MOD EVENT #001

[oblivium]

A CHAOTIC RESPITE

It isn't rare for the seasons in the Netherworld to be a little erratic, though many days have passed now without much of a hint of its typical mercuriality, a good and a bad omen all at once. This respite is commonly referred to as the proverbial "calm before the storm", but it also marks the beginning of merrier celebrations. The Moons above are gilded silver, the twilight sky edged with faint pink and orange -- a sunrise phantasm, spilling over the horizon. It's an infrequent spectacle, accompanied by a dulcet breeze and light drizzles that seem to encourage growth nearly everywhere. Unfortunately, under its influence, people seem a little on edge, quick to anger, but no matter; around Stygia, Restless have begun hanging decorations and ornaments on trees and windowsills, left to catch the moonlight and give off marigold and ginger glows, warmly lighting up the city. Rather than fish, the smell of freshly ground spices permeates the air in the Harbors, Mirth keeps its doors opened to all, but just before the festivities officially begin, a cacophony of chimes resounds all over, a transmission difficult to ignore.

On the screen of your cellphone, nothing; only a voice, ragged, out of breath...

“The woods... Oakwoods! They've come alive! O-One minute he was complaining about the water seeping into his boots, and the next he was... he was being yanked up into the trees! We didn’t see what happened to him, but we heard... the screams, ohh, the screams. Please! Come to Serene, I beg you. This is our safest sanctuary, and the lan... oh, no... wait, no, please... please... NOOO--”

...and the feed abruptly ends, a dull chirr of static. Will you ignore the stranger's call for help and feast, or venture into the woods?

► I. KNOCK ON WOOD (OH PUCK, HE'S HOT!)

When you cross the gates of Serene, an old woman welcomes you, palm flat against her chest and disquiet in her eyes. Myrtille, her name. Oakwoods loom dense and dark in the distance behind her, groaning low as leaves rustle without wind. The Mourning Lantern was stolen, and malevolence rose in turn, dooming them all.

“It was once kept here, a sacred Artifact crafted from the bones of Serene's first founder, who gave her heart’s blood willingly to the woods in an act of contrition. It's the absence of the lantern that is contributing to the wood’s unusually active malice, and if you lot cannot retrieve it, then we must sacrifice another. Go! Take these torches and go, before Oakwoods swallow us whole.”

So you've decided to be brave. Commendable, or foolish? The wood is dark and shrouded in mist, and the trees crowd around you, an absent wind somehow whispering foul nothings in your ear as dead leaves rustle around your feet. Your Shadow basks in the murmurs, sensing the malign presence in Oakwoods as a faint, garbled scream echoes in the distance. You wander deeper and the canopy thickens, thin streaks of moonlight peppering the woods in deep patches of darkness. Behind you, a creature you can't see hisses, and a fluttering of wings nearby alerts you to the arrival of snickering harpies lurking on branches. “Dead,” they croak, in a sing-song chorus. “Dead as daylight.” Oddly enough, they seem content to just watch and stalk you, perhaps expecting you to die quickly, an easy and effortless meal.

It's a frustrating errand if you've ever known one. You barely know what you're looking for, and your Shadow thrives in the dark, taunting, coaxing. You hear it then; a haunting melody, the silhouette of a boy on a fallen tree trunk, strumming. “Come,” he says, with a voice that shimmers like the sun on moving water. If you remember what that's like. “Rest a while. Forget your troubles.” For anyone familiar, you'll recognize him as a Puck, famous prankster, and from his hand dangles a lantern.

► If you attempt to take the lantern from him, he'll immediately drop it to the ground, causing it to break. You may choose to kill him and offer his blood to the woods, or let him go and bleed in his stead. Myrtille should be able to repair what's left of the lantern once the offering's been made.
► If you politely ask to return it, he promises that he will... if you indulge him for the night.

No matter what you choose, you will come across camps, either on your way in or on your way back: pitched tents, most moth-eaten, and some containing vestiges of prior expeditions such as putrid corpses or rotten food. You've been wandering for a while, and sleep sounds terribly inviting. Unfortunately, a wind finally picks up, and leaves begin to blow around you. A nick, then a cut, then a slash reveal the leaves to have razor sharp edges. Sleep well yet? If you've spared the Puck, he'll encourage you to sit with him around a campfire, where he'll sing and tell stories. Or are they. Perhaps you've heard of Bloody Mary before. Slenderman? The Devil that'll make you dance until you die? While the lantern remains in stranger hands, the thread between reality and fiction narrows; protagonists from the Puck's legends come to life, and the only way to rid of them is by quenching the flames of the fire.

Your journey unfortunately doesn't end there. The Puck has a riddle for you: I am a word that is hardly there. Remove my start, and I'm an herbal flair. What am I?

If you fail to answer correctly, he'll vanish before you, and you can bid the lantern goodbye. You'll be forced to gather the bones from the corpses scattered across the woods, and feed it your blood -- or a friend's -- before you escape and return to the woman. The offering will leave you drained and exhausted, weak on your legs. If, on the other hand, you do answer correctly, the lantern is yours, and you'll be teleported out of the woods with a boon in your pocket: a piece of parchment invites you to visit your home in the Shadowlands. There, you'll find an object (or a pet) that belonged to you in your world.

the answer to the riddle is sparsely! it's up to you whether you'd like your character to fail.
legends told around the campfire can be any of the ones mentioned above or any other that might strike your fancy! go wild, have fun!
remember that if you pick an item from your character's world as their boon, it'll eventually disintegrate unless reforged with a soul.

.

► II. GO BIG OR GOURD HOME

Welcome to the Frightful Harvest, a festival that marks the beginning of the Respite, a temporary period of tranquility between seasons. It acknowledges the blessings offered and the role that both good and evil play in the Netherworld. It is a time to give thanks, but more importantly, it is a time of reflection and warding. Warding against not only the darkness of the next seasons to come, but of the nefarious creatures and struggles that will undoubtedly follow.

Carved pumpkins and straw bales are placed everywhere around the city, and streamers and banners are hung from every home and storefront. Decadent cakes, candies, and pastries are made in over-abundance in order to accommodate everyone, and from the lush gardens of Radiance, an elderly, dark-robed man addresses the Netherwork. You'll learn by eavesdropping on nearby Restless that his name is Doran, the oldest among you and loved by all. His smile stretches kind, and while not an official member of the Hierarchy, it's clear he has certain privileges -- well-deserved, or so you hear.

“Let us gather, feast, dance and celebrate. Let us hold our glasses high for those who heroically perished, for goodness, and for the Ascended. May their journey inspire us to change our lives and the lives of others, to resist evil, and to triumph. To you, dear friends!”

And without further ado, let the festivities begin!

► BARDIC BLITZ
The bardic blitz is a friendly competition that pits talented musicians against one another in an attempt to win over the affection of the crowd through festive melodies or personal compositions. Although it can be hosted just about anywhere, the bardic blitz is normally held in a large canvas tent directly in the heart of Mirth, though smaller crowds also gather in Serene and the Harbors around bonfires.

► FEAST
Although all cultures around Stygia bring their own tastes and specific flair to the celebrations, there are a few staple trade goods that you can find at nearly any celebration of the holiday throughout the city. Many producing the various cakes, beverages, and cookies also use the time to test and perfect their recipes, teaching others or using them as guinea pigs.

► Firstdawn Tea: This revitalizing crimson tea soothes the mind and body and is brewed from the roots of the dawn flower, which only sprouts during the Respite.
► Grablenuts: These fist-sized brown nuts have a hard, stippled outer shell and soft, delicious spicy centers. A single bite will slightly lower your inhibitions, and you may find yourself seeking proximity and warmth.
► Elysium: A nonalcoholic beverage that smells and looks as bad as it tastes. Only those with the strongest will manage to gulp it down. Once drunk, the person experiences true bliss, which seems to last for hours; in reality, it's only a few minutes.
► Will-o-the-Whiskey: Whisky with minor hallucinatory effects, visual and auditory.
► Sundrop: A pound cake coated in a sugary lemon drizzle. No side-effects, just delicious!
► Shadowfell Candy: Chewing on this candy will grant the character a deep and rejuvenating sleep, during which they will appear dead to anyone.

. ► HARVEST HUNT
The harvest hunt happens in a corn maze located in Mirth's amusement park, specifically created for the occasion. Because of the labyrinthian horrors dwelling in the Tempest, some find the terror-free replica a little inappropriate, yet participants still abound every time. A favorite seasonal game of the exuberant and athletic, characters take on the role of either hunter or prey, racing through the maze to either corner their quarry or escape the hands of their pursuer. As long as Shadows behave, it's a relatively safe activity. Friendly spars sometimes occur, picnics, and star-gazing.

► THE PARADE
The parade is the activity most looked forward to by younger Restless. Citizens clad in colorful costumes walk the streets to the rhythm of festive music, and according to tradition, it helps ward away any lingering evil that might try to hide in the community. For reasons unknown, incidents where Restless unwillingly swap bodies sometimes occur.

► III. WAYWARD SUN

The Warding Ritual is a private affair, a behind-the-scene execution on the last day of the festival as you dance and feast and frolic, blissfully unaware. Something goes awry. First, a shriek in the distance, and soon, birds flying away in apparent surprise as the landscape rustles with the sounds of creatures and Restless alike fleeing. A vague sense of dread knocks the air out of your lungs, an iron grip around your throat. And you see it then, a headless figure shrouded in a black veil of cloth, sword in one hand and a bright flaming pumpkin in the other. Its head. It thunders through the night on its skeletal horse, its blade flashing in the moonlight in search of prey. Heads fall. You might get injured during the chase -- collateral damage. 10 members of the Hierarchy won't ever rise again, and the rider eventually charges into the Tempest, leaving behind bloody puddles and a slather of confusion. If you opt to help clean up the mess, you might come across stained sheets of paper on the ground, a painting of a white scorpion in the middle. Otherwise, it's time for you to go home.

---

ooc note

► Welcome to Nightfell's first event! If you'd like additional, more casual prompts, the Notice Board is right here! New prompts will be added next month, if you've already had your fun with them!
► You'll find some answered questions here, but if you'd like to ask something else, please comment below!
► For a little spooky ambience in the woods.

Comments

as a former sasuke player, i appreciate u

[damnpire]

[Below, D keeps up with both the horseman and Sasuke without overtaking them. When he needs to make up distance, he leaps across; it looks like flying, but it isn't, a glide maybe over the expanse.

His voice is more firm but just as quiet when he gains on the other Restless and says,] Move. [The resonance of it can be heard, and it gets the crowd to scatter in other direction.

The spurred boots run him for Sasuke and the horseman when Sasuke comes down, and he wonders if he'll have enough speed and time to swing his sword in for another parry. But he pulls up into a slow pause several yards away as the winding skeleton emerges. Hm. Lacking the hurry he had before, he closes the gap between them in a steady walk, stopping nearby with the sword held at his side. His eyes peer in the direction the horseman has gone, then he glances at Sasuke.]

Yes.

🤝

[chokuto]

[Straight and to the point. Sasuke gives a sharp nod, turning to take off again in pursuit.

Unfortunately the pattern is the same — the rider finds a vulnerable crowd, D protects the civilians as much as possible, and every time Sasuke gets close he's evaded like smoke in the wind. It occurs to him there's something more nefarious afoot; the creatures of this dimension seem to have unique abilities and attributes, more than he can sense. It shouldn't be so difficult for him to pin this one down.

Sasuke grimaces, chasing their assailant to the shores of the Harbors, where the horseman suddenly leaps clear over a docked rowboat and rides across the ocean toward the distant Tempest. He doesn't hesitate; he jumps as well, chakra in his feet allowing him to cross the water for several meters — until it fails him again. He splashes under inelegantly, feeling hot with unreasonable rage at such an elementary mistake.

... So he bobs there in the waves, keeping himself afloat, looking back to see if D has made it to the docks. The glare on his face isn't personally directed at the other Restless.] I lost him.

[damnpire]

[Sasuke is trying his best here.

As Sasuke takes off again, D does the same. They race after the fleeing horseman, coming across a few more people unlucky enough to be the victim. D swoops in to try to become a focus, to give Sasuke an opening, but the horseman really doesn't seem to care about either of them. That's the most annoying part. But it also makes him think the horseman is after something in particular then.

He'll come back to that later, after this.

At the docks, D stops. The water is too much like iron weights for him. He isn't afraid necessarily of jumping in if he absolutely has to, but in this moment, he remains where he is with his eyes watching Sasuke clear the water ahead. Hm. The horseman truly said goodbye losers.]

No. He got lucky.

[It isn't a platitude, but it is a little reassurance. Sasuke was not the flaw here. He can understand Sasuke's irritation, too. He has also lost a particular quarry back home over and over, just out of reach.]

Come out of the water. His job may be finished. If it isn't, he'll return.

[chokuto]

[A quiet tch enunciates how Sasuke feels about that, still disgruntled about his own failure and attributing it to a lack on his own part, even if he already knows his abilities aren't reliable in this dimension. He should have taken that into account. He should have calculated a better solution.]

We should see if he left any evidence behind on the bodies.

[He turns around, swimming back to shore, legs kicking — the whole effort is much harder than expected without an arm. That, and he's burdened by a sudden sweep of exhaustion, having used two extremely demanding jutsu in a short period of time.

Sasuke gets about halfway before the cost of the last twenty minutes hits him fully, and... head rolling, eyelids fluttering shut, he slips right underwater.

Help him, D. Mistakes were made.]

[damnpire]

[........

For a long stretch of a few seconds, D really just stands there on the dock staring at the water where Sasuke once floated, understanding what he thinks happened really did happen.

A croaking voice from his left palm says,] Uh oh, [and he feels the very pit of his soul wither in annoyance. Not at Sasuke. At the idea he's going to have to go into the water. Quickly, he returns the sword to his back and cast his hat aside by his feet.

When Sasuke doesn't even bubble against the surface, he dives off the dock with no hesitation. The water doesn't scald his skin so much as considerably slows him down. The speed he had running through the streets is gone; he's only a little better than a mortal now, pulling himself through the water with his arms against the drag of the cape. He chases Sasuke's form, stretching his left arm out, using the fingers to snag some of the clothes by the collar. He yanks until they meet, then he threads that arm around Sasuke's torso. The ground rises to his feet when he sinks like iron; he uses it to push off, to leap hastily up through the water and again to the air at a diagonal toward the dock.

His opposite hand holds onto the edge of the wood, and he lifts Sasuke a little on his chest and shoulder above the water, ears straining to pick breathing out over the sounds of lapping docks.]

Sasuke.

[chokuto]

[When his head breaches the surface and he has been hauled back to the dock, Sasuke comes to, inhaling great lungfuls of air — fortunately he'd known better to swallow any water even as consciousness had spun momentarily out of his hands. Some reflexes are ingrained through sheer discipline; it wouldn't have worked if he had really begun to drown, but for as long as he could hold his breath he was safe until he could resurface.

The sound of his name draws him deliriously into focus, aware of the arm around his middle and the pale, looming face that watches him, black hair plastered now with water. This stranger, D, has rescued him from drowning.]

I'm fine, I — [need to get away is the first thought. Sasuke's teeth click closed; he feels humiliation boil up where his previous anger had lurked. He turns his face away.] ... I can make it from here.

[Honestly, just throw him back in.

Sasuke reaches for the edge of the dock, upper body strength dragging himself out, getting one foot on the water's surface — where chakra allows him a solid footing, so he's not relying on D as a temporary ladder. He turns back once he's out, to see if D needs assistance.]

[damnpire]

[SASUKE... a baby.

Once Sasuke has mostly come around, D's hold loosens a little. He allows Sasuke the opportunity to climb up and out, not offering much else except a bit of stability. D isn't really the type to make a big show of telling someone else to chill out. Also probably would not have minded if Sasuke stepped on him to get out.

After Sasuke, D puts both hands on the dock and vaults out of the water into a crouch on his feet. Slowly, he rises to his full height, taking the previously discarded hat with him. Though he doesn't put it on yet.]

Are you alright?

[chokuto]

[Those Dracula shoulders are broad enough to be decent ladder rungs.

Sprawled on the docks, he gathers him composure piece by piece, still breathing hard from the exertion of going under combined with the events in the street. One hand rakes wet hair out of his face so he can better see. He looks to D now on solid ground, tall and looming, apparently unbothered by having to fish him out of the sea.

He also notices that D didn't remove anything from his person before jumping in after him except for the hat... Is it that important?]

I said I'm fine. [A little sharp, there.] More importantly, the word you used before. Dhampir? [Is he even pronouncing that right.] You have special abilities. Is it because of your species?

[damnpire]

[Ah. Deflective and straight to the point. Well. He can’t say he doesn’t feel like he’s speaking to himself actually. Funny. Even if it doesn’t show on his face, it brings him some amusement.]

It’s because I’m a dhampir, yes.

[It isn’t the sole reason, but he’s not the type to regale others with childhood experimentation. Ironic that Sasuke, of all people, would actually understand this maybe.

He places the hat again on his head, though his hair beneath is still wet. It is important in its utility.]

[chokuto]

Dhampir. [The way Sasuke says it obviously carries an accent even through the common Netherworld tongue, but it's smoother the second time, as if he's practicing it.] You said this was the cross between vampires and humans.

["Powerful, immortal beings cursed to drink blood." And also that he is a vampire hunter. There's a lot to puzzle on that, but he doesn't pry further, though a look considers how much of D shares those two traits. Is he immortal as well? Does he drink human blood?

Sasuke gets to his feet.] I'm going to remain in the area and see what can be found. If the rider returns, I'll retaliate. I need to learn his attack patterns to understand how to catch him. [Is he just going to spend hours doing this... Maybe...] You don't need to stay. You helped enough.

[damnpire]

It is.

[That is all he gives. He is young and beautiful, but his eyes are extremely old, so perhaps it isn't too presumptuous to wonder if he lives forever or drinks human blood.]

I plan to go back and look around. [His eyes watchfully settle on Sasuke for a moment.] We don't know if it's something that can be caught. It won't hurt to rest while waiting to see if it'll come again. You're very strong, but your strength needs to return if you are going to fight it a second time.

[If Sasuke thought D would try to stop some perceived foolhardy battle, he would be wrong. But he will be pragmatic about the possible future encounter.]

What did your eyes see?

[chokuto]

[Excuse me, don't tell him what to do.]

I know the limits of my own strength. And even if this world has changed that, the only way I'll discover what I can do with these new restrictions is through experience. [Sasuke rolls up his shirt, wringing out the water that has drenched the fabric; he does the same to his pants, although without taking his clothing off entirely he'll have to suffer the dampness.] From this, I've already learned to expect sudden disruptions to my power, so I'll avoid the water.

[D is right, and he should rest first to recuperate his lost chakra. He's just not going to say this aloud. :')]

Do you mean what my eyes saw of you or more generally? ... I can't answer in a way that's going to be satisfactory to you.

[damnpire]

[It was only a Big suggestion… Sasuke is so funny, but D continues to not mind this terribly uncanny version of his logical self.

He can’t really dissuade Sasuke from any of this, so he won’t.]

You may satisfy my question more than you realize. The horseman. What did your eyes see of him?

[He isn’t sure if Sasuke will divulge anything which is fair. Very Sakura of him. So he adds:]

The horseman had no smell.

[chokuto]

[He could learn a thing or two from D in the ways of chiller vibes.]

All I can say is that I should have been capable of tracking him. I don't know how he avoided me. There's something else at work, some other power that has nothing to do with what I'm used to.

[His eyes, the r ight now dormant black and the left still pale purple, track to the side. Perpetually frowning.]

... I didn't notice a smell. Is that an ability of yours associated with being half vampire?

[damnpire]

[shakes your hand

He watches Sasuke without any kind of real intensity. A conversational studiousness.]

It may be that this place has only tempered extraordinary people here.

[Again, it might not be Sasuke’s fault. Something strange can still be at play, but this plane has stunted them, annoyingly. It seems to D that Sasuke has a few hang ups with being less than his best self…

Same hat tho.]

Yes. I don’t think the horseman had a heartbeat, and he didn’t breathe.

[So apparently D is weird enough to also creepily hear those things.]

[chokuto]

I've considered the same. However, I've encountered a few without any noticeable abilities. It could be their strengths lie elsewhere.

[The calmness and logicality that D exudes has begun to cool some of his own crackling irritation, so that now his urgency about the Horseman is overtaken with interest about the dhampir in front of him.]

Your senses are magnified. You weren't very close to him, but you could tell that much? It would imply he wasn't a living creature of any kind. [I mean, he was also missing a head...] But he was still corporeal enough to hurt others.

As only half vampire, are you required to drink human blood to survive?

[damnpire]

[He would never chastise Sasuke about the rash behavior really, but he's glad it's waning. Not exactly glad it's waning because the interest has turned to him, though he has little choice outside of taking the curt path Sasuke usually follows.

He doesn't acknowledge the assessment about him, but perhaps the lack of acknowledgement is the acknowledgement itself. Agree by omission.]

Yes and no. I don't need it to survive. I'm cursed to thirst for it. But I've never tasted human blood. The blood I consumed was artificially made.

[chokuto]

[Sasuke's eyes narrow, the slightest slit to the look he gives D.]

Is it a question of your own morality? Does it kill them if you take their blood?

[damnpire]

[He doesn't falter under the scrutiny.]

If too much is taken, they would die from blood loss. [Death is in the simplicity of it.] What happens to a human bitten by a vampire depends on the vampire. They will either become a vampiric zombie or another vampire.

The day I drink blood from humans is the day another Hunter will come after me.

[chokuto]

[Death by blood loss makes sense, although the latter statement in particular takes his attention.]

Why does it depend on the vampire what they become? Vampires aren't all the same?

[He says nothing yet about D's admission — even if that, too, is logical. Does the dhampir struggle with his own half-vampire identity? Does he resent it? The questions are on Sasuke's mind, but he's not prying enough to ask.]

[damnpire]

[He is quiet for a moment, thinking about how he wants to explain. His eyes don't leave Sasuke, though.]

No, not where I'm from.

Pure-blooded vampires who have lived a long time are more powerful than humans who have been changed. They have the Kiss of the Nobility. Usually, a bite from them will turn a human into a vampire. Anything else, and the probability is higher the human will become a vampire's zombie. A thrall.

[chokuto]

[The lingering look might have unnerved or discomfited him, if it were anyone else, but somehow Sasuke feels calm and clear-headed. Perhaps it's because of how free D is with the information. Or the dhampir's aura in general—where others might experience unease, he senses something else in that darkness, an aura more familiar. In either case, he does not feel particularly scrutinized.

It's strange to imagine that a bite could be powerful enough to alter the makeup of a person's body. Then again, he has seen medical experimentation in the shinobi world go far.]

I see. And what about you? If you bite someone, will they change into a vampire or a thrall? Or nothing?

[damnpire]

[It's fine so long as the questions aren't about him. Which is very funny considering Sasuke's next questions are very much about him actually. His lips thin, though he doesn't seem irritated so much as resigned.]

I don't know, [he says honestly.] I have never bitten anyone. And I don't ever plan to.

[Well. He does (would have?) later, though they were in dire straits, and she had already been bitten by another vampire. Does that matter? Maybe only if he had reached that point in time rather than end up here.]

[chokuto]

[He says nothing to that, only looks at D for a long moment, as if measuring the extent of that resolve. If it isn't a requirement to live, then perhaps D is justified in such a statement — as it seems he sides more strongly with the human half of his identity, hunting and killing vampires as a profession. But in a place like the Netherworld, where they are driven by those darker thoughts too insidious to easily disregard...

Sasuke eyes him, then lets his gaze slip away. The conversation comes to a lull as words settle.]

I'm leaving.

[He still has a headless horseman to (fail to) catch.]

[damnpire]

[D simply inclines his head slowly, using the hat to nod in farewell to Sasuke.]

Be careful, [is the only thing he says about the hunt for the horseman. Sasuke seems capable to him at least in the way of combat.] Goodbye.

[Because, for some reason, the cryptid abomination is strangely polite.]