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

belial wildcard but with puck

[regression]

[ They can be entering the forest, bumping into each other at the mouth of the trees. Joonghyuk raises his eyebrows to see that D is here, though the aura he gives off that he isn't displeased by this encounter.

Here the ancient boys are, dressed in black to match the sky. After a beat of silence, Joonghyuk speaks. ]

Good behavior?

[ This is what their acts of "altruism" amount to now. ]

say it literally any other way

[damnpire]

[They can meet up. It's funnier this way since Han Sooyoung thinks they are the same person. He comes to a stop apart from Joonghyuk, inclining his hat slightly in greeting.

He has not brought the torch even in this thread because he can see in the dark.]

Yes. The lantern.

[Some old woman sending them on a fetch question. And even though they are very annoying:]

The harpies don't have it.

no

[regression]

The lantern that they couldn't protect themselves.

[ They are not the same person, but Sooyoung can project Joonghyuk onto any figure who wears black and is also taller than her. That isn't much of a feat, however. Joonghyuk did not bring a torch himself, considering the moonlight enough to guide them, but he does pick up a branch at the ready in case they need to ignite. They, meaning him. ]

The harpies should stay out of their way or else.

[ Joonghyuk takes steps forward deeper into the dark woodlands and with him the sound of rustling follows, though there are some harpies that stay to keep D company. D is their meow meow. ]

[damnpire]

[Joonghyuk can have the stick... D will have... his inhuman body(?). He really misses his fucking sword. See, Han Sooyoung is right, they're the same person probably?]

Ignore them. They won't attack.

[Just continue to be irritating. Also, NO. He is not staying with the damn harpies. His pace isn't fast, but he follows after Joonghyuk deeper into the woods.]

There's music.

[Ears good. He can hear it tinkling in the distance, growing louder.]

[regression]

[ Damn... It is sad sword boy hours, missing their swords that they can possibly regain. The harpies love D though, so they follow and bundle with the ones that skulk after Joonghyuk. At the mention of the music, he strains his own ears to pick up stray notes. It takes him steps deeper before he picks up the tune as his hearing isn't supernatural. Someone didn't buy the ability to eavesdrop.

To lessen the time spent and wasted dawdling, he darts off into the direction. Puck, once on the ground for a short second, is chased up a tree to chill with the harpies. Like a mad dog, Joonghyuk stays at the base of overgrown roots and glares overhead. ]

Give us the lantern.

[ Puck plays coy... Then dangles the lantern in front of them? This? ]

[damnpire]

[Thinking about D in Augustine's thread just rolling out in the open with Puck and saying, "Return the lantern." They really are the same.

He does not run, but he does walk swiftly after Joonghyuk toward the direction of the music. He arrives just as Joonghyuk corrals the Puck up into the tree like a dog. Stopping beside the other man, he tips his hat away from his face by peering up. Hmm. This is a brat, he can tell.]

We will take it by force if it isn't returned.

[This shall be the Puck's single and only warning.]

[regression]

[ They do not MINCE words here in goth city. So now they're both two big dogs looking up at Puck whose eyes crinkle like a cat's, full of mischief and excitement. The trickster cranes his neck to get a better look at them, then throws out his pitch.

"I want a fun night. Why don't you indulge me and you can have the lantern in return? I am a man of my word. All you have to do is follow me."

Voice velvet smooth melts the surrounding cold air... It gives the small area by the tree warmth, an invitation to cast aside the terrors of the forest. Joonghyuk doesn't like it. Seduction does not work on him. ]

To be lured into your traps?

[ The shadow starts chanting into his ear, which has him turn his head some, frowning. ]

[damnpire]

[With no real hurry, D turns his head to glance over his shoulder without turning his body. Something in the woods is very much alive, but not in the sweet and charming sense of spring. They may not have long before it tries to swallow them, too.

He tips his head again to peer at the Puck above them, goading them in the tree. It isn't that he doesn't believe the words are true. There is some lying by omission here, he's sure.

There is no warning for what he does, no slowness either. He bends his knees slightly and leaps straight up from the ground like a cat. His left hand grabs one branch in passing to propel himself farther along; he's too quick to be a human. His right hand shoots out of the confines of the long cape like a striking snake, and he grabs the Puck by the neck under the jaws.

It's a surprise, though the drop of the lantern is probably on purpose more than anything else. It plummets toward Joonghyuk below, and as D squeezes the throat beneath his fingers, the Puck disperses away almost like a Cheshire cat, leaving D standing alone on the branch of the tree with the echo of laughter.]

1/2

[regression]

[ WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOD BEHAVIOR? Joonghyuk, unprepared for this aggressive approach from D who wants to wallflower the whole time in the Netherworld, is left on the floor to watch the lantern shard fall from that height.



Who could have predicted this? ]

[regression]

[ Puck may have disappeared while his snickers echo in the forest, but he doesn't focus on that. The quicker they assemble the lantern, the better. Quickly, he adjusts his speed and catches the shard with lithe movement... Relief washes over his body as his form slacks, bringing the lantern piece up for examination under a dim ray of light.

He squints. Wait. ]

It's broken.

[ HE'S SO MAD. DID HE BREAK IT? WAS IT ALREADY BROKEN? This is Puck's fault. He doesn't care. ]

[damnpire]

[STOP. THIS ISN'T PALACE GOOD BEHAVIOR. He ruined that behavior already anyway, RIP.

Also, he actually trusted Joonghyuk to catch the lantern when it fell, so he spent more time threatening the Puck than scrambling to get it. It's fine. Annoyed by the vanishing Puck who absolutely dropped the lantern on purpose, D steps off the branch and drops to the ground again.]

Let the old woman handle it.

[He regards the lantern. She said to bring it back, but she did not say how to bring it back, okay.]

[regression]

[ We're just waiting for D to get jailed.

Joonghyuk did catch the lantern, in the end... At what cost? Their broken lantern shard? The shift in responsibility placates the bubbling anger, but his expression shows he's still aggrieved.

Puck dropped it on purpose. Puck may have tried to swindle them with a broken shard. Puck must pay. There's a pause as Joonghyuk wonders if these are his thoughts or the Shadow's voice. ]

We should pursue. He may have more of those shards.

[ Pocketing the shard, he thinks it would be efficient to keep their trip to one trek instead of multiple. ]

[damnpire]

[Hmm. D turns his attention to the forest around them, wondering if they can even catch a craft Puck like this.]

Are you going after him for the shards, or for retribution?

[He’s just curious. Joonghyuk seemed pretty mad about the broken lantern.

Joonghyuk also seems like a man who would more than happily stab you for little reason than you exist annoyingly.]

[regression]

[ They can maybe hear some snickering at random distances, taunting them for their failure. ]

Does it matter?

[ It could just be both? If the goals align... Then the goals align. He doesn't make the rules and that is a correct read on him. ]

[damnpire]

[What gives this little Nether, twig-dicked forest sprite the right to laugh at them? Honestly. D should have crushed the Puck's windpipe.]

No.

[It could be both. He starts off without waiting for Joonghyuk even though this idea was Joonghyuk's originally.]

[regression]

[ The fact that Puck got a rise out of the two while the dark doubles got nothing? Joonghyuk watches D leave, much like when dogs watch each other do anything at all.

They can separate for a short time, though Joonghyuk sends a quick text. ]

Meet me at that tree in ten minutes.

[ With whatever they find. ]

[damnpire]

[They get jumped by two sexy Pucks.

He reads the text but does not answer in true YJH fashion, not even to give an acknowledging period to go with it. The most wild thing is he looks like he wouldn't know a single technology, but he actually comes from so far in the future there's plenty of technology! Why!

Yet here he is, not answering.

He walks on at a slow pace, listening to the forest around him. Well. It's alive, that's or sure.]

[regression]

[ He is too preoccupied to pester D into responding back to affirm receiving the message. wait what D is from the future???

In the short distance, there's the sound of wood. A lot of wood! Puck and his wood. But then also the clattering of tiles and shingles, dulled rather than crisp. D, with his very nice ears, can pick up a tale about a woman who really loved her house. Unrelated to that story, Joonghyuk appears behind with rapid footfalls, even though it has been less than ten minutes. ]

Move.

[ He bumps past D and drags the other man by his collar because what is chasing after him is a large house, given human expression by way of its contorted features. For the sake of not destroying the whole forest as it claws through, the trees seem to open a pathway for it to chase and hunt. They can hear the sexy Puck's laugh echo from all directions above the heavy creaks and cracks, dragging dry shrieks as the building pursues. ]

[damnpire]

[ya 12,090 a.d.

D has turned around by the time Joonghyuk comes sprinting out of the shadows of the parting trees. He stares placidly at Joonghyuk running (infuriating), and he stares placidly at the GIANT HOUSE busting through in chase (also infuriating).

He moves. Joonghyuk grabs his collar, and he gracefully takes off so he isn’t dragged behind. HE ISN’T A CHILD. He’s also quite fast thankfully. Vampire things.

There is a house behind them, though.]

A story?

[regression]

[ it could be like nier replicant where you're so far into the future you're suddenly medieval

Hey. He's just used to having to drag people because their reaction times are slow or they'd be flummoxed at the sight of the monster house. It roars behind them...? ]

I think Puck is telling this story.

[damnpire]

[that's exactly what it's like actually...

Please believe a little more in D and his ability to not bat an eyelash at anything; not Yoo Joonghyuk, not roaring hungry evil houses, not woods being alive, not a sexy Puck, not even naked women.]

Then Puck needs to be silenced.

[He does not say they should kill the Puck necessarily, but he also... doesn't say... they shouldn't.]

[regression]

[ So you're saying D is ace and aromantic. ]

Puck has to die.

[ This suggestion comes naturally and slips through his lips so easily. It doesn't catch him by surprise—it's hard for him to tell if it is his Shadow. They are too alike... Or is it that Joonghyuk as he is now is at his worst already.

While they're running, they may hear Puck's laughter in a clearer direction. Behind them, specifically. ]

[damnpire]

[Self-imposed ace and aromantic tendencies. Knightly...(?)]

Find him.

[Joonghyuk, your SHADOW. D doesn't give any warning when he suddenly doubles-back. He runs in the opposite direction they had been headed, straight for the lumbering house. A peculiar, old voice croaks loudly,] D?! I'm begging you to find some self-preserva--TIONNN!

[Right in front of the house, D leaps off the ground and soars up toward the roof like a black missile, letting the strange voice yell in panic. The house tries to take a chomp out of him as he passes, but he moves by as hair's breath too quickly. He lands on the roof and keeps going.] You're not the only one here! Think about me, too! [the voice is yelling in exasperation.

The house falters, not knowing whether it should keep pursuing Joonghyuk or deal with the gnat running along on top of it.]

[regression]

[ Sometimes there are two wolves inside you and in the end they think the same thing. Joonghyuk squints because there is a voice? He doesn't recognize? Coming from a figure he does recognize. Questions won't be helping them here, so he keeps it to himself. Unlike their ace and aromantic knight, he doesn't circle to the monstrous house because he does have self-preservation.

Only when it stops to focus on D does he make a straight beeline and dart straight into its mouth... Door... Door mouth. Inside is dark with only the orange glow from the fireplace in the living room casting the shadows of the rickety interior, but the laughter is louder. ]

He's somewhere in here.

[ Joonghyuk trusts D's inhuman hearing as he says this. Maybe D can catch a glimpse of Puck just chilling in a room inside through one of the angry house window eyes. ]

[damnpire]

[DON'T TALK ABOUT LACKING SELF-PRESERVATION ONLY TO RUN INTO THE DOOR MOUTH!!

Standing at the peak of the roof, D does in fact hear Joonghyuk muttering inside the house. But the thing doesn't give him any time to dwaddle. Its spindly, wooden arms circle up and over the roof after him--why are there four? That's two too many. D races away. Joonghyuk can hear the pattering of his feet going down the slope of the roof to the edge.

He vaults it as the arms twist toward him, using one hand to catch the roof line and swing back. He crashes feet-first through one of the windows much to the howling of the house. Hope it wasn't an eye.

Except he lands in a crouch near Joonghyuk. Hello. BUT!]

I saw him in one of the rooms.