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MOD EVENT #001

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

（ okay, it's not like she isn't a busybody, but how about you don't call her out like that! she stares at him for a moment, the sharp press of her teeth together to cage all the awful, ugly things she wants to say makes a muscle shiver in the clench of her jaw. finally — ）

By that same logic, then of course I've been doing all other things too, and you didn't need to even ask at all.

（ excuse your logical fallacy, sir. ）

And maybe I'm a busybody, but at least I'm helping people instead of being an asshole!

（ now if he doesn't mind she is going to shove!! dramatically past him!! and stalk off into the night!!

— and trip on an upturned root and go absolutely SPRAWLING a few feet away because she is beauty she is grace she is apparently not watching where she is going like a goddamn moron. ）

Hey--

[it's more of an exclamation as she shoves past him, flouncing off the scene, than it is an attempt to talk to her, but it does result in him turning to watch her leave.

except. she doesn't even make it very far. she's flying, and totally flubs the landing. hands on his hips, felix lets out an aggrieved sigh, as if she had just tripped on to him instead.]

Are all those muscles of yours interfering with your eyesight? Ridiculous.

[there's a sound of movement, and then, he's clearly standing in front of her.]

And who's going to help you when you get hurt?

[delivered in a derisive tone, to be sure, but

there's his hand in her face, offering a hand up.

don't give this asshole the satisfaction sakura]

（ absolutely not. she swats that hand aside with Gusto^tm because she is a strong independent woman ~~who totally cries herself to sleep over sasuke nbd it's fine~~ who needs No Man and gets to her feet herself. she's not about to say that she's so accustomed to having chakra routed to her limbs to maintain that strength that when it abruptly cuts out, her balance can be a little... well.

she was facedown in the dirt for a reason. ）

Don't assume I need help whether I'm hurt or not. I'm fine.

（ if... embarrassed, by the faint flush of pink to the tops of her ears and the high points of colour in her cheeks.

then, a sigh. ）

Are you just going to haunt this maze all night?

Hmph. I won't make the same mistake twice.

[he scowls at her, crossing his arms. what is her problem. he was helping.]

There's plenty of people who aren't here just to fool around. Some people are serious about this.

Why? Are you going to haunt me?

If you're currently the leading cause of injury in this dumb maze? It would probably cut down on the amount of legwork I have to do.

（ she is judging you SO severely right now, man. while she dusts dirt from her knees and picks twigs from her hair.

yeah.

judgement. ）

Are you really just looking for people to fight?

[felix makes an annoyed scoff, shaking his head.]

If you're going to follow me anyway, then you might as well take part, too.

I'm not fighting people unless I catch them. So start running.

[he'll even give her a head start???]

（ is this what it feels like to be kakashi vis à vis gai...

instead, she stands her ground, all 5'4 of her, and puts her hands on her hips. running? like hell. ）

If you want to fight me, then let's leave the maze. I wouldn't want to put craters in the ground. （ a bit of a casual shrug. ） Tripping hazard.

Oh, right. Your ridiculous strength. [he shrugs.] I guess that's why you're not interested in the game, since you've traded speed for beastly power.

[he shrugs right back.]

Fine. Outside the maze, then. I still have a score to settle with you from our last bout.

（ why are you the literal worst!!

sakura glowers at him. beastly? she'll show him beastly.

you know what? she's tried. she's tried really hard not to show her shinobi abilities. she's healed people, and — caused the occasional crater or two, but by and large? no jutsu, no headband, limited amounts of knife throwing. all her training has been done in secret, far away from others, and even then she's mostly stuck to barehanded forms and chakra training.

but now?

now, she just sticks out her tongue like a petulant child and vanishes from sight with the help of shunshin.

is she cheating a bit?

yes.

is it petty and spiteful of her? also yes.

but the usual person she's petty and spiteful at isn't here, so felix will have to do. how does it feel being a stand-in for a knockout blonde??

he'll find her sitting in a tree outside the maze, perched on a branch, swinging her feet like a little girl. but she will hop down obligingly on his arrival, dusting bark from her hands. ）

Oh, did you get lost?

（ because you were slow. but she says it with the very epitome of innocence. surely she couldn't be inferring such a thing. of course not. not her. ）

[sakura sticks out her tongue, which he tosses his head at, but at the pose, he frowns.]

What are you--

[but she's already gone. but where to? he never saw her move. frown deepening, he somewhat foolishly looks in the corn maze walls, trailing from side to side of the maze as he makes his way to the exit. despite all his big talk, he's not running—on the contrary, he's dawdling, trying to make sense of what happened. sakura had strength, but she hadn't shown any particular magics before now—it was mostly her doctoring that took the front seat in his brain. could she actually secretly teleport, too?

by the time he makes it to the exit and sees her in the tree, he's certain it's something like that. so he crosses his arms under her tree, expression lemon sour as she hops down.]

Using magic is just cheating.

[he lost. sure, he hadn't even realized they were competing until she was at the exit making fun of him, but that's beside the point.]

（ cheating? never heard of her. sakura, with a hairband around one wrist, raises her hands to start fixing her hair back. can she brawl with her hair in her face? yes, absolutely. does she want to? absolutely not. ）

A little like using a sword on unarmed opponents?

（ he may have kept it sheathed, but he still tried to swat her like a bug. yes, she is judging that. ）

I suppose someone could see it that way.

[well. felix does have the good grace that at least a shadow of embarrassment crosses his features.]

Hmph. You might not use a weapon, but you're hardly unarmed.

[he'd rather obfuscate than admit to leaning into the whispers in his brain. still, a little bit of the fight has gone out of him, so rather than sword rattle sakura into landing any more verbal hits on him, he simply crosses his arms again and watches her.]

What other magic can you use?

（ it's the smallest, barest scrap of acknowledgement, and she hates how stupidly flattered she is by it. warmth crawls through her stomach, and she resists the urge to squirm uncomfortably, instead folding her arms. no! she's mad at him! he's being a jerk!!

but like a pokemon KO'd by its elemental weakness, sakura is stupidly vulnerable to anything that doesn't dismiss her as a threat. ɦell ʮeɑɦ, sɦe's ɗɑƞgeɾσus!

she blows out her breath after a moment, faintly exasperated at herself, and him. but mostly him. ）

Nuh-uh. Not that easy.

（ sasuke and naruto might be burning things down and using clones every which direction they go in, but she's at least trying to maintain her cover. ）

But how about I make you a deal? No attacking people for twenty-four hours, and I'll answer one question about what I can do.

（ clearly, a fair trade. ）

No deal. Why should I stop doing what the maze was designed for? [he's not wrong, but he's also not right????

still, he kind of wants to know. so:]

One hour. And I get to ask you three questions.

[now we're talking fair]

Six hours, two questions. Final offer!

（ bartering like they're two old ladies at a flea market arguing over lace doilies? absolutely. it's The Vibe. ）

Fine. But you don't get to hound me tomorrow.

[yes she does]

So?

[give him The Deets]

( dryly, )

Is that your first question? You realize I could just say 'so, what?'

( she is refraining, in the spirit of fairness.

... but she could. )

[he clicks his tongue in irritation, but doesn't say anything. that was her point, fair and square, and his silence on the matter speaks volumes.]

Tell me about your magic.

（ it's not magic, she could say. but for all that she'd promised honesty, she doesn't really intend to be any more honest than she needs to be.

she's still a shinobi of konoha, after all, and even in this place her duty to her home is paramount. a man she's met a month ago and barely even likes is hardly enough to displace her loyalty, or make her more inclined to surrendering information she's not actually keen on surrendering at all. she resists the urge to cross her arms — it suggests defensiveness and deceit, so instead she puts one hand on her hip and gestures with the other as if in demonstration. ）

It's a form of energy. I'm able to use it to augment my own abilities — strength, speed. I can also use it to heal others, by transferring my energy to them.

（ the number one rule about lying, make sure it starts from a kernel of truth. ）

You can't see it, because you aren't from my world. It would be invisible to you.

[huh. that makes sense, and also doesn't. but...]

Time out.

If I ask for more details, will you count it as my second question.

[he specifically inflects downwards, avoiding any kind of suggestion that that was his second question.]

（ she gives him a considering look, and then decides to be generous — ）

I'll give you one for free. What do you want to know?

That can't last long. Where does the energy come from?

[you can't get something from nothing.]

It's innate. I was born with it. Training can increase its strength and potency, and your natural reserves.

（ she's walking a very careful line with what she's choosing to say, but that's not untrue, it's just... not spectacularly detailed. ）

How often can you use it in one day? Even our most skilled mages are exhausted after multiple uses of strong magic—and you've been healing people since you arrived.

[this is... kinda OP? seems not fair?? what else can she do]

It's not about 'uses' like what you're thinking. It's more... how much have I slept, how much have I eaten, and how badly is this place messing with my energy. How many times can you fight in a day?

（ but, you know, he's not wrong. ninjas dummy OP. ）

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