of that.

[outofsynth]

I hope so.

You're right. Success would be nice, but the important part was we were living our dream together. I really want to get back to that someday.

[namuthing]

It sounds pretty special. I hope you're able to get back to that, too. Think you two deserve that, and more.

[His cheeks warm as he says it, and he quickly turns his head away.]

I mean. I guess.

[outofsynth]

[Oh. Well. That is not the response Min had been anticipating.

His cheeks heat up just as rapidly, looking anywhere but Genya as he scrambles for words.]

Thank you? I want more too.

[Okay, no. That definitely isn't what he meant to say.]

I-I mean. We're... you know. Trying.

[Musically? Romantically? Min-Gi isn't sure what he means anymore.]

[namuthing]

I- I get it!

[He laughs, but it comes out as a sputtering, nervous little sound. Just to have something to do, he shoves his hands in his pockets.]

I'm not very good with that kind of stuff myself. I think it took me years to even look girls in the eyes, let alone understand that I could, y'know, like more than that.

[God, even now he's the worst person to go to, for that.]

I think... whatever you do, it'll be okay. We might not have been the closest in my life, but even I could see how much you two cared for each other. And that's all that matters, right?

[outofsynth]

[Well, at least one of them gets it. Min isn't actually sure at all about what he's saying, no matter how much time he's spent thinking about it lately.

The temptation to backpedal is strong, but Min-Gi knows he can't do that. Not when he's promised he'll work on being open and honest. He hadn't planned for the conversation to go in this direction, but maybe that's made the admission come more naturally than if he'd been agonizing over how he should say it.]

I hope you're right. Things are more complicated where we're from. It's hard to let go of that even if I know Ryan needs me to.

[namuthing]

Hey, man. If there's one thing I learned in life, you can't go neglecting yourself for someone else.

[Something his counterpart could stand to do, but he's not going to get into all of that. The one thing they had in common were all the years spent trying to take care of family. And he learned first hand just how important it was to put yourself first. Not without falling on his face a few times, but he still learned!]

I know you care about the guy. But that doesn't mean he comes first, at least not all the time. You're not going to be any good to him if you're struggling yourself.

[outofsynth]

I'm not trying to do that.

[Is he? Min-Gi's been struggling since even before he admitted the way he felt to Ryan, but that doesn't mean he's neglecting himself. It's not like overcoming his stagefright. It would be unfair to ask Ryan to hold himself back because of his own insecurities.]

It's going to be hard for me no matter what. I don't want to make Ryan feel like he's got to hold himself back over something he shouldn't feel bad about.